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The timer for the waves counted down the last second, after which blinding light covered Naofumi and his group. A few more seconds later, he sucked in a breath of air, eyes opening to find the mountainous landscape around him. The sky darkened and the signature signs of the Wave appeared for all to see.
The hero looked backwards, checking on the group that had arrived with him.
His slaves were there, safe and ready for the fight; His wagon was also there, topped off with medicine, potions, bandages and all items he had managed to craft before the wave. The young knight and his platoon of 15 were also there, men and women with worried faces, this being the first time they had been so close to the wave.
Naofumi gave them a reasuring look, approaching the group.
"Good, you all are here. Just as we discussed, maintain formation and don't spread your group too thin." Naofumi said to the young knight.
The boy nodded to the hero, raising his fist to encourage his troops. The knight then pointed to the rising cloud of dust rushing their way, managing to spot the three heroes and their parties.
"Shield Hero, sir, the other heroes are here!" The young knight had a hopeful expression. Naofumi was about to say something, but the three dunces beat him to the punch.
"Out of the way, Naofumi! Let the pros handle the job!" Motoyasu was leading the charge, Ren and Itsuki following right behind him as the group rushed to meet the monsters pouring in from the sky.
"Where the hell is the army you were supposed to bring? The last Wave was bothersome enought, you know!" Naofumi shouted at the group, but they didn't stop their charge. The Shield Hero huffed in annoyance, eyes focusing on the troops close to him, many of them young knights and mages. The teens looked bitter.
"We can't wait for reinforcements, it will take them at least one day to come from the capital!" Raphtalia said outloud, Shadow nodding to her statement.
"Master, the difficulty of this battle has increased many-fold." Shadow stated, already pulling on her Metal Thread Wire, a whirling sound being emitted from the spinning apparatus.
"Tell me something I don't know!" The hero grumbled, annoyance displayed on his face as a scowl. "ASSUME FORMATION!" The hero shouted to the troops, hoping to stop their morale from dropping further. It seemed to work as the knights snapped into attention, their eyes focusing on him.
"As you can see, the heroes have rushed ahead to meet the Wave head on; our job will the different! Evacuate all the towns and villages on the surrounding area. Don't worry too much about the monsters, my group will take care of them. That said, pay attention and keep your guards up; can't have any of you dying on me yet!" Naofumi commanded. The knights nodded and shouted their agreement to him.
The hero looked over his party, the girls also nodding to him and getting ready for the incoming monsters. Naofumi looked over the sky, seeing the enourmous ship floating on the sky, all manner of creatures leaping from it and rushing to the closeby town. The ship was broken on various places, had a look as if it was supposed to be at the bottom of the ocean, and to make matters worse, it had many tentacles sprouting from the hull.
[Ghost Ship Lv. 46]
[Kraken Lv. 46]
[Skeleton Captain Lv. 46]
? Lv.?
The names of the supposed bosses apperad on Naofumi's HUD. The hero equipped his [Chimeric Viper Shield] and spread his feet, a stance to better take incoming attacks. I hope you three idiots know what you are doing. Hurry up and take care of the wave, fucking pricks!
"Alright! Hurry up and get into formation already!" Naofumi shouted once more at the knights, the group taking the formation he had explained to them before. The knights in armor stood at ready, ten of them divided equally to protect both front and rear, while the mages stayed right in the middle of them. Naofumi himself lead the group into the close town, parking his wagon close to a stable.
"If you get injuried, search either for me or her," Naofumi pointed to both himself and Shadow, both carrying hip pouches. "We'll provide you with necessary help. Try and avoid as much injuries as possible, and hopefully only the civilians will need the medicine in the wagon!" Naofumi's plan for this fight was simple.
Hold back the monsters here and minimize the damage to only this town, all the while the knight squad would evacuate the civilians and take care of any monster that managed to pass Naofumi and his group. The wagon would serve as a emergency medical bay, which Naofumi hoped wouldn't be necessary.
THe groups separated, Naofumi and his party going to intercept the monster incoming while the knights evacuated the civilians.
Naofumi rushed ahead and met the incoming monsters with a vicious charge. Considering his physical strength and defensive capabilities, he became a literal stone wall, making the rushing dark wolves, kobolts and cockatrices crash-stop against him. The monsters had no time to react as Raphtalia and Shadow jumped in the fray, sword and sharp wires cutting throught their numbers with precision and grace.
Firo and Dera went to meet another mob group, the philorial kicking and the hydra spitting poison or bashing anything with her tail. Considering Firo as a mobile unit and Dera as a watchtower, no monster could get the drop on them. Soon, the ground was littered with corpses, monsters either possessing caved in parts or covered in a thick, purple gunk.
The Shield Hero wasted no time. He moved from place to place with tactical focus and setting priorities. Defend the knights rescuing a family from under the rubble of a house, protect Raphtalia from a flanking attack, parrying blows from the enemies; he even helped a granny defend her home.
The old lady was killing monster, and believe it or not, with a hoe, swinging the farming equipment with smooth moves. She thanked him for something he couldn't remember, something about helping her son deliver medicine to her or the like, he had forgotten.
All that mattered was that Naofumi rose his shield and blocked the enemies.
Protect, protect, protect! He chanted in his mind, pushing a group of mobs against a wall, quickly retreating just in time for Dera, who had left Firo for the rooftops, to spit another stream of poisonous gunk at the enemies he had stunned.
...
...
...
Three hours later.
"ARRHHHHHH!" Naofumi shouted, stepping on the skull of a dark wolf. The head of the creature exploded under the hero's boot, blood and grey matter splatting about. After killing the monster, the hero exhaled a tired sigh, looking at the damage the town had suffered. He wiped the sweat on his forehead, stains of blood and soot mixing with monster blood.
