Chapter Forty-Four: The Furious Blade
The cloaked Itsuki observed the camp from the top of the city wall. Down below, the Church's army was in a state of chaos.
With the army commanders dead, all the knights and mages who had returned were in a state of panic. Was it a ploy by the Devil of the Shield? Had he employed other devils to work with him? Was he going to target them when they least expected it?
Their fanaticism hadn't prepared them for this!
It was honestly really stupid for Itsuki to have to watch both sides of the wall. It wasn't just outside the city. But inside, there were civilians out in the streets. Running, screaming, and pointing at the smoke rising from behind the walls while fleeing around in a state of panic. Causing even more confusion for the few knights inside trying to maintain order.
They weren't even getting anywhere. No one had the bright idea of going to the SIDE gates of the city to escape. They were running around like chickens with their heads cut off in a mass panic.
As if that wasn't stupid enough, before getting up here, he'd overheard a lot of the rumors already spreading. It ranged from the Shield Demon leading a demi-human army against their city to the Shield Demon burning down everyone outside the walls with hellfire by himself while evilly laughing.
That one really made Itsuki want to facepalm. '... Naofumi… If you've had to deal with this stupidity since the day you were summoned, I'm so sorry.'
The amount of stupidity had gone way past what Itsuki had imagined. But he had to keep watch in case their stupidity caused problems.
Naofumi was supposed to alert them when the slaves were all freed by having Filo yell into a strange Shield Naofumi had shown them. Then, after he made sure Naofumi's escape route was okay, he'd portal himself and the rest of the party via Transport Bow to a spot outside of Van's lands. There, Van had a wagon and several Filolials waiting for them.
That was the rest of their plan for this little excursion.
...
The mess of knights down below continued moving around. Searching the command tent and the area around it for survivors. Itsuki grimaced, knowing there weren't any survivors from that blast. Others ran into the forest. Trying to locate the Shield Devil once more. Others simply stood and stared around in disbelief. Fearing for their lives.
Their sense of safety had been taken and blown up along with the lives of their leaders.
They honestly didn't look like they'd be any trouble. Why the hell had Naofumi wanted him to keep watch after the assassination of Idol and the army leadership? This was ridiculous!
Itsuki looked to Idol's manor farther up inside the city with a frown. "Come on. Just hurry up already so I don't have to watch this bull crap anymore." Itsuki muttered.
There was only so much stupidity the blonde boy could handle.
...
Was it just him, or was it taking them longer than Naofumi had said they'd need to go in and free the slaves? Were the slaves alright? Was there a problem Itsuki didn't know about? He really wished there was a weapon that allowed for communication between the Cardinal Heroes. Then they'd be able to let him know if he was needed up there or not…
Damn it! What was taking them so long!?
'Maybe I should send Maya or someone else to check things out up there. I don't want-'
The knights down below began to gradually quiet down. Itsuki turned around to see what sort of stupidity they were up to now.
The knights around the destroyed Command Tent were settling down. All of them were staring at a pair of figures amidst the ruins. They were donned in robes, speaking in calm voices.
'... Oh.' Itsuki paled.
Now he realized why it'd been a smart idea to keep watch.
The Church Shadows were already back.
Raphtalia almost managed to run Idol through with her sword immediately.
Almost.
Idol quickly reacted. Pulling his sword from his sheath and knocked the first thrust to the side. Raphtalia stumbled back. There had been a lot of force behind Idol's parry.
Idol was a former commander of the Siltvelt-Melromarc War. He was also a noble. He'd had the opportunity to level up ever since he was a kid. His level and strength weren't that of the measly knights that served him.
He was grossly fat, but he was still a grave threat to face one on one.
"I don't know who you think you are! But I am not going to fall to some damn demi!" Idol yelled. Holding his sword at the ready.
Raphtalia bared her fangs. She followed up with a flurry of quick slashes and strikes. She was no swordmaster, but Eclair's basics had helped her immensely improve on the skills she already had.
Despite that, Idol was surprisingly expert, even with his massive armored bulk. He managed to avoid getting hurt by any of her attacks as he defended himself.
He even got a couple of light cuts on her arms. Which only seemed to piss Raphtalia off further.
"You killed her! YOU KILLED HER!" Raphtalia yelled in fury.
Idol deftly moved to the side as she sliced downwards. He tried to swipe at Raphtalia's side while she was exposed. But her wrists twisted, deflecting the attack with her blade. She growled again as she turned while he was off balance and delivered a spinning kick right into Idol's chest.
"Oof!" Idol flew a dozen feet back but landed on his feet. His chest plate was slightly dented from where the demi had kicked him. But besides that, he looked fine.
He was heavier than he looked, and it wasn't just because of his weight. His higher level made it harder to move him.
"Hmmm, not bad demi. Now, who exactly did I kill?" Idol smirked as he pulled out the whip from its holder on his side. "I remember killing a lot of you weak and pathetic demis. It's hard to think of just one." He taunted her.
"AHHHHHH!" He cracked the whip, but Raphtalia ran forward and ducked it. She tried jumping and slashing at Idol's face, but he blocked the strike with his sword. Raphtalia growled in frustration and jumped back. As she flew back, he cracked the whip at her again.
She twisted in the air, barely missing being hit by the whip. He whipped at her again, catching her on the arm after she landed. She growled from the pain, but she caught Idol's next whip strike with the edge of her blade. The end wrapped around the magic silver, and with a strong yank, she pulled the whip right out of Idol's grip.
