For this chapter, I have another music suggestion you can find on Youtube. I put in the chapter below when you should start playing it. It's an Ost called True Eden. Seems fitting for where it is.
Also, to the Guest that wants Kyo to be punched in the face, I'll do you one better. Or two. Maybe three. You all can keep track of it for me. I lost count after five.
Oh, and before I forget, Happy Valentine's Day everyone!
Chapter Forty-Nine: Showdown, Part Three: The Meaning of Sacrifice
Ren was in shock.
He was on the ground now. He couldn't tell if the fall had hurt or not. His body felt so numb. Motoyasu was groaning beside him. And Wyndia was… Wyndia was…
God. He didn't know what was going on anymore. Was this some kind of sick fever dream or something? Was this his mind's last way to torture him before he fell off into the void?
Meanwhile, the dog girl was breathing in and out heavily, looking down at the Sword Hero. She'd done it. She'd saved Ren and told him the words she'd engraved on her heart only two nights ago. Two nights that felt like an eternity away.
Had it only been that long? It felt like several lifetimes had passed since that night with everything that'd happened.
But… She'd managed to keep her promise.…
With the Sword Hero freed from the crystal prison, his health bar was beginning to gradually refill. Ren's face was sunk, almost devoid of color. Some of the blood vessels in his eyes had burst from the stress of Kyo's repeated draining, painting an unsettling picture.
But he was alive.
He was alive...
"Ren?" But… why wasn't he speaking?
The Sword Hero slowly opened his mouth. No words escaped at first.
Only a whimper… And then, a sniffle, followed by a sob. Soon, tears were flowing down the sides of his face.
"This… this isn't real…" He choked out.
"Ren…" Wyndia muttered sadly.
Ren clutched the sides of his face. "I… I killed you… I thought I killed you…" Of course. Even though she'd saved him from the physical prison. There was more to it than that.
Ren was still trapped… mentally… emotionally…
Wyndia's ears lowered onto her head.
"He… he told me that I killed you. That I killed Eclair, Itsuki, everyone else…" His voice broke as he began sobbing into his hands. "I killed all of you… I killed you…"
"You're dead… this isn't happening… this isn't real, I… I killed you…" Ren continued to cry. Looking absolutely destroyed and heartbroken.
...
"... dummy." Wyndia wrapped her arms around him again in a comforting hug. The Sword Hero felt very small, very vulnerable in her embrace. Like a badly cracked vase that could shatter at any moment.
Ren tensed up. It wasn't supposed to be real. So… why did it feel like it was?
"It's ok. We're still alive. We're here now. That's all that matters." Wyndia spoke softly.
"I… I tried to kill you!... I killed you!" Ren resumed sobbing as he gripped onto her tightly.
"It's okay. It'll be okay." Wyndia gently told him.
Ren continued to sob, unable to reply while the dog girl continued to speak. "I know what you tried to do. I was there for it. But I don't hold it against you. I never have, and I never will. And neither will anyone else. That was the Cursed you. That wasn't the real you."
"I know what the real you is like. And it's nothing like the Cursed you. Don't worry. I'm here for you now. We're all here for you, Ren."
"I promise. I won't let him hurt you again."
Where she stood, Raphtalia put a hand over her chest. Remembering clearly the time she'd embraced Naofumi when he had been in the depths of despair so long ago, on the floor of that arena.
Wyndia laid a kiss on the Sword Hero's forehead. She wished she could have all the time in the world to comfort him and try and help him out. Just like Raphtalia had for Naofumi back then…
But unfortunately, she did not.
There was still someone they had to deal with.
Steeling herself, despite Ren still crying in front of her, she left his grip, stood back up, and turned around to face their enemy.
Kyo… was… seething.
"You… you $#%&ing bitch! How dare you vermin trick me!" She'd looked like wouldn't be able to do anything only a couple of moments ago! And yet she and that weak mage had worked together to ruin his plans!
Heh. Wyndia almost found it funny. She'd managed to save Ren despite Kyo's best efforts to stop them over and over again. She would have laughed if not for the fact that she felt such a deep and intense hatred towards the Book Hero in that moment.
He… this bastard had hurt her Hero. He'd tortured Ren and manipulated him into believing that she and the others were dead. That the Cursed Sword Hero had succeeded in killing them. The… the depth of her wrath towards this pathetic excuse for a human being knew no bounds.
All of Wyndia's hatred poured into the glare she gave him. She didn't care who he was or what he'd done before. He was beyond forgiveness. If not for Ren crying on the ground behind her, she would have left him immediately to skewer this guy on the tip of her blade right now.
"You've ruined everything! I won't stand for this indignity! Screw brainwashing you! I'll kill you if it's the last thing I do!" Kyo tried to rush forward, but Rishia was quick to intercept him, much to his frustration.
How was she moving so fast when his stats were supposed to be so much higher compared to hers?! He still couldn't understand it!
"If you want to harm my friends, then you'll have to go through me!" Rishia shouted boldly. Even now, the girl still had plenty of life force to spare.
Kyo scowled. "Bah! I'll deal with you first then! Guardians, kill those fools!" He directed the remaining neo guardians still standing in the room to attack Wyndia and the two downed Heroes. Naofumi noticed the commotion and tried to reach out to help, only to curse as he realized that Wyndia and the two downed heroes were outside the range of his skills.
"Eclair, Dou-Lon! Help her! Hurry!" He cried out while healing Therese and the group of girls with her.
"On it!"
"By your command, Sir Naofumi!"
Tears kept falling down the sides of Ren's face.
Wyndia was alive. She'd said they were all still alive. That they didn't hold anything against him.
But that was impossible. They were dead. He'd killed them with his own hands. They would hold everything against him.
How could they be alive?... how could they still be alive when he'd…
His head fell down as he began to cry harder. It didn't make sense. None of it made any sense!
He was so lost… please... somebody... anybody...
"Hey." At Wyndia's voice, Ren looked up at her. The only calm in the storm his mind was wading through at that moment.
She had turned her head to look down at him. Her glare had been replaced by a small, genuine smile. The… the same smile she'd given him on that beach.