It's been THREE FUCKING HOURS! What the fuck happened, you fucking imbeciles!
The fighting had not slowed down from the beginning, and in fact had only become harder and harder the more time passed. Naofumi wiped his hand on his cape, searching for more enemies. On his immediate area there were none, the abundance of corpses a proof of the long and drawn battle. He could still hear the sound of clashing metal, meaning there was still work to be done.
He kicked the corpse of the beast away, walking in the direction he had heard combat still happening. The hero turned one on one corner, findind Shadow strangling a monster with her thread. Close to her, panting and recovering, was the young knight. Naofumi added asking his name to the bottom of the current priority list and moved closer to the teen.
Shadow motioned for the knight to finish the kill, considering she was level capped and wouldn't accumulate anymore experience until she leveled up. The young knight thanked her and rose his dull blade, managing to dig it into the monster and kill it. The knight panted harder in exhaustion, not even drawing the blade from the monster as its corpse dropped on the ground.
"Shield Hero, sir!" The teen exclaimed, taking a few seconds to gasp and take in air. "Please, sir, go and assist the other heroes. My platoon has managed to evacuate the surrounding towns, but if the Wave continues like this, the sacrifices will be..." The teen was both tired and scared to finish his sentence, opting to grasp the hilt of his blade and pull it away from his killed monster.
Naofumi clicked his tongue, but nodded to the teen's request. "Don't fucking die out here! I'll be back in a cinch!" The hero shouted, throwing a potion to the knight. "Firo, Raphtalia, Shadow, Dera, on me! We'll fucking finish this!" The girls shouted an affirmatory answer.
Firo quickly arrived by the hero's side, letting the group mount her. As Dera coiled around Naofumi, the philorial took off with speed, cracking the ground under her as she rushed to the still floating ship.
A few monster tried to get in their way, but were made short work due to Shadow's thread. Dera had stopped her poisonous attacks, considering she had spent a great deal of fluid to produce her killer gunk. A few more minutes running, time which the hero took to give the girls recovery and mana potions, they approached a sort of plateau, where the group spotted Itsuki and his party. The Bow hero was shooting arrows at the ship, seemingly trying to bring it down. He seemed to try a few times, magic coating his arrows as they impacted the ship. It looked little more than a show.
Naofumi almost shouted in ravenous rage from the place he was at.
It's a fucking Ghost Ship, not a Hot-air balloon, you prick!
"Itsuki! What the fuck is going on?" Naofumi asked as soon as he entered the other teen's hearing range. The bow hero and his party turned to look at the incoming hero, many turned their eyes and sneered.
"We have to bring the ship down, or it won't end! I've been trying to do so, but Motoyasu-san and Ren-san boarded the ship to attack it, insisting it would bring results." The Bow hero explained to Naofumi with a sour face
"It doesn't seem to be working out so far! Why haven't YOU boarded the ship?" Naofumi asked.
"It doesn't make sense to do so, besides, there was no strategy like that on the game I played, Dimension Wave!" Itsuki shouted at Naofumi, but the words of the teenager only pissed Naofumi further. The Shield Hero dropped from his mount on Firo and walked to Itsuki, grabbing the hero and hoisted him up, too the surprise of both parties.
"This is not a fucking game, Itsuki! Lives are at stake here!" Naofumi seethed in rage. The hero was about to go on a rant, but left it aside, merely dropping the Bow hero from his new height. As the teenager fell on his ass, his party became livid at Naofumi.
"How dare you disrespect Itsuki-sama like that!" The mustache-knight shouted, drawing his blade. Before the man could finish drawing his weapon to attack Naofumi, he found that his sword wouldn't exit the scabbard. He looked at the sheath, findind it to be tied down by metal strings. Next thing he knew, a dagger was pointed to his throat as a robbed figure appeared in front of him.
"Attack master, I dare you!" Contrary to her normally soft spoken nature, Shadow shouted at the man.
The two parties were now at a stand-off, Itsuki's group baffled that someone dared to attack them, while Naofumi's party seemed ready to attack. The stalemate continued for a few seconds.
Naofumi merely clicked his fingers, drawing attention to himself. He was already atop Firo, hand extended to Shadow.
"We don't have time to waste here, Shadow. Let Itsuki play in the kiddie pool taking pot-shots at it, we have a Ghost Ship to destroy!" At his command, Shadow quickly retreated from her attacking stance and returned to her master. As Itsuki stared at Naofumi and his party, his party rushed to his aid. "Firo!"
"Aye aye!" The philorial exclaimed, rushing her feet once more to find a cliff to climb. She rose in speed and as per Naofumi's command, jumped off in full speed.
"Air Strike Shield! Second Shield!" His shouts gave way to two magic shields, which served as impromptu platforms for Firo to use and reach the deck of the ship.
The sounds of battle coming from the ship gave away to a loud crash as Firo cracked the wooded deck under her, surprising the people already present there. All fighting stopped as both enemy and ally took their time to acknowledge the sudden arrival.
Naofumi did the same, taking in the enemies and observing the enviroment.
Ren and his group were fighting the Skeleton Captain and its underlings.
Motoyasu and his harem were facing the Kraken. (Bold move from people in tentacle range.)
The monsters quickly got their bearings, resuming their attacks on the groups. Or so it would happen, were it not for Naofumi suddenly shouting. No, shouting was underplaying it. He roared.
"AAAAARRRRRHHHHHHHHH!" [Dragon Roar] did the intended effect and intimidaded the enemies, giving the heroes a wider berth to talk. "Motoyasu! Ren! Explain why haven't you defeated these things yet!" He shouted at his fellow heroes, hoping for answers.
Someone else decided to respond for Motoyasu, the whipped spear. "Get lost, useless shielder!" Malty exclaimed at him. Naofumi's anger only increased further.
