Happy Father's Day, and welcome back to Goblin Slayer: The Team Year 2. Your main man GLG has returned from the grave, and the Death God says "hi". I'm sorry for being gone for so long but...jeez, writer's block is a bitch...and so is juggling a million little ideas, not to mention I've been putting this off against my better judgement I confess. But that stops now, and there's alot of loose ends to tie up, so my work is still cut out for me. In any case, I hope you all find the next chapter worth the wait, so let's see the team save Water Town...again...

Review Response: "Eventful" is right...and Ranger was put through the wringer alright. Good thing he's not alone in this though.

As for Priestess? She's definitely strong enough to be archbishop, but...who knows if she's old enough. As for Restoration? Well...see for yourself.

I suppose you have a point with that closing line...

"He finally found out what his weakness is..." A smooth, deep, feminine voice said from all sides of the War God's throne room as he sat back in his throne.

"He always knew my dear wife...he just denied it.." The War God said.

"Then let us hope that he is able to recover, and grow stronger in both war...and love." The Love Goddess said.

"That...will take some doing." The War God said.

"Maybe he requires aid?" The Love Goddess said.

"Perhaps, but do not intervene directly." The War God said.

"Do not worry my dear. I have not forgotten the wisdom of how growth must work." The Love Goddess said.

"I never worried, I am just concerned of how your true form would effect the mentality of a human. No one can see your true face afterall...only I can..." The War God said as a light shined in front of him and he opened his eyes to see the source.

"Ranger..." Fighter said as she entered the room where Priestess was sitting on a chair next to the bed Ranger was laying on. She then rushed to see him, as he then turned to see her...and softened right away.

"Is it really you...?" Ranger asked with difficulty.

"In the living flesh..." Fighter said softly as she touched his face...and he held her hand and leaned into it as his eyes watered.

"Fighter...My sweet Fighter..." Ranger said with a sob as his tears finally flowed.

"I'm here my love, and I'm here for you...like I've always been, and always will be." Fighter said softly, and Ranger reacted by softening up a bit more: a sign of progress to be sure. She then looked at Priestess, and the two women were clearly sympathetic with Ranger.

"Should I leave you two alone?" Priestess asked.

"Not if you don't want to..." Ranger said.

"Alright." Priestess said.

"Did you kill the demon who did this?" Fighter asked.

"Unfortunately no, it's still out there." Priestess said.

"I see..." Ranger whispered.

"Should we kill the demon, or bring him to you so you can kill him yourself?" Fighet asked and Ranger thought for a moment.

"Kill him yourself...I've had my fill of that parasite and I want nothing more to do with him." Ranger said tensely.

"Really?" Fighter asked.

"Baby...I am a complete mess right now; I don't even want revenge on the demon who tried to drown me in fear, let alone bring myself to raise my sword to defend my home...not in my current state." Ranger said somberly.

"Alright...well, I think I should get to the others and get them up to speed on what's going on out there." Priestess said.

"Right, we'll see you two later...I hope." Fighter said Priestess walked out and left the married pair alone, and Fighter watched her leave...but Ranger couldn't stop staring at her like the angel he saw her as, which she noticed. "Sword Maiden told me what happened...and I thought the goblins were cruel."

"Please...don't remind me..." Ranger whispered.

"Ranger..." Fighter said.

"I was never afraid...even though what that that damn demon made me go through was a nightmare, I didn't take any of it to heart, and how could I? I know none of you rely on me anymore than I rely on you. That's actually part of how and why I became a Platinum Rank, and why I used to care so little for the rest of your fears; I have no problem risking my own life... if it meant the lives of my teammates. But when that demon slashed my eyes... I did believe that I could get my sight back, just like the Sword Maiden did... I thought of how I might never get to look at you again..." Ranger said with a sob before looking away from her. "It's bad enough not knowing if I'll get to fight for the people anymore, but just thinking of not being able to see you smile at me...while you looked at my damaged eyes in horror tore me apart...!" Fighter then watched her husband bawl like the innocent little boy she saw in his heart for the better part of 15 seconds. "I don't dare think about not being able to see our little girl..."

"Ranger..." Fighter said with concern.

"I've been in more battles than I can count, and saw just as many tragedies, but this...this was just awful..." Ranger said with a cracked voice as he kept weeping, and eventually let out a faint but chilling laugh. "If this is supposed to be a punishment of some sort...for what I did to my foes...I'd rather be set on fire instead of this..." Fighter's heart sank the moment she heard that, and the broken tone he used did not help. It was their first moment at the pond all over again: he looked as defeated as a person could get, and she was there to pick up the pieces. She hated seeing him like this like even more than she hated goblins...but at least the remedy to his pain was obvious.

"Ranger...look at me." Fighter said as softly as ever, but her husband didn't budge. "Ranger...please...look at me..." Ranger slowly turned his head and she saw his red eyes, and flushed, tear-stained cheeks. "The Sword Maiden healed your eyes; your defeat was undone, and I'm here, right in front of you. You can look at me as much as you want now..." Fighter then took his hand and Ranger just stared at her, taking in all the features he adored, especially her love-filled eyes as he dried his own.

"I love you so much..." Ranger whispered before he held her hand and rubbed his face against it.

"And don't talk about how this kind of heartbreak is a punishment. This is a punishment that fits no crime, especially not against the kind of people you have as enemies. This is nothing but a twisted game played on you by a demon. If anything, it's him who deserves punishment, not you." Fighter said, and she saw the sorrow drain out of her husband like someone pulled the plug as her divine voice filled his ears. Ranger eventually opened his reddened eyes, and she eventually graced him with a heart-melting smile which made his breath hitch.

"Your smile...I can see it..." Ranger whispered harshly.

"I will smile as long as you need me to. My great and loving husband..." Fighter said softly before she put her hand over his heart and he held it there. She then moved her hand to his face...and he didn't let go of her hand the whole time as he continued staring at her.

"Even through tear-fogged eyes, you are still as radiant as the day we met, in body, and soul..." Ranger whispered before reaching up to her face, and she came down to place her lips on his own as he held her head in place while drinking her affection like it was melted ice cream. She then broke the kiss no less than ten seconds later, continued to smile at him until he returned it, and got up to leave...only for Ranger to cling onto her and look at her with desperation in his eyes.

"I need to tell the others how you're doing." Fighter said.

"I need you more..." Ranger said seriously.

"Ranger..." Fighter trailed off

"Please...that demon may not have broken my mind...but he crushed my heart, and I need it restored...badly." Ranger said, then Fighter thought for a moment.

"Maybe I could leave a clone or two with you-" Ranger cuts her off.

"No...it has to be you. Please, I beg you..." He said desperately.

"Alright..." Fighter said before Ranger watched his wife strip herself naked. She then noticed how his eyes were glued to he body, smirked and slowed down as she noticed her husbands' eyes continue to feast on her gifts from the Love Goddess as she slowly turned, spun, flexed, and undulated herself in various ways to show off her body as much as possible and took her sweet time with each simple, yet enticing motion. She swayed side to side while removing her pants and underwear, puffed out her chest as she leaned back while removing her shirt, and even slowly spun towards the bed with one leg crossed over the other to make her muscular yet supple buttocks tighten. "Seen enough yet?" Ranger just nodded before she crawled into bed with him and pressing her breasts into his pecs. He then clung unto her as if she was being pulled away from him. "Ranger..."

"Please...just let me hold my wife. My strong, devoted, and impossibly affectionate wife..." Ranger said with his voice cracking again as he shifted against her while burying his face in her hair. Eventually...she put a sweet kiss on his cheek before he turned his head to simply press his lips against hers as she put her thighs on either side of his leg and rested her head next to his before kissing him just below the ear.

"Do you remember what you saw when I stripped in front of you?" Fighter asked as softly as ever as Ranger trembled.

"Yes..." He said.

"Tell me what you saw..." Fighter whispered in his ear.

"Everything. Your creamy skin...your powerful muscles, your glorious curves..." Ranger said with reverence.

"And guess what? This will not be the last time you see my body...nor can it be." Fighter said seriously as her husband continued to look at her face.

"That light in your eyes..." Ranger whispered and Fighter looked him in the face again with another luminous smile.

"The light in your eyes is no different. I can see it as clearly as you see mine. That demon may have crushed your hopes, but what you hope for is as real as what you see now. Always has been, always will be, and I'll always be here to save you...like I did at the pond. Afterall...I'm your Love Goddess." Fighter whispered before stroking his face as he held her hand against his face and wept again.

"That you are... " Ranger said with a sob before Fighter laid back down on his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. Eventually, she shifted in his arms again. "I love you...more than I can measure..."

"And I love you..." Fighter said as softly as ever before Ranger opened his mouth and Fighter gave him a deep, and intensely passionate kiss that lasted no less than a minute as they slowly lashed their tongued, exhaled deeply, and noisily, and even took minor breaks with only their tongues touching, stroking each other's necks, faces and hair all the while. Eventually they broke the kiss and looked at each other with the same passion in their eyes.

"Your kiss is as sweet as ever..." Ranger whispered.

"And it's as real as everything else you sensed. Please believe me..." Fighter said softly.

"Love...I believe your word above all." Ranger said seriously before she kissed him as passionately as before.

"Aren't you going to touch me?" Fighter asked.

"Not this time...I'd rather look at you." Ranger said.

"Then keep looking at me..." Fighter said sensually as she caressed his face before raising up to look down at him properly as her loose-hanging hair cascaded around her head and draped over her shoulders. He then ran his hand through it before she softly kissed his forehead, then smiled at him again, before pressing her lips to his. "Feeling better?"

"Yes..." Ranger whispered.

"Good, now...are you sure you don't want to touch me?" Fighter asked.

"Fighter...I'm in no mood for sex..." Ranger said seriously.

"I never said anything about sex; I just know how much touching me brightens your day, and your day looks like it could use it. Why do you think I practically danced a while ago?" Fighter said honestly.

"I appreciate the sentiment, but I need to recover on my own; all you can do is make the process easier." Ranger said.

"Then I'll make it as easy as I can..." Fighter whispered before kissing his cheek.

"Like you did at the pond." Ranger said with a genuine smile that she returned.

"I was trying not to say it; I thought it spoke for itself." Fighter said.

"It did...I just had to stress it." Ranger said before Fighter snuggled into him.

"I'm going to have to go to the battlefield sooner or later..." She said.

"Your clones..." Ranger said.

"My strength is divided between myself and my clones; unless they each down a life potion, which I myself would in this case, it won't do much good. Besides, they can't make more clones unlike myself." Fighter said.

"Right..." Ranger whispered.

"However, if I leave a clone, or two , with you and you work with them, I'll learn everything they experienced as if I experienced myself...like the time I made one clone and learned how it felt to felt up by you while someone watched...or how it felt to be the second girl with a man." Fighter said thoughtfully.

"I don't want anyone but you Fighter, although...technically you were just in two places at one time." Ranger said.

"It also means we have more than one way to go about this; more is merrier." Fighter said with a smirk before kissing him again. "Do you really not want to kill the demon who did this to you?"

"Yes... I made his efforts to scare me fruitless, and even returned the favor. As far as I'm concerned, I already had my revenge." Ranger said.

"Well...he better pray I don't catch him off-guard..." Fighter said.

"Fighter..." Ranger said.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to go after him; I have a thousand other things more worthy of my time...like helping my strong, noble, and handsome husband get back on his feet." Fighter said.

"Go...help the others save the town. I'll join you if I can." Ranger said.

"Ranger you-" Ranger cuts her off.

"The city needs you more than I do. Just promise me you'll come back to me..." He said.

"I promise...afterall, the world still needs the team, and the team needs the Ranger..." Fighter said.

"And the Ranger needs you..." Ranger said as Fighter got up, morphed her armor on, and looked back to see Ranger staring at her, before finally leaving without another word.

"Alright General Ranger-wannabe, you said it's your time to shine, so shine." Dwarf Rifleman said.

"Smartass...anyway, just like we did before- "Warrior shut up he moment rapid footsteps were heard. "Fighter? How's Ranger?"

"He's fine, or at least...he will be. Now...what's the plan?" Fighter asked.

"Well...we were listening to these two go on like kids-" Fighter cuts Wizard off.

"Yes, yes, I heard, now...o.k., I'm sorry for getting antsy, but I really want to put all this behind us as soon as possible..." She said.

"Alright alright! As like I was going to say, Warrior was actually formulating a plan earlier." Wizard said.

"Was he? Who brought you your big boy pants?" Fighter asked.

"Hey, it was as simple as asking "what would the boss do?"." Warrior said.

"Well let's hear it." Fighter said.

"First we have to split into two groups." Warrior said.

"And...who's doing what now?" Fighter asked.

"I'm going to take care of that spire. Sword Maiden used Vision to see that there's a great deal of goblin activity there." GS said.

"She- And you're o.k seeing that kind of "activity"?" Fighter asked.

"My fears are no longer crippling me Fighter." Sword Maiden said softly.

"Good...now what's the rest of the plan?" Fighter asked.

"The second group will...well, we do what we did beforehand: shooters take the wall, the rest hold the grounds." Warrior said.

"That's a fine start...but what about the angles we can't cover? We only have so many people, and we're splitting up." Rhea Fighter said.

"That's where the guards come in; I'll lead them myself and cover their asses should they need me-" Cow Girl cuts Warrior off.

"Wait a minute...you're going to lead them yourself?" She asked in awe.

"Uhhh...yeah, it's hardly the first time I led people into battle." Warrior said.

"It's true, one time, we were with Noble Fencer and Goblin Slayer's teams, and Warrior led Noble Fencer and her team to hold a place against goblins while I went with Goblin Slayer to care of their paladin. All the goblins were wiped out, and Warrior's team all made it out in one piece." Wizard said.

"And like now, I asked myself what Ranger would do...look at the results." Warrior said proudly.

"Well..I'm sure a good chunk of them want their pound of flesh." Rhea Fighter said.

