Shout out to my proofreader Norin. Your ideas and suggestions really made this chapter shine. Thank you for helping me to capture the heart of this chapter.
Chapter Thirty-Three: The Sword of Gluttony
"What the hell happened just now?!" Eclair asked Itsuki in worry. The blast of pure energy didn't hit them but it'd still blinded everyone except for the Bow Hero.
"Naofumi, he... he somehow managed to block the turtle's breath attack, but he's almost dead!" Itsuki spoke, sounding as if he couldn't believe the horrifying sight that his eyes and scout skills were showing him.
Eclair paled. "What?!" She looked ahead, trying to see what only Itsuki could clearly see from their position.
Wyndia was still nearby, frantically trying to call upon any vitality for some dragon vein spell to help out. But there was none left. The Spirit Tortoise had sucked out everything in the vicinity to charge up its attack.
Who would have thought that such a deadly attack from the Guardian Beast could also have a particular backlash for magic casters like her?
"Naofumi! Naofumi!" Raphtalia jumped off Filo's back, shaking him to try and get a response. The glow of healing magic from the coalition army surrounded him, but the burns covering his body hardly healed, if at all.
"Daddy, please wake up!" Filo cried alongside her mother.
"Sir Naofumi!" Dou-Lon ran up, his face a look of horror and disbelief.
The Shield Hero didn't move. His chest barely fell up and down, the only indication that he was somehow still alive despite his grievous injuries.
Seeing that eased some of Raphtalia's worst fears. But Naofumi was far from being out of the danger zone. If he wasn't treated immediately- but there was the Guardian Beast to deal with! If they didn't kill it...
Raphtalia's face took on a look of resolve.
No, she'd followed her promise up to this point. She'd fought for Naofumi to the letter. But if they left him here to press the attack, Naofumi would die! She could never allow that to happen!
"Filo, we're taking Daddy away from here!"
"But, but the turtle-" Dou-Lon started to say.
"I'll handle it! Go! Get him to safety!" Ren yelled back as he ran past them towards the Tortoise's head once again.
Damn it! The turtle had the electric breath attack after all! That'd been the biggest worry on his mind, yet to see it bring even Naofumi down when he'd had his strongest shield equipped…
"Crimson Blade!" The skill slammed into the side of the Guardian Beast's neck. The Tortoise didn't roar, however, and instead began to shift. But why-
Oh, his gravity attack on it had just worn off.
And Naofumi's Zweite Aura buff on everyone had worn off too.
Oh no...no...nononononononono!
"Thunderbolt Slash! Light Thrust!" Ren attacked again and again. Other attacks from Itsuki's long-range skills landed around him as they both desperately tried to hack the rest of the turtle's neck off before it could get off the ground.
Meanwhile, Raphtalia and Dou-Lon helped to get Naofumi onto Filo's back. Raphtalia then got on as well to hold the Shield Hero steady before holding out a hand to the Hakuko man.
"No, you two go ahead. I'll stay and help out, I'd only slow you down! Make sure Sir Naofumi doesn't die!" Dou-Lon brandished his lance and gave her a nod.
Raphtalia nodded back. "Make sure that beast dies." Quickly turning Filo around, Raphtalia gripped her and the Shield Hero tightly as they fled from the battle. Dou-Lon gave the retreating Raccoon girl a salute before turning around and facing their adversary once again.
"Ha!" Maya's twin daggers buried themselves repeatedly into the deep wounds of the Tortoise's neck inflicted by Ren. But besides keeping them from closing, there wasn't much else she could do. Her MP was too low to risk a magic attack and Ren was too busy hacking away to supply more Magic Healing Waters right now.
As the Tortoise began to lift itself out of the hole that it'd created in the ground, Bakta and Aksel ran towards its rising head.
"Oh no, you don't!" The two tanks grabbed the Tortoise's bleeding snout to try and force it back down.
But they weren't strong enough to hold it on their own. The Tortoise, annoyed with them, brought its head to the side, making the two lose their grip and also forcing Ren and Maya to duck before its head came careening towards the two tanks again.
"Look out!" The two were impacted and sent flying through the air.
Bakta somehow landed on his feet. He looked down at himself, surprised that he was mostly unharmed.
"Urgh," Aksel, however, laid on the ground nearby. He was badly hurt.
"You…" Bakta realized. The tortoise hadn't hit him. The Tortoise had hit Aksel, who'd jumped in front of him to take the attack. "Why did you take that hit for me you moron?!" Bakta yelled at him while pulling the other warrior up by his chest plate to look him in the eyes.
Aksel gave him a pained smile and a thumbs up. "Sorry bro, I wanted to prove I was stronger." He joked, then nearly cried out as the pain in his arms spiked. He'd definitely fractured them. "I couldn't let my weaker bro get hurt, after all." He said through the pain.
It'd probably been the most serious thing Bakta had ever heard from his tank brother.
"Blue, get him out of here!" Ren yelled before swinging to attack the Beast's head again. Blue picked the hurt knight up, with Bakta still staring at him in disbelief. Maya helped settle Aksel on Blue's back before the Filolial took off.
"█ █ █ █ █ █!"
At the Spirit Tortoise's roar, another wave of familiars jumped from the ecosystem on its back.
"Ack!" Ren was almost hit by one, but Dou-Lon quickly impaled it on his lance, kicking it off before stabbing through the next one. "Don't you dare impede the Holy Heroes!" He charged into the fray, Maya quickly following behind him.
It was only Ren trying to cut into the beast's neck now. The only ones left to help the Sword Hero out besides Itsuki and the ranged support were Bakta and Welt.
And just when Ren thought the situation couldn't get any worse, he noticed the Tortoise's body beginning to glow again.
No, it couldn't be! It was the version of the Tortoise that could use the breath attack twice! Why couldn't it have been Itsuki's version of the Tortoise!?
"You two, get away! I don't want to hit you with my skills!" Ren lied to his two party members.
"But-" Welt immediately began to protest, seeing the Tortoise charging up the same move it'd used against Naofumi earlier.
"RUN!" Ren screamed, not focusing on either of them as he desperately rained down attack after attack.
But the Tortoise was now standing once again. Its head moved out of reach of Ren's close-range skills. Itsuki's attacks paused as the Bow Hero had to drink a Soul Healing Water. Spells from Rachel and the others continued impacting the beast, but Wyndia remained unable to cast any Dragon Vein magic.
"Air Strike Bash! Second Bash!" Ren launched himself through the air with the help of the two skills. Bringing himself just close enough to the turtle's rising neck to strike again. "Thunderbolt Slash!"
The attack landed, tearing out another chunk of the beast's regenerating neck. It wasn't as great as before, however, without Naofumi's skill buffing his stats. "Dritte Bash!" He used the skill to cushion his blow against the ground. It still hurt like hell though, but he stood up again, desperation driving him.
"Dragon Buster! One Hundred Swords!"
'Come on! It doesn't have much health left! There's barely anything left to keep its head attached to its body! If only I didn't have these stupid cooldown and charge timers!" It took him several seconds to fire off each skill. He didn't have a move like Filo's that allowed him to charge up an insane amount of energy before dealing a heavy blow.
It was coming down to the wire. And the Tortoise's mouth began to glow brightly as it readied its second breath attack, only a couple of minutes after firing off the first one.
He couldn't let it launch that attack! He had to kill it! HE HAD TO!
"Meteor Slash!" The powerful attack slammed into the underside of its neck.
"█ █ █ █ █ █!"
The large turtle glared down at him and opened its mouth wide.
Oh crap, it hadn't been enough. All he'd done was get it to focus on him.
Knowing that this was going to be his last desperate attempt, Ren pulled up Reflect Sword. It wouldn't work at all if the attack was too powerful for him to reflect, but he had to try! His long-range skills were still on cooldown, and this was the only option he had left-
Wait, crap! He'd used the last of his SP on that Meteor Slash! He hadn't realized how quickly he'd torn through his SP reserves trying to kill it! He pulled a Soul Healing Water from his gemstone and tried to open it quickly, but his hands were trembling. It almost felt impossible to open the flask. Seconds felt like hours, and Ren tried to down the contents when he finally got it open, but...
The Tortoise released its electric breath attack.
…
Odd.
And here he'd thought he'd be able to pull off one, last, desperate attempt to live. He'd had plenty of experience with that before. From facing the Tyrant Rex, to Glass, to before when they were facing the Tortoise the first time.
Yet here he was. Still drinking this potion. Eyes wide with terror.
He should have known his good luck would run out eventually. Yet he'd been too careless. In his mad rush to finish off the Tortoise, he hadn't paid enough attention to himself, and now…
Ren felt something shove him with enough force to send him flying. The attack was still coming down from above. What had thrown him…
He slowly looked back. His eyes falling on two, good, loyal friends.
Bakta and Welt were standing with their arms held out in front of them. They had combined their strength to push their leader and friend away from death's door.
"No matter what happens, this ride was wild and fun so let's do our best to work hard and enjoy it to the end..."
'Heh. When you said that yesterday, I couldn't have imagined it'd come to this.' Bakta inwardly chuckled. He guessed he would die illiterate after all.
The two's gazes focused on Ren, their lips curving into smiles. 'I'm sorry, Sir Ren. This world needs you more than it needs us, please take good care of it.' Welt thought, his and Bakta's hands slowly raising to their heads, giving their friend one final salute.