"Shut the fuck up, you dumb bitch!" The Shield Hero's harsh tone made the redhead flinch. "Do you fucking idiots know what's going on down there?! While you are here, wasting time, the monsters keep on spawning!" Naofumi was cut by Ren, who slashed at the Skeleton Captain and stunned it.
"Naofumi! It's this guy here! If we kill the Skeleton Captain, the true boss, the Soul Eater, will spawn!" Ren explained, keeping his eyes on the enemy.
Motoyasu, on his part, shouted as he swung his lightining spear in wide arcs. "There is no way that is so! We have to kill the Kraken first! It's basic knowledge!"
"It's the ship! We have to down it first!" A third party revelead itself, Itsuki climbing the edge of the ship with his group in tow. "Have you all been wasting time because you had different ideas?!" The Bow hero asked, but Naofumi scoffed at him.
Who are you to be saying anything, Itsuki?
"Help me kill it, and we'll be done already!" Motoyasu shouted.
"Don't waste time and focus on this one already!" Ren exclaimed.
Naofumi and his group stared at the mess that became the deck once more. The Shield Hero parried a blow from a dark assassin, a goblin-like monster, and threw the mob towards Shadow, who made short work of it.
Ok, let's think about this. The common theme here is "We kill x, then the boss appears". So far, I have already seen Ren kill the Skeleton captain once, so that one is out. What to do? Motoyasu has probably killed the Kraken once or twice too, and I can't see how bringing the ship down will call the Soul Eater out. Maybe we could try some magic, but what kind? Should we...
Naofumi squashed another monster under his boot and parried the blow from another, leaving Raphtalia to rush in and kill the kobold with a well practiced trust. Ghost ship, undead themed monsters. Maybe light magic will taunt it? He changed shields, [Lantern Shield] already gathering light.
"Raphtalia! Try flushing out the fucker with light magic! Yours is stronger than mine, so I'll match your tempo!" Naofumi said to the raccoon girl. She nodded to him, and focused on chanting, being protected by Shadow, Firo and Dera.
"I'll try, Naofumi-sama! I, the source of thy power, have discovered the simple laws of nature. Become truth in my hands and shine a bright light over my enemies! Fast Light!" Raphtalia rose the ball of light that appeared on her hands. Naofumi, taking her cue, also rose his shield and matched her light magic with his skill, [Focus Light]. His screen pinged with something and he felt some mana being drained as a menu popped up with [Combo-chain attack]. Then, words left Naofumi's mouth as if he knew then forever, even if this was the first time he ever said them.
[Light Mirror Flash!]
Raphtalia's magic was encased by green shields, akin to Shield Prison, but instead of being blocked, the shields amplified the effect two-fold, effectively becoming a magical flashbang. The sudden light was blinding, but it revealed something much more important. Among the monsters' shadows, it was possible to notice the presence of something else. Naofumi wasted no time.
"Fucker is in the shadows!" His call made his fellow heroes jump into action, each one attacking a different shadow. One under the Skeleton Captain, another under the Kraken's tentacles and the last hidden inside the ship's mast shadow.
Their attacks hit true, the monsters stopping for a moment. From their shadows, energy began pouring out and form right above the ship, surprising the group as the Soul Eater made its appearence.
True Wave Boss
Soul Eater Lv.50
The boss growled at them. It had a fish-like appearence, its color totally white with a purple gem on its forehead and a maw filled with fangs ready to tear into the groups present here.
"There, did your job for you! Hope you can take it from here!" Naofumi shouted towards the three heroes.
The trio seemed annoyed, synchronizing their speech with scary accuracy.
"""DON'T UNDERESTIMATE US!""" The three heroes shouted, each doing a elemental attack against the boss.
"Wind Arrow!"
"Lightining Spear!"
"Crimson Burning Sword!"
It was a rather good combination, the attacks pushing the Soul Eater away from the parties. It would have been better if it had actually done some worthwile damage. The three blows barely managed to take some health away from the monster, who lunged at the groups with ferocity. Naofumi kept his defenses up, watching the show play about, holding the girls back too.
He looked over to see Raphtalia. The raccoon girl had a mix of disappointment and worry painting her face, no doubt wondering if these were truly the heroes of legend. He scoffed, watching Motoyasu try to pierce the Soul Eater, only for the monster to slap him away. The Shield Hero looked over his other companion, Shadow.
The rogue/assassin had her mask up, hiding her expressions, and she was usually the one with the best control over her emotions. If someone else looked at her, they would only find a perfect stance, no emotion portrayed by her. Naofumi knew better. Each tiny shake of her head, her fists tightned up and trembling as she watched the incompetence of the heroes and their parties.
Naofumi took the chance to peek at the heroes' and their parties' statuses, and that made the hero ever so angry. The majority had levels varying between 55-67. They were over-leveled, yet couldn't pull their weight in battle. It was a different kind of impressive for sure. Naofumi would berate the idiots some more, but the Soul Eater stopped the lunging attacks and opted for a breath attack.
Raising his [Chimeric Viper Shield], Naofumi watched as the blow struck the wooden deck of the ship and blew away everyone close to it. He waited for the dust to settle, eyes scanning the field as the heroes and their groups tried to stand up and fight. Naofumi widened his eyes, seeing the Soul Eater charge another breath attack. As if I would allow it!
"Blunt Spike!" At Naofumi's command, a nostalgic, magical green stake emerged right above the boss monster. His hand lowered and the magical construct followed, slamming into the Soul Eater's back and bringing the boss down on the deck. He rushed the beast, quickly summoning another stake for another attack. "Blunt Spike! Come on, attack it already you idiots!" He shouted, hands grasping at the right fin of the white beast, his physical strength allowing the hero to tustle with the much bigger monster, his group already rushing to attack.
