Chapter 6: The Wave The Invader
Three days have passed since all of the Cardinal Heroes have met each other.
Zzz*
Right now, Tomori is taking a quick nap inside Vadge's shop.
"Is he being serious right now?" Vadge's asked Ivaran who sat near the sleeping Tomori.
"Tomori-sama always randomly takes a nap every day. I guess it's better for him to take a nap now than in the waves." He replied.
"I see."
Ring*
Someone went inside Vadge's shop.
"Oh, Magic Lass." It was Akira. She then saw both Ivaran who sit on the floor and Tomori who took a nap on the floor.
"Tomori-sama, Miss Akira has already arrived." Ivaran wakes Tomori up.
"What?" Tomori woke up and rubbed his eyes. He saw Akira standing at the shop's entrance. "Oh, Akira. You arrived here first."
"What are you doing?" She asked.
"Taking a quick nap. I need all of the energy during the waves." Tomori then stood up from the floor. "Where's Reika?"
"She hasn't arrived here yet."
"I see… Let's wait outside. Thanks for letting me take a nap here, Vadge." Tomori said to him.
"Yeah. But don't do that again. You're going to make me lose customers."
"Can't keep my promise."
" Sigh* Just beat the waves already."
"We will." All of them then stand outside the shop.
After waiting for a few minutes, Reika and her group arrived.
"Sorry for taking so long." She said.
"No worries. You arrived just in time." Tomori said. "So everyone remembers the strategy that we have discussed?"
All of them nodded.
"Is there anything new that you guys wanted to add to the plan?"
There's no answer from them.
"Well then, all we can do is to prepare ourselves and wait for the waves to arrive."
Tomori sits on the ground and pulls out a cloth from his inventory. He then started wiping his Sword of Absorver.
"Hey, Tomori." Akira said while she get close to him. Reika also get closer to him as well.
"What do you guys want?" He asked.
"We are just wondering… How do you survive after almost getting killed twice?" Reika said to him.
"Oh, I unlocked a series of weapons called the Curse Series and the Bless Series." Tomori explained.
"Curse Series and Bless Series?" Both of the female heroes said.
"Yeah. If it wasn't for those weapons, I would be dead by now."
"Where do you get the weapons from?" Reika asked. If the weapon is really powerful, then she wanted it as well.
"There's two Curse Series that I unlocked. The Blade of Idle and the Blade of Anger. I unlocked the Blade of Idle when I almost died for the first time. Using the weapon will make me feel so tired. But the more tired you become, the stronger the weapon will be."
"How does that even work?" This is the first time Reika heard that a person could get stronger by simply being tired.
"Beats me. For the Blade of Anger, I unlocked it when I'm fighting some ninjas like Mizune at the time I heard the church plans. Using the weapon will make me very angry. The more anger you channeled, the stronger the weapon will be."
"So… The weapons connect to your emotions?" Akira speculated.
"Yeah. The weapons were strong, but with drawbacks. For the Blade of Idle, I will get so tired to the point that I passed out. And for the Blade of Anger, I will lose control if I equip that weapon for a long time."
"I see…" Reika now understands why Tomori is angry during the trial. "But how about the Bless Series?"
"That? It came from the Blade of Idle. The name is Blade of Resolute. I unlocked it when I fought the level 100 monster. And it has no drawbacks at all." Tomori called the weapon name and the Sword of Absorver change form to the blessed weapon. But there's no lines appearing on his face and his eyes don't change color.
Blade Of Resolute [Awakened[4[V[Great] Ability Locked:
Skill: Switchblade (Attack), Zweihander
Special Effect: Call of Resolute, Magic Enchant, Skill Enchant, All Resist, HP Recovery (Small), SP Recovery (Small)
Mastery Level: 0
Tomori also upgraded this weapon with multiple methods. But no new effects appeared at all.
"Woah… It's so… Pure looking." Akira said as she took a look at the pure white sword with a golden accent.
"Yeah. I only use this weapon if I really need it."
"Why don't you use this weapon all the time if it's so powerful?" Reika asked.
"It's because I couldn't draw it's full power in normal circumstances. The situation must be above deadly for me to use this weapon in its full power." Tomori said as he turned his sword back to the Sword of Absorver. "Why do you guys ask?"
"We just wanted to know how you defeat the monsters sent by the church. That's all." Akira said.
"I see. But I hope you guys don't unlock the Curse Series. It's really dangerous. For both of you and the ones around you. I'm still checking out on Blade of Anger. That weapon could come out anytime if I don't prepare myself."
"I see… We will be careful. I hope you're as well." Reika said to him.
"Okay. Now let's wait for the waves to arrive."
After waiting for almost an hour, the waves were going to hit in a few minutes. Tomori sent a party invitation to both Akira and Reika.
00:05:00
"Five more minutes…"
"Tomori-sama," Ivaran said to him. "May I have a few words with you?"
"Yeah, what is it?"
Ivaran takes a deep breath. "I am grateful for what you did for me for the past three weeks. And… Thank you for giving me the opportunity to fight in the waves." Ivaran wasn't able to protect everyone during the first waves. He thought by participating in the waves, he could redeem himself by saving the people during the wave. "With that said, I will do my best to protect everyone!"
"Good. And so will I," Tomori held his fist in front Ivaran. "Let's do this."
"Yes!" Both of them fistbump each other.
00:01:00
There's only a minute before the waves. All of them gather up in one place.
"Remember the plan. Prioritise the safety of the people first rather than the monsters. Everyone got it?"
"Yes!" They all replied.
"Okay then, let's beat this f*cking wave!"
00:00:00
The timer has received zero. A light started surrounding them. All of them teleported to the place where the wave was happening.
All of them arrived at the wave area. The skies turn red and a huge rift appears in the sky.
"Where are we?" Tomori said while he surveyed the area. He then saw the DAMN mine where he almost got killed twice far from here. Then, Tomori saw a flare shot up to the skies. "There's a village there. We need to get there as soon as possible!"
All of them rushed towards the village. As Tomori ran, he saw Tadashi and his group running in a different direction.
"That's Tadashi and his group, right?" Reika said.
"Yeah, let them do their part and we do ours." Tomori replied. "Akira, we could do some support magic as now."
"Alright!" She said.
"As the source of power, hear my words and empower my companions!"
" All Low Steigern IV!"
She casted the support spell on all of them.
"As I expected from her. But I hope I could use some magic as well…" Tomori had learnt to cast his Lightning spells a bit. But it always ended up with him not being able to control it properly or the spells just exploded on his hand.
After both Tomori and Ivaran get the buff, both of them run in front of the group. Clearly, both of them have the highest SPD stats in the group.
"We go ahead first to distract the monsters!" Tomori said as both of them rushed to the village.
"Hey, it's is me or are both of them a little bit too fast?" Akira asked Reika.
"Beats me." Reika replied. She isn't convinced that the Curse Series and Bless Series is the source of his strength. "Is it because one of his family members is a hero from the past? Or is it because he has fighting experience before being summoned?"
But she decided to ignore it as she was in a dead or alive situation right now.
"Ah!!!" A man screamed as an armored zombie got near him.
" Blade Throw!" Tomori throws his sword at the monster's head, instantly killing it. "Am I too strong or the monsters are too weak?"
The sword returned to Tomori's hand. The man looks at the zombie's corpse, then Tomori.
"You are…"
"Don't worry. Me, the Magic Hero and the Projectile Hero are here to evacuate you all to a safer place. Please follow those four people to a safer place." Tomori points at Emil, Rylon, Mizune and Lowri.
"Yes!" The man stood up and rushed to them.
Tomori opens his status to check the monster's name.
Inter-Dimensional Undead Warrior
Inter-Dimensional Undead Juggernaut
Inter-Dimensional Drill Stinger
"Does all wave monsters have 'Inter-Dimensional' on their names?" Tomori wondered.
But he doesn't have time to think about that. He has villagers to save.
"Hah!" Ivaran slips between the zombie that's going to attack the villagers and raises his shield. "Please, get out of here."
"Yes!" The villagers run off.
"Ivaran!" Tomori shouted. Ivaran pushed the monsters away to let Tomori finish it. " Element Transmission! Element Slash!"
Tomori uses his own affinity to power up the attack. He unleashed a lightning energy slash towards the zombie.
Crush*
The zombie instantly died from it.
"Yep, I'm too strong." Tomori thought to himself. "Ivaran, change of plan. Argo all of the monsters and bring them to me."