Idol looked down at his empty hand in shock. Raphtalia rushed in and sliced at Idol while he was distracted. He quickly deflected the attack with the sword in one hand, but the edge of Raphtalia's sword caught his cheek on the deflection. Leaving a lightly bleeding cut.
"What the hell!? You damn demi!" Idol put a hand to the wound.
Raphtalia jumped back, readying her blade again.
"You're dead." Her voice was cold with fury, her eyes gleamed with the determination to kill him. She didn't care how many times he tried to insult her.
"I'll kill you!" Idol yelled furiously.
"Go ahead and try. It will make it easier for me to end your pitiful existence." Raphtalia said. Readying for another charge in. Her sword glowed with magic.
'Raphtalia...'
Idol sweated profusely, and then he turned tail and ran into his manor. He didn't want to admit it. He wanted to say he wanted to lure this demi-human into a trap. He wanted to say he wanted to get home turf advantage.
But in reality, he was fearing for his life!
"You can't run from me!" Raphtalia screeched. Running after Idol. "I'll kill you if it's the last thing I do!"
Naofumi finally came charging up the stairs. The whole fight had barely lasted a minute. Without Raphtalia's light source, it had been hard to get out of there quickly.
"Raphtalia! Wait! Don't face him alone!-" Raphtalia ignored Naofumi as she ran into the manor after Idol.
Naofumi clenched a fist. "DAMN IT!" He was probably being idiotic. He was definitely letting his emotions get in the way. But damn him, he couldn't stand by and not try to help her!
Naofumi ran in to try and assist Raphtalia.
The chaotic movements of the thousands of knights gradually stopped. Itsuki saw it was because more and more Church Shadows were popping up amongst different parts of the camp. Standing on a thick branch at the edge of the forest. The backs of wagons. On top of barrels. And one even stood on a catapult. Their placement was timely and measured out. So only a few were needed to help calm thousands of knights.
After only a minute of watching, unable to hear what the Shadows were saying, the army began moving again. But this time, cohesively. Not blindly and chaotic like before. The Church Shadows continued giving out orders. Some of the knights went to search the forest. Others moved around camp, restoring order to it.
A large group began to split off from the army. Heading towards the gates to Rabier's city.
This was bad. Really bad. Itsuki stood up, and-
"Gh!-" He heard a gurgle behind him. He turned, and, to his surprise, he saw another Church Shadow. The shadow dropped his blade, because of a dagger that had stabbed through his chest.
Maya reappeared from her illusion magic to the side of the Shadow. "The others were wondering what we should do now." She said. "Good thing they were too. I wouldn't have gotten this guy otherwise."
The Shadow dropped to the ground. "Heh… heh" He was smirking underneath his hood.
"What's so funny?" Itsuki asked angrily.
"The trap… is… you all… die…" The Shadow coughed up blood, and then he stilled.
…
Maya and Itsuki looked from the body to each other. They both climbed down from the wall. And landed in the shadow of a building the party was hiding behind.
"What is it, Sir Itsuki?" Aksel asked.
"The Church Shadows are rallying the Church Knights." Itsuki quickly explained.
"I also killed a Shadow. He said something about some sort of trap." Maya said. "Never got what it was though."
The others looked unsure. "How can we know the Shadow wasn't bluffing?" Tersia asked.
"The guy was on his deathbed. He could be lying to make it easier to dispose of us." Rachel said.
"Either way. We have an army of Knights and mages being led by Shadows that are going to come through that gate, and we haven't gotten word from Sir Ren or Sir Naofumi. We need to figure out what to do." Tersia said.
Itsuki and Ren's party members all got to thinking. But they didn't have the chance to think for very long. They could already hear the main gates opening for the army.
"How about we sow chaos across the city," Maya suggested.
"We what?" Bakta asked.
"We split up, and we cause distractions all over the city. Blow something up. Knock out a person or two. Something to grab attention. But we immediately flee afterward." Maya said.
Itsuki frowned. "You're saying we should hit and run."
"Where would we be running to?" Aksel asked.
"Deeper into the city? I don't know." Maya said with a shrug. "I'm not stupid enough to face an army head-on."
Itsuki wished they had more time. He wished they could think up a better idea that wasn't so risky. But he could hear the knights marching into the city. And he didn't want to use Transport Bow until he was sure Naofumi and Ren were out with the slaves.
"Alright. Do whatever you can. But don't bite off more than you can chew." Itsuki started climbing the wall again. At the very least, he could provide a distraction so the others could separate into the panicking crowds outside into the city. "Karn. Go check and see if Naofumi and Ren need help. The rest of you, make sure you don't get yourselves killed!"
"You got it, Sir Itsuki!" Karn said with a proud salute.
"You mind if I stick with you Axe?" Bakta asked.
"Two tanks are better than one." Aksel agreed.
"No fair. I wanted to be with Aksel." Maya said with a pout.
"Who says you can't?" Wyndia asked. "It's not like we're limited to pairs."
"Ooh! Can I pair with you then?!" Maya asked.
Wyndia scowled. "Absolutely not."
Maya pouted again. The others were already pairing off. And then, they heard Itsuki shout something. One of his spread skills started raining down on the army outside.
Shortly after, in retaliation, part of the wall was blown up.
