Sword and Shield

Game On 7

So, this was it, huh?

Absently stretching his limbs out in preparation and checking his equipment, including the small bag strapped to his side that held a bevy of potion bottles that Naofumi had made for him, Shirou pensively counted down the minutes in his head. It was the day after the confrontation at the church, a little before noon, and it was almost the time Naofumi had said that the Wave would begin.

Shirou would have liked to say he was feeling confident, that he was sure of their survival and success in the coming battle, but the butterflies in his stomach ensured he wouldn't be able to sell that lie with any degree of conviction, not even to himself.

He wasn't the only one feeling the tension. All around him the windows and doors of Castle Town were bolted shut. No civilians were to be seen on the streets, all having locked themselves away in their homes. Squads of knights and adventures patrolled the streets, weapons clutched in white knuckled grips and guards raised. A heavy feeling of fear and anticipation had settled over the city, leaving everyone walking around as if a lead weight had settled in their guts, the knowledge that they might very well die in the next few moments being clear to all.

Shirou took a deep breath and released it slowly, steeling his nerves as he finished checking his equipment. There was nothing for it now. They had prepared as best they could, raising their Levels as much as possible and getting their hands on the best armor and weapons they were able to get.

If they died now, at least it would not be because they hadn't tried their best. It was a cold comfort, but it was better than nothing.

Not that it mattered. They were about to be hurled into a fight with an army of monsters, with who knows how many lives on the line. So long as their – his – actions saved a single person, Shirou would be able to die without regret. He knew that, deep down, to be true.

Not once that it dawn on him how twisted that line of thinking really was. To him, it was only natural.

"Shirou."

He looked up to see Raphtalia approaching him. Their party was in a small plaza besides the Inn they always used while they were in Castle Town, the same place where they had played with that ball that Naofumi had bought for them over three weeks ago.

Had it been only a little bit over three weeks since he had been brought to this world for reasons and by means unknown? So much had happened in the past three weeks, with their group constantly striving to get stronger, that it seemed much more time had passed than actually had.

"Raphtalia," Shirou nodded at her as she approached. "Nervous?"

"Of course. You?"

"Definitely," he chuckled weakly.

"I see," weirdly enough, Raphtalia seemed relieved by that.

"Hmm?" Shirou raised his brow at her.

"It's nothing," Raphtalia brushed off. "It's just… both you and Naofumi-sama never seemed to hesitate no matter what the situation while I always have to fight to keep my composure. Even now, Naofumi-sama is just standing there, not looking nervous at all."

Both of them looked over at the Shield Hero, standing alone in the center of the plaza. Indeed, he did not look nervous as he stared blankly ahead, but the proverbial sour cloud over his form, the menacing scowl and the bags underneath his eyes were little better than the constant jitter of nerves most people out on the streets were displaying.

"I'm worried about him," Raphtalia murmured.

"Master has always been carrying a burden with him since we met him," Shirou said. "Recent events have just… made those burdens more easy to see and understand."

"If only we could do something…"

"We can do something," Shirou countered. "We'll just have to prove we're on his side."

"Right," Raphtalia nodded, determined. Shirou nodded back.

Meanwhile, Naofumi had the countdown to the Wave pulled up from his Menu, the game-like box of information floating in front of his face, visible to only him.

[00:17]

Inwardly, Naofumi was just as jittery as Shirou and Raphtalia, but he could barely feel the emotion passed the cloying sense of anger yesterday's confrontation at the church had whipped up in him. The constant rage he had been experiencing made it difficult for him to feel almost anything else, and the more time he spent in this world, it only became worse… and he hated it.

He just wanted to go survive, leave this vile world behind him and go home. And to do that, he would have to face the Waves and pull through in one piece.

"Um, Naofumi-sama...?"

"Have you guys finished preparing?" Naofumi asked duly, not bothering to look over his shoulder at his slaves. He just continued to stare at the slowly counting down timer

"Yes. But Naofumi-sama, may I say something?" Raphtalia asked, sounding resolved.

"…Sure, I don't care."

"…I'll be blunt, Naofumi-sama. Knowing that we're about to face the Wave of Calamity… It fills me with an emotion I can't quite describe."

"Hmm?" Naofumi took his eyes of the timer and turned to look towards his slaves.

"But, what I am sure about and what I want to tell you are the following words: thank you, thank you for everything you have done for me."

Now Naofumi's brow had been raised in clear skepticism.

"I'm so grateful to have met you, Naofumi-sama," Raphtalia said, and she meant it. "You've given me a way to live. You've given me the ability to fight back against the Waves of Calamity. It's the most precious gift I can think of, the most precious gift I have ever received."

There was a pregnant pause. Naofumi stared at her with an unreadable expression.

"I would also like to say something," Shirou took over. Naofumi's eyes turned to him. "Master, if nothing else, I'm grateful for the chance to help other people. You've given me the chance to fight in the Wave and protect innocents. For that, I thank you."

Naofumi stared at them both for a long moment. For a moment, both demi-humans saw a light kindle in the Shield Hero's eyes, but a second later it died, snuffed out in an instant. Saying nothing Naofumi turned away from them again.

Shirou and Raphtalia winced inwardly. As they had expected, their words wouldn't reach Naofumi in his current state.

"…I'll be in trouble if both of you die," the dispassionate words drifted on the wind. "So I will do my best to protect you both, but I can't guarantee your survival nor your well-being."

"I, no, we are well aware of that," Shirou said, Raphtalia nodded beside him.

"We are your swords, Naofumi-sama," Raphtalia declared. "We will stay by your side, always."

