Chapter Twenty-Two: Dealing with Pests
"Concentrate Spear Hero!"
"Urghhhhh!" Motoyasu groaned as he focused on the spear in his hands. It still felt tough at times like right now, but after continuous practice, he could more easily feel his life force flowing from his core and into the Legendary Spear. As that happened, a new aura began to emanate from it.
"That's it. Now release it!" The granny shouted encouragingly.
"Hah!" The Spear Hero thrust his weapon into the boulder in front of him and a split second later it exploded spectacularly into a shower of gravel.
Motoyasu breathed in and out heavily while resting his hands on his knees. It took him a few seconds to realize the ringing he was hearing wasn't ringing, but the sound of Granny clapping her hands. "Bravo. Bravo. Your progress continues to astound me. Perhaps there's hope for you yet."
Motoyasu looked up and gave her a tired thumbs up.
"When I first met you, I thought that it'd take many more months for you to learn the basics. But here you are, already imbuing your attacks with life force in such a short time." Granny shook her head back and forth while chuckling. "You have exceeded my expectations, Spear-dono."
"Aw, shucks, there's no need to call me that," Motoyasu said in embarrassment, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Perhaps. But I feel it fitting to bestow this title upon you as well as Shield-dono." The old lady gave him a toothy smile.
"... Hey Granny, is it alright if I ask you a question?" Motoyasu suddenly turned serious.
"By all means, ask away." She held her hands behind her back and shrugged.
"Even after all you've taught me, I still feel like I'm barely scratching the surface of what you know. Life force is so amazingly flexible and it feels like it'd be useful in any situation… so how come you're the only one who knows how to use it?" Motoyasu asked after taking a pause to collect his thoughts. "It's been bugging me a lot. You don't even have a dojo or other students besides myself and my party."
…
The old lady's smile fell. "To tell the truth, Spear-dono, until recently I was certain that the secrets of life force and of Hengen Musou would die with me…" She looked at the rising sun in the distance.
"I don't understand. If you were to train an army of people in it, the waves would never stand a chance!" Motoyasu exclaimed.
"Heh. I don't know if there's an army's worth of people in the world with the talent for the Peerless Transformation Style. But if there was, Siltvelt would have never tried to conquer the world either." Granny chuckled and what she said next, she said with pride. "Hengen Musou has never lost on any battlefield."
"Then why-" The old lady held up her hand, making Motoyasu go silent.
"You should know all too well how power can corrupt people, Spear-dono." She said, her voice sounding sad as she thought of a time very long ago. "Sometimes, all it takes is one bad apple to kill the entire tree… while these techniques can be used for much good. I have also seen them used to commit great evil in my time. It is because you are Cardinal Heroes and because Shield-Dono saved my life that I have chosen not to let these secrets die any longer."
As Motoyasu was left to ponder that, Granny gestured to the next boulder. "Enough talk. Now, again."
His face paled. "Again?"
"Yes. You must continue to push your limits to improve." Granny stated. "You haven't reached your full potential yet. And I won't stop training you until I deem that you've reached it."
Motoyasu groaned. Still, he'd been given enough time for a breather. He prepared to attack the next boulder. He could pry into Granny's past later.
"Gwah!"
However, before he could continue, a Filolial, one with black feathers covering its body, ran into the clearing. "What is this?" Granny asked. She looked annoyed. She could have sworn she'd made it clear they weren't to be interrupted today. Spear-dono needed to focus on his training.
"Gwah! Gwah! Gwah!"
"Huh? Slow down, what predators? You mean monsters?" Motoyasu narrowed his eyes in confusion.
"Can you understand what it's trying to tell us, Spear-dono?" Granny asked with a quirked eyebrow.
"I'm trying to." Motoyasu listened to the bird's frantic gwahing, trying to figure out what it was saying. Then, all of a sudden, his face paled.
"Oh, ^%$#."
"Spear-Dono?" The old woman tensed up at his reaction.
"If I'm understanding correctly, he and the others have spotted strange men approaching the village," Motoyasu said. "A lot of them."
Granny's cheery disposition vanished. She cracked her knuckles together
Motoyasu turned to the Filolial again. "Thanks for telling me this." He took a meaty monster out of his Spear, throwing it to the Filolial. It caught the meat with its beak.
"Gwah!" Speaking around the snack, it ran back towards the village. Motoyasu, to save time, used Portal Spear to transport himself and Granny in front of his house.
"Oh, Sir Motoyasu, I didn't expect you to be back from training so soon-" Rino greeted him on the porch.
"Find Elena." Motoyasu quickly ordered her. "We've got hostiles approaching the village. Armed men."
…
Rino's face noticeably hardened. "Yes." She stated flatly, before running off to do exactly as he'd asked.
"Gather everyone that can fight. Have the rest move to the beach where the fishing boats are, in case they need to flee." Motoyasu told Granny.
The old woman gave a proud salute. "As you wish, Spear-dono! Let us bathe in the blood of our enemies on the battlefield together once more!" With an ominous cackle, she ran off towards the village.
Motoyasu began to frantically prepare for the incoming attack, ignoring the chill that went down his spine at Granny's bloodthirsty laugh.
A little while later, Motoyasu stood at the entrance to Lurolona.
Standing beside him were Rino, Elena, and Granny.
The rest of the villagers stood behind Motoyasu. The knights stood in their shiny armor in front of Keel and the smaller demi-humans protectively. The Witch stood with a line of kids she was tutoring in magic. The Apothecarian was in the back with some aids, ready to tend to the wounded.
The Filolials were nowhere to be seen.
…
Down the road, half an hour after Motoyasu had been warned, the first column of people finally appeared. They were arrayed in robes, as well as steel armor. The banners they carried overhead held the symbol of the Three Heroes Church over them.
"Oh bugger, it's these crazy zealots again? And attacking in broad daylight too? Just what are they thinking?" Elena muttered, sounding annoyed. Had she really been pulled away from her nap for this? How bothersome.
"They might be feeling confident about wiping us out with sheer numbers. They must have learned that Sir Motoyasu is the only hero here right now." Rino mumbled.
Indeed, as time passed, the approaching group only grew larger and larger. There were followers on horseback. Followers dressed only in robes with magic tomes held at their sides. This wasn't just some scouting group. It was an army of at least a thousand.
At best, they had around one hundred people to defend the village. Jerry and a couple of others were at the boats with those who couldn't fight, in case some of the enemies got past them.
Looking back at everyone, Motoyasu wondered if some of the people there wouldn't live to see tomorrow…
"Hey," Rino grabbed his chin, forcing him to look ahead. "Don't focus on protecting them. That is the Shield Hero's job, not yours."