"Alright, let's move it!" Rachel ordered.
The group fractured and ran out. Separating to run down the various streets of the city. Filled with panicking civilians and soon, the Church's army.
Maya secretly followed behind Aksel and Bakta.
More explosions sounded as the battle kicked into high gear.
"Ah!"
Raphtalia kicked a knight to the side. Sending him through a wall into a dining room. She then turned, knocked the sword of the other knight away, and headbutted the bastard into the ground.
Raphtalia breathed in and out heavily. She bared her fangs again as she looked around. "Where are you, you bastard!?" Raphtalia called out furiously.
She got no response. She had chased Idol through several different hallways. Then, in this one, a small group of knights ambushed her. She'd finished dealing with the knights. But Idol was nowhere to be seen.
She continued to growl loudly as she glared around herself. Her sword was out and at the ready.
'Raphtalia… what are you doing?' She put a hand to her head.
That voice...
"Ahh!" Raphtalia turned and blocked the sword strike from the fat noble who'd tried to ambush her from behind.
"You think you can just run into my home and do whatever you please you damn demi?!" Idol struck at Raphtalia again and again.
The demi-girl backed up, blocking or dodging Idol's strikes. One of the strikes that missed went right through a statue. Cutting it in two.
Raphtalia ducked another strike and then thrust forward. Idol jumped back, but the blade still left a small gash on the armor over his gut. He grimaced, and he pulled out another whip. "I have had it dealing with you!"
Raphtalia growled and charged forward. Idol whipped at the demi-girl, but she caught this one on her arm without even flinching. She slashed the whip off at the hilt. And it was only because Idol lifted his sword to block the next strike that he wasn't beheaded.
'Raphtalia. You're too angry. Calm down.'
Raphtalia backed away, putting a hand to her head. Damn it! It almost felt like-
"Guards! Deal with her!" Idol ran off again. Running through the hole Raphtalia made in the wall a minute ago to escape.
Raphtalia growled, shaking her head to clear it. More knights came charging from different rooms at Idol's orders. She had no time for this!
Rifana was dead!
They needed to PAY!
She screamed in anger and grief as she charged to attack all of them.
Itsuki jumped from one building to the next.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Large AoE fire spells being cast by the Church mages exploded on the roofs behind him. He jumped onto another roof, pulling his string back as he aimed at the army exploding onto this section of the street.
"Meteor Arrow!"
The large blue arrow flew exactly where he wanted it to, and it exploded against the side of an empty building. Debris rained down over the army, stopping many knights in their tracks. Part of the building collapsed onto some knights.
Panicking citizens ran down other streets in terror. They were finally wising up and running away from the action. As soon as they cleared, a line of Church Mages moved where they'd been. "As source of thy power we order thee. Decipher the laws of nature. Destroy our target in a blaze brighter than the sun. Burn him and his comrades until ashes remain." They raised their hands up. Magic pentagrams appearing above their hands. "Drifa Fire Blast!"
Itsuki jumped to the next rooftop. The building behind him exploded from the force of the fire spells that hit it. Shrapnel rained down onto another street of terrified civilians. He dodged behind a clock tower, and it exploded too.
'Damn it! They're even hurting their own people to get at me!' Itsuki ran off. He slid down a slanted rooftop onto a lower rooftop out of sight.
Safe for the moment, he released his scout skill again, giving him an aerial view of the area around him. He quickly chose another location to ambush from and checked what the party members nearby were doing.
Rachel and Wyndia were causing distractions using Shadow and Fire Magic. Rachel would cast a wave of darkness over an area to blind their opponents. Then Wyndia would use a fire spell to light some barrels before rolling them down the street at the knights. They'd then retreat before Rachel's Shadow magic was counteracted to cause more distractions somewhere else.
Tersia and Farrie were working together. Blowing large objects like debris or wagons down streets with wind magic into groups of knights or mages.
No one else was close by at this time. At least as far as he could tell. The panicked civilians were all running away. But for some dumb reason, they were running in the same direction as he and the party members were retreating in! As well as that, the army was separating and filling each street. His party members had to keep retreating back if they didn't want to risk being surrounded.
Itsuki jumped to the next rooftop. He really hoped Karn would get to Naofumi and Ren soon. He couldn't see what the swordsman was doing.
Boom!
One of the ballistae the Church Army had set up on the wall released an explosive bolt that exploded where he'd been hidden before.
He really hoped Karn got to Naofumi and Ren.
Naofumi ran through a different hallway of the manor. Looking around desperately for his Sword and Companion. "Raphtalia!" He yelled.
He could hear fighting echoing in the manor. Along with Raphtalia's fury-filled screams. Each one sent a chill down Naofumi's spine. The closest comparison was himself in the Cursed Series.
He couldn't find where the darn girl had gone! Why did medieval manors have to be so huge?!
Naofumi rounded another corner and was forced to stop. A whole group of about eight knights was standing there. Swords out and at the ready.
Naofumi already knew one sword wouldn't hurt him. But eight knights working together could be a different story.
He chuckled nervously. "You, um, wouldn't have happened to see where a fat ugly bastard went, would you?" Naofumi asked lightly.
The group of knights yelled and charged the Shield Hero.
"Yeah, I figured." Naofumi raised a fist in front of him. "Air Strike Shield!"
The skill slammed into the front two knights' guts, knocking them breathless to the ground. The other six charged around to strike at Naofumi.
