Chapter 13: Are you a hero?
That night…
"Alright… Let me repeat back…" Tomori said to all of them. "We're going to Welle and we're going to kick the pope's butt!"
"I still don't think that it's a good idea." Miya spoke up.
"Care to tell the reason, princess?" Tomori smugly asked.
"Ugh…" She's too tired to fight back. " Sigh* We don't know what's happening on Welle when we are here. I'm really worried about my father…"
"But the king is powerful, Princess Miya. You shouldn't be worried too much about him." Flan said to her.
"But he's my father! And I know what is happening with him!"
"Alright, calm down, Miya. You're not the only one who's worried about someone in Welle." Tomori said to her. "I wonder if Rheat's Territory and Vadge are okay…"
"Aren't you worried about your parents too, Emil?" Rylon asked him.
"Them? I don't think the church has anything to gain from threatening them. Like, we're not the top nobles and such." He calmly replied.
"But they might be doing it. It's the church after all. They will use all of their dirty tricks in their arsenal." Mizune commented.
"And what about the mess from Judgment?" Thea spoke up.
"Oh yeah, one fifth of the borders on Castle Town should be gone now. We can use that if we decide to just go ahead." Lowri suggested.
"And their numbers have gone down thanks to Tomori. Meaning that we won't have to fight as much as before. But I'm afraid that they will gather all of their remaining troops there…" Reika expressed her worries.
"But our objective is to take down the pope, right?" Akira spoke up.
"That's true, but will the knights and church's believers stop if we take down the pope?" Ivaran said.
"Hmm… Can't we just ask these people here to help?" Riri suggested.
"Well… We could, but I don't think they wanted to. There's a reason why they hide their technologies from the outside world. Aside from that, they had already helped us out with the upgrades and provided a safe place for us to stay." Tomori said to her.
"If that's the case, then we should head towards Castle Town just like that?"
"Like what Miya said just now, we don't know what's happening Welle right now. So we can't plan out what exactly we should do now. We could have just waited for a day to scout, but I wanted to finish this once and for all. So… Anyone have better ideas than me?"
Tomori asked as he waited for a response, but no one raised their hands.
"Alright, I guess that's that. Don't worry too much. The upgrade would be finished in around two days, so we have time to add anything to our plans. I hope you guys get enough rest."
He stood up and went to the room next door, which is the boys room. Meaning that he's sleeping in the same room as Ivaran, Emil, Rylon and Flan. While the rest, which are the girls, get to sleep in a room that's more fancier than the boys.
"At least this room has an AC…" Tomori lay down and pulled the blanket to his upper body. "For some reason, I have a bad feeling about tomorrow…"
The Next Day…
As the morning started, Tomori took a shower and went straight to the main kitchen for a cup of coffee. As no workers have woken up yet, he takes this chance to prepare breakfast for the whole group. And luckily, no one spotted him bringing up the food to their rooms.
"Nothing happens yet…"
He sips his coffee while waiting for something to happen.
"Hmm…"
Tomori turned around and saw Flan waking up from his sleep.
"Oh, Blade Hero… You are already awake."
"Yeah. Need to prepare breakfast earlier or something like yesterday will happen."
"I see… Well then…" He gets closer to the food tray and takes a piece of bread. "Mind going on a morning jog with me?"
"I don't mind. It's better than not doing anything."
Half An Hour Later…
Both Tomori and Flan jogged around the base. While Tomori steadily jogged around, Flan started to get tired little by little.
"Blade Hero… Please wait…"
"Huh?" Tomori turned around, just to see Flan sluggishly walking towards him. "That's weird. I thought that you would outlast my stamina."
"Your levels also contributed… To your stamina… That's why you had much more energy than me…" Flan finally gave up and lay down on the ground.
Tomori then gives him a potion that can recover his stamina.
"Then you shouldn't invite someone who is as high level as me to be your jogging partner."
"Maybe you're right… But it clearly helps you clear your mind, doesn't it?" Flan said to him.
"What do you mean by that?" Tomori asked.
"Well, I noticed that you looked a little bit worried about something back then. Is it related to us going to Welle?"
"Not like that. For some reason, I think something bad is going to happen today."
"I see… As for me, if I'm feeling worried about something, I would just swing my sword to forget about it. Or just mediating."
"I think you mean sleeping, right?"
"It is certainly my fault for getting drowsy too easily…"
"Don't worry about it. We're in the same boat here. I would get drowsy too if I studied for too long."
Both of them continued to have a chat, until Flan stood up.
"Well then, I have to get rid of the reeks on my body. I suppose the others have woken up too. See you around, Blade Hero."
Flan started walking towards the bathroom.
"Well, where should I go next… The canteen is a no, no, as the people here already know me. Or…"
A Few Hours Later…
" Zzz*"
Tomori covered himself with a blanket and slept on the corner of the base. And luckily, no one disturbed him. But there's a person in this place that can find him easily.
"Tomori… Tomori, wake up…" Riri slowly pokes his belly.
"Hmm… Riri?" Tomori opened his eyes and saw her kneeling in front of him.
"The guy in the green armor wants you to meet up in the middle of the base fully geared up."
"For what?"
"I dunno. He also said the same thing for the other heroes."
"Alright…" Tomori pulled out his armor from the Inventory and quickly wore it. He then stood up and walked towards the middle of the base, where he met both Akira and Reika.
"Oh, Tomori. There you are." Akira greeted him.
"You're in there the whole time? How couldn't we find you?" Reika asked.
"Well, when you're a loner, you have already mastered the power of permanent invisibility." Tomori jokingly said to her.
"Hahaha, very funny."
"Randy didn't tell you guys why we're supposed to stand here?"
"Yeah. He said that someone will come here." Akira said to him.
Vroom*
As she said that, Tomori saw a motorcycle coming towards them.
"Honda DN-01? And it's all black… As for the rider… Isn't that…"
The motorcycle then stopped in front of them. The rider, who's the black armored man from yesterday, kicks the stand out and gets off from the motorcycle.
"Return." He pointed to something like a buckle that Tomori has to store the motorcycle into. The armored man turned around to face them.
Akira and Reika are already intimidated by his height, which Tomori thought is around 190 cm.
"So these people are the heroes, huh…? I wanted the four of them to be here, but this can be done." The man in front of them muttered.
"Huh? What did you mean by-"
"Activating defence protocol! Code: C-U-R-S-E-0-7!" The man suddenly shouted quickly.
Tremble*
The ground started shaking. Around the corners, something appeared on the ground and projected an orange sphere that trapped the four of them.
"What are you-"
Boom*
The man then punches the ground, which sends a shockwave towards the heroes.
"Ahh!!!"
All three of them get sent flying back.
"Ugh…!" Tomori stopped it by stabbing his sword onto the ground.
