Sword and Shield

Civil War 4

About a week earlier, on the eve of civil war.

A golden goblet felt to the polished marble floor with a crash. The dark red wine that spilled from it and slowly spread across the ground looked nothing less than blood.

"You haven't found anything?!"

Aultcray, king of Melromarc, looked apoplectic, a tinge of terrible desperation coloring his rage filled words. The man was sat upon his throne, hand clenched into a fist and hunched forward towards the messenger of bad news as the veins on his temple throbbed visibly from his anger.

"I do not, your majesty. My deepest apologies."

In spite of his liege's anger, the person receiving the dressing down responded calmly. Said person was kneeling on the floor, his masked face lowered deferentially to the ground. The Shadow in the employ of the king was in stark contrast compared to the emotional monarch.

Said emotional king's face twisted even more at the response. Usually, he could appreciate the downright dispassionate manner in which Shadows reported information, but now, it only stoked the embers of his fury.

However, as soon as said fury exploded into a raging bonfire, it was doused just as quickly by a deep sense of loss.

"Melty…"

The name of his missing daughter slipped from the king's lips as he collapsed back into his throne, as all his energy all of a sudden seemed to leave him. Aultcray placed his hand in front of his face in an effort to deny the tears stinging at the edges of his eyes.

Meanwhile, the Shadow, now no longer needed, had disappeared.

"Don't worry, papa. We will save my darling little sister."

"Myne is right, father-in-law. We will save her, no matter what."

At those words, the king removed the hand from his face and looked towards the side. There, his eldest and the Spear Hero were standing at attention. Behind them, in the shadows, stood the rest of the Spear Hero's party. In contrast to their encouraging words, their expressions were grim.

The reason why was self-evident. Less than a day ago, the Shield Hero had infiltrated the castle, killed the guards protecting the king's youngest, and kidnapped her. Naturally, the city had been placed under lockdown and the king's Shadows had been deployed en masse. All to no avail, however. Melty had disappeared.

As they had no leads, they didn't even have an inkling where to start searching for her, either. And as there was no way to know what the Shield Hero was doing to Melty or even what he wanted her for in the first place…calling the situation grim was only appropriate.

"…While I would like to believe your words," Aultcray said in a haunted whisper. "All of us are aware that we have no leads, no ideas and no inkling on how to proceed from here."

"If I may, your majesty," his Advisor, an old friend of the king, said after a moment of silence.

The Advisor in question stepped out of the shadows of the throne. The man in question was old, older than the king by at least a decade or two. Though decked out in a luxurious robe, his wizened, deeply wrinkled face that bore hard blue eyes and a long white beard drew in all attention. Equally white, but still full and long hair was draped down his hunched back. A gnarled looking cane helped the elderly Advisor remain upright.

"The next Wave of Calamity will strike Melromarc in less than two weeks," the Advisor offered his wizened council.

The Spear Hero's eyes lit up. "And once it does…"

"…The Devil of the Shield, no matter where he has hidden himself away, will be dragged out into the open for all to see," the Advisor nodded in agreement with Motoyasu.

Myne smiled a small smile, taking a concerted effort to only show a pleased expression instead of malicious glee. "And excellent opportunity to strike down that foul piece of trash. And to rescue my darling little sister, of course."

"That still gives that devil plenty of time to do whatever he wants to Melty," Aultcray's lips pulled back in an angry snarl.

"That's unfortunately true. However, your majesty, it's obvious that the Devil of the Shield wants to use princess Melty for something, probably as a bargaining chip. Considering that, it's rather unlikely for princess Melty to be killed," the Advisor soothed his liege.

"Take heart, papa," Myne added on after. "Though that filth his grown bold enough to do something as reprehensible as to kidnap my poor little sister, he has already faced justice at our hands once before. That time, his life was spared because he is a Hero. That filth probably thinks the same thing will happen now so long as he doesn't do anything irreversible. If he didn't, he wouldn't have been stupid enough to kidnap Melty knowing that the coming Wave would force a confrontation anyhow."

Myne spouted that nonsense with a perfectly straight face. Though she didn't know much, she knew more than anyone else in the room about the situation. Moreover, saving her sister…wasn't really on her mind right now, but she didn't mind giving her father some false encouragement.