"But Naofumi isn't here-" Motoyasu tried to say.
"Yes, but we are. We can focus on protecting each other. You can focus on making these people rue the day they decided to take up their twisted faith." Rino said, venom in her tone as she glared at those approaching.
Granny laughed. "Oya oya. So many poor fools marching to their doom." The old lady winked at Motoyasu. "Spear-Dono, I have high hopes for you. Show them why one must be cautious when facing a Cardinal Hero."
Motoyasu glanced at the old woman, then, after a moment of thought, gave her a nod.
A part of him felt conflicted. He wouldn't be fighting mindless monsters, but rather people like himself and his friends. And if he wasn't able to go through with it, those under his care would die. But if he did fight, he'd have to kill people. Many, many people…
…
A villager held up a white flag, just as Motoyasu had requested so they'd have a chance to negotiate before the battle would start. But a fire spell hurtled from the approaching army and struck it, burning the flag away.
The invaders began hooting and hollering in crazed rhetoric as they drew close.
"Down with the false Heroes!"
"Revenge for Balamus!"
"Death to the demi-humans!"
At the flag's destruction and their yells, Motoyasu gripped his spear tightly. An angry look entered his eyes.
They weren't even going to stop and ask for their surrender?!
...
So what if he had to get his hands bloody? It was better than letting these evil, horrible people commit wanton genocide. Those around him were thinking much the same.
To hell if he was damned for this! If they wanted to live by their swords down to their last breaths-
Then so be it.
"Air Strike Javelin! Second Javelin! Dritte Javelin!" Motoyasu summoned energy copies of his spear in his hands. Throwing them one after the other.
Large explosions burst out where they landed. The cries of the church followers were intermixed with the sounds of the pained and dying. With a roar, the army raised their weapons and charged forward.
With a roar of his own, Motoyasu charged ahead of everyone else to face them. He gripped his spear with both hands as he closed in.
"Chaos Thrust!" Still running forward, he thrusted over and over again in a haze of speed and blood.
The small fries fell like dominoes to the end of the skill. Experience notifications filled his vision with each death, but Motoyasu tuned them out.
With the invading vanguard scattered, Granny and Rino charged into the fray. The green-haired girl was quick to disarm and disembowel a man with her sword as Granny, armed with a hoe and strength unknown, sent people flying left and right.
"For the Heroes!" Mirellia's knights roared as they charged, joining the clash next.
Motoyasu lost track of the battle soon after that.
He continued to tear his way through the robed followers. His ponytail dangled in the air behind him as he blocked, jabbed, swiped, and unleashed one skill after another. Experience notifications flowed like a constant river across his vision, almost blinding him at times.
Weeks ago, he'd been lacking in technique. Even a normal person was able to get the upper hand on him. But thanks to Granny's tough training, he could now use his spear somewhat effectively.
He still felt swords scratching at his armor. And magic attacks that slammed into him from up ahead. But Motoyasu didn't let it stop him. He barely felt them.
He was, for all intents and purposes, a killing machine right now.
He'd been assigned to watch over the village. He'd be damned if Naofumi and the others came back to a flaming ruin.
"Flame Thrust!" Fire covered his spear, and he thrust forward, burning those in front of him away.
"Ahhhhh!" Their screams of pain rang in his ears, which he again did his best to tune out. He impaled one that fought through the pain to stab at him with a dagger. They slouched on his spear, forcing him to kick their body off while the other followers took the opportunity to stab at him repeatedly from all around.
It didn't hurt so much as it felt annoying, Motoyasu realized.
Even if he wasn't as strong as Naofumi and the others, his stats were still higher than that of a normal person. Combined with his high level, only a classed-up individual would actually stand a chance against him…
"Ah!" He cried out in pain as he felt someone's dagger leave a decent gash in his arm. He focused on that person, stabbing at them with his spear. However, they sidestepped and moved to stab into his chest.
Motoyasu took a gamble and headbutted the guy.
It worked, the follower stumbled back in surprise, gripping his forehead.
"Meteor Thrust!" Motoyasu spun his spear overhead, throwing a blue portal over the classed-up follower. The man only had the chance to look up and scream in terror before he was enveloped in a bright blue blast, killing him and the others around him instantly.
"As Spear Hero, source of thy power I order thee. Decipher the laws of nature. Heal my wounds and make them new. Zweite Heal." Motoyasu cast the healing spell on himself, healing over the gash and the other small wounds he'd been inflicted with. He then drank a Soul Healing Water to replenish some SP before he charged into the fighting again.
Soon, he wasn't fighting with those dressed in hoods and armor, but those who wore robes and no armor. Their magic spells impacted against him and the ground around him, but Motoyasu charged through their ranks like a tempest. He saw as some who tried to cast magic became terrified and their magic fizzled out on them.
"And slash my target! Zweite Air Slash-"
"And slash my target! Anti-Air Slash!" The Witch chanted. Other demi-kids around her did much the same. Canceling out the magic of many of the mages while unleashing magic attacks of their own.
Even at around level 30, they were surprisingly far more effective than the Church's mages. Not only was the Witch a good teacher. Those Hero Service Seals of theirs were really giving them a leg up over the possibly average level 35-40 mages of the enemies.
The Apothecarian quickly ran along the line, handing out Magic Water to refill their MP with. His aids were standing back, treating those wounded by magic attacks.
The knights up front were holding the line alongside Rino, Elena, Granny, and Keel and the other kids who attacked between them when they had the chance.
Still, one knight, Gelford, took a stab wound to the gut. He had to be pulled back where he could be safely treated while an older villager clad in leather armor took his place. Keel almost met a sword with his face, and it was only thanks to his speed that he sidestepped it and attacked the man wielding it.
Motoyasu quickly looked around. Where were the Filolials at?! They had everyone's attention, but if they didn't appear as planned, then they'd start to suffer losses!
Had they not understood his instructions?! But how, he could have sworn that-
"GWAHHHHHHHHH!" A cacophony of cries came out of the forest as Filolials of various colors suddenly jumped out of the bushes and into the air above the Church mages.
With cries of alarm, they tried to turn to face the new attackers, but the Filolials were merciless. Some landed on top, skewering those beneath with their clawed feet. Others landed in the midst of mages and attacked with their beaks and wings in a haze of feathers and blood.
It was the most glorious sight that Motoyasu had ever seen.
"Retreat! There's too many of them!" One of the mages cried out in fear to his fellows.
"No, we must avenge Balamus, we must- ahhhhhhhh!" The mage suddenly screamed as he was squashed underfoot.