"Dog Bite!" Naofumi switched to the Two-Headed Dog Shield, activating its counter. The next pair of knights that struck at him were lifted screaming into the air. They were then thrown into two of the other knights.
The last two tried to tackle Naofumi, but it was like tackling a wall. He grabbed them with his high STR stat and threw them both behind him into a real wall.
'Wow, this is easier than I remember.' He'd already taken down the eight knights!
However, his victory was short-lived. The knights were all getting back up all around. None of them had taken any damage.
Oh yeah. His attack stat absolutely sucked.
And now, he was surrounded by the knights instead of being charged by them in a single group.
Before he could think of a plan, the knights all around tackled him. Two, it had been just fine. But eight knights of various higher levels all working together managed to bring Naofumi down to the ground in a grapple effect.
"Quickly! Restrain him before he uses more of his devil magic!" One of the eight knights ordered.
Naofumi grimaced. "How would you idiots feel if someone called you a devil?" He asked. "You've done way more messed up things than me."
Seriously, what about him was demonic when they lived off of torturing people with fluffy ears and cute tails? Had they been in Japan, they would have been executed by every otaku for such a sin! No mercy at all!...
Well, besides the ones that were into extreme BDSM. But he'd rather not go into that.
One of the knights, in anger, struck at Naofumi with his sword in one hand. Naofumi smirked as he changed Shields right before the impact using the Shield Menu. The Chimera Viper Shield.
"AH!" The knight screamed in pain as the venomous snake bit his arm. The others tried to stop him, but he let go of Naofumi because of the pain of the stronger poison from his awakened shield.
Eight was enough to grapple him. But apparently, seven was not. Naofumi immediately received the notification that he was no longer locked in a grapple effect.
"HA!" Naofumi stood back up and threw the rest of the group off him. The knights all took no damage from slamming into a wall together, but it stunned them long enough for them not to move out of the way of Naofumi's next skill.
"Shield Prison!" All seven knights were encased in the shield of plates and chains. "Change Shield! Bee Needle Paralysis Shield!"
A moment later, the Shield Prison dispersed. The knights all fell to the ground, unable to move.
Naofumi approached the last knight, who was still holding his arm where he'd been bitten. Seeing he was all alone, the knight cowered in fear.
Naofumi dropped a vial by the knight as he walked by. "Take that if you don't want to die from the poison." He dryly said.
He was no demon. And he wasn't going to leave a man to die slowly by poison.
The knight grabbed the vial and ran off. Naofumi continued on. Hoping he wouldn't have to deal with anything worse than a group of eight knights.
"Two tanks are better than one."
Boom!
"Remind me never to listen to you again you bastard!" Bakta screamed at Aksel.
They were running for their lives from a group of Church Mages. Aksel ducked, avoiding a blast of earth. "So we weren't able to take down the knights and the mages in that group at the same time. Sue me."
"I'll blame you! You had one job! One!" Bakta yelled.
"Aren't you a pain, trying to get me to ambush the mages when you have the enchanted armor," Aksel said sarcastically. "If it wasn't for me, there'd be knights chasing after us too!"
"I'd rather deal with magicless knights than fireball-throwing demons!" Bakta jumped, avoiding another fireball that hit the ground beneath him.
They both turned a corner to continue running when they got grabbed and pulled through a wall. The Church Mages turned the corner soon after and continued running off.
Maya dropped the illusion after a second and looked at the two disheveled knights. "Where would you be without my help Axe?" She teased him.
Aksel glowered at the demi-girl. "What's that? Do I hear a thank you for saving my life, the great and awesome Maya?" Maya teased.
"Let's just go already," Aksel grumbled. Retreating up the alleyway further up into the city.
Maya winked at Bakta and then ran off after Aksel.
'You know… as much as I complain about it, I'm glad she's not in Ren's party.' He could imagine her causing all sorts of trouble. And not the good kind.
He ran off after them.
Idol ran around another corner. Looking scared out of his mind. He had a few more cuts on him. And parts of his armor were missing.
'That damn demi!' He'd lost track of how many of his guards the girl had taken out. He knew he must be running low on them!
'Why, why is this happening to me?!' It was supposed to be the eve of his achievement! His greatest triumph in the name of the Gods!
Yet here he was, a victim in his own home! With a demi hellbent on murdering him and-
'Wait!' He finally pulled up his HUD. That demi was acting as if her friend had just died. Someone he'd killed. But the only demis that he killed coming to mind were-
His eyes widened. All his slaves under him! Most of them were gone. 'SHE'S DISTRACTING ME SO THEY CAN FREE THEM!' He was an idiot! He was a fool! He was-
He heard a noise in front of him, and he barely reacted in time. He blocked something, and then Raphtalia reappeared. Snarling angrily at him as the illusion spell hiding her wore off. He had barely managed to keep the thrust from hitting him directly. It had only damaged his gut armor.
"YOU DAMN DEMI!" Idol jumped back. "You're just distracting me so the rest of your kind can be freed!" He yelled.
Raphtalia made a move to run forward, but he raised a hand in front of him. Hovering it over an option on his HUD. Terminate Slave. He grinned maliciously. "One more move, and I'll kill them all!"
Raphtalia paused, growling incoherently. Her face was filled with Rage.
'Raphtalia… please… I don't want this.' She shook her head again. What was up with her? She dropped her sword.