He was so mesmerized, he almost didn't hear what she'd said next.
"Don't worry. I'll protect you."
…
"W… What?" Ren gasped.
"I gave up once before, when I didn't think I could help you. And I regret that more than anything else." She turned to face the charging guardians. The katana Ren had gotten for her was held in one hand, and several gemstones Therese had given her were grasped in the other.
Naofumi's support magic from earlier was still buffing her too. And alongside that hatred she felt towards the Book Hero, there was something else. Ren's scarf wrapped snugly around her neck like an added form of protection. A reminder of what she was fighting for.
"I promise. I won't give up on you ever again! I'll fight for you until you're strong enough to overcome your grief and fight for us again, Sword Hero!"
Strange. After the chaos of the past few days. The ups and downs on her journey here.
She felt no fear or hesitation when she spoke. No doubts nor stray thoughts to distract her mind.
Just a strong, single, burning desire to protect the boy she cherished.
The first guardian's sword swung down at her.
And then, Wyndia moved like a dragon.
"...!"
The arm of the familiar was slashed off, and Wyndia quickly turned, the blunt end of her weapon striking the familiar just below the neck and launching it across the room into the side wall. She then flowed into her next opponent, a spear guardian, ducking under its thrust and stabbing through its chest as she finished a chant.
"Emerald Dragon's Fury!"
The emerald she was carrying shattered, but bright green flames consumed the armored familiar, burning it to ash even as three more charged Wyndia at the same time. However, with a determined glint in her amber eyes, Wyndia rushed forward to meet them, pulling another emerald from the sack that Therese had entrusted to her.
Ren simply stared as the dog girl fought. Unlike Eclair, there was no perfect grace to her movements. There was no exceptional amount of skill shown. And yet, it was mesmerizing to him.
The strands of hair on the sides of her head framed her face as she struck and dodged the enemy's blows. One enemy's spear left a small gash on her arm, but she returned the favor by lobbing off its head and burning it away with another gem magic fire spell before swiping the legs out on another familiar.
Her eyes glinted as she bent back, avoiding a spear that went over the length of her body. She then brought her katana up, knocking the spear to the side before unleashing another Sapphire Dragon's Blow that sent the minion flying into a wall with a resounding Crash!
The dog girl dressed in beat up armor and covered in small injuries… fought as ferociously as any dragon. Her blade and fist was an extension of her claws. And her gem magic was her breath of fire.
The Neo Guardians were no match for her fury. For the protective desire she felt towards the part of her hoard behind her.
It was amazing. She… she was amazing.
Ren felt more tears come to his eyes. This… this was impossible… he remembered binding her with that cursed skill. He remembered the pleading look in her eyes as his blade of execution came down on her neck, and…
But… had that really happened? Had… had he fabricated those memories…?
His party HUD was still empty. As it'd been empty ever since that day... But at last, Ren took the courage to shakily select the Slave Menu option and open it.
There were the people back in the village who'd registered to him. Bakta's name wasn't at the top of the list. He… he really was dead… him, and Welt...
But… right there, at the bottom, with her health bar and stats…
Wyndia.
…
It… it was true…
She was alive…
She was alive!
SHE WAS ALIVE!
WYNDIA WAS ALIVE!
"Ha!" As Wyndia turned to face the next guardian, Eclair's sword, glowing bright with power, pierced through it from behind. "Well done Wyndia, though your form could still use some work!"
"What are you talking about?! She looked amazing to me! Hiyah!" Dou-Lon punched another familiar away. The pair looked all healed up and ready to go another round thanks to Naofumi's quick healing treatments.
"That's only because she fought like she was you!" Eclair yelled at him. Though there was a smile on her face.
Eclair and Naofumi's tiger friend! They were alive too!
"Help me protect Ren and the Spear Hero!" Wyndia asked heatedly.
The two nodded and swam into the fray alongside the dragon dog girl.
As the two knights assisted Wyndia: Farrie, Tersia, and Rino appeared beside Ren and Motoyasu. Rino immediately went to treating the Spear Hero as the two mages stood protectively by the Sword Hero. Tersia uncorked a healing potion from the Shield Hero and tried to help Ren to drink it.
"You two… you're alive too." Ren managed to speak.
"Of course. Did you think we were dead or something?" Farrie asked in confusion.
"He… he told me that I killed all of you…" Ren pointed at Kyo, whose battle with Rishia began to grow even more fierce than before. The Book Hero looked determined to get at everyone else, but Rishia looked just as determined to beat the absolute snot out of him.
In fact, as he watched, the green-haired girl deftly dodged another one of his page storms, and her fist, with at least five visible after images following behind and beside it, punched the Book Hero in the face repeatedly.
"AH!" One of the rapid-fire punches knocked a bloody tooth from Kyo's mouth.
"And you believed him?!" Farrie asked Ren in disbelief.
"My party HUD was empty… I remembered Bakta and Welt dying, and then… I thought he was telling the truth." Ren replied sadly.
"When you were using your Cursed Weapon, you kicked all of us out of your party." Tersia shook her head. "I guess you didn't think to pull up the slave menu to check if he was lying or not. Did you?"
He hadn't. He'd been so stupid, overwhelmed with grief…
"The only ones that died were Bakta and Welt." Tersia said. "You didn't kill anyone after you fell into your Cursed Series. You can thank them for that." She pointed to Wyndia and Eclair.
So… that's why he'd seen her in his memories…
"And Fitoria too." Farrie added. "She stepped in before you could kill them or anyone else. Actually, she saved your life out there. It's a crazy story."
This wasn't just a sick fever dream… his friends were alive! They were all alive!
They'd come to rescue him and Motoyasu!
Without him noticing it, a blue glow started to emanate from the gemstone of his sword.
But alongside it came one, large, looming thought.
…
He'd been blaming the wrong person for everyone's deaths all this time.
"Ack!" Kyo cried out in pain again as Rishia's rapier delivered another defense-piercing attack into his gut. Again, he regenerated from the damage he had taken.