"…Yeah? Good luck with that."

Another pause.

"It's almost time. The Wave will begin in the next 2 minutes. Get ready and be prepared for anything."

Shirou's hand fell to his sword, grasping the hilt and preparing to draw. Raphtalia's tensed up and her expression hardened, mentally preparing herself. This was it.

The counter dropped to zero, seen only by the wary gaze of Naofumi, and-

The sound of the world shattering rang out, deafening in its intensity. The world warped, twisted and turned inside out around them, and suddenly, they found they were somewhere else than where they had been moments before.

"This is…"

All three of them recognized where they were instantly. They were in a forest, on a familiar path they had tread dozens of time in the weeks before, Riyute village laying in the distance and the dungeon they had frequented behind them. The sky above was coloured an eerie red, the sun nowhere to be seen. Cracks ran throughout the sky as if it was a mirror that had been smashed. Even as they watched the cracks widened and monsters in uncountable numbers began to swarm out of the holes in reality and toward the forest and village that lay directly beneath the overhead catastrophe.

"There's no way they could have evacuated already...!"

"The village is directly in the path of the rift, and the rift is closer to the village than we are!"

"We have to go help them!"

A trio of shadows dashed past them just as they regained their bearings. Over a dozen and a half of shadows followed in their wake, bearing weapons and armored head to toe.

"It's the other Heroes!" Naofumi realized.

"They are heading directly for the rift!"

"Those shitty bastards… Stop you morons! We need to evacuate the villagers first!"

The only people that had been transported to the Wave were the Heroes and their parties. Besides any adventures that might be within the village limits, the villagers themselves were entirely defenseless. And the vast majority of the people on the scene that could render aid where not even heading towards the village, but instead towards the thick of the action.

"Naofumi-sama!"

A sudden bright light appeared in the sky, shining brightly even in the dark, wine red sky.

"A flare?!" Naofumi growled. "You've got to be shitting me! You're just going to tell the knights and adventures where the Wave is and leave it at that! What are they thinking?!"

Even as he said it, Naofumi already had a pretty good idea what they were thinking. The other Heroes weren't thinking of the people that were in harm's way, no, they were only thinking of killing powerful monsters and taking the credit for it.

And they have the gall to pass judgment on me? Hah! At least I don't leave people to die!

"Let's go, Raphtalia, Shirou!" Naofumi shouted and ran towards Riyute village.

Naofumi was indebted to many people in the village. In spite of knowing that he was the Shield Hero, they had still treated him fairly, even if he had to do a good deed or two before they gave him the time of day. He doubted he would be able to live with himself if he turned a blind eye to their plight and left them to die.


Five minutes later they arrived at the outskirts of Riyute village, and they were presented with a scene that could have come straight out of hell.

Many of the buildings were outright smashed, their straw roofs ablaze and walls crumbling wrecks. Grotesque zombies wearing decrepit armor, spiders the size of a large dog and massive and deformed looking insects of all kinds surged over every surface, destroying everything in their path and chasing down the helpless townspeople. All of it in the backdrop of the blood red sky that dyed the world crimson and gave everything a menacing hue.

Shirou's blood boiled at the sight.

"Shit. Raphtalia! Shirou! Distract the monsters! I'll protect the villagers!"

Shirou didn't bother acknowledging the orders. Instead, he drew his sword and dove into a cluster of zombies chasing down a family of three, sword swinging. In spite of his best efforts to remain calm, fury boiled just underneath his skin at what had been done to Riyute village and its people. That fury gave him strength and in a few quick strokes the zombies died, sliced to pieces.

That quick battle allowed him to vent his anger by quite a bit, but…

"Come at me, you bastards!"

He still shouted words that felt alien to his lips. Not so much because he was truly angry beyond reason, but because he wanted the monsters to focus on him and not on the villagers.

His ploy worked better than he expected. Many of the nearby monsters swivelled towards him, ignoring their previous targets. The few that didn't and continued after their original victims became a target in return for Raphtalia. The people who she couldn't reach in time were shielded by Naofumi, who made liberal use of Air Strike Shield and Shield Prison to protect them and give them a chance to escape the scene.

In spite of his resolve, Shirou would be lying if his heart didn't skip a beat at the sight of several dozen zombies, dog-sized spiders and deformed insects rushing towards him. Still, he stubbornly held his ground, sword beard in front of him.

The monsters struck him like how a wave would break on a rock. They surrounded him in an instant.

There was no time to think. His world devolved into adrenaline and frantic movements that made him feel claustrophobic in the press of bodies. His sword swung all around him without any polished grace, but with more than enough speed and strength to sever flesh like tissue paper, fending of the monsters as best as he was able. Several of them died, but more simply took their place, and quite a few attacks got past his guard and struck home in the chaotic melee.

The monsters roared and screeched in his face, smelling blood and pressing forward.

Shirou made them regret it as a sudden shove and wide slash combo made them tumble back, even as he backhanded one of the annoying flying insects away with his free hand. He hadn't gotten away unscathed, yes, but his armor had done an admirable job of protecting him. The little damage that he had taken wouldn't stagger him.

"Shirou! Get back!" he heard Naofumi shout behind him.

Obeying the order instantly, not like the Slave Crest would give him another choice, Shirou jumped back. A second later he realized why Naofumi had wanted him away from the monsters.

Several potion bottles filled with bright yellow powder smashed to pieces at the feet of the monsters, a bright yellow cloud enveloping the whole group. Static electricity danced over the monster's bodies as the cloud dissipated, the flying insects falling unceremoniously to the ground while the zombies and spiders twitched and staggered in a macabre display.

