Chapter 79 – Aftermath of Corruption

The camp for the army felt a lot more barren. It was, of course, but the feeling was worsened by the general outlook of the soldiers. With over half the army killed, there was twice as much to pack away before moving out. Given the long battle, the extreme casualties, and the low morale, the army would pack up and move out tomorrow. It was already late evening anyway.

Dante walked through the camp, coming to one tent in particular. A pair of knights stood guard outside, but they allowed him entry. Careful with the tray he was carrying, Dante ducked under the flap and looked to the three occupants inside.

"Hey." He said, slowly making his way closer.

"Hey…" With seemingly great effort, Motoyasu greeted him back.

The Spear Hero laid on one of the cots in the tent, head propped up slightly as he looked over at Dante. A pair of stools were pulled up next to him with Elena and Lesty sitting on them. Given their closeness to him and the pain Dante could see on Motoyasu's face, it was clear what they were there for.

"Can I speak with him alone?" Dante asked the women.

They looked back to Motoyasu for an answer. He gave them the briefest of nods before they stood, Elena giving him one last pat on his shoulder.

As Dante walked past the two, he got a better look at Motoyasu. Out of his armor, he was covered in bandages, ones soaked in holy water. It was a mistake to think the cursed flames didn't do damage to him. Just like when Dante overused his curse abilities, the curse damage on Motoyasu was more internal than external.

"…You're old." Motoyasu murmured as Dante approached.

"Hm." Dante gave him a nod. Despite having his weapon in its shield form, Dante was still physically 28. The difference in age was only about seven years, but Dante was younger than him earlier today. He set the tray down on one of the stools before sitting on the other. "I heard you haven't eaten."

"…I'm not hungry." The Spear Hero responded.

"You are, you just don't realize it." Dante switched out his shield to one he hadn't needed for a while. With two cups ready, he poured a liquid from his barrel-like shield into them. "And you shouldn't drink on an empty stomach."

Motoyasu looked to the cups, then the food, before slowly turning his gaze to Dante again.

"Eat." Dante said, though not too forcefully. "We're going to Cal Mira later to help treat our curses."

The cursed flames hurt, but they weren't Dante's biggest concern. Apparently, the curses he got when it was only the Shield were something like an older version of the curse series. Like two different versions of software, it wasn't compatible with the current setup of the curse series. It's the reason why that goddess was so frantic about him having both active at once.

"I thought you weren't drinking." Motoyasu said as he eyed the food again.

"Sadeena said it was fine for today after everything we went through. Well, more like she encouraged me." Dante picked up his cup and drank it down. After a few more seconds of staring, Motoyasu pushed himself up and swung his legs over the edge. With half lidded eyes, he reached for a fork and started skewering some of his food.

They continued to eat and drink in silence. No more words needed to be said just yet. Dante knew what the man was going through. He went through it himself. Twice.

Finally, Motoyasu spoke again. "Fleonne and Rino are dead."

"Yeah…" Dante was told that earlier, back inside the Spirit Tortoise.

Elena had come through the hole Motoyasu made when he killed Balmus. It was long after they left to finish the Spirit Tortoise. After her initial shock at his mental shift, she tried to keep up with the enraged Spear Hero, but lost him in the winding tunnels. She and Lesty left with him when he was carried out before Dante's party tried talking with that goddess.

Motoyasu looked up at him, eyes devoid of anything even remotely close to his usual happy self. "This world is real, isn't it?" He asked. "This pain…I wouldn't be feeling this if this was a game."

"It is." Dante nodded. He remembered Motoyasu's mental gymnastics about the people being real and fictional at the same time back after the Wave in Lute. "I'm sorry you had to figure that out his way."

"At times…it didn't feel like this was a game. The way Fleonne looked up to me like I was her dad…it got to me, you know?" The stool the tray was balanced on shifted as Motoyasu put some of his weight on it. "Is this how you felt? When you lost Dio? This empty feeling like nothing matters?"

"Something like that…the first time." Dante turned his head to the side. "I'd lost my family once before. I was empty, but full of hate. I needed to kill those responsible…and everyone else. With Dio…the hate was there, but it was different. I think I understand why the Curse of Pride was unlocked. I had failed to protect my family a second time."

As far as he could tell, that was where the feeling of being slighted came from. Anger came first, of course, but after…that was when the realization of failure came. His body realized it before he did, since the curse was already unlocked before he woke up.