Beside her, Motoyasu was frowning. "Alright, we now have a plan of action, but facing Naofumi in the middle of a Wave…that will complicate everything…"

"Thankfully, with the newly discovered Battle Formations function that Hero's possess, we can bring along a massive amount of troops when the Wave hits," Aultcray said, having relaxed marginally. "I'll mobilize the cream of the crop of Melromarc's army. They'll both suppress the Wave and aid in bringing down that devil. The other Heroes will be called on to render their aid as well, of course," at that, the king turned towards the old Advisor. "Where are the Sword Hero and Bow Hero?"

"The Sword Hero is in the Khoth Region, your majesty, though his exact location is not known at this time," the Advisor said, stroking his beard. "However, it was reported a short while ago by the city watch that the Bow Hero is making his way to the castle as we speak under escort of church forces. I can only assume he has been informed of the situation."

The discussion continued in that vain. Not long after that, with the low groaning sound of the large doors of the throne room swinging open, the Bow Hero was ushered into the room.

Aultcray idly noted that none of the Bow Hero's companions were accompanying him like usual. Instead, Biscas T Balmus, the pope of the Church of the Three Heroes was with Itsuki. A sizable troop of church forces, mostly priest and nuns, followed in their wake.

The king found this all rather stranger, but he quickly dismissed this from his mind. He had far more important issues on his plate.

"Ah, sir Itsuki, the Bow Hero, and Biscas, the pope of the Church of the Three Heroes," he said. "Usually, I'd welcome you both with a bit more grace. But the situation won't allow for that. Are you two aware of what has transpired?"

"Yes…that scourge, Naofumi…has once again displayed his villainy for all to see," Itsuki said quietly. He looked at the king with calm, empty eyes, almost to the point of being glazed, as if he was staring through the ruler of the nation instead of at him.

"Correct. He has kidnapped my youngest, and he has once again crossed a line that I cannot, will not, forgive," Aultcray sneered. "The Shield Hero-"

"Will…be put to…to death. He…must…die…" Itsuki started mumbling beneath his breath. However, with the acoustics of the throne room, everyone heard it regardless.

"Indeed," Aultcray agreed, holding back a frown at the Bow Hero talking over him. If the one doing it hadn't been a Hero, interrupting a him, a king, could have had serious consequences. "Unfortunately, we have been unable to ascertain where the Devil of the Shield has absconded to, and I'm-"

"Ineffective…"

"-afraid that-"

"Weak willed…"

"-as things stand-"

"Misguided…"

Aultcray's mouth closed with an audible sound, cutting off his sentence, and a stormy look passed over his face as Itsuki's mumbled words drifted through the throne room.

"Motoyasu-sama, is the Bow Hero alright?" Myne found herself asking in spite of herself.

"…Something's off," Motoyasu said, clearly perplexed by how Itsuki was acting.

Behind them, the rest of the Spear Hero's women were talking amongst themselves and shooting the Bow Hero unpleasant looks.

Bang! The fist of the king came down on the armrest of his throne. The noise reverberated throughout the entirety of the room and echoed back in on itself, making the Bow Hero twitch where he stood but eliciting no further reaction. Aultcray leaned forwards in his throne, a thunderous scowl marring his face as he made direct eye contact with Itsuki.

"Sir Bow Hero," the king said, voice low and dangerous. "Do you have something you want to say to me? If you do, please speak up. If you have any complaints about me, than say so to my face and not underneath your breath. Acting like this should be beneath a Hero, no?"

At this point, the Advisor stepped forwards. His gnarled cane down on the marble floor with a stark noise that drew all attention towards him.

"Repudiations aimed at the king?" the Advisor rumbled disapprovingly. "And such harsh ones at that. A Hero you may be, but what gives you the right to do such a thing? What great accolades have you achieved since coming to this world that grants your words enough weight? I dare say that you, of all the true Heroes summoned, are by far the least acclaimed-"

Ba-Bump!

With shocking suddenness, Itsuki's eyes swiveled in their sockets. His no longer empty gaze came to rest on the Advisor as a vicious glint entered his eyes. His lips pulled up in a sharp grin. As if a switch had been flipped, the Bow Hero became far more animated, in a very disturbing way at that.

The Advisor felt his heart skip a beat, and the rest of his words died in his throat, never to be uttered.

"Hehe," Itsuki led out an eerie chuckle. "Of course. Of course! I have taken great pains to act like a Hero of Justice. To remain in the shadows and enact justice. I've done many great deeds, protected a lot of people, and punished the wicked!"