"Hmm… At least the Blade Hero is skillful enough." The man muttered.
"Who are you?!" Tomori demanded.
"I'm Rust. The Armor Hero. As for today, I will oversee the three of you, to decide whether you're worthy to be a hero… Or not!"
"What?! Defence protocol?! Why did the Commander do that?!" Randy wondered as he was confused right now.
"Hey!" Ivaran came running towards him with Riri. "What's going on here?!"
"Yeah! What did you do?!" Riri exclaimed.
"I don't do anything! The commander suddenly activated the defence protocol!"
"This wall, huh? Then let's just break it! High Shock Burst!" Riri sends a lighting magic towards the barrier, but nothing happens. "What?!"
"This barrier here is made out of pure energy. It would take around a thousand magic spells or around a few hundreds of fully powered heroes' skill." Randy explained.
"Then, what should we do now?!" Ivaran asked him.
"There's nothing we can do. The only one who can turn off the barrier… Is the Commander himself."
"What?! You're a hero?!" Reika exclaimed as she slowly stood up.
"Then, why did you do this to us?" Akira asked him.
"Simple. I wanted to see all three of your capabilities. I don't expect much from the Blade Hero, as he knows how to defeat himself from both physical and magic damage. The same can't be said for the two of you, as both of you are equally weak against physical attacks." Rust explained.
"So, what did you want us to do for all this to be over?" Tomori asked.
"All you have to do is to break my armor here." Rust said to them. "The armor that is currently on my body is just a skill, Second Armor, which can be broken if its durability reaches zero. However, I won't let you easily reach me."
Rust then opened his arms widely.
" Hover Armor, Z Hover Armor, D Hover Armor!"
Three full sets of silver armors appear in front of him.
"What is he trying to do by bringing those armors…" Tomori muttered.
" Switcharms: All! Dominion Armor!"
The silver armors then turned to rugged, dark brown colored armor.
"!"
The armors then started moving, as if someone was controlling them. One of them is landing a fist onto Tomori.
"Ugh…!" He blocked it with the SoAII blunt side. " Second Blade!"
He summoned TBKDCS into his left hand and started thrusting the armor's gap. But the armor then backed down from him.
"You guys! Target the gaps between these armors! It might split them off and make it easier for us to destroy it one by one!" Tomori shouted.
"Okay!" Both of them replied.
"Didn't think that he would find it's weakness this soon. Perhaps I underestimated him a little." Rust thought to himself.
"Hah! Blade Whip! Pyro Edge!" Tomori makes the blade into a whip and warps the armor while activating a skill. He then pulled the whip to him. " Typhoon Edge!"
He thrusted the chest part of the armor, which immediately broke, splitting the other armors apart.
"This is the end!" Tomori slid his TBKDCS into the scabbard to charge a skill, and then unsheathed it quickly. " Scarlet Slash! Comet Wave Slash!"
He simultaneously used two skills at the same time to destroy all of the armor parts.
"Hmm… As I expected, the Blade Hero is capable of fighting alone. As for the others…"
Rust looks towards Akira.
" Vine Bind!" She warped the armor with vines from the ground. " Vine Whip!"
Another vines appeared and whipped the armor.
" Sunlight Beam!" Akira used her favourite skill to hit the armor.
"!"
But it is still moving.
" Air Needle! And for the finishing! Flame Blast!" The air needles pierced through the armor and the flames melted it, until it broke down into yellowish particles.
"The Magic Hero is also capable of fighting alone. But she would lose if she fought more than three people at once. But the hero's role is to support the other heroes, not become the main target of a monster. And last…"
Rust looks at Reika next.
"!"
The armor chased after her.
" Split Shot!" Reika releases a skill onto both of its legs, making it lose its balance and fall to the ground. " Rapid Shot!"
She then continuously shot her arrows at the chest part until it broke apart.
Shatter*
" Aiming Projectile!" Reika targeted the rest of the armor pieces, and then pointed her bow to the sky. " Hundred Arrows!"
Hundreds of arrows came from the sky and destroyed all of the remaining armor pieces.
"All three of them surpassed my expectations in terms of single combat. But can it be said the same in terms of teamwork?" Rust then walked to the middle. "Now then, all of you will face me next."
Tomori and the others regroup to the center.
"Alright, guys. Let's wrap this thing up and finish this already!" Tomori said enthusiastically.
"I won't be so sure, Tomori… This Rust guy looks tough…" Reika said to him.
"Maybe he went easy on us first, and then decided to go into hard mode…" Akira said, looking worried.
"Don't be like that… I'm going to get nervous too, you know…"
"Well then…"
All three of them turned to Rust.
"Let's begin. Switcharms!" Rust's right forearm started glowing yellow.
"Wait, he can change every part of its armor?!" Tomori shouted.
After the glow is finished, the black gauntlet on his right hand turns into a yellow gauntlet but that's not all…
"How can he…"
"Hey, that's cheating, isn't it?!"
The three of them saw him holding a lance on his right arm.
Scramble Lancer!
Not only that, it also lets out an announcement sound, as if it's a toy.
"We're getting from Star Wars to Kamen Rider now-"
Boom*
Rust then dashed at Tomori with his lance in the front.
Clang*
Tomori holds his attack with TBKDCS, but the sheer power from Rust makes him pushed to the back. He's now sliding backwards due to Rust pushing him.
"Tomori!" Akira called his name.
"Grr…" He's still holding back.
Crack* Shatter*
Gradually, the sword broke apart. Rust then proceeded to thrust the lance at Tomori's chest.
"Like hell I would let you do that!" Tomori grabbed the tip of the lance, and dragged it to the left to miss his chest. But he didn't expect something to happen next.
Hijack! Lightning!
A sound suddenly came out from the lance after Tomori touched it.
" Single Scramble Strike!" Rust shouted. His lance started sparking with red lighting.
"Don't tell me that-Argh?!!!" Tomori gets shocked from the lance and slowly falls to the ground. "It used my own magic affinity… Against me…"
Rust then turned his attention towards the other heroes.
" B-Bomb Shot!" Reika instantly used her skill on him.
Clang*
But he deflected it with his lance. Rust continued to dashed at them.
" Orb Prison!" Akira activates a skill that protects them from Rust.
Shatter*
But a single thrust from his lance immediately broke the barrier.
"Gah?!"
Rust pokes Akira with his lance.
Hijack! Wind!
And then he moves to Reika.
"Guh!"
Hijack! Water!
He then grabbed her by the collar and threw her at Akira.
"Ah?!" Akira immediately gets squash to the ground by it.
" Dual Scramble Strike! Hah!" Rust slashed his lance upwards, sending a small typhoon towards them.
"Ugh…" Both of them are too exhausted to evade the attack.
" Second Blade! Blade Whip! Reflect Blade! Long Rope!"
