Sword and Shield
Clean Up 1
"There's another world on the other side of the Wave."
In a separate room on the upper floor of the central meeting hall of Elrasla's village, a meeting was taking place. The Shield Hero's party was present, as was Melty – having been brought over with the use of teleportation – and her soldiers. Mirellia was attending via crystal ball.
This meeting had been planned in advance, and no sooner had they sat down at the large table, said meeting had already been derailed.
"…What?" Naofumi said after a moment of collective stunned silence.
"There's another world on the other side of the Wave," Shirou repeated. "It's where that woman that we fought, Glass, came from."
"How did you…" Raphtalia started to question, trailing off as the answer became obvious to her. "Of course, your abilities related to weapons."
In the image projected by the crystal ball, Mirellia quickly hid her reaction behind her fan. "Could you perhaps start explaining from the beginning? How did you come to such a conclusion?"
"It's not a conclusion, it's a fact," Shirou remained blunt even in the face of their whiplash. "I have an ability that lets me understand everything about any bladed object that I see, including its history. The fans that Glass were using had a cutting edge, so the moment I saw them, I know where they had come from and their nature."
"Is it not possible for the enemy to have planted this information as some form of distraction?" Melty asked hesitantly, fully aware how crazy everything had just gotten.
"In order to do that, Glass would have to have been aware of my ability and how to plant the false info in the first place," Shirou rejoindered. "The only people aware of my ability are in this room, plus one other person who is definitely opposed to the Waves. Moreover…"
Shirou rubbed his temple like he was having a headache.
"There was a ton of information in there. If it's all fake our enemy went to great lengths to plant something they couldn't possibly have known could even be discovered in the first place. I don't see any way for anyone to do that, or what benefit they might gain from it," Shirou said as he pondered all the information he had swirling in his head.
Not like he could understand all of it, however.
"The Fan Vassal Weapon," he added almost as an afterthought. "That was the weapon that Glass was using. It's similar, yet different from a Legendary Weapon. Because of its nature, I can't comprehend all the information I gained, but its history is like an open book to me. From what I can understand its weaker than a Legendary Weapon, but the Fan Vassal Weapon shares many of the same functions."
"…It almost sounds like you're describing a Seven Star Weapon," Elrasla mused. "That would fit, now that I think about. The attacks that Glass was using during our fight looked more like Skills of some sort than any kind of magic."
"A what?" Naofumi tilted his head in a questioning manner.
"The Seven Star Weapons," Melty jumped in. "Are a series of seven Weapons that are at the centre of another legend, one that is intimately connected to the legend of the four Legendary Weapons. Just like how Shirou had just described this 'Fan Vassal Weapon', they have many of the same abilities that Legendary Weapons have, but are considered to be weaker on the whole."
"The people who wield them are called the Seven Star Heroes," Mirellia took over. "Unlike with the Legendary Weapons, those who wield a Seven Star Weapon can either be summoned from another world or can be chosen among the people of this world."
Every day in this world brings along new information. Why are we only being told about this now? Naofumi grumbled inwardly. He opened his mouth. "And what kind of weapons are these Seven Star Weapons exactly?"
"There is the Staff, Hammer, Projectile Weapon, Gauntlets, Claws, Axe, and the Whip," Mirellia rattled off in a heartbeat.
That was a pretty eclectic bunch of weapons. The Projectile Weapon was also a bit vague compared to the others, but that wasn't important right now.
"So there are more Heroes in this world, huh?" Naofumi said, not sounding enthusiastic. He couldn't get along with the Heroes he already knew, but his tune changed when a startling possibility occurred to him. "Hey wait a minute, does this mean that these other Heroes have other Strengthening Methods I might be able to use?" he asked. After all, every Hero he had ever met had Strengthening Methods he was able to use after becoming aware of them.
Further doubling up on that was a tantalizing possibility.
"I'm not sure, but it seems likely," Mirellia said. "Getting into contact with the Seven Star Heroes might be problematic, though."
"Why?" Naofumi asked, already feeling his annoyance rising again.
"After the Waves began, most of the Seven Star Heroes were appointed," Mirellia began to explain. "They are currently located all over the world, in various nations, where they will be combating the Waves. Getting into contact with them requires making overtures to their host countries, and with the distances involved…"
Naofumi pinched the bridge of his nose. "Nothing is ever simple, is it?" he bemoaned.
"I think we might have gotten a little side tracked," Shirou cut in, voice dry.
"That we have," Mirellia admitted. "This meeting was about discussing the events of the Wave you fought, and what our next steps would be…"
"To be fair, Shirou had already thrown a spanner in the works from the get-go," Raphtalia said with a little amusement.
"That he has," Melty said, turning towards Shirou as Filo besides her looked around the room, bored by the proceedings. "How certain are you that there's another world on the other side of the Wave?"
"As far as I'm concerned, it's guaranteed," Shirou said with confidence.
"If Shirou said its true, then I believe it," Elrasla proclaimed without an ounce of doubt.
"Onii-chan would never lie!" Filo seconded.
"Shirou wouldn't claim something outrageous like this if he wasn't certain," Raphtalia commented.
"I think that answers that," Naofumi said in amusement. It went without saying that he believed Shirou as well.
Mirellia chuckled. "If you're all that certain, than we will presume it's true and work from there. But what does that mean for us?"
"Glass claimed to be here to kill the Holy Heroes," Raphtalia began.
"But for what purpose?" Melty asked the question that naturally followed.
Shirou sighed. "I don't know, I'm afraid. I might be able to read the history of a weapon at a glance, but the same doesn't hold true for the intentions and motivations of its wielder."
"She came from the other side of the Wave," Naofumi mused speculatively. "Maybe she is the master mind behind al this? Maybe their world is trying to invade ours with an army of monsters? If so, it would explain why she would want to get rid of the Holy Heroes."
"No, that's definitely not the case," Shirou denied that possibility immediately.
"Oh, what makes you say that, little Shirou?" Sadeena asked.
"That's because the Waves aren't only occurring in this world," Shirou informed them.
"You mean…"
"Yes," Shirou nodded. "When a Wave occurs here, a Wave also hits Glass' world. Glass has fought a lot of such battles in her world. Whatever the Waves are, Glass and her allies aren't the one's behind them, and neither are they the ones unleashing all those monsters."
Naofumi pursed his lips at this information. Not for the first time, he pondered what these Waves actually were. And what about them would move Glass, their nominal enemy, to attack them during a Wave.
They continued to speculate on the information that Shirou had provided, but it quickly became apparent that they didn't have enough information to draw any solid conclusions. It wasn't long until they shifted the focus of the meeting.
"The other Heroes," Naofumi appeared pensive. "They are too weak."
"From what I have been told by you and my own operatives, I have to agree," Mirellia sighed.
"They were crushed during this Wave, and weren't even strong enough to properly face the Boss Monster," Naofumi continued. "At the rate they're going, they won't survive the next Wave."
Everyone in attendance knew that was less than good news. The reason why had been discussed at length already. If a Holy Heroes dies, the magnitude and frequency of the Waves would increase. They couldn't afford to let any of the Holy Heroes die.
"Do you think they realize that themselves?" Sadeena asked with a raised brow.
"No, they don't," Shirou cut in. "From what I saw in the last Wave, admitting that they are not cutting it is the last thing they'll do. Even to themselves."
There was a moment of silence.
"They're too caught up in seeing this all as a game."
"You have got to be shitting me."
Naofumi pinched the bridge of his nose like he was having a migraine.
"I wish," Elrasla said deprecatingly. "From what I saw during the Wave from the other Heroes actions and words…No, I can't imagine this stunning defeat will make them see reason."
"Even if they aren't skilled, if they implement all the Strengthening Methods that we know so far, they should be strong enough to survive the coming Waves," Naofumi grasped at straws. "Somehow, we have to get them to a point that they will use everything that we have learned so far."
"There's a problem with that, Naofumi-sama," Raphtalia cut in. "In order to use a Strengthening Method you must know that it exist and believe it to be real. Considering the situation I can't imagine the other Heroes would be all that willing to listen and believe whatever we tell them."
There was a collective grimace around the table.
"There's simply too much distrust between the Heroes."