"Gwah!" Amber approached Motoyasu, a happy smile on her face.
"You're soooooooo lucky that I like Filolials!" Motoyasu pouted at her. However, he couldn't stay mad for long as he pet Amber's head. "Well-timed, I say!"
"Gwah!"
Up ahead, those on horseback, who were yet to fight, turned tail and fled at the appearance of Fitoria's Filolials. Motoyasu soon surmised that they were the officers leading the attack, as the already frantic followers left behind fell into even more chaos.
Some fled after their commanders. Some fled into the forest, where more Filolials laid in wait for them. Their screams soon filled the air.
Those that were left tried in vain to keep fighting against Motoyasu and the people of the village.
But it wasn't long before the survivors finally dropped their weapons and surrendered.
It looked like out of the army of around a thousand who'd come to fight them, around two hundred had fled back down the road or into the forest. One hundred had surrendered.
Seven hundred of them had been killed. Many of those who'd died had been at Motoyasu's hands.
At seeing the bloody battlefield around him, Motoyasu almost felt overcome by a storm of emotions. However, they were tempered when he saw that, besides Gelford and those who'd been hit by magic attacks, everyone else was relatively unscathed.
Rino had been right. By putting most of the enemy's focus on him, the others had been able to stay safe.
"Yeah, we managed to defend our town!" Keel shouted.
"Woooooo! We sent them packing!" The other kids and even some of the older villagers and knights started to cheer.
He heaved a sigh of relief. He'd managed to protect everyone...
However, Motoyasu didn't get a chance to join the celebrations. A familiar robed and masked figure appeared kneeling next to him.
"I daresay, well done, Sir Spear Hero."
"Shadow?" Motoyasu muttered in confusion before realization struck him and he narrowed his eyes in anger. "If you were here then why the hell did you not warn us about an entire damn army advancing on our town?!"
"Deepest apologies, Sir Spear Hero." The Shadow bowed deeply. "Many of my fellow Shadows are still missing after disappearing several weeks ago, greatly disrupting her Majesty's spy network. By the time one of my colleagues managed to catch wind of the Church Remnants marching towards your location, it was too late for her Majesty to give chase. She sent me here to warn you, but I have failed in that duty as well. Forgive me."
"Apology accepted. Still, the extra help would have been appreciated…" Motoyasu crossed his arms, trying his best not to look at all the death around him.
"Yes, which is why I would like to offer my services for this opportunity." The Shadow continued. "Please allow me to make up for my failure by helping you track the escaped church remnant agents. I'll be sure to lead you and her Majesty's forces to their stronghold. That way, we can deal with them once and for all."
"Forces? Mirellia is sending reinforcements? Huh, better late than never I guess." Motoyasu frowned. But more fighting? Hadn't there been enough death today…?
Then again, if they could follow them back to their base… Myne's last known whereabouts were her escaping with the Church agents. Maybe she was still with them and they could finally bring her to justice while clearing Naofumi's name…
"Alright, let's do it." Motoyasu nodded with determination.
The Shadow lowered her head and disappeared within the blink of an eye.
Motoyasu climbed on Amber's back. "Those who are young or hurt should remain behind! Everyone else that can ride a Filolial, follow me!" Motoyasu raised his spear high in the air.
"I think I'll pass. I've had too much action for one day already." Elena groaned. "And besides, someone has to watch the prisoners."
A gleam appeared in Rino's eyes. "You mean to follow them back to their base. Back to Bitch." Her face widened with an uncomfortably large smile. It almost looked unnatural on her. "Sir Motoyasu, I will follow!"
"Good luck then you two, try not to take too long. I'm not cleaning up this mess by myself." The orange-haired woman glanced around, a disgusted look on her face at the massacre around them.
Some of the knights who'd been uninjured also volunteered, climbing onto the backs of various Filolials. Some stayed behind with Elena to watch over their new prisoners.
"I guess this isn't any different than riding on horseback, huh?" One of them commented.
"Gwah!"
"She said they're far better than horses, I say!" Motoyasu told the knight. Keel and the others looked disappointed that they wouldn't get to join in, but then they perked up when they realized that they were being tasked with defending the village and keeping watch over the prisoners alongside Elena.
The gleams that appeared in their eyes as they stared at the horrible followers made some of them swallow in terror.
"Now, onward!"
The Filolials gwahed, and, leaving the bloody battlefield behind, began to charge ahead towards the next one.
All-day, they rode on the Filolials. All-day, Motoyasu followed the trail the Queen's Shadow left in her wake. Like breadcrumbs leading them to the source of their malice.
At some point, they intercepted those who'd been running away on foot. They either surrendered or were cut down on the spot.
While wondering how to deal with these new prisoners, as well as the prisoners they now had at the village, Mirellia's knights finally arrived on their horses. After bringing them up to speed, a small group began to escort the prisoners back to the Capital. More were sent to the village to secure the prisoners there.
The rest followed behind Motoyasu and his Filolials after the Shadow.
Finally, as the sun began to set low in the sky, they began to approach a mountain range covered in snow. A large nobleman's estate rested near the base of the mountains.
More church followers could be seen at work here. Training in fields, working on sharpening their weapons, and more.
Those on horseback who'd fled were just ahead. Their horses were slow, tired out from all the running they'd done through last night and that day.
"Any idea who's estate this is?" He turned towards Rino who shook her head in response.
"If I'm not mistaken, that would be the Derais (De-Ray) Estate. Their son was formerly part of the Bow Hero's party." A familiar-looking knight galloped up next to the Spear Hero. If Motoyasu wasn't mistaken, it was the same one whose services he'd requested during the last celebration at the Capital where he helped set the mood for the dance that Naofumi and Raphtalia had shared. "To think this is where the Church Remnants were hiding."
"Are they important?" Motoyasu asked.
"The Derais' are supposed to be loyal to her Majesty. She's going to be sad when she learns of their treachery." Captain Mayor sighed.
"Well, they won't be able to hide behind their lies any longer." Motoyasu nodded grimly while glancing at the Shadow standing in front of him and Amber. "Thank you for leading us here, Shadow."
"Yes, now, we can go and-" She bowed her head slightly and began to speak but the Spear Hero cut her off.
"I'm sorry, you'll be sitting this one out," Motoyasu spoke firmly.
"Sir Spear Hero?" Her normally neutral tone of voice gave way for apparent confusion.
"You must be exhausted after all that running around. You've done plenty. We'll handle the rest." Motoyasu said with as much care and concern for her wellbeing as he could. If she was exhausted, she'd be a liability in a fight, after all.