"How…do I move on from this?" Motoyasu asked, the pain ever present on his face.

Dante thought for a moment. "I'm not sure. I didn't, not really. But, I'm pretty sure I've already gone mad. The old man…Aultcray gave me some advice. I can tell you it, but I think you should speak with him about it."

What he'd come to realize was probably right, the same as Aultcray's words. The pain would lessen, but it would still be there. The best they could do was hold on to what they still had. The best they could do was look to the future.

"Eat and drink." Dante told him. "After that, we'll leave. You need to know a few things."

Motoyasu looked back down at his food. "I want Elena and Lesty to come. I…don't want them to be far away."

"Of course." Dante said. "They're in a hero's party. They should hear what we have to say as well."

And they had a lot to talk about.

~Before~

It was only a few hours after passing out that Dante woke up. They'd left the inside of the Spirit Tortoise initially, though they returned with a saved portal location to ensure privacy.

"Pahadron? Oh, he's harmless."

The talk Dante's party had with this goddess wasn't what any of them were expecting. She spoke casually compared to earlier in their talks, as if discussing the weather. She didn't seem to mind giving out information, assuming any of it was true. Still, they had little reason not to probe. While it wasn't the first thing they asked about, the other so-called gods that were acting in this world did come up, and the first of those questions was about the only one they had a name for.

"What about Reiko?" Dante asked, pointing his free hand to the fox girl. "She has the power to create monsters from corpses. Though, she was brought here 10 years ago, clearly not long enough to do anything before the Waves. Even if she could, she was only 13 when she died." Dante felt like he was answering his own question.

"I could have done stuff…" Reiko weakly argued, though Dante didn't see the point.

Shildina, possessed and gripping the Axe, shook her head. "No, no, you misunderstand. He's an asshole who likes to watch people squirm, likely the reason he chose a child to reincarnate. I meant to the world as a whole he's basically harmless. Not someone who cares about anything big."

"Okay…" On the one hand, Dante's earliest assumptions about this 'god' were pretty accurate. On the other, he didn't really know how to feel about that. "What about the others?"

"Some come and go, mostly to observe if they don't have an anchor here." Shildina said.

That was something else she mentioned. To influence a world, these gods needed something to tie their presence down. Without an anchor, the most they could do was reincarnate souls, which was still pretty big. Even watching the world without one was difficult for long periods of time, and even then they were mostly limited to the area around the anchor. For her, the Vassal Axe was her anchor, with Dante partially acting as one. As a willing Vassal Weapon, she wasn't going to lose her connection here.

"I assume you care about the ones who want to kill you." She added. "There are only two I'm sure of, but only one has lost their anchor. It was that boy you chopped in half. Good job, by the way."

The anchors could be any living thing that would grant XP. Vassal weapons could act as one if they chose to or were somehow compelled to. That was the basic explanation, since it involved magic Dante—or anyone else there, for that matter—had no knowledge of.

Shildina continued. "The other one reincarnated that vampire with the Projectile, though neither he nor the weapon was the anchor. I don't have a clue where it is."

With their abilities, both of the orca sisters could learn to sense the presence of an anchor. But, the range wouldn't be that far, maybe 20 feet at most according to this goddess.

"What can they do?" Sadeena asked. "They obviously helped control the Spirit Tortoise, but what else?"

"The vampire's patron isn't that strong and wasn't established much here, so he'll probably move on. As for the other one…" Shildina turned up her nose. "He prefers acting in the shadows for the most part to conserve his strength for bigger things, like forcing that soul into an existing body."

"But what can he do?" Sadeena asked again. "What has he done?"

"I'm sure you're aware of it. He influences people's minds." Shildina said. Dante already had an idea what she meant when she continued to speak. "If they're more pious, or if they're willing to accept any and all help—like the vampire champion—he goes with visions. If not, smaller ideas get implanted in people, like those rumors being spread around back in Melromarc."

That would explain why those mercenaries attacked them back then. Dante remembered rumors about his party's location being spread without any clear source. This god was the cause of that, as well as a number of other conflicts…and travesties.

"But it's more limited than you might think." She said. "He can only get people to do things they would normally do. People gossip all the time. That vampire wanted to kill his family in this world, so he got directions.

"And like zealots who fanatically worship the Shield Hero." Dante said grimly. "He got those knights to attack Korokan."