"Seize your boasting!" the Advisor's sudden fear vanished in the outrage evoked in him by the Bow Hero's unearned gloating.

"That was my mistake!" Itsuki voice rose to a fever pitch, speaking over the outraged Advisor. "Because I have always worked in the shadows, no one knows all that I have achieved nor how great I am! All of you! Nobody! Nobody understands and appreciates me!"

"Itsuki, what are you..!" Motoyasu felt as if a black hole had opened up in the pit of his stomach.

"But my efforts have been awarded nonetheless!" Itsuki drew the Legendary Bow from his back, and an arrow of energy manifested as he drew back the bowstring. "Because now I have this! This bow of supreme justice that can make people understand me and see my point of view!"

For Motoyasu, the world seemed to freeze. Adrenaline surged in the veins of the Spear Hero, slowing down time from his perspective for a critical moment.

Itsuki, facing the throne with the Legendary Bow aimed at the Advisor, who's face had drawn back in terror. The king was in the midst of surging from his seat. The guards lining the walls of the room were caught off guard like the rest of them, with precious few of them reaching for their swords and starting forwards.

But none of that is what dominated Motoyasu's attention. No, the first thing that Motoyasu noticed was the twisted form of Itsuki's bow: shaped in the form of an angel's wings with distinctive demonic elements and irregular spikes.

And the second thing that the Spear Hero noticed? The fact that the pope nor his retinue were in any way surprised or flabbergasted by this sudden turn of events. They continued to stare ahead, an odd glint in their eyes.

Then, the moment passed, and time resumed its march onwards.

TWANG!

With the sound of the bowstring being released, the energy arrow exploded forwards. At this distance, there was virtually no time between release and impact. Just a blink later and the energy shaped into the form of arrow had struck the Advisor in the shoulder.

The elderly man toppled backwards. He went down with a sharp cry of pain.

And then things got quite…chaotic.

The massive door to their backs slammed open and a large cadre of castle knights surged in, alerted to the threat and ready to do their duty to protect king and country. Smaller side doors were similarly thrown open, admitting ever more knights. In one breath to the next, the throne room was teeming with knights.

Hero though he was, Itsuki was alone, with even his party absent. With being indoors and outnumbered in the extreme, that should have been all she wrote. Or, at least, to those misinformed of the situation, Itsuki appeared to be alone.

Motoyasu had the terrible suspicion that Itsuki was anything but alone.

"Everyone, protect our Hero!"

A suspicion that was proven true when the pope, Biscas T. Balmus, give that order.

C-CLAP!

The pope and his followers clapped their hands together, as if an a mass prayer to divinity.

"High Level Ceremonial Magic: Castle Wall!"

Acting in unison, motes of golden magical energy drifted up out of the faithful. Just as the knights got close, they ran into and were bounced back by a swiftly manifesting wall, an hexagonal barrier with a lot of complex geometrical patterns on it.

This barrier enveloped Itsuki, Biscas, and the faithful, protecting them all.

TWANG!

Itsuki changed target and fired off another arrow, this time at the flummoxed looking king.

"Father-in-law!"

Motoyasu was finally shocked into action. He leapt forwards, taking full advantage of his Speed Stat, his highest Stat by far. He appeared in front of the king, his back to the oncoming arrow. Thankfully, his speed gave him enough time to counter.

"Spear Swing!"

Turning around, the Spear Hero gripped the Legendary Spear lower down on the shaft and swung the weapon in a wide arc at the incoming arrow. The Legendary Spear glowed a dull red as the Skill elevated his Attack Stat.

BOOM!

The empowered spear tip and arrow shaped energy met, resulting in an explosion that sent the wind whipping throughout the room. A large cloud of smoke hid the final results of the clash.

"Papa! Motoyasu-sama!" Myne scrambled over towards them, the rest of the Spear Hero's party following in her wake. The blind panic resulting from this unfathomable turn of events was clear to see in all of their expressions.

"Itsuki, what the hell man!? Have you gone mad!?"

Motoyasu's scream echoed through the room. The smoke hiding him from view quickly dissipated, allowing everyone to see the Spear Hero, who's face had gone pale with anger. He bared his teeth at the Bow Hero in a threatening snarl.

Itsuki barely seemed to notice. He merely cocked his head at Motoyasu.