"Who can blame them? This place wasn't exactly a beach trip while those terrorists roamed the place." Wizard said.

"So...if the guards are doing all the fighting on the front line...then the rest of us do the heavier lifting." Wizard's brother said.

"Right, so...who wants to go with Goblin Slayer?" Warrior asked.

"I am." H.E. Druid said firmly.

"So will I." D.R. said.

"No, your gun will make too much noise and we don't have time to silence it; the goblins will likely make more attacks on this town. We need to move as soon as we can." GS said.

"But-" H.E. Druid cuts D.R. off.

"I'll be fine...you've seen my new tricks yourself." She said and D.R. sighed.

"Fine..." He whispered.

"I guess that means I'm staying too." Cow Girl said.

"Don't worry, I'll look after him for you." H.E. Druid said.

"So will I." Priestess said.

"But you're needed here-" Priestess cuts GS off.

"You need me more. Besides...I used up most of my miracles; I can't help more than a handful of people in my current state..." She said.

"I'll go with Goblin Slayer's crew. You go with Warrior's, Sword Maiden here will handle the temple." Cherub said.

"But my powers?" Priestess asked with concern, then Sword Maiden took her hands and they glowed brightly then dimly for several seconds.

"Now you have your miracles restored, but be that as it may, Restoration is off the table, so all of your use extreme caution from this point forward." Sword Maiden said seriously.

"Oh well. Now, as for me? Well, I assume my sister will stick with my brother-in-law so..." Wizard's brother trailed off.

"Hey, his thick ass isn't saving itself." Wizard said with a smirk.

"Hey!" Warrior exclaimed.

"You know I'm right..." Wizard said and Warrior grunted.

"Should I stay too?" Rhea Fighter asked.

"Yes, the more people here who can seal the rifts, the better." Cherub said.

"Alright, now send us to that tower." GS said and Priestess used the gem to open and portal then handed it to GS.

"Goblin Slayer...take this." She said and GS put the gem away.

"Best of luck to all of you, and Fighter? Don't worry about your husband. I'll look after him while you're away." Sword Maiden said.

"Thanks Sword Maiden..." Fighter said as she immediately ran off.

"Subtle..." Wizard said and she, Priestess and Warrior went after her as GS's team went through the portal...except Wizard's brother who stopped Rhea Fighter.

"Yes?" She asked and Wizard's brother sighed.

"Just...care care of yourself...o.k?" He asked softly.

"Yeah, you too..." Rhea Fighter said as they stared at each other then he went through the portal.

In the spire, Cambion himself was sorting out some scrolls, maps, and even some crystals while the phantom imagine of a goblin wearing plate armor from head to toe was speaking.

"How could those humans get here so quickly?! I thought you said they were occupied elsewhere? This was supposed to be a conquest for my people, and that Goblin Slayer pest is making a mess of things as well. Do you hear me?!" The goblin asked.

"It's impossible not to Your Majesty..." Cambion said dryly as he worked.

"What?!" The goblin snapped.

"The Goblin Slayer has his mission to do just like I do, but I've taken the liberty of setting up some...tests, for him should he arrive." Cambion said.

"Tests?! He is the greatest threat to my people that has ever lived! Even that Ranger pest hasn't slain as many of us as Goblin Slayer!" The goblin exclaimed.

"All the more reason for my plans to be perfected. Besides, even that Restoration miracle didn't do much aside from rebuild the city, and that saves us all some trouble, especially us." Cambion said as he looked over a particular scroll.

"What do you mean?" The goblin asked.

"I mean, that Restoration can only be used once, so from this point forward...you have yourself a golden opportunity to finish your task, whatever it may be." Cambion said.

"Just fulfill your end of the bargain and make sure the humans are dealt with. All of them, you understand?" The goblin asked.

"I understand completely. The spire I gave you is in good hands, and nothing serious was lost aside from some of your people's numbers, and they can be replaced. In fact, if I know anything about your people...it's that your numbers are the easiest thing to replace." Cambion said as he finally looked at the goblin's image.

"What do you know of my people...half-blood?" The goblin asked.

"I know I have no more love for your people than you have for me personally, and I could not care less if you go extinct." Cambion said.

"We have done nothing you haven't." The goblin said.

"Really? I do not recall making any women bare my children against their will..." Cambion said dryly.

"We do as we are meant to do." The goblin said.

"All the more reason for the Goblin Slayer to do what he does." Cambion said and the goblin snarled at him. "My only concern is that the power I foolishly took from the Death God's greatest servant isn't squandered, and even if you don't get your hands on any of Water Town's women...should they be so lucky, you still have those cloned soldiers, as well as the clones you use for...breeding. We have your favorite son to thank for that little feat of miracle...overlord." With that, the Cambion left the spire through a rift.

The team spent the better part of an hour organizing the city's defenses, from the guards with ranged weapons taking the towers, and walls, to the people going home and taking cover, to the guards with melee weapons, especially spears and shields prepare wall formations, or testudos, just within the gate, and be prepared to move outside the gate. Warrior of course set up the plans; at first the troops had doubts that a man who wasn't even 20 years old should or even could lead, but after they heard about his history with GS, and Ranger, and especially about the fact that he trained other adventurers himself, was Gold Ranked, and had some vouching from Noble Fencer...the guards listened to his plans and carried them out with zero hesitation.

Priestess was there mostly as a morale booster than an actual aid, but her powers were available to those who needed it. Fighter was going around making sure the civilians were alright, and occasionally assuring the most frightened people that her team were going to do all they could to win; there was a reason she had a reputation around town as a compassionate soul. Wizard for her part made sure the logistics were taken care of. She organized the troops ammunition, their magic items, and especially their potions; she couldn't help but notice that the life potion she brewed were more common than she thought, which was really saying something.

Wizard then put traps on the bridges aside from the one leading to the main entrance, fighter kept herself in reserve along with the rest of the guards, Rhea Fighter, and especially Priestess; the two not-blood sisters stuck to each other's sides like glue; Fighter even held and squeezed Priestess' hand for emotional support. Warrior himself crouched just behind the parapet of the main gate's top with a telescope to keep a lockout, with Cow Girl and Dwarf Rifleman on one of the smaller towers to keep lookout themselves.

"Now we wait..." D.R. said and Cow Girl hummed in acknowledgement as they spent several minutes surveying the outline of the forest...but saw nothing. "Are you nervous?"

"Yes but...I can handle it..." Cow Girl said softly.

"Hey, don't worry, you're got plenty of back-up...and me." D.R. said.

"Right. Just like Goblin Slayer." Cow Girl said.

"Yeah...and he's got my sweet princess holding his hand." D.R. said.

"I could take her place if I could." Cow Girl said.

"Eh, probably for the best anyway; we can't have mushy bullshit getting in the way." D.R. said and they spent more minutes waiting.

"Hey, something just moved in that water...!" Cow Girl said nervously.

"Oh relax, it's probably just the summoned familiars. They can turn into crocs afterall, which of course means anyone who tries to swim across is dead meat." D.R. said.

"Right...well, I help that's what it was." Cow Girl said...before the two saw several lights in the sky coming in their direction, and next thing they knew...a chunk of the wall was blown apart by a barrage of explosives! Priestess put up Protection to keep the debris at bay, but another barrage came their way...and Wizard countered it with a Firestorm volley. A small horde of troops appeared and charged at the front gates, Warrior then morphed his automatic crossbow and unleashed a barrage of bolts at them...only for them to form a shield wall before he get get a dozen kills. Cow Girl and D.R. opened fired at the ones in the back who stopped to pepper their positions with arrows while Warrior then morphed his mask and heavier armor, then jumped down to engage them. He then pulled his hammer, raised it to the heavens...and made a small thunderstorm overhead that fully-formed in mere seconds.

The troops then witnessed the lone Gold Rank call down several minor bolts of lightning, absorbing them onto his hammer, and then charge into their ranks with a war cry, and shattered their formation with a single swing. The troops in the front never stood a chance of surviving, and the were staggered by the force of the blow alone, or were simply stunned by the action. The ones who survived and managed to get their barrings did so just in time to see Warrior's hammer slam into their faces hard enough to shatter their heads. The ones who actually do attack Warrior get their attacks blocked, their attacks bounce off his armor, or Warrior just dodges their attacks and counters with his own, like when an enemy soldier tried to spear him then got an upward bash to the jaw that was hard enough to tear their throat open with the force.

When the battle was over, and nearly a hundred troops were dead, Warrior heard an explosion and saw one of the bridges blow up and hundreds of other troops fall into the water...then saw them, and other troops who tried to sneak across through the water, get eaten by the leftover familiars Wizard's brother summoned earlier. He then heard series of faint roars, heavy footsteps, and rustling of trees, all caused by a group of armored trolls. Cow Girl then shot one of them...but all that did was piss it off and make it charge at the gate, and Warrior threw his charged-up hammer at it, hit it square in he chest hard enough to heavily damage it's armor.

He then called his hammer back as he charged at it then bashed it in the side of the head hard enough to break it's neck. He then switched to his sword, charged it up and sliced another two trolls in half without even physically hitting them..only for one of the halves to fall on him, and just when he pushed it off of him, the last troll grabbed him, slammed him into the ground over and over before throwing him into the gates. D.R. and Cow Girl then opened fire at the troll until it first get too wounded to keep running at the gate, and finally dropped dead.

"Open the gates, and get someone down there and retrieve him!" D.R. yelled and several guards went through the opened gate to pull Warrior's heavily injured body inside the walls. Someone then gave him a life potion, and Priestess showed up to heal him with Fighter watching in anticipation. Another volley of bombs blowing up another chunk of the wall cut off their relief when Warrior recovered. Fighter then tensed up upon seeing several houses caved in by the debris.

"Priestess...give me that portal gem..." Fighter said harshly.

"You're going to go alo-" Fighter cuts her off.

"Do it!" She snapped, then Priestess handed over the portal gem, and Fighter used it to open a portal to the edge of the lake around Water Town...and they saw about a dozen catapults with metal balls being loaded. Fighter then morphed her mask, rushed through the portal, and slaughtered everyone working on the catapults by dashing between them, snapping their necks, smashing their heads into the metal frames of the catapults themselves, popping her blades and stabbing them in the heart, spin-kicking their skulls in, and even jumping on the chest of one, flipping off of him, grabbing another one by the back of the head and slamming him into the ground as she landed. She then trashed the catapults and accidentally ignited the ammo with a torch then ran out of the blast radius just before the catapults blew up.

A small detachment of soldiers then broke off from the next wave of the army that went to engage Water Town's defense again...and Fighter picked herself up to prepare for an engagement. The troops all stood there looking at the destroyed catapults as Fighter stared them down as the fire raged behind her, and eventually died down. When it did, she took a step toward them, then another, and another, and another until she broke into a full sprint as the troops yelled and charged at her. Just before she engaged them, she activated her force enchantment and blew several dozen troops out of the way as the rest broke formation and looked on in horror as their friends were disemboweled, dismembered, or slammed, or kicked into each other.

One of them even got rapidly punched all over his body and every troop hat tried to spear Fighter to save their comrade was countered with heavy yet lightning-fast strikes that sent the attacked flying in the opposite direction into more of their comrades. Fighter eventually redirected a spear thrust into the ground, ran up the spear, jumped off the user's head hard enough to break his neck and send her soaring through the air, and when she landed she uppercuted a troop hard enough to tear open his throat, ducked an axe swing, grabbed the attacker's leg, swung him around and threw him into another then ran through several more troops dodging, shredding and kicking her way through the crowd. At one point, she even caught a thrown spear, skewered another troop with it, then threw it back at the troop who first threw it at her.

Fighter then blocked several sword users' attackers who attacked her all at once before gutting three of them, then grabbed the last two spun around until she threw them into the others around them. She then jumped over another who charged at her from behind and slashed his back open before landing then dashing through another part of the crowd, jumping over some of them and kicking and shredding more of them in the process until she tackled another into the ground, used his body as a human shield to protect her from several crossbow bolts then threw the body at them before deflecting another barrage of bolts while launching several blades at them until they were all dead. She then used the portal gem to get back to her teammates.

"Well?" Wizard asked as Fighter removed her mask.

"It's done." She said.

"And I'll bet you made alot of those sons of bitches shit themselves in the process." D.R. said.

"Quiet possibly. Most of them wanted nothing to do with me until I made ground steak out of their friends." Fighter said and got weird looks from her teammates.

"Vivid...so, what now?" Wizard asked.

"Well, we're' not out of the woods yet. I made short work of a good chunk of them, but the rest are heading this way, and there's hundreds leftover." Fighter said and Warrior got up from his healing session and went to fetch his reserve troops.

"Listen up! I want the spears and shields in wall formation in front of the gate! The rest of you, take the walls with the archers and riflemen! The rest of the army is on their way, but they're about to learn what happens when you threaten Water Town. Am I right?" Warrior yelled and the troops all drew their weapons and rushed to their places while letting out their war cries. Warrior and Rhea Fighter went up to the gatehouse roof to observe the battle as their troops braced for the enemy troops to slam into them.

Meanwhile, Goblin Slayer led Wizard's brother, H.E. Druid, and Cherub, the latter of which used Holy Light as they went through a series of underground tunnels.

"And I thought the sewers were disgusting..." H.E. Druid said.

"Oh, quit complaining. You have an angel with you right now...literally." Cherub said.

"Easy for you to say..." H.E. Druid said.

"Anyway...those vats we passed, are those the same ones the Evil Sect kept prisoners in?" Wizard's brother asked.

"Yes." GS said.

"I thought you said you freed a whole slew of people?" H.E. Druid asked.

"We did, but that Sword Mage must have reunited them with the rest of the people." GS said.

"Goblin Slayer saves the day again..." Cherub said with a smirk.

"Nothing new there." H.E. Druid said.

"I still can't believe Priestess helped you kill the goblins directly. Nice to see she's moving up in the world." Wizard's brother said.