…
The Shadow dipped her head. If she was honest with herself, she was glad to finally be given a chance to rest. "Very well, Sir Hero, but I will stay near the fighting, just in case." With a wave of her hands, she disappeared into an illusion.
"Alright. Let's go, Rino! Amber!" Motoyasu held his spear up high.
"Gwah!" The red-feathered Filolial cried out happily, charging forward across the plains and fields towards the Church Remnants. It was followed by a black-bird of similar stature carrying the light green-haired girl that accompanied the Spear Hero.
"Rahhhhhhhhhhh!" The knights drew their swords and kicked their horses, urging them to charge forward behind the Spear Hero.
Imagine the surprise of the Church Remnants as the Spear Hero, followed by at least two dozen Filolials, and many, many knights on horseback charged towards them.
"We've been found! The Gods have stopped protecting us!" One follower screamed in terror.
"Fool! The Gods haven't abandoned us! They've led our enemies right into our hands! Let us spill their blood in the name of Balamus!" Another cried out.
The Church Remnants, fragmented and armed with whatever was on hand, charged out to meet Motoyasu and everyone with him.
Needless to say, they never stood a chance.
If they weren't plowed over by Amber, they were caught on the tip of Motoyasu's spear or dashed to pieces by the other Filolials, Rino, the knights, or their horses.
Motoyasu was still unnerved whenever he saw an EXP notification appear in his vision, but that didn't bother him as much as earlier. He didn't want to think he was getting used to killing. It was more like he could feel Myne was finally within his grasp.
Some Church Remnants on horseback tried to attack their flanks. Which actually did lead to some casualties, but the knights of Melromarc were better trained. They didn't break, and pushed back against the Church's forces.
Soon, what strength they could muster against the Queen's Army was routed. They began to flee before Motoyasu and the Knights of Melromarc.
"Keep after them! Make sure none getaway, I say!" Motoyasu ordered.
After a moment, he rode up next to Captain Mayor right as he'd finished dispatching another follower. "I'm going to the manor to capture their leader! I leave everyone in your care!"
"What about me, Sir Motoyasu?" Rino asked.
"I want you to help with these followers, more than that, I want you to make sure Bitch doesn't try to use this chaos to escape like last time." He told her. "One of us has to stay outside to make sure that doesn't happen again."
Rino almost wanted to complain that it wasn't fair. That Motoyasu was just trying to keep her away from the main action.
But then again, Bitch had escaped before under similar circumstances. Could they trust her to just sit still while her army was being massacred?
"Alright, good luck." Rino gripped her Filolial tightly and they ran off to another part of the battle.
"Yes! Come on! You heard the Spear Hero men! Show them what it means to commit treason against her Majesty!" Captain Mayor bellowed.
The knights, plenty motivated, roared like lions and kept up the attack.
Motoyasu, still riding Amber, charged past the battle. Heading straight for the entrance of the large mansion.
There were a few followers standing guard at the doors. At Motoyasu's approach, they began to shout and to charge the Spear Hero.
"Air Strike Javelin!" Boom!
The strength of the skill exploded in their midst once more. They were sent flying, either already knocked out, or too injured to keep fighting. In front of the doors, Motoyasu dismounted Amber.
"Stay here. Make sure no enemies try to follow me inside." Motoyasu told her.
"Gwah!" Amber saluted with one wing, and stood guard just as he'd asked.
Wow, Filolials were so amazing! Screw hunting large monsters! He should prepare a feast for the Filolials after the help they provided today!
But later. Right now, he had a certain red-haired witch to find.
It still wasn't certain if she was behind the first attack with the slavers or not. That had been an educated guess on Naofumi's part. But Motoyasu was somehow certain that this had all been orchestrated by her.
Once he'd drunk one last Soul Healing Water, he kicked the doors of the estate open, charging into a large front room with stairs leading to balconies up above. There were four stories of balconies, all with doors leading to different rooms.
"Earth Hole!"
Motoyasu barely stopped himself in time. In front of him, a hole had appeared in the floor. It was so deep he couldn't see the bottom of it.
"Ah, false Spear Hero. We're surprised it took you so long to come here." On one of the balconies up above, a robed figure had appeared.
Unlike Mirellia's shadows, their masks were different. They covered their whole face and not just the top half. Church rosaries also hung around their necks, distinguishing them from their former colleagues.
"Yes, the First Princess guessed you'd arrive far earlier." Another Shadow appeared on a different balcony.
Motoyasu gripped his spear tightly. "So she was the one who planned all this! Tell me, where is she?!" He angrily demanded.
"She won't be seeing you right now. Or ever. Can't you see? This place will be your grave, false Spear Hero." The lead Shadow on the balcony in front of Motoyasu spoke. On the balconies around him, he was able to count five Shadows in total.
The Spear Hero had a bad feeling about this. Unlike the followers from before, it was likely that all five of these people had received their class-ups and had gotten to higher levels. "Step down! There has been enough death today and the estate you're guarding is in the process of being secured by the Queen's forces as we speak! You stand no chance!" Motoyasu held his hand out.
The Shadow in front of him simply began chanting in response.
Crazed zealots were truly annoying to deal with.
"Air Strike Javelin!" The energy spear appeared in Motoyasu's hand, and he chucked it at the lead Shadow.
The man moved to the side, the javelin exploding where he'd been standing. He finished his chant and pointed a hand at Motoyasu. "Zweite Speed Down."
A purple aura surrounded Motoyasu. He saw his speed stat decrease on his HUD.
A shadow darted by him far more quickly than he'd expected. It was only thanks to sheer luck that his spear moved in time, deflecting the blade of a dagger off it.
The Shadow quickly jumped up onto another balcony before Motoyasu could retaliate. The Spear Hero jumped after him but was quickly intercepted by another shadow midair. His spear and the woman's sword interlocked.
Her free hand reached into her robes, and she threw a powdery substance into Motoyasu's eyes. "Gah!" He quickly pushed her off, landing on the floor in a pile of limbs.
He stood up, but he couldn't open his eyes. They felt like they were on fire.
"Drifa Aqua Shot!"
"Drifa Earth Pillar!"
"Drifa Shadow Slash!"
He stumbled around, blindly trying to avoid the spells based on the directions the voices seemed to be sounding from. But while he avoided the earth spell, he was still hit by the other two. And they hurt far more than the spells used by the church mages earlier.
"Urgh." Motoyasu nearly collapsed. He pulled out some medicine that had been brewed by Naofumi from his weapon's gemstone and drank it. He almost coughed at the bitter taste, but at least he was able to open his eyes and see again.