For a brief moment, a look of rage came over the Shield Hero's features. That stupid religion, the trashy king, and his bitch of a daughter. If they hadn't mucked everything up, if they hadn't allowed their stupid personal grievances and greed to overcome their reason, they wouldn't be in this situation. Considering the other Heroes, their personalities, and their insistence at treating all of this like a game, it would still have been difficult to get through to them, but not as flat out impossible as it was now.
"If we want them to listen, we first have to build some measure of trust between the Heroes," Mirellia's words broke him from his brooding.
"Good luck with that," Naofumi with said with gallows humor.
"We need to clear Naofumi's name as quickly as possible. It won't solve everything, but it would be a good first step," Shirou began.
Mirellia grimaced again, hiding it behind her fan. "Unfortunately, I am in the middle of some delicate negotiations. It will still be some time before I'll be able to return."
"Even if you cleared my name, the Church of the Three Heroes would still be trying to kill us and more than likely than not be running interference," Naofumi brooded, a thunderous scowl etched on his face.
"…I don't think Itsuki or Motoyasu would be willing to listen to us at this point no matter what we say or do, but we haven't really interacted with the Sword Hero yet," Shirou offered after a moment. "We might be able to get to him to listen to us at least. If we get him to implement all the Strengthening Methods we know so far, he might be able to get through to Itsuki and Motoyasu, also getting them to a point that they'll be able to use everything that we have learned so far."
"It's a possibility," Naofumi allowed, lightening up a little, though he still didn't appear too hopeful.
The discussion continued for a short while longer, several topics being brought up and being debated at length, before they settled on a course of action.
"To summarize," Mirellia cut through with the authority of a monarch. "Like we discussed previously, the Shield Hero and his party will undermine the Church of the Three Heroes by undercutting their support among the people. In the meantime, they will also use whatever means that are available to them to get the other Heroes to power-up properly. I'll endeavour to finish my duties as fast as possible so that I can return post haste to Melromarc and clear the Shield Hero's name. My Shadows will continue to protect you as you journey through my lands."
There was a range of collective nods around the table.
"Melty," Mirellia directed her daughter. Melty nodded and took out another crystal ball and handed it to one of her soldiers, who handed it to Naofumi. "You can use that to make contact with me when needed. Melty, meanwhile, will head to Castle Town with her soldiers. I have several tasks that only you can accomplish."
"Understood," Melty said primly. She looked almost eager to take on whatever task her mother had in store for her. It was not the first time Naofumi had noticed, but Melty could not be more different from his sister if she tried.
"Any questions?" Mirellia looked around the table.
No one offered any.
"Good. Than let's get to it."
All of them had been eager to get started, but the moment the Shield Hero's party stepped out of the meeting room, they had already hit a snag in their plan of attack.
"What do you mean they're gone!?"
The Mayor of Elrasla's town, an old friend of the martial artist, looked equally as annoyed.
"Shortly after your meeting started, knights from the capital arrived and took away the Heroes and their parties. They said something about taking them to a hospital," she told them.
"I had already treated them. They were fine!" Naofumi was less than pleased.
"I told them that, but they wouldn't listen to me," the Mayor scowled. "They took them away almost immediately after your meeting started."
"That's about an hour and a half ago," Naofumi mused out loud.
"They must have taken the other Heroes to Castle Town," Raphtalia offered her thoughts.
"We can still catch up to them, especially with Filo," Shirou added.
"Hmm, hmm," Filo nodded and hummed her agreement.
"…We will let it be for now," Naofumi pinched the bridge of his nose. When concerning the Heroes, it had become a habit. "With those knights in the mix, it becomes even less likely for them to listen to us. We need to talk them at a moment where no else can interfere. No, we'll focus on our other tasks and go from there. From what we were told, it's likely that we will run into the other Heroes as we're cleaning up their mess anyway."
There was some grumbling around the group, not all of them being totally onboard with that plan, but they nonetheless agreed after a moment.
"There's more, Shield Hero-sama," the Mayor said. "A contingent of knights staid behind, asking for you."
"They asked?" Naofumi repeated with a raised brow.
"They…weren't as polite as I made it sound," the Mayor admitted.
Naofumi sighed and turned towards one of the knights that had accompanied them during the Wave. "Would you please make sure that Melty and you and yours are not seen by these other knights? I'm not quite sure how they will react if they see you here together with the Second Princess."
"Will do, Shield Hero-sama!" the knight saluted him and went back into the meeting room in order to inform Melty and his fellow knights what was going on.
"Let's go see what they want," Naofumi mumbled to himself and he and his party exited the building.
"Shield," a voice spat.
Naofumi's, Shirou's, and Raphtalia's features soured. They knew that voice, and the face who it belonged to. It was the Pompous Knight that had attacked them back in the first Wave in Melromarc they had fought in.
"What do you want?" Naofumi spat back.
"Watch your tone, Shield!" the Pompous Knight snapped. "You will come with us. Your presence is required at the castle."
"No," Naofumi denied coldly. "I have no intention of interacting with that piece of trash king than is strictly necessary."
"Insolence! You dare-" the Pompous Knight started to rage, reaching for his blade.
"Shirou," Naofumi directed. Said demi-human drew his sword and faster than the knights could react, stabbed it into the shadow of the Pompous Knight. The knight captain froze, the Shadow Bind Blade technique robbing him of the freedom to move.
The other knights jerked at the sudden escalation of conflict and similarly reached for their weapons, but before they could even try and do anything, Elarsla unleashed one of her 'bullets'. The large crater the single attack created just in front of them staid their feet.
Naofumi got right in the Pompous Knight's face. "Do not test my patience, knight. I haven't forgotten what you tried to pull the last time we met. You have no business trying to order me around, and neither does that fool who sits upon the throne. Go back to him shame faced and tell him to stay out of my way. I have better things to do then to listen to trash like him."
The Pompous Knight became red faced due to the anger he couldn't properly express. Under Shadow Bind Blade's influence, he couldn't even grind his teeth.
Naofumi signalled Shirou to released the knight, and no sooner had he done so, the Pompous Knight drew his blade and slashed with all his might at the Shield Hero. The man was completely lost to his anger.
CA-CLANG!
The Pompous Knight froze. Naofumi hadn't even tried to defend himself. His blade's cutting edge had struck the Shield Hero's cheek and temple, and had bounced off as if he had slashed at a solid steel wall.
"Tch," Naofumi made a less than impressed noise, and the look he gave the Pompous Knight could charitably be called annoyed. Said knight and his lackeys slowly backed off, thoroughly cowed. Once they had made sufficient distance, they beat a hasty retreat.
"What a bunch of idiots," Elrasla voiced their collective feelings on what had just occurred.
"I can't say I disagree, but did you have to antagonize them like that, Naofumi-sama?" Raphtalia voiced her concerns.
"If I hadn't, they would have continued to bother us for that much longer. We have stuff to do, and we can't let ourselves be distracted by fools like that," Naofumi justified, but if he was being honest, the Pompous Knight had just been a convenient outlet to vent his frustrations on.
For what he tried to pull last time, the Pompous Knight deserved it and so much more.
Sadeena coughed to get their attention. "Now that has been dealt it, might I have a moment to say something?"
Everyone turned towards Sadeena.
"I'll be going back to Zeltoble," she announced.
That elicited various reactions, but not one of them, not even Raphtalia, looked surprised.
"I'm still needed there to try and round up more of the villagers," Sadeena explained. "And to look after the ones I have already found."
"We know," Raphtalia said, smiling a small smile. "Will you be competing in the Underground Colosseum?"
"That's the plan," Sadeena confirmed. "And little Naofumi…"
"I remember our deal. If we find any of the villagers in Melromarc, I'll make sure to buy them and take them in," Naofumi responded.
"Thank you, little Naofumi," Sadeena said and held out her hand. "Hopefully, we'll all succeed in our goals. And if you ever need my help, you can always contact me."
Naofumi shook her hand. "I'll keep that in mind. You were a great help in the last Wave."
"What a flatterer," Sadeena fake swooned, much to the Shield Hero's irritation. "Raphtalia, don't let this adorable lug get away from you."
"What do you mean by that?" Naofumi asked, nonplussed as Raphtalia's face went cherry red. She'd hoped that Sadeena hadn't noticed her crush, but no such luck.
