Chapter Nineteen: Heroes of Another World
After L'Arc announced his ultimatum, Naofumi, Ren, and Itsuki stood deathly still in shock, staring at the redhead.
The kind-hearted, goofy, laidback L'Arc who'd just told them to die.
…
L'Arc's grip on the scythe tightened. He kept it pointed at the Heroes, while Therese held a spell ready next to him.
"Therese! What are you doing?!" Wyndia finally snapped out of her shock, yelling at her.
"Are you two allied with Glass?!" Ren shouted at them. He still looked shocked but also hurt.
Wasn't L'Arc their friend? They hung out together! Bathed together! Ate together! They even got drunk together!
Was that all a lie?! Just an excuse to get closer to them!?
"..." L'Arc looked forward unflinchingly for a moment before finally speaking out. "Yes." He answered Ren's accusation.
The Sword Hero stepped back in shock.
"Glass is our friend," Therese affirmed. Her circlet was gone, revealing a gem in the center of her forehead.
Wyndia's mouth gaped open. "But… but…" She was friends with the person who'd tried to kill them?
"After Glassy told us about the Heroes that she'd faced, we never thought that we'd just run into you three… huh. It's funny, isn't it? All this time, we were trying to track down information about the Heroes so we could kill them..." L'Arc chuckled. It didn't sound happy though. "Yet all this time, it was you three. You three, stinking Kiddos were our targets all along."
It sounded…
"Why, why are you doing this?" Naofumi's trembling voice made it clear that he was barely holding back his anger.
"Haven't I already told you, Naofumi?" L'Arc said it like it was obvious. "To save our world and people from the Waves of Destruction. And the only way we have left to achieve that goal is to kill the heroes of a rival world and then offer it as a sacrifice, so ours will be spared."
"I'm sorry, Master Craftsman. But it's for the sake of our world." Therese tried to say with all the firmness that she could muster.
"That's right, Naofumi. Therese and I aren't from this world. L'Arc made a flourish with his scythe before pointing it forward again.
"I'm a Hero from another world."
Naofumi, Itsuki, and Ren looked down at the whale beneath them, unable to look L'Arc in the eyes. All three of them were trembling from anger and betrayal.
"Therese and I came here to learn about this world's heroes.
"To learn their strengths. To learn their weaknesses. To grow strong, so we could kill them when the opportunity came. We, no, I came to kill you so I could save my world. So I could save my people.
"That's why I'm doing this."
Naofumi was dead silent as L'Arc delivered each statement like a sledgehammer strike. "I didn't come here to make 'friends.' I came here to kill you, Ren, Itsuki, and whoever the hell Motoyasu is. I did it because I want to save those I care about…"
"L'Arc…" Therese looked at the Scythe wielder worriedly.
L'Arc gave her a sad smile, before raising his scythe at Naofumi again. "For what it's worth, don't consider this personal. The time we spent together, however brief it might have been, was truly fun."
His scythe suddenly flashed red as power began to flow through it. "Out of respect for that, I will make your deaths quick and painless!"
Itsuki pulled the string of his bow back. "Just try it, I dare you!" He snarled angrily. "You're not the only one who has people he cares about, you selfish bastard!"
The Bow Hero wished he could say that he'd felt all along that the annoying redhead wasn't who he actually was. But that would be a lie. Like Ren, like Naofumi, L'Arc had also managed to become his friend. And the sting of betrayal he felt now made him furious.
Itsuki couldn't help but wonder if this was what Naofumi felt like when he learned that Bitch was going to betray him.
L'Arc laughed. "Funny, you're calling me selfish. What makes your world more special than mine, huh Itsuki? What makes your people more important?!" He readied his scythe. It began to glow even brighter. "Tell me! Who's really being the selfish bastard here!?"
Itsuki's bow also glowed as it charged a skill. Ren's sword did as well.
Energy crackled along the fingers of the party mages. Raphtalia readied her sword. Filo readied her claws. Naofumi raised the Soul Eater Shield in front of him.
He felt his inner rage wanting to be let out. He felt the darkness trying to invade his mind. A fury that made him want to unleash his rage in a fiery inferno. To burn that smug look off of L'Arc's face permanently… to… to...
…
…
…
They continued to stand there, staring at one another. Neither group was making a single move to attack.
The sheer strangeness of this stand-off somehow managed to cool the Shield Hero off a bit and gave him a moment to think.
The two were still standing there. Therese had a hand over one of her gems, ready to cast her magic. L'Arc's Vassal weapon still glowed, ready to unleash a skill.
But they weren't attacking. They were… waiting?
But for what? For Glass? No, if they wanted to stall for time, they would have kept on talking. Wait, could it be that they were waiting for Naofumi and the other Heroes to attack first? But why? To play it safe and gauge their abilities before attacking in earnest?
No, this wasn't it either. It wasn't L'Arc's style. He always aggressively charged at enemies with almost no care of the consequences, which is why Therese had to patch him up so often with her magic. Things like combat style and fighting preferences were too hard to fake to such an extent.
Why were they hesitating then…?
...
'Because they don't want to fight.' Naofumi suddenly realized.
The hatred in his mind disappeared.
All of L'Arc's barbs, his taunts, his mind games. It would explain it all.
If he were to goad the three heroes into attacking him, then maybe, in some way, he'd feel validated to defend himself. To convince himself that he had no choice but to kill them…
He knew that goading tactic. He'd used that same strategy to get others like Bitch to fight him.
He opened his mouth to speak up, but then a cold, sobering thought washed over him like a bucket of ice water.
'But what if I'm wrong?'
What if this was a trick? A way to make them drop their guard and allow the two otherworlders to strike them down?
What if-
"Distrusting people and giving up on them is easy." Naofumi walked to the window to look outside.
"You know, Ren and Itsuki could have chosen to not get involved, and I could have chosen not to listen to either of them. But because they reached out to me, and because I listened, my time in this world ended up being far less crappy than it could have been. So I want to try and give that same chance to others." He admitted before facing his girlfriend again.
"Raphtalia, I appreciate that you're worried. I'm thankful for it, actually. You're voicing some of the same doubts I've run through my mind." He then smiled softly at her. "However, our situation has changed. We're no longer in constant danger, nor are we hated by everyone around us. Approaching every situation with a fight or flight attitude is just not going to work anymore."
They didn't have to run from place to place. They had a place to call home, and family and friends to back them up. As such, they should be building it up instead of chasing everyone away. Even if there was always the risk of someone having nefarious plans, they couldn't let that sole thought guide them.