A whip wrapped around Akira's body while a rope is wrapped around Reika's body. Tomori pulled both of them over to his side. Tomori then pulled a couple of potions that heals HP and stamina from his Inventory and proceeded to splash it onto both of them.
"Grr… Thanks, Tomori…" Akira said as she weakly stood up.
"Yeah… You really saved our bacon there…" Reika also slowly stood up. "Damn… We have to face all of this during the morning?! Give me a break…"
"And we didn't even dent his armor… But wait…" Tomori looks closely at Rust's lance, which is letting out a smoke. Seeing this, Rust immediately threw away his lance.
On top of the base, Daela is watching them.
"Hmm… Rusty had used one of his powerful accessories… Which means he only had the halberd stored next for him to use…"
"... Switcharms!" Rust activates the skill again. This time, it's glowing blue.
"What's it going to be now…"
The three of them wondered as they waited for the glow to fade. The gauntlet on his right arm changed into dark blue. And he's currently holding a sword. But not just any sword…
"Is that… Sword of Absorver?!" Tomori exclaimed.
Daela nearly fell from her seat when he saw what weapon Rust decided to change into.
"Are you serious right now, Rusty…?"
Blue Nova Absorver Blade!
Again, the weapon had an announcement sound.
"Oh sh*t! Something big is going to happen!" Tomori is panicking as he knows what Absorver weapons are capable of.
Rust then slowly walked towards them. He then tapped the sword guard on the middle twice.
Blade Charge!
"Wait a minute… I don't know about that!"
"Hey Tomori, what's that supposed to do?!" Reika asked him.
"I don't know-"
" Blue Nova Edge!"
Rust sent a horizontal slash from the left towards them. The energy slash that he sends is burning with blue flames.
"It's coming!" Akira warned them.
"If we can't block it… Then we will attack it! Send every skill that you can towards the attack!" Tomori ordered them.
"Okay!"
All of them readied themselves to activate all of their skills.
" Vine Whip! Air Needle! Sunlight Beam!"
" Bomb Shot! Hydro Shot! Scarlet Shot!"
Both Akira and Reika send their skills at the energy slash.
"If his sword can do that… Then my sword can as well!" Tomori tapped his gemstone twice.
Blade Charge!
A voice came out from his sword.
"Alright! Seems like I can choose any skill that I want to power up…" Tomori selected the skill and sheathed his sword onto the scabbard. "Please work… Please work…!"
Tomori pulled out his sword from the scabbard.
" Bone Needle! Comet Wave Slash!" First, he sends the needle to the front, followed by the Comet skill from behind.
As skill hits the needle, it turns more brightly than ever, as if it powers up even further than it should.
"Where's the effect coming from? Element Transmission? Phase Shift? Probably the latter. I need to learn more about these Absorver weapons…"
The impact from the Comet skill instantly stopped the Blue Nova skill. However, the impact makes a huge shockwave.
" High Bone Prison III!"
" Orb Prison!"
Both of the heroes cast and activate their spell and skill to summon a sphere barrier to protect the three of them from the shockwave.
"Ugh…" The three of them hold themselves up as they withstand the shockwave.
"You felt this shockwave?! That Rust guy definitely wanted to kill us!" Reika exclaimed. "What did we do for him to treat us like this!"
"He did say he wanted to see our capabilities, but I didn't expect that he would go hard on us…" Akira said.
"Whatever that is, we need to fight him head on." Tomori said as he chugged a couple of potions to recover his stamina, HP, MP and SP. "I think magic would be useless against him at close range as he probably knows Cancellation Magic. So, the plan is that you guys keep skimming his HP from afar while I fight him head on. Akira, Support Magic?"
"Okay! All High Steigern VII!" She casted her spell on the three of them.
" High Lightning Speed III! High Thunder Guard II! High Thunder Strength IV! Overdrive!" Tomori continuously buffs himself using spells and skill. "Even with this, I don't think that I can hold on against him. But it's worth the try…"
"..." Rust waited for the smoke to disappear. But then suddenly, he looks in a direction. He dashed towards there and slash his sword downward.
" Spinning Blade!" Tomori appeared out of nowhere and used his defensive skill to block the slash using his left sword. "Even Hiding Skill doesn't work on you, huh…?!"
"I can feel the vibration on the ground when you try to sneak on me." Rust explained to him.
"Isn't that just cheating…? That's unfair! Erst Slash!" Tomori backed down and slashed his right sword at Rust, which he parried with his sword. " Zweite Slash!"
He continued to slash with his second sword, only for Rust to dodge it.
"Your dual-wielding skills are imperfect. Let me show you how a real dual wielder fights! Switcharms!" Rust's chestplate started glowing in a brown color as he switched the sword to his left hand.
High-Strike Halberd!
A brown halberd with a palm symbol between the blade and beak. Rust then waves his sword guard through the palm symbol on the halberd.
Reading!
A sound comes out from the sword as its blade glowing brown. After that, he touches the palm symbol three times using his left hand.
High touch! High-One! High-Two! High-Three!
The halberd started glowing yellow.
"Why does it feels like he's preparing his finishing attack while I just f*cking sitting here like a damn statue?!" Tomori thought to himself as he braced himself for the attack.
" Reading Strike! Plus, High-Third Strike!" Rust rushed towards him.
As the sword came downwards, Tomori decided to block it using his left sword, sacrificing it as he knew it would break from the attack.
" Smoke Blade!" Tomori backed down and used the skill to release smoke from his blade.
"What child tricks are you up to-"
"Now!" Tomori yelled.
" Comet Wave Fall!"
" Comet Spread Shot!"
Akira and Reika launch their skills at Rust.
Blade Charge!
While Tomori tapped the gemstone on his sword two times and stabbed it onto the ground.
" Thousand Blades!" Tomori fled to the other heroes' side as thousands of swords fell down towards Rust.
Boom*
Is it just them or there's a lot of shockwaves going on these days?
"Did we get him?" Reika asked.
"I Don't feel like it…" Akira muttered.
"We just have to wait-"
Crack*
Suddenly, a rope made out of dirt came out from the ground and binds their limbs.
"What?!"
Rust then appears out from the ground, as if he drilled his way through here. Oh wait… There's a driller on his left gauntlet. How f*cking convenient…
"I must admit that I would be on a pitch if all of your skills hit me at the same time. But it doesn't seem to be the case now, isn't it?" The driller disappeared as Rust proceeded to hold Tomori up by his neck.
"Gah…!" He's getting choked on by him.
"Oi! What are you doing to him?! You said that this is a test, right?! Do you want to kill us or something?!" Reika shouted at him.
"If you're incapable, then yes. I would kill all of you now and summon a new batch of Holy Heroes to fight the waves." Rust bluntly replied.