Raphtalia's sword flashed rapidly as she hacked away at the monster.
Shadow made use of all her techniques, dagger and Metal Thread Wire quickly pilling up damage over Soul Eater.
Firo straight-up just kicked the boss really hard.
Dera mustered her strength and started lashing out her tail against the boss, since her poison would be useless on an undead like Soul Eater. She would have to evolve her poison further.
Soul Eater, seeing damage quickly accumulating, did a risky maneuver and simply let his breath attack blow up. Naofumi, who was closest to the monster's mouth was the first to act. "SCATTER! Shield Prison!" The cage of shields circled Soul Eater's head just in time for Naofumi's party to get away, including himself. The following explosion was rather powerful, but his skill held the boss and its attack in.
Once more letting the dust settle down, it was possible to see the last of his skill disperse, showing Soul Eater. The boss monster had finally received some decent damage, about a quarter of its health gone. Tough bastard, aren't you?. The boss got its bearings and floated away from the range of the group, dodging a few spells launched by the others parties, who finally managed to stand up.
Soul Eater went around the ship and emerged on the other side of it, another breath attack being charged up. Naofumi cursed inside his mind, seeing Motoyasu, Ren and Itsuki try to stand their ground against the blow that had put them out of comission in the first place. I don't have the firepower to kill that thing, and these idiots are nothing, but deadweight! The hero prepared his shield, eyeing the girls try to think of a plan to attack the boss. I guess the answer has been staring me in the face all this time, Naofumi sarcastically joked within himself, the skill tree of the [Curse Series] staring him in the face.
In the end, I guess you really are the best partner, aren't you? The hero glanced at his weapon.
Soul Eater shot another attack, but this time The Shield Hero rushed in there to intercept it. The sphere blew up, but no damage reached neither the heroes, nor their parties.
Ren was the first to peer into the dust cloud, his eyes spotting what had endured the terrible blow from before.
Motoyasu and his group also saw Naofumi standing there, protecting them. The Spear Hero was about to call out the Shield, but he noted something was different from before.
(suggestion of music for this segment: BFG Division, Doom 2016 OST. Enjoy the carnage!)
[Curse Series, Wrath Shield status up!]
-Due to influence of Dragon Emp# *$ Core, [Curse Series, Sin of Wrath] has been upgraded.
[Shield of Wrath II unlocked]
[Shield of Wrath II]
-Increase in Attack +75; Increase in Defense +250
+Passive skill: [Self-Immolation Curse] [Physical Strenght up (Medium)] [Berserker's Armor(Small)(New!)]
+Bonus skill: [Iron Maiden] [Raging Dragon's Roar (evolved!)] [Hate Reaction(New!)]
Something shifted inside Naofumi as soon as he changed shields. Much like the night of his first duel against Motoyasu, Naofumi could feel his rage burn up, but this time it was a higher flame. The disgusting feeling of weakness on the bottom of his stomach was erased by dark, cursed flames. Rage filled the Hero's mind as glimpses of the death of a dragon played on his mind.
A hateful Sword.
You shall pay!
A deep, raspy voice emitted inside his head. The dragon's dying will was echoing inside his mind, begging for a release. It would not rest until it consumed the target of its hatred, Ren. Naofumi could understand why the dragon wanted the Sword Hero dead. He took everything from him.
Humiliated by humans! I need to destroy it! Everything deserves to burn! Become my rage! Destroy all with your cursed flame!
"GGGRRRRRR!" Growling sounds left the Shield Hero's throat as he stared at nothing but the boss in front of him. Naofumi could not turn his head, because if he did, he would lose it. The rope that he clung on with all his remaining willpower was thin, too thin.
Where is he? He, who killed me?
"NAOFUMI-SAMA!"
"MASTER!"
Two people grabbed him.
Shadow held his right arm, the one holding the shield, while Raphtalia grabbed his face.
"Naofumi-sama, the enemy is over there! You must not lose yourself! It's okay to feel anger, even hatred, but don't lose sight of yourself!" Raphtalia shouted close to his ear, making the slitted pupils of the hero focus on her. Another tug, and the hero focused on Shadow.
"Master, use thy anger, let not it use you!" Althought shorter, Shadow's words conveyed the same feelings as Raphtalia's.
The hero felt his clouded vision clear up somewhat. He could still feel red and black flames at the corner of his vision, but they were held in. Yeah, this is my fury! The rage is mine, I decide what to do with it! He tried to convince himself of the that. Deep down, the temptation of simply letting it go and rampaging about was very attracting, but he would lose something precious if he did so.
Now it was when Naofumi noticed the changes to himself and his shield. The flame pattern on the was much more organized, the flames now made up the body of a dragon spreading its wings. His [Barbarian Lord Armor] also changed, the metal parts blackening and resembling the texture of dragon scales. His arms were covered completely in black metal, the gauntlets covering his hands were akin to dragon claws, and even his olive green cape seemed to be dyed in a deep red color, looking much more ragged and rough. If one were to look at Naofumi, they would probably call him a demon, the spikes producting off his armor added to a pretty intense feeling of dread. The metal moved and shifted, immitating any and every move the hero did.
Ren, Motoyasu and Itsuki were completely stunned behind Naofumi, none daring approach the Shield Bearer.
"Raphtalia, Shadow, thank you! Now, get away from me for a bit, I'll be ending this now!" The girls hesitated, but soon released their hold on the hero. As they released him, Naofumi walked towards Soul Eater, the boss screeching and backing away from him.
Like earlier, a chant came on his mind. Like something he had known his entire life, yet discovered only now.