The next Shadow was already upon him. He raised his spear, blocking the strike from his dagger before the Shadow kicked back off his face.
The deadly game of tag continued between him and the other Shadows for a minute. No matter what Motoyasu seemed to try, he could barely react fast enough to defend himself. And they kept on dodging out of reach whenever he tried to attack! And whenever he tried to jump up to one of the balconies to escape the wide-open floor, they were quick to intercept him mid-air!
It was truly annoying! Some of his attacks began to aim at destroying the balconies just so they'd have less room to maneuver with!
Then, when he thought he finally had an opening as a Shadow tripped, another one appeared from the side, dagger gleaming in his hands.
He tried to force himself to react but was unable to block the Shadow's dagger as it slashed into his side.
"Ahhh!" Motoyasu fell to his knees and clutched the wound. His hand was colored red by his blood. The area around the wound burned like it was on fire.
On his HUD, he was warned that he'd just been poisoned. Some of his stats also dropped from it.
Poison weapons?! Seriously?! Now that was really unfair!
"Repent, false Spear Hero. You could never defeat us, Balamus's most trusted shadows." The lead man spoke on the second balcony once more.
"Balamus is dead!" Motoyasu screamed. "He's deader than dead! There's no need for you or anyone to follow his false teachings anymore!"
"False? Do you really believe the demi-humans to be better than humans?" The Shadow asked. His four colleagues appeared by his sides.
"I know humans aren't perfect. We have certainly done horrible things to each other. But the demi-humans are a scourge upon our world. As long as they are allowed to exist, there will always be wars between us. There will never be peace. Neither side will rest until the other is destroyed!" The man exclaimed.
"You're wrong!" Motoyasu forced himself to stand up.
"You can choose not to believe us. But in the end, it doesn't matter. All those who support our enemies shall perish! The false Heroes! The false rulers! You shall see, God's will always prevail-"
"YOU'RE WRONG!" Motoyasu exclaimed, much more loudly. "I've seen for myself that we can live peacefully together!"
"Yeah, it takes a lot of work! There are differences we have to acknowledge and overcome! But it can work! We can live peacefully together!" He stood up tall.
"I didn't get along with Naofumi when we were summoned to this world! In fact, I caused him a lot of pain and suffering because of my decisions! But now, he's like the little brother I never had! Him, Itsuki, and Ren!" His fist tightened at his side.
"They're my family! That village we all work together to protect is my family! And I won't let you or anyone else take it from me!" Motoyasu exclaimed.
"My, such big words, but do you even have the power to back them up?" The Shadow spoke mockingly.
"We'll see about that!" Motoyasu began chanting under his breath. The Shadows immediately got on their guard, expecting him to launch some counterspell at them.
They were right about one thing. They were certainly some of the strongest bastards that Motoyasu had ever faced, besides that Glass lady. So if he wanted to be able to deal with them, if he wanted his ideals to win, he had to be better. He had to fight better.
"Zweite Healing Warmth!" He cast the healing spell on himself, unintentionally adding life force to it.
His wounds healed over, the poison status effect disappeared on his HUD, and his stats besides the speed debuff returned to normal.
"What? What was that supposed to do?" The Shadow asked. "No matter how many times you heal yourself, you will-"
"You guys seriously talk too much. Hengen Musou, Air Strike Javelin!" A green energy spear, glowing with the power of life force appeared in his free hand. With a shout, he chucked it at the group.
The Shadows quickly separated, allowing the spear to blow up where it landed.
BOOM!
However, the explosion was much larger than they'd been anticipating. Four of them had gotten out of the way, but the last one fell with the debris from the balcony down to the floor below.
Before she had a chance to stand up, Motoyasu was already upon her. Only a gasp of shock escaped her lips before Motoyasu's spear thrust straight through her heart and into the ground beneath her.
Yep, the pace of this battle had already changed.
Another Shadow flew through the air at Motoyasu, but he turned much more quickly than the man thought possible, and was backhanded by the Spear Hero. As he stumbled back, Motoyasu pulled his spear from his comrade's lifeless body and pointed it at him. "Chaos Thrust!"
Despite the shadow's best efforts and footwork, he wasn't able to dodge Motoyasu's next attack. He was repeatedly stabbed by his spear.
"What is this?! You're supposed to be the weakest of the four false Heroes!" The lead Shadow exclaimed. He was also still under the Speed debuff spell he'd cast at the beginning of the fight! How was he reacting so quickly now?!
Motoyasu glared up at the man. A noticeable glow surrounded his body.
One of Granny's lessons came to mind. While he couldn't use the techniques of Hengen Musou just yet, he could manipulate life force to improve his attacks. He could also use it to improve his speed. Effectively, he was using life force to cancel out the debuff from the Shadow's spell.
He'd be really tired after this battle was over. But he'd come out the winner.
"The weakest Hero I may be, but I'm a hero still!" Motoyasu yelled as the two other Shadows jumped at his sides to attack him simultaneously.
"Gale Force Thrust!" He jumped, pointing his spear beneath him. The wind from the skill launched him upwards. The two Shadows slammed into each other, and Motoyasu fell back towards them. He raised his spear high overhead.
"Hengen Musou, Crimson Thrust!" Fire encased his spear, and he thrust down. The two shadows were not only impaled but screamed as the higher-powered flames burned through their bodies.
A moment later, Motoyasu walked out of the flames. Two piles of ash were on the ground behind him.
"Im-Impossible!" The lead shadow turned to run away.
Motoyasu had been chanting under his breath after unleashing the fiery skill. As the Shadow turned to flee, he finished his incantation. "Drifa Fireball!"
Hengen Musou wasn't the only thing that he'd been studying since his humiliating defeat during the last wave.
The AoE spell hit the area in front of the shadow and exploded dramatically. The man was sent flying off the balcony and landed on the ground in front of Motoyasu. He looked up at the Spear Hero fearfully.
"Too bad you joined the wrong side. I hope your afterlife is filled with pain and misery after everything you've done." Motoyasu raised his spear high and began twirling it.
"Wait, please, have mercy!" The Shadow raised his hand over his face. Motoyasu paused.
"I surrender! I swear! I won't try to harm you or the other Heroes again! Just let me leave and I'll never bother you again! Please!" The man begged.
…
...
"Alright then," Motoyasu put his spear down. "I've had enough death for today.
"Get lost, before I change my mind."
The Shadow got up. He was muttering what sounded like gratitude under his breath as he turned around to flee. But then, he turned around quickly, hand outstretched towards the Spear Hero. Ha, what a gullible fool the Spear Hero was!