"No kidding..." Cherub said, and they spent the next half an hour or so wandering through the tunnels until they stumbled across a closed-off room...with the unmistakable smell of dead bodies coming from behind it. Wizard's brother and H.E. Druid recoiled right away, and Cherub put them in a Heaven Seal so they could breathe more easily.

"Thanks..." Wizard's brother whispered before GS opened the door...and the room was full of dead women and goblin babies...and the women all looked exactly the same. "What the fuck...?!"

"The goblins had cloned women here to use for breeding. It's the same as they used in the swamps." GS said.

"I can't believe I'm asking this, but why kill them if they're good for breeding purposes?" H.E. Druid asked.

"Maybe they just got sick of them, or maybe the goblins didn't kill them afterall." Wizard's brother said.

"It's still unforgivable, even by goblin standards! Cloning like this is one thing, but putting them through this kind of hell without regard for it, is nothing but a mockery to whomever these women were cloned from!" Cherub said.

"None of that matters. Let's just kill the goblins who used them..." GS said.

"But what about the dead babies?" Wizard's brother asked.

"Maybe they were dumped here along with their mothers. Maybe whoever did this had a twisted view of sentimentality." H.E. Druid said.

"Uhh...I just used Vision to see who did this: It was the Sword Mage..." Cherub said.

"What? Well, I'm not surprised he killed the babies, but these women too? What the hell?" Wizard's brother asked.

"None of that matters...!" GS said with annoyance.

"Alright, alright...we'll follow you and give those goblins what for. Sheesh..." Wizard's brother said.

"I also saw some traps ahead, some of which involves gateway traps." Cherub said.

"Gateway traps?" Wizard's brother asked.

"Yes, fall for them, and you're transported who knows where. Into the sky, into the same space as an object, which believe me is as gruesome as can be, and even into Hell itself, which...speaks for itself." Cherub said.

"So, what do we do?" H.E. Druid asked.

"You, put your Druid senses to use. Mage kid, keep your magical wits about you. Goblin Slayer...you just be the Goblin Slayer..." Cherub said.

"Right..." GS said and the group made their way through the tunnels, and lo and behold, H.E. Druid found scrolls on the walls every now and then, every one of them with a gateway rune on it. Wizard's brother kept the scrolls for later use, but didn't get his hopes up. Eventually, H.E. Druid got to pick off some hobs who were guarding doorways with pinpoint shots to the undersides of their skulls, serving their brainstems and giving her teammates a a chance to progress. GS then severed the heads of a trio of goblins who got he drop on him...for all the good it did them. Wizard's brother continued to disarm traps H.E. Druid discovered and even found a mana gem or two which Wizard's brother immediately got his hands on.

"I wonder if Fighter is putting her bow to use?" H.E. Druid asked before loosing a trio of arrows into a group of goblins, then watching GS rush in and chop down the last seven.

"I don't know. I haven't seen her use it since you were with us last." Wizard's brother said before spotting a group of goblins rushing at them then smashing their heads in with his mace. He then activated his mace's force enchantment, and threw it at a hob, which hit it in the chest hard enough to cave in it's ribcage and send it flying back into another dozen goblins and he called it back to his hand in time to splatter several more goblin heads. GS then rushed through another tunnel, butchering, clobbering, and shooting every goblin in sight.

Wizard's brother then summoned a dozen wolf familiars to maul the goblins that GS isn't on top of. Next thing they knew,a rift opened behind them, and dozens of goblins rushed out, and Cherub used Holy Light to cripple them, and H.E. Druid unloads all of her arrows, except one to give to Wizard's brother so he could make more with his alchemy. She then drew her daggers and rushed into the crowd and rapidly slashed their throats, kicked their skulls in, or jammed her daggers into the top of their heads, and taking her arrows back if she could.

Cherub then closed the rift...when the goblins all died no less, then they went to join GS who was continuing to slaughter the hell goblins in droves, with the phantom wolves continuing to make a meal out of the rest of the goblins. H.E. Druid then got her arrows back and opened fire at the last few goblins.

"That makes 157..." GS said as he walked through the mass of dead goblins.

"Alright, now let's go see what they're cooking inside that spire." Cherub said as they marched onward, and eventually, they got to an underground prison block. They opened every one of them, but found no one, not even a dead body, or booby trap.

"That's strange..." H.E. Druid said, then they got to another cell...and still found no one there...until.

"About time, what took you so long?" Bard asked as they opened his door.

"Priestess? You might want to use Empower. They're probably going to need it..." Fighter said, and Priestess nodded, drank some holy water...that she blessed herself, then used empower on the entire guard, and Warrior yelled out to the men...and they yelled in return as the enemy troops crashed into their wall formation, and held the line as the troops yelled taunts and weapons clashed against armor, shields, and other weapons. Warrior then noticed that these troops were enhanced just like the guards were, only they didn't have miracle: they were empowered by demonic magic...for all the good it was doing them. The guards shoved the invaders back and jammed their pikes into the invaders...through their armor, and shields, in inhumanly rapid succession. Warrior meanwhile shot down the ones in the back with his crossbow, and Cow Girl and Dwarf Rifleman used their guns to do the same.

Eventually...the invaders retreated...only to get shot down, and a while later...Wizard was seen on the side wall, and unleashed a Firestorm volley on a group of ships that were getting ready to shell the wall from the side. All but two of the ships were blown apart and the two survivors had an Evil Sect Priest putting up a Reflect spell that weakened the spell, and sent it back. Wizard wasn't letting her own spell be used against her allies again; she put up her own Reflect spell that negated the fireballs entirely. Warrior then turned back to the troops and saw them stay on alert.

"Stay alert men! We may be attacked again." Warrior yelled, before he rejoined his teammates. "How are you holding up?"

"The Sword Maiden restored a good chunk of my miracles. I should be able to do that Empower miracle at least four or five more times, but...Restoration really is out of the question, so we should be careful." Priestess said.

"Well, if things get too bad, we'll just wait until tomorrow. Good thing you could return so many people to life." Fighter said.

"I think it's the Temple of Law itself that enabled that. I've always noticed my miracles were stronger within it's walls when I did my training with the Sword Maiden." Priestess said...then a loud splash was heard as a ship was launched into the air.

"INCOMING!" A guard yelled, and Priestess threw up Protection to keep the thrown ship from crashing into a bunch of houses...that happened to have people inside them.

"What was that?" Fighter asked before they rushed to check it out...then saw a tentacle wrap around one of the towers and yank it down...Wizard then used Light Sight...and saw an all-too-familiar shape in the water.

"What the-? Son of a bitch! How many leviathans are there?!" Wizard exclaimed.

"At least this one is smaller." Fighter said as Warrior walked off. "Hey! Where are you going?"

"Fishing..." Warrior said before running off, and Wizard followed.

"His thick ass isn't saving itself." She said and Fighter smirked and shook her head...before she heard a whoosh, then a scream, then D.R.'s voice.

"Get off her you pint-sized prick!" He yelled...before he was seen throwing a goblin out of the tower, which made Fighter and Priestess look at each other, before several rifts opened around them and Priestess drew her sword, and Fighter popped her blades before Priestess shined Holy Light on them as Fighter climbed up the buildings, and shredded every goblin she didn't kick off the roof; it was a miracle Priestess could tell what was going on.

She herself impaled one goblin after another from within a Protection bubble she put around herself as the goblins tried in vain to break through it. The silver in her blade let her burn through the goblin like they weren't even there, as if the alchemical enhancements made by the wizard siblings weren't enough. Eventually, Fighter reached her and crushed the rest of the goblins who were circling the bubble, and Priestess dropped it to help her teammate after downing a life potion...which gave her the physical boost she needed to keep up with Fighter, albeit barely as they sliced apart one goblin after another...then a swarm of Prides whooshed out of the rifts and Fighter had to open her chakras and unleash bursts of force from her fists to deal with them until Priestess unleash Purge on them, and sealed the rifts in the process.

Rhea Fighter meanwhile helped deal with the rifts on the sides of the bridge and the goblins that spawned from them as the troops tried to keep the goblins out of their formation...only to find the little lady jumping between their shields and slicing the goblins apart in various ways, while dashing through their ranks, jumping over them and bisecting them, spinning to avoid an attack and counter by severing multiple heads with one swing, while also closing the rifts with her sword. She even booted some of the goblins into the water and watched them struggle to stay above water, then get bitten by a crocodile familiar and dragged under water as it turned red.

"Brings a crocodile tear to the eye doesn't it...?" Rhea Fighter said coldly...before she spots a small group of invaders casually walk across the bridge, all wearing lighter armor. "I'll handle this." She then went to engage the troops, who all popped blades out of their forearms and shins like Fighter's...which got her attention right away. "Go inside and help with the goblins!" The guards went inside to follow their orders as she charged at the troops...who weren't even pretending to be worried about her, which was justified when Rhea Fighter dashed from side to side, then leaped at one to sever his head...only for him to lean back with lightning-speed. She then slashed at another two, but still missed. She then continued to slash, stab, and kick at them, but still never landed any hits as her foes leaned back, side-stepped, jumped over her, and rolled away from her as she continued to attack them until she back up and caught her breath.

"Are you done wasting your energy little girl?" One of the troops asked.

"Just who are you people?" Rhea Fighter asked.

"What? We're specialists! Can't you tell from this armor? Sheesh, your brain's smaller than your body..." A specialist said.

"Oh shut it..." Rhea Fighter said before throwing her sword at one, who predictably ducked it and she charged at them as her sword returned to her. She then rolled away as a few of the specialists tried to shred her. She then stood there trying to ease herself; these guys were about as good as she was...and she was by herself; until she got past that fear, her chakras were out of the question. Then...Cow Girl and D.R. opened fire at them, and they each got staggered by their bullets, until the two shooters ran out of ammo, then grappled down the wall and Cow Girl morphed her sword and shield and D.R. put his axeblade on his rifle and they both joined the fray.

Rhea Fighter then watched as Cow Girl blocked one specialist's blades and countered with her sword, while D.R. deflected their blades, and the two of course covered each other as Rhea Fighter stayed back to open her chakras, and when she did...she jumped over the specialists, and sliced two of them in half with her enhanced speed, and the ones in front were so stunned that Cow Girl could impale one of them and disembowel another as D.R. chopped off his head and plunging his axeblade into the chest of another as Rhea Fighter sliced off the last one's legs as Cow Girl impaled him, and D.R. chopped into his back.

"That...was satisfying..." D.R. said as he reloaded his rifle and put the axeblade away.

"That's not the word I'd use for it." Cow Girl said seriously.

"Hey, if Goblin Slayer saw you like this...he'd be all over you." D.R. said.

"I sure came a long way didn't I...?" Cow Girl said and D.R. held her hand.

"I'm sure you have." He said, and Cow Girl actually smiled before they went inside...and saw demons running rampant. Priestess and Fighter were running around tearing apart one imp after another as the guards held off the ones who went for them. "Ah, if it's not one thing it's another...up to the towers!" He and Cow Girl rushed up the stairs, with her chopping down any demons that get in the way, and D.R. opened fire on the ones at a distance.

Rhea Fighter went around to seal the rifts, and funnel them into the place were Fighter and Priestess were, then joined the fray as some more hell goblins popped out of the leftover rifts...only for Fighter to tear them to shreds, sometimes without her blades. She even had a last stand where she slammed two into each other head-first, threw them into a group of them, a hob then charged her, only to get picked up and hurled into the same group to finish them off by crushing them under it's weight. Another hob gets jumped onto, then kicked into another one.

She then saw Priestess behead two goblins at once, then side-step a hob's axe before stabbing it in the throat, then using Holy Smith to blast it across the street into a group of hobs. She then saw a swarm of imps charging at her...then Priestess took a stance were her sword was next to her head pointing at the imps, then she yelled and slashed down several imps each second. Her movements blew Fighter away: she used the same brutality Ranger used, in addition to gracefulness that you'd expect from a dancer. Priestess continued the massacre without losing an inch of ground, until a Wrather appeared, then took an arrow through it's leg from Fighter, then Priestess side-stepped it's tumbling body, then stabbed it through the head just as it was about to stand up. She then looked at Fighter, gave her a brief smile, then the two ladies got charged at by a group of Wrathers that Priestess used Holy Smite on, as Fighter pelted them with arrows.

The two then charged at the crippled Wrathers with Fighter jumping up and putting an arrow through one's brain, Priestess stabbing one through the heart, Fighter landing on one and snapping it's neck, Priestess beheading one, and Fighter flipping over the last one as it tried to grab her, then Priestess stabbed it through it's chest from behind, before Fighter lifted it up and slammed it into the ground, and threw it into a group of goblins, smashing them all to a paste.

"I never thought I'd see you slice apart an entire horde of imps like that." Fighter said as she put her hand on Priestess' shoulder.

"The Sword Maiden wasn't much different years ago." Priestess said.

"Oh yeah, that's right, she gave you her skills that one time..." Fighter said.

"Right, and spending all this time watching you, your husband, and even Warrior and Wizard didn't hunt either." Priestess said before Fighter kissed the top of her head.

"I love you so much..." Fighter said.

"And I love you sister." Priestess said...and their moment was interrupted by a bomb rolling along the ground, then Fighter grabbed Priestess, jumped away, and had Priestess land on top of her, then rolled over her to protect her as she morphed her heavier armor, then saw a trio of specialists on the roofs and jumped down to engage her. "They...they have.."

"Blades like mine..." Fighter said with her mask echoing her voice like GS' helmet. She then got up and Rhea Fighter showed up and unleashed a wave of energy from her charged-up blade that craved up the ground, but missed the specialists since they backed up just in time.

"More specialists?" Rhea Fighter asked.

"Wait, you know them?" Fighter asked.

"I took down a group earlier, and these guys are called specialist's for a reason." Rhea Fighter said seriously.

"That's right, and we've been trained specifically to deal with little bitches like you." One of them said.