Ren's hand reached out a soundless cry on his lips.
The Spirit Tortoise's attack landed, enveloping the pair entirely.
The flow of time resumed. The concussive blast against the ground sent a screaming Ren, barely on the edge as it hit, flying even higher into the air, burns covering his arms and legs.
Dust and debris flew upwards.
Battles raged on in the distance.
Farrie gasped, suddenly falling to her knees. "N-No…"
"What… what's going on…" Tersia paused in her chanting as well, looking at the Guardian Beast and the area its attack was hitting with growing horror.
Itsuki remained silent. His eyes were wide, his hands clutching the legendary weapon tightly.
"Ahhhhhhhh!" Maya screamed as she was flung through the air.
"I've got you!" Dou-Lon jumped from one piece of debris to the other on all fours, catching the flailing Raccoon woman in the air.
Ren finally hit the ground, still screaming as he felt something in his arm shatter with the impact. A few seconds later, the Tortoise's shorter breath attack finally finished.
Dou-Lon alighted on the ground, setting the raccoon girl down beside him. "Th-Thank you." She quietly murmured.
"Don't thank me yet." As Dou-Lon looked up, more of the Spirit Tortoise's minions surrounded them. He scowled as he held up his gauntleted fists. "There's still plenty of fighting left."
Meanwhile, Ren scrambled to get up. Immediately running towards where the attack had struck despite the injuries he was suffering from.
"Bakta! Welt!"
'No, please Gods, please let them be alive! PLEASE!'
He reached the edge of the smoking crater. Looking down, it was plenty obvious.
No one besides Naofumi would have had a chance of surviving a direct attack like that.
Not even a trace of their bodies was left.
The only thing remaining was the blackened remains of the tower shield that Bakta had been wielding.
Ren's breath hitched.
"No…"
He fell to his knees, unable to believe it.
The Tortoise was standing up at full height now. Injuries still covered its head and neck, slowly healing, slowly wiping out all the progress they'd made over the course of the battle.
"No…"
It hadn't been enough… he was still far too weak, even after all this time.
Tears leaked from the corners of his eyes.
His failure to protect the villagers from the familiars. The sight of loss he'd witnessed throughout Melromarc. Learning that the tortoise had awoken to kill thousands, if not millions.
Finding entire countries destroyed. Towns picked clean of all life. Their first loss against the Tortoise, their failure to protect an entire city worth of people.
And now… after all the losses that he'd tried to endure, after all the hardship that he'd tried to overcome and struggle through… when he'd thought he'd finally found happiness...
He'd lost two of his closest friends in this world.
Friends who'd given their lives because of his fatal mistake.
And all of it was his fault. Because he was careless. Because he was too weak...
Welt and Bakta were dead.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" His heartrending scream of despair rang through the air.
Darkness surrounded the Sword Hero.
There was nothing left for him in this world…
It was all his fault… if only he'd been faster… if only he'd been stronger… if only...
"D& Y$U S&&K P W&R?!"
...
"D& Y$U S&&K P W&R?!"
He hadn't been strong enough. Two of his friends were dead and the rest would soon follow…
"D& Y$U S&&K P W&R?!"
Why… why couldn't he have been strong enough?! It was so unfair! He'd put in so much hard work and effort, and yet it still hadn't been enough!
Why, why did this world have to be so cruel…
"D& Y$U S&&K P W&R?!"
There was nothing left for this hollow shell. Ren, beyond despair, beyond help for the weight of his mistakes, finally fell into the darkness.
"... Yes."
Cursed Abilities Increased!
Sword of Hunger I Unlocked!
…!
Yes... this feeling flowing through him. This was what he needed.
Power. Power that the others feared. Power that the others lacked.
Why were they afraid of this? The pain he'd been feeling before was already fading. Were they just holding back so they wouldn't hurt his feelings or something? How naive. And yet...
"More…" Ren said lowly.
This didn't feel like it was enough.
To face the Guardian Beast by himself, he needed more. Far more power than what he was currently using now.
"Sword Hero, you mustn't!" Another voice yelled in the growing darkness around him.
But his friends had died because Ren was too weak. No, he couldn't be weak ever again!
"More!" Ren said, his voice harder than before.
More EXP.
More levels.
More stats.
More power. He needed it. To avenge them. To protect Wyndia. To protect Naofumi and the rest of his friends...
To protect everyone he needed more!
"M̷̱̜̤͐̕Ő̶͔̋̂R̸̗̲͑̾͝E̸̥̫͕̍̕!̷̨̫̮̲̑̃" Ren screamed amidst the growing darkness.
Cursed Abilities Increased!
Sword of Hunger II Unlocked!
"Sword Hero! Please, listen!" That persistent voice shouted again. There was another face, a purple one, to the side of him in the darkness consuming his mind.
"More! I still need more!" Ren screamed.
"This could give you the power to kill the Guardian Beast! But it will also drive you to kill my daughter and everyone else you care about! Please, you have to stop before it's too late!" Gaelion cried out.
"N̴̢͍̞̥̎̈́O̸̜͖͑͘!̶̞̞̝̬̑̐ ̴̬̮̅͛͐̆͜ͅI̶̖̬̋ ̵̦͗N̸̥̋͠E̶̠͖̪̹̋E̵̝͐̋̿D̴̰̦̥́̐̌̀ ̶̪͇͂̑̀͝M̶̛̫͎̟̔͜Ǫ̵̳̥̠̾̎̇R̶̢̛̲̖E̵̱̰̾̚!̷̝̳̇͜" Ren screamed, overrunning the dragon's own voice.
Yet what he had wasn't enough. This hunger gnawing at him, he needed to offer it something to get more power, but what…?
Of course. "G̶͍͈̠̈́͋Ī̴̧̜̠̌͛̉͜V̴̼̹̰̑̒͊Ę̶͇͉̿͋͘͝ ̴̛͇͘M̸͔̽̑̂͝É̶̹̦͌ ̵̙̀͛̀Ṁ̶̩̊̉Ŏ̵̺̱̦R̸̝͒Ě̷̩̟͐͝͝!̸͕̀̚͘͘"
"S-Sword Hero, what are you doing-" Gaelion cried out as Ren's hands shot out and grasped his soul.
"YOU ARE A DRAGON, ARE YOU NOT! YOU FEEL THIS HUNGER TOO, DON'T YOU!? YOU CRAVE THIS POWER J̶͇̰̫͌͑́Ù̵̙̻̼̘͒̓S̶̻̿͊͠T̵̝͑ ̷̭́̇͋͝Á̶̧͕͚̮̈́S̶̮̆̿̚ ̵̮͕̰͆̾͒I̶̖̕ ̸̧̳͚̿D̷͙̭͋O̵̜̪͍̅̑!̷̮̿͐̑͠"
"No, Sword Hero, you mustn't-" The soul squirmed, trying to escape Ren's grasp.
"STOP IGNORING YOUR NATURE! G̵̞̭̟̯͐̌̚I̵̯̠̋̋V̵̤͆̑̿͠Ẽ̵͚͔͎̋͌͠ ̸̭̓̐͝͠M̷̹̊̔̏E̸̡̡͓̥̎̒ ̴̙̔̈̍W̵͕͍̯̾́́̎H̴̲͙̑͆́̌A̴̭̬̭̯̍Ṫ̶̫̖́͝ ̶͚̣̈́̊̽͜I̴͈̙̲̓͆̅ ̸̳͝ͅN̸̞̦̼͂E̵̡̠̬͚̿̈̍͆E̷̡͇̗̙͌̐D̷̳͆!̷̧̤̗͂̈́́͝"
"If you do this, you could hurt Wyndia, you could kill my daughter-" Gaelion cried out in pain as the Sword Hero's grip tightened around him.
"G̵̳͈̜͝Ĩ̷̬̰̟͕Ṿ̸͛͘͠Ȩ̷̮͈͌́̚ ̶̳̞̍̈͋͠I̴͙̪̩̐Ṯ̶̢́͆̓̽ ̶̹̳͎̗̽̽̒͝Ṱ̶̈́̇̃̎O̵̡̙̾ ̴̼͋̀̉M̵̢͔̦̈͂͘E̴̖̭͖͂̾͋͋͜!̷͕̭͈͐̀̄̃ ̶̨̲͂̌̿͠G̴̹͒͊̊Į̶̊̀͠V̵̫̮̀E̸̬͒̌ ̷̤̠͇̀̉̊̓M̷͎̰̖̅̎É̵̡͚͕ͅ ̵̼͖͐ͅM̵̖̹͐̋Ọ̶͚̙͌̍̃̐R̶̨̡͉̎̒͝R̸̛̦͝R̶̤̗͎͂Ṛ̷̋R̵̢͚̮̈́R̵̬̞̓̾̕͠R̸̜̰͛̈́̒ͅR̴͈̫̍̓͆̋R̶̝̺̳͙͂̀͌R̴̭̂̅R̷̮̔͑R̵̛͇̽̾R̵̗̜͇͛̽̓R̷̨̫̫͑̔̀͝E̶͈̥͛͛͗͝!̴̲̰͎͂̈́͐ͅ"
With Ren pulling so hard on Gaelion's soul, the dragon emperor fragment couldn't resist any longer.