They had to give people a chance.
...
What if he followed his own damn advice for once in his life...
"L'Arc, you don't actually want to fight us, do you?" Naofumi raised his head up slowly to look the redhead in the eyes.
L'Arc briefly looked surprised, but then his scowl reformed on his face. "Of course I do! It's for my world, for everyone I care about! You have to-"
"Then make the first move." Naofumi switched out of the Soul Eater Shield to the Small Shield. He held his arms out, making himself completely vulnerable as he began to approach the pair. Everyone behind him was surprised at his boldness.
"Naofumi, what are you-" Itsuki started to say.
"Come on, attack me, idiot! Isn't this for the good of your world?!" Naofumi taunted.
L'Arc began to tremble where he stood.
"If you really want to fight us, if you really want to kill me, then go ahead and do it." Naofumi continued.
L'Arc continued to tremble. Therese had started trembling too. "Master Craftsman…"
"Naofumi…" Raphtalia looked at him worriedly.
"Naofumi, get back! Have you gone insane-" Itsuki tried to ask again.
It was his turn to deliver some verbal sledgehammers of his own.
"COME ON!" Naofumi yelled as he stepped within L'Arc's striking distance. "You already know the story of how I was betrayed in the beginning, don't you?! I told you that's what happened to the Shield Hero, right?! If you were really our friends, you should remember that I've already gone through all this bull &^%$ before!
"If you actually want to kill us, then make the first move damn it! Don't be a &^%$ing coward trying to hide behind some lame excuse about caring for your world!"
"If you want to betray me, do it because you want to!"
Naofumi gripped L'Arc's wrist, forcing him to point the blade of his scythe towards the Shield Hero's face. "Naofumi-" He said in shock.
"Itsuki's right! If you really want to murder your friends in cold blood, then just do it already you selfish bastard! Attack me and save your people!"
L'Arc trembled more and more with each sentence Naofumi yelled at him. And with that action-
"DO IT, you bloody spineless coward-"
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" L'Arc raised his scythe high in the air above him.
"Wait, L'Arc-" Therese reached for L'Arc, yelling for him to stop.
But he brought his scythe down...
Stabbing it into the whale next to where Naofumi was standing.
The rest of Therese's scream died on her lips after seeing the look on L'Arc's face.
"I CAN'T!" L'Arc screamed, his visage twisted into a grimace of pain with bitter tears streaking down its length.
…
…
A long silence fell over both groups. L'Arc was leaning on his scythe now, looking entirely defeated as tears continued to streak down the sides of his face.
Naofumi scoffed. "Of course you can't, you idiot. You aren't even nearly big enough of a scumbag to be a murderer, and neither are you." He looked to Therese, who collapsed to her knees as well. She was crying just like L'Arc was.
"I know that you have to die for the sake of my world. That you have to die for the people I care about. For the lives of all those who don't deserve to die…" L'Arc murmured.
"I want you dead so badly that it hurts. There's no other way to save our world but… you're right. I can't bring myself to make the first move." L'Arc admitted before looking at Therese who was next to him.
"I can't either…" Therese admitted as well. "I can't kill them… I can't kill Master Craftsman..."
"It's okay, Therese." He reached out to hug the trembling girl. "If you don't want to fight them, then we're not going to do that."
Therese began to sob, and L'Arc hugged her close so they could both cry on each other.
Itsuki still stood in his spot, his arms trembling as his mind tried to process what he'd just witnessed. Weren't they going to fight L'Arc? Hadn't the redhead revealed that he was the enemy all along…? That he'd only been using them to… to...
Then, Naofumi's hand gently grabbed Itsuki's wrist, lowering his bow. The Shield Hero shook his head while giving him a meaningful look.
Itsuki continued to scowl, but he complied. The glow around his bow disappeared. Naofumi moved on, getting the others to stand down too.
Even if some of them didn't want to.
"... I'm so sorry, L'Arc." Therese looked down at herself sadly. She couldn't deny that if L'Arc had tried to fight against them now… she wouldn't have used her attack magic.
"It's fine. We honestly should have seen this coming. Shield Kiddo saw through the both of us…" L'Arc said, trying to sound upbeat, but failing.
...
"So are you done wasting our time now?" Naofumi asked harshly, turning around to face them again after everyone else stood down. "If so, then start talking. What is this nonsense about you two being heroes from another world and how does you killing us correlate with you saving it?" He crossed his arms as he said that.
"Yes, why do you have to kill us to save your world?" Itsuki asked though he was still scowling.
"..." Ren remained silent. His sword was still charged with a skill, but Naofumi trusted him with using an appropriate amount of force when necessary far more than Itsuki, so he'd let him be.
You know, just in case L'Arc did try to attack them.
Just because he was willing to give them a chance, that didn't mean he would completely drop his guard or throw away potential precautions.
There was also Glass to worry about still.
At least, by the looks of it, L'Arc was far more reasonable than Glass was.
"... Fine." L'Arc trembled as he stood up and helped Therese to do so as well.
"I'll give you my secrets." He held his arm out to the side. "I'm an honest guy, and you deserve to know why we were here to kill you." It was official. The redhead really did sound depressed. He'd been depressed that whole time.
It was no wonder L'Arc and Therese had been avoiding them the last few days. Had they finally begun to connect the dots about who they were? Or maybe guilt had been gnawing at them since they learned that they had been deeply connected to the Heroes? And that guilt weighed all the heavier on them now, knowing that they were actually the Heroes.
"In our world, we recently came upon a particular book describing a legend. A legend about the Waves." L'Arc began.
To paraphrase, it said that in ancient times, the Heroes of various worlds fought each other during the Waves. It was assumed that those who won got to live on, while those who lost would receive a front-row seat to the destruction of their world.
"Assumed?" Naofumi asked in disbelief.
L'Arc grimaced. "Our monster friend is still working on trying to decipher the specifics of it. We know for sure though that it's about the Waves."
He continued, and the story became even more interesting.
The Cardinal Hero that L'Arc, Therese, and Glass had been serving under was missing. In fact, she'd been missing for years. Since before the Waves had started hitting their world. She'd been summoned for a previous threat, and then disappeared sometime before the three other Heroes were summoned to help fight the Waves.
But the other three Cardinal Heroes of their world were too weak to fight off the Waves, so they'd stopped helping altogether.
The story continued to become even wilder from there.