Idol pressed the option for two of the slaves.
Down below, Ren was finishing removing another crest when two of the adults suddenly keeled over. Their slave crests glowed a dark malicious purple.
"AHHHHHHHHHH!" They both screamed in absolute agony.
Ren snapped into action. "Quick! Get those crests off! Now!" Eclair and Melty ran to one while Ren went to the other. Trying to remove the slave crests before they terminated the two demi-humans.
Raphtalia's ears twitched on her head. She could hear them. The screams of those dying down below.
Idol pulled out another whip. Laughing crazily to himself. "You damn demis are so predictable! I'll deal with you, and then I'll deal with your little friends-"
He snapped the whip forward, but Raphtalia caught it in her hands. Idol didn't have time to look surprised as Raphtalia tugged.
"Ahhhhh!-"
"RAH!" POW!
Raphtalia screeched as she punched Idol so hard, his helmet went flying off. He flew back through the air. He hit the ground rolling on his fat. He rolled down the stairs. He crashed through a 2nd story window. And then he slammed into the ground. Still rolling because of how fat he was until he stopped near the obelisk.
Raphtalia landed on the ground of the courtyard a moment later. Her sword was again in her hands. She growled like a rabid animal as she approached the noble, whose nose was bleeding from her punch.
"You damn demi!" Idol cracked the whip at her again. It hit her arm, but she didn't flinch. Idol tried to get back up, but Raphtalia was on him in a heartbeat. Kicking him back down to the ground. She also knocked the whip out of his hands and started punching him again and again and again.
Idol tried to resist. To try and call for help. But he was overwhelmed by the ferocity of Raphtalia's attack.
She finally ripped his chest plate off in a feral fashion. And stomped down on Idol's chest. He screamed as several of his ribs broke.
Raphtalia stood over Idol. Her sword was held high above her head.
Idol was wrong. She wasn't scary. The look of murderous intent she was giving him right now was downright terrifying! Her tail bristled behind her, looking like a porcupine's tail.
"Why, why are you doing this?!" Idol yelled in fear. His face was bloody and pained.
"Don't you recognize me?! Don't you know WHO I AM?!" Raphtalia finally yelled.
Idol finally gave the demi-girl a more thorough look. But it wasn't until he looked her in the eyes that he finally recognized the demi-girl from before. The one he'd broken in his cellar so long ago. "It's you…" Raphtalia growled, and he sniveled in fear.
"Please, have mercy!" He begged like a coward. Pleading for his life.
"You showed no mercy to countless demi-humans! You showed no mercy to women and children that begged for their lives! You showed no mercy to me! Why should I show mercy to YOU!?" Raphtalia yelled in anger.
Idol tried to grab for his whip, but she hit his hand with the flat of her blade. Breaking several of his bones.
He screamed in pain once more.
"Raphtalia?"
Naofumi found the broken window. He'd, fortunately, hadn't had to deal with any other knights after the first group. He found one of Raphtalia's fight scenes and followed it to the window. He looked outside. And he stopped at what he saw.
"Please! Spare me! I'll give you anything! ANYTHING!" Idol pled.
Raphtalia held her sword high again. She breathed in and out heavily. Images flashed across her vision as she looked down at this fat noble who begged for his life.
She saw the same noble, whipping her best friend in front of her since she herself refused to scream. She saw him laughing and sneering as she helped Rifana after her latest whipping. She saw the noble, laughing, as he whipped her while forcing her to stare at an image of her destroyed village.
She growled. Her eyes glared daggers at the fat man below her. The sick, twisted, horrid excuse for a man.
He had hurt Rifana. He had sold Rifana. Then he'd gotten her back and he'd killed Rifana!
"You're filth! You're dung! You're lower than dung!" Raphtalia yelled furiously. "YOU KILLED MY BEST FRIEND! THE ONLY THING I'LL ACCEPT IS YOUR HEAD AND THE HEADS OF EVERYONE ELSE IN THIS CITY ON A SILVER PLATTER!"
He had to pay for it! He had to pay! This entire city needed to pay for supporting this horrible excuse for a man! Her hands gripped the sword. Preparing to swing down. She had to bring justice to her dead friend!
Idol covered his head in fear. She swung down, and...
'No. Stop this, now.' The voice, now firm, said in her mind.
Raphtalia gasped. Her eyesight cleared. She had stopped mid-swing. Her sword was a mere inch over the cowering noble's neck.
The half-raccoon girl strained herself. "NO! NOT NOW! NOT WHEN I HAVE TO… WHEN I HAVE TO KILL EVERYONE HERE!" She screamed in agony.
'Raphtalia. Please, stop this.' The voice said again.
...
Raphtalia stared down in confusion at the cowering noble. Finally recognizing the voice. 'Ri… Rifana?'
'I know it hurts, I know it hurts a lot,' She couldn't tell if she was imagining it. But Rifana's voice sounded so clear in her mind. Like she was whispering into her ear.
'You have every right to kill this man for what he did to me. But I will not let you kill this entire city in my name. I refuse to let you sink so low.'
The noble, realizing he was still alive, looked around in surprise.
"Why… why Rifana?" Raphtalia whispered.
'... Because I don't want you to go down the same path the Shield Hero almost stepped onto because I died.' Rifana said. 'I will not let my death turn you into something you hate.'