"Drifa-"
"Meteor Thrust!"
Motoyasu was naive around women. He was stubborn as a mule in his beliefs. But despite evidence to the contrary, he wasn't stupid. At least, not stupid enough to drop his guard around an enemy who'd been trying desperately to kill him only moments before.
The already charged skill slammed into the Shadow, and the man screamed as he was enveloped in one last, brilliant explosion.
…
As Motoyasu recovered from the blindness of the close-up skill, he received an experience notification.
Only the charred remains of the leader of the Church Shadows were left in front of him. The rosary was the last discernible feature of what he'd been before.
Motoyasu collapsed to one knee, feeling unbelievably exhausted. 'Damn, life force sure is useful… but I'm definitely nowhere near Granny's level yet.'
Using it in combat would definitely take some more getting used to.
After a moment, the blonde man forced himself to stand up and continue down the hallway past the destruction. Entering a door, he came into another hallway.
Thankfully, he didn't come across any other shadows or followers. It seemed like he'd dealt with the last of the Church's shadows in the front room.
Good riddance.
…
After several minutes of searching, he heard some noises coming from one of the nearby rooms. Opening the door, he found over a dozen half-naked figures, all with their hands cuffed behind their backs, and shackles binding their feet to the ground. Fresh whip lashes could be seen covering their backs and some had the fingernails on their hands and feet missing.
He raised his spear, suspicious that it might be a trap, but then he lowered it when he heard one of them speak out.
"Urgh… we will never… tell you…" The man that was speaking looked up. "... Sir… Spear Hero?"
"Who are you?" Motoyasu tensed up. "And how do you know how I am?" He thought these people might have been slaves at first, but none of them bore a slave seal on their bodies.
"Sh-shadows sir. We are her Majesty's shadows. The Church Agents have been ambushing and picking us one by one the past few weeks to be brought here for interrogation." The man managed to speak up again with some effort.
Motoyasu couldn't believe his luck. The mansion was huge! But somehow, he'd stumbled upon Mirellia's missing shadows!
What good fortune, I say!
"Understood. I'll free you then. The Queen's army is outside, holding the mansion on lockdown. Go and join them. And don't worry about running into enemies, I've already dealt with the Church Shadows." Motoyasu began cutting the chains that bound them. He didn't have time to find the keys, so he used his spear to break their bonds instead.
"Thank you… we almost thought, her Majesty had abandoned us." The male Shadow said gratefully.
"She didn't. She had the Bow Hero looking all over for you up until he had to go to Cal Mira." Motoyasu explained. "Her other Shadows have been trying to locate you ever since."
After freeing them, he turned to leave, but one female Shadow grabbed him by the shoulder. "On the third floor is a large study. I found out that is where the First Princess was staying before I got captured. Whether she's still there or not..."
"Don't worry. This whole place is surrounded." Motoyasu's gaze hardened. "If she is still here, she won't get away."
The Shadow nodded gratefully. "Take care, Sir Spear Hero. Thank you for saving us." She and her compatriots slowly moved out the door. Either they weren't as quick as the Shadow that Motoyasu normally interacted with, or they were too weak to do the awesome disappearing act that she normally did.
After the last Shadow had left, and after Motoyasu was sure that they would be fine, he found a set of stairs and ran up to the third floor.
After that, he kicked open door after door.
He came across bathrooms. Dining rooms. Bedrooms. Balconies leading out to ballrooms. And many other rooms.
It wasn't until around twenty doors later that he finally kicked open a set of double doors, and came into a large study.
Bookshelves lined the walls. A large, mahogany desk took up the back wall. It looked like a sleeping area had been set up to the side. It certainly looked fit for a princess.
However, there was no one inside.
"Damn it, she must have hid in another room." Motoyasu almost turned around to walk off, but something on the desk caught his eye.
Was that… a crystal orb?
As he walked over, the orb began to glow. He held up his spear in self-defense, but it didn't unleash an attack.
After a moment, an image appeared over it.
"Hello, Sir Motoyasu." Bitch's scarred face sneered at him. "If you're listening to this, congratulations, you have managed to become stronger… somehow."
Motoyasu stood in place. It was a recording. She'd left a damn recording behind just for him?!
"When I learned that the other Heroes had left you in charge, I couldn't hold back my glee! It seemed like the perfect opportunity to pay you back for leaving me to rot in that cell! However," The recording scowled. "These idiots are too weak! Even after all their 'hard' work-" She paused to make a disgusted face at her sarcastic comment. "- their average levels aren't even 35! They're useless!"
She ranted for a while about the uselessness of the Church Followers. How they'd almost blown their position more than once. He almost tuned her out.
Eventually, however, she was smirking at Motoyasu again. "I do hope you dealt with most of those fools. It'll be a relief not having to deal with them any longer. Though I'm somewhat sad not to have those useful Shadows of mine anymore." She started laughing into her hand like she wasn't sorry at all.
Motoyasu's face twisted in disgust. Had he really indirectly helped her out?
The thought made him sick.
"Not that I expected much from them. They're about as useless as those slavers I hired to attack your village!" Bitch continued to laugh. "But you were strong enough to beat them, right Sir Motoyasu?" She snidely asked. "You're not that weak still, right?" She asked in a sing-song, mocking tone.
The Spear Hero gripped his spear tightly, feeling a deep pitted seed of betrayal and anger twist in his stomach. If only this wasn't a recording. If only this was the real thing so he could shout back at her.
Or better yet, impale her on his spear.
"It's a shame that I won't be there to see you go up in flames." Bitch waved her hair to the side. "That sight would have been amazing to see."
"… huh?" Motoyasu muttered dumbly.
"Confused? Don't worry, I'll make it simple for your pathetic little mind to understand. You walked right into my trap. If you're still too dumb to understand what that means, look at the bookshelves!"
He did and immediately froze in place. What he'd thought were books weren't books at all.
With the gunpowder leaking out from them, it was clear that they were bombs.
'OH ^%$#!' He quickly grabbed the orb and started running. He had to escape with this! It had Bitch's confession to the slaver attack and everything!
Bitch continued to laugh. "They're all over the manor. If you're running right now, you're already too late.
"Goodbye, Sir Motoyasu." Her smirk turned to a scowl of disgust. "It wasn't a pleasure knowing you."
With her last words ringing in his ears, Motoyasu was enveloped in one of the many explosions.
Outside, just as the knights were nearly done binding the last of the followers who'd surrendered, a series of explosions coming from the manor began to shake the ground around them.
"What the-"
"Get back!"
Startled horses reared up in terror, almost throwing their riders off.