They used to have a united front with all of the other Vassal Heroes in that world to help fight off the Waves. However, as time passed, a couple of them like the Katana Hero died fighting the Wave monsters. Others became disillusioned with helping when the Cardinal Heroes stopped participating and pulled out from the alliance.
Some of these former friends had even become bitter enemies.
Now, the countries of L'Arc's world were hardly working together to stop the Waves at all. And the only hope they had of helping their world to survive was...
"So, it's desperation that's made you resort to killing the Heroes of other worlds, based on a legend that you don't know the entirety of." Naofumi flatly stated.
L'Arc sadly nodded his head. "We had no choice. If there was another way, we would have taken it long ago... Glassy would have taken it long ago. But if we don't kill the Heroes of other worlds, then our world..."
Naofumi found that hard to believe. "But aren't you doing all of this based only on an ancient legend?" Naofumi asked. "Do you really want to become murderers just because a legend says that it might be how things happened in the past?! Just how stupid are you?!"
L'Arc held his head in shame. "Of course I don't…" He started crying again. "I hate this. Even when we try our best to make it an honest duel, I hate it! But at the same time, I just want to protect my friends... I just, I just want to protect my people… none of them deserve to die..."
That made Naofumi pause. The way L'Arc had said that… it was almost like there was some deeper meaning to it. But Naofumi had no idea what it could be.
He shook his head. "Look, I can understand wanting to protect those you care about. That's literally my purpose. But if you really want to protect those you care for, then you shouldn't be fighting us. You should be fighting monsters! Leveling up! Growing stronger! Unlocking weapon forms and all that!"
"I… I know… we know that... but…"
...
Whatever L'Arc was going to say, it died on his lips. He turned to his partner. "He's right. Therese, let's just head back and tell Glassy that we failed."
Therese glanced at Wyndia in response, looking conflicted. "Shouldn't we at least apologize-"
"Head back and tell me that you failed?"
Naofumi tensed up at the familiar voice. "Oh sh-" He quickly changed to the Soul Eater Shield.
A burst of power shot out from a nearby Wave rift. The very next moment, Naofumi felt something heavy impact against his shield. It was Glass's fan, and the usually calm and collected kimono wearer was looking livid.
"Glass!" L'Arc said in shock.
"I already dealt with the boss on the other side! Why are you two just standing there?! You're supposed to be killing the Cardinal Heroes!-" Glass began to yell at them when something unexpected happened.
Naofumi's shield activated its Soul Eat counter, and the largemouth on its front opened, sucking something out from Glass. The fan wielder's eyes widened as a gasp of pain escaped her lips, forcing her to jump back.
Naofumi stared at his shield, confused at Glass's reaction. "My my, I actually felt that," Glass muttered in surprise while cautiously feeling her arm.
"Glassy, wait, we decided we don't want to fight-" L'Arc tried to tell her.
"Silence, traitor! If you refuse to deal with them, then I shall do it myself!" Glass raised her fans in front of her, and they began to glow with a familiar color.
"I'm not a traitor! I'm just trying to be reasonable-" L'Arc tried to yell at her, but she was already attacking once again.
"Air Strike Shield! Second Shield!" Naofumi cast the two skills horizontally in front of the whole group. "Take cover!" He yelled to the party members of all parties.
"Zero Stance Rondo: Reverse MoonFlower!" The slashes of energy that came from Glass looked even stronger than before.
However, while Naofumi's skills cracked a little, they still held under her onslaught. And unlike last time, everyone was quick to take cover behind his defenses.
"Guys, do we want to do what we discussed last night?" Naofumi asked the other two heroes.
Itsuki and Ren both nodded. "I've had it ready just for this," Ren said, holding his glowing sword in his hand.
So he hadn't kept it charged for L'Arc after all.
Smart boy.
Naofumi nodded before addressing the rest of their allies. "Everyone! Fall back!" Looking at the area in front of his shields, Glass's attack was heavily slashing up the whale. The slashes hitting the water around them looked like they were separating the ocean with their power.
"But daddy-" Raphtalia grabbed their daughter, fleeing alongside everyone else at Naofumi's order.
"Do you think we'll be enough?" Itsuki asked.
Naofumi nodded. "No one else needs to get hurt this time."
The plan that they'd devised together wasn't a particularly complex one. But that was only because it didn't need to be.
They had their higher levels. They had more time with the strengthening methods. They had new magic. They had new skills.
And above all, they had a Shield Hero who'd spent his time experimenting with accessories, giving Ren the mother of all skills.
There was no need for their friends to get caught in the crossfire here. Hence, why Melty was keeping everyone on the ships from assisting the Heroes right now.
Glass's skill stopped, and she looked impressed when Naofumi dismissed the two shields. "My, to think that you can now hold your ground against that level of power. You have truly grown stronger since our last battle, Hero Naofumi."
"Tch. I'm not the only one who's grown." Naofumi clicked his tongue. "L'Arc already said he doesn't want to fight, and we don't want to fight either. No one here has to get hurt-"
"No. I'll never give up." Glass's fans charged with power again. "Nothing you say can change my mind! For my world, you must die!"
...
Well, can't fault a man for trying.
"As Shield Hero, source of thy power I order thee…"
"As Bow Hero, source of thy power I command thee..."
Itsuki and Naofumi began chanting their spells simultaneously. Ren stepped forward between the two.
In the end, Naofumi pointed his hand at Ren, and Itsuki pointed his hand at Glass.
"And energize my target! Zweite Aura!" "And weaken my target! Zweite Down!"
Green energy surrounded Ren's form just as gold energy surrounded Glass's form. The Sword Hero's stats received a boost as Glass's stats received a debuff.
"Do you really think that your weak magic will help you this time? You are fools!" The raven-haired invader scoffed.
"No! Glassy, stop-" L'Arc and Therese tried to grab her, but she rushed past them, completely ignoring her friends as her red eyes focused solely on Ren, who'd stepped forward to face off against her.
"Come, little dragon, let's see how much stronger you've grown since our last match!" Glass raised her voice and her fans in preparation to launch another skill.
But this time, Naofumi didn't make a single move to defend the Sword Hero.
He didn't need it.
"I'm not so little anymore, Glass! Now go, One Thousand Swords!" Ren finally unleashed the skill he'd charged up. Holding his sword up towards the sky.
Suddenly, the space around them shifted.
Glass stopped in her reckless charge, watching as the air all around her filled with the long, blue blades of many, many ethereal swords.