"What?! Do you know how unreasonable you sound now? What happens if you can't find any capable heroes every time you summon them?" Akira asked him.
"Then I would summon them until I found the perfect heroes. Unlike the outside world, Armorian has a lot of resources to summon new heroes. So you don't have to worry about that now. As you won't be able to feel any worry next time." Rust continued to choke Tomori even harder.
"Gah!!!" Tomori can't use any skills or spell as his vocal chords have been blocked. He also can't use skills by doing their motions as his limbs are currently binded by the dirt rope.
Rust then pointed his sword towards Tomori's chest.
"This is not personal. It never was." As Rust thrusted his sword at him, something snapped inside Tomori.
Purple lines appeared all over his body as his eyes slowly turned purple.
"ARGH!!!" Tomori breaks off the rope through sheer strength and kicks Rust on his chest, pushing him backwards so that he can get some space between them. "'This is not personal'? Don't throw that bullsh*t at me!"
Tomori's armor and sword slowly change their shape. He held his greatsword over his shoulder as the helmet slowly covered his face. After that, he breaks off the rope from Akira and Reika.
"Okay… This is getting out of hand."
Now that Rust has forced Tomori to use his Curse Weapon, Daela sees that he has gone too far against the Holy Heroes.
"Even my skills are unaffected by the barrier, but I can send something inside it for only a second. What should I do now…"
She then takes a glance at Audrey's workshop.
"Maybe she could help in some ways…"
"Oh, no…" Ivaran is shocked to see Tomori using the Curse Weapon.
"Hey, what happened?!"
The rest of the group finally arrived at the battlefield.
"We heard the ground shaking from the outside, only to find out there's a huge dome here…" Flan said as he observed the orange dome.
"And inside the dome… Is that the heroes? And who's they fighting? And why does Tomori look so… Sinister?" Miya commented.
"That black armored guy is a bad guy that bullied them! We need to help them now!" Riri exclaimed.
"But we can't, Riri… Even your attacks didn't even scratch it, right? We just have to believe in Tomori-san and the others to succeed…" Ivaran said as he glanced at them.
"Tomori… What is that weapon form?" Reika asked as she looked at how sinister his armor and sword is.
" Curse Series… I don't know what it truly is, but I know one thing about it…" He then lowered his body. "That this weapon here can defeat that bastard there!"
"Even the name sounds dangerous… Are you sure that weapon is safe to use?" Akira asked. "Where do you even unlock that kind of weapon?"
"You don't have to ask questions, Akira… All you need to do now… Is to fight and win!" Tomori dashed towards Rust.
"?!" He almost can't catch up to his attack.
Clang* Boom*
"This is…" Rust holds onto the attack.
"What's wrong? Did you lose your confidence, Mr. I wanted to kill the heroes because they didn't meet my specs?!" Tomori taunted him.
"No… I'm surprised to see that you stoop so low to even depend on the Curse Series."
"Shut your damn mouth! You're the person who forced us to fight you in the name of 'testing' us. But in reality, you just wanted to kill us, right?" Tomori whispered to his ears. "I don't know why, but it seems you have some beef with the heroes, just like those damn zealots!"
The mouth compartment on Tomori's helmet opened wide, revealing the sharp, black fangs. He went straight towards the gap on Rust's neck.
" Armor Bind!" A set of armor suddenly confined itself onto Tomori's body.
"What are you-"
Blade Charge!
Rust backed down and prepared his sword to release an attack on Tomori.
" Blue Nova Edge!" He slashes his sword towards Tomori.
"You think this will stop me?! ARGH!!!"
Shatter*
Tomori breaks off from the armor.
" Execution!" His greatsword blade suddenly glows black. " Comet Slash!"
The Comet, which usually shines brightly when it was released, turned to pitch black after combining it with Execution.
Two of the skills hit each other and release a huge shockwave. But this doesn't even phase Tomori.
" High Bone Bind III!" Bones from the ground binded both of Rust's arms.
"No way… A Curse Weapon this powerful-"
" Bone Needle!" A needle was thrown at Rust's chestplate.
"This is… THE END!" Tomori shouted as he held his greatsword with both of his hands. He dashed at Rust with mach speed. " Demolition… EDGE!!!"
He hits the spot where the needle was thrown, sending Rust flying to the sky. Seconds later, slashed marks appeared all over his armor.
"Is it me or does Tomori seem… Out of control?" Akira asked Reika.
"Well… If we don't die here, then I guess it's fine-Oww…? It doesn't hurt…" Reika said as Akira's smack doesn't hurt her at all.
"I don't want Tomori to go crazy over our protection. We need him to stop now, or he's going to lose himself!"
" Sigh* What a pain in the butt… If anything happens, it's not on me!"
Both of them rushed towards Tomori.
"That skill should definitely break his armor…" Tomori walked closer towards Rust, who's laying on the ground. "What?! Even after all of that…!"
None of the armor parts break, and not only that, all of the armour that he's wearing is completely gold right now.
"Don't tell me this guy here literally has a set of armor just to deal with the Curse Series?! Why can't he just go down already?!" Tomori thought angrily as he tightly gripped his greatsword.
" Reflect Armor!" The brown halberd appears on Rust's right hand. "It seems like you're too attached to your Curse Weapon. I demand you to switch it off right now."
"And let you f*cking kill me?! NEVER!" Tomori shouted back.
"You left me with no choice, Blade Hero…" Rust pointed his halberd at him. " Order of the Pacifier!"
"Huh?! What's that all about- Argh?!" Suddenly, Tomori's body felt like he was being burned from the inside. "ARGHHHHHHHHHHH!!! IT'S BURNING!!!"
Tomori rolled down to the ground, screaming in pain as his body burned even hotter every second.
"ARGH!!! Roar!!!!" He even let out a dragon roar.
" Sunlight Beam!"
" Scarlet Shot!"
Two skills are heading towards Rust.
" Rising Mud Wall X!" A wall of mud appears in front of him, protecting him from the skills. The wall then falls down so that Rust can see the other heroes.
"What are you doing to him?!" Akira shouted while pointing her staff at him.
"I'm forcing him to switch back to a normal weapon, but he's resisting it… He's the first hero I saw resisting the Order of the Pacifier…"
Thud*
Tomori stood up, dragging his greatsword towards Rust. Even if his whole body is burning, it won't stop him. If it's just pain, then Tomori won't stop. The only thing that can stop him now… Is death.
" Bone Needle! Reflect Blade! Phase Shift!"
Blade Charge!
" Execution! Demolition Edge! Blade Whip! ARGHHHHH!!!"
His greatsword blade turned into a whip as he dashed towards Rust. He savagely swung the whip at him.
High touch! High-One! High-Two! High-Three! High-Four!
Rust quickly tapped the palm symbol.