"It's impressive how you can regenerate any wound I inflict. But it does nothing to soften the pain, does it?" Rishia said condescendingly.
"Shut your mouth! I don't know where you're pulling all this power from but it won't last! The moment you slip up, I'll make sure to pay it back triple- GAH!" He screamed as a scythe struck him from behind, and Rishia followed up with another punch that knocked another tooth from the Book Hero's mouth.
"Good thing she isn't fighting alone then, ain't it?" L'Arc asked as he jumped back, being replaced by Glass.
"Tortoise-Shell Cracker!"
Kyo's barrier came up, but the defense ignoring skill passed right through it and slammed into his shoulder. "Gah!" A hole was opened up in it, but it quickly closed again. "I'll kill you! I'll kill all of you!"
"And to think you said earlier that we were the ones who were uncreative. How many times have you said you'd kill us already?" Rishia dashed in again, destroying his barrier with a well-timed strike right as L'Arc and Glass unleashed more attacks from their arsenals. As Kyo tried to block them, Rishia got another good strike with her rapier in.
This time, on his groin.
"GAHOOOO!" Kyo somehow stayed standing, but that didn't stop the three from attacking him.
"Thanks for healing us up, Shield Kiddo! We definitely owe you another one for this!" L'Arc said to Naofumi as the Shield Hero finished healing Itsuki.
"No problem. Just make sure to give him hell." Naofumi told them, not even batting an eye at the nickname. "You sure that's good enough, Itsuki?" He then asked the Bow Hero.
"Yes, at least I can see clearly again." Itsuki shook his head as he stood up.
"Just be careful. I can heal your injuries, but you still lost a lot of blood." Naofumi said worriedly.
"Will do." Itsuki gave him a thumbs-up as his other hand wiped the rest of the blood away from his eyes. Naofumi nodded as he ran over to the last people that needed healing. Maya, Rachel, and Aksel. Raphtalia and Filo ran off to the area around the crystalline structure, however, as if they were looking for something.
Itsuki looked at the battle going on in both fronts. Ren's friends with the addition of Rino, Eclair, and Dou-Lon were taking care of the rest of the Guardians on their own. Therese then joyed the fray with her gem magic to assist them. His help wasn't needed there, and it was definitely a relief to see Ren and Motoyasu were okay.
But what could he possibly do to help out now? Maybe he could target the core? But it was still surrounded by defensive barriers, and if Kyo noticed what Itsuki was trying to do, he'd probably do everything in his power to shield the core even further somehow.
…
Well, looking at it, Kyo wasn't going down no matter how much the others piled on him.
He was able to see what Rishia was doing. How the tip of her rapier was covered in energy in a style that Granny had taught them. Depending on how it was shaped, one could either deliver a defense piercing or a defense rating attack. It was hard to tell on shape, but it looked like she was using defense rating attacks on Kyo's barrier whenever it came up.
Smart girl. The barrier's high defense property's could be used against itself with attacks like that. It looked like L'Arc had a similar attack too, as at times, his scythe broke the barrier just as easily as Rishia.
If he could add his own to the mix, then… Itsuki smirked as he pulled back his bowstring.
He really should have tried harder to learn this. Itsuki was a sham compared to what Rishia was pulling off with life energy. But then again, it only took a single piece of straw to break the camel's back. And if the bow hero could be that, it was good enough for him.
"You cockroaches mean nothing! Your efforts are in vain-" Kyo continued to rant after managing to back away and find his ground again.
An arrow struck his barrier, shattering it in one blow.
"What the-" He barely protected himself from Glass's attack with his book as she immediately followed up on the opening. But L'Arc's scythe stabbed into him from behind, causing the Book Hero to scream in pain.
Rishia quickly looked back at Itsuki, who wobbled a bit from the use of his life force, which was pretty low considering the state of his injuries. "Don't worry, just keep fighting!" He gave her a tired salute.
Rishia smiled widely and did just that. Kyo's barrier popped up again, but the girl prodigy's next attack shattered it. And while Kyo deflected her rapier with his book, he was unable to block the next series of punches to his face.
"Stop doing that!" Kyo spat several teeth out and summoned multiple barriers around himself. But L'Arc's follow-up attack smashed through every single one. Glass and Rishia both struck as a regular arrow from Itsuki hit the Book Hero's leg, pinning him in place.
"Gah!" Kyo forced everyone back by surrounding himself with pages and pulled the arrow out so the wound would heal. Even the missing teeth in his mouth regenerated, though he was still tasting blood from it.
"Wind Arrow!"
When Itsuki's attack hit the pages surrounding Kyo, it transformed into a tornado that shredded the extra layer of protection.
So Itsuki hadn't been imagining things at the Cal Mira wave. For some reason, that skill had changed… looking at the bow accessory Naofumi had made for him, the Bow Hero could finally guess why.
It was a little odd how it didn't have it listed as an effect. Oh well, he'd look into it later. The look on the male bitch's face was more than worth it.
"Wha- just how many more cheats do you have!?" Kyo screamed angrily.
He never got an answer as the other three piled on him once again. Itsuki launched a couple more arrows in succession. Some were infused with life force like the first one to shatter his barriers. Others were normal, to throw Kyo off as the Book hero was now having to pay attention to his attacks too. And when he messed up on anticipating when his barrier would shatter from Itsuki's attacks, as it was impossible to discern which were normal and which were infused with life force energy, it left him open to attacks from the others.
Rishia got several more glorious punches to his bastardly face during that time. Even her punches were defense piercing or defense rating attacks. She was beyond amazing.
It was glorious. Itsuki almost felt like the two of them were working together to troll the Book Hero at this point. Two victims of bullies were coming together to bully the biggest bully of them all.
However, it looked like Naofumi had just finished healing everyone, and Itsuki felt like he was going to pass out if he kept up the life force attacks, so the Bow Hero decided to finally pull out the ace that he'd been saving up. Something that he was sure the bitch had never seen him use before, ever.
"Eagle Piercing Shot!"