It was almost like she was surrounded by a cocoon of energy.
Ren had shown Naofumi what the skill had done to that beach before, but Naofumi still gaped, shocked at the increase in the numbers and power that Ren's skill had gotten from the accessory that he'd crafted for him.
"Holy…" Itsuki breathed out in shock.
He and everyone else stared at the overwhelming display of power. L'Arc and Therese went silent too, staring in stunned horror at their friend's predicament.
And then, Ren slashed his sword down, and one after the other, the swords came crashing down onto Glass.
From every direction.
"Ha! Hua! Huah!"
The fan wielder immediately began to spin.
She twisted.
She slashed with her fans, knocking the swords away amidst her deadly dance.
But one thousand swords were far harder to dodge than one hundred. Especially coming from a stronger Hero.
"Oof!"
"Urgh!"
"Ugh!"
For every blade she blocked or deflected, two more took their place. The ones that she managed to dodge, simply curved around to stab into her once more. Slowly, but steadily, Glass started to get hit.
"Do you really think this is enough to-" She had to stop talking as she was hit again.
First, they were only glancing blows.
Then, they left gashes behind.
Then, they were stabbing into her, driving themselves nearly down to the hilt into her ghostly body.
"Zero Stance Rondo, Reverse Moon- ahhhhh!" Glass screamed in pain as one sword stabbed through her stomach, forcing her to one knee briefly.
"Glassy!" L'Arc finally screamed. He tried to rush forward, but then a ball of shields and chains appeared around him. He beat his fists uselessly against the metal. "Naofumi, stop this, please!" L'Arc screamed through the prison.
"I'll do anything! I swear we'll never come back! We'll never bother another Hero again! Just let her go!" He screamed. "Please! Don't kill Glassy!"
But the ball of shields didn't disappear.
Glass tried to persevere. She kept on twisting. Kept on slashing. Kept on dancing.
Her own spirit energy filled the wounds of her form. She kept on pushing. Kept on going.
But the swords kept raining down on her.
They didn't stop.
They wouldn't stop.
She felt like a lone child caught outside during a thunderstorm. No matter how hard she tried to fight back, one simply couldn't fight nature. You could not dodge every rain droplet. This was what it was, a never-ending storm of death and destruction directed solely at her like a vindictive god's wrath.
Like the wrath of a fierce, burning dragon.
She had severely underestimated Ren.
"No, this can't…" She whispered in fear.
Gradually, her movements slowed.
Her slashes became weaker.
Her blocking became less effective.
Her dodging became worse.
The effects of Itsuki's debuff spell became clearer. This wasn't the same weak magic she'd experienced before. This had power behind it. And Ren's attacks, were they this strong because of Naofumi's spell?
Had she underestimated all three of them?
Finally, after several swords impaled her arms at the same time, Glass fell to her hands and knees, exhausted.
The ball of chains disappeared from around L'Arc, and he fell to his knees as well, staring in horror at Glass's fallen form.
"Relax," Naofumi spoke calmly. He was now standing beside the redhead as well as Therese, who could only stare in horror from behind the Shield Hero.
Relax?! How could he relax?! They were killing his friend in front of him and there was nothing he could do about it!
The last hundred swords came hurtling towards Glass from all directions. She looked up at them and then bowed her head with a resigned look, accepting her fate.
"Glass, nooooo-"Both L'Arc and Therese screamed.
"Ren doesn't plan on killing her anyway," Naofumi muttered next to them.
And then, inches away from the kimono-clad girl's body, all the swords stopped.
…
Their scream of desperation abruptly stopped.
Glass winced, having expected to die then and there, but as the seconds passed, she gradually opened her eyes, seeing the swords hovering around her. The skin of the whale all around her was ripped to shreds.
Ren began to slowly approach her, still holding his sword aloft. The accessory hanging on his keychain looked much worse for the wear, but it was still functional.
"You're not the only one who doesn't want to become a murderer," Naofumi said to L'Arc, resting a hand on the redhead's shoulder before walking away towards the others. He passed by Ren as he did so, neither of them acknowledging the other. They didn't need words to speak right now.
Finally, the Sword Hero stopped in front of Glass.
The pale woman was silent. Her kimono ripped and torn by all the swords she'd been forced to endure. The only sound she made was that of her pained breaths.
…
"I'm not dumb enough to not realize that you spared our lives back on that ship during the last Wave," Ren spoke up, sounding serious.
"You could have easily killed us in the time you had left. But you didn't..."
...
The remaining swords around her disappeared as he sheathed his sword on his back. "Because you spared us then, I'm sparing you now."
"Please accept it, and go back to your world."
...
Glass looked down, appearing thoughtful for a few seconds... then she shook her head and raised it to meet the Sword Hero's gaze with a defiant look. "I…"
"I can't, do that." She forced herself to say through the pain.
"Look. Be reasonable. You're in no shape to fight anymore." Ren kept a level gaze on her, but inwardly, he was having to hold back just how shocked his nerves were from curb-stomping the Fan Hero after the fiasco with the last Wave. Had he truly grown that much stronger? This was awesome!
Wait, why was he praising himself?! Focus on the here and now! "Please, I mean it when I'm saying that none of us want this. Just go back to your world and-"
"I, can't!" Glass stood up, trembling on her legs, but she stood determined nonetheless. She held her fans in an attack stance, her red eyes flashing. "For everyone in our world, you have to die!"
She swung forward, but Ren grabbed her wrists, stopping her attack. Naofumi and the others simply stood back and watched. Stunned, surprised, or awed that Glass was still fighting despite looking so beat up.
Stunned at the fact that even after all of that, Glass was still resorting to fighting. Despite all the wounds she was suffering from...
"Please, just stop, I don't want to kill an innocent person again!" Ren yelled in her face, thinking back on his fight with Gaelion.
"I don't care! If you live, Hero Ren, then our world will die!" Glass screamed.
"You don't know that! The legend you heard could be wrong!" Ren yelled back in desperation.
She broke free of his grip and tried to attack him again, but he jumped back, avoiding her sluggish attack. Damn it, she'd used too much of her energy healing her more serious wounds. She also looked paler than before. Almost translucent, even. She couldn't believe she'd allowed herself to recklessly charge into his earlier attack.
This was really nothing like the last fight at all. Already, she was on her last legs, and the other three Heroes were unscratched. All because-
"Sword Kiddo!" L'Arc yelled, grabbing Ren's attention. He looked at him, seeing that L'Arc and Therese had positioned themselves behind their friend.