"And got you to activate an outdated weapon curse." Shildina added. "Three of them, in fact."

Dante didn't care for that information. Conrad got a vision and went to Korokan, which resulted in Dante gaining the Curse of Greed. The raccoon emperor ordered the shadows to attack based on a vision of his own, resulting in the Curse of Pride. Which, of course, was also thanks to the voice he heard in Shieldfreeden urging him to keep casting a spell that was dangerous for him.

That did get Dante to think of who else this god gave visions to. Who else was manipulated? That baroness near Reichnott's? Did she get some ideas? How many knights from the Three Heroes Church were moved by them? He thought it dumb to destroy shops that helped him before, even for zealots. Maybe they had ideas put in their heads. Maybe all the knights stationed near the borders to Zeltoble and Shieldfreeden were there for the same reason, with some charmed commander telling them to go. At this point, it didn't really matter.

"Wait, I'm confused." Keel voiced. "If you need something in this world to do stuff, how come that other god was able to put, uh…what was that guy's name in your world?" He looked over Dante, who gave a light shrug.

"I never learned his name, only his brother's." Dante said. "As far as I was aware, he wasn't involved in his family's business. I guess that wasn't right."

The kid obviously had a good knowledge of firearms. Even at that young an age, he might have been taken to a firing range. It would explain how he was such a good shot, assuming his god didn't give him some sort of accuracy power.

"Oh, okay then…" Keel reluctantly nodded and turned back to Shildina. "But how did that god put someone else's soul in 'Takt's' body?" Since they never learned the host's name, they simply settled for what Dante called him.

"Because he's powerful." The goddess answered. "And he hijacked my work. Summoning Dante failed, but the energy was used. He was able to partially use it to force that kid's soul into that guy and make him his anchor. Plus, the kid could steal weapons and was given a superior crafting ability, like what your weapons can do."

That did explain how he was able to make such a good rifle, plus the small arms, grenades, and all the ammo.

"But that doesn't make sense." Keel continued. "That's more than reincarnating, right? If he didn't have an anchor before, how could—"

"Child, without a deeper knowledge of our powers, I don't think I'll be able to explain it better." Shildina chided. She wasn't wrong. Magic was difficult, and Keel was pretty bad at it. Not that Dante fully understood what she was talking about either. "Suffice to say, creating an anchor is costly and time consuming, but he did what would take a year in only two weeks. He controlled the energy I used, but he couldn't steal the Axe."

"Still, all that from the summoning?" Dante asked next. "Even though I still got power from it?"

"I did say he was strong." The goddess countered. "Also, if you're thinking of using the modern curse series, you'll want to get rid of the old ones. Go back to Cal Mira. Now that we're more connected, they're getting repressed, but you need a little more to get rid of them."

"Fine." He could accept that. The most relevant power now was from the Curse of Wrath, and the Wrath Axe provided more stats. "Speaking of, why was I able to use the Vassal Axe before?"

Shildina grinned. "Because the physical embodiment of that pompous spirit got carved to pieces. Literally. I'd have laughed when I saw it if I didn't think you were going to get yourself killed. What's with that, by the way? You keep doing dangerously stupid things, you know that? Don't you have something to live for now?"

Sadeena gave a small laugh. "I'm starting to like this goddess~."

Dante didn't dignify that with a response.

"Anyway." The goddess cast a smirk at Sadeena before continuing. "The real thing we need to discuss right now is how to keep this world alive."

That was a big issue. Two heroes were dead, one just suffered through a very emotional ordeal, and one was basically moonlighting as a Vassal-Hero-slash-goddess-champion.

"Just because those two aren't a problem for right now doesn't mean they can't be later, let alone others deciding to get involved. Other champions in other worlds can still invade." Shildina looked at Dante right in the eyes, any levity from before gone. "For that, I have a proposal…"

~Now~

"You want to what!?"

"I'm considering our options."

Motoyasu wasn't taking the proposal very well.

They had talked about the goddess that was in control of the Vassal Axe. From her descriptions, Dante equated his intended position to being a hero in Greek mythology, like Odysseus or Perseus, chosen by the gods. Exciting on paper, but so was being a summoned hero, and he could see how that shaped out to be. She supposedly had a list of stand-ins for the weapons she controlled, and Dante was near the top thanks to his knowledge—however flawed—of this world. Her previous champion here was killed by another competitor's two champions who already lost their anchor. Those champions didn't live long after.