"Yes!" He ran off to attract the monsters.
" Allure Reaction!" Tomori activated the skill to allure the monsters near him. He ran in a direction to make the monsters follow him. But he has another plan for the monsters.
As he collected enough monsters, he runs towards Reika who's been shooting the monsters who tried to ambush the villagers.
"Reika, I need an AOE skill right now!" Tomori said as he ran past her.
"Okay!" She pulled her bow's string and activated a skill. " Hundred Arrows!"
She released the skill to the skies and hundreds of blue translucent arrows rained on the monsters.
" Spread Shot! Split Shot!" She also activated a skill which shot a barrage of arrows. She also activated a skill that shot an arrow which splits into multiple arrows to finish the monsters that are still alive.
"Don't suddenly bring a bunch of monsters towards me!" She said to Tomori.
"Sorry. But unlike you, I don't have a variety of AOE skills. Aight, gotta go find Ivaran." Tomori left the area that Akira is guarding.
"Okay, Ivaran. Where are you now…" Tomori runs around the village to find him.
"Tomori!" Akira called him. Thea is standing next to her.
"Akira, where's Ivaran?"
"Let me check. Aerial Sight!" Akira uses a skill that lets her see the surroundings from an aerial point of view. This is how she instructed the Emil, Rylon, Mizune and Lowri to evacuate the villagers. "He's being chased by a lot of monsters there." She pointed in the direction.
"Okay, let's help him kill those monsters!" Tomori said to both Akira and Thea.
"Yes!" Both of them follow him.
" Comet Javelin!" Tadashi throws his spear at the boss monster.
Inter-Dimensional Hydra LV.50
"You guys! Please help me!" He said to the girls.
"Yes!" All of them cast a spell towards the Hydra. But it doesn't do much damage to it.
"Damn, it has a high magic resistance." Tadashi thought as he prepared to use another skill. " Erst Javelin! Zweite Javelin!"
He throws his spear at the hydra's head. Then, a yellow translucent spear appeared on his hand and he proceeded to throw the spear as well.
Roar*
The hydra roared as it was hit by the spears. Then, one of the hydra's heads breath fire at them. It targets the girls.
"Damn! Windmill!" When the original spear appeared on his hand, he rushed to the girl's side and spun his spear to block the fire breath. "Are you guys okay?"
"Yes, Tadashi-sama!" The princess replied.
"Okay!" He's glad that the girls are safe. " Hundred Javelins!"
He throws his spears to the sky. Then, green translucent spears started raining on the hydra.
"Where's Akira, Reika and their group?" Tadashi wondered.
"Hah!" Ivaran bash his shield at a monster who tries to attack the villagers. The monster switched its attention to him. "Get out of here!" He said to the villagers.
After the villagers escape, he runs off while making sure all of the monsters that he agro are still following him.
"Ivaran!" He saw Tomori, Akira and Thea running at him. "Come here, quick!"
He ran as quickly as possible and stood beside them.
"Attack those monsters, now!" Tomori shouted.
All of them prepared to attack the monsters.
" Comet Slash!" Tomori activated his second strongest skill to the monsters.
" Hundred Shards!" Akira points her staff to the sky. Then, green translucent glass shards started raining on the monsters.
" High Gleam Arrow!" Ivaran cast the High-class version of Gleam Arrow that he just learned yesterday. A bunch of yellow translucent arrows hit all of the monsters.
" High Stone Arrow!" Thea cast the Earth affinity of the Arrow spell.
All of their attacks instantly eliminate all of the monsters.
"Oh wow, now this is what I call teamwork." Tomori said.
"You guys!" Reika shouted at them. She is followed by the rest of the group who evacuate the villagers. "The village has been fully evacuated!"
"I see. Now let's move to the next stage of the plan-"
"Wait!" Ivaran cut Tomori off. "Tomori-sama, I felt a huge pool of mana around this village."
"Yeah… I could feel it too." Emil said. All of the people in the group who are proficient in magic can sense it as well.
"What does that mean?" Tomori asked.
"That means Ritual Magic is going to be used, Tomori-dono." Mizune explained.
"Which means?" Tomori still doesn't get it.
"The magic is going to be casted here." Thea continued.
"Oh sh*t!" As he realised it, fire started raining from the sky.
" Orb Prison!" Akira activates a skill that summons a green translucent sphere barrier that covers all of them. The fire hit the barrier and the buildings in the village rather than the monsters as there were only a few of them inside the village as of now.
"Who the hell casted the Ritual Magic inside the village?!" Rylon said.
"Yeah, look at the buildings. It hit them more than the monsters here." Lowri said to support Rylon's statement.
" Sigh* Whoever did this is really dumb." Tomori said in disappointment.
As the barrier comes out, Tomori dash out to find who has done this buffoonery. A group of knights started walking towards him.
"Oh, the Blade Hero. You're quite tough, huh?" A knight with a moustache said.
Just looking at his face makes Tomori's blood boil. But he controls his emotions to not let the cursed weapon out. But then Ivaran throws his shield at the moustache knight, Captain America style.
Clang*
But before the shield hit the moustache knight, the stern knight next to him deflected the shield back to Ivaran. He catches the shield without any trouble. But the moustache knight face reaction indicated that he almost shat his pants off.
"What is the meaning of your actions against us?" Ivaran said as he stared at the knights with a threatening glare.
"Heh, the companion of the Blade Hero is an elf? I didn't know you stoop so low even considering joining him." The moustache knight said.
"I am Tomori-sama shielder! And I shall not forgive any disrespect towards him!"
"Heh, we see about that." The moustache knight drew his sword to attack Ivaran.
" Erst Shot!" A skill hit the sword that the moustache knight is holding, sending it off from his grip.
"What?! That skill…"
Akira, Reika and the rest of the group stand besides Tomori and Ivaran.
"So are we really stooping THAT low to even help our fellow heroes?" Reika asked the moustache knight. The way she said it makes Tomori think that she's really furious about this.
"Projectile Hero! Magic Hero! I didn't know that both of you were inside the village-"
"Cut the bullsh*t! You know what you have done?! Look at the damn buildings and houses! It's all burning down because of you guys!"
"But we have burned down the monsters-"
"What monsters?! The only things that you burned down were the monster's corpses and the buildings!" Reika is basically mad at this point.
" Low Water Squall!" " High Water Squall!" Both Akira and Mizune cast Water magic to put out the fire on the buildings.
"Okay, girl. Calm yourself down…" Tomori said to Reika. He didn't want her to unlock the Curse Series.
Reika breathed in and out. "Okay… I'm fine now."
"Alright. It's time for phase two. Me and Ivaran will handle this with the knights. You all go help Tadashi beat the boss."
"Are you sure? The knights don't seem that cooperative to me." Akira said.
"Don't worry. I can handle this. Now go!"
"On it!" Both of the female heroes said to Tomori. Their party members also followed them.
"Now then," He turned back to the knights. "So… You guys really don't like me, don't ya?"
"Of course! Who would ever be fond of a rapist like you?!" The moustache knight yelled at him with a grin on his face.
Ivaran wanted to throw his shield again at the moustache knight, but Tomori stopped him from doing so.
"I see… Well, good luck with that." Tomori points in a direction.
The knights turned around and saw two juggernaut heading towards them. One of them swings its mace at the knights.
" Blade Throw!" Tomori throws his sword at the first juggernaut who's attacking the knights. "Ivaran!"
"Yes!" Ivaran ran past the knights and distracted the second juggernaut.
" Vorpal Thrust!" Tomori thrust his sword at the first juggernaut, instantly killing it. Then he moved to the second juggernaut. " Demolition Slash!"
After Tomori slashes the second juggernaut, multiple cuts appear on its body. The juggernaut instantly died from the attack. Some of the knights admired Tomori's strength. Tomori then turns to face the knights.
"Listen, I don't care if you hate me, want me dead, or think of me as a rapist. But we're in the middle of the waves right now! The waves that's threatening the whole world! You and I are here for the same reason, a common goal! Which is to protect and save the people! So can you guys move away your grudge at me for a moment and unite together for the sake of the world!"
Some of the knights agreed with him, but not everyone.
"Like hell I worked with you! You're just a scum of a hero!" The moustache knight said.
"Just… A scum of a hero…" The words went inside Tomori's head. Then, a text appeared repeatedly in his mind.
He's a lost cause.