Shirou reversed course immediately and rushed back towards the monsters, joined a moment later by Raphtalia, their swords swinging together. Together they culled the herd as fast as they were able, getting well over two thirds of them before the Paralyses wore of.

"Air Strike Shield!"

A glimmering green shield manifested behind the monsters, cutting off their retreat.

The zombies roared in their faces, raising their weapons in defiance as they realized they had been trapped. The insects and spiders, immune to fear as they were, attacked without pause.

It did them little good. Another minute passed, and the monsters now laid still on the ground, killed to the last.

"That's the last of them," Raphtalia said, but didn't sheath her sword. There were undoubtedly more monsters in the village up ahead and the cracks in the sky were spilling out more and more monsters by the second.

Meanwhile, Shirou took the time to take out one of his Healing Potions and drink it. He hadn't taken much damage, but it would be best if he returned to full health before diving into battle again.

"Good, let's continue." Naofumi joined them. "Check the houses on the way to the center of the village. If there are any people remaining, direct them towards the forest in the opposite direction of the rift. All the other villagers we just saved are already heading in that direction."

"Yes, Naofumi-sama!"

Their party pressed ahead, Naofumi at the head so that he could defend in case of a sudden attack. They continued to walk, everything falling silent for but a moment, until…

"Ah, stay back! Stay back I say!" a man, wielding nothing more than a pitchfork, was pressed against a wall, a zombie menacing him as it raised its axe in preparation to cleave the man's head in two.

"Air Strike Shield!"

The ethereal shield manifested between the zombie and the man, startling both and saving the man's life. A second later a sword pierced the monster's gut with a horrible squelching sound, before brutally being pulled up and cutting the zombie in twain.

Raphtalia looked down appreciatively at the Magic Steel Sword. Its attack power was everything the Old Man of the weapon shop had said it would be.

"You alright, sir?" she asked, lowering her blade and flicking the blood from it.

"Y-yeah, somehow," the man said, taking a shuddering breath.

Shirou and Naofumi approached, and the man started as he recognized Naofumi.

"The Shield Hero… saved me…?"

"Yeah, I did. What of it?" Naofumi growled.

"N-nothing!" the man said hurriedly, then shook his head. "Never mind that! My family is still in the village, probably at our house. I have to get to them!"

"Don't worry, once we find them we'll direct them to the forest with the other villagers," Shirou assured. "You need to get out of here now before more monsters show up."

"No!" the man vehemently disagreed. "I can't just leave my family behind. I-I'm coming with you!"

"But sir, you'll-" Shirou began to protest.

"We don't have time for this!" Naofumi snapped harshly, cutting them both off. He turned towards the man. "I don't care what you do, but if you're determined to follow us until we find your family, you will follow my orders. Disobey even once are you are on your own, got that? Oh, and if you die, you have no one to blame but yourself, is that clear?"

"Crystal," the man answered, the wavering in his voice abating a little.

"It better be," Naofumi huffed. "I'll protect you as best as I am able during battle, but Raphtalia and Shirou will be doing most of the actual fighting. They can take a few hits, but you can't. Just stay close to them and attack when you think you have an opening."

The man nodded fervently, hefting his pitchfork.

Shirou looked ready to object, but he thought better of it at the man's resolved expression. There would be no talking the man out of following them into the hellscape ahead. Naofumi was right. It'd be better if they didn't waste time on an impossibility.

Again, they continued on ahead towards the village center. They encountered dozens upon dozens of monsters that were roaming the streets and were running down and fighting the villagers and the few beleaguered adventures that were present. After helping them and exterminating the monsters, those villagers and adventurers that didn't leave for the relative safety of the forest in the opposite direction of the rift, mostly those that still had family and/or friends somewhere in the village, joined up with Naofumi's party.

It didn't take long for their group to swell in size from a handful of people, to several dozen.

"Get in formation! Adventures at the front! Civilians in the center!"

Soon, Naofumi corralled his impromptu party members in formation. Nothing extravagant, there was no time for that, but it made logical sense to have their strongest and hardiest fighters in front while the fragile villagers stayed in the center, only jumping in when needed. He, Shirou and Raphtalia, as the strongest combatants by far, made up the vanguard, protecting the weaker adventurers and ensuring that the villagers remained safe in the center.

Resistance continued to thicken, ever more zombies, spiders and insects flowing towards them. Soon, more and more of the adventures at the front were being injured and started to flag under the strain of the continues combat.

Naofumi noticed, and took immediate action.

"You guys, come here!"

The group villagers that he had singled out, the ones that seemed to deal with combat the best amongst the villagers, started, obviously surprised, but they nonetheless listened to what he said and approached as the Shield Hero momentarily fell back from the front.

"Here," he said, taking out nearly all the Healing Potions he had in his satchel and handing them out in even amounts. "The adventures can't keep up with this rate of attrition. We need to give them the time to heal and rest up, but we can't stop moving or we become sitting ducks. I need you guys to work in pairs. One of you needs to briefly take the place of any adventurer that gets injured while the other administers one of these potions. Can I trust you guys with this?"

"We won't fail you, Shield Hero!"

Well, they were enthusiastic at least. Naofumi nodded at them as they handed out the potions and paired up. He quickly returned to the front, and the procession that slowed down with his departure and the loss of his defensive bulwark once again picked up the pace.

The villagers with the potions didn't disappoint. Those adventurers that were injured to the point their combat ability began to suffer fell back under his instruction, a villager taking his place while the other one in the pair took care of the adventurer's injuries before switching back. Their progress towards the village center started to speed up as result, even in spite of the ever increasing hordes they were encountering, now that the adventurers were getting their injuries treated and were given the chance to periodically catch their breath.