The encroaching darkness consumed them both in its tight, firm grasp.
C̴̟̼̩̓͗̽u̴̳̭͊̈́̏̕ř̷̟̰͕̈́̿s̴̠̭͑e̵̛̖̒̑͒d̷̹͍̙̋̃̑ ̵̗̿́̍͛Ḁ̵̉͛̅̀b̸̝̥̳̮̔̂͋͝ǐ̶̘͑̐l̷̗̱̫̈́̚ͅī̸̗͙̹̆͛̕t̶̮̔͋̽i̸̗͖̳̽́̉̌e̷̹̦͇̊s̶̥̟̖͖̍ ̴͎̘̻͚̔̑̂̍I̴̡̩͕̻͛ņ̵̞͑̈́č̵̩̞͎͆ŗ̵̖͎̿́̐ͅė̷͓̈̈a̶̮͊̔s̷̡̀̐̏e̵͕̊̇̍̕ḓ̶̟̖̕!̷̛̯͋̉̑
̷̙̜͉̄͂͂
̵̫̓͋̕̕Ș̶͚̊͌w̴͓̋͒͊o̶̐̉͜ŗ̷̱̜̜̕͝d̴̛̤͍̾ ̵̣̈́̿̑̂o̴̬͔̍̅͜f̸̟̰̳̌ ̵͍͍̖͂̔G̶̡̛͈̲͊̋l̷͖̝̞̐͜ų̴͙͗͋͐͝ṫ̷̥̭̘t̷̤̐́̌̓o̶̲̥̠͉̽͆̇͌ń̵̢͇y̸͙̒͐͠ ̸͓̺͙̠̏̈́Ī̸̠̐̍I̶̱͈͂̾͠I̶̻͍̯͊͆̍ ̸̨͈̈Ú̸̱͆͑̚n̶̙̝͕͛̀̎l̷̤͈͉̠͑͛o̸̗͂͋͂́c̵̯̬̝̈͌͂͠k̵͚̏̇e̵͖̍̑͌͆d̷̜̹̱̋̏̔!̴̨̘̈̈́͜
̴̦͖̥̅̕͝ͅ
̵̮͗̑͒Ė̵͔̙͓͛̕q̵̧̣̭̻͛̂͆́ų̶͍͎̙͂̌͝ĭ̸͖̲̙͍p̸̝̍̚ ̶͓̂B̶̢̨̅̈́̓o̴̢̐̄n̵̢̛̬̣̜̾̋͂ū̶̗̚s̴̢͓̮̑͆:̶̰̦̲̒̀ ̷̳́͋̐S̸̞̍̑̓k̷͙̀̃̌i̶̛̖̅͐̓l̸̯̬̊l̷̘͗:̸͚̀̉ ̵̧̺̳̗͌̌"̴͙͔̟̄̾̂C̸̢͎̳̽̇h̵̢̏̀̈̋ă̶̠̏͐̚ĭ̷̞n̷̢͝ ̶̨͇͔̹̎̓͂Ḅ̷̫͐̑i̷͖͒̓̓͠ͅn̴̥̎̄͂ď̴̖͙̓̽ͅ"̶͈̣̟̰̈́,̶̙̱̳̉͌ͅ ̶̛̩͍̝͐ͅ"̸̢̡̛̔C̴̢͎̳͎̓h̶̨͈͗͗͝a̴̖̻̪͋͘ȋ̴͉̮͍̖̒͝͝n̷̮̮̭͉͐ ̵̣̼͝N̶̡̼͔̗̅e̸̛̟̔ȩ̶̼̥̈́̂̉d̴̜͎͛l̸͔͠e̴͖̓̐͒"̶̙̒̏͜ͅ,̸͎̹͈̒́͐ ̷̻̾"̴̥̼̎͂̈̊G̸̻̯̉̃͊̄u̵̦̎̈́̚͝i̸̡̩̔ḷ̵͍̂̒͋͐ĺ̷͈̇͋o̴͈̣͉̓͒͆ṱ̵̛̠͔͉͑͑̇í̸̳́n̷̹̝̓̍ė̷̡͍͉̫̎"̷͔͖̽͆̚,̵̨̙̜̖́̀͘ ̸̳̖̺͍̊͗̇"̶̳͚̊̉́̑D̶̩͗ŕ̷̹̐͐̚å̷̺̣̌͌̐g̶̛̳̳ǫ̷̌̆ǹ̷̙͈͒͠'̸̥̟̰͚̋͝s̶̹͊́͗̚ ̸̯̹͛̀F̵̜͇̙̫̄̿͑ē̷̖̮̝̭ä̵̺̞̺͑͝s̸̪̻͎̓̃̃t̸̝̖͑̊"̶̰̼͕̮̅̀̀
̵̠͈̜̉͊͆͌E̶̞̖͈̾q̷̪̰͋͘͠ù̸̩̬ḭ̴̿p̷̩͔̯͕̊̏ ̵͚̣̞̇͌Ė̵͉̕f̵̪̺́f̷͎̤͊̌̊ê̶͔͎͈̆ͅc̴̛̮̳̮͘ṯ̶̣͓̇̑̈̽:̶̠̞̔̍̚ ̶̘͈̾̊D̸̛͕̟e̸̖͐f̸̡̫̙͛̑̀ȩ̸̟͔̂n̵̘͍̙̐̆̓̐s̶̡̤̩͇̽̍͘è̵̡͓̼̤̑̋̚ ̶̨̪̣̯̅̑Ụ̸̥͎̠͗p̸̦̳̭͋̒͗,̴͔̀͆̽̓ ̸̻̒͛R̸̘̐ẹ̷̭̋g̶̘̐̇̌͠è̵̫̮̲͖̐͑n̵̥̓͑̎e̶̲͙͖͖̋̌̕r̷̝̣̓̅̿ą̷̱̲̗̏̊͝ț̵̆̅́ï̷͈̓ő̵͉̙̓͘n̴̰̔ ̵̧̛̰̯̎̓͜U̸̧̮̗̘͋̃p̷̝͂̈́,̸̜̖̝̓ ̸̢̢̮̟̋̃S̷̛̛̞̔̅p̶̻̪̈́̋͠é̷̠̜̟̒̒è̵ͅḍ̸͎̼̱̇ ̴͎̆́̈U̵͕̥͋͛̉̈ͅp̶̘̈́̀̃̇,̷̠̯̫͕͒͘ ̶͚̗̐̾Ḑ̸̀̒͜ṙ̵͈̣̥a̵̡̬͇̙͆̓̐͗ġ̶͈͆̔̌o̴̿͜͠͝n̴̻͑͋̔ ̷̧̘͕̔̏ͅË̷̬̞́̏͝à̴̢̖̩̓ẗ̸̥͈̞̽̀̑ĕ̷̖͓̇̋͝r̷̙͂̃,̸̣͉̽͘ͅ ̵̘͎͒̄͂͘D̸͊̒͊͝ͅr̷̓͐̏͊ͅå̴̛̼̈ĝ̶̡̣͈̀̾ỡ̶̘̮͇̻̾ñ̶̺͒̿͂ ̴͉̳̭̱̋Ḿ̸̻͕a̴̰͙̿̉̂ś̶͍̥͍͇̾͑k̶̖̳̦̏̇,̷̧͓̺̣͊ ̷̛̖D̴̩͖͒͛̒̋r̷̜̳̔ͅä̷̲̪̖́̓̈ĝ̵̜̥o̸͎̠͓͙̐͘n̴̢̛͈̯̳̿̐̉ ̴̗͍̠̎͛̂̌B̴̪̥̣͛̾̈́͆u̸̢̝͊͝s̶̫͚̲͐͆͘͘ͅṯ̵̨̥̽̎͜e̶̼̲͐r̵̠̰̦̚ ̷̡̰̼̮̀̒̑(̵͙̇̌͆̇č̵͎͙͈͖ù̷̧̮̮̄͝r̷̡̡̥̆̇s̷͚̩̝̾̆͑͑e̵̫̫͇̼̽d̸̡̘̔)̶̡̜͚̟̐
This power. It was...
"̵͇̥͚̀̚͝.̸̤̅̽.̸̧̭̎͊̂͗.̵̪̹̂̕͝͠ͅ ̷̟͓̙̰͒̒G̵̺̊o̵͕͋͋̈́ȏ̷̺̬d̴̛̪̆̀ ̵͚̣̐͗̈́e̴̛̦̲̦̻̚͠n̸͓͌́͂̕o̵͍̔̍̋͝ũ̷̳͝g̴̬̜̥̽͒̍h̶͔͒.̴̤̣̼̗͌"̴͇̹̥͙̈
Itsuki's next skill slammed into the Tortoise's face again. But besides causing it to shake its head, it had no effect. The Guardian Beast began to move forward once again.
"Damn it, Ren! Don't just stand there! Run!" Itsuki screamed in frustration.
"No… no…" Farrie was pale. Tersia was trying her best to snap her out of it, but nothing was working. Wyndia, not yet aware of what'd happened a half-mile away, was still struggling to find some source of vitality, but was unable to do so. Only Rachel was assisting Itsuki at this point.