H̸̖͛ę̶͇̤͓̉'̵̩̥́͆̽̂s̴̹̪̟̺͗͗̎͝ ̵̲͇͕͈͗̂̋ȃ̷͓͈̈́̿ ̸̞͑̆͋̈ļ̵̮̜̆̐̕͜ò̷̻̲͚̳͑̂̂s̸̖͍̊t̸̛̩̉̒̂ ̵̟̘̱̘̇̇c̵̝̳̣̒͝å̷̱̻ũ̴̬̬̼̆̏s̸̜̗̏̽̆e̵͚̟͗.̴̫̈́̃̚ ̶̛͇̣̫̜H̶͓͉͔̃̚ͅè̴̥͈͛̂'̵̞̃͗͒̚s̶̪̏ ̴͇̬͖̰͒á̵̳ ̷̥̻͖̊̒͝l̸͎̦̅̃ò̸͙̪͘s̴̰̳̱͠t̴̡̪̞̃ ̷̜̊̑͑̓ç̵̼͕̏̿ä̸̹̖̖́̍ű̴̧̺͂̕ͅs̵̻̈́̑ͅĕ̴̻̣̗̀͘̚.̵̬͚͑͐̄̕ ̷̨̢̱̳̑́̍Ḧ̷̬̈́̐͆ẻ̸̡̅̇̃'̴̡̮͓̣͑͑s̶͇̭̹̺̅̈͂͝ ̸̧̩͍͊̽͆ḁ̸̡̛̤̟͊́ ̷͎̏̇́͌ľ̷̛̝͚͉͎o̷̦̩̩͐̃́͜ŝ̷̗͕̝t̷͔̄̈̅ ̴̡̗͆ĉ̷̻͕͐à̷͎̼͎̹̉̇͝ṳ̶̭͓̄͐͝ş̸̻͛̊̍e̶͓̯̞͔͗̕.̵̹̰̂ ̶̗̅̔̌͊H̸̤̥͒ͅe̶͈͎̝̬̓̅'̸̣̬̀̑̔ŝ̴̙̤̃ ̷͚̬̏͠ḁ̵̱̋̎̑͜ ̷̲̙̋̃l̷͙͕̩͉̑õ̷͖̕s̵̡͎̰͆̎̉ṫ̶̲̲͗͛͘ ̸͔̩̥̏̉c̵̠̜̙̗̃ã̵̮̓͗ų̸̟̟͔̈́̽̕s̶̪͕̍̈́͗̕e̵͚̣͂̐̅.̴̧̖̽́͆͘ ̶̩̜̜̃̋͗Ḣ̷̼͓͖͓͘ë̸̥̣͌̂'̵̦̘̻͆̐s̶̲̹̯̹̓͘ ̸̓͝ͅǎ̶̞̤͉̗͗̌̆ ̷͔́͋̏̈́l̴̯͇̩͎͂̄́ǒ̶̱͓s̵̺͍̪̓̒̎t̶̢̐̽͑̅ ̵̼͉̄͛̏̚c̶͖̀̈́ą̵̺̥̅͗̑͜u̸̖̩̞͍͠s̶̗̳̦͌̌̕̕e̴̗̯͗̇͆̚.̶̺̫̠̾͌̎̚ ̶̙͛̏͜͠H̶̞̮̃̆̀̉e̴̡̯͔͝'̴̖̄͐͌s̷̛̞͚̣̒́͠ ̸̡͎̙̃͌͝͝a̸̺̰͘͝ ̵̰̏̒ļ̶̬̞̐̂̕͝ȍ̶̰͚̩̠s̶̱͛͂ṭ̴͙̙͚̂ ̸̤̟̀͛ͅc̴͖̄̃a̵̺̳͔̾u̴̞̜̼̎̈́s̸̹̹̐ė̸̫.̶̢̱̾̓ ̷̢̛̟̏̊͝H̵̩̞̮̀ȇ̸͉̼̯͜'̷̨̀̍͗̕s̶͚̙͎̆ ̴̭̲̬̓̊a̵̗̻͚̹̽͒̽ ̸̖̼̃l̶͕̰̬̍o̸̩͂s̴͍̝̄̿͐͘t̷̘̏ ̸̧̇͜c̵̥͔͍͔͘ä̴͖̼̹̺̀͋̕u̴̦͎͐s̷͔̪̣͔̍e̶̟͍̰̔̓.̵͕̌̿͑͆ ̸͙̀͒̕H̷͈̦̮̉̿́͘e̶̡̟̘̔̊̇'̴̖́̀s̵̱̼̱̾̃́́͜ ̷̢̹̰̘̀̃̆̉a̸͎̞̓͂̈́ ̶̝̤̻̓̾̉͠ͅl̶̺̯̼̔ṓ̸̞̀̕ṡ̵͓͒̑̆t̶̲̀̇̉̕ ̸̙̲̓́c̸͕̥̺̰͂̈́̈́͌ả̷̱̘̌̎u̸͓͙̬̣̓̂ŝ̸̟͇͈͑͛ě̵̟͈̅̀͌͜.̴̨͚̆ ̷̭̦̟͈̕H̴̫́̒̾̄e̸̖̹̾̑̓̂'̶̺̭̟͎̎̒̍s̸͙̊̈̈̈́ ̸͚͐͗͒a̴̗͊̈ ̵̭͘l̵̢̻̱͝ǒ̸̞̈́̅̅s̸̡͖͍̐̀ͅt̸̛̜̬͔̬̅̌͝ ̵̱͈̤̠̔c̸͚̔á̶̦͒̓͠u̸̱͔͊̀̊̑s̵̞͇̝͐ē̴͔̮͈̑.̸̤̠͔̦̽͘ ̶͇̩̲̆͛H̴̥̖̮͐͝ȇ̶̜̞͒̉̌'̸̢̥͚̍̈̿̂ṡ̵͉̗̙͙̾ ̸̰̮̇̾̽̈́a̶̱͔̟̰̔͊̐͊ ̵̦̠̠̤̈̎l̸̛̺̬̝̼͋͛ó̶̭̟̹̼̔s̷̟̲̑̕͘t̸̫̓ ̴͍͎͋̍͂͘c̵̰̭̦̲͌̚ä̵̞̤̰u̸̱̎s̴͉͊͒̌ę̶͎̉̽.̷̙̆̐̕͝ ̵̛͖̠̿̕̚H̸̙͔̔̅̄ë̵̯́'̷̰̠̱͂͛͘s̷̠͔̓͛̀̎ ̸̧͓̒a̶̤̪͆̉ ̸̡̺́͐̔͠l̶̰̘̣͚̇̌͋͋o̴̮̾̎̔s̵͕̘̗͋̓̂͝t̷̮̩͐ ̵͈̺̍̒͗͐c̷̡͍̃̃͗a̵͖͔͇͂̽ͅu̵̦͒̆̑͝s̸̰̥͙͕͐͑̌ẻ̸̢̮̈́͒͑.̸̙̋̓ ̶͈̎̃͑̊Ḩ̸͈̿è̴̬̳͖̋̈́̚'̸̨̘̫̑̄̅s̵̻̞̫͒̉ ̷͖̘͙̏̊̌̋ả̷̖͔̚͝ ̷͙̠̗̃͛͜l̷͔̂͗õ̸͖̐̾s̴̞̺͙͗t̸̺̄͌̐ͅ ̸̻͑c̶͖͇̲̩̾̅̀̚a̴̳̞̠͐̈́u̵̳͌s̵̨̪̃̓ę̶̘͚̾̈́͝.̶̮̼͓̃͋̂̕ H̶̡͋͘e̸͙͚͚͖͐̀͐'̷̜͋͝s̷͕̐͝ ̶̧̗̝̼̈̓a̷̢̰̗͋ ̴̨̣͂̌̈́̚ḽ̷͑̈̊́o̷̐͜ŝ̴͉̀̓ẗ̷͉̳́͘͝͠ ̴̬̭̄́͑ͅc̷̹̈a̶̗̻̐̋̚̚ȗ̸̱́̅͗ş̷̤̝̖̇̈e̷̛̱̟̺̰̋̍.̶̳̹̣̆̿͑͝ H̶̡͋͘e̸͙͚͚͖͐̀͐'̷̜͋͝s̷͕̐͝ ̶̧̗̝̼̈̓a̷̢̰̗͋ ̴̨̣͂̌̈́̚ḽ̷͑̈̊́o̷̐͜ŝ̴͉̀̓ẗ̷͉̳́͘͝͠ ̴̬̭̄́͑ͅc̷̹̈a̶̗̻̐̋̚̚ȗ̸̱́̅͗ş̷̤̝̖̇̈e̷̛̱̟̺̰̋̍.̶̳̹̣̆̿͑͝
His heart started burning with hatred.