"Air Strike Bash!" Ren unsheathed his sword and sent the kimono wearer flying back into L'Arc and Therese. The two gripped onto her tightly.
"Argh! Why won't you two help me?!" Glass screamed at them. If they'd only fought together, they could have had a chance! Why did they refuse to fight now!?
She didn't look calm or composed anymore. She was frustrated, she was hurt, she was betrayed.
She was angry.
"Glass, please, we… we don't want to do this anymore," L'Arc admitted. "Let's just go back home and-"
"No! If we admit defeat here, then our world will die! We have to kill them!" Glass glared at Ren, Naofumi, and everyone with such a dark look of hatred that Naofumi felt the hairs on his neck stand on end. "We have to kill every Hero we meet!"
Oh no. Why did he get the sense that something really bad was about to happen?
The fans that Glass was holding changed. They looked black as night, with red lines running along their length. The gemstones on them flared a very familiar red. The Heroes could have sworn foreboding boss music started to sound in the background.
Ren actually began to tremble in terror where he stood. He recognized this atmosphere.
If Glass was also a hero, then would that mean that she could have a Cursed Series as well?
"No, Glass!" L'Arc and Therese both gripped her arms tightly, trying to restrain her even as she powered up. Familiar cursed flames started to drip from the gemstones.
Yes, yes she could.
...
"S̴̩̤̮̮̗͓̤̩̦͛̏̆̊̊͒̇̿̇̋̀̕͝͝t̸̗͇̦̄o̶̜̥͎̣̙̱̘͚̗͇͉͉͆̈̃̒͒̈́͆̚p̷̡̛̛͕̰͔̻̙̘̬̰̙͍̫̱̻͌̉͗̾̏̿̿̆̃̾̐͝͝ ̴̨̡̘̞̬̙̘͍̭̺̼̝͔́͑͐͐̑̏̒̕i̴̲͎͕͗̉́͌̒͗̈̔̅͘͝͠t̴̪͕͕̱͈͚̝̠̰̫̟̪̄́̐͋̑!̶̛̟͔̓͑͂̄̒̈́̌̇̈́͗͝ ̸̧͖̪̣͓̫̦̩̰͎̮͇͓̳͌̀̌L̸̦̱̺̪͕̳̼̩̹͔̝̟̩̝̀̆̂́̚ę̶̻̟̯̬̪̠̻͖̾̆̓ẗ̷̢̨̛̝̞͇̜̟̳͍̤̱̯͙̗̹́̋̀̄͂̍̇́̈́̀̚̕͝͝ ̴̢̫̺͇͖͍͎̞͋̇m̸̨̢̨̫̰̳̘̬̗̳̬̦̐͋͑̇̐̀̾̈́ͅe̷̡̧̺͉͇̦̰͓̜̜̖̽̔́̀̆͋̇̇͛͆̒͌͐̈́ ̷̭̞͕̭͙͂͌͗̌͐̄̐̄͂͋͘͝ģ̸̢̘̭̻̙̝̤͔̻͉̓̾͘o̸̥̟̠͚̮̱̝̫̾̑̋̔͐̚͜!̸̳̪̬̇͆̈́͊̐̀̉̓̚̕̕̚̕͠͠ͅ" Glass screeched in pure Wrath at them.
…
"No, you need to stop! You're going to kill yourself if you keep this up!" Therese yelled at her.
"You know what happens when you use that series! You can't lose control again!" L'Arc yelled at her.
...
"Ļ̴̛̰̭̲̄̓͂͛͊͑͌ȇ̷̜̝ẗ̸̡̧̲̜̯̗̘̙̠͎̘̹͕͎́̅̓́͂́̈͂̊̇̌̈̉ ̶̢̨͇̼̫̼͔̜̗̝͖̪̬̻̳̂̉̋̕m̶͈̙͇̭̝̓̓̕è̶̘͖̹̹͎͈̱̼͑ ̴̛̯̜̥͖̰̦̌̾̀̅̋̄͗͊́͋̉̍͠ǵ̷̢͈̯͉̣̭̈́͂̈́̕͝͠ȏ̵̪͗͐̚,̸̨̡̨̡̲͍͕̪̮̆̂́̒ ̶̛͉̀̈́̓͒͂̏̎̃́̚͠͝͝t̸͚̼̰̺͔̻̫̭̻͓͈̻̐r̸̥̺̱̥̺͓͐͛̂̿͂a̵͓̽̎͑̾̍̋͊͑̑̈́̀͘̚̚͝ĩ̴̡̢̛̜̣͇͈͖͓̜͎̘͕̦̭̜̃̌̍͑̄̉͌̚͝ṯ̷̢̢̫̱̟͍̬̰̩̰͗̒̐̈́͆̚͜͜o̸̪͓̳͔͚͙͔̲̱̹̪̘̘͆͜r̶̮̖͉͖̥̙̆̄̐̈̈̅̿͑̉̾͌̋̔̃͋s̷͉͔̦͂̕͠!̷̢̙͙̜̟̺̝̲̻̯͇̳̗͕͚̀͊̋̑̃͋͘ ̴͖̯͇̠̟̫͚̟͈͕͂̑̅̇̇̾͐̎͋͘͠W̷͇̙̫̫̃͗̂̇̊ǫ̸͓̟̪̤͎̃̓́̅͋̊͘ū̴͖̯͙̗̬̗͕̗̠̲̮̰͎͑ͅĺ̸̞̖͈̟͙͕̺̱͓͐͆̑̏͐̇̀̈́͂̈͜͝ḑ̶̬̔ ̴̧̲̞̮͗̀̈́̀y̵̡̪͉̫̰̤̹̻̝͉̥̑̅͜o̷̧̧̤̩̫̜͕̟̗̘̦͑̌̑̒͊͒̄̈̔̑̓͑̄̽ű̶̧̧̯̼̅͊̀̇̊ ̵̞̻͕̟͚̫̐́̔͌̿̉̆̐̋̈́͜͝r̵̰͚͚̔a̴̤̤̟̝̪̥̤͍̟̖̻̾̿̆ͅt̷̘̦̫͈̖̮͈͕̞͇̎̈́ͅh̷̛͖̳͎̻͙̲͔̾̉̄̀̒̔̇̉͑̆̊̚͝͝è̸̲r̵̬͈̝͔̙̟͇̝̖̮̟̺̜̈̊̽̽̐̆͊͒͐̀̏̋̂͗͘ͅ ̸̖̯̖̑̒̒̃̿̾̑͐̾̂̄͊͘͝͠ȍ̸̡̡͚̗͓̥̖͓u̶͓͎̰̬͖̺̖͌͌̇̅͊̀r̷̛̛̛̠̥̺̎̉̓̄̊͌͝ ̶̳̼̎̐́̌̅̾͛͘ͅw̶̧̧̦̲͍͉̯͉̭͕͙͖̖̠̐́͗̎̀͛̍̐̆̒̇̄͋̄ǫ̷̢̢̺̭̠̞̝̜̖͍͓͐͑͂́̈́̒͜r̵͈͎̈́̈̀̊̀̒͠l̷̡̝͔̱͕͎͊ͅd̴̢̢̛̯̙̣̙̰̦̝̦͙̖̥͚͛͋́͂͝ ̴̡̲̤̫̰͎͖̙̰̲̲͗͑̀̒́̽̉ď̶̯̞̗̼͕͙͕̙͕̜̮͚̩̆͋̽͛͒ͅḯ̶̡̧̫̥̟̬̻̝̺̠͌̊̏͆̏̑̒̑͗̂͋̈͝e̶̛͔͕̐͊̓̾̂̈́!̵̢̮̣̤̱͚̉̈́̌̎͐?̵̡̨̮̙̖̮̙̥̤̭̉̈̈́̊̄̔̅̏̃̋̕͘" She screeched nonsensically.