Itsuki raised his bow at the Guardian Beast once more but paused, thinking things over. Their only protection from the tortoise was out along with the massive damage boost he'd provided in the form of Zweite Aura. Most of their attackers were now either dead, crippled or scattered.
He realized it now. This was a bust and continuing their assault would only cause more losses.
"It's no use. Everyone back in the wagon! Get us out of here Amber, we're pulling out!" Itsuki shouted to the orange feathered Filolial.
"No, we can't retreat! We still have to kill that monster!" Rachel screamed at him.
"That thing just killed Ren's party members!" Itsuki screamed back. Upon hearing that, Wyndia, Farrie, and Tersia stared at the Bow Hero in shock.
Rachel's fists tightened. However, she didn't say anything as Itsuki continued. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry that we can't avenge your father, but we need to retreat before anyone else gets hurt and-"
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
A dark, ominous chill ran down everyone's spines. All of them paused, hearing the loud scream tear through the air.
"That…" Eclair had paled. That voice...
"This feeling… it can't be..." Itsuki looked pale. Even the Spirit Tortoise had paused, feeling a similar chill go down its miles-long spine deep into its bones.
"What… what is this malevolent surge I'm sensing." Granny dropped her stance, staring in front of them. "This is unnatural. It's like I can feel the evil in the air around me."
Itsuki focused on Ren's position again. He had definitely been the source of that scream, but now, his head was hung low, and…
Itsuki began to tremble. 'No…'
Ren looked vastly different from before. For one, all of his injuries were starting to heal over. A new, black cloak fell from his back. Long and sharp spikes protruded from the shoulders of his armor, which now looked dark and ominous with splotches of dark purple on it.
The new sword that he held in his grip was long and black as night. Its crossguard was wide and twisted inwards, like a dragon's maw pointing it's sharp fangs right at the user. The blue of its gemstone had turned dark orange. That same color glowed in Ren's own eyes, hidden behind a dark foreboding helm shaped like a dragon's head.
"More…" His voice spoke, not calm, but desperate. "I need more…"
Itsuki paled where he stood, seeing what was happening almost half a mile away from them. "Ren… no… he…" With all rational thought thrown out, Itsuki recklessly charged forward. "Ren!"
The Spirit Tortoise raised its foot to strike at the Sword Hero. And while its attack connected, sending Ren flying back, he stayed kneeling on the ground where he landed. "Dragon Eater… One Hundred Swords."
A series of black swords dripping with black particles rained down out of the sky on the Spirit Tortoise, driving themselves down to their hilts in it like sharp nails and making the beast's blood spurt out before exploding in showers of gore. They hurt it far more than the previous time. As the turtle let out a roar of pain, the new injuries that Ren had sustained healed over along with the rest of the damage that he'd been inflicted with.
Dragon Eater… the ability to absorb HP from your enemies as you damaged them. Feasting on them just like a dragon.
"More… you, you hold so much more… EXP, so much EXP. And materials. Stronger, I will become, so, so much stronger." A crazy grin began to appear on the former Sword Hero's face under his new helm.
"Oh… oh Gods…" Eclair paled. This dark and oppressive feeling, she recognized it. From back in the Capital with Naofumi. From back at the village with Itsuki.
"Eclair, what's happening?! What's going on with Ren!" Wyndia pleaded with the rose-haired knight when she saw the look of realization on her face.
"I will become the strongest Hero. I will become the one who will save this world." Ren stood up, all the previous injuries the Tortoise had inflicted on him were healed over.
The look of realization on Eclair's face wore off, replaced by a look of seriousness. Naofumi's words the previous day echoed in her head.
"You have the courage to act when things go wrong, Eclair. We'll need someone like you at the battle should things go south."
Eclair faced Granny. "Granny, lead the others back to Mirellia! Warn her not to let anyone go near the Sword Hero right now! If you can, advise her to have the coalition start retreating immediately!"
Granny nodded her head and turned around before raising her fingers to her lips and letting out a shrill whistle. "Alright young ones! We're done here! Get into the wagon, now!"
"Eclair, please, tell me what's going on!" Wyndia pleaded.
"I'm afraid the death of his friends has unlocked Sir Ren's Cursed Series." The rose-haired knight said to the pleading girl, shocking her speechless. "Go with Granny. I'm going to assist the Bow Hero." Eclair then turned around and began to run towards where the Sword Hero was.
"Wait, Eclair!" Wyndia screamed.
"Fuehhh!" Rishia looked conflicted as well.
"Gwah!" Amber cried out.
"You heard the young lady, we're pulling back!" Granny waved her hoe around, knocking two of the Spirit Tortoise's familiars out of her way.
Karn shrugged, sheathing his sword before following right behind the old granny alongside Tersia, Rachel, and a nearly catatonic Farrie.
Over at the Spirit Tortoise, what was happening was unlike anything from before.
"Crimson Blade!"
Rushing forward, the flames of the skill cut straight through the Spirit Tortoise's foot. The colossal beast stumbled and screamed in pain as it began to step away from the Sword Demon.
"Hahaha… running away now, are you? No, no, no that won't do at all. You won't get away with my reward! You won't get away with my precious EXP!" Ren held his sword up, and it began to glow an ominous orange color.
"Let this foolish sinner pay for its transgressions with its very power devoured in the maws of the dragon within me. Take from my power and feast upon its might!"
"Dragon's Feast!" Ren pointed his sword forward and darkness flowed out from it, taking the shape of a dragon. The twisted crossguard of the sword closed up, stabbing it's spikes into Ren's hand, making the Sword Hero cry out in pain, but then the smoky black dragon construct rushed forward, its large ethereal head biting down on the Spirit Tortoise's neck.
The Spirit Tortoise let out a cry as, instead of taking damage, its level dropped. Its power getting sucked out by the skill.
"Dragon Eater! Meteor Slash!" The Sword Hero, an attack hero, now further increased in power by the powerful sword he held in his grip, unleashed the powerful skill covered in dark particles.
The black wave of energy traveled forward and cut the weakened Tortoise's left leg clean off at the joint.
"█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ !" The large beast let out a loud roar and stumbled again as the large, meaty portion of itself came crashing down to the side. It remained standing, but it was now down to three legs.
"One Hundred Swords!" The blades cut deep into its other leg, and another skill following right behind it cut it off completely as well.
After forcing the turtle to crash headfirst into the ground, the air around Ren became heavy. Blood burst from his skin as veins popped under the stress. But besides making Ren hunch forward, the Sword Hero did not fall. The Guardian Beast bore a look of terror while Ren kept the same manic grin as before on his face.
Yes, he could feel it, the EXP this monster would provide. The materials for swords that it would give him. He would become so much stronger with these.
He would become strong enough to save the world.
"Dragon Eater! Dark Dragon Buster!"
A dark purple dragon with black particles coming off it came out from Ren's cursed sword. It let out an eerie roar as it flew through the air, impacting against the snout of the Tortoise in a burst of flames.
"█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ !"
The face of the Tortoise was now blackened with burns. The smell of cooked flesh mixed with the smell of blood in the air. Ren creepily smiled as drool began to run down the side of his mouth. He basked in what was happening. As his skill caused damage to the Tortoise, the wounds inflicted by its gravity attack healed over due to the effects of Dragon Eater.
Power. So much power. This weakened creature was nothing against it. This was sweet. This was divine.
"Filo, what's the condition of the battle!? I can't see anything!"Fitoria's frantic voice rang in Filo's mind, surprising the girl.
"Fitoria, what are you-" Filo started to say out loud.
"Show me the battle! What's happening over there!?"
"I'm sorry, Daddy's badly hurt. Filo just took him back to get help." Filo sniffled loudly. "Filo isn't sure about the rest of Filo's flock."
"Please, Filo, look at the battle for Fitoria! I'm coming to help!" Fitoria revealed.
"F-Fitoria is-" Filo started to say in surprise.
"LOOK!"Fitoria demanded.
Filo did as Fitoria asked, looking in the direction of the giant tortoise, and…
"No…"Fitoria's worst fears had been confirmed.
"NO!" Fitoria's connection suddenly fizzled out on Filo.
After using a couple more skills, Ren decided he'd played around with this new toy for long enough. It was time for him to reap all of this EXP for himself.
"Chain Bind!"
The Tortoise, struggling to move, suddenly found itself bound by chains that burst from the ground around it. Another roar came from its mouth. It looked like it was trying to charge up that breath attack again. But it'd already drained the vitality of the Earth Vein in the area for its two attacks earlier. There wasn't any energy left to charge itself with here. It needed to get it from somewhere else!
But Ren wouldn't allow it to move. "Chain Needle!"
The large chains holding the Spirit Tortoise down transformed. It was like the Tortoise was bound by barbed wire. Painful, dangerous barbed wire.
"Let this foolish sinner pay for its transgressions with an execution by beheading! With nary the time to scream, let its own head be separated from its torso and then it shall know despair!"
"Guillotine!"
The Spirit Tortoise's head was lifted up by a chopping block that appeared from the ground beneath it. Up above, a large, black blade appeared.
The Tortoise let out a high-pitched scream of fear. Trying to struggle, to pull back with its back two legs…
Ren's upheld hand fell, and the blade of the execution skill fell with it.
The screaming of the Spirit Tortoise was suddenly cut off.
…
Seconds later, as the world's largest Guillotine disappeared, the Tortoise's head rolled to the side. Cut clean off from its body. Its body shuddered and then fell still.