"You..are calling us bitches? That's hilarious..." Fighter said, and the one who first taunted her growled and threw a bomb at her...only for Rhea Fighter to activate her gauntlet's enchantment and blow it back to them, and they jumped away from it, then scattered to the alleyways.

"How'd you do that?" Fighter asked.

"Oh, Wizard's brother swapped out my gauntlet's force enchantments, for wind enchantments." Rhea Fighter said.

"When?" Priestess asked.

"While we were doing our own thing, just before we came here. Now, let's go show those specialists why they're not so special." Rhea Fighter said, and Fighter took off to go after one of them while the others went after the other ones. Eventually, Fighter finds one of them, moving through some alleys, dashed off to hide from him, then when he approaches her hiding spot, he looks around for guards, turns around to leave...then got her fist to the face.

"Fuck you!" Fighter exclaimed before watching the specialist fall down with his mask, and his face, caved int...then she get jumped by another one, blocks, counters, and dodges several blades strikes, kicks, and then takes a headbash from him, then she gets kicked by him in the gut...and he falls down with a sprained ankle, before she finishes him off with a stomp to the head. She then spots more rifts in the distance...and then copies of Warrior taking them down. She then shook her head before she took off to find Rhea Fighter and Priestess engaged with the last specialist who was backed into a corner by the other two ladies as they lunged, parried, and slashed at their foe. Rhea Fighter then launched him into a wall before throwing her sword at him, but he rolls to the side, then Priestess impales him in the heart.

"Nice going..." Rhea Fighter said and Priestess sighed.

"I'm really not fond of killing other people. Goblins and demons are one thing, but...he's human, just like me." She said.

"Hey, they're trying to take over this city, the Temple of Law. They even destroyed a statue of the Sword Maiden, your godmother." Rhea Fighter said.

"I know..." Priestess whispered harshly.

"Then...well, what would Ranger say...?" Rhea Fighter asked.

"That we should focus on why we're fighting, instead of what's going wrong. Otherwise...we'll lose before we can win the war." Fighter said as she joins the ladies, then Priestess smiles at her before hugging her pseudosister. "I'm sure my husband will be thrilled to see how far you came, both of you."

"Thank you..." Priestess whispered as she snuggled into Fighter's chest. Next thing they knew, more rifts open, then a group of Gluttons comes out of them, then Priestess stuns them with Holy Light, as Rhea Fighter threw her sword to cut two in half as Fighter grabbed the tongue of another as it tried to latch onto her, then she allowed it to yank her towards it so it could eat her...big mistake. She kicked it in the face hard enough to send it flying as soon as she got close enough.

Priestess then got engaged by another specialist, then Rhea Fighter knocks him to the ground with a burst of wind, then Priestess lunged to stab him, then got both his feet in her gut, which knocks her down. Rhea Fighter then unleashed a small burst of air that caves in the specialist's breastplate, then Priestess used Purge to seal the rifts and kill all the demons as Fighter was about to be overwhelmed. Rhea Fighter then blocked several attacks from the specialist, before Fighter charged him, and jump-kicked him away from her teammates.

The specialist then threw a bomb at Fighter, which unleashed a cloud of gas that made her push Priestess and Rhea Fighter away; she knew the gas was poisonous, and only she had a mask, and she could breath underwater with it; gas was nothing. The specialist then charged her, then punched her to the ground, she then kicked him in the chest hard enough to stagger him, then she morphed a blade on her shin, and jammed it into his gut with her knee before snapping his neck. Rhea Fight then unleashed a burst of wind to disperse the gas...then a rift opened in he middle of the street, and another specialist appeared...with heavier armor.

"What the-? Another specialist?" Rhea Fighter asked.

"Probably...but there's something different about him, and now just the armor." Fighter said.

"I think we're going to need some help..." Priestess said as the trio of ladies braced for combat...then the new specialist morphed a pair of swords that looked like Ranger's greatsword...only smaller.

Ranger himself, was having another dream where...he was in Purgatory again, seeing the goblins he slaughtered drowning in tar, trying to get out from underneath large rocks, hanging from hooks...that were piercing their feet, and even being slowly ripped apart with metal cables that were interwoven through the inside of their bodies, and sewed back together, only for their bodies to be ripped apart again. They even had their mouths covered with cloth, so they could not scream. Ranger almost felt sorry for them; the horrid sight made even him cringe, but then...he had a vision of the men the goblins butchered while still alive, the women they forcibly mated with...and even the children they kept in cages as their parents were taken from them, with the dying screams, pained crying, and even sadistic laughter echoing throughout the experience. The vision immediately turned Ranger's physically-crippling sympathy...into complete, and utter apathy...

He then woke up, still in the same bed he was in when his loving wife left him. He then held the bunched-up covers close and remembered her warm body being pressed against his as they slept. Eventually...he noticed Sword Maiden sitting by the door, casually watching him.

"How long have you been there?" Ranger asked.

"Long enough to tell you had another vision of Purgatory." Sword Maiden said.

"Right...I haven't had one in weeks, and unlike that one...I don't know why I had this one." Ranger said.

"Most likely because deep down, regardless of how much you don't want to admit it, you do want revenge." Sword Maiden said seriously, and Ranger looked away sighing. She then walked over to him, and waited for him to look back at her before siting up.

"How do you feel?" Sword Maiden asked.

"Much better, although..." Ranger trailed off.

"What is it?" Sword Maiden asked as she sat down.

"I have so much on my mind I don't even know where to begin." Ranger said.

"Well, there's no one here but us, so please...talk to me." Sword Maiden said as softly as ever.

"First off...I never realized how much I personally relied on this city itself; all my money was in that manor." Ranger said.

"It's money you earned several times over...as are the assets you seized for Goblin Slayer's new home." Sword Maiden said, and Ranger hummed in agreement.

"The thing is, I'm never going to forget why I have it, or what I use it for, but in that moment...all of that got chucked to the side. Apparently Storm Mage isn't the only one with a touch of avarice in their heart." Ranger said seriously.

"There is nothing wrong with protecting what's yours Ranger." Sword Maiden said.

"I'm aware, but I also know that greed isn't just about wanting more than you need, it's also about how vigorously you pursue that end." Ranger said.

"Nevertheless, you, and your team defeated evil men when you could've left the city to it's fate. You have nothing to be ashamed off. Before...or now." Sword Maiden said and Ranger sighed before laying back down. "May I lay next to you?"

"Alright..." Ranger whispered before she laid lay next to him, and even snuggled into his side as he wrapped an arm around her. She then looked over his exposed torso, and ran her hand over his healthy muscles. "You have gotten stronger..."

"Alot can change in a year Sword Maiden." Ranger said as he held her delicate hand against his chest. "Besides, I'm sure Storm Mage has no less growth than myself."

"Actually, you have more. In fact, you might be larger than Goblin Slayer. Fighter is a fortunate woman indeed." Sword Maiden said before snuggling into him some more...then Ranger snuggled into her in return. "Storm Mage was in this same room, when he recovered from the beating he took after he saved me from the goblins...when we had our first kiss."

"He's a blessed man, even in death- no...especially in death. As are you..." Ranger said before Sword Maiden looked up at him, and they stared at each other for a while. "Sword Maiden...about what I said about fear..."

"You mean the wrong kind?" Sword Maiden asked.

"Yes...from the moment I found out, every fight against the goblins was done with their crimes against you in the back of my mind. I even said "for the Sword Maiden" before we faced down a paladin at that farm a year ago." Ranger said.

"I noticed. I'm surprised you remember that..." Sword Maiden said.

"I just now remembered...anyway, like I said before, I do enjoy making those abominations shake like leaves...but not the people I care about, or those who care about me." Ranger said and Sword Maiden put her hand on his face.

"We were all worried about you at some point or another, but you've proven that you can be trusted no matter what. As if you didn't deserve Fighter's heart enough already." She said and Ranger sighed and looked out the window.

"I have her heart, but she is mine." He whispered.

"The amount of pain you, she, and the rest of you have prevented, and avenged, is immeasurable." Sword Maiden said and Ranger got up right away and looked out the window, clearly not caring that he was in his underpants.

"So is my desire to be out there with them, but I'm stuck here...like this." He said, before Sword Maiden levitated over to his side.

"You know you cannot be out there like this. Your body may be healed, but your heart clearly isn't." She said.

"I know...but I have hope that I once I do recover, I'll be that much harder to break again, like I said to Fighter at that blessed pond." Ranger said before taking a moment to get a grip. "Once I do, I'm going to put every waking moment into getting ready to put that Cambion down, and repair the damage he's done." The moment he finished talking...he felt Sword Maiden's inhumanly voluptuous chest press into his back, her head rest on his shoulder, and her arms lock together around his abdomen.

"You're a great man Ranger..." She said before he held her hands. A while later, he turned around in her arms, to wrap his own around her. The two stood there, occasionally shifting and pressing into each other while she felt and heard Ranger's slow and deep breaths.

"You know...you're pretty warm for a dead girl." Ranger said casually, and Sword Maiden let out an amused huff at this.

"I'm immortal now, remember?" She asked.

"How can I not?" Ranger asked before Sword Maiden pulled away and looked at him...before running her hand over his face.

"You are so handsome..." She whispered, and he smiled in amusement. "I actually told Storm Mage that his beauty rivals your own."

"Well...we do look similar. What does he think of the way you look?" Ranger asked.

"He never fails to tell me how beautiful I am, let alone show me why he thinks that." Sword Maiden said.

"He couldn't be more right; there's a reason people questioned whether or not you were a human being. Even though Fighter hopelessly enthralls me, I cannot deny how lovely you are to save my life." Ranger said softly as he caressed her face and put an elongated kiss on her forehead, much to her delight.

"Lay down with me..." Sword Maiden whispered and she laid down, with him snuggling into her side and she sighed in contentment as she curled up in his embrace. "Storm Mage holds me like this..."

"And I hold Fighter like this. Although for the record...I love her in a different way." Ranger said.

"Of course, love isn't always romantic, but nevertheless...I can tell how much you two love each other, and my love for both of you is equal. Now...deep down though...a small part of me envies her place in your bed. Yes I know how this sounds but please hear me out... I have never taken my place at Storm Mage's side for granted, nor will I ever, and even though I'm a Nephilim, I am still a human being like yourself. I've lusted after Goblin Slayer for some time, but also yourself." Sword Maiden said honestly yet harshly.

"I see...well, I know from experience that lust is a hard thing to work past, just like wrath. Although...truth-be-told, if you were anyone else, I would probably question your entire sentiment." Ranger said.

"Thank you for being so understanding, I don't take this lightly at all. All that being said though, I'm very proud to have blessed your marriage, and always will be." Sword Maiden said before shifting into Ranger, who held her even tighter.

"Do you remember when I slaughtered that army of goblins up north to protect you?" He asked.

"Yes...it was like when Storm Mage protected me, only...you were apparently more capable." Sword Maiden said.

"Even if I wasn't, I would've still done the same as he did." Ranger said and Sword Maiden smiled.

"I felt no less protected too..." She said as she shifted against him again."I remember when we first met, and you asked if I could take down the goblins on my own...thanks to all of you, I actually could."

"And you're proud of me..." Ranger said before she looked up at him.

"I have you and the rest to thank..." Sword Maiden said softly before Ranger laid down flat and Sword Maiden kissed his forehead and caressed his cheek as he sucked in a breath.

"I remember when me and my team first met, especially when we talked about our abilities...I actually ripped on Fighter for not having any weapons on her, and now she can tear through a small army of vampires like they were nothing..." Ranger said with amusement, before sighing. "That strength of hers is one of many reason I love her dearly...

"Your strength rubbed off on each other didn't it?" Sword Maiden asked and Ranger nodded before looking away. "Are you tired?"

"How can I sleep? My team is out there, while I'm stuck in here..." Ranger said seriously.

"Ranger..." Sword Maiden said softly and he sighed.

"Sorry...I love having these talks with you, but words cannot express how much I hate being stuck here..." Ranger said.

"You should know why." Sword Maiden said seriously.

"Right...with my emotions being so chaotic, I'm legitimately not trustworthy on a battlefield." Ranger said.

"Then allow me to give you what I came in here to give you." Sword Maiden said, and Ranger looked right at her, before she opened a portal to the bathhouse. The two then went there...before Sword Maiden de-materialized her gown, rending her completely naked except for her knee-length hair covering her anatomy. She then knelt at the baths edge, and placed her hands in the water as streams of holy light flowed throughout the water and made it even more clear than it already was. "Now...take off your cloths and enter the water."

"What's this about?" Ranger asked seriously.

"Just trust me..." Sword Maiden said, and Ranger continued to look at her funny before removing his underwear and entering the water...he then immediately get sleepy and even though he tried to fight it...he lost consciousness a few seconds after sitting down...then heard a voice...

"Do not be alarmed..." the voice said.

"Who...who is this?" Ranger whispered.

"The one you address your wife as..." The voice said.

"The Love Goddess..." Ranger whispered.

"Yes. I am here to give you what you are missing. What you heart is missing. You fell into despair over not being able to see your wife...but through no fault of your own, you fail to acknowledge the rest of your senses, more importantly, how she affected the rest of your senses." The Love Goddess said.

"But...I already-" The Love Goddess cuts him off.

"You lie poorly. How can you love completely, when your despair so easily grips you? You know my words to be true...now, sit there and let your other senses replace your vision." She said, and next thing Ranger knew...he heard the water swishing, then felt hands on his chest and shoulders... "Remember who's hands those are..." The feeling of the hands gave way to an entire body being pressed into him, one he remembered all too well. "Feel her...her heartbeat...her muscles designed and braced for war...her breasts that are just large enough for you to put your entire hand around, and twice as soft. Smell her fragrance...taste her thick, silky skin...her enticing lips...hear her breath, her voice that you always adored, remember the sounds she uses it to make...as you enter her womb, and satisfy her hunger..."