Sadeena merely chuckled and refused to elaborate. "You better keep Raphtalia safe, little Naofumi. I realize that you will be facing your own dangers, and Raphtalia is precious to me. You do your best to safeguard her, and I'll ensure we both will have a place and people to return to."
"Deal."
In the aftermath of the Wave, the Tageero region of Melromarc found itself plagued by nests of the monsters spawned by the Wave, popping up all over the region. It was a little much to hope that they had exterminated the entire horde with their defence of Elrasla's village, but it was clear that more than a few of the monsters had found alternate routes out of the ravine where the battle had raged, and now they were setting up shop all over the region.
In an effort to shore up their own support and undercut the support of the Church of the Three Heroes, the Shield Hero's party travelled around the region and offered their services to root out the monsters. It wasn't a particularly hard task, and with Filo, travel time between villages wasn't all that long either. The gains in EXP were respectable as well, so as far as all of them were concerned, it was time well spent.
On a particular night, after having exterminated another such nest and having settled down besides the road to get some rest and sleep, Naofumi found Shirou sitting beside the fire. In his lap were sets of materials and in his hands were tools, which he idly used to tinker with said materials.
"Still practicing, huh?" Naofumi mused as he sat down beside Shirou.
Shirou hummed, his hands continuing their work. "Doing busy work like this is a good way to end the day, I find. It makes it easier for me to sleep afterwards."
Naofumi chuckled. "You can't really sit still, can you? You're always doing something, training or even something else. You're almost as bad as Elrasla."
It went without saying that only Shirou, Naofumi, and Elrasla were awake now. Raphtalia and Filo had gone to sleep some time ago. Naofumi had been making potions up to a minute ago, and Elrasla would be the first one on watch for the night. Just like always, she didn't look tired at all.
Naofumi had been about to call it a night as well, but he had felt a sudden urge to talk with Shirou, so here he was.
"I swear, you're like a machine at times," he chuckled again.
"Like you're one to talk," Shirou countered. "You're just as bad as me."
"Not really. I just quit for the night. You're still going," Naofumi countered back.
Shirou huffed a laugh, and Naofumi took a moment to savour the comradery. After being brought to this world and betrayed like he had been, Naofumi could never have expected that he would be able to experience moments like this.
The two fell silent after that, just enjoying the warmth of the fire and the cool night breeze.
Naofumi looked idly over the accessories Shirou had been making laid out over a simple cloth. Shirou had been practicing every night, and there was a definite improvement in both his skill at imbuing magic and his craftsmanship. It wasn't anything crazy, but there had been a steady improvement and that's what counted.
There were now three dozen varying accessories Shirou had made, ready to be sold. Naofumi was glad that Hickwaal had given them a bevy of materials for Shirou to work with as a gift. It meant that they would gain maximum profit, which they could use to buy more materials to make more profit.
Naofumi noticed something, though, as he looked over the materials Shirou was working with.
"A healing based accessory?" Naofumi mused out loud. The materials in Shirou was tinkering on right now were ones highly receptive to receiving a healing based Enchantment.
Shirou raised a brow and nodded. "Yes, how did you know that?"
"I might have been reading through the texts that Hickwaal gave you," Naofumi admitted.
"Why?" Shirou asked, even as he continued to tinker. "Interested in learning how to make accessories yourself?"
"Not really, I was just bored," Naofumi shrugged.
Shirou shrugged back. "This is a bit of an experiment, actually. With my situation as it is, it might be possible to make a really powerful healing based accessory. It seems obvious to experiment with that possibility a little."
Naofumi was a bit confused at that explanation. That was until he saw Shirou idly rub his shoulder where Glass had injured him. The shoulder that had been sutured by blades and had been healing all on its own.
A power born from Avalon, and powered by Shirou's building Divinity.
It hadn't taken long for them to mostly figure out what had been going on there. Thanks to his abilities, Shirou had already been aware of Avalon's regenerative powers. It was an ability that Shirou himself could not make use of, because Avalon only worked for its original owner. They'd theorized that Shirou had gained the ability auto-heal himself after his Class-Up and some of Avalon's traits had been transferred to him. It had been changed by his own nature, hence blades being used to close his wound and heal him, but it was essentially the same ability.
Not quite as potent as Avalon's own healing powers, though. Moreover, Shirou had learned to isolate and feel his Divinity, and when he focused it on his wounds, the rate of healing sped up. As his Divinity grew as he continued to Level up it stood to reason that his regenerative powers would grow as well, and if he could imbue that regenerative power into an accessory…
It would make for a potent tool, and a valuable product to sell.
Naofumi was impressed in spite of himself at that way of thinking. Though, he had the sense that there was more behind this than what Shirou was letting on…That feeling doubled when he spotted a well hidden reflection of guilt and frustration in the depths of Shirou's eyes.
"Shirou," Naofumi began, concerned.
"It's nothing," Shirou assured him, immediately noticing Naofumi's concern. "I…have a specific goal in mind for this accessory. I am still researching the best materials to use and how to pull this off, but there's nothing dangerous going on. Just trust me."
"…Fine, Shirou," Naofumi sighed. "But I expect you to come clean to me at some point."
Shirou chuckled. "I have no real reason to withhold this from you, but as things are now, neither one of us can do anything about this problem. We neither are in the position nor have the resources to do so. I'll tell you what's bothering me when we can actually do something about it."
"Heh, fine, you stubborn kid," Naofumi stood up and rubbed Shirou's hair between his raccoon ears, much to his protests. "Don't stay up too late. Tomorrow is going to be another long day."
"I won't," Shirou promised. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
"Motoyasu, you moron."
Naofumi was the one who said it, but no one in his party could find it in themselves to disagree with him. The reason for this was staring them in the face. It was a veritable jungle, thick and overgrown to the point that it almost appeared to be a solid wall of greenery. It stretched out in front of them, reaching high, and in either direction as far as they could see. Going by the vines and stalks snaking out of the greenery and over the ground, it was still greedily growing over everything in its path.
Mirellia had informed them of this before the last Wave in Melromarc. Motoyasu had given a village stricken by famine a seed that he had gotten from who knows where, a seed that he believed would grow quickly and supply all that the village would need to get back on its feet. In a way, he was right, as the plants spawned by the seed had supplied an inexhaustible bounty of fruit, but that lasted only a short while. The plants had rapidly started to mutate and had grown out of control.
The village that Motoyasu had sought to help had been displaced, the people forced from their homes. Worse, the plants in question had become parasitic, feeding on any unlucky person they had managed to infest. On top of that plant-like monsters were being spawned by the out of control jungle, menacing all the surrounding villages as well.
It had gotten so bad that these other villages were also at risk of being displaced. Motoyasu's party and a shit ton of knights and adventurers had reportedly been trying to fight back the infestation and cut it out at its root, but there had been little progress so far.
"This looks bad," Shirou said the obvious. "Real bad. If this jungle continues to grow it won't only be a danger to this region of Melromarc."
Currently, they were in the Selva region of Melromarc, a region that bordered the Tageero region where the last Wave had occurred. At the rate this jungle was expanding the Tageero region was also potentially at risk. Hell, the whole of Melromarc could be in danger.
Perhaps it could grow even further?
"Now what?" Raphtalia finally asked after they took a moment to observe their 'opponent'.
Elrasla grunted, less than amused at what they were seeing. "According to the information the queen gave us there should be a camp somewhere nearby for the refugees. Chances are the knights and the adventurers are using it as a base of operations. We should head there, and gather some information so that we can formulate a plan of attack."
"You heard her, Filo," Naofumi directed from the driver's seat of the carriage.
"Okay!" Filo chirped, and they set of at a steady trot, running along the circumference of the jungle.
As they headed towards their destination, Naofumi started to tinker in his Menu, and called up the information on a particular shield.