"Again with this garbage?!" The skill passed through the barrier, but Kyo swatted it down with his book, making it land on the ground with a shriek before the rogue Hero forcibly stepped on it, grinding his heel against the eagle's head. "How many times do I have to repeat myself!? This skill of yours is worthless! Even more so now with all this soul energy coursing through my body!"
"Yea, I figured that out already." Itsuki nodded before pointing at Kyo aggressively. "And that's why I left a surprise for you in it this time! Take a good look at what you just stepped on, Kyo!"
Before Kyo could understand what he meant, the Bow Hero activated another skill. One that he normally was unable to use since his attacks landed long before he could hope to activate it. But right here and now, he finally had an opening and opportunity to tap into its potential!
"Say hello to my trap card! Change Arrow! Explosion Shot!"
As soon as Kyo heard Itsuki cry out the skill's incantation, his eyes widened and he looked down at the floor beneath him where the eagle construct was writhing under his foot, still active.
But in that instant, it changed shape and started glowing a brilliant orange hue that overshadowed all other sources of light around. It illuminated the rogue book hero's face, revealing every detail of his terrified expression.
"Oh no-"
It was the only thing that he managed to weakly whisper before his form was drowned out by the overpowering flash of an explosion followed by its deafening crack that made the room they were in shake.
"AAAAARGHHHHHHH!" The Book Hero was launched backwards and sent ragdolling across the floor before slamming into the projection wall.
All the barriers around him collapsed and disappeared simultaneously. He was covered in burns, his clothes were in tatters, and his right foot, the one that he'd been grinding on Itsuki's skill with, had been blown clean off his body.
Unfortunately, though, it was already growing back, and all his other injuries were healing too. It hadn't been enough to kill him.
But that didn't matter, as Itsuki's friends rejoined the fray at last. Having just been healed by the Shield Hero.
Aksel had a murderous look on his face as he charged forward with a bellow and dug his ax deep into the Book Hero's stomach. "This is for Bakta, you bastard!"
Kyo didn't have time to cry out from that as Maya's daggers followed from behind and were driven down to their hilts into his kidneys. "These are for Welt!" She screamed.
"And this one is for my Father! He sends his regards! Dark Blow!" Both friends jumped out of the way as Rachel's blunt dark spell slammed into Kyo's face just as Rachel's back-up dagger stabbed again into his stomach below where Aksel's ax had hit.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The Book Hero screeched like a dying dog. He desperately summoned barriers around himself again to throw everyone off him, but Rishia immediately destroyed the barriers, and everyone was on him again in an instant before he could get a chance to stand back up again.
"Circle Dance Cutting Formation!" Glass slashed into the Book Hero repeatedly.
"Float Scythe!" L'Arc summoned a second scythe to assist Glass with her task.
"Flame Shot!" Itsuki fired between his friends to hit the Book Hero with a flame skill to further burn him.
And everyone else continued to pile on the Book Hero with more and more hurt. From stabbing him with daggers and rapiers, to cutting him open with axes and dark spells. He tried summoning barriers over and over again to protect himself, but every time, every single, bloody time, someone was ready to break them so the pain wouldn't pause for even a second.
Now this, this was beyond glorious. With seven individuals attacking all at once, the Book Hero's crazy regeneration was working against him. The group of incensed individuals inflicted pain on Kyo again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again.
Each time, he healed from every strike almost immediately, and it allowed them to inflict even more of the pain and fury that they'd been forced to suffer through the last few weeks thanks to him.
The loss of a beloved father at his daughter's wedding. The pain of losing a great brother and friend who'd sacrificed themselves for their Hero. Despair that nearly drove someone filled to the brim with grief for years to kill herself.
For each and every single one of these abominable actions the Book Hero had caused or contributed to, every, single, damn, ounce of suffering they'd been forced to go through was dealt back tenfold to the Book Hero's wretched form.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
It was karmic retribution at its finest. Nothing was killing him. Not even a stab to the heart, not even getting beheaded by Aksel's axe. He had achieved the same regenerative powers as the Tortoise whose power he'd stolen. And it was proving now to be more of a curse than a blessing as what Rishia had said earlier was true.
Kyo's rapid regeneration abilities did nothing to mitigate the pain of each strike. So everyone continued to hurt Kyo, relentless in their lust for blood.
Naofumi smirked in satisfaction as he watched.
As the old saying goes, you shouldn't shoot somebody unless you're prepared to get shot first.
Kyo clearly hadn't been ready to be shot by everyone else.
"Naofumi." He was forced to look away from the show as Raphtalia and Filo reappeared next to the Shield Hero again. The two had returned from their retrieval task and were carrying Ost between them.
"Shield… Hero." Ost said tiredly.
Thank goodness, the Tortoise woman was still alive. He'd been worried about her after seeing that last attack from Kyo. But she didn't look to be in good shape right now.
"Ost. Don't worry, I'll heal you up too." He reached forward to prepare a healing spell, but her hand gripped his, stopping him from doing so.
"No… no time. We must, destroy the core. Now, while the Book Hero is unable to intervene." The woman shook her head weakly.
"We will. But you require healing first-" Naofumi started to say.
"It'd be pointless." Ost interrupted him with a gasp. "You know what comes after the core is destroyed…"
…
It… it was really time, huh? Raphtalia and Filo looked sadly at Ost. "But… I don't have any way to destroy it." Naofumi replied, biting his lower lip. And unless Raphtalia and Filo had a way to shatter multiple barriers and the core in one attack...
Ost rested a hand on his shield. "It's… okay… I will help you… one… last… time…"
She closed her eyes, and the sound of rushing wind filled Naofumi's ears. After a moment, the shield in his hands changed shape from the Shield of Hope II, which he'd had equipped before then to help with healing everyone else.
Spirit Tortoise Heart Shield Conditions met!
Spirit Tortoise Heart Shield (awakened) 80/80 AT
Abilities unlocked: equip bonus: protection of the dragons
Special Effect: Gravity Field, C Soul Recovery, C Magic Snatch, C Gravity Shot
Life-force up, magic defense (large), lightning resistance, SP Drain nullification, Magic Assistance, Spell Support
Exclusive Special Effect: Energy Blast, 100%
Mastery level: 100
Naofumi was astounded. Even without the list of extra effects, it was his best shield by far! And to think that Ost had fully powered some of the methods he knew on it too! His level was just high enough to equip it too!