"Doesn't he realise that I waste my damn energy to save the people he's supposed to be protecting in the first place?! Not only did he have the balls to cast a Ritual Magic at us and burn the whole village, he also called me a scum… A SCUM?! FOR WHAT?! BECAUSE HE HATES ME SO MUCH?! BECAUSE I DO HIS JOB BETTER THAN HIM?!"
His weapon started turning black. There's something about to unleash from his body. Ivaran noticed this and tried to calm Tomori down.
"Tomori-sama, are you okay?" Ivaran asked him.
"Oh, what?" The words from Ivaran snapped him back to reality. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
Ivaran is the only reason Tomori doesn't give up hope in this world. If something happened to him, this world itself wouldn't survive the wrath that comes from Tomori.
"Knights, let's offer our help to the other heroes!" The moustache knight said while a few knights followed him.
But the stern knight and the rest of the knights stay here with both Tomori and Akira.
"Knights! Pincer Formation! Support the Blade Hero and his companion!" The stern knight said. All of the rest of the knights get into the formation and fight the monsters.
"Tomori-sama!" Ivaran said to him, waiting for his order.
"Yeah," Tomori thought that at least there's a few decent people in this world. "Let's destroy these monsters."
"Yes!"
Both of them joined the knights.
Sigh* Sigh* Sigh*
Tadashi and his team are tired from fighting the hydra.
"I don't know if I can hold it any longer…" Tadashi thought to himself.
" Comet Fall!" A medium sized comet falls onto the hydra.
"That voice!" Tadashi turned around and saw Akira. He also saw Reika and their group coming to them.
"Sorry for being late." Reika said to him.
Tadashi and his group felt relieved that they arrived here.
"Just in time! You know how long you all make us fight this monster alone?!" The princess said.
Reika felt very annoyed by the princess. "Oh, I'm sorry. But the villagers aren't going to be saved by themselves."
"Villagers? Can't you leave them to the knights?" Tadashi said dumbfoundedly.
"What are you saying, Tadashi? If it weren't for us and Tomori, the villagers wouldn't have escaped unsheathed." Akira said.
"Tomori? He even forced you guys to protect the village with him?!" Tadashi said while looking angry all of the sudden.
"Forced?" Akira is confused by it.
Roar*
The hydra roared after it got hit by the comet.
" Hydro Shot!" Reika releases her skill at the hydra. "Come on, we need to defeat the boss so the wave could end. Don't idle around and start beating the boss up!"
"Right!" Akira said. " All Low Steigern IV!"
Akira cast the support spell at Tadashi and his group. Tadashi is shocked to see that his stats skyrocketed.
"Okay!" Tadashi said loudly. "It's time for round two."
All of them started fighting the boss.
" Strike Edge!" Tomori slashes all of the zombies around him. " Typhoon Edge!" He used the Wind version of Strike Edge to finish off the zombies.
"Hah!" Ivaran is helping the knights by defending them against the juggernaut to give them the moment to strike. "Now!"
The knights started attacking the juggernaut and managed to kill it.
"Thank you." One of the knights said.
"No need to. I'm just doing my job." Ivaran replied.
"Ivaran!" Tomori gets near him. "The monster numbers aren't cutting down. My SP can't regenerate quick enough for me to use a skill to kill these monsters."
"Then you can have this." The stern knight handed him a few bottles of potion.
"What's this?"
"A Soul Healing Potion. It doesn't have any particular effect on us, but it can restore the 'SP' that the heroes have. We meant to give these to the heroes if they needed it. And I guess this is the right time." The stern knight said.
"Alright then." Tomori chugged the bottles of the potion and saw his SP bar being filled.
"And I think it's best for the two of you to assist the other heroes." The stern knight continued.
"But what about you guys then?"
"We can manage it. It is preferable if both of you can assist the other heroes to quickly end the waves."
"I see…" Tomori didn't want to fight the boss because Tadashi is definitely going to be mad at him for some reason. But if it's for the wave to end quicker, then he had no other choice. "Okay! Ivaran, let's go!"
"Yes!"
Both of them went to the direction where the boss's at.
" Erst Javelin!" " Erst Blast!" " Erst Shot!"
All of the heroes use their skill onto the hydra.
Roar*
"Damn, it's not easy to kill this hydra here." Reika said.
"Yeah. It's hard because it has a high magic resistance. My skills are based on MATK. So it's hard to deal high damage to the boss." Akira said.
"Oh yeah," Reika realised something. "Is it just me or do Tadashi attacks do lower damage than us?"
"Is it?"
"Yeah. I think he doesn't use these methods at all."
"Really? He still doesn't believe they exist yet?"
"I think so too. Didn't you try to make him believe it from the second day?"
"I did. But he kept saying that it doesn't exist in CPO."
" Sigh* I would be like him if Tomori doesn't approach me for my methods."
"Hey, what are you girls talking about?" Tadashi asked.
"Nothing!" Akira said. "Let's just beat this hydra first and talk about it later?"
"Yeah."
Both of them continue to fight the hydra.
Rustle*
Both Tomori and Ivaran are walking through the forest to get to the boss area. After they got out of the forest, they saw the other heroes and the hydra far away from here.
"Seems like the boss is a hydra this time. Let's go, Ivaran!"
As Tomori started to run, he felt someone was above him.
"Sorry, but I can't let both of you go there." A woman's voice came from above Tomori.
Tomori looked above and saw a jet black haired woman with magenta eyes and straight bob hairstyle. She's wearing a violet yukata, black hakama and wooden sandals. She also holds a scythe with purple gemstone embedded on it. Not only that, her skin is almost transparent, as if she's a ghost.
"I must admit, I'm certainly impressed by the three of you back then. The skills that all of you have shown, the cooperation that all of you display. As expected, you three are indeed the heroes." The black haired woman continued as she slowly descended to the ground.
"Does that mean that she's already here from back then?" Tomori thought to himself. "And her scythe has a purple gemstone on it. Does that mean that…"
"May I know of your name, Hero?" The black haired woman asked.
The vibe around her sends chills to Tomori's spine. His gut feeling tells him that this woman here is definitely stronger than the level 100 minotaur that he fought. Ivaran also felt the same like Tomori as he held his shield in front while his body slightly trembled.
"Aren't you supposed to introduce yourself first before asking someone's name?" Tomori said to her.
"Oh, forgive me. Where were my manners?" She said, not sounding sorry at all. "My name is Shina. Shina Nogami. And feel free to consider myself as your enemy, Hero."
"Shina… Nogami… That sounds like a Japanese name. But I doubt that she is a Japanese person." Tomori thought to himself.
"Now then, how about returning the favour? How should I address the Cardinal Hero that stands before me?" Shina said.
"Tomori. Tomori Tanaka." He said bluntly to her.
"Well then, Hero Tomori. Shall we begin," Shina spun her scythe. "The true battle of the waves?"
Tomori quickly draws his sword and opens his status to check Shina's level.
Shina Nogami LV.?
"As expected, her level is higher than mine."
Tomori is level 70 as of now. But he concluded that this woman here might be above level 100.
"Aren't you going to attack, Hero Tomori?" Shina said to him.
"And put myself in a disadvantageous position? I don't think so." Tomori said to her.
"I see. Well then, allow me to make the first move." Shina just dashed towards Tomori so quickly that he couldn't notice it.
"Sh*t, she's fast!"
But then Ivaran comes in clutch and stands between both of them with his shield in front. Shina swipes her scythe to Ivaran's shield.
Clang*
The impact of the attack makes Ivaran get thrown to the sides.
"She's even able to overpower Ivaran's defense?!"
Shina then prepares for a second attack on Tomori. As she swings her scythe down, Tomori blocks the attack by using his sword as a shield.
"Argh!" But the weight behind the scythe is heavy to the point that Tomori had to use all his strength to block the swing.
"Impressive. Most impressive." Shina said as she pushed Tomori down to the ground.
"I can't hold it anymore!"
Then, Ivaran rushed towards Shina, attempting to bash her with his shield. But she noticed it and fall back. Ivaran then helps Tomori stand up.
"Thanks, Ivaran." Tomori said to him.
"It seems like you have a useful servant, Hero Tomori." Shina, one way or another, praised Ivaran.