...
"Please, we don't want you to kill yourself! Everyone back home would be sad if you died!" Therese tried to reason with her.
...
"A̸̧̢̰̤̣̰̥͓͔͎̅́ͅș̵̢̡̼̮͔̤͕̲͚͕̬̟̞̽̄͌͋͋̀̃̈̓̾̆̓̄͘͜ ̷̙̯̱̟̜̪͎̦̹̫͇̜̗̺̐̏́͑̂̀̾̈́͘̚͜l̸̢̖̙̰̲̺͈̥̞͔̣̱̺̻͌́̅o̶͇͍͓͓͈̪̊̏̄̋́̈̾̂̄̔͂̕̕͠ņ̷̪̻̥̺̓͑͐̓̾͌̓̾͑ͅg̵͉̳̓̋͗̀̈́̾́̊̄̈́̓͋͜͝ ̸̧̛̝̮̥̗̜̯̘̹͙̗͖͍̤͇̂̔̀̽͠à̴͙̤̟̰̬͈̬̉̋͐͆͛͛͜͝s̶̛̺͕͚͎͚̠̥͓͔̗͚̞̑̅̒͘ ̷̨̛͍̺̣̱̰͎̘̦͌́̅͒͛̑̉t̴̢̛̰͚̫͑̅̈́̊̿̎͝͝h̴̤̯̼̻͖͚͕̞̋̅͒͆̈͌̃͑̃̇̕̕͜͠ͅě̴̡̡̥̻͚͓̜̩̯̟̮̽͂y̷͓͖͇͙͔͊̇̈́̇͐͘ ̸̮̟̝̱̘̒̅͒̐̒̍͠ͅg̴̢̢͙̼͕̹̟͓̤̦͕͕̫̒͐̉̂̉̏̋͝ͅę̵̠̘̭̬͙̮̑̄̉̿̔̈́͂̈́͂̇͝t̶̼͛̓̎̿͘ ̸͓͕̯̜̰̻̮̀͛̅t̵̪̲̱͚̣͒̀͐̈́͆̈́̔̀̕ỏ̸̧̖̮̝͕̄̀͗͋͗̎̂͑̎̕͝ ̸̣̭̭͚̟̹͉̞̔̈́͒̈́ͅl̶̡̖̜̥̝̮͈͛̓͂̑̾͆̕͝͠͝i̷̧͇͚̪̺͉͓̎̐͛͂̏͠v̸̜̹̥̰̱͙͍̹̹̘̥̞̯͓̆͆ȩ̶̮̝̗̲̻̪͎̖͙̙̘̜̙͊̍́̋͒͘͝,̸̛̣̘̼̫̬́̓̇̑̄̍̂͘͝͝͝ ̷̢̢̛͚̟̜͎̫̘̪͎̙͈̪̓͆͑͂̉̑̑̇́̒̕͝t̴̨͍̞̘̥̱̟̄̒͐͌̔ͅh̷͎̹̤̺͈̜͍̃̾͌̔ͅe̸͚̋͂͆̂̈n̷̟̣̟͈̞̹̱̱̣̳̐̽̇̇͒̇̈́̉̀̂̋-̵̧̯̥̟̦̻̪̟͔̜̪̦́̿͊̿"
…
Glass struggled, almost freeing one of her fans, her eyes flaring a brighter red than ever. Naofumi seriously debated having everyone else evacuate from the whale, and maybe even the immediate area then and there, when-
"Damn it! Kizuna would be devastated if you threw your life away like this!" L'Arc yelled in her ear.
…
Just like that, Glass froze up.
"Y̸̟̦̦͉̠̹͐̅̓̊̊̏̀̚ȍ̵̧̜͙̮͓͇̲̰̭͖̝̘̊̀ư̴̢̤͎̣͓͈̦͓͚̋̽̀̍͂͋̊̓̅̇̆͝... bastard. Do not bring her into this-" She began to say, her voice going normal at the end.
"NO! I WILL DAMN WELL BRING HER INTO THIS! YOU THINK YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE WHO'S HURTING!? THAT YOU WERE HER ONLY FRIEND AND KNEW HER BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE!? SCREW YOU GLASS! WE ALL LOVED HER! ALL OF US! BEING WITH KIDDO AND EVERYONE ELSE HELPED ME TO REMEMBER THAT!"
Glass withered under the normally upbeat man's verbal beatdown. "L'Arc, that's enough-" Therese tried to say, but L'Arc brushed her off.
"I regret that Ethnobalt ever found that book for us! I regret learning about this legend and telling you about it! The only reason we told you was that we hoped that it would give you hope again and snap you out of your depression! But instead of giving you hope, it turned into a self-destructive obsession!
"You want to keep fighting?! Get real! You just got decimated by ONE hero's SINGLE attack. Are you planning to respect Kizuna's dream BY KILLING YOURSELF LIKE THIS!?" L'Arc screamed at the end.
"Would you rather have us slowly die back home?"
...