It looked very similar to the Whale Magic Core Shield besides color and size. But the specifications were incomparable. Its defense was so much higher than it that it wasn't even funny! He'd joked about having god-tier defense before, but these numbers were off the charts!
Its stats were even higher than both his Blessed and Cursed Series at their current tiers! It was that powerful!
The energy blast effect indicator was flashing on his HUD. He pulled up it's description, and-
No way! It actually had an attack stat attached to it! It was just as high as the shield's defense too! He could easily shatter the barriers around the core with this!
Sure, it was only an exclusive special effect meant only for that particular shield. And according to what he read, it was a special effect the Spirit Tortoise, Ost, had granted him for this moment. Meaning, he'd never be able to use it outside of this situation again, ever.
It'd be impossible to use it again even if the ability stayed anyway, since it required soul energy specifically from the Spirit Tortoise to use it. And after this, the only way he'd be able to get that soul energy would be to hijack another world's Guardian Tortoise and harvest the souls of people in that world to power this shield.
Which would, in and of itself, make him no better than Kyo.
But at last, for this moment, he'd been given a means to attack! To contribute in a way that didn't involve blocking strong attacks, lowering an enemy's defense, or trapping enemies in stone! He could…
He could…
…
"Please… do not delay… there is no time." Ost pleaded tiredly.
He could…
Kill... Ost...
'No, this… this can't be happening!'
'Why me?! Why now?!'
Suddenly, Naofumi began to look around the room frantically.
There had to be somebody else in there that could attack instead of him! Itsuki, L'Arc, Glass, Rishia! Hell, even Ren and Motoyasu in their injured states would be preferable to him!
But they were busy with their own battles. The Book Hero, despite everything, was still trying to fight on with pages and skills from his book. It was only because of the continual pounding he was under by all of them that he wasn't able to hurt anyone at the moment.
And Wyndia and those with her were still defending Ren and Motoyasu from the last of the Neo Guardians. Both of the injured Heroes were beginning to stand up, but neither looked to be in the shape to fight anyway. With all those barriers in the way, neither Hero in their weakened states would stand a chance at breaking through them to the core.
Anyone who wasn't a hero or Rishia would be unable to smash through them, and the core afterward, while they were busy keeping Kyo pinned down.
It… it really was all on Naofumi's shoulders… with the most powerful attack at their disposal.
Ost pointed to the barriers surrounding the core. "Please… Naofumi."
(Begin Ost - True Eden on Youtube)
…
Naofumi began to shake. Tears appeared in the corners of his eyes, as they did for Raphtalia and Filo.
"No…" He whimpered.
"It'll be ok." Ost took a deep breath to collect herself. "All things must end eventually. I have already accepted my fate."
"No, I… I can't…" Naofumi choked out.
He couldn't be the one to do it. He couldn't be the one to end Ost's… the Spirit Tortoise's life.
"If everything had gone according to plan, we would have never met. You would have only known me as the mysterious figure that guided you to awaken the Spirit Tortoise." Ost continued with a sad smile. "The heroes would never learn what the Spirit Tortoise was, only of its role in slaughtering millions, and for that, they would slaughter me without hesitation. Without knowing my true form. I would have fulfilled my purpose and disappeared.
"That is my fate. That has been my fate for millenia."
He knew that. Naofumi knew she was telling the truth! And her absolute sincerity was making it so much worse!
He didn't want to do it! He didn't want to be the one to kill Ost!
"Screw fate! I don't want to do it!" He harshly rebutted.
Damn it! Why was now the moment he was supposed to attack!? Why not against Balamus! Or Bitch! Or Kyo! Or any moment before now when it would have been effective! When it would have been against someone far more deserving of it! And… and…
"Why me?! Why not somebody besides me!"
He couldn't… he couldn't attack his friend… it was still all too fresh how he'd hurt everyone before when he attacked them with his words. He… he couldn't go through something so much worse than that. Not now…
Raphtalia was crying too. Naofumi finally had the chance to attack in a meaningful way. Something he'd wanted, dreamed about for so long after arriving to her world… yet the cost for it was so great.
"I can't! Please, somebody, anybody besides me!" Naofumi pleaded.
"It's ok."
…
Through tears, he looked down at her.
The tortoise woman was smiling softly at him. "It'll be ok. I'll be ok, Naofumi."
"It is the role of the Spirit Tortoise to take life from the world. And it is the role of the Spirit Tortoise to breathe life anew into it upon its death. Tell me, is there no greater thing to be sacrificed for?"
"My body shall become a new home for humans and monsters alike. Years from now, another civilization will be living on my back, prosperous and happy thanks to the resources my body will provide for them. They will have the potential to be a source of good for the world. Just like how each Cardinal Hero has the potential to become a source for good after their summoning."
"But… … I can't…" His shield lowered to his side.
He couldn't kill a friend. He couldn't kill one of the few, honest people he'd met in this world.
There were so many evil maniacal bastards around. But people like Ost… were just as rare as Raphtalia, Filo, Eclair, Dou-Lon… genuine, good people that wanted to help others. To help him… without asking for anything in return.
People that could, within a short time, win his trust and gratitude. And be considered not only an ally, but a good friend. A close friend.
"You are a kind soul, Shield Hero. I knew that about you from the moment I laid eyes on you in your home." Ost smiled sadly at him. "It is why I ask you to grant my last wish. Release the Spirit Tortoise… release me from my burden."
"Get off me!" Kyo screamed in anger.
Itsuki's arrow tore through Kyo's knee. Then, Glass, L'Arc, Maya, and Rachel stabbed him simultaneously. Rishia followed with a series of blows to his head that briefly stunned the Book Hero.
"Please…" The green-eyed woman pleaded softly. "Naofumi…"
…
…
…
Naofumi gritted his teeth.
He hated himself. He hated himself so much at that moment.
"Raphtalia, Filo! Help me out!"