[Otherworld Soul Eater Shield (Awakened) A – Base Defence 120 – Equip Bonus: [Dritte Shield] / Spirit Resistance (large) / Spirit Attack Resistance (large), SP UP (medium), SP Recovery (large) (mastered)]
[Level Link] (Lv: 60): + 30 Defence
[Weapon Familiarity] (3/25): + 6 Defence
[Item Enchantment] Lv 15: + 30 Agility
[Weapon Enchantment] Lv 20: 40% Damage-Reduction-From-Ghostlike
[Status Enchantment] Lv 18: + 36 SP/Magic Drain
[Weapon Tempering] Lv 16: + 16 Defence
[Rarity Power] C: + 30 Defence
[Reinforce Weapon] (25/25): + 25 Defence
[Weapon Proficiency]: 55
Special Ability: Soul Eat (large) / Wall Escape / Undead Control
After the end of the last Wave, Naofumi had scoured the battlefield for monster materials and had unlocked several dozen more shields. He had of course taken his piece of the Boss Monster, and used it to unlock the Soul Eater Shield. Said shield proved to be even stronger than to his to go to Chimera Viper Shield, probably because the material used to unlock it came from an even more powerful Boss Monster.
The Soul Eater Shield was now the strongest shield in his arsenal by a good margin and he was certain that it would prove to be a powerful tool in his kit.
"Master, we're here!"
At Filo's call, Naofumi looked up from his Menu. The camp they had been told about was straight ahead of them. Even from a distance it appeared fairly large, though he couldn't tell much about it as the camp was surrounded by a wall made of exceptionally tall and sturdy logs.
Said wall was definitely being used as a bulwark, both against monsters and the encroaching jungle.
Naofumi directed Filo towards the gate of the camp, and guards stationed on the wall were quick to notice their approach. One of the men shouted something, and a clamour of voices started to echo in response.
There was a brief moment of concern amongst the group, as they started to wonder if they would be received warmly or not. That lasted until Shirou and Raphtalia managed to make out a single sentence, raccoon ears twitching.
"It's the Holy Saint of the Legendary Bird!"
Naofumi blinked when he was informed of what the men were saying. His fame as a Holy Saint must have spread further than he had thought.
Hopefully that fame would make things a bit easier here.
"Open the gate!"
The large wooden gate creaked open as they approached, the party being welcomed inside. As soon as they were inside, the gates were closed again. The party had barely clambered out of the carriage before an elderly man and a bedraggled looking knight captain came forward and approached them.
"Holy Saint, thank you so much for coming to our aid," the Elderly Man said, bowing deeply.
"Please help my men, Holy Saint," the Bedraggled Knight Captain almost begged. "Whatever this infestation is, when it sinks it claws into a man, it has proven impossible for us to remove. No matter what you might require, all our recourses are yours. Just help my people!"
"…Take me to the patients," Naofumi said, squashing down his instinctive desire to talk compensation first. Considering his current situation and goals, that was not as important right now. "I need to see what I am dealing with."
After some profuse thanks, they were escorted to a large tent in the corner of camp, with three more such tents besides it, all of them filled with stricken people. The tent they had been led to first was filled with over a hundred beds, every single one occupied by an ailing person, knights by the looks of it. Every single knight with no exception was covered in sickly looking constricting vines.
"What have you tried so far?" Naofumi questioned as he kneeled besides the closest knight, checking the vines covering him and his physical condition. The man was unconscious, deadly pale and breathing slowly.
"Healing potions can heal the damage caused by the affliction, but it cannot remove the infestation," the Elderly Man began. "We have tried everything to get rid of the vines, from using pesticides and cutting it away, but the vines are rooted in too deep to remove entirely. They just grow back and continue to feed off of whoever they have infested. These things truly are parasites of the worst sort."
Naofumi grunted at that explanation. The man had said they had used pesticides…but they were not Naofumi, who had a few extra tricks up his sleeve. He pulled out one of his self-made Healing Potions out of his pouch, followed by a purple herbicide potion.
[Skill – Medicine Efficacy Up (small)]
[Skill – Medicine Efficacy Up (medium)]
[Skill – Medicine Efficacy Up (large)]
[Skill – Medicine Effect Range Expansion (small)]
[Skill – Medicine Effect Range Expansion (medium)]
[Skill – Medicine Effect Range Expansion (large)]
The Shield Hero tipped the Healing Potion down the ailing knights throat, then splashed the herbicide over the vines covering the man. The knights pallor immediately improved and the vines covering him withered and died in one blink to the next. Moreover, the people watching were astonished to see a dim light flare out from the cured man towards all the other afflicted people around him, which similarly healed them and killed the vines infesting them.
With two potions, Naofumi had saved the lives of over fifty men.
Grunting in satisfaction, Naofumi got up and moved towards the other side of the tent.
"Holy shit," the Bedraggled Knight Captain, who suddenly looked a lot less bedraggled, breathed out.
"Indeed," the Elderly Man agreed, equally as shocked.
"…After the Spear Hero left, we had plenty to eat, but after half a month, the plants spawned by the seed he had given us started to mutate. After a week, our fields had been overrun. After two weeks, our homes were lost. Now more than a month has passed, and even with the help of the Spear Hero, knights and adventurers, our neighbour villages are being threatened. Please, Holy Saint, help us!"
The Elderly Man, the leader of the displaced village, bowed deeply to Naofumi. The reason was clear. Anyone looking at them with their Status Magic could see their Levels, and Naofumi had already proven to have abilities effective against the plants menacing them. Asking for their aid in a moment like this was only natural, even if the man had laid it on a little thick.
"…I'm willing to help," Naofumi said, again squashing his first impulse, even if it hurt him deep down.
"What's the situation like exactly?" Shirou cut it in. "Have you made any progress in getting rid of the plants?"
"We have only managed to slow it down," the much less Bedraggled Knight Captain informed them regretfully. "The monsters spawned by the plants aren't all that strong, but there's a lot of them and new ones keep being spawned. We have cut away, burned and poisoned the trees and plants, but they grow back so quickly that we can't make any headway. Venturing deeply into the overrun areas is extremely dangerous, as you run the chance of being infected."
"…It sounds like you have been trying to go into the depths of this forest," Elrasla mused out loud, an eyebrow raised.
"Scouts have penetrated deep into the forest," the Elderly Man said. "They've reported a large tree in the centre of the forest, near where our village was and where the first seed of this infestation was planted. This tree is a monster of massive size."
"And you think taking down this tree will stop the growth of this forest?" Raphtalia asked.
"That's our hope," the Bedraggled Knight Captain confirmed. "And even if it doesn't the vast majority of the monster are being spawned by that tree. Killing it should at least reduce the threat by a significant amount. With a little luck, killing that tree might be enough to end this in one fell swope. It is worth trying."
"But you can't get to it," Naofumi stated the obvious.
"No," the Elderly Man said, frustrated. "Our men keep getting booged down by monsters, and those parasitic vines are a constant threat. One of those things we could overcome with enough effort and some creativity, but both at the same time…"
Naofumi sighed deeply. "I see. Then I guess we have no choice but to help."
The Elderly Man and the Bedraggled Knight Captain looked relieved. As did the adventurers and knights alike behind them.
"We can talk compensation later. By the sounds of it, the sooner this tree is brought down the better it would be," Naofumi got up and stretched. "We will set out immediately."
The Bedraggled Knight Captain blinked. "Ah, Holy Saint, you're making it sound like only you and your party are going in on your own."
"That's the plan," Naofumi confirmed.
"Don't you want any aid from us?" the Elderly Man asked, perplexed.
"I would accept help, but considering the tight confines of the forest, going in a large group to take out a single target is not ideal," Naofumi said plainly. "If killing that tree doesn't solve this all at once, then I want all your help to clear out this mess entirely afterwards. But for this, I prefer just to go with my own party."
The Bedraggled Knight Captain, the Elderly Man and their men shared an uncertain look, debating if sending them in alone was truly right, strategically and morally. In the end, however, they agreed to let them go alone as they desired.
"Ah, there is one thing that you should know, Holy Saint," the Bedraggled Knight Captain said. "The Spear Hero and his party are also in the forest. They had a similar idea as you, and have gone into the forest to fell the central tree. Chances are that you will run into them."
There were mutters of the men as the Spear Hero was mentioned. None of it could be called positive.
"I see," Naofumi hid any reaction he could have had and nodded. "I'll keep that in mind."
With that, the Shield Hero's party prepared to leave.