Combo Skill Attack available:
-Pipe Shield (Shield Prison)+ Bonus Skill [Change Shield (Bee Needle/animal Needle)= Iron Maiden
"Shield Prison!" At his command, Soul Eater was locked up inside a cage of shields. The boss struggled and bashed against them, but it never managed to exit it. "Change Shield!" Another skill; this time, many needles pierced the boss monster, making it howl in pain as it was secured in place. The cage of shields rose from the deck of the ship, the troubled skies above it now storming with forbidden power.
"Foolish sinner! I hereby grant you this punishment: within this virgin of cold ore, who shall swallow even your screams with her embrace, suffer in anguish as your entire body is stabbed and skewered! IRON MAIDEN!" From the storming skies, something descended slowly and methodically, as if wishing to extend each second of this tortuous execution. Soon, it came within everyone's sight; gleaming black metal covered in spikes and locked up by chain, the metal body came to meet the cage of shields and the being who it was going to execute. The chains unbound themselves from around the coffin-like structure, the metal doors opening slowly and noisily, revealing an interior filled with long, thick and sharp spikes ready to embrace such foolish sinner.
Shield prison then entered the metal contraption and the doors slowly closed up. They met some resistance from the cage of shields, as the eyes of everyone went from the scene in the sky to Naofumi. The Shield Hero lifted his right hand, left one holding his shield, and slowly closed his fist as if wishing to crush something inside his hand. The action timed rather perfectly with the Iron Maiden in the sky, the doors closing in with a loud noise and a screeching howl from Soul Eater.
*CCCLAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGG*
*SCCCCRRRREEEEEEEEEEEECCCHHHHHHHHHHHH*
(end of BFG Division*)
.
.
.
.
A few more seconds passed and the dame of cold ore vanished from sight, together with the cage of shields, leaving only the Soul Eater's body to fall on the deck of the ship, completely dead with innumerous stab wounds.
Silence reigned supreme...
Naofumi grunted, his steps becoming woobly for a few seconds. His Mana and SP bars were entirely depleted, [Iron Maiden] having required everything for its imense attacking power. [Wrath Shield II] swapped by itself into the [Chimeric Viper Shield], Naofumi almost meeting the ground in a tired mess. He panted for a bit, Dera coming to coil around him and help him stand up. Firo, Raphtalia and Shadow were still in guard and high alert, making aa formation around him to protect the hero as he caught his breath.
The heroes' parties surrounded the dead body of the Soul Eater, many taking second glances at both the body and the tired Shield Hero.
Motoyasu poked the corpse with the butt-end of his spear. "What the hell, Naofumi? Since when could you fight this well?"
Naofumi was too tired to scoff at the idiocy of the Spear, using the effort to fish a potion out of his hip pouch. His hand shakily brought the glass vial to his mouth, Naofumi pouring the drink down his throat and regaining some mana and SP back.
The other two heroes stared at the monster's corpse, trying to puzzle out how had Naofumi acquired such skill to practically one-shot the boss that was giving them such trouble. It was fair to say that Soul Eater would be the equivalent of a Raid Boss, which would require multiple high-leveled and higly skilled fighters to finish it in a couple of hours. To simply one-shot the monster, what kind of skill was [Iron Maiden]?
Shadow used the distraction of the heroes and their parties to set a wire trap field around her Naofumi, just in case the other heroes got any funny ideas on their heads. The stupidity of these morons is impressive. No wonder master is always angry at them. I know we have had to clean up their messes before, but for their incompetence to reach such levels, how did Melromark trust its future to such childish men? It matters not, my place is by master's side now. Queen, my lady, I'm sorry, but you are alone on your endeavors.
While Shadow set her trap field, Raphtalia sheathed her sword and went to attend to Naofumi. The hero was leaning against Dera, the hydra using her four heads to nuzzle and try to amuse and distract the hero from his tiredness.
"Naofumi-sama, how are you?" The raccoon girl asked worriedly. Naofumi took a few more seconds to regain his breath.
"R-Raphtalia...the wave-e? Is it o-over?" He asked her, but before a proper response from the girl, the hero felt a chill go up his spine.
*CHIIIILLLLLLLL*
Slowly descending from the crow nest on the mast of the ship, a powerful aura presented itself. Dark blue kimono wrapped neatly around her frame, a woman with silky black hair and holding two metal fans lightly stepped on the deck of the ship. She would be called a peerless beauty, were it not for her pupils, crimson colored with a vertical slit, presenting a cold feeling going down Naofumi's spine.
"Who are you?" Itsuki asked, worried expression painted on his face due to the fact he failed to realize the woman's presence. Being a Bow Hero, Itsuki was loaded up with scouting skills such as [Enemy detection] or [Sense Presence] to help him fill his enemies with arrows. Someone managing to slip by him, meant that whoever this person was, she was pretty high level.
Maybe the Bow Hero would worry more about her, were it not for the following growl that left the corpse of the Soul Eater, as another one exited the corpse's shadow.
"There is another one!"
"Watch out!"
"OH GODS!"
Confusion and panic threatened to spread among the parties present on the Ghost Ship. The second Soul Eater roared and circled around the floating ship, preparing to attack the new arrival. The kimono-clad woman seemed to be without any worry as she raised one of her open fans and slashes at the incoming threat.
*SLASH*
...
...
...
A swift and precise move, with no wasted motions.
It cleaved cleanly the second Soul Eater in two parts, the monster falling dead on the deck floor.
"Such a weak enemy and yet you struggle gracelessly against it. How pitiful must be the divine weapons, to have such pathetic holders." Her mocking speech as delivered with grace, almost making one would believe she was not degrading them. "Thankfully enough, I found the hero. What might be thy name, oh mighty Shield?" The woman's tone changed as her slitted eyes captured Naofumi's frame.