Blood gushed out from the gaping neck and leg wounds like a waterfall, splattering Ren and flooding the ground around him, leaving nothing but the smell of iron in the air as a lake of blood formed around the fallen Sword Hero.
Ren breathed in deeply. Yes, it was done. He'd killed the Guardian Beast. He had avenged… no, he had gained great power. And now, all he had to do was absorb its materials and…
Wait, where was it?! WHERE WAS HIS EXP?! WHERE WAS IT!? HE'D KILLED THE DAMN BEAST, YET NO EXP HAD BEEN GIVEN?!
"Ren! Ren!" A frantic yell and splashing sounds from behind made the Sword Hero slowly turn around.
Itsuki was running up to him, trudging up to his ankles through the lake of blood they were in. His face was still pale, but seeing the Sword Hero close up, it went a shade further in that direction. "Ren, you need to unequip that sword right now!"
Another Hero… close to him when he'd made the kill…
"Ren, please!" Itsuki pulled the string of his bow back. "The Tortoise is dead! You need to change out of that Sword before it consumes you!"
Another Hero… closeby Heroes prevented EXP from being gathered…
"Ren!" Itsuki screamed again.
This Hero had prevented him from getting his reward.
Ren slowly began to approach Itsuki, something akin to recognition in his eyes. "Itsuki…"
"Yes! It's me, Ren." Itsuki sighed in relief, closing his eyes. If Ren could recognize him, then there was hope that he wasn't too far gone. "Ren, listen to me, I know it's hard but you must focus, I need you to change swords and-" As the Bow Hero opened his eyes, his words got caught up in his throat.
What… why… why was the hilt of Ren's sword sticking out of his chest?
"You bastard! How dare you steal my exp!"
The Sword Hero had stabbed straight through him.
Blood burst from Itsuki's mouth.
The pain, it hurt. It hurt so much. And his HP bar had dropped nearly to zero even though Ren hadn't hit him with a skill.
"But it's okay. I forgive you since we're friends. I'll just take yours as recompense." Ren chuckled as he pulled his sword out by kicking the Bow Hero away. Itsuki flew back a good few meters before collapsing into the pool of blood with a splash. He clutched at his burning chest, gasping and wheezing all the while.
One of his lungs had been punctured. Itsuki coughed up more blood. "No, Ren…" The Bow Hero weakly muttered as he looked up at Ren with pleading eyes.
But the sense of recognition from the Sword Hero was gone. His burning orange eyes visible through the eye-slits of his helmet held nothing but manic glee within them as he lifted his sword up high. "NOW GIVE IT TO ME! GIVE ME YOUR EXP-"
However, another sword flashed through the air, and the Sword Demon was struck across the back by a light sword technique. "Nghh!" Ren stumbled sideways, and another strike forced him to face his assailant.
"Sir Itsuki, if you can still move then get out of here!" Eclair yelled at the downed Bow Hero.
Itsuki coughed up more blood, which definitely wasn't a good sign. He tried to stand up but immediately collapsed. Fortunately, more help arrived in the form of Amber, with Rishia and Wyndia riding on her back. "FUEH! Itsuki!" The green-haired girl screamed in horror when she saw his condition.
Wyndia jumped off, landing into the lake of blood with a small splash, staring in stunned shock at the Sword Hero as he staggered forward.
"No, no, no, no, NO, NO, NO! NO! NO! STOP IT! STOP GETTING IN MY WAY!-" Ren snarled and tried to attack again, but had to block another strike from Eclair, who scowled at him.
"You're several years too young to be committing murder, Ren!"
Ren scowled back. "GET OUT!" He tried striking at her, but she ducked his slash and slammed the hilt of his sword into his gut, causing him to gasp and stumble backward.
That hit alone though had felt like Eclair had struck a solid wall. Ren's defense was much higher than normal. To make matters worse, his scowl deepened under his helmet as his eyes focused on her.
"Air Strike Bash!" Eclair jumped to the side, avoiding the Sword Hero's skill that caused a geyser of blood to erupt where it struck, raining thick, crimson droplets down. She immediately retaliated with another one of her attacks, slashing him across the arm. "First Technique: Dawn's Strike!"
Ren growled as blood slowly leaked from a line cut in his skin. However, it was only mere seconds before it closed back up on its own, and Ren began hacking and slashing away at the annoying bundle of exp in front of him.
"Ren!" Another bundle of EXP ran up as well. He couldn't recognize her at all through his orange-tinted vision. All he saw were two other small bundles of EXP running off with the third large Hero bundle he'd been trying to acquire!
And then in a flash of light, those three disappeared to safety.
How annoying! They'd pay dearly for all the trouble they'd caused him!
"Wyndia, I told you to stay back, it's too dangerous-" Eclair tried to warn her student.
"No! I'm not leaving you two like this!" Wyndia protested as she drew her weapon.
Ren screamed as he slashed repeatedly at the knight, who parried his flailing strikes and struck under his guard. Leaving another small barely noticeable gash on his arm that quickly healed over.
"Crimson Blade!" Eclair jumped back, the flames of Ren's skill hitting the pool of blood where she'd been standing, quickly making it boil and bubble up from the intense heat.
"Miss Seaetto!" Dou-Lon yelled fearfully. He and Maya were still nearby, tied up with dealing with the remaining Tortoise's familiars.
"No! Don't come near me! You saw what Sir Ren did to the Tortoise. Unless you can match me in finesse and skill, don't even try it!"
"B-But-" Dou-Lon tried to protest, but a yeti-type familiar grabbed him from behind, wrestling and throwing him onto the pool of blood with a splash before trying to sink its jaws into his neck. Dou-Lon was forced to focus on fighting the Tortoise's minions again.
If he and Maya didn't deal with the rest of these bastards, then they'd interrupt Eclair's fight with Ren. And Shield God only knew what'd happen then.
"Wyndia, if you want to help me bring Ren out of his Cursed State then you'll have to keep up with me!" The swordswoman warned her.
"Y-You mean we need to attack him-" Before she could answer, Eclair was forced to take another step back, barely avoiding a powerful downward strike that Ren delivered against the blood covered ground. It splattered over Eclair's armor, nearly making her gag from the scent of iron while Ren screamed in frustration.
"He's trapped in his Cursed Series. We need to force our way through to him or else…" Eclair remembered when Naofumi had lost control in the Capital. Seeing him like that… resolved her to keep her own pupil from suffering the same fate. "Help me, Wyndia! This boy loves you! If you really love him, then help him!"
Wyndia stood still, indecisive for a moment more. There was no vitality to pull from. Her dragon vein magic was useless. And even though she gave him the occasional slap for his stupidity every now and then, she didn't want to actually hurt Ren.
"M͖͎̯̳̮̻͕̤ͬ̈́̉Ò̸̝͙ͩ̓ͦͨ͜͝R̺̙͉̰̄ͮ̄ͪ̇̏ͨ͌̈́͞Eͫͨͧ̽҉ͅ!"
Eclair stepped back, avoiding another strike. But as she closed in, Ren's sword glowed as it prepared to unleash another skill.
But the glow dispensed as Wyndia's katana cut along his backside, making Ren cry out in pain. Wyndia's stats weren't as low as Eclair's, after all. She could hurt him far worse than the knight could.
"A-Alright! I'll try!" Wyndia got next to Eclair. Even though she'd inflicted a greater wound than she'd meant, it was already slowly closing over. Ren's breathing became deeper. His orange eyes glowed an even more intense orange as he looked back at the dog girl with hatred.
"M̥̙̊ͩ͐͌̀͋ͦ̿͟O̧̝͇̺̘̰̙̦̍̑̄ͧ͑ͅO̶̙̘̺̻͔̒̉͊O̢̬̻̙̜̘͖͔̊̐͌̽͋͗͡ͅO̺͍̞̟ͨ͝Ō̡̫͊̎͂ͫ͡R̴͓̲̘̰̱̻̥͗ͣ̽̐̆͝E̢̱͔͇̞͙̳̺̓ͪĒ̖̭̪̱̮̥̗ͫ͂̌̈́͂̏ͤ́̀E͓̝̖̠͈̟̝͍͌ͫͦ͐̈́̋ͪ̾Ę̶͈̯̜̫͉̪̂ͧ̓͝ͅẺ̼̹̻̦͉͚̯̦̙͂̂̀̕!̢̡̭̗̝̯̎̔ͯ͗̐!̢̛̣̖̼̟̫̪̞̖͈ͥͭͤ͊!̺͚̼͈͉̀̀̂̋̈́͛̒ͥ́"
"Listen well Sword Hero! If you wish to murder everyone you hold dear, you will have to defeat us first!" Eclair shifted to an attack stance. "Before that happens, I swear that we'll pull you out of your grief and sorrow and show you the light once again!"
Eclair's declaration finished, and with that, the two began to duel the Sword Hero together.
Far away, a lone family of refugees stumbled along an empty road. Heading away from the Spirit Tortoise and the path of destruction that it had left in its wake.
…
They paused, noticing a rising cloud of dust in the distance. They began to tremble, fearing it was the Spirit Tortoise coming back to finish them off.
But it was moving far too quickly to be that. And it looked too small…
A few seconds later, a large sky blue Filolial ran past them, startling the family. They turned, staring at the retreating form of the Legendary Filolial in awe.