This continued until they were almost at the village center, and…

"Master! Look! Up Ahead!"

Naofumi did look ahead, and was the forced to crane his neck back to take in the scene.

Another horde of zombies was approaching, but that had become a familiar sight by this point. What was not a familiar sight, however, was the veritable giant of a zombie at the head of the horde. It was so big, it towered over the nearby buildings that only came up to its waist.

[Otherworld Zombie Giant Lv: 20]

Not good. If that goliath got too close, chances are that their formation would scatter. The discord that such a giant could sow during combat, even if they cut it down relatively quickly, would be disastrous if the adventurers and the villagers were not able to keep their cool in the face of such a monster.

Seeing the fear in the people around him at the sight of the giant, Naofumi came to decision.

"Raphtalia! Shirou! Follow me! I'll keep the giant occupied! You two take out the others!"

Naofumi rushed ahead, pausing momentarily to instruct the adventurers and villagers to slow down and not get involved. Shirou and Raphtalia followed on his heels.

The Zombie Giant's roar could be felt in one's bones as they approached and it focused on them. The massive, golden axe in its hands was raised up high and came crashing down.

It's target, Raphtalia, jumped aside and almost stumbled in her run as the axe smashed into the earth hard enough to release a visible tremor.

Realizing that it had missed, the Zombie Giant wrenched its axe free from the ground with a positively savage motion. Roaring like the mad beast that it was, its axe once again was raised high as it was about to attack Raphtalia for a second time.

"Hey, over here, ugly!"

The shout drew its attention, and the Zombie Giant turned said attention towards the quickly approaching Naofumi. The Zombie Giant, figuring that the one heading towards it instead of the one running away from it was a juicer target, reared its axe back and swung for Naofumi.

"Air Strike Shield!" Naofumi intoned, and the ethereal shield once again manifested in front of him.

The massive, golden axe slammed home with all of the force of a speeding truck, and the shield resonated like a gong that had been struck. But it did not buckle even as the axe was reared back and struck the shield several times in quick succession.

Naofumi smirked and reached into his satchel.

With the sixth blow a crack appeared in the shield, one that turned into a spiderweb of cracks on the seventh blow. The axe swung back for an eight and final blow, but-

A potion bottle smashed into the Zombie Giant's face, having arched over the shield's protective envelope. The bright blue powder that was the bottle's content glowed and exploded into a sudden mass of ice that covered the Zombie Giant's head whole.

The Zombie Giant roared once again, but the sound was barely audible past the ice. The axe dropped from its hands and the Zombie Giant started to frantically claw at the ice, tearing entire chunks off, even as it stumbled back in its panic.

"Shield Prison!" Naofumi shouted as he saw an opportunity.

The spherical prison of shields manifested just behind the Zombie Giant, who tripped over it as it continued to back up. With a mighty crash, the monster fell onto its back, kicking up a curtain of dust and leaving it vulnerable on the ground.

Raphtalia, having finished of the dozen zombies she had been tangling with, leaped onto the Zombie Giant's fallen form. Her Magic Steel Sword stabbed down, piercing the rotten flesh of the goliath's throat with a sick sound.

The Zombie Giant gurgled and sluggishly reached up to tear her away.

Raphtalia jumped to the side, falling down towards the ground and, keeping her sword pierced into the monster's flesh, tore open a massive gash in the Zombie Giant's throat on her way to the ground. She landed, out of reach of the Zombie Giant, twisted her blade and pulled it free with a squelch.

The Zombie Giant, a foul brown ichor that could have been blood streaming down its throat, gurgled like the dead corpse that it was as it scrambled to get back up on its feet.

Raphtalia's blade piercing its knee kept it on the ground. Shirou's sword piercing its head from behind put it down for good.

Naofumi let out a breath, noting that his slaves had dispatched the horde that had been following in the Zombie Giant's wake. For the first time in a while, the street was empty of monsters

"The path ahead is clear! Form back up and move forward! We're almost at the village center!"

The procession of adventurers and villagers caught up with them, all of them giving their party looks of awe. Naofumi didn't notice and took his place in the vanguard again, flanked by his slaves.

They forged ahead, but encountered conspicuously few monsters compared to before. Finally, they reached the village center, and they'd realized why there were so few monsters on the final stretch.

The street ahead had been barricaded. Furniture, broken stone from homes and general detritus was piled high to make a makeshift bulwark against the encroaching horde. Monsters tried to climb their way up the barricade, only to be barred by the villagers on top of the barricade that frantically warded them away with pitchforks and other makeshift weapons, keeping the monsters from scaling the barricade and reaching the other side.

The weary villagers atop the barricade noticed their approach, and even from a distance one could see their eyes light up with hope.

"Attack!" Naofumi hollered.

Before the monsters trying to scale the barrier could even properly turn around, the vanguard of the adventurers crashed into the horde. The battle degraded into a chaotic melee, the adventurers, backed up both by the villagers they were protecting and the villagers atop the barricade, targeted the monsters and took them out piecemeal. Naofumi one again made liberal use of his skills, Air Strike Shields and Shield Prisons manifesting to protect vulnerable combatants. Shirou and Raphtalia cut a swat through the horde, their Attack Stat great enough to one shot most opponents.

It didn't take long for the battle to end in Naofumi's and his group's favor. The villagers atop the barricade didn't waste any time, catching their breath and gratefully helping their would be saviors over the barricade.