" High-Fourth Strike!" He immediately deflected the whip with his halberd.
" Roar!!! Skeleton Edge!" Tomori swings his whip upwards, sending a bone-based attack onto Rust.
"Hah!" But Rust destroys the bones from reaching his body. "Blade Hero, stop this at once or I won't be holding back any longer!"
" Roar!!!" Tomori pulled out a potion that recovered his SP and proceeded to chomp the vial using the mouth compartment on his helmet, letting the juice go through his mouth. " Blade Bash! Erst Slash! ZWEITE SLASH!!!"
Clang* Clang* Clang*
He continuously slashes his greatsword at Rust without stopping. Right now, Tomori isn't in control. His inner desire, which Tomori himself didn't know existed, is in control now.
"Akira… I'm confused right now… On the other hand, if we let Tomori do what he wants… I'm afraid that we're going to be his next target…" Reika said to her.
"...We need to stop him now-"
" All High Bone Bind!" Tomori suddenly shouted when he's fighting Rust.
Both of the female heroes get binded by the bones from the ground.
"Why did he binded us all of the sudden?!" Reika shouted as she tried to break out from it.
"Maybe… He didn't want us to get hurt while retraining him."
"Huh?! Then what do we do now?!"
"I guess we have to leave this to Rust…"
" Hah! Grr! Arr!"
Clang* Clang* Clang*
Tomori continuously slashes his greatsword at Rust. He managed to deflect it, while some of the attacks did get through and hit his armor. Rust himself was even surprised that Second Armor managed to withstand all of this in the first place.
" ROAR!!!" Tomori roared maniacally as he swiftly slashes at him.
"If this goes on, then I'm the one who's going to be pummelling by him." Rust thought to himself. "The Blade Hero has succumbed to his Curse Series. If I left him like this, not even the outside world would be safe from his grasp. I guess it had to come to this…"
Rust pushed Tomori backwards, getting some space between him to prepare for his attack. He touches the palm symbol on his halberd five times.
High touch! High-One! High-Two! High-Three! High-Four! High-Five!
The halberd started glowing vividly.
" ROAR!!! EXECUTION!" Tomori yelled as his greatsword glows black.
Rust spun his halberd around and pointed it at Tomori. "It's for peace… Of this world!"
" DEMOLITION EDGE!!!" Tomori dashed at Rust with his greatsword.
"Hah!" But he ducked down to avoid the attack and pointed the tip of his halberd onto Tomori's chest.
" High-Fifth Strike!"
Boom*
A small explosion appears on Tomori's chest.
"Ugh…" Both of the female heroes' withstood the explosion.
"Is it finally over? Does Tomori revert back to normal?" Akira asked.
Then, the bone that binds them disappeared.
"Let's check on them first!" Reika shouted as she dashed towards their direction, while Akira followed him from behind.
As they went closer to them, they couldn't believe what they saw in front of their eyes.
"T-T-Tomori…?!" Akira shouted as Tomori stood still, while there's a huge hole on his chest.
Crack* Shatter*
His black armor slowly cracks and breaks apart, turning back to its normal form. His greatsword also turned back to his Small Sword.
Thud*
Tomori's body falls to the ground as his lifeless eyes stare to the sky.
"Is this just me… Or did he really…" Rylon slowly muttered as he saw what just happened from afar.
"No… No way…"
Thud*
Ivaran's knees fell to the ground, as he saw what condition Tomori was in. Tomori's HP in his status window is blank, showing that he doesn't have any HP left.
His hands started shaking, remembering how powerless he's now that he can't even save the person that he was to protect in the first place, and the promise with Liyana…
All of them stared at Ivaran, thinking of ways to confirm him after this. But not Miya, as she stared at Riri, who's still looking at Tomori's directions.
"Hey!" Reika stands in front of Rust. "Why did you kill him, you bastard?!"
"It's because he's going to be a threat to this world." Rust bluntly replied.
"Threat?! After you force us to fight you and threaten to kill us if we don't meet your expectations?! Don't f*ck with me! Comet- Argh?!"
Reika pulled her bow string, but Rust punched her stomach and threw her at Akira, who's still freezing in front of Tomori's body.
"Ah?!"
Both of them fall to the ground. Rust then approaches both of them.
"It seems like I have no choice… Other than to summon a new batch of heroes."
Spirit Realm
"Grr… Where am I? And why is it so bright here…" Tomori opened his eyes as he rubbed them from the bright light. He inspected his surroundings and remembered what actually had happened. "Oh yeah… I'm dead already. Sigh*"
He lays down on the ground while sighing.
"I thought I would be back home if I died… But that doesn't seem to be the case here…" As Tomori shook his body around, he felt something on his butt. "Huh?"
He checked what it was, and couldn't believe that it's here.
"The Small Sword?! If it's here, then…" Tomori moved his eyes around, just to see that the Status Window was still in his vision. But his HP is still zero. "What's going on here… Am I still alive or what?"
"Yes, you still are."
A voice said from his back. Tomori turned around and saw a giant wolf staring down at him. Tomori is too surprised to be surprised right now as he gave no reaction to the giant wolf.
"Who are you? And where am I?" Tomori asked the wolf.
"I was known by many names. But I already picked a favourite name for myself. My name is Tatwulf." The giant wolf said. "And you're right now at the Spirit Realm."
"The Spirit Realm? Doesn't look pretty spiritly to me. I expected a field of flowers or something like that in here." Tomori commented.
"I don't hear any Spirit Beast complaining about it. But what you said is true. It does get boring from time to time. It's not like I can go to the real world like before…" Tatwulf muttered.
"Are you a Spirit Beast as well?"
"Yes, and no. Currently, I'm the one who observed all the Spirit Beast under me. As their deity." Tatwulf responded.
"Deity? Doesn't that mean you're the one who interacts with Riri all this time?"
"Yes, I am. And I'm the one who directed her to you."
"I see… So why did you do that?" Tomori asked.
"Well… It's to protect you, of course. The one you named Riri is a young Spirit Beast that had a lot of potential inside of her. I suspect that you have what it takes to make her powerful, since both of you share the same magic affinity."
"I'm just a guinea pig to you then? Why did you want to protect me in the first place? Don't tell me you knew my aunt as well."
"There's only one Blade Hero that I know of. And he has long passed away from this world. I had never personally spoken to another Blade Heroes like this, except for you and him."
"So, why bring me here? Is there anything you wanted to talk about with me?"
"Regarding that matter, yes, I do. I managed to bring your soul here before the Armor Hero managed to hit you first. To simply put, your body might look like it has lost its soul, but in reality, your soul is still clinging onto it, waiting for you to return."
"Uh-huh…" Tomori pretends to understand what he means by that. "Can I return back now?"