Raphtalia stared at Naofumi, and then down at Idol. She tried to glare. She tried to will her arms to move. But instead of down, they raised back up. Bringing the sword to her side.
'No… I have to kill him… I HAVE TO!' She thought angrily, trying to block out her grief for Rifana. Tears were streaming from her eyes.
'Raphtalia. You already prevented the Shield Hero from turning into a monster. Please, don't do this if you'll turn into a monster yourself.' Rifana said to her sadly. Her spirit self placed a hand on Raphtalia's shoulder.
It had no weight to it, but it felt so real.
Raphtalia looked at Naofumi, who'd jumped to the ground by that point. Just one look at his approaching figure and she could tell that Naofumi would support her, no matter what she chose to do.
She then looked at the cowering Idol again...
...
...
She started to shake uncontrollably. More tears leaked from her eyes. Her hands clenched. She tried to will herself to swing down again. To want to only swing it down on Idol…
She backed away from the noble who had traumatized her so much. Her sword dropped to the side. Her fury drained away.
"I… I can't…"
The realization broke her.
Naofumi appeared at her side, holding her close. She cried into his shoulder.
The anger and rage disappeared. Being replaced with the grief of losing her best friend.
'It's okay. You'll be okay Raphtalia.'
It was too much. She couldn't do it. No matter how horrible the man was, she couldn't bring herself to kill him. Even though he'd tortured her and Rifana. Even though he'd killed Rifana and so many other demi-humans down in his cellar…
She couldn't do it. She couldn't bring herself to kill the bastard since she wouldn't have been satisfied with only killing him. She wanted to kill and kill until the whole city had paid for Rifana's death.
Her grief mixed with shame. Hadn't she stopped Naofumi from killing before for that very reason?
She couldn't be the one to kill Idol. She couldn't get revenge for Rifana. She was too weak to do it.
She'd turn into a monster if she did it.
"It's okay… you're going to be okay…" Naofumi whispered comfortingly into her hair.
'Rifana… RIFANA!' Raphtalia cried in her mind.
She wished she'd saved her best friend in time.
…
"You damn demi!"
Suddenly, Naofumi moved his shield, blocking a sword strike from Idol Rabier, who was holding Raphtalia's sword. He used the second it bought to move Raphtalia behind him where she'd be safe. "You stay out of this!" Naofumi yelled at the noble, before pushing him back with his shield.
The sword was knocked out of his grasp. "She won't kill you, but I have no qualms with doing it myself!" His shield glowed, preparing to unleash a skill on the noble.
He had no attack stat. But he'd kill the bastard for Raphtalia so that no one else would ever have to suffer at his hands. Even if it meant using the Shield of Rage or the Shield of Hope to do it.
Idol Rabier growled and pulled another whip out of his belt. This one looked different. "Let's see how you like this trick then, Devil of the Shield!" He said as he pulled back.
Naofumi braced his shield, expecting a blunt attack like what he'd done to Raphtalia. Only, when Idol flicked it forward, instead of cracking against his shield, the tip wrapped around his left bicep.
Naofumi only had a second to be confused before the evil smiling Idol Rabier pressed the button on the end of his whip.
"Urghhhhhh!" Naofumi grimaced, completely surprised that he was feeling pain as electricity flowed through the whip into his body. 'This bastard doesn't know when to quit!'
"No, Naofumi-" Raphtalia picked her sword up and attempted to slice through the whip. But the moment her sword connected, she got shocked by the current and crumpled to the ground in pain. It had to be more powerful than the average whip.
"No, Raphtalia-" The current coursing through the whip became stronger, and Naofumi almost fell to one knee.
Idol raised the power of this special whip to the maximum. "I haven't had the chance to use my lightning whip at such a high setting for a long time." Idol Rabier said evilly. "I only use it on those who truly deserve punishment. You should count yourself lucky, Devil of the Shield. You are taking it at a far higher setting than even those demi-humans who tried to revolt against me over the years." His evil smile grew bigger. "Now scream for me! Scream as you're purged from this world like the devil you are!"
Naofumi grit his teeth. It did feel like he was being shocked by lightning over and over again. He was surprised he was taking damage!
Still, it wasn't all-consuming. And he refused to let someone as disgusting as Idol bring him down with such a dirty backhanded move!
Naofumi stood back up, surprising the noble. This... this was the power of the strengthening methods at play here. "What?! You shouldn't be able to stand! You should be writhing on the ground in pain and agony!" Idol yelled angrily.
Naofumi's eyes glowered with anger. "You hurt Raphtalia, you tortured her friends, and you killed her best friend." He muttered dryly. Idol breathed in sharply at the look on Naofumi's face.
This noble had done some pretty unforgivable things. The worst part was that the noble had done them to one of the few people he truly cared about in this world.
"I don't care who you think you are. To me, you're nothing but a piece of rotten &^%$."
Naofumi grabbed the whip with both hands and tugged hard. Idol yelped as he was sent flying through the air towards the Shield Demon! Then, Naofumi bashed the fat noble in the face with the Chimera Viper Shield. Activating its counter effect, Snake Venom Fang (Large).
His Shield must have wanted to help him out for once. Because both snakes activated instead of just one from the strike, and they bit down on both of Idol's fat greasy cheeks!
"AHHHH!" Idol screamed from the poison. And because Naofumi was currently being shocked by the whip, Idol also got shocked by his own weapon.