After a moment, the walls of the manor blew outward. The roof collapsed with a colossal crashing noise immediately after.
Many of the knights stared in confusion. Rino looked at the ruins in horror.
"Sir Motoyasu!"
"Gwah!"
Amber started jumping around the debris. It didn't seem possible for anyone to survive such a large-scale explosion.
Rino stared, shock and horror filling her at what she saw.
No, it couldn't be. She'd been watching the estate that whole time. Besides those people Sir Motoyasu had rescued, no one else had exited anywhere else in the manor.
So how… how could this have happened?
...
However, moments later, an arm burst out from the wreckage.
"Gwah!" Amber's loud cry grabbed Rino's attention. She watched as the Filolial quickly hopped near the center of the debris, grabbing onto something with her beak. After a little tugging, Motoyasu, burned and hurt, but alive, was dragged out.
"Good girl, Amber. Good girl." He gritted his teeth in pain.
"Gwaaah!" The Filolial knelt down, allowing Motoyasu to cling to her side.
Rino put her face in her hands. She swore, she wasn't crying. She'd had faith in her Hero, after all.
It was just a relief to know Bitch hadn't managed to kill him.
Several more explosions shook the ruins, sending bursts of debris into the air. Thankfully, however, these ones weren't close to the pair. They managed to escape the wreckage without any other incident.
"Sir Motoyasu!" When they were clear of the wreckage, Motoyasu was surrounded by Rino, Captain Mayor, Granny, and some of the Shadows that he'd rescued. They were still slow, but robes and masks had been given to them to hide their identities once more.
"Don't worry. Whoever set those bombs didn't have high enough stats to do me in." Motoyasu tried to smile, but he ended up coughing up some blood instead.
He hadn't been done in, but he'd been damn close. Thank goodness this world worked differently than the one he came from. He'd be beyond dead right now if that wasn't the case.
Not that it'd stopped him from jumping under a desk after the initial explosions to protect himself from the falling debris. That'd probably helped too.
"What happened in there, Spear-Dono?" Granny asked frantically.
Motoyasu grimaced. He felt blood coming from a gash on his cheek. "The First Princess was here. But she isn't anymore. She used all this as a trap. She threw away the lives of all these people just so she could try and kill me." He scowled. "She's gone."
...
At their silence, he pulled out the crystal orb from his spear's gemstone. He handed it over to one of the Shadows. "Make sure this gets to her Majesty. While she didn't confess about falsely accusing Naofumi, she did confess to orchestrating this entire mess."
The Shadow nodded. "It shall be done."
"If she's gone, we can also assume that the Debais family escaped with her." Captain Mayor said. "We haven't spotted any of them among the dead, nor among those we've captured. Fortunately, all the Church Remnants have been dealt with. We even have the Archbishop in our custody."
Nearby amongst the prisoners, the Archbishop was near the forefront. He still looked stunned that he and his followers had been abandoned by the First Princess and the noble who'd helped them in their time of need.
"Why… why did our Gods abandon us…" He spoke, loud enough for Motoyasu to hear.
"Because you decided to trust a backstabbing witch over us," Motoyasu said. He then cried out in pain as he tried to get out of Amber's grip and collapsed to the ground.
Rino immediately moved to help him. "Motoyasu, you've done enough." The green-haired girl said. "Please, don't push yourself anymore for today."
"Yes, I agree. You've pushed yourself too much Spear-dono." Granny stated. "Your life force is dangerously low. You need to rest."
"Urgh." He wanted to say no. He had to find Malty and capture her. But he felt too weak and tired from all the fighting that he was forced to endure today.
"We'll begin searching the area." Captain Mayor said. "For now, you should head back to the Hero's village and rest."
Motoyasu again tried to complain, but he felt tired. He also realized that he definitely needed to address his injuries. With a sigh, he relented. "Alright. Report to me when you have news."
They agreed, and the Spear Hero finally allowed himself to be carried back to the village where the Apothecarian treated him for his injuries.
On their way back, he smiled up at Rino. "You weren't hurt by that explosion, right?" He asked.
"... no. I stayed back, keeping watch on the manor just like you asked." The girl admitted.
"I'm glad." He coughed. "At least, she didn't get the chance to try and harm you again."
"... please rest, Motoyasu." She gently told him.
"Yes, ma'am." And so, he did.
It took two days before he felt well enough to train once more. And it'd been during his training with Granny that Naofumi had appeared, bringing them back to the present.
Naofumi, Ren, and Itsuki sat in silence.
Motoyasu wasn't smiling. He was looking down between his knees.
"I'm sorry. I was hoping when that Shadow appeared, it'd mean that they'd found her… but I guess they still haven't."
…
"By the sounds of it, it wasn't your fault-" Itsuki started to say.
Naofumi interrupted, however, by promptly standing up and punching his fist into the wall.
"Whoa, Naofumi-" Ren yelped in surprise.
"That damn slippery whore!" Naofumi yelled. "Damn her!"
He punched the wall several more times before finally sitting back down in his seat, anger painted on his face. "I'm tired of her! I wish she'd just fall on a sword and die already! We've had to deal with her bull#$%$ for too long!"
The other three Heroes stared at him but nodded. They agreed on that.
"On the bright side, with her base of operations being destroyed, she won't be able to move against us for a while." Itsuki tried to reassure everyone.
"Yeah, plus, she threw away all her manpower and resources trying to kill Motoyasu." Ren agreed. "Meanwhile, we can build up our own and make it impossible for her to attack us again."
"But she still got away," Motoyasu said angrily. His rage was very similar to what Naofumi felt then. "Knowing her. She'll find another way to strike at us."
Naofumi's hands were balled into fists. Motoyasu was right. Even if she couldn't now, Bitch could still strike again in the future. She would be lurking in the shadows. Lurking in his nightmares…
He heard laughter and put a fist over his mouth, trying to force his oncoming panic attack down. Already? That made two in one day. Was he getting worse?!
The other three Heroes continued talking, unaware of his condition.
"So Motoyasu, why didn't you use your Portal Spear to escape the mansion?" Itsuki rubbed his chin in contemplation. "Did the Church mages set up some kind of ward around it to prevent you from using it?" He remembered the same thing happening to him before at a bar.
"Well, I, uh…" Motoyasu froze up on the spot, his face reddening.
…
"Don't tell me. Did you forget that you could teleport?" Ren said after the pause became awkward.
Motoyasu lowered his head in embarrassment.
"It's fine. We all forget from time to time, right Itsuki?" Ren asked, looking at the Bow Hero.