As an aside, it was thanks to Dante's connection to this goddess that he could use magic to attack like he did. Without her, he could still use it, but it wouldn't have been as effective. Maybe about a third. She also unlocked a few things for the power up methods, like the Bow's Job Levels. Apparently, increasing appraisal and poison resistance—amongst others—were things normally available after level 100. So was seeing people's levels with appraisal, while not cursed anyway. She expected another "thank you" for that, and Dante reluctantly gave one to her. It was worth the tradeoff of not getting as much stats from leveling as the other heroes, though that was more due to the Shield's meddling, apparently.

One bonus that would have come with the Axe alone was immunity to pacifier abilities. That was in case he was needed in other worlds for something. She didn't ask for thanks on that, and he sure as hell wouldn't have given any.

The two groups also discussed what the goddess's plans here were.

Like many of these gods, she desired power. That came in the form of souls from the dead. The stronger, the better. A better way to put it was XP. For reasons she didn't wish to disclose, she would have had Dante gather enough XP to put him over level 300. Quite the task in this world, considering monsters gave less XP on land than normal worlds. The reason for that was a bit of information from the web novel that turned out to be accurate, being the machine in the desert that sucked up XP on land. It was owned by a more hands-off competitor, so she had no influence over it. Takt's god, on the other hand, seemed to have some minor connection.

Though, the reason she chose this world was actually because of that machine. If there was less XP easily gained, there would be fewer gods involved in gaining power. With how much she bragged about empowering her champions, Dante wouldn't have had too much issue fighting any of her competitors' champions if they existed.

Part of her plan was the reason she tried to have Dante killed. If it was early enough, she could get another champion and new heroes could be summoned. Fitoria would have been used, unknowingly. Motoyasu didn't like any of that.

Her plans have since changed. She claimed she didn't want to destroy the world, and her new plan would technically fulfil that desire. It wasn't a terrible idea, and it held merit, but there was a significant drawback to it.

"Dude, you're talking about killing two-thirds of the people!" Motoyasu yelled.

"Two-thirds of all living things, but yes." Dante said.

That was the plan. Use the Guardian Beasts to create a barrier around this world. Depending on how things went, that might be the best idea, unfortunately.

They wouldn't wait for the Phoenix to awaken, though. There was a chance Takt's god did something to it already, just in case the Spirit Tortoise failed. Or like the goddess said, someone else could come along and screw things up. Instead, they would awaken the Dragon King. According to the goddess, the Dragon King couldn't be controlled or manipulated, but it also couldn't be stopped. Once awakened, there was no going back. Dante had teleported back Mirellia, Aultcray, and a few others to find anything to corroborate that. He didn't tell them why, though.

"That's insane!" Motoyasu slammed his fists on the table they sat around.

"Sir Motoyasu…" Elena put her hand on his shoulder as she leaned in, with Lesty on his other side.

The three of them sat on one of the couches in the room of the resort. After a round in the healing springs, Motoyasu's curse had gone down a bit. Fortunately, it was just curse damage he had to heal and not from using a curse skill. Likewise, a single soaking was all it took to remove Dante's old curses. He'd need to get some temporary armor for tomorrow's Wave.

"It's not the worst choice available." Shildina said, her hand on the Axe in her lap while she sat next to Dante. "Far from it, really."

"I don't want to hear that from you!" Motoyasu roared.

"This isn't very relaxing." Dante commented. At least, not for Motoyasu. Dante had Sadeena leaning on his other side with Atla situated on his lap.

As for the goddess possessing Shildina, this was Motoyasu's first meeting with her. They talked about her while they rested in the springs, though in separate pools with a divider between them. Their party members were with them, after all.

"Look, we're just keeping our options open." Dante tried again. "There's a lot to consider."

"Dante, it's there world." Motoyasu argued. "Do we have the right to decide something like this?"

"Absolutely." Dante said at the same time as the goddess. Ignoring the glare Motoyasu shot her, Dante continued. "While he doesn't have the right core, I've spoken to Gaelion on the matter as well. The Holy Heroes are the only ones who can release the Dragon King. And remember, they summoned us. By all rights, it's our choice to make."

"But we'd be dead if they didn't summon us!" Motoyasu shot back.

"I wonder." Dante glanced to his side.