The Shield Hero finally caught his breath and stand upright. He focused his eyes on the woman's frame and exhaled, reforming his fighting stance. "In my country, it is considered rude to ask for someone's name without a proper presentation first." Naofumi countered, holding to gain even a few more seconds to think,
The woman nodded at his statement and held her fans close to her chest. "Pardon my rudeness, hero. My name is Glass. With that said, ready yourselves for combat. Our relationship is a hostile one." Her declaration made the three heroes look at her with confused faces.
Naofumi, on his part, firmed his stance. "Naofumi. Iwatani Naofumi." His response made the woman close her eyes in amusement, her lips forming a smile as she repeated the name for herself a few times.
"Right then, Naofumi, get ready! The real fight against the waves starts now!" Glass exclaimed, bursting into a sprint to attack him.
Fucking hell, that wasn't the real wave? I'm quite beat up here, woman! There is no way I can keep fighting like this! Naofumi darkly thought to himself, raising his shield. Raphtalia and Shadow quickly positioned themselves in front of him and got their weapons ready.
Glass would have continued her straight rush for Naofumi, but had to stop. A quick snap of her wrist and one of her metal fans opened to block an arrow shot by Itsuki. She resumed her run, gracefully side-stepping a slash from Ren, and once more trying to attack the Shield. Another attack was aimed for her, this time the woman jumped high to avoid the sharp spear attack from Motoyasu. His spear stabbed the air, Glass standing atop the extended shaft and kicking the blonde inn the face, gaining some distance from him and making him groan in pain.
Another quick burst of movement, but this time for a retreat, Glass backed away arrows rained on her previous position.
"Move out, I'll use fire magic and torch her!" Malty shouted, a firaball forming on her hand, her allies backing her up.
"Get her now!" Mustache-knight, from Itsuki's party, pointed his sword at the kimono-clad woman.
Glass stared in scorn at the groups, whispering something along the lines of useless. The raven-haired beauty opened her war fans and flipped them, asuming a position of attack as the gems on her fans lit up with power. Naofumi motioned for his group to stay behind him.
"Martial Arts, Zero Ronde Form. Reverse Flow of Moon and Petals!" Glass's form blurred as her hands moved with awe-inspiring speed, shooting energy blasts against the ship, the oposing heroes and their parties. Even Naofumi was dragged a few inches back, Firo and Dera helping him stay upright. Something crashed nearby the hero, his eyes finding Melty's passed out form sprawled on the ground. A dark smile spread on his lips even as his arms numbed at holding the weight of the attack that banged against his shield.
After the attack stopped, Naofumi lowered his shield, finding Glass slowly making her way closer to him. She was avoiding the defeated forms of the closeby heroes and their parties almost like one avoids garbage on the ground. "Defeated already? What poor subordinates you have, Naofumi!" Her voice echoed on the deck, Motoyasu and Ren struggling to stand up and saying "We aren't his minions!".
Not that the woman paid them attention, her predatory gaze and cheshire smile focused solely on the Shield Hero. He gulped, his throat dry, as Glass once more rushed his way. "Guerrila tactics!" He shouted, blocking a rather heavy blow from the lithe form of Glass. Fuck, how does she hit so damn hard?! His arms numbed as he was dragged further back, Glass still pushing to break past his defenses.
He managed to stop before he hit the wooden wall behind him, a stalemate between him and Glass as both used their physical strength to compete for dominace.
"Oh, how impressive!" Glass said, closing in on Naofumi as their clashing weapons launched sparks in the air. She was about to say something else, but had to break her offense on the Shield, dodging Firo's powerful kick. The following attack came from Dera, four heads launching countinous bite attacks against Glass, who was parring each and every one. A rather smart choice, considering Dera's mouth was full of poison that the Hydra was ever so happy to deliver to the woman who had dared to attacked her master.
A quick exchange happened between the kimono-clad woman and the Hydra, both separating and taking their distance from each other. Not that Glass had the time to rest, considering Raphtalia and Shadow dove in against her with flashing swords and daggers. Glass was ready to parry and counterattack the two girls.
*Swoosh*
A pity for her that her fans merely passed through both girls, gift of Raphtalia's ilusion magic. The woman widened her eyes, quickly taking a stance to defend a attack from her back. Her fans stopped Raphtalia's sword, but she could not stop Shadow's flying daggers nor Metal Thread Wire from wrapping all around her. Raphtalia retreated, allowing Shadow to completely bind Glass in razor sharp wires which were tied to the previously thrown daggers.
The woman kimono-clad woman was then sent flying towards the other end of the ship, a combined effort from Firo's kick and Dera's tail lashing, a sound like thunder as the blows struck the bound Glass.
A cloud of dust formed, but was quickly dispersed. Glass reappeared, a bit scuffed, but otherwise looking hale enough to continue fighting.
"Outstanding teamwork and coordenation. You quickly followed a plan set by your Hero, who only needed to speak a few words for your to understand. That is what I expected from you! Good work, Naofumi!" Glass complimented the Shield Hero's party, but her face soon hardened. "Yet, something is still lacking. Why won't you use your black shield? Why do you lack offensive power? Do you mock me?" If looks could kill, Naofumi would have dropped dead as per Glass's piercing gaze.
However, that also told Naofumi that she hadn't seen one of his secret counters. He and his party were delivering their best, but the level cap meant that his party was still limited. The bitch thinks I'm going easy on her? I'm tired as fuck here! Besides, Shield Hero on the house, remember? I can't really keep dishing out attacks like these three idiots over here...unless...
Naofumi approached Malty's passed out form, making Raphtalia shout at him. Although his objective was different, he couldn't help but smile lightly at the kindness of the raccoon girl, thinking he was going to ever touch the redheaded bitch out of anything but extreme necessity. His [Appraisal] skill told him that the bitch had something which could be useful right now, so he was taking the chance. Glass seemed to be wanting to fight in fair terms, so Naofumi was going to take her terms.