The two girls nodded, getting on either side behind him to help hold him in place. As he selected the option, a long gun barrel-formed on the front of his shield. Two bipods appeared beneath it to help him aim. A crosshair appeared on his HUD next.
He aimed at the spinning core in the center of the room. Energy from the floor around him began to gather at the front of his shield. Charging up in a way very similar to the Spirit Tortoise's breath attack.
"Gah!" Kyo, still held up by everyone else, hadn't noticed what was going on.
"Brace yourselves," Naofumi told the two girls, who nodded firmly as they set their feet solidly behind them to help keep Naofumi in place.
As the Shield Hero prepared to fire, he looked one more time to the side at Ost Horai.
She was still smiling at him, and she nodded her head.
It was time. Time to grant Ost's last request…
With reluctance, the Shield Hero activated the special attack, Energy Blast.
There was a slight pause. As if the world was taking in what was about to happen.
And then, a colossal beam of energy burst forth from Naofumi's shield like a railgun. Smashing into the barrier around the core. Raphtalia and Filo grunted as the recoil of the attack pushed back against them.
Itsuki and the others immediately stopped. Surprised at the attack's appearance. "Who's doing that?!" L'Arc asked.
"I… I don't believe it! It's Naofumi!" Itsuki said in shock.
"NOOOOOOOO!" Kyo finally managed to escape from the group thanks to their moment of awe and sent a wave of papers at the Shield Hero.
However, they bounced off the Shield Hero with a loud Clang!
Naofumi didn't even feel the attack. His defense was too high for the Book Hero to penetrate with this shield.
"NO! STOP! STOOOOOP!" Kyo sent attack after attack at Naofumi, but a barrier similar to the ones that'd protected Kyo before appeared around Naofumi from the swirl of soul energy warping the floor around him.
"NO! YOU BITCH! I WON'T ALLOW THIS!" Kyo screeched as Ost's, the Spirit Tortoise's rebellion, worked against him. He charged forward to try and stop him.
"GURK!" But then, Rishia rapier stabbed through him from behind. The blade pinned his body to the floor.
"You're not going anywhere!" Rishia shouted.
"GET OFF ME! GET OFF-" Kyo's head was smashed against the ground by L'Arc, who jumped onto his back and held him firmly in place. Glass and Aksel joined beside him, helping the Scythe Hero to keep the struggling Book Hero down and his vassal Book closed to prevent him from using any more attacks.
"GET OFF! GET OFF ME, YOU INSECTS!" Kyo screamed desperately.
"Never," Aksel said venomously. He then punched Kyo in the face, again, and again, and again with his large fists. Kyo kept on trying to scream, but the tank didn't relent.
He only had to picture Bakta next to him cheering him on, and he was able to drown out the Book Hero's cries of pain with a continual pounding that kept the Book Hero from focusing.
The beam of energy from the Shield Hero slowly began to grow larger. And then, it broke through the first barrier. And then it began to break through the second. And then another. And another.
Kyo continued to scream. The sounds coming from his mouth slowly became more and more unintelligible as the large tank's fists smashed his face in again and again.
"I… I don't believe it…" Dou-Lon stared in awe at the powerful attack coming from the Shield Hero.
The Shield Hero who was crying as the beam came closer and closer to the core.
"Quick, move Dou-Lon!" Eclair yelled at him. The guardians had been defeated. The others were moving the Heroes out of the way. That attack wasn't going to just stop at the core!
The hakuko shook his head and ran after Eclair.
Three barriers remained. Then two. Then one.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Kyo tried in vain to strengthen the last barrier, but it was like the soul energy of the Spirit Tortoise was working against him now. He could do nothing.
Naofumi was barely able to see through his tears. His shield was shaking in his grasp, and the bipods beneath it were straining as much as Filo and Raphtalia to hold him steady.
Every part of Naofumi wanted to look away. To cut off the attack. To redirect it to something besides the core... But he had to see this through.
He had to stop Kyo… and grant the tortoise woman her final wish.
Ost was still smiling as the last barrier broke, and she lowered her head in gratitude.
"Thank you, Shield Hero."
(End Ost - True Eden)
KABOOM!
A shockwave of power washed out over everyone as the beam impacted the core. The light was so bright that Naofumi tightly closed his eyes as Raphtalia and Filo gripped onto him for dear life.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
L'Arc and the others were blasted off of the Book Hero, who continued screaming like a lunatic as the core of the Spirit Tortoise broke into a thousand pieces and light encased everything in sight, including him.
The room shook and trembled as if they were in the middle of a massive earthquake. Wyndia hugged Ren close, shielding his body with hers. Eclair, Dou-Lon, Farrie, Tersia, Therese, and Farrie held defensive positions in front of them and Motoyasu as they tried to keep their footing.
…
…
...
After a while, the light finally became less blinding. Naofumi had to blink his eyes a few times as smoke began to clear from the air…
And then, he realized, that wasn't light from the remains of the core.
That was light from outside.
The sun was in the afternoon sky. Its light was shining outside the new, massive hole that Naofumi had just created through the center of the Spirit Tortoise and out its back end. Searing flesh and organs lined the path of destruction.
The chamber was silent. The projection on the wall that Kyo had been using to monitor what was happening outside had vanished. Wyndia slowly let go of Ren, standing up alongside Eclair to look at the room around them.
Columns of smoke rose from the front of Naofumi's shield. The Shield Hero was breathing in and out heavily as the gun barrel shape that'd appeared before turned into glowing light before vanishing. The Energy Blast option blinked at 0%, before disappearing from the list of abilities on the shield entirely.
He'd used up all the stored soul energy in his shield Ost had given him for that attack… he'd never be able to use it again...
Gradually, his friends got back up. "S… Shield Kiddo?" L'Arc asked.
"Naofumi… that was amazing…" Itsuki said in awe.
Naofumi was silent though. He'd done it… he'd… he'd killed the Spirit Tortoise… looking to the side, Ost was gone.
It was over… it was all over…
…
"...years of planning..." The unpleasant voice made Naofumi tense up and raise his shield again in response.