As the Love Goddess spoke, the sensations she mentioned became nearly intoxicating; it seemed like an impossibly strong illusion...but soon it did not matter. The memories of the times he and Fighter made love were overpowering. Every caress, every gasp, every lick...every coupling, it all rushed forward and devoured the despair in his mind. The Love Goddess was said to be the one behind not only sexual rapture...but also the personal connection between lovers, and any doubts that Ranger might've had were reduced to nothing in that moment; she deserved every second he spent idolizing and paying tribute to her, and more.

"Now...compare all this pleasure, to the pain you have felt over the course of your campaign..." The moment he heard that...he instantly recalled the time he was lit on fire by Wizard's fireball when she tried to kill the Champion and cringed...hard. Next thing he knew, he felt a hand on his face, then slowly opened his eyes...and Fighter was right in front of him, with nothing but love on her divine face. It must have been part of the dream...but he didn't care; the kiss placed on his lips felt as real as the rest of the ones she gifted him with.

"Yes. Let the bliss in this one moment be the hammer that breaks the dam that fear and sorrow made in your heart. The water behind it shall wash away the damage, and lead you to an even greater strength." The Love Goddess' voice somehow made his already blissful kiss, even more blissful, as did the metaphor she was using. As he melded his lips with Fighter's, the grip that the idea of never being able to look at her again, lost most of it's power; the idea of it being a permanent ailment, became as unthinkable as never being able to adventure again.

The feeling of his wife's powerful muscles combined with her thick, creamy skin further enhanced the dream as she ran her hands through his hair, over his shoulders, and his face while he simply wrapped his arms around her and felt the rest of the strength in her legs as she rubbed them against his waist, not to mention her generously-sized breasts that pressed into his chest, and her butt that pressed into his lap. Eventually...she even joined their bodies at the waist...and stayed put while they simply held each other as tightly as they could. Despite that, the memory of her gasps and moans played in his mind as he remembered thrusting in and out of her body with slow but powerful movements, and how warm, moist, and narrow she was. The euphoria that normally came with such a union, was replaced with simple peacefulness...which could not be more appropriate.

"How fitting...you both refer to your relationship as if it were that of my own, and my husband. You follow him, and Fighter holds a larger place in your heart than anyone's, and although you believe the Sword Maiden's beauty surpasses hers...you do not care for it anywhere near as much as Fighter's beauty. The beauty I bestowed upon her for the sole purpose of pleasing the man she falls in love with...and I blessed her as well as my husband blessed you. Not only are your fighting skills second to few, but you prepared others for war. You...Ranger, might as well be war itself, and she, love itself. Just like I keep my own husband's desire in check, so she keeps yours in check. Her place at your side...is secured, before, now, and forever. Now go...go finish the fight here, and let your family finish the fight where they are." With that...Ranger woke up, and smiled while wiping the tears from his face.

"Thank you...my lady..." He whispered.

"What are you doing here?" Wizard's brother asked.

"Answer me first: Where were you? I've been stuck in here for days on-end!" Bard asked.

"We were dealing with our own fair share of bullshit thank you very much." Wizard's brother said.

"That includes an invasion of my homeland." H.E. Druid said and Bard stared at her.

"Wait...are you-? You look...different..." Bard said.

"Long story, but I got a body upgrade, and keep your comments to yourself." H.E. Druid said.

"Enough. How did this occupation happen?" GS asked.

"I don't know why it happened exactly but...when it did, it was complete chaos. The guards told everyone to stay in their homes, and put all hands on deck to man the defenses. In the end, the Evil Sect overran the entire city...and took how knows how many people prisoner." Bard said.

"That Sword Mage helped us free an entire group of them a while ago." Priestess said and got Bard's attention right away.

"Sword Mage?" He asked.

"You know him?" H.E. Druid asked.

"Yep, he's the new demon hunter in town." Bard said.

"Are there more prisoners around?" GS asked.

"Goblin Slayer...please stick to the point" Priestess said with annoyance.

"Right..." GS said.

"Wait...Goblin Slayer? I though I recognized your voice..." Bard said.

"I was given a new suit of armor." GS said simply.

"Anything else I should know?" Bard asked.

"I gave Sword Mage a new weapon, one he said used the light of the stars to make a blade with, and Ranger and his team gave me and...my most special friend a new home." GS said.

"Well...good for you...now can we please get the others?" Bard asked.

"Follow us, and don't fall behind." GS said as he walked off, and the others went after him until they eventually, got to a new cell, and opened all the cells.

"Nothing here...maybe they moved them." Wizard's brother said thoughtfully.

"Not likely." Bard said.

"How would you know?" H.E. Druid asked.

"I heard some guards talking in this area a while before you found me, and the place was empty when I was being dragged in here." Bard said.

"Right...well let's get a move- Wait, I hear footsteps..." H.E. Druid said and Wizard's brother used Life Sight.

"I see some invaders, and a row of prisoners." He said...then GS took off after them, and when the rest caught up with him, they watched him surprise the two enemy troops, blow their heads off, and then H.E. Druid tore the prisoner's shackles off with her bare hands, much to their surprise.

"Where are the rest?" GS asked.

"Down that path we were going, and please hurry, we heard them talking about a ritual...involving the Demon Lord..." A prisoner said.

"It won't work." Sword Mage said and the whole group snapped their heads to him.

"Where did you come from?" Wizard's brother asked.

"I was going to help with the invasion uptop, but the rest of your team had it well in hand, so I came back down here to free as many people as I could. I also used the Demon Lord's own language to put a series of...obstacles in the way. That should buy some time to save the rest." Sword Mage said.

"The Demon Lord's tongue?" A prisoner asked.

"It's a common practice for demon hunters. What better way is there to fight him than with his own weapons? But more importantly, there isn't just a ritual happening; the goblins are involved...and they're using cloned women to increase their numbers-" Sword Mage stopped talking the moment H.E. Druid notched an arrow and aimed at him just slowly enough for him to notice. "You are aware that you're threatening me with an arrow, are you not?"

"We saw a room full of dead women and goblin babies. Did you kill those women?!" She asked.

"Of course I did. They were nothing but breeding stock for the goblins, and no had place in society, especially since the original is likely out there somewhere. Even if their minds weren't broken behind repair...what point was there in keeping them?" Sword Mage asked.

"The original being out there somewhere is the only part of that I agree with...luckily for you." H.E. Druid said before standing down.

"Well...that was eye-opening..." Cherub said...and Sword Mage's eyes widened at the sight of the angel.

"You have a cherub with you?" He asked.

"They had me for the better part of a month or so, now can we please quit wasting time and get the rest of the people?" Cherub asked, then GS led the team down the series of halls, until they got to a room with guards watching over more cells and vats. They then watched as Sword Mage engaged them alone...and his burrowed starlight sword burned through them with enough ease to make each swing kill at least one of them. GS held his team back to watch what he could do...and boy was it worth it. Sword Mage vertically bisected one before severing two heads, then dodged a spear thrust before impaling his attacker...through his shield, and then unleashed a mana bolt on the last four with enough power to vaporize them inside their armor. He then got to work cutting open the cells and vats.

"So Orcbolg, having second thoughts on whether or not that sword is worth having?" H.E. Druid asked.

"I always thought it was useful, I just don't like using it in tight spaces." GS said simply.

"Right..."" H.E. Druid said as they continued to watch Sword Mage free the people...and Songstress was one of them. Sword Mage then embraced her right away. "They know each other?"

"He's her son, and my future stepson." Bard said.

"What?" Wizard's brother asked.

"I proposed to Songstress after you left, and...we were going to leave for her homeland, but then this invasion happened." Bard said.

"One more reason to see this occupation removed." GS said.

"That's awfully sweet coming from you Orcbolg." H.E. Druid said.

"The goblins are closer to extinction than ever, and...I've given alot of thought to what I'll do after we've dealt with them." GS said.

"I see..." H.E. Druid said, then gave GS a knowing smirk...before a series of hell rifts open, and hobs poured out of them. Sword Mage immediately sliced the ones closest with him and his mother in half, as GS rushed to distract the hobs so the prisoners could get behind H.E. Druid and Wizard's brother as they unleashed arrows, and fireballs at the hobs. Cherub empowered the group, and the projectiles went from being simple annoyances, to being able to stagger the hobs, as GS threw bombs at the ones in the distance, which staggered, and partially froze them as he cut open the throats of the hobs that fell down, and shot the ones still standing with his shotguns. He even tackled one down, and Sword Mage impaled it through the heart.

H.E. Druid meanwhile slid under the legs of one, tripped it by pulling it's legs out from under it before Wizard's brother caved it's skull with his mace. H.E. Druid then threw a knife at another hob, hitting it in the throat, the ran up it's body, grabbed the knife back, and then jumped onto the ceiling as another hob tried to grab her, she then shot an arrow into the top of it's head before falling down and falling on it's back, and taking her arrow back...then using it to shoot a hob's knee out and GS impales the back of it's neck.

"Well...that was fun." Wizard's brother said as the rifts closed...then another opened in the middle of the room and a lone specialist appeared.

"What's that?" H.E. Druid asked.

"A specialist! Get ready!" Sword Mage said as the team re-grouped by the entrance as the specialist slowly walked out of the rift...then he materialized an auto crossbow and opened fire at the group, only for Cherub to throw up Protection as H.E. Druid fired arrows in return, but they just bounce off his armor. Even Wizard's brother's fireballs did nothing. The Protection dropped after the specialist ran out of bolts, then GS and Sword Mage charged him and the specialist materialized a pair of longswords, and ducked and jumped over Sword Mage's sword while blocking GS' sword, and the occasional shield bash.

The specialist eventually kicked GS into Sword Mage, knocking them both down, and Wizard's brother summoned a pack of wolves to attack him, and some birds to shoot at him from above, but the specialist rapidly impaled each wolf, and deflected the energy bolts the flock overhead shot at him. The specialist then fired knives out of his bracers until the birds were also vaporized, and just as he dashed towards Wizard's brother...H.E. Druid rushed him and the specialist jumped over her to continue his charge. Cherub then used Holy Smite to blast the specialist back, then Sword Mage impaled him as he was launched into his light sword. The group then took a moment to catch their breath.

"Whew! That was rough..." H.E. Druid said exasperated.

"And that was just one...I really hope we don't run into too many more of those." Wizard's brother said, before Sword Mage went back to the prisoners and spoke to his mother back and forth in elvish. "What are they saying?"

"He's asking her to wait in this room until we come back her-" Sword Mage cuts H.E. Druid off.

"I want everyone to wait here until we come back here, and we're not going anywhere without you." He said.

"Told you..." H.E. Druid said.

"Alright, let's go." Sword Mage said and they followed him up several rooms, with nothing but various supplies, from weapons, to occult objects, they wanted nothing to do with, to a kitchen. Wizard's brother disarmed every magic trap that H.E. Druid found and kept the mana gems and scrolls for later use. Eventually, they got to a library...full of arcane objects and books.

"Sheesh...look at this place. You could equip a small army of mages with all these goodies." Wizard's brother said as the group looked the entire place over, and immediately grabbed everything they could find...including...

"My sword!" Sword Mage exclaimed as he rushed to a case and just as he was about to reach for it, he stopped cold. "Wait a minute...anyone sense any traps?"

"Let me see." Cherub said as he flew over to it, and used Vision...then pushed Sword Mage to the side. "Get back!" The rest moved to the said as well as Cherub opened the case...then a wave of force sliced apart everything behind Cherub who also got out of the way.

"What was that?" H.E. Druid asked.

"Spatial cut trap. If you got hit with it, it doesn't matter how strong your armor is, it will shred it." Cherub said.

"It's my sword's own power." Sword Mage said.

"What?" Wizard's brother asked.

"My sword can slice through practically anything by cutting through space itself. Although, that's all it can do; space magic can be used to cut down on travel time, for obvious reasons, but it's a bit above my paygrade; I'd take an infinitely sharp sword over one that opens portals anytime." Sword Mage said.

"We have a portal gem. An item that doesn't just that." GS said.

"Do you now?" Sword Mage asked and Cherub pointed to himself with his thumb. "Huh...now I've seen everything..." With that, the team went back to looting the place.

"Alright...what are you hiding?" GS asked as he looked over a book that had the predictable topic of goblins...then he stopped turning the pages when he got to something that piqued his interest. "A goblin overlord?"

"What?" Sword Mage asked as they went to see what GS was taking about...and there was a goblin, just as tall as a Champion, but half as bulky.

"Ah shit...that cannot be good..." Wizard's brother said.

"We can look into this later, but now we have to bring this place down." Sword Mage said.

"How?" H.E. Druid said.

"Ranger..." GS said simply.

"What?" Wizard's brother asked.

"Ranger is the 11th Platinum Rank for a reason, and your sister can help you blast this place off the face of the earth with your fire magic, as well as Ranger's fire powers." Cherub said.

"Well, then let's go get the rest of the people, and you teleport us out of this hellhole." Wizard's brother said.

"My pleasure..." Cherub said before the group went back down to get the others, then he opened a portal to the catacombs of the Temple of Law.

Meanwhile, Warrior was jumping from one leviathan to another, narrowly avoiding their snapping jaws, and tentacles as he severed the tentacles of one of them sliced halfway through it's midsection. Afterwards, he fell into the water, another leviathan jumped out and tried to eat him, but he pried it's jaw open, then stabbed it in the top of the head with enough power to cause a small explosion before running down it's back and vertically bisect yet another leviathan. He then fell into the water yet again...and a leviathan succeeded in swallowing him before diving into the water again.

Wizard meanwhile was slicing up one tentacle after another before another leviathan jumped out of the water right at her...then she used Levitation to stop it, then launch it away from the water, onto one of the few Evil Sect ships left, and it got impaled on the ship's main mast.. She then saw a leviathan's dead beach on the other side of the lake...before Warrior sliced his way out of it's abdomen and land fist-first into the sand on the shore of the lake. She then went back to helping Warrior's clones deal with the demonic soldiers infesting the city.