"Of course, but you and the other Holy Heroes wouldn't be able to defeat the Armor Hero just like that, unless a miracle happens."
"Okay… This is the part where you make the 'miracle' happen?" Tomori asked.
"Sadly, no. However, I can increase the strength of your body to handle the Spirit Energy residing inside of you. Other than that, I can also allow you access to the secret magic that was used by the elves, but you can only use it once. After that, you don't have the ability to do it anymore."
" Spirit Energy… Does that mean I won't receive any mental damage if I use Spirit Union?"
"Yes, but you will if you go overboard."
"Alright then!" Tomori clasped his hand. "Teach me all your stuff, Tatwulf! The others need me!"
"Very well…"
Real World
" Electro Shot!" Reika releases an electric skill at Rust directly, but it doesn't faze him. "Damnit! Akira! Please help me!"
" S-Sunlight Beam!" She released a blast of light towards Rust, but it still doesn't faze him at all.
He continued to approach them.
"Is this really the end…?" Reika lowered her bow. But then, she stood up with determination. "No… If I'm going down right now, then I'm going down with a blast! Bomb Shot!"
Reika continued to shoot her skills at Rust.
"Reika…" Akira looks at her, and then at her companions outside the orange translucent dome. She tightly grips her staff and uses it as a support to stand up. Then, she pointed it at Rust. "I won't go down… I'm going to keep living! Air Needle!"
Needles made out of air went towards Rust, but it still doesn't have any effects on him.
"It's futile… All Rising Terra Spear X!"
"ARGH?!"
Rocks from the ground pierce their limbs from moving.
"I'm sorry that it had to end like this…" Rust raised his halberd and swung it in the direction that lets him beheaded both of them in a single motion.
"Akira-san!"
"Miss Reika!"
Both of their parties shouted their names. Miya instictly closed her eyes from seeing what is going to happen to them.
"...Come on, Tomori… You can do it!" Riri shouted.
"Huh?" Ivaran looks at the dome when Riri said that.
Zap*
Rust stopped his movement as he felt the wind around him crackling.
"He's still ali-"
" Rising Lightning Slash III!" A powerful lighting spell went towards Rust, sending him away from both Akira and Reika.
"Wait… That voice…"
"It's him…!"
Tomori casually ran towards them, as if he didn't get donuted a few minutes ago.
"Sorry...! I went to sleep for a while back then. Damn… I felt so hungry all of the sudden…" Tomori said as he rubs his belly.
"Tomori-san…! He's still alive!" Ivaran stood up in joy as his hero was still alive and well.
"But how come he can recover from that kind of wound?" Flan asked.
"It doesn't even matter! What is important is that Tomori is still alive!" Riri exclaimed.
"Damn… You really made me worried back then…" Reika said to him.
"I thought we lost you for real…" Akira said to him as well.
"Well, life is weird I guess." Tomori then breaks off the rock that pierce their limbs. "Make sure you drink your potions."
"Yeah, yeah…" Reika chugged all kinds of potions from her inventory.
"It's weird that we drink all of this potion, but never get sick of it every time we have to continuously drink it." Akira said as she sipped her potion.
"Well then, girls. It's time to get back up as the last boss isn't defeated yet." Tomori said as he glared at Rust.
Zap* Zap*
Sparks of red lightning came out from his armor.
"This type of magic… Rising-class… He hasn't mastered it yet, but he can deal this much damage to me…"
Rust stood up and exchanged glares with Tomori.
"Rust… You said that this dome here can't be turned off, right?" Tomori said to him.
"Yes. Only I have the power to do it." He responded.
"Well… Let's see about that…!" Tomori stabs his sword to the ground.
"I, the Blade Hero, command the earth! Defy the law of nature and change the order of fauna! Oh, law of the Earth Vein, please lend me your might! The source of power is the Blade Hero commands you! Bestow me with the natural element of Lightning, and release me from this dome!"
Tomori's eyes turned red as his SoAII started crackling with red sparks.
" True Lighting Magic: Blitz Wave!"
Tomori's MP instantly went to zero. He sends waves of lightning throughout the ground. The corners of the barrier, which project the dome, instantly breaks from the magic.
"What?! True Magic?! But aren't only the elves able to do that?!" Rust exclaimed as the dome slowly shut itself down. "Who… Who are you?"
"Didn't you already know?" Tomori pointed his sword at him. "My name is Tomori Tanaka, the Blade Hero that was summoned to fight the wave. And also…"
He looked at both of the heroes that stood next to him.
"To determine whether we're worthy to become heroes or not… It's not your job to do that! The ones who are going to decide that… Are us!"
The words that Tomori said resonated with the other Holy Heroes.
"He's right…" Akira stood forward. "We may be newly summoned and still inexperienced… But that doesn't mean we're incompetent!"
"At first, I saw this world as a game." Reika spoke up. "However, a certain person let me see through the other sides of it. I know that I wasn't summoned here by coincidence. So, I will fight! I will fight… As a hero should be!"
"Good words, you two…" Tomori patted their shoulders. "Let's show him… How the Holy Heroes fight!"
He raised his sword to the sky.
"Yeah!"
"Let's do that!"
Both of them also raised their weapons to the sky.
Glows*
All three of their weapons' gemstones glow brightly.
"What is this phenomenon? I have never seen any of this before…" Rust thought to himself, as the gemstone on his belt buckle faintly glows. "No… These people are too incompetent! They can't be true heroes!"
"Tomori!"
The Holy Heroes turned around and saw their group get closer towards them.
"You guys-Woah?!"
Riri jumped straight to him. "I knew you wouldn't go down easily! Go beat that guy and all of this will be over!"
"Yeah!" He then stood up and looked at his other companion. "Sorry for worrying you, Ivaran."
"No… You don't have to. I thought you had gone, but you rose up in the end. You're really amazing, Tomori-san."
"Well… I'm not that amazing, you know. But I'll take the compliment." He happily said.
"Holy Heroes!" A woman's voice called them. Tomori knows whose voice is that. Daela walked through the heroes' companions and faced them. "Here's a gift from a certain blacksmith. Portal Ring!"
A golden ring appeared on top of them, and dropped three types of weapons, a longsword, a staff and a bow.
"She managed to finish it all when you guys were still fighting Rusty."
"Audrey… Alright then!"
The three of them picked up their respective weapons and gripped them tightly.
Weapon Copy System Activated!
Revising…
Revision is completed!
Tomori's SoAII slowly changes its shape.