'Faster, I need to go faster.'
Fitoria's large taloned feet sank into the ground again and again. Wind magic billowed behind her, further helping to increase her already immense speed. She'd gone an insane distance in a short amount of time. But…
'Faster, I need to go even faster!'
A stronger burst of wind began flowing from behind her, pushing her along. Another spell dropped the air resistance in front of her. It was the best she could do but it still wasn't enough.
'Heroes, I'm so incredibly sorry. Please hold on just for a little more.'
Fitoria hurried on, trying to reach the area of battle before things could escalate any further.
After all the time they'd spent training, the two girls were able to fight together in near perfect sync.
Wyndia ducked one slash, using her blade to send Ren's strike off course while Eclair dove in, magic sword thrust hitting Ren's chest repeatedly.
"RAAAAARGH!" Ren snarled, his orange eyes glowing brighter. "STOP WASTING MY TIME! I HAVE TO BECOME THE STRONGEST!" He swung his sword around furiously. Eclair and Wyndia crouched, bent, and maneuvered their bodies to dodge all of his wild flailing attacks.
It was like they weren't even fighting another person. It was like fighting a mad, screaming dragon.
"Sir Ren, do you wish for your path to strength to put you through killing your friends?" Eclair asked through gritted teeth in exertion, trickles of sweat running down her forehead.
Ren stepped in between Eclair and Wyndia. He tried to land a blow on the rose-haired knight again, but the blunt back of Wyndia's katana hit Ren in the back of the head, making him stagger.
"R-Ren, please, listen to what Eclair has to say." The dog girl pleaded. "We don't want to hurt you."
The Sword Hero scowled again, turning to strike at her. She managed to dodge again, but the strength behind the strike was so powerful that Wyndia was sure that her katana would shatter in pieces if she tried to block it.
"Four Cross!" Eclair's sword moved extremely quickly, forming into the shape of a cross as it struck into the Sword Hero's side.
"Argh!" Ren didn't scream in pain more so than he did in frustration. As he stepped back, where he'd been lightly damaged, the scratches were already beginning to heal over.
"Sir Ren. I don't believe you're the kind of person who'd want to murder his friends." Eclair continued speaking from where she'd left off before. "I thought you wished to tutor under me so you could protect them. Do you think your friends would want to see you like this?"
"MORE!" Ren went on the attack again. Forcing both Wyndia and Eclair to parry his strikes. "No one will stand in my way! I'll become strong enough to protect this world on my own! I'll devour everything in my path!"
"With such easy-to-read swordsmanship like that, that's highly unlikely." Eclair quipped. Ren slashed at her again, but she dodged by just a hair's breadth. Eclair grimaced, seeing how close the blade came to her face.
She was still reading the Sword Hero's attacks, but just barely. While Eclair stopped to catch her breath, she saw how Wyndia was forced to dodge another strike from the Sword Demon. She was not quite successful as a shallow gash opened in her armor and some blood spurted out, making the dog girl wince.
This wasn't going to end well if they didn't reach through to him.
"Ren, I swear to God, wake up or I'll never forgive you!" Wyndia screamed.
"Shut uppppppp!"
"I'm the one that says that to you!" Wyndia yelled back. However, Ren's frustrated scream said that hadn't been the right thing to say.
"If you want him to listen, you need to speak from your heart!" Eclair yelled to the dog girl.
"B-But I'm not very good at doing that!" Wyndia yelled back at her.
Ren continued his attack. It didn't help that they were dueling him after a long fight with the Spirit Tortoise. Fighting in the blood pooling in front of it though made things even worse. They couldn't see the kind of ground they were stepping on and the risk of one of them stumbling was increasing exponentially. A mistake that would certainly be fatal.
At one point, Wyndia did trip on a rock hidden in the blood beneath her. And if it hadn't been for Eclair pressing her attack to keep Ren's attention, he would have-
But, no! Ren loved her! He wouldn't really kill her or Eclair!? Would he?!
But he'd almost killed the Bow Hero. They'd been good friends. What was to stop Ren from killing her?
And even though Eclair was yelling things at him, speaking to try and reason with him, Ren wasn't having it. In fact, the aura around him was only darkening with each passing minute.
"Huah!"
Clang!
Eclair's sword bounced off Ren's shoulder like it'd struck a solid wall. Ren's stats were too high now for her attacks to do any damage.
"Give me your EXP! Give me your power!"
"What do you need it for? What is it that you're trying to protect with it?" Eclair shouted.
"Give it to meeeeee!" Ren lunged forward again like a rabid animal, and Eclair barely jumped back in time.
"Dragon Eater! Crimson Blade!" Flames leaking with black particles hurtled towards the swordswoman. But she managed to move to the side just in time. Some of the black particles of the skill landed on her, but otherwise, she remained untouched.
The Sword Hero tried to use another skill. However, nothing came from it. A quick check on his HUD showed that he was out of SP.
Ren let out a low guttural growl and pulled a Soul Healing Water from his sword and began drinking it down. Wyndia took the moment to try and grab his arm.
"Ren, please, sto-" The Sword Hero snarled and backhanded her, sending her flying back through the air. She landed in the deepest part of the blood lake where the crater left by the second breath attack was. The dog girl felt her back hitting something hard and sharp down below and she let out a gasp.
"Wyndia!" Eclair shouted in panic and checked her HUD in worry. Thankfully, the dog girl was still alive. But looking at their HP bars revealed something sinister. Eclair, despite not receiving a single injury, had only a little under half of her HP left.
That was impossible. Ren hadn't landed a single hit on her. And yet…
"EXP! Give me more EXP!" Ren screamed.
Naofumi had his cursed fire. Itsuki his brainwashing arrows. Motoyasu had his stat dropping miasma.
Did the Sword Hero suck out the HP of those around him with those black particles that covered his attacks?
She didn't have long to ponder this as Ren began attacking again.
"Thunderbolt Slash!"
Eclair's eyes widened in surprise and she jumped up with all her strength just before the electrically charged sword struck the sea of blood.
"A̬̥A̢̞̱A͡A̦̥̲̞̹͠A̡̯̪͎̲̱̻͉A̴͎̣A̶̮̰̬̪͉ͅH̛̪͔̹̤H̝H̳͔ͅH̫̻̺ḨH̞̗͚̕!̖͟!҉̗̱̱̳̗!̦͉"0
An inhuman bellow escaped Ren's mouth as the electrical currents of the skill traveled back into the Sword Hero through the pool of blood surrounding him into his submerged feet. It was fortunate in a way that Wyndia was launched so far away earlier. The electric surge had dispersed too much at that range to deal any damage.
Ren's body repeatedly flashed white while he twisted and convulsed in agony as the electricity traveled through him before the skill finally ended.
Eclair landed back down with a splash, her sword raised at the smoking form of the Sword Hero. He gasped a few times but soon, all too soon his back straightened out again. His breathing returned back to its animalistic snorting and snarling from before.
Just how powerful was his regeneration in this state?
The two exchanged another flurry of blows, with Eclair again dodging by a hairsbreadth. But it was becoming more and more difficult to keep up with Ren's attacks. It was almost like he-
"Ren!"
Wyndia's voice snapped Eclair out of her thoughts and unfortunately attracted Ren's attention as well. His head sharply swerved to the side.
The dog girl was hobbling through the blood around her, completely drenched in it. She only had two clean lines free of it on her face where her tears were flowing freely. She was holding something almost as large as her in her hands. It was a bent and warped flat square block of metal.
For a moment, Eclair didn't understand, but then she recognized what it was.
And judging by how the Sword Hero's breath hitched, it seemed he recognized it too.
"Ren, please! You've already avenged them! They wouldn't want you to keep going like this! Please, pleasestop!" The girl cried out while lifting Bakta's cracked and burnt tower shield slightly with some effort.
"..." Ren's eyes were glued to the piece of metal and his sword arm lowered.
Would it… would it actually work? Eclair dared to hope.
Ren began to wordlessly take slow tentative steps towards Wyndia.
"The battle's over." Wyndia continued while sniffing loudly and wiping the snot, blood and tears away with her sleeve. "Please, put that sword away. We won. You don't have to fight anymore."
Ren now stood right in front of the girl who was shaking in fear and exhaustion but still continued to hold the shield in front of her.
"Wyndia..." The sword hero's voice was barely a whisper. "Thank you..."
The girl's eyes widened. Did it work? But then why was he still holding that weapon up-
"WYNDIA! GET BACK!" Eclair screamed as she charged forward.
The sword hero's cursed weapon came crashing down and it was only thanks to countless hours of the rose-haired knight's drills that Wyndia's body responded before her brain could and she leapt back to avoid the vertical slash.
With a single fluid motion, Bakta's tower shield was split in half down the middle and Ren carelessly stepped over it, raising his sword again to finish the Dog girl who now sat in the pool of blood, completely defenseless and wide open.
"Wyndia!" Eclair finally caught up and jumped at Ren from behind, bringing her sword down.
However, this time, Ren quickly turned around. Eclair found herself stunned in midair as she realized that in her haste she left herself exposed. It was almost like he'd expected her to attack while his back was turned-
His sword hit hers out of the way, disarming her, and while Eclair was still in midair, his foot slammed into her chest, sending her rocketing back.