The goddess said he was supposed to die, but that was him. Just because the weapons had an easier time summoning the recently dead doesn't mean it's the only way. Naofumi came from reading a book and Kizuna…some sort of VR pod? Something like that. Besides, the Shield apparently saved his life, only for him to die two weeks later. Who's to say the other weapon spirits didn't have their soon-to-be hosts killed? He really didn't know.

"Look, just relax for now." Dante raised his hand. "Let your curse heal. We have a Wave tomorrow. We need to prepare for that."

"Hmph." Motoyasu crossed his arms and turned his head away. He didn't try to get up and leave, his two party members keeping him from acting out more. "Why even include me in this? You could just do whatever, right?'

"Because you're a Holy Hero too." Dante answered. "No less than me, and maybe a bit more depending on your point of view." He almost chuckled at his own joke. "We've both made mistakes, mistakes that others died for."

Motoyasu's expression became sullen, likely remembering the village he killed with the bioplant.

There was another reason why only Dante and Motoyasu would be deciding on releasing the Dragon King. If the goddess was to be believed—something that was still a decently sized 'if'—the world was in the state it was in because that's how this world was. Dante had asked about any destroyed records or other gods using people as chess pieces, but their involvement was supposedly quite small. The biggest was that god of whispers, and he got people to do things they wanted to do already.

The biggest thing done in this world was the destruction of Hengen Muso, due solely because of how powerful it was. The advisor that pulled the strings in Q'ten Lo wasn't reincarnated or anything, she was just a self-serving bitch. There was no Takt from the light novels, so all the Seven Star Heroes could do their thing, with the exception of Conrad. Any and all political tensions were from the people involved. Hell, while exploring the Spirit Tortoise, they found a message in a shrine that laid out the way to defeat it completely intact. If there were other things present in the light novels that he was forgetting, Dante just didn't notice them here.

It was just…people. People sacking lands. People burning down libraries of the territories they won battles in before retreating or moving on. Just typical stuff one could find in a history book. The only other thing he could think of was that the power up methods of the Shield were hidden, according to the goddess. That didn't even matter, since Dante remembered them.

The bottom line was: the world was in the state it was in because of those in power here. They summoned the heroes, so they couldn't complain on how those heroes chose to solve their problems.

"Just sleep on it." Dante said, drawing a close to their conversation. They had time to decide.

~The Wrong Hero~

"Shooting Star Axe V!"

"Brionac X!"

"Quake Hammer VII!"

"Liberation Firestorm X!"

Spells and skills had been going off almost nonstop since the start of the Wave. They started off small, focusing on groups of targets that got in their way toward the town they were dropped somewhat close to. Now, they went off in all directions. It wasn't like they'd miss.

Almost every hero was present to deal with the Wave, including Rhubaldt. Their parties and a number of knights and adventurers of Othil joined them. Despite his opposition, Elena and Lesty convinced Motoyasu to bring them along. The woman who wanted to take things easy either didn't want to risk losing her hero or she genuinely cared about him. Given what Dante saw before, he was betting on the latter.

When they first started making their way to town to shore up defenses, the monsters weren't much of a threat. The battle had shifted since then. This was Othil's fourth Wave, yet it felt much stronger. The heroes could dispatch the monsters with relative ease, at least compared to the non-heroes. Elrasla and the ones from Dante's party fared the best, but it simply hadn't been enough to completely protect the town.

In the end, they chose to split with the warriors of Othil. What remained of the town would be for the knights and adventurers to defend, plus half of Dante's party. The longer this Wave lasted, the more severe damage would be inflicted. Dante noted the irony in that thought, which mirrored the other three Holy Heroes during the Wave at Lute.

Despite the immense volume of monsters and their heightened strength, the boss wasn't particularly difficult. That was especially true now that Dante could wield the Wrath Axe without issue.

"Alright, that's it." Dante lowered his axe as the boss fell to the ground, dead. Given what they faced the day before, a giant snake that could wrap around Cal Mira's whale boss wasn't so bad.

"The cracks aren't closing." Motoyasu gripped his spear tightly next to him.

"Yeah." Dante gave him a nod, giving a renewed casting of Liberation Aura X to everyone.

They watched the skies for any change while moving closer to the largest crack near the ground. If there was to be another enemy, they'd deal with it quickly. Thanks to the goddess, they knew which world was connecting to theirs. That didn't mean it would be safe.