L'Arc sobered up at the spirit girl's sad remark. But the red glow in her fan's gem and eyes was completely gone now. "No. I do not wish to die at all. But there is no other way…"
"As long as we live there is still hope. We'll find another way." Therese tried to tell Glass encouragingly.
L'Arc shook his head. "This was a fool's errand from the start anyway. Taking out other Heroes leaves a sour taste in my mouth, no matter how honorable we try to make the fight."
"I know she's still missing, but imagine the look on her face if we found her," Therese said, sounding sadder with each word she spoke. "Imagine how hurt she'd feel, knowing how many innocent people we killed for her. Knowing that you'd been driven to such a point that you threw your life away… and..."
To everyone's surprise, tears began to fall from Glass's eyes. "But… but our world… if we do not kill them now, they will only become stronger… and… and…
"We will never have a chance to find Kizuna if our world is destroyed…" Glass started crying then. Sobbing into her fans, which lost the dark look they'd taken on. "I just… I just want to see her again.
"I miss her... so much."
It was… honestly sad to watch. The Heroes felt incredibly guilty, even though she was their enemy only a minute ago.
"I miss her too… but we can't do this. Not even for her." L'Arc said as L'Arc and Therese's restraints turned into arms of comfort for the fan wielder.
...
A timer suddenly appeared in their visions.
03:00
"Come on, Glassy, let's go home," L'Arc said. "There's nothing left for us here."
The broken woman, for that, was what she was, nodded her head sadly. "Alright." L'Arc and Therese helped to support her, though she still stayed staring at her own feet.
"I'm… we're sorry, for everything!" Therese yelled at the heroes' group. Trying to apologize for what they'd done.
As if they could apologize for what they'd done.
"Yeah, I bet you feel sorry!" Wyndia, after watching everything go down, looked furious as she glared at the turquoise-haired girl. "I bet you feel reaaaaaallllyyy sorry about all this! YOU DAMN TRAITOR!" Tersia and Farrie had to grip onto the dog girl tightly as she tried to charge forward.
"YOU SAID YOU WERE OUR FRIEND, AND YET YOU PLANNED ON BACKSTABBING US THIS WHOLE TIME!? *&^% YOU!" Wyndia yelled, raising her middle finger to the turquoise-haired woman as Raphtalia and Eclair joined in keeping the dog girl back. "*&^% YOU AND EVERYTHING WE WENT THROUGH TOGETHER, YOU SELF-CENTERED HEARTLESS BITCH!"
Therese gasped, and more tears appeared in her eyes. "I… I truly am sorry." She whispered.
"SAVE YOUR DAMN APOLOGIES! GO HOME ALREADY AND NEVER BOTHER US AGAIN! DAMN YOU!"
Wyndia continued to scream in anger. Raphtalia and Rishia had tears in their eyes. Eventually, Wyndia broke down, and Eclair let go, tears falling from her own eyes as well. "DAMN YOU!" The dog girl cried, her face falling into her hands as she sobbed.
All the girls there felt just like Wyndia… sad... betrayed… and hurt.
"Wait, L'Arc!" Naofumi yelled after him.
The redhead stopped just short of a wave rift, turning to face Naofumi. "Is there really no other way?" Naofumi asked.
Before L'Arc could answer, Glass started laughing to herself. "Of course there's not. If there was…"
"I would have taken it long ago…"
She continued laughing, but it sounded pathetic. "I'm a disgrace. I couldn't protect the person I loved… I couldn't find her after all these years... and now, I've failed to protect our world in her place.
"... I'm truly pathetic."
"Glassy…" L'Arc said, looking down at her.
Glass turned her face to the three Heroes one last time. "I'm sorry. We… we will not get in your way again. The gap between the legendary heroes and the vassal heroes is too great… it seems…"
"We will return to our world and try to last however long we can before our imminent destruction. I just hope your world won't share the same fate that mine has been given. After all, unlike ours, it appears your world has heroes that it can depend on.
"Goodbye, Heroes Naofumi, Ren, and Itsuki."
With that, they walked into the wave rift.
And disappeared.
The wave rifts all around the fleet and the dead whale began glowing a bright yellow. The Heroes covered their eyes, and after a moment…
The clear, blue sky became visible up above.
The Wave was over.
It ended in a complete and total victory for the Cardinal Heroes against Glass and her compatriots.
...
Yet no one was celebrating. Everyone standing on the whale was dead silent.
They paid no attention to the ships or the people on them.
None of them looked sure about what to do.
None of them looked sure of what to say.
Ren was gripping his sword tightly and gritting his teeth.
...
Finally, he took in a sharp breath. "Guys I know this might sound crazy, but we sh-"
"We need to save their world too." Itsuki cut him off.
"Yea." Naofumi curtly agreed with a small nod
Ren was left speechless at their words.
"There's no way we can leave them like that. They only wanted to protect those they cared about. Letting them die would leave a bad taste in my mouth." Naofumi continued.
The Shield Hero turned to him. "Hey Ren, you can understand that too, right?"
…
Even though they'd been betrayed...
Ren actually smiled, incredibly relieved that the other Heroes felt the same way.
"Yea. I don't know how we'll do it, but we can't just leave them like that." He felt it, deep in his heart. It wouldn't be right to leave them in such a state.
Ren turned to Tersia, who was holding a more deflated-looking Wyndia in her arms. "Do you think you can start looking up more information on the Waves when we get back?"
Tersia let Wyndia go. "Sure! I think the Queen's scholars might have found something new for us to dig through by now. We'll start on that as soon as we get back." Tersia agreed. She put a hand on the dog girl's shoulder. "Wyndia, would you help me too?"
The deflated dog girl bowed her head. Had… had she really said all that to Therese?... to her friend...
"I… I don't know if I could-"
"Please, Wyndia," Ren asked her, no, he was on his knees in front of her now, pleading with her. "I know you feel hurt, but I don't think they're bad people. And in the end, they didn't want to go through with their plan, so it has to count for something, right?"
She still felt the sting of betrayal from Therese turning out to be the enemy. She also felt guilt for what she'd said. But the way Ren was looking at her…
"Are we really forgiving them already?! Are you an idiot?!" Wyndia asked angrily, clawing at her own hair.
"Maybe." Ren's gaze didn't relent, and he gave her a small smile that made Wyndia's knees feel weak. "But this idiot wants to help them."
When had he gotten so confident?!
"Alright, fine, I'll do it! But not because I forgive them or anything!" Wyndia threw her hands up in exasperation. "I don't want them to die either!"