"Yeah. You can't find anyone like him elsewhere." Tomori said, playing around with her.
"I see. But this fight is between me and Hero Tomori. I hope you can understand this, servant." Shina said to Ivaran.
"As if! I wouldn't leave Tomori-sama side-"
"Ivaran," Tomori said to him. "Let me handle this. You stay out of this."
"But-"
"Don't worry, I can win this." Tomori assured him.
"Okay…" Ivaran stood back.
Tomori then stood in front of Shina. "Well, before we start. Can I ask you a question?" He asked her.
"Yes. What questions you may have for me, Hero Tomori?"
"Are you a hero?" He bluntly asked. Shina's face went straight as he said that. "From what I see, your scythe has a gemstone embedded on them. The only weapons that I saw have those are the hero's weapon. So, are you a hero? And are you specifically a Vassal Hero?"
Shina didn't expect for him to be able to distinguish her as a Vassal Hero. The Cardinal Heroes from her don't even know that the Vassal Heroes exist in the first place.
"Yes. I'm the wielder of the Vassal Sickle. In other words, I'm the Sickle Hero."
"And from your attire, I assumed you didn't come from this world, right?"
"Yes. It appears that you're quick to pick up the situation, Hero Tomori. That quality of yours makes it very dangerous to keep you alive."
"So your target is the heroes, huh? For what purpose?"
"The safety of my world."
"What? You're telling me the rift from the waves actually led to somewhere? Don't tell me that you sent these monsters here?" When Tomori said that, Ivaran started twitching and glared at Shina.
"No. Beyond the rift of the waves is my world. As of now, my companions are fighting the monsters that come from the waves. They're waiting for my victory."
"I see. So instead of fighting the waves with them, you come here to kill me? Is that true? And how come killing me will save your world?"
"I am sorry, but I can't answer your questions furthermore." Shina said as she prepared her battle stance. "Draw your sword, Hero Tomori. Let's fight like true warriors!"
"Oh well," Tomori drew his sword out. "But I need a handicap since you're clearly stronger than me. I'm sure you wouldn't mind that."
" Low Verringern X!" Tomori cast his maxed out stats decreasing spell at Shina. Then, he called his blessed weapon. His eyes and sword gemstone turns to blue. " Overdrive!"
And to finish it all, he activates a skill that increases his ATK, MATK and SPD in exchange decreases his DEF and MDEF.
"Now then, let the true battle of the waves begin." Tomori said, repeating what Shina has said before.
"A spell that decreases all of the stats… As I thought, he's too dangerous to keep alive. Not only that, he's using a weapon that is akin to the Curse Series." Shina looks at Tomori who looks divine due to his pure white sword. "There's no doubt. As of now, he is the strongest hero of this world."
"Now, since you attack first, let me return the favour." Tomori dash towards her. " Erst Slash!"
" First Formation: Swing V!" Shina retaliates with her skill.
Clang*
Both of their weapon's blades clash with each other. Even if Shina's stats have been reduced drastically, it doesn't mean that Tomori is stronger than him.
"Our strength is around the same level, huh?" Tomori still has Akira's support spell. So he needs to beat her before Akira spells and his spell runs out. "And she has a Skill Rank method? Not fair!"
" Second Formation: Swing III!" Shina swings her scythe again, overpowering Tomori and pushes him back.
" Reflect Blade! Scale Shot!" Reflect Blade is a skill that lets Tomori use any special effect of a weapon form that he has unlocked. Tomori shoots a lot of scales towards Shina.
" Defense Formation: Rotation II!" Shina spun her scythe on her palm, deflecting all of the scales.
After she stopped spinning her scythe, Tomori then gets closer to her. " Vorpal Thrust!" He applied 25% EP for extra damage.
" First Formation: Wind Slice III!" Shina swings her scythe up front, causing a tornado to appear.
"Gah!" Tomori gets hit by the tornado and gets pushed back, canceling his skill. "Damn, that skill hurts…"
"Your tactics are impressive, Hero Tomori. But I'm afraid that it is not enough to defeat. Double Sickle!" Shina summons another scythe on her left hand. " Dance Formation: Deadly Swing III! Dance Formation: Petals Swing II!"
Shina swings her scythes around, creating a bunch of petals around her. She then launches her skills at Tomori!
" Demolition Edge!" Tomori uses the skill to counter her skills. He also applied 25% EP to increase the skill strength. As he tried to block her skills with his sword, her skills passed through and hit him. "Argh!"
"Tomori-sama!" Ivaran yelled as he saw Tomori get pushed back by the skills.
There's couple of cut marks around Tomori's armor. "That Deadly Swing… It's the same type of skill as Demolition…" Tomori thought as he tried to stand up.
"Is this the extent of true power, Hero Tomori? I'm disappointed. I think that you might hold your ground against me. Are you holding back?" Shina asked him with her eyebrows frowning.
"Maybe. If I don't, I'm gonna kill you for real." Tomori said as he stood up.
"Such blasphemy! This is the battle of the waves! Don't you dare to hold back, Hero Tomori!"
"Wait, you're not afraid… Of dying?"
"No. But I have someone who I wanted to protect. I shall not fall until the Cardinal Heroes are gone!"
"Heh, sorry to break your dreams, but I ain't dying for your sake."
"If that is the case, then come at me, Hero Tomori. Come at me with your full strength!" Shina shouted loudly.
"If that's what you wanted…"
Tomori prepared himself to activate his finishing skill.
" Chain Bind!" Chains are wrapped around Shina's body. She made no attempt to break free from it. " Switchblade (Attack)! Poison Blade (Paralysis)!"
"Let the ignorant mortal taste hell before me! Forbid their body from reaching the afterlife! Extend the blade that I wield and let the blade pierce both heaven and earth!"
" Zweihander!"
Tomori put the rest of his EP into his skill, showing that he's playing around this time. His sword glows and the blade extends to the sky. He slashes his sword downwards, hitting Shina.
"Hey, do you feel the ground shaking?" Reika asked Akira who's casting spells at the hydra.
"Really? Maybe it's because of the hydra." Akira is busy attacking the hydra and supporting the others. She doesn't have time to focus on things other than that.
"I see…" Reika ignored it and continued to attack the hydra.
" Sigh* Did I do it?" Tomori said as he breathed in and out. His SP bar now is zero and slowly regenerating.
Then, a notification appears on his status.
Failure: The target doesn't has any physical body
"What?!"
Shina then swings both of her scythe, clearing the dust around her.
"Is that it?" Shina said as she received no damage from it. "How disappointing."
"Sh*t! How couldn't that work?!" Tomori panicked as this is the first time in a while that his attack didn't work. But that's not all, the buff from Akira is gone. "How could it get any worse?!"
He brings the last Soul Healing Potion that he has on his inventory to replenish his SP. But Shina dashes towards him and swings her scythe at him, pushing him back and making him drop the potion.
"Oh, what is this?" Shina picks up the potion. She opened the cap and smelled it. She then proceeded to drink it. After a few seconds, smoke started to come out from her body. "This power!"
"Ah f*ck!"
Shina dashes at Tomori again. She moves so fast to the point that Tomori sees her instantly appear in front of him.
" First Formation: Swing V!" Shina swings her scythe in her right hand downwards.
" Blade Bash!" Tomori tried to counter her attack with his skill.
Clang*
As the blades hit each other, a huge shockwave is created, almost making Tomori lose his footing.
"Her scythe… Is damn heavy…" Tomori thought as he sank down to the ground.
"The beverage you possess is indeed impressive, Hero Tomori. To think that this world possesses such a beverage that increases the Spirit's Soul Power strength."
"Soul Power? SP? If it only replenishes SP, how come the potion makes her tenfold stronger?"
" Strike Formation: Demonic Swing II!" Shina used her second scythe to swing Tomori and push him back even further than before.
" Sigh* Sigh* Sigh*" Tomori takes huge damage from the skill.
"It appears that this battle is already over, Hero Tomori." Shina then prepares to do her skill. " Rupture Formation: Shell Slice II!"
As she swings her scythe to Tomori, Ivaran runs between them and blocks the attack from hitting Tomori.
Clang*
As the scythe hits Ivaran's shield, he feels a huge pain in his right arm, as if his arm has exploded from the inside.
"Argh!!!" Ivaran screams as he feels the pain.
"Ivaran!" Tomori shouted as he saw him in pain.