Naofumi winced, not quite sure what to feel as one of the villagers atop the barricade clapped him on the shoulder and thanked him profusely.

They clambered down into the village center, and…

"It looks like the entire village is here."

Indeed it did. The village center was in one word crowded. Even without counting their group, dozens upon dozens of people were present, perhaps totaling over a hundred. The streets leading to the village center were barricaded, and Naofumi got the distinct impression that some of the buildings had been deliberately collapsed to create the makeshift bulwarks. In the center of the plaza were children and people too old to fight, while men and women manned the barricades and warded off the monsters trying to swarm in.

More than a few of the weary faces of the people lit up as their group made their way into the impromptu safe area. There were more than a few reunions, the people relieved to see loved ones and friends they had been fearing for as they clasped their hands and hugged. Naofumi, meanwhile, directed the villagers he had been protecting to join the other non-combatants, even as the adventurers they had teamed up with quickly manned the barricades, giving the people there some much needed support.

"Naofumi! Man, you are sight for sore eyes!"

Naofumi's eyes lit up with recognition instantly. "Zeph! Are you leading things here?!"

The brown haired youth approached, his little sister Nina hot on his heels. "More or less, though I have been more busy with treating the injured," he said, then shook his head. "Can you tell me what things look like in the direction you come from? We're working on an exit strategy."

"Hey, everyone!" Nina greeted them, her happy response totally at odds with the situation.

Naofumi nodded at her, even as Shirou and Raphtalia looked clearly relieved to see that she was safe. Apparently, from what he could gather, the girl had been helping her older brother in administering potions and treating the injured.

"The direction we came from is mostly clear, for now," Naofumi answered quickly. "We exterminated all the monsters we encountered, and the people we met along the way either fled into the forest or joined us on the way here. I do not think there are any people remaining in that direction, but as long as the rift remains upon, it will only be question of time before that path becomes dangerous again."

"I was afraid of that," Zeph responded, biting down on his thumb in frustration. "The monsters just keep spawning in greater numbers and it doesn't seem to be slowing down. At least we won't have to send search parties to the eastern path now that you guys have already cleared out that area. Most of the adventurers that we managed to round up are currently searching for anyone that might still be in the western part of the village. They should be back soon, as Alfyn is leading them."

Naofumi nodded at that. It made sense. Alfyn knew Riyute Village like the back of his hand, and was surprisingly strong for an Apothecary.

"Have any of the other parts of the village been searched yet?"

"No," Zeph answered.

"So that leaves both the south and north areas," Naofumi said.

"And the rift is towards the south…" Shirou added.

"If we were to clear out the southern area of the village first," Raphtalia took the thought further.

"We can then break out towards the north in one large group, away from the rift!" Zeph realized, a grin appearing on his face. "With all our people in one area it wouldn't be too difficult to both protect the villagers while the adventurers search for more people in the meantime. Naofumi, can-"

"We'll go search the south," Naofumi declared, raising his shield. "Can I trust you guys to hold down the fort here?"

After a determined affirmative from Zeph, they quickly rounded up a dozen adventurers and battle ready villagers. Any excess potions they had on them were quickly distributed amongst them.

"You all know the plan," Naofumi barked, glaring like a drill sergeant at the men and woman in front of him. "Stay in formation! Kill any monster you see! Search every house! Fall back if you're injured, use your Healing Potions and return to your position as fast as you can! Once we have finished searching the southern area of the village, we will double time our way back and make our escape!"

A chorus of affirmatives answered his words. With that, their group clambered over the southern barricade and leaped back into the fray.


Time wore on ever so slowly, to the point that a single minute felt like hours to the people trapped in what amounted to a waking nightmare. The sky remained a menacing red mess that hurt to look at and belched out more and more monsters by the second. The defenders manning the barricades continued to ward off the encroaching monsters, even as the villagers of Riyute Village were busying themselves with treating the injured and preparing themselves for the final push. In spite of that, all of them were acutely aware that their Healing Potions were dwindling and that time was ticking.

To put it bluntly, the wait for Naofumi's group to return was starting to fray the people's nerves, and every second it became worse.

"Where are they?" Zeph fretted.

"Calm down, Zeph! By what you've told, they have been gone for less than twenty minutes," Alfyn assured, pulling a bandage taut around his own arm by pulling on it with his teeth and applying a bit of pressure with his free hand.

Alfyn and his group had returned ten minutes ago, bringing back another couple dozen people. Together with Zeph, he had corralled the people of Riyute Village and had them ready to set out the very second Naofumi and his group returned.

"I know that, Alfyn, but we can't keep this up forever! When our Healing Potions run out, we'll start to lose ground and quick at that. The adventurers are starting lose steam, and we don't know for how long the villagers can keep their cool. At this ra-"

"Hey, they're back!" one of the men stationed at the southern barricade shouted, to the visible relief of the people.

Alfyn clapped his friend on the shoulder and grinned cheekily. "See, you're worrying for nothing, just like always!"

Zeph huffed petulantly, but didn't bother hiding his relief.

Naofumi's group entered the safe zone, several dozen people following on their heels. The infirm, old and the young were carried over, all of them being welcomed warmly.

"Hey, Naofumi! Raphtalia! Shirou! Good to see you guys!" Alfyn greeted, waving them over.

"Alfyn!" Raphtalia greeted back, rushing over. Naofumi and Shirou followed.

"What's the situation? How is everyone holding up?" Naofumi didn't bother with pleasantries.

"The barricades haven't been breached, so everyone's fine, and now that you are here, we can leave immediately," Zeph assured.