There was, however, one last thing to do before they left the camp behind. Before they had entered the camp, Naofumi had the Legendary Shield take on the shape of a book and had it turned over in his hands. He looked just like a merchant that walked with his ledger in hand. Like that, there was no way for him to be recognized as the Shield Hero.
But one of their goals here was to undercut the teachings of the Church of the Three Heroes and raise his own support. In order to do that the people had to recognize that it was the Shield Hero that had come to their aid.
Because of that, just before they left the camp, Naofumi had the Legendary Shield take on the form of the Soul Eater Shield. Several of the people watching them leave gasped.
"Is that..?"
"It couldn't be…"
"The Shield Hero..?"
Under the astonished gazes directed at them, the Shield Hero's party left for the invading forest.
After they had travelled a small distance into the forest and they were hidden from any prying eyes, Naofumi gave a sharp whistle. A Shadow in the employ of the queen appeared by their side with nary a sound, kneeling on the ground, face covered by a mask and decked out in a dark cloak.
Before they had gone their separate ways, Melty, under instructions from her mother, had introduced them to the Shadows protecting their group. They had been informed that they were allowed to make more direct use of the Shadows' services if required, which they were doing right now.
"I have confirmed the scouts' findings," the Shadow said. "There's indeed a large tree-like monster in the centre of the forest."
"Can you lead us there?" Naofumi asked, holding back his surprise. He had not had the foresight to instruct the Shadows to scout the area before they had entered the camp. He had been about to ask them to do just that, so that they could be guided where they needed to go, but apparently the Shadows had foreseen his need in advance.
"Of course," the Shadow bowed their head. It was impossible to say what gender they were. "Follow me."
The Shadow went ahead. Naofumi fired off a party invite to them. He would better be able to protect the Shadow if required if they were in his party. The invite was quietly accepted and they went ahead into the overgrown forest.
The party was silent as they advanced, walking steadily with their guard up. As they walked, the vines hanging from the trees became more and more numerous. The vines were covered with different kinds of fruits, and potatoes seemed to be growing from the roots. Said vines were twitching as they walked past them, and they kept their eyes on the vines constantly, just waiting for the other shoe to drop.
As such, when vines suddenly attacked them, they were not surprised.
"Meteor Shield."
Naofumi calmly activated the Skill, and the vines bounced off of it harmlessly. They were not getting infested by anything, not on his watch.
The vines kept attack them, however, their attack power was so low that they were not even making a dent in the integrity of the Meteor Shield. The vines were annoying, though, and there were so many vines constantly swinging for them that seeing what was ahead became difficult.
Shirou drew his Amethyst Longsword and held it at the ready.
"Hidden Light Slash."
He swung the blade in a wide arc, releasing a wide but not exceptionally strong Hidden Light Slash. It was more than strong enough to sever the vines, however, and the vines attacking them were abruptly cut in half. They continued to advance, attacking from within the Meteor Shield's protective embrace, culling the vines with every attack they made.
"Those vines can really wiggle, huh? Even if you sever them. Think they might taste good?" Filo asked the ridiculous question.
"I can't imagine they would taste good, Filo," Raphtalia said, deadpan. "Even if they did, chances are that they would infest you if you ate them."
Filo pouted.
Elrasla chuckled. She was flicking her fingers, sending out small ripples of Life Force with every flick. It wasn't so much a technique as it was pure Life Force manipulation, but it was more than enough to explode a portion out of a vine and sever them with every hit.
"Something approaches. Be ready," their Shadow guide suddenly spoke up, apparently picking up on something. The party tensed in preparation.
They came plodding out of the greenery. Dozens of them from every direction. They had the same basic form as a human with four limbs and a head, but its body was made out of conglomerated vines that were twitching and moving independently from each other, and its head was giant flower.
[PlantRiwe Lv: 28]
"They aren't high Level…" Shirou mused.
"There are a lot of them, though," Raphtalia added.
Indeed. The several dozen had multiplied to well over a hundred. There were several up in the branches of the trees as well, peering down at them, even if they had no obvious organs with which to see.
There was no signal. No shout to attack. Combat just suddenly erupted, the party attacking full force from within the Meteor Shield, the Shield Hero's party members turning to face in all directions.
The PlantRiwe rushed to engage them, but…they couldn't really close the distance.
"Shadow Sneak Blade Rush."
Shirou stabbed his own shadow, and over a dozen PlantRiwes' fell, killed immediately as the shadow-lined blades erupted out of their own shadows and extended to pierce them in either their chests or heads. As Shirou had increased his skill with the technique, he had become better able to aim where the shadow-lined blades would pierce their targets. Moreover, this was an upgraded version of the Shadow Sneak Blade technique that could manifest multiple blades at once, and could either be used to target multiple opponents or could make mincemeat out of a single enemy.
The male demi-human had to admit, he had become rather partial to this technique.
"Hidden Light Slash."
The crescent of cutting light, launched horizontally, bisected a couple PlantRiwe. The Applied Sword Magic attack had not come from Shirou, but Raphtalia. She had also begun to practice Applied Sword Magic, and similarly to Shirou, Hidden Light Slash was the first technique she had learned.
Shirou and Raphtalia shared a look and a nod, smiling. They had practiced together, and the speed at which Raphtalia had learned the technique spoke volumes.
"Hengen Musou, Hidden Technique: Bullet."
Not to be outdone, Elrasla launched a barrage of Life Force 'bullets'. Every PlantRiwe struck outright exploded, swelling up grotesquely whenever the attack struck home and detonating. Plant monsters they may be, it was still rather disturbing to see them swell up and explode.
"Faust Wind Sphere."
Filo launched the spell rapid fire, concentrated spheres of cutting wind blowing holes through the vines of the PlantRiwes' bodies. She first took out the PlantRiwes jumping down from the canopy and then turned her attention towards the PlantRiwes charging them on the ground.
Those few who managed to get into striking distance of the Meteor Shield…
"Electric Terrain," Naofumi announced, almost deadpan.
Electricity surged over the ground around the Meteor Shield, and even if they weren't flesh and blood, the electricity was still just as effective on PlantRiwe like with any other living creature. They stumbled and slowed down as the electricity invaded their bodies and started hurting them.
In the end, only a single PlantRiwe managed to reach the Meteor Shield. It punched the barrier with as much force as it could muster, but it didn't have anywhere near the strength needed to break said barrier.
Shirou unceremoniously cut it in half, slicing the PlantRiwe from head to groin.
"That was easy…" Naofumi mused. It was almost like this was an area at the beginning of a game that you skipped, then came back to later when you found out about it after the fact, only to find that you had grown so strong that the monsters' in said location were far too weak to pose a threat to you. To be blunt, the PlantRiwes were way too weak to be a true opponent for them.
Better keep their guard up, though. This unnatural forest might have a few more surprises in store for them.
Said caution was proven to be warranted, when they felt the ground shake underneath their feet and a much larger enemy appeared.
[PlantRiwe Colossus Lv: 33]
Just like its smaller brethren the Colossus was made out of vines and had a flower for a head. It stood over 9 feet tall, with the 'muscles' of its arms and legs being grotesquely outsized. Especially the arms weren't in proportion to the rest of its body. The arms had to make up half of its overall body weight, as crazy as that sounded.
There were eight PlantRiwe Colossuses coming towards them, rushing in for a frontal attack.
"Hidden Light Slash/Hidden Light Slash!" Shirou and Raphtalia shouted, mirroring each other's sword slashes as they swung.
Two crescents of cutting light rushed forward, slamming together and merging into a single far larger attack, tripling in both size and destructive cutting power. Three of the Colossuses were bisected into two neat pieces, their higher Stats and larger body mass in comparison to their smaller counterparts doing little to help them endure in the face of the destructive cutting power of the Combo Magic that Shirou and Raphtalia had just unleashed.
As far as Combo Magic went, what Shirou and Raphtalia had just done was fairly simplistic and not all that hard to do with some practice, and the results of tripling an attack's strength with combining the magic prowess of two individuals was not all that incredible as far as Combo Magic was concerned. Thanks to how strong they were at base the attack had still been far more potent than the norm, and considering that Shirou had mixed in Life Force in the final result…
The PlantRiwe Colossuses never stood a chance.