Itsuki shuffled in his seat. "I mean, for all we know, Motoyasu could have been prevented from teleporting for some strange reason. So him jumping under a desk was a very rational choice."
"Yeah, it was!" The Spear Hero breathed a sigh of relief.
"Though I still would have at least checked to see if I could teleport away or not," Itsuki added.
"Hey!" Motoyasu whined. The three of them began to laugh. "Nah man, It's fine and I agree. It was really dumb of me in retrospect." Motoyasu waved it off.
As they laughed, he realized someone wasn't. He glanced at Naofumi who had remained oddly quiet throughout the whole exchange.
"Ahem. Well anyways." Itsuki coughed into his hand. "Regarding the first princess's attack. I don't think that worrying about it will do us any good. For now, we should just continue running the village like normal."
"I suppose." Motoyasu sighed. "I guess nobody died in the attack anyway. And we did collect a lot of valuable resources off the Church followers."
"You looted their bodies?!" Ren exclaimed in shock.
"They had some valuable magic tomes with them that the Witch could use! And Jerry has plenty of armor to work with now! I wasn't going to let it all get burnt up by Captain Mayor and his men!" Motoyasu said.
"Ugh. I think I'm going to be sick." Ren held a hand over his mouth.
"It was Mirellia's reinforcements who took care of the bodies. And they made sure to do it far away from the village!" Motoyasu defended.
"That doesn't make me feel any better." Itsuki also looked sick.
"Naofumi, you're with me on this, right?! Right?!" The Spear Hero pressed.
...
"I think it's getting late, I'm going to go to bed," Naofumi muttered, standing up and walking towards the door.
"Ah, wait, Naofumi, I know this isn't the best time but what about my reward for protecting the village? You promised, remember?" Motoyasu asked timidly. Why wasn't Naofumi talking to them?
Without turning around, Naofumi dropped ten gold coins on the floor. "You want those eggs, you can buy them from Beloukas yourself."
"Huh?" The Spear Hero stared at the scattered change on the floor in confusion while Naofumi walked out.
"Urgh! What's his problem?" Motoyasu slammed the base of his spear into the floor and scowled.
However, it wasn't long before a worried look soon appeared on his face. "Yo, guys, is Naofumi doing alright?"
"What do you mean?" Ren asked.
"I mean, didn't he seem a little off there at the end to you?" Motoyasu clarified.
"Hmmm… He has been looking more on edge lately." Itsuki rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Maybe it's because you mentioned Bitch getting away?" Ren wondered out loud.
…
That made sense. But it seemed like Naofumi had been taking it harder than usual...
"How about we discuss this another time?" Motoyasu suggested. "I'm worried for him."
"Yeah. It's pretty late." Itsuki yawned.
"It's back to training for me tomorrow. I'll try to find time though." The Sword Hero stood up and put a hand on Motoyasu's shoulder. "Thank you for taking care of things while we were gone."
"Yeah, thanks Motoyasu." Itsuki smiled. "I'm surprised to say this, but you did a good job. Much better than what I could have done."
"Well… er…" Motoyasu turned away in embarrassment. "Thanks…"
And thus, the Heroes retired for the night. Learning about the important things that'd happened while the village had been left in Motoyasu's care.
In Ren and Itsuki's case, both were interested in the training Motoyasu had been taking part in for the last few weeks. Whether they'd have time or the courage to ask Granny to train them or not, would depend on them.
Naofumi, had his mind not been so distracted by Bitch, might have thought about it as well.
Author's Notes:
Now, with that out of the way. We can move forward.
I figure it's about time I explained how Hengen Musou and life force works, as I've gotten some comments from people about it. It doesn't help that the Wiki, once again, has false info on the matter. This is a concept that will be covered at the beginning of Season Two in the anime.
But since it'd be boring if I just explained it or, knowing the anime, they'll likely skip over a bunch of details, so I decided to hire Granny to do it herself!
Hero Clips!
Hengen Musou and Life Force
"Hmph. Very fitting, Sir Motoyasu." Granny was dressed in a kung fu outfit instead of the teacher's uniform everyone was likely expecting at this point.
"You're welcome, I say!" Motoyasu bowed deeply.
"Does anyone else find it weird how his Brokoyasu persona is taking over in the story?" Ren asked.
"Shush. You're going to spoil the readers." Itsuki told him.
Naofumi rolled his eyes, remaining silent as Granny began to explain her fighting technique.
"Hengen Musou, otherwise known as the Peerless Transformation Style, was born by an adventurer's desire to overcome danger without relying on the Heroes." Granny began. "It is a legendary style that relies on manipulating a source of power during combat called life force."
"This life force… would it happen to be similar to chi?" Itsuki asked.
"That is another word you can use, yes." Granny nodded. "By manipulating one's chi, a normal person can accomplish feats similar to the Heroes. Enhancing their stats, magic attacks, even unleashing attacks similar to skills. Though those are capable only by those who learn to understand the deep intricacies of life force."
"... how long would it take somebody to learn that?" Ren asked curiously. A further way to get stronger sounded great!
"Hmmm… ten years, give or take a few," Granny stated offhandedly.
"... WHAT?!" The other Three Heroes' reactions were as expected.
Granny smirked. "Unless you have natural talent. Then you can understand it in as little as a month. Maybe more."
The other Heroes stared at Motoyasu, who puffed his chest out in pride. However, it didn't last long as Granny chopped the back of his head with her hand. "Of course, with you being Heroes, I can't teach you the true forms of Hengen Musou and have been teaching this oaf here only the superficial techniques anyone can learn."
"What?! But I thought I was truly using it in those fights!" Motoyasu looked very sad about his major accomplishment being ripped from under his feet.
"True, you were using life force to enhance your skills. But the thing with Hengen Musou is that it relies on variety. There's no weapon associated with it because it requires no medium. Yet it can use anything as a medium, like a sword, a bow, a mace, or even a hoe." Granny thought back to her time using a certain red-haired hoe during the Wave with fondness.
"To put it simply, because of your legendary weapons restricting you to only wielding them in combat, you'd be very limited in what you could learn from the Hengen Musou style itself. So what I'm teaching you is not exactly Hengen Musou, but rather the superficial applications that almost any normal person is capable of with life force manipulation. Once you master those, I could see about teaching you the techniques that'd be usable with your weapons. But you'll have to wait and see."
The Heroes stared at Granny.
In essence, they'd learned this was a fighting style that'd benefit their party members far more than it'd benefit them, all because of the legendary weapons they wielded.
Wow. They'd all just been cucked by a Legendary fighting style at the same time.
Motoyasu more so than the others because he thought he'd been learning it all along.
Till Next Time
Allen