There was little to no need for words after that. They made their way toward the northern barricade as the people of Riyute Village and the adventurers fell into formation. The children, old and infirm were in the center. Every able-bodied villager formed a circle around them. The adventurers created a protective cordon around the civilians. And Naofumi, Shirou, Raphtalia, Zeph and Alfyn formed the vanguard.

At the front, Naofumi looked over the gathered people, and nodded.

"Let's go."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Alfyn said, then turned to one of the adventurers. "Chrome, you're up!"

The young man stepped forward and calmly raised his hands, aiming for the northern barricade, and intoned, "Zweit Fire!" Like the name of the spell implied, fire erupted from the young man's palms and surged forward in a continues stream like a bull that had been cut loose. It crashed into the barricade with explosive force, burning and blasting away the debris that had kept them safe for the last hour. The monsters that even now had been trying to scale it were scattered by the explosion and, more importantly, said explosion had opened up a straight path to safety.

"Forward!"

The procession started forward not in a rushed, panicked scramble for safety, but in a deliberate and controlled fashion. Soon, they had left the village center behind.

Monsters made a mad dash towards them the moment they emerged in the open street. There were much more monsters than one would have expected since they were moving away from their spawning grounds. Still, said monsters did little more than break on their formation, so much so in fact that it made both Shirou and Naofumi think of barbarians throwing themselves upon the waiting blades of a disciplined and well-practiced Roman testudo formation.

They cut their way through the horde, forging ahead, even as resistance thickened.

"Air Strike Shield! Shield Prison!" Naofumi activated his skills, manifesting them a little further ahead and on either side of the road.

These obstacles, that were for all intents and purposes impossible to destroy for the trash mobs they were faced with, restricted the monster's avenues of approach, funneling them towards the strongest part of their formation. In other words, it funneled the monsters towards Naofumi, Shirou, Raphtalia, Zeph and Alfyn, who quickly and efficiently cut the monsters down. This gave the adventurers and the villagers a chance to catch their breath, treat a few of the injuries that had been sustained, and then forge ahead with renewed vigor.

They didn't quicken their pace much, though. They had to give the groups designated with the task of searching the buildings and the various side streets the time necessary to find any would be survivors. This slowed them down considerably, but they never stopped moving, and well over three dozen people were found hiding in their homes and/or tangling with the monsters out on the streets. These people were quickly secured and brought back to the main group.

This continued, and a few minutes later…

"There, I can see the forest!" Shirou shouted. "We're almost there!"

"You hear that everyone! Just a little bit more!" Alfyn encouraged the procession.

"Naofumi-sama," Raphtalia called, raccoon ears twitching. "I hear something coming from that direction."

"More monsters?" Naofumi wondered, raising his shield a little higher.

"I don't think so, I-wait," Raphtalia's eyes widened in alarm, something horrible reflected in her eyes. "Incoming!"

Naofumi's attention snapped forward, and his heart skipped a beat at the sound of an ominous snap hiss mixed with a sound similar to fireworks ascending, followed by a deafening roar reminiscent of a gas line rupturing and exploding. Time seemed to slow down, the hissing and snarling of the monsters in the street falling away in the roaring noise as Naofumi spotted a sudden rush of light and heat in the distance that grew so bright so quick that…!

"Shit!" Naofumi swore and dashed in front of the procession, ignoring the startled cries of panic and fear of the people, and quickly changed his shield into the Light Metal Shield.

A mass of fire and force roiled down the street like a runaway truck, the heat so great that the ground underneath it turned black from mere proximity. It moved at bullet speed, almost too fast for Naofumi to change his shield and raise it up in front of him, and struck him with such force that it felt like a horse had kicked him in the stomach.

Naofumi gritted his teeth, but in spite of the awesome force his body was being subjected to, he stubbornly held his ground. The Special Ability of the Light Metal Shield was Magic Nullification (medium). This spell, for what else could it be, was an order of magnitude more powerful than the Zweit Fire spell he had seen used just minutes before, but the Magic Nullification (medium) combined with his Defence Stat ensured that he could take it head on without taking any damage.

The heat pounded his body like a drum for well over a minute, sweat erupting from every pore of his body, his breath coming his short, quick pants as his body tried to expel the heat. Finally, mercifully, it ended, leaving a gasping Naofumi behind, scared but unharmed people behind him, and the street clear of any monsters, the spell having incinerated them to the last.

Naofumi did not want to imagine what would have happened had he not reacted in time.

"What," he gasped for air, "the fuck was that!"

"Naofumi-sama! Are you alright?!" Raphtalia came running, clearly concerned.

"Somehow," Naofumi answered, still struggling for breath.

"Was that an attack from a monster?" Zeph wondered behind them. Behind him the adventurers and the villagers were preparing themselves for the worst.

"No," Shirou answered grimly, a note of fury in his voice, walking forward to stand beside Naofumi and Raphtalia. "Worse."

"Hmm," a self-satisfied voice chuckled past the flames. "For a filthy demi-human, you have got sharp eyes. I'll give you that much."

The dregs of the flames the spell had left behind parted, several squads of knights entering Riyute Village, their full plate armor protecting them from the flames. One of the knights, decked out in a much more elaborate armor set and clearly the one in charge, sneered at them.

Or, to be more precise, at Naofumi.

"And your eyes are clearly defective!" Naofumi snapped back, his scowl becoming menacing. "What the hell were you thinking, launching such a spell near allies!"

"Allies! Hah! Like I would ever call a common criminal like you my ally!" the knight turned his head and spat on the ground.

"So you didn't care that we were here," Naofumi growled.