"Air Strike Shield!" Naofumi summoned the Shield skill right between them both. The whip was flung off Naofumi's bicep by the skill Shield's appearance and the length of the whip wrapped around Idol without Naofumi touching it.
The universe also wanted to punish this man, apparently.
"Ah! AHHHHHH!" Idol screamed in agony. His hands lost their grip on the whip, but it didn't stop electrocuting him.
"Huah!" With a massive yell, Naofumi grabbed the noble by his lapel, endured the brief spat of being shocked, and threw him back into the obelisk. He screamed in pain as his broken ribs shifted.
Naofumi stood and watched. Glaring daggers at the fat noble as he was cooked on the ground by his own weapon.
"NO! AH! I still have more demihumans to torture! Ah! I can't die here! I CAN'T!" He yelled in fear.
Naofumi didn't try to help. He just watched as the noble writhed on the ground. Screaming bloody murder. The whip still going and going… until finally, the noble's screams ceased.
The whip ran out of power. Smoke rose from Idol's cooked body.
It was fitting, really. One of the very whips Idol had used to torture so many demi-humans had been the thing that killed him in the end.
'See you in hell. You fat bastard.'
This was one man Naofumi did not wish to ever have rest in peace.
Ren came running up the steps out of the cellar. "Naofumi!" He sprinted across the courtyard towards them.
"Ren-" Before Naofumi could say more, Raphtalia sat up, groaning as she clutched at her head.
Naofumi instantly got down and hugged her close. He felt very thankful that she hadn't gotten herself killed.
"N... Naofumi..." She looked drained.
"What happened?" Ren asked after he'd run up to them both.
"I-" Raphtalia looked disconcerted for another second. But her eyes focused, and she gasped when she saw Idol Rabier lying facedown on the ground.
Naofumi set her head against his shoulder while he rubbed her hair.
"He's dead," Naofumi said flatly. "He died by his own weapon."
"So... karma got him in the end." Ren looked at the smoking mass of stinking fat on the ground. It was kind of gross to look at.
Raphtalia didn't say anything more. She stared at the fat carcass that belonged to her former tormentor as Naofumi embraced her.
"Are you sure he's dead?" Ren asked.
"Pretty sure." Neither of them wanted to check. And who could blame them? They did not want to get their hands filthy handling that man's vile body to check for a pulse.
Hell, Naofumi wanted to wash off his shield where the man's greasy face had slammed into it. Who knew how long it'd been since those rolls of fat had been properly washed?
Then again, maybe he should keep the grease on his Shield for a while. You know, as punishment for NOT GIVING HIM AN ATTACK STAT TO MAKE HIS DAMN LIFE EASIER!
HOW WOULD YOU LIKE THAT YOU STUPID YANDERE SHIELD?!
"Naofumi, please, not now," Raphtalia said softly. She looked to be on the verge of crying again.
Naofumi began to rub her hair again. Not letting his thoughts from before surface again.
Seeing both of them were okay, Ren ran over to the gates and activated the lever that opened the main gate. He then ran back to the cellar and began helping Eclair and Melty with getting all the slaves up. A minute later, Filo came charging in, pulling the largest wagon Naofumi had ever seen behind her.
The brown wood wagon had no covering on the top and it was as long as a trailer. The walls on it had benches built into it. Naofumi didn't know how Filo had found something so big, but he was proud of her for it.
Itsuki's party member was also holding onto it.
"Oh, good. It looks like you dealt with his noble fatness." Karn said happily, seeing Idol's unmoving body by the obelisk.
"Filo!" Melty charged the large bird happily. She'd really missed the large bird.
She was only gone for like, twenty minutes, tops. How was the Second Princess more attached to Filo than Filo's parents?
"Daddy! Mommy! Mel!" She looked relieved as she pulled the wagon up next to Naofumi and Raphtalia. Naofumi stood up, but Raphtalia stayed kneeling on the ground. "The city looks terrible!"
"I know," Naofumi grumbled. He'd seen enough despicableness to last a lifetime. He did not want to stick around any longer for it.
"No, Filo means the city looks terrible! There's a lot of fighting going on!" Filo pointed a wing out of the entrance.
"What the-" Naofumi ran up to the entrance and looked down at the city.
"Oh no..." Melty looked worried.
He saw explosions happening in the lower parts of the city. Knights manning defense ballistae on the wall were firing at random buildings.
"Oh yeah. I was sent to figure out what was taking so long." Karn mentioned. "Should I tell Sir Itsuki we're good to go? I don't know how much more time they can buy with all this going on."
Naofumi gritted his teeth. "Out of the frying pan and into the fire again." He looked to Ren. "Are you able to use your portal skill?" Naofumi asked.
Ren checked and nodded. "There's no interference. But I don't have enough room in the skill to move us and all these slaves out of here."
"Damn it." Naofumi hated that reminder. He hoped when and if he got his Portal skill that he wouldn't have a limit like Ren and Itsuki.
Knowing his luck though, it was likely he'd have the worst limit of all the Heroes. "Alright. Let's see if we can fit everyone into the wagon. We'll just have to hope Filo can make it to the side gate of the city before they do and risk being pursued when we flee."
Naofumi helped the others with getting the former slaves into the back. It was going to be packed, but it looked like everyone would fit.
Naofumi looked to Raphtalia, who was silent now. Staring at the ground. Then he sighed. "Raphtalia, help me get everyone in here." He said gently. "You too, Filo. Help Mommy out."