Warrior himself struggled to get up before noticing that Hero's team was coming down the road...

"Well look who decided to show up..." Warrior said.

"What's going on here?" Hero asked seriously.

"Water Town's under siege! What do you think is going on?!" Warrior snapped.

"I know that! I meant how did it start?" Hero asked.

"We don't know, but we'll find out later. Wait, what are you even doing here?" Warrior asked.

"I sensed a major demonic presence coming down this way, do you need any help?" Sage asked.

"Don't need it, but we'll take it. There's rifts aplenty popping up all over the city, we could use a hand with the demons spawning from them." Warrior said.

"Not a problem. And these leviathans?" Sword Saint asked.

"I think I got all of them, but now...I'm going to stay here and take a bath..." Warrior said before going into the lake and washing off the blood covering him.

"Right. Well, I can deal with the demons inside the rifts..." Hero said.

"You mean we can deal with them." Sword Saint said.

"Right..." Hero groaned.

"Ladies?" Warrior asked with raised eyebrow and pointed at the city with his thumb.

"Alright alright..." Hero said

"Wait...why aren't you going out there?" Sword Saint asked.

"First off, my clones are doing a chunk of the brawling over there, and secondly...I just slaughtered a school of giant fish! I need a moment to rest, especially with over a dozen clones doing their thing." Warrior said

"You know that clone spell was dangerous, but...you always had more balls than brains." Sword Saint said.

"You know me so well." Warrior said.

"Unfortunately..." Hero said.

"Oh shut it..." Warrior said and she laughed at him.

Fighter meanwhile was clashing with the new specialist...and he wasn't pulling any punches. The two clashed blades over and over with dizzying speed, but kept pace with each other with almost no trouble. At first, it was quite straightforward: he tries to sever her head, impale her, upward-slash her, all while she ducks and side-steps, if she doesn't outright block the swords with her blades. Overtime, they try to use outside-the-box moves, like jumping over each other and slashing at their backs. At one point, the special tries to slash her one side several times over and over with both blades going back and forth, then fakes one, and goes for her head with a spinning slash, but Fighter blocks it...only for the specialist to push her arm down then spin kicks her to the ground.

Just when he brings his sword up to behead her...Priestess attacks him from behind and he goes for her instead. She then tries to stab him over and over, but each thrust misses, until eventually the specialist swats her sword away, and goes for her legs, which she narrowly avoids...before the specialist kicks her into a wall, and she falls to her knees as Fighter engages him from behind and continues to clash blades with him...until both his swords break, then engages her up-close...and that's where things got downright scary. He grabbed one of her fists, tried to dislocate it, but she cartwheeled in mid-air to avoid it, then when she raised his arm up to create an opening...he used his other arms to punch her in the gut, then the face, then used his other arm to punch her a second time in the face. Fighter then got her barrings, and sweep-kicked his legs, which he jumped over before she blocked a punch from him...then he spun around to elbow her in the back, then kicked her down. She then sprung back up, then flip-kicked him the moment he got close, but he leaned back to avoid it. The specialist then jumped at her, throwing a barrage of kicks at her, but she side-stepped it, then he swept at her legs, missed, then used to momentum to throw two more spin kicks at her...which is one of her moves!

Fighter narrowly avoided the pair of kicks despite her shock, then the special threw an uppercut at her, which she dodged, then blocked an elbow to the face...before the specialist spun around, jammed his elbow into her side, then grabbed her waist, picked up her, slammed her into the ground, then punted her into a building...leaving her stunned, but otherwise unharmed thanks to her armor.

"There's only one person I know who fights like that..." Fighter whispered before looking at the specialist and studied his armor and mask: aside from the color scheme...it was the same as the one Ranger used, but his body shape, size, and especially the black hair threw her off. Just as the specialist started walking towards her...Warrior's clones arrived, and the specialist looked around while panicking...

Sword Maiden walked through the gardens of the Temple of Law, hoping that Ranger's treatment would do as much healing as was needed. She then used Vision to keep a watch for the fear demon that wounded his mind; she knew firsthand that demons were easily beaten under the right conditions, but the price for victory is often too high to pay, and they tend to be determined beyond words to finish what they start. Just as she predicted...the fear demon was stalking the Temple, waiting for another chance to strike. Next thing she knew...rifts opened all around her...and goblins poured out of them. At first, she was back in the main chamber with Storm Mage's broken body laying down next to a wall as the goblins closed in on her...then she remembered how Storm Mage got up and finished them off, and especially how they were now weak against holy arts.

She then threw up a Protection barrier around herself and closed her eyes before the goblins could slam into the barrier and try to break through it. She then took a moment to compose herself, and when it was over...she slowly raised her hands, and clapped once. The sounded echoed throughout the garden and lingered in the air and the goblins' frenzied snarling was replaced with pained yells as they covered their ears and rolled along the ground trying to get the pain to stop...and only the Protection dropping and being replaced with Purge ended their pain as Sword Maiden smiled with pride for having demonstrated how little power fear had over her.

Even more goblins appeared, and she glanced before them and metallic footsteps were heard and the goblins all turned to see Ranger...in his medium armor, and eventually stopped on the opposite end of the garden Sword Maiden was on, and she actually vanished into thin air, the moment the last goblin stopped looking at her...and the entire horde looked over the armored monster casually standing there with a blank stare on his face as he looked over the little invaders. The most well-equipped charged at him, only for him to morph a pair of swords, cut the tips of their spears off, and kick the goblins themselves into the crowd, if he didn't just plain cut them down.

The rest rushed at him in one group, and he stabbed, severed, and bashed several goblins every second until the rest of the goblins backed down. Eventually, more rifts opened on the roofs, and a barrage of arrows came down at Ranger, and he morphed his helmet as he took the volley directly, much to the goblins' relief. A second volley came and Ranger held his swords in a reverse grip and twirled them around which stopped most arrows, and he avoided the rest...before morphing his swords into pistols and blowing all the archer's brains out. The rest looked Ranger over, and the looks on their faces said it all: they wanted nothing to do with him, but they still had a mission to didn't stop them from backing up as Ranger casually walked through the crowd.

"You know what's going to happen if you attack me..." Ranger said coldly, and the goblins reacted by clutching their weapons and snarling. "You also know I slaughtered about as many of your number as the infamous Goblin Slayer. I must wonder how the joy I felt in doing so compares to the joy you feel when you break your captives? Quite similar I'll bet?" The goblins got even more worked up as he spoke to them with utter apathy. "Oh don't get so huffy; you all should have learned what goes around comes around several times over by now. You were in Hell for the Supreme's sake. But then...you imps never were very smart..." The goblins flinched at the memory of Storm Mage saying that, then charged him all at once when he reached the other side of the crowd...only for Ranger to morph heated blades on each finger as he turned around and several goblins were disemboweled...and dozens more followed as he rushed through the crowd swiping, spinning, and flipping as his new claws tore the goblins' flesh to ribbons, and his kicks crushed their chest, skulls, or goblins themselves tried to keep up with him, but he was not only too fast to keep track of, but the sight of their brothers being torn asunder like they had no substance crushed their hopes of victory without effort.

Ranger stopped cold after wiping out over half the goblins' numbers and stood there, and watched the survivors mull over the dead and dying goblins as their pained groans echoed through the garden, and some of the goblins collapsed from the fear instilled in them. Some even looked Ranger over as the blood and flesh covering him was absorbed into his armor, and even though he slaughtered more than a hundred...he looked as though he woke up from a nap. Eventually...a chain popped out of his side with a spike on the end, extended, and one goblin was impaled through the heart and lifted up. The rest of the goblins were so stunned by the speed of the attack, they couldn't even move, and when they finally turned their heads...they actually wept as their lifeless comrade that was pulling slowly pulled towards Ranger as the chain moved like a living organism.

"Take a good look..." Ranger said as coldly as ever before the chain casually flicked the goblin across the garden much to the goblins' horror. "Anyone feeling brave enough to avenge this indignity?" The goblins stayed put the entire time as Ranger looked them over. "No one? How disappointing..." The goblins eventually yelled and charged at him in a fit of blind rage, only for Ranger to morph his guns, and shoot the furthest ones in the chest or stomach...after he bashed in the faces of the goblins closest to him. Eventually, only one goblin remained, then Ranger snatched it with another chain before grabbing it by the throat as it bawled it's eyes out and gripped the armored fist holding it up. "How many tears were shed because of you and your..."brothers"? And how much joy did you reap in shedding them...?" Ranger then puts a gun at the goblin's cheek, and it just gives up the struggle and accepts it's fate as it closes it's eyes...before Ranger fires a round next to it's head and the sound makes it's ear bleed. Ranger then moved his lips to it's other ear. "Take this message to the Demon Lord for me: His business here is done. As long as I'm here, and I'm not leaving anytime soon...Water Town will never fall, especially not to a horde of worthless goblins, no matter how large." Ranger then threw the goblin into a nearby rift. Sword Maiden then re-appeared behind him and he looked back to see her...and one look was enough for him to know that she did not take the massacre lightly.

"Tell me...that bath I took, you turned it into holy water didn't you?" Ranger asked.

"Yes. I had a sense the Love Goddess would grant you her boon through my power, and from the look of it...I was not wrong." Sword Maiden said.

"No...you were not." Ranger said with a smile...before Sword Maiden sighed.

"Ranger...the most recent goblins you slaughtered...they were the first ones you fought; the same as the ones in the cave on your first quest." She said seriously, and Ranger sighed. "The one you just threatened...is one that would've doomed at least one of your teammates had you not been there."

"Why are you telling me this?!" Ranger snapped.

"To let you know that the trauma you inflicted on it was warranted in another reality." Sword Maiden said honestly.

"I don't care about any reality other than this one..." Ranger said harshly...then they heard a deep, chilling voice...

"Such cruelty...but do you have the will to keep it from taking you over completely? Let alone carry out such a threat?" The voice asked...and Ranger immediately got chills all over his body at the voice he recognized as that of a demon. Sword Maiden herself became especially alarmed.

"Who is that?" Ranger whispered.

"The Demon Lord..." Sword Maiden said seriously.

"Sword Maiden...you're looking quite well for being dead. Although...we also have the Storm Mage to thank for that, don't we?" The Demon Lord said.

"So you're the Demon Lord, the same one the Hero made a training dummy out of?" Ranger said.

"You've got alot of nerve bringing that up worm, considering what position you're in-" Ranger cuts the Demon Lord off.

"Did you catch what I said to that goblin you sent to this place?" He asked.

"Of course I did, and you are in no position to make demands, or threats." The Demon Lord said.

"Looks to me like I'm in the perfect position. Even without he Hero's team helping me, I laid waste to an entire legion of your forces, and even the vampire queen was no match for me...and the time you show your face, I will be the one who puts you down." Ranger said and the Demon Lord laughed at him.

"I doubt that very much...but none of this matters now." The Demon Lord said before the rift closes.

"What...?" Ranger asked before more rifts open, and a swarm of goblins, and armored hobs appeared...and the fear demon from earlier walked through the crowd and smiled. Then...just as Ranger was about to engage them with a pair of swords...a stream of lightning from the roof blasted every one of them and they eventually fell down paralyzed...then Storm Mage himself jumped off the roof throwing a volley of lightning balls at them to finish off the ones who somehow survived. "Storm Mage?"

"The one and only..." Storm Mage said dramatically.

"You sure know how to make an entrance." Ranger said.

"You know it brother." Storm Mage said with the usual causality.

"Wait, what are you even doing here?" Ranger asked and Storm Mage scoffed at him.

"You really think I'd let the good Sword Maiden come here by herself?" He asked.

"No...I guess not." Ranger said.

"Alright then..." Storm Mage said before looking at the dear fear demon and crossing his arms.

"Well, look who we have here...a selfish vagabond pretending to be a demon hunter." The fear demon said.

"That Storm Mage is so last decade..." Storm Mage said seriously.

Although, this would be alot easier with my sword-whips..." Storm Mage said before Ranger morphed a pair, tossed them over, and Storm Mage sent sparks between each blade and smirked as he finished. "Oh...yeah..." More rifts opened, and with it came more goblins as the fear demon retreated and so did the Sword Maiden...who had a determined look on her face. Ranger and Storm Mage stood in the middle back-to-back as the goblins surrounded them. "You still have enough metal on you?"

"More than a whole arsenal." Ranger said.

"Then let's kill these bastards..." Storm Mage said as the goblins charged at them...only to be lashed down.

The specialist was fighting off the clones of Warrior to a standstill; the clones worked as a team quite well, but the specialist was smart enough to work through them one at a time...with a pair of swords he snatched from two of the dead clones. Eventually, the original showed up, helped Fighter up, and Priestess healed her as the clones kept the specialist busy. The fight ended with Warrior, Priestess, and Fighter all rushing the specialist at once while it was busy with the clones...that Warrior re-absorbed, much to the specialist's surprise before he took a thrown hammer to his masked face, then Fighter and Priestess took turns slashing at him while he frantically tried to stay back from the two ladies assaulting him without mercy. Eventually... the specialist launched a harpoon out of it's arm and grappled up to a building, with the other three following him.

The two opposing sides stared each other down from opposite sides of the street on the rooftops for the better part of a minute before...to the team's surprise, the specialist morphed a pair of swords like Ranger's. Fighter then jumped over to him, popped her blades in mid-air, then engaged him from the front as Warrior engaged him from the back...and the specialist still kept fighting like their leader as Priestess observed. The specialist not only kept mobile throughout the clash, but used each sword separately, and also at the same time when the situation called for it. Fighter and Warrior were no less competent though. One went high, the other went low, one hit one side, the other hit another side. Sometimes they hit the same side, then one changed their attack and hit another side at the last moment. The specialist was able to keep pace with them the entire time, but it was really apparent that he was struggling.