"When you're facing off against a strong opponent, sometimes, brute force isn't the answer. Instead, the key to victory may rely on you learning to read your opponent's movements so you can counter them."
The words she'd said to him in that training session rang in her ears. He'd done it. He'd applied her advice and found the perfect way that'd make it easy for him to predict what she'd do.
As her head hit against a large boulder jutting out of the lake of blood, knocking her out, Eclair inwardly chuckled sourly. Even if his form and technique still needed a lot of work.
She'd trained her pupil too well.
"No, Eclair!" Wyndia almost reached out to the rose haired knight, but Ren immediately turned to face her again, swinging his sword and almost cutting her outreached hand off.
"T̻̹̬̗͆͌̃̃̒̓͢H̜̩͓̓̅͐͊͂̿ͅA͍̥̪̤̯͍̼͆͂ͫ̆ͫͣŃ͙͍͙̠̼͔̲͑ͮ̃̒̇̚K̪̣̘̖̮̦̒̎ͯ͑̿̒ͅ Y̫͌̂̿͢Ó̯͇̞͚̦͑ͣÚ̬̪̹̘̻̗̝̿̓͢ ͚̘̹͍̱̇̽͐ͪF͈ͦ̚O̓ͦ͑͏͙̱̳R̲̜͌͆͂́̒́̚ ̗͇̝͔̬̟ͩ͂̅͠G̹̲̩̯͍Ị̋̑ͩ͋̀̏V̦̊ͭİ̌͋͂̅͏̻N̸ͩG̬͙̣͇̳̤͙͑͞ ̸̰̠͔̿ͦ͌͋M̪̺̮̞̺ͬ͌̍̄Ẻ̡̻̪̮̮̜͔̲̈́̎ͧ̂ ̠̩̟̯̣͓̲̽̇͒͘T̝̯̟̤͈͋͂H̫͈̝̟̰̘̗͛̾ͪ͛Ĭ̛̤̗̪͈͈̳͛̒S͖͈̈ͅ ̈́̓̾͑̉͂ͬ҉̭̜͕̣C͈͙̪̤̅Ȟ̸̗̺̠̮̜͗͌̾̎ͧ͑A̺͇̖̩̙̝N̡̼̻̪̱̑C̩̍ͩͮ̚E͔!̳̤͕̫̱͍͊͛̋̂ͮ̐̓ͅ"
Ren finished what he was going to say earlier, his eyes flaring from behind the warped black draconic helmet. The telltale hum that accompanied Ren's words was almost too out of character for what he was doing. Tears sprang from the dog girl's eyes again.
"Ren, please stop!" Wyndia tearfully asked. "There's something I wanted to tell you after the battle was over because I wanted to make it the happiest moment for us possible!"
Ren continued to laugh and snarl insanely. Wyndia tried reaching out for a source of vitality anywhere as she back stepped away from the Sword Hero. But there was still none. And the Sword Demon followed her even as she fell back.
"Ren, I'm so sorry! I promise I'll help you! Just stop attacking us, please!" Wyndia begged.
Her foot tripped on another rock under the blood. Ren's next strike came quickly as she desperately felt around her in the sea of blood for anything to defend herself with, as she'd lost her katana when Ren backhanded her earlier. She somehow grabbed a hold of something. Wyndia raised it over her head to parry the attack. There was a loud clang followed by a cracking sound.
Against all odds, she managed to fish out the sword that flew out of Eclair's hands earlier. The Seaetto family sword held against the blow just barely.
"Ren!" The Sword Hero raised his sword to strike again as Wyndia scrambled to stand up. "REN, PLEASE!" Wyndia cried.
His next strike shattered the sword in her grip.
Yet, instead of getting slashed in half as she'd expected. The flat of Ren's blade slammed into her right arm, sending her flying back through the air.
Her back slammed into another boulder. She cried out as she felt several of her ribs break. Her arm also felt broken. Yet, her head looked hopefully up back at the Sword Hero.
He'd had a chance to kill her, yet he hadn't done it. That had to mean that her words were reaching through somehow! "Ren!" She screamed again, hoping that her voice was reaching through to him even now.
The Sword Hero's head slowly looked down at her. His orange eyes were glowing less brightly than before, yet no words came from his mouth.
"Ren! I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry! I should have told you sooner! I should have told you before Welt and Bakta died, and maybe then you wouldn't have fallen into this!
"But I promise, if you unequip that sword, I'll be there for you! I'll help you through this pain you're suffering through!" Wyndia cried as she said these words from her soul.
"I love you! Even though I didn't act like it, I've loved you for a really, really long time! So please, let me help you Ren! Just let me be what Raphtalia is for Naofumi! Let me be what Rishia is for Itsuki! Please, let me HELP YOU!"
Ren was still standing there. Why, why wasn't he saying anything?...
…
His sword began to lower. For a moment, for just a small moment, his orange eyes dimmed.
"Wyndia, please…"
What he said next shattered her heart.
"Please, kill me. I can't… I can't stop!"
"This hunger, it's… it's too much… please, kill me!" Ren screamed.
"No… no, Ren, I can't-" Wyndia started to say in shock.
And then the Orange brightened once more.
"Chain Bind."
Chains burst from the ground, wrapping around the surprised dog girl.
"Chain Needle."
"R-Ren!" She screamed desperately. The chains binding her became barbed. Wyndia cried out in pain as she felt the spikes of the barbed wire pierce her skin all over her body.
"Love? Don't make me laugh. You're nothing but EXP." Ren's cursed voice spoke. "The only purpose for your existence is to make me stronger. You are just fodder, just a stepping stone. That is all you'll ever be to me." He raised his sword once again.
"No, Ren! Please, I love you!" Tears fell from Wyndia's face.
"Let this foolish sinner pay for her transgressions with an execution by beheading!"
No, Ren was…
"REN!" Wyndia began to cry in despair.
This couldn't be how it ended. In those fairytales her mom told her in that dark, lonely cellar, love had always won out. Love had always prevailed.
They both loved each other. So why… why was he doing this?!
"With nary the time to scream, let her own head be separated from her torso…"
"Ren…" His name fell off her lips, all the love, care, and hurt she felt coming from her voice. "Please… don't do this… I love you..."
But Ren didn't pause. "And then she shall know despair!"
Looking into his eyes, Wyndia began to sob uncontrollably as she finally realized it.
Her Sword Hero was gone. The Cursed Series had consumed him. He didn't even recognize her anymore.
She'd failed him.
The moment he'd needed her most and she hadn't been able to pull him out of it. She hadn't been able to do what Rishia or Raphtalia had done for their heroes.
Her Ren was gone forever.
Her body slacked and her ears fell as she gave up.
"Guillo-"
As the word began to leave Ren's lips, a figure appeared next to Wyndia. A moment later, the chains binding her shattered like glass along with the cutting block that had begun to appear out of the ground beneath her. And right after that, the dog girl found herself laying on her back next to Eclair on one of the large stones jutting out of the sea of blood.
The Sword Demon stared forward, dumbfounded at his skill getting forcibly canceled prematurely. But he quickly snapped out of it and began to salivate in anticipation.
That massive bundle of experience that suddenly appeared before him. It was beyond even what the Spirit Tortoise had looked like in his vision.
But before he could even think of acting on his impulsive desire to hunt it, Fitoria's fist connected with the dragon-shaped helmet covering his face, effortlessly shattering it.
Ren was sent flying back from the force of the blow. His body slammed into the carcass of the Tortoise. Bones snapped, and blood spurted from his mouth at the sudden tremendous amount of damage that he'd just received.
Fitoria narrowed her eyes and slowly lowered her fist.
"H… Huh…" Wyndia looked between Fitoria and Ren's slumped form in shock. The bird girl was gently floating just barely over the surface of the lake of blood that they all were in. Her gaze was focused on the Sword Hero and a great light green aura of magic was distorting the air around her.
"Are you alright?" The holy bird queen asked quietly without turning her head.
Wyndia opened her mouth to answer, only to start sobbing. She definitely wasn't alright.
"Gentle Breath." A green glow surrounded Wyndia, and the wounds she and Eclair had sustained disappeared under the power of the wind healing spell.
"It's ok. You're safe now. I'll take over from here." Fitoria's eyes softened as she glanced at the crying dog girl, before turning towards the cursed Sword Hero again.
"Ē̸̜̎̄͋ͅx̶̗̰̃̆̊̂͜p̸͇̟̅̎ͅ…̵̨̹̜̰͂̉͛̕" Ren stumbled up. His The Sword Hero's bones snapped loudly as they moved back into place. The injuries he'd suffered from began to heal rapidly like wet putty.
Fitoria breathed in, and magic began to flow into her from the air around her.
"Sword Hero. Please unequip that weapon. Fitoria doesn't wish to hurt you." She warned him with a stern voice.
"Exp… so much… Exp…" A crazed grin broke over the Sword Hero's face as he began to chuckle to himself like a madman.
"You can't beat me. I'm much too powerful for you. Please, Sword Hero, unequip that weapon." Fitoria continued to insist with an even tone of voice.
"Exp! Give me your Exp!" Ren screamed. ""Let this foolish sinner pay for its transgressions with its very power devoured in the maws of the dragon within me. Take from my power and feast upon its might!"