"You…" Raphtalia seemed lost for words, seething and bearing her blade at the knights, and only Shirou's hand on her wrist prevented her from flying down the street and chopping the lead knight's head off.

"Raphtalia, don't," Shirou said, though it should be noted that all his muscles were tensing something fierce. He was barely able to hold himself back from attacking the knights himself. "We need to get everyone to safety. We can't afford to get into fights we can avoid."

Raphtalia looked like she was about to object, but grudgingly lowered her blade.

"That's right," the lead knight leered at them. "So long as you lot behave we won't be forced to make any… mistakes."

That confirmed it. The monsters hadn't been the target, they were just collateral damage. Naofumi had been.

"You sick fuck!" the sudden shout startled nearly everybody. Zeph was seething, and most of the people of Riyute Village were little better. "Just to settle some pointless grudge… you tried to kill all of us! What about the people caught in the crossfire, huh?! Or didn't you even notice the people we are evacuating, who are right behind us?! What the hell kind of knights are you!"

It was only then that the knights seemed to notice the large mass of people behind the vanguard and the adventurers, the people of Riyute Village glaring venomously back at them. To their credit, the knights had gone deathly pale in the face at the realization of what they'd almost done, if it were not for Naofumi blocking their sudden attack. Even the eyes of the lead knight had widened a fraction.

"It doesn't matter what you were thinking," Naofumi snarled, a wicked smirk appearing on his face. "After all, the thoughts and opinions of someone that's about to become monster feed doesn't really matter much, now does it?"

A cacophony of roars echoed from behind the knights, monsters having spawned in greater numbers in the time they'd been wasting. The monsters had somehow approached the knights quietly from behind and, distracted as they had been, the knights had not noticed the horde of monsters swelling behind them. As the knights snapped around, it became painfully apparent that they were out of position and unprepared, the monsters having gotten the drop on them and giving them virtually no time to react.

In a battle like the Wave that might as well be a death sentence.

The axe of one of the zombies came in swinging, destined to fall between the stunned and horrified eyes of the lead knight.

"Air Strike Shield!"

Only destiny was averted by the appearance of an ethereal shield, taking the heavy swing without a scratch.

"Wah!" the lead knight, stunned at his survival, fell on his ass in a less than dignified display.

Shirou speared forward, using the Air Strike Shield as a spring board to launch himself into the horde, Raphtalia hot on his heels. Potion bottles arched over the knights, breaking on impact with the charging monsters, the yellow powder contained within erupting and Paralyzing whole swats of them and stopping them in their tracks, making them easy pickings for the pair of demi-humans.

"Zweit Fire!" "Zweit Water Shot!"

Those precious few adventurers capable of magic launched their spells into the horde, killing a few and scattering many more.

"Forward!" Alfyn ordered, and the procession continued its advance.

"We will buy you time!" Shirou shouted, clashing blades with one of the grotesque zombies. "Use it to get into formation!"

The lead knight snarled, getting back onto his feet in a huff, his face red in both embarrassment and rage. It was only to be expected. The object of his hatred had not just only saved his life, but the demi-humans he commanded were putting up a much better fight than his own subordinates. If one could die from outrage, the lead knight would definitely have managed it in that moment.

"Let the Shield handle the evacuation!" he spat. "We're going to aid the Three Heroes!"

Most of the knights heeded the order, much to the disgust of the people they were leaving to fend for themselves, but... not all of the knights did so. One of them, a scarred man with a battle hardened face, a captain, pointed his blade at the horde.

"Support the Shield Hero! Defend the villagers and aid the adventurers! Phalanx formation!"

The vast majority of the knights left, but three squads and the captain staid behind. They formed up with the adventurers and the villagers of Riyute Village, shields raised and swords sliding out of their sheaths. They would be the battering-ram that would see the people to safety.

"Charge!"

The aid was happily accepted, even in spite of the earlier altercation. With several more experienced combatants to help them, it didn't take long for them to breach the horde and reach the forest.

That, unfortunately, didn't mean that the battle was over, or that the people were safe. Red glowing eyes pierced out from the gloom of the forest, the monsters spawned by the Wave having long since infested it.

Fortunately, they had expected this and planned ahead.

The formation split up. The villagers remained in one large group and most of the adventurers staid with them. It would be their job to see the villagers to safety and escort them through the forest to the nearest settlement, Castle Town, where they would be safe and have a chance to rest.

The rest, the knights included, launched attacks into the forest, mostly arrows and a few spells, targeting the monsters and thinning the horde as much as possible and clearing the way forward.

"Naofumi, all luck to you and your kids! First drink is on me when this is over!" Alfyn shouted, at the head of the procession rushing into the forest.

Naofumi grunted, not bothering to reply as more words of thanks were shouted at him by the townspeople. Not like they would have been able to hear him reliably over the din of battle and the sounds of the encroaching monsters.

That said, the monsters did not slow the departing group down much, if at all. There were quite a lot of monsters in the forest, yes, but not anywhere near the amount there had been in the village itself. Even without Naofumi, Shirou, Raphtalia, a handful of adventurers that chose to stay behind and the knights, they should have no problem keeping the villagers safe on their way to Castle Town.

That meant that the first part of their battle was finished. The next part, though…

Naofumi turned back towards the village, shield raised, flanked by both Shirou and Raphtalia. Behind them, the knights and adventurers readied themselves. A few whispered words of power and an invisible line was laid near the edge of the forest that, once crossed, would alert them if a monster tried to attack them in the back.