Crack*
The Shield of Absorver cracked a bit as it took the swing from the scythe. Shina then swings both of them back using her scythe.
Thud*
They got sent flying to the forest.
"Hah! Ivaran?!" As Tomori stood up, he looked at Ivaran who had been knocked out by Shina's attack. His right arm is bleeding and his HP is really low compared to him.
He brings out a couple of Healing Potions and splashes them at him. He saw Ivaran's HP slowly go up. He then sighed in relief. But then, anger rose within him.
"How dare she hurt him… SHE'S GOING TO PAY!"
Tomori's eyes and sword gemstone started changing to red. Red lines appeared on his face and his sword turned pitch black.
S̴̢͔̀͆͐̑H̵̥̀E̸͓͉͌'̴̧̈́Ŝ̶̽ͅ ̴̤̅ͅG̶̰̙͚͒́̕O̸͔̮̍͂͘Ỉ̶̮̙͌͆N̷̟͎͖̽͑̕͝G̷̞̜͑ ̴̨͕̭̯̌̀͐T̸̹͓̹̏̏͌O̴̪͎̓̏̄ ̸̥̾̔̆P̸͇̬̻̤̋͘A̶͈͎̜͐̕ͅY̶̡͕̙̮͛!̴͍͠ S̴̢͔̀͆͐̑H̵̥̀E̸͓͉͌'̴̧̈́Ŝ̶̽ͅ ̴̤̅ͅG̶̰̙͚͒́̕O̸͔̮̍͂͘Ỉ̶̮̙͌͆N̷̟͎͖̽͑̕͝G̷̞̜͑ ̴̨͕̭̯̌̀͐T̸̹͓̹̏̏͌O̴̪͎̓̏̄ ̸̥̾̔̆P̸͇̬̻̤̋͘A̶͈͎̜͐̕ͅY̶̡͕̙̮͛!̴͍͠ S̴̢͔̀͆͐̑H̵̥̀E̸͓͉͌'̴̧̈́Ŝ̶̽ͅ ̴̤̅ͅG̶̰̙͚͒́̕O̸͔̮̍͂͘Ỉ̶̮̙͌͆N̷̟͎͖̽͑̕͝G̷̞̜͑ ̴̨͕̭̯̌̀͐T̸̹͓̹̏̏͌O̴̪͎̓̏̄ ̸̥̾̔̆P̸͇̬̻̤̋͘A̶͈͎̜͐̕ͅY̶̡͕̙̮͛!̴͍͠ S̴̢͔̀͆͐̑H̵̥̀E̸͓͉͌'̴̧̈́Ŝ̶̽ͅ ̴̤̅ͅG̶̰̙͚͒́̕O̸͔̮̍͂͘Ỉ̶̮̙͌͆N̷̟͎͖̽͑̕͝G̷̞̜͑ ̴̨͕̭̯̌̀͐T̸̹͓̹̏̏͌O̴̪͎̓̏̄ ̸̥̾̔̆P̸͇̬̻̤̋͘A̶͈͎̜͐̕ͅY̶̡͕̙̮͛!̴͍͠ S̴̢͔̀͆͐̑H̵̥̀E̸͓͉͌'̴̧̈́Ŝ̶̽ͅ ̴̤̅ͅG̶̰̙͚͒́̕O̸͔̮̍͂͘Ỉ̶̮̙͌͆N̷̟͎͖̽͑̕͝G̷̞̜͑ ̴̨͕̭̯̌̀͐T̸̹͓̹̏̏͌O̴̪͎̓̏̄ ̸̥̾̔̆P̸͇̬̻̤̋͘A̶͈͎̜͐̕ͅY̶̡͕̙̮͛!̴͍͠ S̴̢͔̀͆͐̑H̵̥̀E̸͓͉͌'̴̧̈́Ŝ̶̽ͅ ̴̤̅ͅG̶̰̙͚͒́̕O̸͔̮̍͂͘Ỉ̶̮̙͌͆N̷̟͎͖̽͑̕͝G̷̞̜͑ ̴̨͕̭̯̌̀͐T̸̹͓̹̏̏͌O̴̪͎̓̏̄ ̸̥̾̔̆P̸͇̬̻̤̋͘A̶͈͎̜͐̕ͅY̶̡͕̙̮͛!̴͍͠ S̴̢͔̀͆͐̑H̵̥̀E̸͓͉͌'̴̧̈́Ŝ̶̽ͅ ̴̤̅ͅG̶̰̙͚͒́̕O̸͔̮̍͂͘Ỉ̶̮̙͌͆N̷̟͎͖̽͑̕͝G̷̞̜͑ ̴̨͕̭̯̌̀͐T̸̹͓̹̏̏͌O̴̪͎̓̏̄ ̸̥̾̔̆P̸͇̬̻̤̋͘A̶͈͎̜͐̕ͅY̶̡͕̙̮͛!̴͍͠ S̴̢͔̀͆͐̑H̵̥̀E̸͓͉͌'̴̧̈́Ŝ̶̽ͅ ̴̤̅ͅG̶̰̙͚͒́̕O̸͔̮̍͂͘Ỉ̶̮̙͌͆N̷̟͎͖̽͑̕͝G̷̞̜͑ ̴̨͕̭̯̌̀͐T̸̹͓̹̏̏͌O̴̪͎̓̏̄ ̸̥̾̔̆P̸͇̬̻̤̋͘A̶͈͎̜͐̕ͅY̶̡͕̙̮͛!̴͍͠ S̴̢͔̀͆͐̑H̵̥̀E̸͓͉͌'̴̧̈́Ŝ̶̽ͅ ̴̤̅ͅG̶̰̙͚͒́̕O̸͔̮̍͂͘Ỉ̶̮̙͌͆N̷̟͎͖̽͑̕͝G̷̞̜͑ ̴̨͕̭̯̌̀͐T̸̹͓̹̏̏͌O̴̪͎̓̏̄ ̸̥̾̔̆P̸͇̬̻̤̋͘A̶͈͎̜͐̕ͅY̶̡͕̙̮͛!̴͍͠ S̴̢͔̀͆͐̑H̵̥̀E̸͓͉͌'̴̧̈́Ŝ̶̽ͅ ̴̤̅ͅG̶̰̙͚͒́̕O̸͔̮̍͂͘Ỉ̶̮̙͌͆N̷̟͎͖̽͑̕͝G̷̞̜͑ ̴̨͕̭̯̌̀͐T̸̹͓̹̏̏͌O̴̪͎̓̏̄ ̸̥̾̔̆P̸͇̬̻̤̋͘A̶͈͎̜͐̕ͅY̶̡͕̙̮͛!̴͍͠ S̴̢͔̀͆͐̑H̵̥̀E̸͓͉͌'̴̧̈́Ŝ̶̽ͅ ̴̤̅ͅG̶̰̙͚͒́̕O̸͔̮̍͂͘Ỉ̶̮̙͌͆N̷̟͎͖̽͑̕͝G̷̞̜͑ ̴̨͕̭̯̌̀͐T̸̹͓̹̏̏͌O̴̪͎̓̏̄ ̸̥̾̔̆P̸͇̬̻̤̋͘A̶͈͎̜͐̕ͅY̶̡͕̙̮͛!̴͍͠ S̴̢͔̀͆͐̑H̵̥̀E̸͓͉͌'̴̧̈́Ŝ̶̽ͅ ̴̤̅ͅG̶̰̙͚͒́̕O̸͔̮̍͂͘Ỉ̶̮̙͌͆N̷̟͎͖̽͑̕͝G̷̞̜͑ ̴̨͕̭̯̌̀͐T̸̹͓̹̏̏͌O̴̪͎̓̏̄ ̸̥̾̔̆P̸͇̬̻̤̋͘A̶͈͎̜͐̕ͅY̶̡͕̙̮͛!̴͍͠
The sudden rise of anger causes the Blade of Anger to grow up!
Curse Series: Blade of Anger abilities increased!
Blade of Fury II [Normal] Ability Locked:
Skill: Switchblade (Attack), Execution, Guillotine
Special Effect: Self Curse Burning, Strength Up, Loyal Blade, Robe of Fury (Medium)
Mastery Level: 0
The pitch black sword turns into a pitch black greatsword.
"ARGH!!!" Tomori suddenly screamed as he felt like he was cooked alive. Tomori rolled his body to the ground to make the pain go away, but it didn't work. Then, flashes of memories went through his head.
"This is…" It shows the moment that he despite the most. The church, the princess, the moustache knight, Tadashi, everything that he hates the most in this world.