Eventually, the specialist jumped over them both, nearly making them hit each other...then morphed a pair of guns, like Ranger's, then Warrior unfolded his shield and pulled Fighter behind him as he blocked the shots. Priestess meanwhile took cover, lest any bullets hit her. She then watched Warrior charge at him, bash the guns to the side, then ram the edge of his shield into he specialist hard enough to launch him across the street, and tear it up as he tried to get his footing back. His two opponents then jumped down to the ground, as Priestess did the same. Warrior then took the guns for himself and shot two bullets at the specialist, before running out of ammo...and both shots missed. He then put them away and resolved to have his wife and brother-in-law look at them.

The specialist then morphed his swords again and broke them into whips that he extended towards Warrior...then Fighter caught it instead, only for the specialist to yank himself towards her, and ram into her feet-first, and she tore up the ground herself as the specialist rode her like a board, and just as he was about to stomp her skull in, Warrior hits him with a discharge of lightning strong and precise enough to launch the specialist across the entire city, through several buildings...and without hitting Fighter.

"Was that necessary?" She asked as Warrior helped her up.

"You're welcome..." He said dryly before they went after the specialist who was picking himself up, and the wall had a crack in it behind him. "Damn...I used more power than I thought."

"Yeah, unfortunately..." Fighter said before the specialist stood up and clenched his fists before letting out an echoing yell.

"Oh boy...he doesn't look too happy." Warrior groaned before the specialist morphed his swords again and charged at the two, lashed at them with he got close enough, and the two jumped away in opposite directions. The specialist then lashed Warrior's legs out from under him and whipped him hard enough to knock himself into the ground before going for Fighter. "That didn't hurt!"

Fighter blocked one lash from the specialist after another before Priestess arrived and lunged at the specialist from the side, and barely graved the specialist as he leaned back. The specialist swung as her head, but she ducked it...then got spin-kicked to the side, Fighter then threw a barrage of punches at him, which all landed before she jumped up and kicked him away with both legs before backflipping, which only staggered the specialist as Priestess lunged against at the specialist...and her sword nicked his underarm before he wrapped both legs around her, threw her into the air by flipping. He then latched onto her, and slammed her into the ground hard enough to knock her out. Warrior then charged up his sword and unleashed a wave of power at the specialist, who narrowly dodged it, then watched it crave up the ground behind him, then frantically dodged Warrior's rapid swings as Fighter checked on Priestess...and watched her necklace revitalize her before she opened her eyes and looked at Fighter.

"Thank the Supreme you still have your necklace..." Fighter said softly before helping Priestess up, and held her up as they watched Warrior slash at the specialist, then get kicked away the moment Warrior left himself open. The specialist then stood there complete winded at his three opponents looked him over...then blood exploded out of his chest as Wizard became visible, and her glaive's blade was sticking out of his chest from behind.

"Surprise asshole." Wizard said sharply before removing the blade and watching the specialist collapse to his knees, look at his blood-drenched hands and fall down dead. "No one slams my sister into the ground and gets away with it."

"Great timing baby." Warrior said and Wizard smiled before Fighter helped Priestess walk over to the dead specialist as Warrior flipped him over. "Alright...who is this joker?" Warrior then removed the mask...and recoiled.

"What the hell...?" Fighter whispered as she looked over the specialist's face...especially the still-open eyes.

"He...he looks like you sis, only of course, male." Warrior said.

"You don't think he's an artificial offspring of theirs do you?" Wizard asked.

"Maybe he's just someone who happens to look that way." Priestess said.

"Well, we should save his body for analysis later, but now, we have a city to-" Wizard shut up the moment Rhea Fighter showed up.

"Where were you?" Warrior asked.

"I had rift-closing duty, remember? Slaughtered more Gluttons than I should ever have to see as well. Also, there's more invaders on the way, although...from what I've seen, if we can take this, they'll have nothing left to send." Rhea Fighter said.

"In that case..." Fighter said thoughtfully.

"What?" Warrior asked.

"Wizard, do you have any life potions?" Fighter asked.

"Just two, why?" Wizard asked.

"I have an idea, but I need a power boost." Fighter said.

"You're going to take them out alone?" Rhea Fighter asked.

"Technically clones of me are. Now, potion please?" Fighter said before Wizard hand one over, then Fighter let Priestess have a sip, before downing the rest and throwing the bottle away. "Alright...Priestess...empower me." Priestess wasted no time giving Fighter an empowerment as she downed more holy water, put her hand on Fighter's back, pressed her forehead in-between her shoulder blades, and prayed without a word. Next thing they knew, Fighter was glowing with the empowerment, before opening her chakras, making no less than ten clones, and they rushed up the wall...ran across the surface of the lake and rapidly, ruthlessly, and relentlessly slaughtered the final wave of invaders as the rest of the team, and the guards watched in awe as the invaders were beaten down, launched into the air in droves, or into each other, if they were sliced apart by the clones' blades. The team and especially the guards watched the massacre with wide eyes. Less than a minute later, the clones returned to the original, and were re-absorbed as Fighter sucked in a breath.

"Are you alright?" Priestess asked.

"Other than a minor case of vertigo, I'm fine, although...I seriously need to rest." Fighter said.

"Well, if anything else comes up, we'll take over." Warrior said seriously before Fighter looked at the Tempe of Law.

"Let's get back to my husband..." She said seriously.

Ranger and Storm Mage were lashing down scores of goblins while practically dancing around in a circle. They extended their sword-whips to impale distant goblins, vertically slashed and slammed their whips into some as direct attacks, or just swept from side-to-side to shred, shock, and/or burn through their numbers. Meanwhile, the ones that managed to get close were, shocked with enough force to send the goblins flying into each other, and the leftover electricity shocked other goblins as well, either stunning them, or making them clutch their hearts and lay there terrified. Ranger for his part, just severed the goblin's heads, or bashed them into the walls, the ground, or each other. when the two were done several minutes later, the dozens of goblins that attacked them, were dead or dying.

The next wave, was nothing but hobs that fell just as easily. Ranger morphed a greatsword and blocked every attack, before he bisected every one of them that got close, even the armored ones. Storm Mage hurled lightning orbs at the ones Ranger wasn't close to, and they were stunned and sliced apart at best, and spasmed out and laid there for about a minute watching their comrades get butchered at worst. Storm Mage got involved when his power ran low and extended his sword whips to stab the hobs like a scorpion with a long tail. He stuck them in their guts over and over, he severed tendons in their limbs, he blinded them by gouging their eyes, he punctured their throats and watched them drown in their own blood. Some of the lucky ones were bisected by Ranger's massive sword, or got their brains blown out by his guns. In the end, the two regrouped and looked over their fallen foes and waited for more foes...but none came.

"I have to say...I missed watching you work." Ranger said as he de-morphed his weapons.

"I can't say the same; I was watching your work more times than I can count." Storm Mage said.

"I'll bet..." Ranger said before looking the place over. "The Sword Maiden told me about how you saved her from these things."

"I'm not surprised...that poor woman's been through too much as it is. Letting it happen again is out of the question on a bad day. Well, now she's able to give these little assholes what for on her own so...fuck yeah." Storm Mage said.

"She still needs her protector though." Ranger said seriously.

"Oh I'm not just her protector." Storm Mage said with a smirk.

"What?" Ranger asked before another rift opened...a larger one.

"I'll tell you later." Storm Mage said as he looked the rift over...and another horde of goblins appeared. Ranger then morphed a greatsword, and Storm Mage backed up before watching Ranger raise it up as the goblins charged him, and the ground shattered underneath the sword as he brought it down, and then splattered the rest of the charging goblins across the garden with an equally-strong horizontal swing. He then jumped back and shot down the rest of the goblins with his guns. Storm Mage covered his ears from the noise the guns made before uncovering them in time to see yet another horde approaching...with a champion leading them, and Storm Mage looked a bit surprised. "You..."

"What?" Ranger asked.

"The same one that bashed me before...when I protected the Sword Maiden." Storm Mage said seriously, before unleashing a concentrated discharge of lightning at the goblins that bounced around and hit each of them, and they all fell down dead. Ranger then walked up to Storm Mage's side...and got his partner's arm extended to stop his advance. "This is between him and me..." Ranger then looked Storm Mage in the eye and knew right away he wasn't kidding.

"Alright..." Ranger said seriously before Storm Mage walked forward to challenge the champion who simply looked at the man. The two stood there staring at each other for the better part of a minute waiting to see who'd go first, or run away. The champion flinched a bit when Storm Mage sparked suddenly, then growled and tightened it's hold on it's weapon before getting a grip. Storm Mage then extend a sword whip to the side, and lashed the ground in front of the champion...before the champion tried to kick Storm Mage who jumped over it's leg, and grabbed onto it's club as it was swung.

He then held on as the champion waved the club all over the place before Sword Mage jumped off and threw several lightning balls at it's face, which the champion blocked with it's club before smashing the wall he was perched on after Sword Mage grappled to another wall, then shocked it's leg, making the champion kneel before Storm Mage dropped to the ground, latched onto the champion itself, unleashed a stream of lightning into it's back, making it spasm uncontrollably and scream in pain. It then tried to grab him, but Storm Mage jumped off, blasted the club, which interrupted a swing, then charged up his swords, and unleashed stream of lightning from them that stunned the champion for the better part of a minute as Ranger watched Storm Mage unleash his fury.

The champion sat there kneeling and licking it's wounds while Storm Mage stood there out-of-power. Eventually, the champion stood back up, and Storm Mage got his second wind. The champion then picked himself up and Storm Mage had a flashback to when the champion bashed him into a wall...and the laughter of the goblins as they approached Sword Maiden as she whimpered in terror. He then growled at the memory and yelled before unleashing an intense bolt of lightning from his mouth that burned through the champion's armor and scorched it's lower chest and watched it struggle to breath; it's diaphragm was partially paralyzed, and who knows what happened to it's muscles themselves.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that..." Storm Mage said coldly as he looked over the champion that was writhing in agony. "I hear you goblins have been returning to life...well I must ask: how many times I'll have to kill you before you stay dead?"

"Please...spare me...I'll leave this country; never set foot here again..." The champion said and Storm Mage just laughed at it.

"Last time we fought you bashed me into a wall and made my lady shed tears! You really think I'm going to let that slide?" He asked before unleashing another torrent of lightning into the champion and made it spasm and scream in pain until it started smoking then Storm Mage stopped to watch it struggle to move...before finally going limp. "Lightning's a bitch..." Ranger then walked up to the champion and looked it's dead body over.

"You want me to tear it's heart out?" Ranger asked.

"Might as well...but I want to do the tearing; you just cut it open." Storm Mage said.

"Alright." Ranger said before climbing up the champion's body, morphing a greatsword, jamming it into the champion's chest, and prying open it's ribcage and tearing out several ribs. Storm Mage then took his place and craved out it's out it's heart and removed it...before Storm Mage vaporized it with a discharge of lightning that made Ranger cover his ears and shut his eyes. "Alittle warning next time please!"

"Sorry..." Storm Mage said before looking over the champion's body. "This piece of shit must've thought I'm a special kind of stupid; every time someone falls for that, it never ends well."

"Goblin Slayer said they were cowards by nature." Ranger said.

"He couldn't be more right..." Storm Mage said before they both took a moment to swallow their disgust, and when they did, Storm Mage looked over his sword whips. "You know, these are better than my old ones. They're tougher, sharper, and better-balanced."

"You can keep them if you want." Ranger said and Storm Mage deadpanned at him.

"Thanks for the permission..." He said and Ranger chuckled at him before a Heaven Seal appeared over the Temple, and Sword Maiden appeared.

"That fear demon is still at large; I can contain it with this seal, but he'll still have to be dealt with directly." She said.

"I guess that's my job...I'm going after that fear demon, think you'll be o.k. on your own?"

"I should ask you that." Ranger said with a smirk.

"Really...you're only one rank ahead of me." Storm Mage said.

"And don't you forget it..." Ranger said as Sword Maiden stood their giggling at their antics.

"Just don't get your ass kicked while I'm gone..." Storm Mage said before entering a rift he opened with the Demon Lord's tongue, then Sword Maiden shared a look with Ranger.

"Don't get too reckless Ranger. I can still heal and empower you if need-be, but not too often." She said.

"Don't worry, I'm much better than I was before." Ranger said.

"Supreme be with you..." Sword Maiden said before vanishing. He then looked over the carnage, and used his chains to absorb the dead goblins, and even the bloodstains into his armor. He then took a minute to collect himself, and looked over the place, comparing how it used to look, compared to how it is now.

"We will have alot to work on after we win this, but then again, the hardest part of warfare, is cleaning up afterwards. Here's hoping Restoration can be used again tomorrow." Ranger said, and then looks over the small bottle of holy water he got from the bathhouse, and took a swig...he immediately felt the effects, especially since this wasn't even ordinary holy water; Sword Maiden was clearly a master of holy arts, but now that she was a Nephilim...there's no telling how much more potent Ranger's miracles would be.

Eventually, he got a chill in the air, then stood up and looked around...and lo and behold, a rift opened behind him, to reveal the figure from before. Ranger then thought back..."I remember you now...I was attacked by the fear demon, but not physically. There was you, and...another figure- The fear demon didn't cut my eyes...you did! You are the objects of my vengeance, not that fear demon!" Just like that, the heartbreak Ranger felt before was replaced with hatred. A second figure came out from behind the first and they both pulled their swords, as Ranger morphed his greatswords. "I don't know why you work with that fear demon, but you idiots made the biggest mistake of your lives...as well as the last."

What happened next was utter chaos...Ranger heated his greatswords and charged at the figures, who charged at him in return. They slashed and stabbed at him over and over while dashing around the garden as Ranger rushed to keep up, and clashed with them both with enough speed and force to make the ground shake and the wind approach levels that rival storms. In total, they used four swords, but Ranger's were larger, heavier, and he wasn't pulling any punches. The two figures did land a few hits, but they couldn't even slow him down, let alone penetrate his armor. Their endeavor eventually took to the sky as they ran up and along the walls, all while Ranger recalled the War God's training, and morphed several guns that opened fire on the figures, but they were moving too fast for him to get a bead on them, so he waited in the middle for them to show up. When they didn't, he de-morphed the guns, and waited.