Their forays and studies into Combo Magic was still in the early stages, but it had already borne some fruit.
The five remaining PlantRiwe Colossuses continued running towards them, uncaring of the deaths of their allies. Even when a Large Calibre Piercing Bullet from Elrasla mulched another of their number, they did not falter, and it was that single mindedness, combined with their higher Stats, that allowed them to close the distance where the other smaller PlantRiwe had failed.
They raised their grotesquely outsized fists, their intentions clear.
"Air Strike Shield. Second Shield. Dritte Schield. Change Shield."
And it was Naofumi's job, as the Shield Hero, to waylay those intentions.
Just before impact, three ethereal shields manifested in front of the Meteor Shield. And just before the PlantRiwe Colossuses struck, said shields changed shape. The one on the left took the form of the Dread Wolf Lightning Crystal Shield. The one on the right took on the shape of the Two Headed Black Dog Shield. And the one in the middle took on the shape of Ghisarma Heart Shield.
The fists of the Colossuses struck, and the counter attacks triggered in response.
The PlantRiwe Colossus on the left twitched as the Dread Wolf Lightning Crystal Shield pumped thousands of volts of electricity into its twisted body, smoke starting come of its vines as the electricity cooked it. The Two PlantRiwes Colossuses that struck the central Ghisarma Heart Shield were bounced back with awesome force, the Knock Back (maximum) Special Ability sending them flying. While the twin dog heads of the Two Headed Black Dog Shield sank their fangs into the arm that had struck it, keeping the PlantRiwe Colossus from moving.
That, Naofumi had realized, was the true worth of the Two Headed Black Dog Shield. The ability to keep an enemy from moving and making them easy pickings for his allies. The same held true for the Dread Wolf Lightning Crystal Shield, though that one had the added benefit of doing a little extra damage on top of that.
"Shadow Sneak Blade Rush."
The feet of the two PlantRiwe Colossuses locked in place by the Dread Wolf Lightning Crystal Shield and the Two Headed Black Dog Shield left the ground, half a dozen shadow-lined blades erupting out of their shadows and punching through them with enough force to lift them of the ground. They writhed in place for a while, suspended above the ground and warbling in pain, until eventually going still, dead.
"Filo commands the origin of power. Filo has read, deciphered, and augmented a law of nature! Blow them all away with a raging of tornado!"
"Zweite Tornado!"
The horizontal tornado bulldozed into the two PlantRiwe Colossuses that had been knocked away, pressing them into the trees they had smashed into. The cutting winds cut through the vines making up their bodies with ease, and when the winds ceased, only chunks remained.
"Let's continue moving," Shirou said immediately. "Chances are that even more of these things will continue coming."
"He's right," Elrasla agreed. "We better keep moving or we'll get booged down."
They did just that, following behind their Shadow guide at a quick jog.
"I'm starting to see why the adventurers and the knights had trouble dealing with this," Raphtalia mused out loud.
A forest that was inherently dangerous for every other form of life. A ton of monsters of varying strength that were constantly being produced. Combine those two together and that made getting to the heart of the problem very difficult. Their party had the benefit of the Shield Hero keeping them safe from the environmental hazards, and being much stronger than most because of the Legendary Shield's Stat Growth adjustment ability and Fitoria's Blessing.
For ordinary people, this place was a death trap. For people like them, who took part in fighting back the Waves of Calamity, it was a rather familiar scenario.
As they went on ahead, the more and more enemies they encountered, but regardless of what this unnatural forest threw at them or how many tried to waylay their path, it barely slowed them down. Just like Naofumi had summarized, they were too overpowered for these opponents.
It didn't take them long to reach the centre of the forest, and what they found there was a rather peculiar sight.
Though the centre of the forest was crawling with vines, but there were no trees to be seen, creating a large clearing in the middle of the forest. This place clearly was the root of the parasitic vines littering the forest. Said clearing was crawling with monsters, mostly variants of the PlantRiwes they had already encountered, but there also appeared to be a new monster that looked like a massive pitcher plant. It had six tentacles that spat purple and probably poisonous sludge, and it's gaping maw could open up wide enough to devour a man whole.
[Mandragora Lv: 35]
Said monster was rooted in place and immobile so clearly it was more a defensive emplacement than anything else.
"!"
There was an indescribable screeching sound, coming from the lone 'tree' in centre of the clearing, and as alien as it sounded, not one of them could deny that it sounded enraged.
[Bioplant Lv: 40]
At first glance, the Bioplant appeared to be a massive tree that had sprouted in the centre of the now overgrown village. However, a closer look would reveal that its trunk and branches were made out of massive and tightly wound vines that reached towards the sky. In the so called tree's canopy, sprouting from a sickly looking flower, sat a grotesque, bloodshot eye.
As they watched, bulbous growths on its vines bulged before popping in a nauseating fashion, releasing another dozen PlantRiwe variants. Like they'd been told this place was indeed the source of the infestation
But even that didn't hold their attention for long, because-
"Meteor Spear!"
From the other end of the clearing, a coruscating lance of energy speared forwards. It came from the Spear Hero, his party arrayed behind him, having just applied a bevy of Support magic on him. Motoyasu's aim was true. The Meteor Spear soared over the horde of monstrous plants, spearing forwards quickly to strike the Bioplant in its grotesque eye, popping it like a sickening zit with an truly awful sound of gushing liquid.
The vines making up the Bioplant wriggled wildly, but taking out its eye was not enough to kill it on the spot. With another awful gushing sound, the eye reappeared, completely healed.
"That's some regeneration it's got," Shirou mused.
"I'm kind of surprised the Spear Hero and his party managed to get here," Elrasla said. After all, they didn't have the benefit of Naofumi's defensive Skills.
Naofumi, for his part, was looking intently at the just regenerated eye. "I think I just saw something like a seed in the Bioplant's eye," he commented. "I bet that if we can destroy that seed, it should kill that thing."
"It regenerates extremely quickly, though," Raphtalia said. "I don't think hitting it very hard will do the trick."
"That's not what I have in mind," Naofumi said with a confident grin, reaching into his satchel. "Filo, Raphtalia. With us three working together, this should all be over in just a moment."
Motoyasu was frustrated.
When he first came to this world, he thought he was living the dream. And he was still thinking that, but recent events had him revaluating some things.
Everything up to the first Wave had more or less gone just like he'd expected. After that, however, things had begun to diverge in directions he didn't really understand or like.
He had been defeated by Naofumi, twice, and just remembering that made him grit his teeth. The second Wave had been far more difficult than he'd thought it would be. The Soul Eater was stronger than Emerald Online had made him believe, and, even if he refused to admit it to himself, he knew deep down that it was Naofumi's party members that had carried the day. To say nothing of being one shotted by that mysterious woman Glass, but it was clear that that was a battle you were meant to lose, so he did not let it bother him much.
But this situation was an order of magnitude worse. This was purely his own fault, and all because he had simply trusted his game knowledge without verifying it first.
He was the one that had unearthed that goddamned demonic seed. He was the one who had given it to the village where he was now fighting. And it was because of him that the people were suffering, displaced from their livelihoods and their homes. It was because of him that people could potentially die, infested by a parasitic plant that was devouring them whole.
Motoyasu was the one who had caused this mess, so it was up to Motoyasu to fix it. That, however, was proving to be easier said than done.
Getting through the forest had been difficult, but doable. It had taken multiple attempts to get here, but they had succeeded nonetheless.
It was much like fighting through the horde of monsters spawned by a Wave to get to the Boss Monster. The parasitic vines had added another layer of difficulty, but a certain measure of caution and the magic prowess of his companions made it something they could deal with.
Taking out the source of the problem, however…That was proving to be a hassle and a half.
The monsters, the Bioplant included, were pretty tough, but the monster's Levels were considerably lower than his own and his companions. Taking them out wasn't all that difficult either. At least, that had been his believe until coming face to face with the Bioplant.
No matter what he did, the Bioplant regenerated absurdly quickly. It reminded him painfully of the Undead Kraken he had faced in the last Wave. Remembering that fiasco, he had tried to find another method of taking out the Bioplant, but the only thing he had been able to think up was to have his companions apply a bevy of Debuff magic to the Bioplant and to perform the most powerful Combo Skill he could, hopefully damaging the Bioplant past the point it could regenerate.