Suddenly, a massive ship appeared above them. It was a safe bet that was the Vassal Boat. It was just a matter of determining who owned it. No shots were fired from its bow, and nothing seemed to happen.

That was, until a dark haired woman began to descend, carrying a pair of fans in her hands. She carried something else down with her.

"I can handle this." Dante told everyone. "Start cleaning up the remaining monsters."

His party gave a nod and ran off. Same with Motoyasu after a moment, the look in his eyes ending the conversation they had the day before.

Dante returned his focus to the otherworlders, making sure his weapon was in a shield form. Glass gave him a look as they touched down.

"I'm surprised our worlds collided." Glass said. "Your Guardian Beast should have prevented that."

"It should have." Dante agreed. "Things happened to prevent that. The next one awakens in about three weeks."

She nodded before giving him a once over. "You…are older."

"I'm normal now." Dante clarified.

He wasn't the only one different in appearance. Glass herself looked like she aged considerably. It wasn't her age, exactly, but the look in her eyes. Dante recognized it. The haunting. It's what he saw in the mirror the days leading up to his death. Most likely, it had something to do with the young woman standing next to Glass.

"You're Dante, right?" The woman in the almost gothic-like dress asked.

"I am." Dante confirmed. "And you are Kizuna, right?" He was met with a brief nod. Given her appearance, he could easily see her being mistaken for a kid.

"Then, you can help us." Kizuna smiled. There was hope there, but something else too. Not quite dread, but it had the same tired feeling as Glass's eyes.

"That's right." Glass spoke softly. "I could certainly use your help."

Ever so briefly, Dante lowered his gaze. "What do you need?" He decided to ask.

Kizuna bit her lip. She took in a slow, deep breath. "My friends are dead." The words were spoken with a heavy tone. "L'arc and Therese…are dead. The other three heroes are dead. My weapon was taken from me."

The last part was the most obvious, given that she was able to be in this world. As for the other two, Dante already knew from what the goddess told them yesterday. It was part of an option she put forward to them.

Send the Vassal Heroes from this world to kill the remaining one in Glass's.

A world falling to ruin while connected to another through the Waves had a similar effect to the Guardian Beasts. It wouldn't stop the Waves like the barrier would, but it would give them more time—like the Spirit Tortoise should have. Glass's world was on the ropes and there was little they could do to save it. The option was simply making use of something that would be destroyed regardless. Still, it was rejected.

Kizuna walked toward Dante, hands at her sides. "You're much stronger than Glass, right?" Her eyes were filled with desperation as she came closer. "She said she wouldn't be able to beat you, so you have to be strong."

"He's incredibly strong." Glass said, keeping her eyes on his. "There is much he can do that I can't."

Dante glanced at Glass before looking back down at the girl approaching him. "That's right." He said softly.

Kizuna stood in front of Dante. "Then, please…" She lowered her knees to the ground and bowed her head. "Please help us. Please help save our world."

Dante looked back up at Glass as the woman approached as well.

"We've suffered too many casualties." The spirit woman said. "There are only two Vassal Heroes that still fight the Waves. Without intervention, we stand no hope. For that reason," she bowed at her waist, "I ask that you protect my world."

The weight of those words were easy to discern. The position of this world wasn't good, but theirs was even worse. The Guardian Beasts over there were already defeated, and the final one likely couldn't be released if they were here now.

"Are you sure?" Dante asked aloud. "The cost will be high."

"Whatever you want, we'll do our best to give it to you." Kizuna answered. It was a good show of resolve, but she wasn't the one he was asking.

Glass gave him a slight nod.

Dante closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath and letting it out. "Alright."

Kizuna looked up at him, her eyes shining. With a gesture from Dante, she stood tall.

"Thank you!" She cried out, grabbing his shirt. "Thank you so much! I know with your help, we can save both our worlds! Glass said she came up with a plan if we could get your help! Now you…can…" Her words trailed off as her eyes looked lower. "I…thought you had a shield for a weapon. But, that's an axe—"

Her voice was cut off. A swift strike connected near her neck, making her stagger. She leaned back as if to fall, but Dante's already extended empty hand grabbed her and eased her down.

Once she was settled, Dante looked back at Glass. She had turned her head away, but returned it to Dante. "That wasn't an easy thing to do." He said.