He occasionally noticed quick movements on the outskirts of the garden, then slowly turned in various directions, before moving to the outskirts himself, and then narrowly a kick to the face. The chaos continued as Ranger morphed a greatsword into a harpoon, threw it at one figure who side-stepped it before Ranger morphed a gauntlet and punched him into the wall hard enough to crack the wall and stun the figure, before rapidly swinging at the other figure, and eventually knocked his swords away. The figure then grabbed Ranger's leg, and gets countered with a knee to the side of the head that was hard enough to stun him, then Ranger followed up with a bash with the wide part of his greatsword and he tore up the ground as he joined the other figure. He then took a moment to catch his breath, and the figures both woke up and sprung up...without difficulty. Ranger then recovered from the surprise, morphed his guns, and opened fires on them, as they dashed and jumped around to avoid his bullets. He then morphed a greatsword and put it in front of him as thy charged him at the same time, and they engaged him from multiple sides...and hit the thinnest parts of his armor which stunned him for a second before he tried to counter, but it was no use.

The two tag-teamed him for the better part of a minute, and while they still couldn't break his armor...he did tax his stamina, and make him even angrier...which made him waste even more stamina. He then desperately tried to even the odds by morphing his light armor and it worked by letting him jump away. The two then watched him as he caught his breath and calmed down. He then morphed his greatsword again and charged at them again, and when he tried to impale one of them...he jumped up, landed on top of the sword as it stuck into the wall...and kicked Ranger in the face hard enough to break several of his teeth as the other tripped him and then kicked him into the wall.

"My teef...!" Ranger exclaimed with his missing and broken teeth making speaking harder as he looked at his blood-drenched hand as he processed the damage done. The knowledge that Sword Maiden was there to heal him again helped, but these figures were clearly nothing to laugh at. They then walked up to him to finish the job, and he desperately threw Immolation between him and them...which made them move back in surprise from the intense fire but not much else. Ranger himself marveled at how much more fire he unleashed; that holy water was more serious than these figures were. Eventually...Sword Maiden appeared before kneeling by Ranger and held out her hand as he opened his nearly toothless mount and she restored his teeth and stopped the bleeding. "How do I stop these guys!?"

"By yourself? You can't. I can give you an empowerment, but this is the last thing I can do for you...so use it wisely." Sword Maiden said before she used the miracle on him...and he felt his stamina not only return, but increase dramatically, as he stood up and let out an intense yell as the figures went on alert, and Sword Maiden vanished to let Ranger engage the figures...and the holy water did it's thing perfectly. He moved so fast the figures had no time to react, let alone defend themselves as Ranger plowed into the one who didn't break his teeth hard enough to send him flying, duck under a sword from the other before Ranger uppercuts his jaw, breaking his teeth in the process, before sweeping his legs and kicking him into a wall.

He then rushed to engage the other, and savagely punched him dozens of times a seconds all over his torso, before grabbing him by the throat jumping at least 20 feet and then kicking him into the ground as hard as he could, then felt and heard several ribs just from the kick itself before the figure was shot into the ground hard enough to make a small but deep crater and Ranger landed right on top of him before charging at the other figure, grabbed his waist, flipped him over his head and kicked him to where the other figure was, then rushed to finish him off with his newly morphed claws as he tore through the figure's armor and eventually got past it to tear his abdomen to bits.

The other figure barely dug his way out of the crater and watched the other figure get mauled to death, before Ranger noticed him, and jumped at him, delivering a knee right to his forehead. Ranger then grabbed him, and slammed him into the ground over and over, before throwing him into the air, jumping up, grabbing him, and spinning like a wheel before slamming him into the ground again, then finished him off with a kick to the jaw that was hard enough to tear his throat open. Ranger then looked at the two dead figures and yelled to the sky in victory as the empowerment wore off. He then removed their masks, to see their faces...and they each had the same one: they were male versions of Fighter.

"What the fuck...!?" Ranger whispered harshly before going to one of the nearly support pillars that weren't damaged and sitting by it as he mulled over what happened. Eventually...the rest of his team appeared and looked the place over.

"What happened here?" Wizard asked.

"Those two figures happened..." Ranger said as he pointed to what was left off the figures he slaughtered, and the team looked at them in awe.

"Holy shit boss!" Warrior exclaimed.

"It wasn't the fear demon who took my eyes...it was them. My heart...was shattered...because of them...!" Ranger said harshly before Fighter slowly approached her fuming husband and knelt next to him to see the wrath he was barely containing.

"Ranger..." Fighter whispered and Ranger looked right at her.

"They looked like you." He said sharply.

"Specialists...we've been fighting these assholes for hours." Warrior said.

"But why are they are strong, and why are they with the Evil Sect...and where did they come from?" Wizard asked.

"And how were they trained?" Fighter asked.

"We can look into that later. But...what about that spire out there?" Priestess asked.

"I will deal with." Ranger said before standing up...then collapsing as Fighter caught him, and set him down gently. "Lord of the Sword...Master of the Mace...bring your fist down from the Heavens, to crush them who mean to do us ill. Meteor..."

"Meteor?!" Everyone in his team said all at once...before looking up to see a massive burning rock falling down from the sky and heading towards the spire in the distance. They all simply watched it fall and destroy the spire in the distance with a faint poof then a whoosh as the spire came down and the ground rumbled.

"Oh...the Cambion is so dead..." Rhea Fighter said as she shook her head.

"No kidding. That's one way to deal with a nuisance." Warrior said.

"Did you get the fear demon?" Priestess asked before Storm Mage appeared.

"He escaped unfortunately...but don't worry, if he shows his face again, I'll tear it off and mount if on your wall for you." He said.

"Storm Mage!" Priestess exclaimed before bowing to him and getting an amused huff as a reaction.

"It's quite respectful to bow to a fellow Gold Rank, but how about a hug for your new surrogate father?" Storm Mage asked and Priestess' eyes widened.

"That's amazing!" She exclaimed as she rushed to hug the demon hunter.

"I gave Sword Maiden a wedding ring and everything; I'll show you with the recaller if you'd like." Storm Mage said.

"Yes please." Priestess said while smiling.

"The others are not going to believe this..." Warrior said.

"You two got married?" H.E. Druid asked in awe as Sword Maiden showed her wedding ring.

"We have indeed..." She said with a smile before Storm Mage wrapped an arm around her waist and gave her a quick but sweet kiss.

"I am so happy for you mother...father." Priestess said as Storm Mage opened one arm to let her into a group hug.

"It's nice to have a daughter...especially one who looks like the spitting image of my new wife." Storm Mage said softly.

"Not to mention having a sister that can launch a leviathan across a lake." Wizard's brother said and Wizard herself smirked.

"I cannot remember the last time I used it like that, oh wait...I haven't." She said.

"You should use it more often; if you can do that to a leviathan, imagine how something smaller would handle it." Warrior said.

"Maybe I will." Wizard said.

"Anyway, we're happy for you both Sword Maiden, and Storm Mage." Fighter said.

"You honor us Fighter." Sword Maiden said.

"So what now?" G.S. asked.

"With the invasion defeated, you may now reorganize and refit for your clash with the Cambion, or simply stay and enjoy yourselves when the city returns to it's former glory." Sword Maiden said.

"We'll be all over that tomorrow." Wizard said.

"I'm sure you will. Now, good night to you all. You' have certainly earned your rest, especially you Ranger." Sword Maiden said as she and Storm Mage disappeared. The team all side their good nights, and went to bed...with Ranger sleeping in-between Fighter, and a clone.

"Are you feeling better now?" Fighter asked.

"Mostly..." Ranger said before they looked at the clock and he sighed.

"Well...Happy Father's Day." Fighter said somberly.

"If only..."Ranger whispered, before his mood picked up when the clone turned his head to her and kissed him deeply and repeatedly as the original watched her husband exercise his usual passion with her clone as they slowly mashed lips and tongues together, and caressed each other's muscles and hair. Ranger then broke the kiss and looked at her funny. "You're seriously watching us? And you call me a perv..."

"Oh stop it..." Fighter said playfully as she patted his chest and Ranger chuckled at her before kissing her as well and then the two snuggled into him, and sighed in contentment.

"Good night..." The clone said.

"Good night my loves." Ranger said.

"Uh, you know there's only one true me right?" Fighter asked.

"I don't care; your clones are as dear to me as you are. You might say I have more to love when you clone yourself." Ranger said.

"Good to know..." The clone said before licking his ear and giving him a toothy grin.

"I thought we were supposed to go to sleep...?" Ranger said before the two ladies laughed adorably and they finally went to sleep.

The entire day was spent with the team helping re-distribute the stolen goods to the people, with the team making sure everyone gets their stuff back, and no one tries to pull any stunts on each other. Warrior even threatened to get Ranger if things got too heated...and just that made the people more cooperative, even the good ones. Priestess even went back to get Summoner, so he could use his elementals to help rebuild the walls in case of another attack, and to show off his powers. Wizard even pitched in herself by drawing power from one of his stone elementals and honored Dwarf Shaman by using some abilities she saw him use, like using concrete to fill in cracks, or enlarging rocks to use as materials...as well as summoning elementals herself to show him how far she went.

Of course, the team also spent their time feasting, drinking, and sharing stories with the people, as well as various recreation, which included going on a massive spending spree to get the city's economic heart pumping again. They bought and sold countless things that were stored in their various homes across the country, especially the jewels found being sold, and various raw materials being bought. Wizard's brother of course kept the magical items, including the useless ones; just because they were useless, didn't mean they would stay that way. Keeping the most powerful items was a no-brainer...

Cow Girl even took GS for a swim in the lake with their underwater-breathing masks on...and he agreed without any hesitation, much to her delight, but not surprise; his growth over the last few weeks was as staggering as it was welcome. They swam around, chasing each other, just looking around, and occasionally touching each other. Their swim ended with them heading to the shallows, and Cow Girl once again made the first move by caressing his face and hair, and pressing her already-parted lips against those of her lover, and deepened it as much as she could. GS in return accepted the kiss and caressed her from head to toe, and extracted a moan from her as her kneaded her barely-covered butt like it was dough.

Wizard and her brother eventually set up some alchemical devices to hurl fireworks into the air as a display to celebrate the city's Restoration, that came up when Priestess went to the Temple of Law, and she activated it at mid-afternoon, and all the city's not-stonework assets were fully-repaired and the following celebration took place until the moment the sun was about to go down...and then kept going. Ranger's parents arrived with their grandchild, and watched the festivities. Eventually, even Hero's team showed up and boasted about how they crushed the army of demons that were going to appear alongside the forces that already came. Summoner even went to get Guild Girl and Inspector to share in the festivities.

Rhea Fighter climbed one of the buildings to get a good view of the fireworks...then Wizard's brother found her...

"Hey! Look who I found." He said as he levitated up to meet her.

"I thought you were going to do the fireworks." Rhea Fighter said.

"Eh, it's already set up. It's all up to my sister now." Wizard's brother said.

"I see...find anything good in that spire?" Rhea Fighter asked.

"Oh yes, lots of stuff. Scrolls, both blank, and filled, mana gems, some raw materials, Sword Mage's sword, and a buttload of demonic relics, and don't get me started on the prisoners we freed." Wizard's brother said.

"You're a real hero..." Rhea Fighter said with a smile, which was returned.

"Hey, Sword Mage and Goblin Slayer did most of the work." He said.

"Still." Rhea Fighter said as they kept staring at each other...until the fireworks started and Rhea fighter glued her eyes to the display.

"Oh, I forgot to mention: these are not ordinary fireworks." Wizard's brother said.

"What do you mean?" Rhea Fighter asked.

"You'll see..." Wizard's brother said before then the fireworks went from simply bursts of colors, and light...to bursts of color and light, that moved like living beings as Rhea Fighter gasped. Some moved like snakes around each other before spreading out and vanishing, others went back and forth between locking limbs together, some even looked like they were swimming.

"How did-" Wizard's brother shuts her up with a finger on her fingers.

"It's not over..." He said...before a volley of fireworks lit up the whole sky and resembled the light from the sky that Restoration resembled, only it was an organized display of blue, green, purple, and red...all colors of the night sky in Heaven. He was blown away by his own work...then hearing Rhea Fighter sniffling broke his hypnosis...and she saw Rhea Fighter weeping with her hands on her face and shaking like a leaf. "I...think I overdid it..."

"No...! It's flawless..." Rhea Fighter said with a cracked voice as her face split with a smile, and then pounced on Wizard's brother and embraced him as tightly as she could, and he returned the embrace. They then sat there before she pulled back and dried her face. She then looked up at her human companion who looked at her with concern on his face...and she pressed her lips against his, much to his surprise, but he relented and let her kiss him to her heart's content as the display continued.

FINALLY! I've been putting this on hold for too damn long, and I wasn't going to put in on hold for a minute longer. I sincerely hope you all found it to be worth the wait, and had as much fun reading it, as I did writing it. Anyway, I know Father's Day was yesterday, but who cares...besides, I MUST do something for Ranger like I did with Fighter. Heaven knows he deserves it after having his heart ripped into a million pieces, and I've got plenty in mind for the next chapter, and I swear, that one will not be over 24,000 words like this one was...I swear I'm breaking that record more and more often...anyway, that last bit with Rhea Fighter and Wizard's brother was also planned, but Sword Maiden and Storm Mage being married was on-the-fly to be honest. Also...I've been wanting to have Storm Mage and Ranger fight side-by-side for ages, so...fuck yeah. So...what's up for Ranger's Father's Day? Who's this goblin overlord? Why were those specialists so damn powerful? Well, be sure to Rate, Review, and Share until then...stay tuned...

P.S. this is for Ranger mauling those specialists... ULTRA COMBOOOOOO!