Kyo hacked and coughed as he shakily managed to get up. He looked miserable with his ruined clothes stained with dust and grime. His glasses had gotten lost somewhere during the fight and he was now openly glaring at the shield hero with his bloodshot eyes.
"...countless calculations, projections, analyses...everything...ruined..." The book hero continued as he looked around the destroyed core room. Despite everything, he still looked to be in perfect health, but, as Rishia had pointed out earlier, his appearance was truly pathetic, now that the source of his power was gone.
"And for...what...? Your... 'friends'?" Kyo spat the word out. "How stupid can you possibly be!" The Book Hero roared as he slammed his weapon into the floor with fury.
"Stupid, coming from you?" Naofumi asked, his voice slowly growing angrier. "You're the one who started this! You attacked us without warning or provocation! You killed countless innocent people! You kidnapped and tortured my brothers, and now you have the gall to complain to us about stopping you!?"
"If you think that you're going to get away after all you've done, then let me put a spin on something you said earlier. You don't have a snowball's chance in hell of making it out of here alive!" As Naofumi finished speaking in a dark tone, Itsuki held his bow up again. Everyone else readied their weapons, prepared to finish off the son of a bitch once and for all.
Glass's fans flashed red. Oooh, it looked like they could equip their Cursed Series again. Guess the bitch's [Sanctuary] ability was kaput as well.
Too bad for Kyo. It just wasn't his day.
Then, to Naofumi's surprise, Ost suddenly reappeared by his side. But she didn't look quite right. Her form was rippling and fading out of existence, not unlike a static effect from an analog TV that wasn't receiving its signal properly. She was also surrounded by light.
She was definitely dead, there was no name or health indicator over her anymore. However she was doing this, it looked like her soul was still lingering on even after her body had been killed for this one, final task.
"Kyo Ethniba, Book Hero of another world. In the name of my world, I command you to surrender and face your judgment!" She said in a powerful voice.
"... … surrender? hmhhmhmhm!" The Book Hero began to chuckle before throwing his head back and bursting into a straight-up holler. "AHAHAHAHA! Do you really think that I'm going to give up now just because you killed my pet? Ahhhh..." He sighed deeply, his eyes shining with defiance and malignant glee.
"I will not ask again, give up, or else your death will be more painful than anything you've ever known," Ost promised.
"No. No, I don't think so." Kyo shook his head with another ominous chuckle and spread his arms out. "Credit where credit is due, you have certainly proved yourselves to be far more dangerous and capable than I anticipated. You should take great pride in that achievement!
"Things certainly didn't go... optimally for me in the end, I admit. But it's no big deal. Even if the experiment is a failure, I still managed to learn a great deal of valuable information from it. And…"
Kyo raised his empty hand. Blue soul energy from before began to swirl around it, making everyone gasp. "Oh? Surprised are we? Hmhmhmhm. Indeed! Even though you destroyed the core, I still managed to siphon all of my pet's soul energy into myself. And I sure as hell am not giving it back just because I lost! Ahahahaha!"
Ost reached towards him, but the energy formed into a ball in Kyo's hand, which floated behind him. It glowed with a faint light before quickly condensing to form a ball of gravity so powerful that it warped the very space around it and tore a rippling hole in the air!
"I-Impossible! That's a portal to another world!" Ost gasped, sounding like she couldn't believe it.
"And right on the money again!" Kyo laughed and took a step back. "But now we must part ways. While I'm still confident in my ability to crush you fools even under these circumstances, this has been a very, very long and annoying day, and to be frank, I'm sick and tired of all this %^&*, so screw you guys, I'm going home!"
"No! Somebody stop him!" Naofumi screamed.
The others had their attacks charged, but Kyo was already marching back towards his escape. He was smirking widely back at them, the idiots who wouldn't be able to reach him in time.
"Don't think I'll forget about what happened here though! When my little project is complete and I have everything ready, I'll be sure to pay you neanderthal degenerates another visit to make up for what you did to me today! That's a promise I'll make sure to keep just for you, you lowly cockroaches! Aha! Ahahahahahaha-"
"Brave Rush."
Before Kyo stepped inside, and before anybody could launch any sort of attack that'd have a chance of reaching and killing him before he could escape, a whoosh sound filled the air.
Kyo was cut off mid-laugh as the form of the Sword Hero appeared in front of him. Ren's ruined armor and cloak billowed around him. The top of his face was hidden in shadow, which only made his glowing azure eyes shine out all the more. The scowl on his face was lit by his legendary sword and gemstone, which were in an unfamiliar form wreathed in bright blue light.
'H-Huh?!' How was that chuuni loser moving?! Scratch that, how had he moved so quickly?!
"You lied to me," Ren spoke in a deep, blood-chilling tone.
Fear, deep primal fear, filled Kyo's being. Before he could so much as think, his body reacted by raising his arm to defend himself with his book.
But he was too slow.
With a chunky slashing sound, Ren's sword avoided the Vassal Book and cut Kyo's right arm clean off at the shoulder joint.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" With a scream of agony, Kyo fell backward. His arm landed next to him with a disgusting smack. The wound left behind seared and sizzled as if on fire.
Ren raised his sword above his head with both hands, its tip pointed directly down at the book hero's screaming and wriggling form.
"NO! GETAWAY! GET AWAY FROM MEEEEEE!" Kyo screeched in terror.
In a final bout of clarity, brought upon by the fear of certain death, the Book Hero threw a vial containing an air spell at the ground in front of him, launching himself back into the portal just as Ren stabbed down, impaling his blade into the floor.
Ren immediately moved forward, pulling his sword out to give chase. However, as he tried to touch the tear in space, he bounced off it as if he'd hit a brick wall.
Action Not Permitted
Holy Heroes are not allowed to invade other worlds.
Damn it… there was so much more hurt that Ren had wanted to dish out…
Oh well, at least he'd given the bitch a blow to think about, seeing as his right arm was still laying on the ground outside the portal.
He'd done it… even if only a little, he'd avenged Welt and Bakta…
And with that, the first showdown between the Heroes and the rogue Book Hero finally came to an end.