"Dragon's Feast!"
The cursed dragon came out of Ren's blade. The crossguard once again dug its spikes into his hand, causing the Sword Hero to scream out in pain, but then the dragon flew towards Fitoria.
Fitoria shook her head sadly. Did Ren not even see the price he'd just paid using that skill?
Chains of wind encompassed the cursed dragon. It let out a roar of surprise, but then the chains tightened, and its roar cut off. What remained dispersed into the air between Fitoria and Ren.
"One Hundred Swords! Dark Dragon Buster!"
Ren fired off the next two skills as quickly as he could. However, Fitoria easily blocked both using barriers of wind. Looking at the two skills, Wyndia thought they looked weaker than before. But how was that…
Wait, why was Ren level 75 now?
"Sword Hero, there is a price that comes when using the Cursed Series." Fitoria continued. She glowed brighter and brighter as more magic was sucked into her. "If you continue to use it, it will only make things harder on you in the future."
"I DON'T CARE! I NEED TO GET STRONGER! I NEED MORE EXP! GIVE ME YOUR EXP!" Ren howled as he charged forward, sword held high in the air above him in a desperate attempt to strike.
Fitoria's chains of wind appeared around him, binding him in place. "Ack!"
"Sword Hero, this is your last chance. Unequip that sword, now!" Fitoria ordered him.
"E̵̟͈͇̽͂x̴̬͛̀̑̑p̵̞̥͂́!̸͖͓͙̦͆̈́̉͝ ̶̰͘͝Ė̸̡̝͚̮́͛͆x̵̼̗͕̀̈́p̷̢̔ ̷̧̗͛ͅĘ̵͚̾͂͝x̶̟̉͆ͅp̷̢̓ ̵͎͎̟͙̔̽̾̋͂E̷͓͑͆̋̈̀͛̓ͅx̵͉̮͕̭͙̬̌̓̇͂̏̒͝ṕ̸̨̨̟̞̪̩̭̃̒̌̐̋͠ ̷̘̗̞̥̭͓͌E̴̱̝͓̣̭̘͋͆̄͗͌̎x̷̦͆̆̀͌̕̚p̷̧͇͕͖̣̀ ̶͖̺̼͒̌̏̈E̵̼̣̣̙͊́̽͛̔͒X̴͎̗̪́̐̊P̶̘̫̅̈!̵͕̬͕̾̊̍͜" Ren's speech was quickly degenerating into deranged screams.
…
Fitoria sighed. "... I see. Then you are well and truly lost to us. I apologize. I didn't want it to come down to this…" But she'd gathered enough magic power now. She couldn't afford to put this off any longer.
A small, trembling hand grabbed the hem of her skirt from below. She looked down, seeing Wyndia's wide amber-colored eyes staring up at her in desperation.
"No… please, don't kill him. There has to be another way." The dog girl asked in a fearful voice.
Fitoria looked down for another moment and shook her head. "Don't be alarmed. Fitoria won't kill the Sword Hero… but after this, he might very well wish that he was dead." Fitoria turned back to the Sword Hero again. "I'm sorry for what I must do. If you want him returned to normal, please don't interfere."
Wyndia collapsed on her knees. Tears leaked from her eyes as she cried.
If only she could have done more… if only she could have been of more help.
"Ē̸̡̠͚̺͘͝͠X̵̟̲̹̏̑̿̽̕P̸̥̖͂̒̽͆̚!̶̨͖̭̳̭̻̏͒͒͘ ̵̡̫͉̦͔̽̎̑̓̿̉̕M̶̨̦͈̫͍͌ͅȮ̸̭͔̻̱̠̩̻R̸͓̖͓͈̙̮͔̎͆͐̈́̿͝E̴̼̬̥̯̾̋ ̴̖͖̟̪̼̥̞͒̀̂͑͠Ė̴͎̠̐̋̓̑Ẍ̷̙̮̙̥̖͍͗̊̔̀̀͝P̸̢̻̦͚̲̪͊͂̓!̵̛͈̝̞͉̿͆̊͘"
Fitoria began to focus her power. The magic power around her brightened considerably.
"Ẹ̶̩͖̺̤͎̔͛ẍ̶͖̯̞̙́̋p̷͔̰̮̭̀̆͑̋̏́͜!̷͉͇͎̺̙͚͈̈́̌̏́̕͝ ̷̢̛̉̌̾̈̎͑J̸̡͕̖̻̬̰̇ù̶̧̗̙̪̊̔ī̶̗̘̣̫̭̣͈̂̓͋̚͝c̵̢͎͎̻̰̮̾̍̄͝ͅỳ̵̩͈͙̬͖̼̞̑,̴͉͍̮͔̩͓́̄̄̑̈́̒͝ ̴̧͉̹̙̮͝s̸͓̝̮̃̂͋́͌ẅ̷̘̰̼͖̪̭̈̃ͅę̷̨̝͈̠̥̱͂̋̏͆̕͝è̴̛̥̘̲͇͙̲̄̕ͅt̴̥̤̯͖͍͑͌ ̶̩̣͔̲̉̑̒̑̌̂E̴̜͑͜x̶̧̖̲̪̓̅͆̈́̆̍p̷̢̓̏̐̓̐̑͗ͅ!"
Wyndia bawled. 'Please, whatever happens, please let this work! Please, please let me have Ren back!'
But what about Bakta and Welt? If she could beg for a miracle now, why could she not wish to have her and Ren's two friends brought back from the dead? Why did she have to be so selfish?
And Ren's words… he'd asked her to kill him… was he truly going through that much pain? If this worked and Fitoria freed him from his Cursed Weapon… would he want to continue living?
Fitoria finished. She spread her arms and wings wide, even as Ren continued to scream in the chains binding him in place. What she was about to use wasn't a spell, nor was it a skill, nor was it a technique. It was an ability she had as the Legendary Queen of the Filolials. An ability stronger than what any group of humans could hope to produce at full power.
A single tear fell from her eye. I'm sorry, Sword Hero. This is for your own good.'
"Sanctuary!"
A blinding white globe of energy expanded outward from Fitoria's form, covering the land around her. The Sword Hero didn't get a chance to scream as the blast of magic enveloped him.
It lasted only a moment. When the light faded, the cursed sword was gone, replaced by the legendary weapon's base form in Ren's hand.
"...ah…"
Ren opened his mouth, a fraction of a name escaping it before tears began to flow out of his blue eyes. But the moment of clarity lasted only for a fraction of a second before his eyes closed and he collapsed sideways with a soft splash, disturbing the surface of the crystal clear lake that he had suddenly found himself in.
The backlash of being so forcibly pulled out from deep within the Curse Series was too much.
"R-Ren?" Wyndia reached out towards her Hero with a shaking hand. "Ren!" She cried out again and started to run forward, stumbling and falling into the water a few times as she did so. Somehow, the lake of turtle's blood had been completely purified but she didn't have any time to wonder about it.
She finally reached the unconscious Sword Hero and cradled him close to her chest while bawling loudly. He was back. He was back and he was alive. Fitoria kept her promise. He was back.
After a moment, the malevolent aura that had been surrounding Ren ever since unlocking his Cursed Series vanished entirely.
...
Fitoria breathed in and out heavily.
Wyndia continued sobbing in the middle of the lake while holding her hero.
Fitoria had broken her number one rule. She'd saved a human's life. In fact, she'd probably saved the lives of the entire army still fighting the Spirit Tortoise's minions in the background.
But looking over everything, she felt no shame over breaking her principles. Her guilt was focused on something else.
The Spirit Tortoise's shriveled head laid to the side.
She had been too late to help. The Heroes had won without her.
But the price that they paid for it had been far, far too great.
She'd been far, far too late.
Author's Notes:
I've hammered it before, and by golly, I'll hammer it again. Cursed Series = Bad. Bad bad bad bad BAD.
For those who've read the LN, Ren's Gluttony Curse Series is different. He still has Guillotine. That's because the execution skill of each weapon (unlocked at Rank I) is the same no matter what Cursed Series is unlocked. But the Rank III skill he acquired is different from the Gluttony one he had in canon. This is because he used the Dragon Emperor Fragment to strengthen his Cursed Series. And even if he hadn't, he'd still have a different Rank III skill than in canon because of how different he is now compared to his canon self (part of the reason he didn't unlock Greed like in canon).
Yes, this means that unlike the execution skills, Heroes could end up with a different Rank III or above skill due to a variety of factors. This also means that if somebody else was summoned as the Shield Hero, even if they had the dragon emperor fragment in their shield and unlocked Wrath, it'd be near impossible for them to get Blood Sacrifice simply because of how different they'd be from Naofumi. And similarly, if changes occur to Naofumi himself, he would end up with an entirely different Rank III skill for Wrath, regardless of having the Dragon Emperor Fragment or not.
TLDR: the execution skill is set, but the Rank III and higher skills of the Cursed Series are up for creative liberties. Just as long as the move matches the sin.
Selfish indulgence request: I really, really want to see fanart of this chapter. I'm already crying enough as it is, but visual art will just make it that much better. Whether I find an artist or somebody else does, it'd make my day if that happened.
I'll see you all next week when this arc wraps up on what I think everyone can guess to be a very, very somber note.
Till Next Time
Allen