Now that the villagers were safe, they had to keep the encroaching monsters back, the destruction of the Wave in other words. Any monster they did not kill right here at the root of the disaster would be left free to disappear into the countryside and wreak havoc elsewhere, just like the Otherworld Blotted Viper and the Otherworld Two Headed Dog had been. That said, there was no way that they could kill all of the monsters spawned by the Wave. It was safe to say that a good percentage of them would escape, but every monster killed was a potential disaster averted.

The question now was how long the Wave would continue. The other Heroes had rushed towards the focal point of the rift that was spawning the monsters. As much as it galled Naofumi, he now had no other choice but to trust them to somehow stop the Wave and close the rift, preventing more monsters from being spawned. If they failed, or took too long and their Healing Potions and stamina, which had already been used up by a large degree, started to run low, he would have no other choice but to abandon the fight.

All of those grim thoughts flashed through Naofumi's mind as he braced himself and monsters surged forth from Riyute Village like ants from a disturbed anthill. He wasn't sure if it was his mind playing tricks on him, but there appeared to be more monsters now than in any point before in the Wave.

Then the monsters were upon them once again and there was no more time to think. Whatever were to happen in the next few moments, victory or ignominious defeat, he would survive, no matter what.


Shirou panted for breath, his body covered in both sweat and blood, both his own and that of his enemies. His blade was slick with the life giving liquid. Monsters laid around him, slain in their dozens, and his allies, the adventurers, the knights, and his party members were in a similar state of exhaustion and weariness.

Above them, the sky remained a red, cracked mess.

By his count, it had been well over thirty minutes since the villagers had departed with their escort. Just like him, exhaustion was plain to see on everyone's faces and movements. Their Healing Potions were also starting to run low. If something didn't change soon, they would have to do something that he knew would be necessary, but would leave a foul taste in his mouth: retreat.

There was nothing they could do, though. If all of them died, none of them would be any help in the next Wave, and-

Shirou felt something that could only be called a pulse of some kind of force pass through him, the air stilling, and everyone around him, the monsters included, paused.

"Naofumi-sama! Shirou!" Raphtalia said, looking up breathlessly. "The sky is returning to normal."

Indeed it was. The menacing red hue had already disappeared, returning to an ordinary blue sky, and the cracks were sealing themselves back up. In a few seconds, the sky would be back to normal.

"Stay on your guard!" Naofumi snapped even as he breathed hard himself. "This place is still teeming with monsters."

That was also true. Even though the Wave had been stopped, the monsters spawned by it didn't just disappear. Said monsters had stopped briefly with the Wave's end, but they'd already started moving again, clearly intent on continuing the fight.

"Stay strong men!" the knight captain called out. "The Wave has ended, no more monsters will be spawning. Every monsters we now kill will decrease the overall host of our enemy. Now we just need to outlast them!"

The knights and adventurers visibly rallied before their eyes, raising their weapons and throwing themselves back into the fight with renewed gusto. Shirou grinned to himself. Seeing that, he had no other choice but to get a second wind himself.

His Magic Steel Sword rose and fell as if he had only just begun fighting, felling monsters with every swing. He and Raphtalia led the charge back into Riyute Village, supported by the adventurers and knights, Naofumi making liberal use of his skills and his insane Defence Stat to ensure that everyone walked away from the fight in one piece.


It took another good half an hour of fighting before the last monster fell, the rest having long since retreated or been killed. For the first time in hours, the surroundings of Riyute Village fell silent, almost oppressively so for the people remaining on the former battlefield and who had been fighting for their lives.

For a brief moment, Shirou felt elated like he never had before as he lowered his blade and ragged cheers erupted from the adventurers and knights. They had done it. The Wave had been stopped and the encroaching monsters had been mostly eliminated. And, most importantly, as far as he knew, there were minimal, if any casualties on their side. Be they combatant or civilians caught up in the disaster, the vast majority of them had survived.

Reality came crashing back down a moment later as he looked around, Shirou's expression becoming grim. The people may have survived, but their home, Riyute Village, had been wrecked. There were no buildings that didn't show damage. Hell, a few of them were burning even now. Hundreds of monster corpses were strewn across the village and beyond. The roads were, in a word, reduced to Swiss cheese, and the farmlands around the village had, while not entirely spoiled, lost a lot of the crops that had been growing. It was unlikely that the villager's would be able to get much produce from these farmlands this season.

The people had survived, yes, but their homes and livelihoods had taken a hit, a substantial one at that. Would they be able to make a living and support themselves in the future? How about when winter came? This was a medieval world in many ways after all. Did they have enough resources to make it through the year and survive?

Shirou shook his head. It was no use pondering that now, even if it remained stuck in the back of his mind. They had won, and that was worth something.

"Shirou," Raphtalia nodded at him, returning from where she had been tangling with the last few of the monsters. Her expression appeared brittle, shadows covering her eyes.

"Raphtalia…?" he questioned, immediately concerned.

"…Everything alright?" Shirou heard from behind him. Naofumi had come to join them.

Raphtalia didn't say anything. Instead, she reached out and took Shirou's hand in her own, squeezing it tight. Shirou's concern spiked further. After they "grew up" from the effects of Levelling, they had stopped holding hands like they often had when they were first bought by Naofumi. It was not really appropriate to do anymore now that they had adult bodies, but…

"I… did good, right?" Raphtalia whispered, her voice shaking. "I limited the amount of children that might become like me, didn't I?"

"…Yeah," Naofumi reached out and patted her head. Shirou squeezed her hand in a comforting manner. "You did well."

Raphtalia's tears, her happy tears, rolled down her cheeks.