"Okay!" Filo in her large bird form picked up several demi-children with her wings.
Raphtalia remained silent. Naofumi helped an adult get a small child slave into the back when he noticed Raphtalia still hadn't moved. "Hey, Raphtalia?"
Raphtalia shook her head and stood up, but she still didn't say anything. She started helping, but she looked oddly subdued. It was like she was there… but at the same time, she wasn't.
Eventually, everyone was in, and then Eclair lifted up two wrapped bodies he hadn't noticed earlier. The first one was the adult she and Melty hadn't freed from the slave crest in time.
The other was Rifana.
Raphtalia sat near the front seat. Wordlessly, the knight gave the wrapped body to her. Raphtalia held Rifana in her lap. Not even looking to Eclair to thank her for taking her best friend out of there. She rubbed Rifana's forehead like she was a mother grieving for her lost child.
"We'll have to return another time to make sure the bodies of the rest who died here are ensured proper burials," Eclair muttered, sitting by Welt and Melty.
They both wordlessly nodded their heads. There were things in there they wished they could unsee.
Naofumi took Filo's reins, and Ren stood beside him, sword in hand. Both of them looked down at the city in chaos. It took one glance, and Naofumi knew they wouldn't make it to the side gates before the Church's Army got there en masse.
"How are we going to get everyone out of this?" Naofumi wondered out loud.
Ren gripped his sword tightly. He wasn't sure...
"Huh? Sir Heroes, Idol is doing something!" Melty yelled.
The two turned their heads in shock. Naofumi had been positive the noble was dead! But the noble was lying down at the base of the obelisk. The obelisk was now beginning to glow as the noble muttered something.
"What the hell is he doing?" Naofumi jumped up, readying his shield in case it was some type of attack.
However, Ren paled. He reacted faster than Naofumi, jumping off and kneeling on the ground. "One Hundred Swords!" The translucent blue swords appeared from the ground around him, flying towards the dying noble.
Many of the swords impaled his back and the ground around him, and the noble cried out in pain. But he was grinning victoriously. "You're too late! Your deaths have already been assured!"
"No!-"
A blinding light came from the obelisk. "The seal is broken! Your doom is at hand! Aha! AHAHAHAHA Ack- Ack-!" The noble's final laugh ended as he shuddered on the ground in a fat, bloody, smoking mess. His broken ribs had punctured his heart and lungs from the force of his laughter.
Ren jumped back into the driver's seat next to Naofumi! "Drive! Drive!" He yelled frantically.
"Wait! I still have to have Filo yell into the Megaphone-" Naofumi tried to say.
"Screw that! DRIVE!"
"Daddy! Something's coming out of the ground there!" Filo said worriedly.
Naofumi looked. The obelisk was gone. A portal had formed over the ground in its place. And although it was bright, Naofumi saw a bright red eye stare at him from it. Its pupil was the size of his head.
Naofumi's fear immediately kicked his plan to the curb. "GET US OUT OF HERE FILO!"
Filo didn't need to be told twice. She grabbed the heavy full wagon and ran full speed out the wide-open gates.
Almost fifteen seconds later, the roar of the Tyrant Dragon Rex shook the city.
Turns out, Filo didn't need to screech into Naofumi's Voice Gengar Shield.
Despite the various states of fear and panic, everyone in the city knew crap was about to go down when a twenty-meter tall ancient dinosaur took its first step into Idol's courtyard. Squashing the ugly fat bastard underneath its massive foot.
Rot forever in a big bloody mess of fat.
You fat bastard.
Hero Clips!
Idol is Fat
"I'm not fat! I'm big-boned!"
The three Heroes stared confusedly at the grossly fat noble.
"But... your chin rolls have chin rolls." Itsuki pointed out.
Idol's chins could have been hiding a six-pack behind all the fat.
"And I can't tell if those are your sides... or your hips," Ren said.
Idol looked appalled. "How dare you! These are totally my hips!" He rocked the fat rolls on his hips.
They jiggled in a way that almost made the three heroes want to vomit.
"Ugh…" Itsuki turned away and did vomit.
This guy could probably give the world's fattest man in their respective worlds a run for his money.
"Now, prepare to fight false heroes!" Idol screeched, pulling out a sword from his sheathe. His whole body jiggled with the action, and the sword almost slipped from his grubby, greasy fingers repeatedly.
"I… I can't do this." Ren turned away. He wouldn't dare let his sword go anywhere near that man for fear of it getting ruined.
"I'll kill you all! How dare you insult me-" He tried to step forward, but the buttons holding his trousers up popped off. It went into Itsuki's mouth right as he'd turned around from vomiting.
The Bow Hero coughed, then, when Idol's pants fell, revealing legs so thick and droopy and covered in grease, the Bow Hero didn't even try to fight it as he turned green and vomited again.
You couldn't even tell if he was wearing underwear because his fat gut (thankfully) blocked the view.
How was this man still standing?!
Did the term 'negative boner' exist? Because that was pretty much what all of them were feeling right now!
Idol eeped, and tried to pull up his pants. But his fat rolls kept him from bending over far enough to grab them.
"Alright, I have to say it for the memes." Naofumi finally said.
"Godzilla is big-boned. You, sir, are fat!"
May someone like him never be introduced into this story ever again.
Till Next Time
Allen