Rising Enforcer Blade (Awakened)(10)(X)(Divine) : Ability Unlocked
Equip Bonus: Absorver Union
Skill: Reflect Blade, Switchblade, Hover Blade
Special Effect: Element Transmission, Phase Shift II, All Magic Element Resist, Growth Power, Nullify SP Drain, Vitality Boost, Magic Attack Up (Extra Strong), Magic Defense Up (Extra Strong), MP Recovery (Extra Strong), HP Recovery (Strong), SP Recovery (Strong), All Skill Power Up (Small), All Skill Effect Up (Small), Skill Range Increase (Extra Small)
Special Equip Effect: Demolition Strike Edge
Mastery Level: 100
Accessory Equip Effect: Thousand Blades, Comet Wave Slash
Item Enchantment Level 20: SP 28% Up
Eclipse Minotaur Spirit Counter: MATK 100, MDEF 100
Status Enchantment: 100 MDEF
Weapon Copy System Activated!
Revising…
Revision is completed!
Rising Sorcerer Staff (Awakened)(7)(V)(Great) : Ability Unlocked
Equip Bonus: Element Union
Skill: Comet Fall, Switchcraft, Reflect Force
Special Effect: Element Transmission, Phase Shift, All Magic Element Resist, Nullify SP Drain, Magic Attack Up (Strong), Magic Defense Up (Strong), MP Recovery (Strong), SP Recovery (Strong), HP Recovery (Medium), All Magic Power Up (Small), All Magic Effect Up (Medium), All Skill Effect Up (Small)
Mastery Level: 100
Accessory Equip Effect: Comet Wave Fall
Item Enchantment Level 15: MATK 21% Up
Status Enchantment: 100 DEF
Weapon Copy System Activated!
Absorver Blade/Bow : Ability Locked:
Skill: Reflect Projectile, Switchbullet
Special Effect: Mana Arrow (Medium), Element Transmission, Phase Shift, Attack Up (Medium), Magic Attack Up (Medium), Magic Defense Up (Medium), MP Recovery (Low), HP Recovery (Extra Low), SP Recovery (Extra Low)
Mastery Level: 0
" Rising Enforcer Blade…" Tomori stares at his new sword. Unlike SoAII, which is a broadsword, REB is a red longsword with white accent on the color. "Nice to meet you! Can you lend me your strength?"
Glows*
The red gemstone glows brightly.
"Alright! You guys step back! Let the heroes' handle this!" Tomori shouted.
The group followed his order.
"Tomori!" Daela shouted his name. "Knock some senses on Rusty's head!"
"You got it, Ela-nee!" He replied with a thumbs up. "Okay, guys. Let's do this-"
"Wait! I need to upgrade this weapon first." Reika said as she dumped all of her materials onto the new weapon.
Thud* Thud* Thud*
Tomori, Akira and Reika slowly approached Rust with their new Absorver weapons on their hands.
"Rust… You know you don't have to do this, right?" Tomori said to him. "I don't know what's your deal with the past Holy Heroes, but we can at least promise you that there won't be any infighting Among Us."
"I don't like promises… I wanted you to prove to me that you people are true heroes! Hah!" He dashed towards Tomori to attack him with his halberd, but he easily blocked it.
"Fine… If that's what you wanted! Blade Bash!" Tomori smacks his sword onto Rust, sending him backwards.
" Vine Bind!" Akira pointed her staff at Rust, as vines started wrapping his limbs.
Reika then dashed towards him while pulling her bow strings.
Projectile Charge!
She then jumped in front of him.
" Bomb Shot!" She released her skills at point blank. "Switch!"
"Alright!" Akira tapped the gemstone on the tip of her staff twice.
Magic Charge!
" Sunlight Beam!" A beam of light is released from her staff and hits Rust.
"Ugh…" He withstands the attack while trying to get out from the vines. "How did they get so strong all of the sudden? They just switched weapons!"
Rust released himself from the vines, but he didn't anticipate what would happen next.
" Assassination Blade!" Tomori suddenly appeared on Rust's right side and knocked off the halberd that he's holding to the side. "The surrender button is still on, you know?"
"Hah!" The BNAS appears on Rust's right hand and he uses it to slash Tomori.
" Erst Slash!" He used the skill to deflect the slash. " Zweite Slash!"
And then release a horizontal slash from the left towards Rust chest.
"You're losing your touch, my friend." Tomori taught him.
"Hah!" Rust proceeds to slash him again, but Tomori evades it by leaping backwards.
" Air Needle!"
" Spread Shot!"
Both of the skills from Akira and Reika went towards Rust as Tomori leaps back.
"Ugh…!" Rust knelt down after receiving the damage from the skills.
"Huh…!" Tomori landed next to both of the female heroes. "You guys mind if I take the spotlight here?"
"I don't mind it."
"Do whatever you want. As long as you finish it."
Both of them give their replies.
"Alright!" Tomori tapped his sword gemstone twice.
Blade Charge!
"...!" Rust stood up and tapped the sword guard twice.
Blade Charge!
Both of their swords started glowing.
"This won't go the same way as last time!" Tomori tapped his sword gemstone again.
Blade Rise!
Tomori's sword shines even brighter than Rust's.
"You wanted proof? Then eat this proof!" Tomori prepared himself to activate a skill.
" Blue Nova Edge!" Rust sent the attack towards him.
" Demolition…" While Tomori just went straight to it. " Strike…"
He then jumped high to the sky to avoid the attack and leaped towards Rust.
" Edge!!!"
Tomori slashes Rust's armor diagonally from the right.
"Hah!"
Clang* Clang* Clang*
He continued to rapidly attack his armor from all of the sides.
"His attack…! I can't parry it all…!"
Clang*
The BNAS from Rust's hands went flying after he couldn't get a perfect grip on it.
"Hah…!"
Clang* Clang* Clang* Clang* Clang* Clang*
Tomori quickly slashed every parts of the armors
Crack* Crack* Crack*
Rust's armor slowly cracking up.
"This is the end! Hah!" Tomori thrust his sword at his chestplate.
Boom* Shatter*
Every part of his armor shattered and fell down to the ground, revealing the black long sleeve shirt and black trousers that Rust is wearing.
Crack* Shatter*
Lastly, his helmet breaks off, revealing his white hair and yellow eyes.
"I… We… Win… Ugh…" Tomori then passed out due to him being too exhausted and the after effects of healing his wounds. "Zzz…"
He then snored peacefully.
"Rust…" Daela walked towards him. "He wanted to see you. And it's urgent."
" Sigh* Alright, alright…" Rust stood up and followed Daela from behind.
Beep* Beep* Beep*
" Ugh… What's that sound… And why's my crotch so cold?" Tomori slowly opened his eyes, just to be blinded with a bright light. "There's some things stuck on my chest…"
He pulled it off and got off from whatever he's laying on. He then realised that he's wearing those gowns that patients wear when they are at the hospital.
"Seems like you have woken up, Tomori." A girl's voice speaks to him.
He turned around and saw Akira and Reika wearing the patient's gown and being bandaged all over their limbs.