"I know…" Glass responded, devoid of emotion.

Kizuna's level was higher than Dante's, but he had many more power up methods than her, and a spell that tripled his stats. Knocking her out was a simple task. What was difficult was what Glass was likely here for.

"So, what's the plan?" Dante asked, looking for the real reason they were there, aside from the obvious.

"I want to bring over as many people as possible." Glass said. "People from Sickle first, then as many others as we can."

"It'll be difficult to get that many people through the Waves, even with the Boat." Dante said, nodding up to the vessel that Ethnobalt no doubt was piloting.

"We can come and go with the Vassal Boat, even outside of a Wave. Ethnobalt just needed to come here once to set a location." Glass explained. "We can bring a group about once per day. Can you offer them shelter? You mentioned a village before, as well as being worshiped as a god in one country."

Dante sighed. "The numbers I'm sure you'll be bringing will be difficult, even with what I have." The bioplants would have their work cut out for them. "How efficiently can you bring people over?"

"Ethnobalt can take approximately 500 people with each trip. The first group should be here in a few hours if you'll allow it, with another group coming the moment his skill is ready." Glass answered.

"You've been busy." Dante noted. He'd need Rat's help to keep whatever land they used from being completely decimated, or find a remote area that wouldn't affect people. A few places came to mind.

"Ever since our friends died. Ever since I truly understood the stakes…" She said, her voice filled with regret.

Dante held up his hand. "I've come to terms with that as well."

He wasn't the only one. With how bad this Wave was, Motoyasu came around to his way of thinking. They truly couldn't protect this world on their own anymore. Sure, maybe one Holy Hero and two Vassal Heroes could fight a Wave for the XP, and maybe they could gain enough XP to keep up. But, they'd be the only ones. Everyone else would be stuck at level 100. They didn't know how to break that level cap. The goddess didn't know the method or how to find the Dragon Emperor core that contained it. That, or she simply wouldn't say. Dante had reason to believe it was the former.

The only shard she knew of that would help was the one that contained knowledge of the final Guardian Beast. They wouldn't have to travel far, a day at most. Which was good, since Dante had sent JoJo and Reiko to the country where the Spirit Phoenix slept to set a portal location. They wanted to make sure it didn't somehow get released early.

There was another place they check for anything useful, though it ended up offering little. Fitoria's sanctuary. Her flock knew where it was and showed JoJo yesterday. The hero parties checked it out before the Wave today. While there was plenty of old gear and a few weapons to copy, that was it. No vial of strange medicine to grant the 0 series or immortality. Nothing that would grant a weapon form to travel back in time. No further hope for the battles to come.

"The next Guardian Beast awakens in about three weeks." Dante reiterated, noting a timer in his vision beginning to count down. "I'll give you as much time as I can before we use the Dragon Emperor to set up a barrier."

"The Dragon…I see." Glass nodded solemnly. "To prevent one of them from being controlled again."

"Yeah." He was glad she was quick on the uptake.

"Then it's best we move as quickly as possible."

On that, Dante had to agree. There would be a lot of legwork he needed to do to get things ready. Even if he couldn't settle all those people in his villages, which he likely couldn't, there was plenty of unused land near rivers. Dante already had a few ideas.

"…I know we didn't get off to a great start, and I have a huge debt to you already." Glass continued, looking to the body of her friend on the ground. "But please…keep my world safe."

Dante gazed at the unconscious former hero. He picked her up, gently holding her in his arms. "You have my word."

"Thank you." Glass bowed again. "Truly, thank you. I swear I will find a way to repay you."

With that, Glass floated back up to the Vassal Boat. It disappeared through the Wave crack, the sky turning back to its normal color soon after.

Dante looked down at Kizuna in his arms. "There's going to be a lot of yelling, some of which from you. After everything that was sacrificed, hearing that another Guardian Beast will be used isn't what anyone wants to hear." He started walking toward where the others were finishing off the monsters. "But it's not like they'll have much choice in the matter."

Author's Notes:

We are nearing the end. That can be taken a few ways here.

Is the goddess truly trustworthy? Not really. Does she make some good points? Unfortunately. Do the heroes have a lot of options? Not many that are good or practical.

As an aside, Dante is aware of the irony of him destroy the Three Heroes Church's cathedral, destroying many tomes of history. I mean, he was supposed to work for this goddess, and he did destroy old texts, so…