Ren's smile turned into a bright one as he embraced the dog girl in a hug. "Thank you!" He said happily. "Thank you so much!"
"ACK!" Wyndia's face burned bright red.
Ren was hugging her.
Ren was hugging her!
REN WAS HUGGING HER!
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
While Wyndia was having an internal meltdown, Tersia and Farrie giggled to themselves nearby. It was almost perfect.
Rishia smiled brightly. "Fueh! I-I'll help too!" She volunteered herself. "I love reading books!"
Itsuki smiled at her. Was it just him, or was his friend opening up more lately after their talk on Inult island?
It was good to see. Hopefully, she'd continue to make good progress.
While everyone else began excitedly conversing on what they could do, Raphtalia turned Naofumi to face her. "Are you sure we should do this?" She asked, looking worried.
"..." Naofumi took some time to think it over, but he nodded firmly at her after that. "Yes. Even if they were here to kill us, they weren't here for the wrong reasons. I can understand wanting to do horrible things to protect those you love."
He held her hands in his. She understood his statement immediately. "And besides, I'd be a really terrible person if I didn't try to help our friends to find a different way to save themselves and the people they care about, wouldn't I?"
…
Raphtalia smiled, shaking her head. "Do we even know how we're going to do that?"
"I have no clue whatsoever," Naofumi admitted with a smile on his face. Raphtalia rolled her eyes but laughed at his honesty.
Indeed, this encounter had left them all with more questions than answers. Was the legend that L'Arc had told them the truth behind the Waves? Were they really taking part in some sort of twisted free-for-all battle royale that would only end when the other worlds would die?
As big as those questions were, one great, looming question was on Naofumi's mind.
Did all the Cardinal Heroes everywhere start out as completely useless abominable trash?!
Damn it! He could really emphasize with L'Arc after learning that!
"Why does it look like Naofumi's thinking something rude about us?" Itsuki blandly asked Ren.
"Funny, I was thinking the same thing," Ren crossed his arms as he muttered sarcastically.
"Naofumi." Raphtalia put her hands on her hips and frowned at him.
"Put a sock in it, all of you." Naofumi snapped at them.
Whatever the case, they still had to push forward regardless.
There were more dangers to come down the road. But after Cal Mira, he felt they were much more prepared to face them now.
And who knew, maybe they would find the answers they were looking for and find a way to save both their worlds.
End of Arc 5
Author's Notes:
Yep, you've read that correctly, we've finally reached the end of Arc 5. Hallelujah.
I hope you guys definitely appreciate the changes to how this fight went. I hoped I showcased well enough just the sheer weight of the decision it was for L'Arc, Therese, and even Glass to decide to give up (and in the first two's case, to not fight in general).
I also hope I managed to help provide that depth for why L'Arc and Therese were trying to kill Naofumi in canon, and how with enough effort, this could end up being a result.
In all honesty, they still could end up fighting Naofumi and co. But if Glass wasn't any indicator… they would have gotten beat up. Badly. And as Therese internally monologues at one point, she wouldn't have been willing to use attack magic to support L'Arc.
Arc 6 is around the corner now. Prepare for a return to the village, learning what happened while the others were gone, and of course, the village's first wedding between Rachel and her fiance.
Oh, and for some other stuff too. No spoilers in the reviews, please. Let's naturally surprise the anime-only readers with a sneak peek of what S2 has in store for them.
Thanks to SentinelSlice's review last chapter. It inspired the following omake which I think is a good way to end this arc on.
Hero Clips!
Do You Even Lift?
"How the hell did you pull that whale out of the water?" Motoyasu asked in shock.
"With my bare hands, that's how," Naofumi said, sitting back in his chair.
The four Heroes were gathered around a table, discussing the battle.
"That's insane though. No normal person should be capable of such a feat." Itsuki said.
"Hmmm, it is insane. Then again, I can move surprisingly fast now." Ren stated. "Much faster than I was in my old world."
"Same here." Itsuki agreed. "I guess stats really do have a greater impact than we might have realized."
"Alrighty then!" Motoyasu suddenly stood up. "If Naofumi could really lift a whale out of the water with those muscles of his," He grinned widely as he pointed to the couch. "I dare you to lift that with one hand!"
The Heroes stared, wondering: would stats really work on an object?
"Alright." Naofumi walked over to it, put one hand underneath…
And effortlessly lifted it like he was Superman.
Motoyasu's eyes bugged out, and the other Heroes stared in awe. "Whoa." Ren and Itsuki muttered at the same time.
"How about you lift that other couch with your-" Motoyasu started to say, when Naofumi picked the other couch up with his other hand, not dropping the first one.
"Wow, this is surprisingly easy," Naofumi commented. "Got anything heavier you want me to try?" He cockily asked the Spear Hero.
Motoyasu, staring in complete and utter shock, suddenly grinned madly. "I've got something heavy planned alright."
…
"Lord Naofumi, what are you doing?" Dou-Lon asked.
"Hnghhhhh!" Naofumi strained, his hands digging under the wood of their home.
"Come on Naofumi, show us how strong you are!" Itsuki yelled encouragingly.
"This… is a lot… harder… than the couch!" Naofumi strained.
"Come on! Show us you're a real man!" Motoyasu encouraged. "Or was that story with the whale a giant fat lie-"
"Yaghhhhhhh!" With a crunching sound, Naofumi tore the house off its foundation, raising it triumphantly in the air above him.
"AHHHHH!" Inside, Eclair screamed in terror as she was suddenly thrown from the table she'd been eating at into a wall.
"Whoa." Dou-Lon looked in reverent awe at the sight.
"Bruh, did you even lift back in your Japan?" Ren asked in surprise.
"Not once. You?" Naofumi asked.
The Sword Hero shook his head. "I didn't even run track..."
"This is amazing!" Motoyasu said in awe. "If you're strong enough to lift a house right now, maybe, later on, you'll be strong enough to chuck a mountain!" The Spear Hero said excitedly.
"Maybe if I practice some more-" Naofumi started to say.
"Naofumi!"
He paled, turning his head to the side.
His girlfriend looked livid about the state of their home.
"Oh, hey Raphtalia…" Naofumi and the other heroes started chuckling nervously.
"Miss Raphtalia! Help me!" Eclair screamed from inside the house.
Raphtalia crossed her arms, waiting for an explanation.
Naofumi learned his lesson after that.
Next time, he'd lift Motoyasu's house instead.
Till Next Time
Allen