"Man, you went crazy back then. You were like slashing Rust super fast that I can't even see it." Reika told him.
"Really…? My head is so dizzy right now… Where are we now?" He asked while rubbing his head.
"We're at the medical bay. The three of us were immediately brought here after you finished the fight." Akira explained.
"Okay, I got the gist now… How about Rust? Where is he?"
"About that, we were told to bring you to the person in charge here after you wake up. So… Get dressed."
Both of the girls then leave him alone in the room.
"...My crotch is really cold."
After he got dressed, Tomori followed the girls to the main office of this base. When they entered the room, Tomori saw that the rest of their party was waiting there.
"Tomori-san, how are you feeling?" Ivaran asked him.
"Could be better, but I'm fine."
"That's good to hear."
"Alright then… Who's in charge here?" Tomori bluntly asked.
"That would be me, Blade Hero." A person who's wearing something like a full set of shiny titanium armor spoke up. "It's been centuries since I last met with the Blade Hero. I'm getting goosebumps!"
"Yay, another fanboy…"
"Ehem! Excuse me…" The armored man said. "My name is Fort. And I'm the leader of Armorian for these past centuries. Nice meeting you, Blade Hero."
He extended his hands, and Tomori shook it.
"Nice meeting with you, Mr. Fort."
"Oh, please. Just call me Fort. You make me sound old. Well, technically, I'm old in the first place."
"You said that you're been this country's leader for centuries, right?" Tomori asked. "Which means, you are…"
"Correct. Like Daela and Rust, I'm also a Huma-noid. One of the first batches that was borned."
"So Rust is a Huma-noid as well…"
"Indeed. Both him and I were from the same genetics, so you can technically call us 'brothers from different mothers'."
"Wait, you're from the same genetics?"
"Yes. Both of us have dwarf genetics, but Rust's genetics are even more powerful than I am. As you can tell, all of the armors and weapons that you see he used, all of that were his invention. If only he isn't so thick-headed about switching to the new upgraded version of Absorver System, he would be the best blacksmith in this world."
"Hahaha… So where is he now?" Tomori asked as he hadn't seen him since he defeated him.
"As he ignored my orders about making a scene with the Holy Heroes and tried to kill you, he will receive a heavy punishment. But right now, he's on a lockdown in his own establishment."
"I see… Is there any reason you wanted to meet with me?"
"Yes… Deala." Fort turned to the black haired woman.
" Projection Ring!" She threw a ring and it levitated. It enlarged and started projecting something.
"Isn't that… The landscape of Welle?" Emil spoke up as he looked through the projection. "But why does everything look… horrible…?"
"That's a good question, Young Nobleman." Fort said to him. "Right now, the religious group, Church of Transpierce, has completely taken over the country."
"What?!" All of them shouted at the same time.
"But my father wouldn't allow that to happen!" Miya shouted.
"We don't know the details, but somehow the Wisest Mage of Them All had been defeated by the ground leader, Pope Bacillus B. Barson."
"Wisest Mage of Them All?" Tomori, Akira and Reika wondered what that name was.
"Oh, it's just a nickname for the Wand Hero." Fort bluntly said.
"Eh?!!!" The heroes shouted simultaneously.
"You didn't say that your dad is a hero, princess." Tomori said to her.
"Huh? I thought you knew that. And also, don't call me princess!" She retorted.
"The countrymen of Welle only know the king as the Wisest Mage of Them All, but not as the Wand Hero. The only ones who know about it are only high ranking nobles." Flan explained to them.
"But he didn't show any hero's aura or anything like that. He looks like just a regular king…" Tomori thought to himself.
"Regarding this matter, there's something I need to tell." Fort continued. "During tomorrow's evening, they will hold a sacrificial event to appease their lords. And it's unfortunate to say that the king of Welle is also involved in this event."
"What?! T-T-They are going to k-k-kill him?!" Miya said while her legs trembled.
"To simply put, yes."
Miya slowly backed down, and then looked at Tomori. She grabbed his left hand and started pulling him.
"Come on! We didn't have any time to waste! We need to save my father!" She said while desperately pulling his hand.
"Hold your horses, Miya. I'm fine with all of this, but how about you guys?" Tomori asked the rest of the group.
"To be honest, Tomori-san… I don't mind going right now." Ivaran spoke up.
"Me too!" Riri raised her hands.
"Me and Thea are good to go." Lowri said.
"I-I'm okay too!" Emil said.
"I'm always ready." Mizune said as well.
"Well… Sigh* Fine… I'm good to go…" Rylon said enthusiastically.
"If it's for the safety of my country, then I'm already prepared!" Flan said determinedly.
"Alright, how about you two?" Tomori turned to Akira and Reika.
"My body felt a little bit sluggish, but…"
They untied all of the bandages on their body.
"But I'm still ready for round two."
Both of them have given their answers.
"Seems like that's it. Alright, folks. I will give you guys around an hour to prepare yourself physically and mentally. Please use that time wisely as you won't have any time left after this. Is that clear?" Tomori said to them.
All of them nodded.
"Alright, we meet up in the center of the base in an hour."
Some of them then walked out from the office.
"Thank you so much…" Miya said as she tugged his shirt sleeve.
"No need to. I'm planning to finish this as soon as possible. Though, I hope the queen will come home sooner…" Tomori muttered.
"Mother will definitely return when she hears what happened in Welle."
"But we don't have time to wait here. It's us versus the church now. While we have strength, they possess numbers. And I don't want to kill anyone. So this will be a delicate mission." Tomori then turned to Akira. "Can you help me with potion batches, Akira?"
"Yeah, but I have something to do first. I'll be back in a minute." She then left the office.
"Okay… And Fort." Tomori then turned to the armored man. "If you can't provide us troops, then perhaps you can provide us with some materials, right?"
"Absolutely! Just say anything you want and it will be here in just a second."
Tomori then lists some things that he needed for potions and his weapon upgrade to Fort.
Somewhere near Castle Town…
A blonde haired woman is spying on Castle Town's broken border with a spyglass. After that, she turned her head back.
"Tadashi-sama, the number of knights has increased." She said to the Shaft Hero.
"Hmm….This is getting out of hand… We might need a few platoons of knights in order to conquer the castle back." He said as he spun around his spears.
" Sigh* I wonder where the other three heroes and their parties are…"
"Don't worry, Nena. They will definitely come. And when they do, we will help them." Tadashi said as he stared at his spear.
He had implemented the power up methods onto himself and his spears. So he's much stronger than before. But he's still not confident with his strength as he hasn't fought anything besides monsters for the past few days.
"I don't think the two of us amount into anything…" The girl muttered.
"Be positive, Nena. I believe they will come. We just have to wait for them." Tadashi stared at Castle Town. "It's time for me to repay you for my past mistakes, Tomori…"