Author's Notes:
Yep. I found this chapter very satisfying. Thank you Guest for suggesting Kyo be punched in the face. I found it made me feel a lot better. :)
I don't know why more people don't make their antagonists near-immortal beings for situations like this. Who cares if they're insanely hard to kill? Unless they have a near god-tier pain tolerance alongside that rapid regeneration, the ability can easily be used against a villain to torture them.
For those wondering about Energy Blast, I added a new section to my Profile to address it under "Could Naofumi Do Major Damage Without Using the Cursed Series?" It is under the section I added called "Situational Shields". If what I put down there doesn't answer your questions, please DM me.
Too bad the bitch got away in the end, though he did lose that arm of his after losing the ability to regenerate from just about everything. So I don't expect that to be growing back anytime in the near future.
Now, on to the Hero Clips!
Hero Clips!
Konami Code
"Do you really think you can beat me!? I'll have you know that I'm unstoppable—" Kyo began to yell.
Naofumi crouched.
…
"... What are you doing?" Kyo asked.
Naofumi looked up 2 times, then he looked down 2 times, then he turned left, then right, then left, then right again.
"... Seriously, what the hell are you doing? You look like an idiot." Kyo pointed out.
Naofumi stomped his right foot into the ground. Then he stomped his left foot. Kyo was beginning to wonder if the Shield Hero had had a breakdown and was actually turning into a chimp when he touched the gemstone of his shield
"Konami Code, bitch." Naofumi finally spoke.
Filo has now obtained super strength!
"... Wha—"
"Initiate Operation Yeet, Filo!" Naofumi ordered.
"Ok! Nice knowing you, Book Idiot!" Filo said happily.
She moved rapidly, appearing in front of Kyo. Then, with a great upward kick, she launched the Book Hero screaming up into the stratosphere with a kick to the nuts.
"Oh, wow, so that cheat code really does work here," Itsuki said in amazement.
"But how did you do that without an A or B button?" Ren asked curiously.
"What do you mean? That's what I was stomping on." Naofumi pointed at the floor, and sure enough, an A and B button was sticking out from it. Courtesy of the Spirit Tortoise going along with his crazy idea.
"Well, that doesn't really make a whole lot of sense." Itsuki scratched the top of his head. "But whatever works I guess."
And thus, they never had to deal with the Book Hero ever again. And everyone lived happily ever.
Meanwhile, Kyo was going far, far away. "BUT WHAT THE &^%$ DOES THAT WORD EVEN MEAN?!"
Ah, what an idiot. He messed up a perfectly good moment to make a Pokemon reference there.
Seriously, is it that hard to yell "I'm blasting off again?!"
Hero Clips!
When You're Too Strong: Part Three
"Gwah! (Wow, Fitoria is so amazing!)"
"Gwah! (Of course, it's all thanks to Rikka's dark powers awakening her Tyrant Eye to assist Fitoria and-)"
The Filolials around the dark feathered Filolial slapped her this time. "No." They stated with finality at the same time.
"Gwah… (Awww, why is everyone bullying Rikka now?)"
"Gwah! Gwah! Gwah! (Because Fitoria has told Rikka to stop it plenty of times! Rikka must stop with these foolish dreams of Rikka's!)"
"Gwah! (Never! The Tyrant's Eye shall reign supreme! Just you watch!)"
"Good work, Fitoria's flock!" Fitoria praised the Filolials. The Filolial Queen was rapidly circling around the Spirit Tortoise to outflank its heads at this point. Her HP was too low to risk direct attacks anymore. If she could just get behind it and circle around the other side, then she'd be able to get a surprise strike on all the heads at the same time and buy herself a little time to cast healing magic on herself.
Then, she'd be able to continue fighting, and she'd win even more praise from her flock, and she'd get more headpats from Naofumi for doing such a good job, and everything would be good, and-
Right as she came around behind the tail, a huge beam of energy burst out the back, enveloping Fitoria entirely.
"S… Shield Kiddo?" L'Arc asked.
"Naofumi… that was amazing…" Itsuki said in awe.
Naofumi was silent though. He'd done it… he'd… he'd killed the Spirit Tortoise… looking to the side, Ost was gone.
It was over… it was all over-
"NAOFUMI!"
Looking up in surprise, the Shield Hero found Fitoria's ghostly apparition hanging in the air overhead. "Huh?"
"What the hell?! You just killed Fitoria with that attack!" Fitoria screamed at him.
… oh. Oops. He hadn't meant to kill Fitoria and the Spirit Tortoise at the same time.
"Not so fun now, is it?" Naofumi frowned.
"What are you talking about?!" Fitoria demanded.
"Nothing. It's not like you'd understand." Naofumi sighed as he was forced to remember the traumatic events of the previous two omakes where Fitoria had killed them with her strength.
"Hey, at least you got a lot of exp from the tortoise and Fitoria, right Naofumi?" Itsuki asked.
...
"Ah… right, I forgot, we block each other's exp gains being so close together." Itsuki then said sadly, before perking up. "But just imagine it!"
"Is that really important right now Bow Hero!?" Fitoria demanded.
"What? I'm just trying to ease the tension here." Itsuki replied.
"Yeah, and you seem to have forgotten you suck at it," Naofumi said dryly.
"Hey!"
Eventually, time turned back and everything went back to normal when the Author realized that Fitoria would have seen the attack coming thanks to Filo and would have avoided getting herself killed, and thus, things turned back to normal…
"Gwah! (See, Rikka's Tyrant Eye has brought Fitoria back from the dead! Rikka can see her inside the big turtle alongside the Heroes! The Tyrant Eye reigns supreme over all!)" The black-feathered Filolial announced proudly.
"Gwah! Gwah! Gwah! (It is true! Blue can see Fitoria too! The Tyrant Eye is with us! Rikka is the Beholder of the Tyrant Eye!)"
"Gwah! (All praise to the Beholder of the Tyrant Eye!)" The Filolials began to bow to their new Dark-Feathered queen.
Though there were probably more reasons why the Author let things go back to normal… sweatdrop.
Till Next Time
Allen