"What are you doing, Naofumi?" Glass asked, seeing him mess around with the passed out redhead.
He scoffed, standing up and showing to both Raphtalia and Glass the bottle he kindly "borrowed" from Malty.
High-grade Elixir acquired!
Naofumi opened the vial and drank all the liquid, feeling all his magic and SP quickly come back, as well as a portion of his stamina. Feeding the vial to his shield and ignoring the pop-up message on his HUD screen, Naofumi faced the kimono-clad woman.
"You wanted all my power? Here it is!" Naofumi's immediate surroundings lit up in black flames as his armor once more shifted, [Berserker's Armor(Small)] activated. The hero stared at the woman, seeing her facial expressions become neutral, yet focused on him.
Firo and Dera took the chance to attack, seeing as Glass was distracted. Well, she was not so distrated as to lose her awareness as she smacked the Philorial and the Hydra away with two brutal blows. Naofumi's rage spiked up seeing his precious girls be harmed, but he reigned himself in, letting his cursed flames hover close to himself.
Firo ended up being blown against the wooden wall of the captain's quarters while Dera broke through the floor of the deck. Shadow vanished, no doubt going to check on the Hydra as Raphtalia did the same for firo.
"Pardon my mistake, this ship is far from an apropriate battlefield; let's move to a proper place. Please, follow me!" Glass said with graceful manners, jumping without hesitation from the ship and slowly floating to an empty patch of land.
"Naofumi-sama, what should we do?" Raphtalia asked, helping Firo stand up.
Naofumi grumbled, extinguishing his flames and closing in on the hole where Dera had broken through the deck floor. Shadow emerged from the hole, the slithering Hydra following her a bit slowly. The hydra was showing signs of exhaustion, and coupled with the last blow she received meant that she probably would be out of the fight for now. The hero patted the Hydra's four heads and gave her one of his remaining potions. The third neck of the hydra was bruised up, blood slowly flowing from the cut that Glass infringed on her.
"Rest up girl." Naofumi said to Dera, then turned to Shadow. "You two will hang back and just observe the fight. If at any point it looks like we'll lose, you two jump and cause a distraction. We'll have time to retreat and think of a way to defeat Glass." The hero instructed the two, who both hesitantly nodded at his orders. "Shadow, your Metal Thread Wire was the best method to trap her, so making Glass forget about it will be the best for now. Keep her on her toes, cause some distractions if necessary, but leave the bulk of the fight for me, Raphtalia and Firo!" he explained himself and motioned for the philorial and the raccoon girl to get close.
"We need to get going. Can't have our enemy waiting too much, can we now?!" He sarcastically said, mounting Firo and patting her side. Raphtalia followed right behind and helped Shadow while Naofumi hoisted Dera up. The group went down and spotted Glass waiting for their arrival.
The group quickly took their positions, Naofumi, Raphtalia and Firo in the front while Shadow and Dera waited for their turn at the rear.
"Let's end this already!" Naofummi exclaimed.
"Well said, Naofumi. Do your best!" Glass confidently smirked, rushing to meet him. To her surprise, Naofumi also rushed in her direction, shield held out to catch her early blow. She smiled, eager to accept another bout of strength against him
It was surprising for her when Naofumi not only blocked her blow, but parried it. Her surprises only increased when suddenly, she exploded in black flames. Glass tried to swipe her fans, but Naofumi closed the distance, appearing within her personnal space, left hand holding his shield against her abdomen while his right hand snapped and closed around her left wrist, holding it like a vice with his suddenly new monstruous strength.
"[Self-Immolation Curse]!" He shouted, the flames increasing in power and intensity. Glass spun her wrist and kicked him, missing her attack but managing to free herself from his grasp and create some distance between them. Firo and Raphtalia hung back, not being able to approach the fight due to the cursed flames.
They cheered as Glass received the brunt of the flames. Their hapiness didn't last long, seeing as the raven-haired woman in kimono waved the flames away rather easily.
Glass waved her fans once more, throwing a shower of energy blasts against Naofumi, the Hero enduring the blows as they struck him nay times. The hero spat some blood, much to his own surprise. She pierced my defenses? There is no way!
"You lack long-range attacks, Naofumi! Your flames, while powerful, can only counterattack close-range assailants. However, I must compliment you. Being able to stay standing even after receiving all of my attacks is no small feat." The woman opened her fans and hid her lower face for a few instants, eyes trailing to the purple bruise on her left wrist. She then snapped her fans close and held then close to her chest. "It's nigh time you showed me your strongest attack, considering these petty tricks won't work on someone like myself." Glass snapped her fans open and blocked a few daggers aimed at her.
Naofumi growled.
What the fuck are you, Glass? This fucking Wave thing, what in bloody hell is it? You think I'm here playing about? Fine! Let's see you deal with this one then!
"[Iron Maiden!]" The metal coffin of death closed around the caged woman, Naofumi rushing close and releasing more of his cursed flame to surround Glass. As the [Iron Maiden] closed, the hero waited eagerly for the result, flames surrounding his frame as he looked his mana and SP bar once more drain until they hit zero. Imagine his surprise when the metal coffin exploded, Glass emerging from within unharmed.
Naofumi furiously stared at the woman, the cores embedded in his armor shining with purple-black light as said light gathered around him, growling leaving his throat at a rather audible rate. Glass smuggly smiled at him opening her fans. "Your attack was quite ineffective, Naofumi! I must say, I'm rather dissapointed at it. It seems like I have won!"
...
...
...
Destroy her!
Mawl her flesh!
The [Berserker's Armor(Small)] should have vanished soon after [Iron Maiden], yet Naofumi was still equipped with both it and his [Wrath Shield II], eyes hatefully staring at the woman in kimono standing in his way.