"GRR!" He stands up despite his body feeling unimaginable pain. "This is all their fault!"
The white metallic color on his breastplate, vambraces and greaves change to match the color of his Blade of Fury II.
His vision turned black. Everything around him is filled with fear, anger, hate and suffering.
…
"…" Shina is waiting for Tomori to come out from the forest.
" Blade Throw!" A greatsword is thrown from the forest and is coming at Shina's head.
" Defense Formation: Rotation II!" Shina uses her second scythe to block the attack. As the greatsword hits the second scythe, the scythe crumbles apart. Shina quickly evades the greatsword by thin hair. "This power…"
The greatsword started floating in the air and went inside the forest. Moments later, Tomori came out from the forest, glaring at Shina with intense hatred.
"As I expected, you also wield the Curse Series." Shina said to him.
"Yeah, and I'm gonna f*cking tears you apart with it!" Tomori jumped to the sky while holding his greatsword with both of his hands. " Execution! Demolition Slash!"
Tomori slash his greatsword downwards to Shina. But she swiftly evades it and his attack hits the ground.
Boom*
The attack from Tomori created a huge shockwave comparable to the ones that Shina created.
" Blade Bash!"
Tomori uses his greatsword to bash Shina, but she manages to block it with her scythe's snaith.
"Your attack has grown a lot stronger than before." Shina praised him. "But it's still not enough to defeat me."
"We'll see about that! Comet Blade!" Tomori sent the skill towards her.
" Stardust Formation: Starlight Swing I!" Shina sent a similar skill to the Comet skill to counter Tomori's skill.
Boom*
The skill clashes and creates another shockwave. Tomori dashes at Shina and swings his sword at her.
Clang* Clang* Clang*
Every swing, strike, slash that Tomori sent to her, she parried it all. But that doesn't stop Tomori from attacking her. Unlike the last time he used the cursed weapon, he was ruthless and savage. But now, he's elegantly swinging his sword to attack Shina.
"The stance and power behind his strike… The determination…" Shina thought to herself. "Does it take a hurt, measly servant for you to fight like this, Hero Tomori?"
"No…" Tomori bash his sword at Shina, creating the distance between both of them. "Ivaran isn't a measly servant. He's the one who gave me hope. A hope for this damn sh*tty world to be saved!"
The words that Tomori let out resonated with Shina. She once too lost hope for her world. But then, someone comes to her live. A boy who she had met years ago. The first Cardinal Hero to be summoned to her world.
"And you hurt him… I'll never forget you for that!" Tomori held his greatsword with one hand and jumped to the sky. He started spinning mid air to create momentum for his attack. " Tornado Edge!"
But Shina blocked the attack with her scythe. "I see… It appears that we share a few similarities, Hero Tomori. But I won't give up! First Formation: Swing V!"
Both of them then continue to exchange attacks and skills with each other.
"Ugh…" Ivaran is lying on the tree inside the forest.
"Wuf!" Then, the wolf cub that Tomori had met before comes and shake Ivaran's body to wake him up.
"Uh… What- Argh!" Ivaran wakes up. But he immediately felt the pain on his right arm. He then looks at the wolf that wakes him up. "A wolf cub? No, from the mana surrounding you… You're a Spirit Beast?!"
"Wuf!" The wolf cub nodded.
"I see… Tomori-sama?! Where is he?!" Ivaran started looking for his shield. It was beside him. He saw that it cracked a little. "I need to help him quickly!"
Ivaran tried to stand up, but the wolf cub stopped him by lightly hitting him with its paws. "Wuf! Wuf, wuf , wuf!"
"I know that I'm not in a perfect condition right now, but Tomori-sama needs me! I'm his shielder!"
"Wuf, wuf, wuf! Wuf!"
"The enemy is too strong for me to defend against that I would die from her? Then what should I do to help Tomori-sama?"
"Wuf! Wuf!"
"You wanted me to bring you to him? Don't tell me that you wanted to form a contract with him?"
"Wuf!" The wolf cub nodded.
"I see… To think that a Spirit Beast thinks greatly of him… Okay, I will help you."
Ivaran then put his shield on his back and carried the wolf cub using his left arm.
" Erst Slash!"
" First Formation: Wind Slice III!"
" Strike Edge!"
" Second Formation: Sky Slice I!"
" Oblique Thrust!"
" Dance Formation: Rattling Waves II!"
Both Tomori and Shina exchange skills with each other.
"Perhaps I underestimated your will of strength, Hero Tomori. My apologies." Shina said to him.
"No need to. I'm still weak if I can't defeat you. I still have much to learn. Which is why I won't let you kill me." Tomori replied to her.
"No need to be humble, Hero Tomori. The strength you display even outdone the Cardinal Heroes in my world. If someone like you were summoned to my world, then perhaps I wouldn't come here in the first place." Shina said with a disappointed tone.
"Then can't you just tell them to do better?" Tomori said. If the heroes were like Tadashi, then he understands why Shina went here.
"Half of the Cardinal Heroes in my world were ignorant of their duties. Instead of fighting the waves, they are waiting for something called 'update' to appear."
"Huh?!" Tomori shouted in a confused tone. He didn't expect that there's two Tadashi in her world. No wonder their world is f*cked. "You have my sympathies. I understand the feeling of dealing with an idiotic Cardinal Hero."
"…" Shina didn't expect for the enemy Cardinal Hero to understand her world situations. Now she really wants someone like him to be summoned to her world.
"But I can't let you kill me. I'm still young and green after all. Heck, I didn't even manage to get a girlfriend after living for almost 21 years. There's no way you're going to kill me!"
And now Shina is confused by his sense of humour. But this gives him time to launch an attack.
" Typhoon Edge!"
" Defense Formation: Rotation II!"
Even if she's confused, she manages to block the attack.
"Damnit!" After understanding the situation that Shina is in, Tomori can't help but to sympathise with her. Sure, she hurts Ivaran. But as he thinks, it's not that she wanted to hurt Ivaran in the first place. And Ivaran just wanted to protect him. There's no one at fault here.
Slowly, the Blade of Fury II loses its power. "Ah sh*t, I'm losing power right now. But I can't get mad at her… Her situation made her come here. To kill one of the Cardinal Heroes. But I don't understand why she needs to do that? How can killing one of the Cardinal Heroes from another world help her world?"
" First Formation: Swing V!" Shina swings her scythe at him. He took the attack and got pushed to the back. At the same time, his cursed weapon changed to the Small Sword. His eyes, armor and sword gemstone also turned to normal. "It appears that you have lost the will to fight, Hero Tomori."
Shina knows that if a hero willingly turns off their cursed weapon, it means that they have lost the will to initiate the weapon.
"No, I haven't." Tomori stood up and changed his sword to the Sword of Absorver. "Let's continue this fight-"
"Tomori-sama!" Tomori heard someone yelling his name inside the forest.
"What?" Shina look at the source of the voice
"Ivaran?!"He turns around and sees him holding something on his left arm.
" High Light!" Ivaran sends an orb of light towards him. Shina ignored the spell as she doesn't think that spell can damage her in any way. But Tomori doesn't see it that way.
"Combination Skill! Shining Blade!" Tomori uses that spell and Shine Blade to create a skill that blinds anyone near him for a few minutes.
"Argh!" Shina was caught off guard by him.
" Reflect Blade! Poison Blade (Paralysis)! Chain Bind!" With the combination of skills that he used, he can probably by some time. He then ran towards Ivaran. "What the hell are you doing here? You're not strong enough to defend against here. So get the hell out of here now!"
"I will. But before that, this little one wants to meet with you." Ivaran shows him the wolf cub. Tomori was shocked to see the wolf cub again after not seeing it for almost two weeks.
"But why doesn't this cub want to meet with me?" He asked.
"Wuf! Wuf!" The wolf cub barks.
"It wanted you to touch its paws." Ivaran said, as if he could understand the wolf cub.
"Okay…" Without asking any questions, Tomori holds the wolf cub's paws using both of his hands. Then, a notification popped up on his status.
The Spirit Beast wishes to form a contract. Do you want to accept it?
"Contract?" Tomori said while looking at the wolf cub.
"Wuf!"
"It says that it wants you to accept it." Ivaran explained.
"Yeah, I know without having to understand it at all." Tomori pressed yes. Another notification popped up.
Contract with the Spirit Beast has been formed!
Weapon Form Unlocked!