They had done just that, and it had hurt the monster, but the Bioplant had regenerated all the same, it had just taken longer.
"Zweite Hell Fire!"
"Zweite Air Shot/Zweite Air Shot!"
Myne and his other companions unleashed their magic, killing quite a few of the ever encroaching monsters and warding away the rest.
"Motoyasu-sama!" Myne looked anxious. "We can't keep this up! We have to retreat!"
She was right. They had been fighting for a while now with no progress to show for it, and while they hadn't been hurt yet, their stamina wasn't endless. At the rate they were going, they had to either take out the Bioplant or retreat in the next few minutes, otherwise they would be too exhausted to continue fighting and run the risk of being overwhelmed.
Motoyasu knew she was right. He knew it damn well, but retreating when so many people were counting on them, counting on them to solve a problem he had caused…it evoked so many negative feelings in him that he almost threw up.
"…Right," he spat, angry not with her, but with himself. His Legendary Spear changed into the Dragon Hour Glass Sand Spear and he was about to teleport them away…
"H-Huh?!"
Only to freeze as all the plant monsters suddenly stopped moving. Their 'skin' started to go brown rapidly, and they collapsed one by one like knocked over dominoes. The trees that ringed the clearing and the vines clinging to every surface rapidly withered and died, looking desiccated.
"!"
The Spear Hero's party turned to look at the Bioplant's unholy screech, and they were gobsmacked to see its eye fall out of its socket like a rotten fruit. Its 'tree' splintered and collapsed in on itself with a loud cracking sound, the Bioplant's final death throes.
"How in the hell..?" Motoyasu muttered to himself.
"Oh, wow. You're so awesome, Motoyasu-sama!" Myne enthused. "I do not know why it took so long for that ugly tree to die, but you killed it all the same. You truly are a Hero!"
Had he really? Motoyasu wasn't so sure.
His two other companions also praised him and even if he tried not to get swept up in it, their glee was so infectious that Motoyasu was about to stop questioning himself what had just happened and join in on the celebrations. However…
"Wait. Is someone there..?" Elena, another of his companions, muttered.
They turned to look at where Elena was pointing.
With a barely visible shimmer, Naofumi, Raphtalia and Filo appeared at the base of the slain Bioplant, much to their surprise. As Naofumi raised his head, the Shield Hero and Spear Hero made eye contact.
Motoyasu wasn't sure what to make of this.
"What is that filth doing here?" Myne muttered, seething.
Unknown to the Spear Hero and his party, while they had been fighting the Bioplant, Naofumi had used the distraction they had provided to quickly close the distance with Filo, and Raphtalia hid them with the use of her illusions. Even when they had been right in front of the Bioplant's grotesque eyeball, the monster had not noticed them. After that, using a single self-made herbicide, made more effective with Naofumi's Skills, was enough to fell the menace.
On a side note, all of them were quite relieved to see that the entire forest and the monsters spawned by it had died the second the Bioplant had met its end. It made things far more simple than they usually were.
Naofumi and the others approached, being joined by Shirou and his group half way as they made their way towards the Spear Hero. The Shadow, meanwhile, had disappeared, no longer needed now that their role was fulfilled.
"Good job, Motoyasu," Naofumi said, and he even meant it to a degree. With the distraction that the Spear Hero had provided, getting close to the Bioplant had been child's play. "It was criminally easy to take that thing out thanks to you."
Motoyasu's face went through several expressions. He clearly wasn't sure how to respond to honest praise from Naofumi. Instead of responding, he started asking questions. "Naofumi, what are you doing here? And what are you even talking about?"
Naofumi shrugged. "The same as you, Motoyasu. I came here to offer my services, and the people of this place asked for my help with this mess. As for what I was saying," another shrug and he raised an empty potion bottle. "Thanks to you distracting the Bioplant getting close to it and splashing some of this herbicide on it couldn't have been easier."
"Wait, that's what killed the Bioplant?" Motoyasu asked, astonished. "Is that really all that it took?"
"I have several Skills that make potions more effective-" Naofumi started to explain.
"Don't listen to the Shield, Motoyasu-sama!" Myne suddenly cut in. "He's clearly trying to take away your victory and make off with the reward! He's trying to scam us and the people!"
Motoyasu instantly started to glare, unquestioningly believing the words of his companion. His earlier thoughts of revaluating and verifying information went out the window the second Myne, his trusted companion, opened her mouth, for he would never question is companions.
That was just who he was.
"We are not trying to take away anything," Shirou responded heatedly as Naofumi had to employ an incalculable amount of restraint not to lash back out at Myne. They were trying to come to some kind of understanding with the other Heroes. Immediately devolving into a shouting match wouldn't do that goal any good, no matter how tempting it was. "Both our groups fought to end this menace, and all of us played a role. We can just share the reward and-"
"Shut your mouth you cur!" Myne barked, as if she was ordering a filthy slave.
Raphtalia immediately became incensed. "How dare you call Shirou that!" Cur was one of, maybe even the worst, slur, someone could hurl at a demi-human in Melromarc. It went without saying that quite a few nobles were quite fond of using it.
"You Bitch!" Naofumi spat, finally losing his patience at having his companion being insulted.
"I call him, and all you filth, whatever I like!" Myne sneered.
"That's right, that's right! You tell them, Myne," one other companion of the Spear Hero voiced her agreement.
"Boo! What a bunch of meanies!" Filo stuck out her tongue at the Spear Hero's party.
Elrasla kept her peace, but one could see from the tightening around her eyes and her glare that she did not appreciate what was going on. Her tightly clenched fists was another mark of her anger.
The air between the two parties of the Heroes had become incredibly tense. It wouldn't take much to light the spark of violence. Shirou, the only one that hadn't taken any offence on his behalf at being called a cur, desperately tried to think up a way to salvage the situation.
And then Myne pushed the situation past the point of possible recovery.
"You know what, you know what! I think it's the despicable Shield and his patsies fault that this place turned out like this!" Myne suddenly declared, her eyes glimmering vindictively at Naufumi. "Admit it, you no good criminal! You messed with the seed that Motoyasu-sama retrieved and gave to this village out of the goodness of his heart, so you could smear his name and then lap up the praise after 'fixing' the problem you yourself caused! You piece of-ACK!"
Myne's head snapped back, a cry of pain escaping her. She stumbled back, wide eyed, and raised a hand, wiping away a trail of blood that ran from her split lip.
"Myne!" Motoyasu cried out. "What happened?!"
"You already falsely accused Naofumi once before, I won't let you do it again," Shirou's voice had gone flat and cold.
Seen by nobody and noticed only by Elrasla, Shirou had flicked his finger, launching a small unseeable ripple of Life Force. Ever since gaining a definite sense of his Life Force, he had been training with Elrasla to increase his skill at manipulating it. One of the first steps was learning how to use Life Force offensively without loading it into a medium like a weapon or a spell prior, and just expelling it from the body in controlled bursts. The finger flick exercise was a part of that and he'd just used it in order to bring a halt to Myne's slander.
Motoyasu turned enraged eyes on Shirou, but the Naofumi cut across him before he could even open his mouth.
"Motoyasu, I will be blunt: you are weak," the Shield Hero stated without an ounce of doubt.
If doing this politely was not an option, he was just going to hammer Motoyasu with the facts and hope that he will listen to reason. If he wouldn't…well, then Naofumi had done the best that could be asked of him. Nothing more, nothing less.
Honestly, with that Bitch here, the attempt was pretty much doomed to failure, but he had to try.
"I…What?!" Motoyasu stuttered, being forced to switch gears so suddenly.
"You are weak," Naofumi reiterated.
"You…the useless Shield Hero has the gall to call Motoyasu-sama weak!?" Myne sneered at him with such revulsion that she could not have appeared uglier in that moment had she tried.
"I beat him already twice before," Naofumi took a certain amount pleasure in reminding her of that. "If I am useless and don't offer anything, then having him around would be actively detrimental and a hazard for the people actually capable of accomplishing anything." Honestly, now that he had said it, that was basically the case.
"You…" Motoyasu stepped forward, growling.