Glass eyed the hero with some caution, seeing the purple aura surrounding him taking shape. Red eyes emerged on the aura as the spikes on Naofumi's armor seemed to grow further. His green eyes became slitted, much like her own, but instead of cold and cunning, his eyes were displaying rage and savagery. Just like a monster ready to destroy all in his path.
I will not die here!
*Ping*
00:59
00:58
00:57
"How could it be? This soon?" Glass exclaimed loudly. It seemed she was seeing the same timer as Naofumi, and if her panic meant what he hoped it did, they were saved by the literal tick of time. And Naofumi was going to take that tiny distraction of hers for sure.
"Fast Light!" Raphtalia rushed in with her light spell, blinding Glass with the sudden brightness.
Shadow did not waste the chance. A rain of daggers covered in Dera's poison flew from her hands at a rapid pace, which were followed by the whirling sound of her spinning apparatus dispersing Metal Thread Wire to bind Glass. As Shadow threw everything she had at the enemy, Firo rushed and grabbed Naofumi with her beak, throwing the hero on her back and waiting the others to climb on for them to get away from there.
Glass sensed the incoming attacks and began defending, too busy to avoid the next one, a cloud of poisonous gas, gift from one pissed off Dera.
"Firo, wind magic!" Naofumi shouted. The philorial obeyed the command, her wings flapping and creating a gale around Glass, sucking in the poison in a purple tornado. The hero allowed a last spark of cursed fire towards the woman as he and the girls fled at maximum speed away from the recurring explosion.
[Soul Eater Shield unlocked]
Naofumi released a tired sigh. The cracks in the sky, proof of the wave, had vanished and with them, Glass. As he returned to the now crashed and defeated Ghost Ship, the hero dragged the corpse of the boss he killed back to the safe area he had instructed the young knight to settle down. He immediately took his drops and feed them to his shield, hoping to avoid losing bonus if the other three idiots got greedy and demanded something. It was bound to happen.
He told the girls to rest inside the wagon as he began unloading medicine to take care of any injuried, but only Dera and Firo took the offer. They simply dropped dead and were quietly sleeping inside the wagon as he, Raphtalia and Shadow helped take care of the knights and any civilian hurt.
The people asked for the three idiots and Naofumi pointed to the wrecked Ghost Ship, after which many ran to try and help them. Not that the Shield Hero cared.
The rest of the day was spent treating wounds and recuperating from the fight.
The next day Naofumi, as always, was stuck with kitchen duty, cooking for everyone.
As he stirred the cooking pot, he appeared in deep thought as to the happenings of this wave.
We all almost died. The fight was a mess and those three idiots were deadweight. To top if off, Glass pushed our shit in and if it wasn't for the timer, we'd be dead for sure. It's decided, we'll go to another country. If we stick in Melromark, only death awaits.
As those thoughts swam on his mind, Naofumi heard the sound of metal clanging. He rose his eyes from his cooking pot, seeing the knight commander and his troops approach the destroyed town. Naofumi took a deep breath, already picturing the trouble and headache that was bound to happen.
"Shield Hero! How dare you take command of my troops!"
Jackpot! Naofumi sarcastically said on his mind, returning his attention to his food. "If you are here for the fight, you are a day late. But nooooo! The Shield Hero helping the knights do their jobs, that's bad! Is fame all you care about? What a stupid question, of course that's all your pathetic ass cares about!" Naofumi said, waving the man off. "You're quite full of yourself, but I guess that shit piles up quickly. Now, instead of trying to nag me like you're my fucking wife, why don't you look around and take in the sight of all the job YOU didn't do?!" The knigh commander flinched and his face became a new shade of red as he tried to offer a counter argument.
"Whatever, prick, I don't care. Your saviors are over there, resting after getting their shit pushed in. The villagers helped them, since I couldn't care less." Naofumi explained, pointing to one of the less destroyed buildings.
"WHAT?! Send them to medical care immediately!" Knight commander barked orders to his followers, the knights hurring to the building.
"Hey, prioritize the heavily wounded civilians! Those three won't die from a few scratches!" Naofumi himself barked at the captain, but the man shouted back, spittle flying from his mouth.
"The Heroes are a top priority of our Kingdom! They and their parties are our ultmost priority as they are our fighting bastion against the waves!" The captain demmanded efforts were focused on the three idiots, making Naofumi stand up from his seat and face the man.
"Prioritize the civilians." Naofumi's order was short and simple. The knights stopped moving and waited for orders from their captain, the man facing off against Naofumi. The two stayed in that way fro a few moments, neither man bulging from their positions, but as more time passed it became clear that Naofumi was gaining ground, seeing as the knight captain was sweating under his helmet.
"Y-you don't have command over my men! Besides, you have somewhere else you need to be! Follow with your obligations!"
Melromark Capital, Throne room
Naofumi was standing in front of Aultocray, the king still giving the hero the superior look.
"...I must say that you did your job reasonably well, Shield." The king spat the words. Not that Naofumi was pleased to be in the presence of this fucking waste of human skin. "How did you become so strong? This is a royal order, reveal the secret of your strength!"Aultocray demmanded.
Naofumi smirked, his hair covering his eyes for a few moments. "Yeah, without the so called precious heroes, this world ends up dead. Right." The hero rose his head and his dark expression lit with sadistic glee. "On your knees!"
The silence inside the room spoke more than any word could ever do. Aultocray looked shocked to his core, slowly trying to grasp what had just been said. "...w-what?"
"Your hero is here, right?! You answer to every demmand the heroes make, so it's time I make one of my own." Naofumi shouted, snarling and making the row of knights protecting the king flinch. "GET OFF YOUR FAT ASS, KNEEL LIKE A LITTLE BITCH AND BEG FOR ME TO SAVE YOUR SHITTY COUNTRY, TRASH!"