"Spirit Beast Sword… I'll check that later." Aside from a new weapon form, Tomori felt like his stats had increased a little. "So what now?"
"I'm going to help you beat that woman." The wolf cub said in a little girl voice. Ivaran is shocked to hear the wolf cub speaking.
"Woah, if you can speak, why do you 'wuf'?" Tomori asked.
"I don't have the ability to speak to homo sapiens in the first place. I gained the ability to speak thanks to the Cardinal Weapon that you hold." The wolf cub explained.
"Got it. So what can you do to help me to defeat Shina?"
"I have a plan. But it will cost you an unimaginable pain for a while. Will you accept it?" The wolf cub asked.
"Really? That's it?" Tomori deals with that kind of pain almost every day. To him, that's a low cost. "I accept it. So what's the plan?"
"Gah!" Shina breaks off from the chains. Using her Soul Power, she reduced the effect of paralysis and blinding that Tomori dealt to her. "Where is he? I can't let him go!"
Shina looks around her surroundings, and sees Tomori walking towards her slowly.
"Hey, I only went for a few minutes. Did you miss me that much?" Tomori said to her.
"I thought you had run away." Shina replied.
"Nah. I just told my teammate to back off so he wouldn't get hurt. I'm sure you don't want any distraction during our fight, right?"
"Indeed. Now, let's continue." Shina prepared her battle stance.
"Alright." Tomori said as he prepared his battle stance as well. "Let's do this, Riri."
"Okay!" The wolf cub that Tomori named Riri communicates with him inside his body. Apparently, Spirit Beast can go inside their master's body. "You remember the chant, right?"
"Yeah." Tomori then breathed in and out.
"What is he doing?" Shina thought to herself. Then, she saw Prana forming around Tomori's body. "Don't tell me!"
Shina started panicking. But she then calmed herself down. "In no way that he could do what I imagine of. But if that's the truth…"
As Tomori circulated his breath, he then cast the chant that Riri told him.
"I, the Blade Hero, borrow the strength of the Spirit Beast that resides within me." Tomori's body started crackling with red lightning.
"The Prana surrounding him… It's getting stronger!"
"Oh, may the Spirit Realm bestow their blessings towards us. The source of power is the Blade Hero commands you." Then, his body started to be surrounded by red particles.
"No! I can't let him finish the chant!" Even though the way Tomori chants is different from what she knows off, the end result would be the same. She can't let him finish the chant, or she will lost this battle.
"I am the one with the Earth Vein and the Earth Vein is the one with me. May our will and soul intertwine-"
" Dance Formation: Deadly Swing III!" Shina sends the skill towards Tomori hoping to stop him from chanting. "With this-"
"Let me take the form of a crimson wolf, and spread fear to my enemies!" Even if he was still hit by her skill, Tomori still continued to chant. " Spirit Union: The Crimson Wolf!" Tomori's body is coated with red mana particles. The red particles also formed a set of wolf's ears and tail on his body.
"My five senses have been enhanced. Not only that, my stats also increase drastically." Tomori then looks at Shina. Her face is mixed with fear and panic. "Now this is the first time I see her making that reaction."
Tomori dashed towards her. He realised that his speed is comparable to Shina when she drinks the potion.
"?!" As Tomori went to attack her, Shina evaded his attack rather than blocking it.
"What's she afraid of?" Tomori continues to attack her. But she swiftly evades his attack.
"Use your magic." Riri told him.
"But it will explode in my hand if I do that."
"Don't worry, I'll handle that." Riri assured him.
"Okay, here goes nothing…" As Tomori is attacking her, he quietly mutters the chant to cast a spell. " Low Lightning!"
A red lightning went out from Tomori's left hand and hit Shina. "Argh!" She screams as the spell hits her. She then falls down to the ground.
"Oh wow, it didn't explode this time. And I didn't know that magic is her weakness." Tomori thought to himself.
"No. What causes the damage was your spell that was imbued with Spirit Energy. Any attack that was related to Spirit Energy can damage her." Riri explained.
"I see… Which makes this the perfect chance to defeat her!" Tomori looks at Shina who's standing up from the ground. From her panting, he knew that the spell did a lot of damage. "You know, I wouldn't mind it if you returned back to your world."
"No! You're too dangerous to be alive, Hero Tomori. Even if you were united with your Shikigami, I wouldn't back down!" Shina said to him as she held her scythe.
"Shikigami? It's that the equivalent of Spirit Beast in her world?" Tomori asked Riri.
"I do not possess such knowledge to know that." She replied.
"Got it." Tomori turns to face Shina. "If that's the case, then let me put you down myself."
Tomori coated his sword with the red mana particles. Then, a notification appears on his status.
The overwhelming Spirit Energy has caused the Sword of Absorver to grow up!
Sword of Absorver: Abilities increased!
Sword of Absorver II (Crimson) [Awakened[6[IV[Great] Ability Unlocked:
Skill: Reflect Blade, Switchblade
Special Effect: Element Transmission, Magic Unison, Howl of Wolf, Magic Assistance, Element Slash (Strong), Element Slash Rush (Medium), Magic Attack Up (Strong), Magic Defense Up (Extra Strong), MP Recovery (Medium), HP Recovery (Low), SP Recovery (Low)
Mastery Level: 100
Accessory Equip Effect: Thousand Blades
Weapon Synthesis: Long Rope
Item Enchantment Level 20: SP 33%
Eclipse Minotaur Spirit Counter: MATK 100, MDEF 100
Status Enchantment: 100 MDEF
His sword started to change color from pure white to crimson red.
"It's not the thing that I wanted to do in the first place, but okay. I'll take it." Tomori then charged up his weapon special effect. " Element Transmission! Element Slash!"
Tomori's sword started glowing red. Then, he unleashed a red lightning energy attack at Shina. She tried to avoid it, but Tomori wouldn't allow it.
" Chain Bind! Switchblade! Poison Blade (Paralysis)!"
The chains warped around her. Then, it let out a poison that temporarily paralyzed her. As she tries to break free from it, the energy slash went through her body.
"Argh!" Shina screamed again as she was hit by the attack. "My Soul Power…"
Her Soul Power had dropped tremendously. If she gets hit by that attack again, she would die for sure.
Tomori gets near her. Shina's instinct is telling her to flee as he gets closer to her. Tomori then pointed his sword towards her.
"Return to your world." Tomori said to her.
"What?" Shina is dumbfounded by his request.
"I said return back to your world."
"No… Why won't you kill me?" Shina asked him.
"Why would I? I don't want to kill anyone. The worst I could do is to cut off one of my opponent's limbs. That's far as I go." Tomori explained.
"But won't you fear that I will attack you once again?"
"If you come again, then I have to beat you up again. So leave."
The chains around Shina's body disappeared. She then stood up weakly and looked Tomori straight into her eyes.
Then, a timer appears on both of their status.
00:01:00
"A timer?" Both of them thought.
"What's this? Reika didn't mention about a timer appearing before. Is it a timer indicating that the wave is going to end?" Tomori thought to himself.
"It appears that the time is up." Even though this is the first time that she saw this timer, she speculated that this timer is connected to the waves. "Very well. I shall retreat this time, Hero Tomori. But the next outcome will be different."
Shina said as she slowly floated up into the wave's rift.
"Well, that's an interesting experience." How many times did he have to say that?
"I guess it's time for us to separate."
"Okay. Unite Out!" Riri came out from Tomori's body. The red mana coating him disappeared with the wolf's ears and tail. "Ergh!" Tomori knelt down to the ground as he felt a huge pain on his body.
"This is the cost that I have stated before. But do not worry, you will be able to overcome this pain once you completely train your body to handle the Spirit Energy." Riri explained to him.
"Alright…" He pulled out some medicine that reduces pain that he created for Ivaran during his growth spurt and chomp it all.
00:00:00
The timer on his status turned to zero. The sky turned to normal. Then, new numbers appear on the timer.
1101:24:03
"Sigh* I'm too tired to do the calculation in my head…" Tomori sighed. He then stood up from the ground. "Let's meet up with Ivaran at the village. The others would definitely check on us there."
"Okay." Riri slipped inside Tomori's body. He also deactivated Overdrive and then slowly walked back to the village.
Hero Profile: Shaft Hero
Name: Tadashi Kaneshiro
Age: 18 years old
Gender: Male
Height: 177 cm
Hair color: Blonde
Eye color: Gold
Likes: Women
Dislike: Tomori (Maybe)