"It was my party members who defeated the Soul Eater and who kept Glass at bay," Naofumi poured fuel on the flames. "What exactly are you good for again?"
"You didn't even show up for that fight!" Motoyasu spat back. "At least I tried to do something. What were you doing? Hiding away in some hole like a coward?!"
Naofumi snorted. "The same thing as the first time I participated in a Wave in Melromarc. I was protecting the people caught in the crossfire, the ones you and the others once again left to fend for themselves. You know, the people who we are supposed to protect. You remember them?"
Motoyasu's face warped with anger, gritting his teeth. "The knights-"
"Were well over a day away!" Naofumi suddenly thundered, getting into Motoyasu's face. "Elrasla's village would have been wiped off the map if we hadn't defended it. Goddam it you fool! Are you capable of thinking more than one step ahead?! Or do you have cheese were your brain is supposed to be?!"
"A rapist has the gall to lecture me about protecting people?!" Motoyasu finally snapped.
Most would have expected Naofumi to explode as Motoyasu said that. And to be fair, a hot poker of anger flared to life in the Shield Hero's chest, but as he had been expecting for that to be brought up, he had been able to prepare himself for it. His response was straightforward and to the point.
"Of course I can lecture you about that," Naofumi shrugged nonchalantly. "After all, I have never sexually assaulted anyone much less raped them. I thought you'd have figured out by now that Myne lied. We have shoved that fact in your face plenty of times."
There was a moment of silence. Myne looked venomous, as did the other companions of the Spear Hero. Motoyasu face had gone blank, until suddenly…
"You bastard!" he suddenly lashed out. "Are you ever going to own up to your crimes?!"
The Legendary Spear snapped forwards, Motoyasu stabbing towards Naofumi's gut full force. He changed his spear into the most powerful Weapon Form he had. He was going to make the Naofumi pay!
CA-CLANG!
Only to freeze as the no damage indicator was heard. The Legendary Spear's tip was pushed up against the Shield Hero's gut, but could go no further.
Disbelief clouded Motoyasu's mind. Ever since he had been defeated by Naofumi at their battle near Riyute Village, he had been working his ass off to increase his strength, just like had sworn back then. He had further refined his Weapon Forms, unlocked as many Stat ups and Skills as he could, and had raised his Level as high as he could in the time he had. But he still, after all that effort, couldn't pierce Naofumi's Defence?
Had all the work he had been doing until now meant nothing?
"I told you, Motoyasu," Naofumi's voice pierced his disbelief. "You are weak."
"I'm not weak!" Motoyasu raged, his disbelief feeding his loathing for the man in front of him.
"Hoh? Care to prove that?" Naofumi asked with a mocking edge. "Right here, right now. I'll give you a free shot. Try and pierce my Defence. Use whatever Skill you want. Whatever help your companions can provide, I'll allow. If you can hurt me, I'll take back what I said. How about it? Deal?"
"Deal!" Motoyasu spat before anyone else could get a word in edge wise.
"Naofumi-sama, are you sure about this?" Raphtalia asked, concerned at this development.
"There's no backing out now!" Myne cut in before he could respond, looking delighted.
Naofumi snorted. "Unlike you, I am a man of my word," he said, much to Myne's outrage. "Everyone, back off. Give me your best shot, Motoyasu!"
"I will!" Motoyasu promised with conviction hardened by anger. He took a dozen steps back, raising his Legendary Spear. His party was arrayed behind him, their hands raised and glowing with the gathering of magical energy.
The Legendary Spear's tip pointed towards the sky, held at the ready.
"Zweite Fire!"
"Zweite Air Shot/Zweite Air Shot!"
Fire and two separate streams of air gathered around the tip of the Legendary Spear, creating a quickly gathering sphere of coruscating magically condensed fire, fed and made more powerful by the magic wind. Said sphere grew, then seemed to shrink in on itself, increasing the density even further in proportion to its destructive power.
However, they weren't quite finished yet.
"Zweite Power!" Myne cast on Motoyasu, raising his Attack Stat by 20%.
The two other woman of the Spear Hero's party pointed their hands at Naofumi.
"Zweite Defence Down/Zweite Defence Down!" they cast their Debuff magic on the stationary Shield Hero, lowering his Defence Stat.
Eyes widening, Raphtalia stepped forward to intervene.
Shirou's hand closing around her wrist stopped her. They shared a look and Shirou shook his head, as he mouthed two words to her: trust him. Raphtalia stepped back after a long moment, grimacing. She trusted Naofumi implicitly, of course she did, but not doing anything while all of this was going on was honestly making her feel ill.
"Take this Combo Skill and take back what you said, Naofumi!" Motoyasu declared and spun the Legendary Spear until its tip came to point at the Shield Hero's chest.
The coruscating sphere of fire pulsed threateningly as it was directed at its target.
"Air Strike Burst Flare Lance!"
Motoyasu roared like a beast as he unleashed the Combo Skill, the most powerful one in his arsenal by far. Highly condensed fire that had been gathered, collected, refined and made more powerful by the Legendary Spear shot forwards in a narrow lance, looking almost like a laser instead of a wave of fire. Its heat alone killed the grass underneath its flight path, and would likely melt through solid steel if it made direct contact.
And what did Naofumi do in the face of such an attack? He smiled a small, knowing smile. The Shield Hero didn't even bother to raise his shield.
With a thunderous crash, a flash of heat and an accompanying shockwave, the Air Strike Burst Flare Lance struck Naofumi's centre mass. The resultant explosion was so bright that everyone instinctively averted their eyes, lest they be blinded. A dust cloud kicked up by the explosion hid the final result.
Motoyasu anxiously waited for the dust to settle. Considering how obnoxiously durable Naofumi, was he very much doubted that attack had one shotted the Shield Hero, but it had to have harmed him. Motoyasu had his most powerful Weapon Form equipped, had used the most powerful attack he could perform with the aid of his allies, while his Attack Stat had been Buffed and Naofumi's Defence Stat had been Debuffed. There was no way Naofumi could come out of this unscathed…
After a long, heart stopping moment, a sudden gust of wind scattered the dust cloud, revealing the result of the Spear Hero and his party's efforts for all to see.
"Impossible…" Motoyasu whispered, looking on the verge of despair.
Naofumi's smile widened mockingly in the face of said despair. The Shield Hero was totally unharmed with not even a hair on his head out of place. His armor wasn't even scorched.
Myne had gone completely silent, struck dumb while she had been jubilant just moments before.
In the face of Naofumi's mocking smile, Motoyasu finally snapped.
"HOW?!" he thundered. "How are you so strong?! Why can't I match you?! What are you doing that I am not?! How can thrash like you-"
Motoyasu's rant came to an abrupt end when he felt something smack into his breastplate, which then fell to the ground with a thud. The Spear Hero looked down, and he saw a small thin book laying on the ground in front of his feet.
"Everything that you want to know is in that book," Naofumi said. Every Strengthening Method his group was aware of and every trick regarding the Legendary Weapons and their functions he knew was written down on the pages of that innocuous looking book. With a little luck this little display might enrage/goad Motoyasu to the point that he would, and more importantly, could make use of everything that was written down in there. Only time would tell.
Motoyasu looked back up, face still filled with anger, but the Shield Hero had by then turned his back on the Spear Hero.
"Come on, guys," Naofumi said, addressing his party. "There's still plenty of materials to collect here. Might as well make this excursion worth our time."
As the Shield Hero headed towards the remains of the Bioplant, Motoyasu looked down at the book on the ground with a complicated expression. Unseen by him, his party members gave him judging looks behind his back. When Naofumi looked over his shoulder back at Motoyasu, it was to find that him and his party had vanished, obviously having teleported away.
The book had disappeared with them.
Hey, guys. Another chapter for you. As you might have noticed, I have incorporated a few more of the Strengthening Methods in this chapter, more specifically those I had hadn't been aware of from the Legendary Sword, Legendary Spear and Legendary Bow. I have updated the earlier chapters to incorporate these Strengthening Methods. Nothing story wise has changed because of this, and I assure you that the story remains internally consistent with the Strengthening Methods.
If you want a conclusive overview of all the known Strengthening Methods so far and how they work, there is a list of them on my profile. This also includes a list of powers and abilities that the main cast has.