"Mad? Me?" the Bow Hero let out another eerie chuckle. "Me, mad? Haha! No, Motoyasu, I'm not mad at all. In fact, having had the world's injustices and cruelties shoved into my face again and again has opened my eyes! I'm the only one that sees clearly! I'm the only one that sees clearly! Don't I?!"

"Yes! Our Hero has the clearest vision of all! A vision of justice!" Biscas supported Itsuki without any apparent hesitation. The rest of the faithful echoed him, agreeing with Biscas and shouting words of praise about Itsuki.

"Biscas!" the king thundered. "What is the meaning of this!?"

"A changing of the guard, old friend."

Aultcray's mouth became grim line as those words reached his ears. "You…your goal is to depose me and take my place as the ruler of this nation?"

"Depose you? Yes. Take your place? Perish the thought," Biscas smiled. "A mere pope has no business leading a nation. No, a true Hero of justice is much more suited to such a role. I'll admit, I at first had aspirations of taking over this country, but…sir Itsuki has shown me the way! He is far more suited than I! Sir Itsuki will ascend to the throne and through his grand designs will change this nation into a country that pursues justice above all!"

Aultcray was at a loss for words. What Biscas was saying…there was no doubt, no hesitation, not an iota of thought of what could go wrong. Biscas meant everything he was saying.

The dim eyes of the faithful lit up at their pope's words.

"For sir Itsuki!"

"For justice!"

"For the one true Hero!"

The faithful chanted their support for the Bow Hero. As they did, Itsuki's smile became progressively wider and more deranged.

"You've gone mad. Every single one of you," the king said as the chanting died down.

"Have we? Have we truly?" Itsuki shook his head, then looked to the side of Aultcray. "Sir Advisor, what are your thoughts? Have we gone made, you reckon?"

"No."

The elderly Advisor clambered back to his feet. Blood dripped freely from his shoulder, where the energy arrow had lodged itself in his body. There it remained, stuck inside of the flesh and bone of the elderly Advisor, but it appeared to bother him none as he got up. Even his cane laid discarded.

The Advisor threw his arms wide to the air, as if he had just had a divine revelation.

"Of course you haven't gone made, sir Itsuki!" he cried. "I see it! I see it clearly! The goal you strive for! The justice that you seek! It's not mad! It's beautiful beyond words! I herby pledge myself to your cause!"

"What!?" Aultcray shouted, eyes wide in disbelief.

"Your majesty, I implore you, please step aside for sir Itsuki," the Advisor turned wide, wild eyes towards the king. "Your time has passed. The time of the royal family has passed! For the tumultuous times ahead, we need a Hero of sir Itsuki's caliber to lead the way!"

Aultcray's knuckles popped as he clenched his fists tight. In a moment of clarity, a startling realization came over him.

"Brainwashing," he spat. "That twisted weapon…it's power is brainwashing anyone it hits!"

Motoyasu's swallowed thickly. The odd gazes and mannerisms of the Advisor and the faithful, the pope included, suddenly made a lot more sense.

"Brainwashing? Nonsense!" Itsuki's sharp grin widened to an eerie degree. "This bow makes people understand me. To see my point of view!"

"That's the very definition of brainwashing, you dumbass!" Myne screamed from the relative safety of Motoyasu's back.

Again, Itsuki merely chuckled at that rejoinder, as if Myne's words were preposterous.

Aultcray's eyes darted in their sockets, taking in the scene in an instant. His heart stilled, and in the back of his mind, his long since disused battle instincts were starting to roar to life. Unfortunately for him, there was not enough time to get rid of all the rust.

A blink later and the Legendary Bow was pointed towards the ceiling.

"Stop him!" Aultcray thundered.

However, there was little to no time to react. More importantly, with the Castle Wall barrier up, they could not have gotten in time to Itsuki anyway.

"Arrow Rain!"

The single arrow fired skyward split into dozens, and before those arrows could bury themselves into the ceiling, they made unnaturally sharp turns, raining down all over the throne room.

"Dritte Light Shield!"

Calling on reflexes he had long since thought lost to him, Aultcray deployed a third tier spell. A barrier of hardened light sprang into existence, protecting himself, his eldest, the Spear Hero and the rest of their party. Arrows rained down on the barrier, making it ring like a temple bell, but the barrier held.

But no one else was protected.

The room was packed with knights. Some of them managed to dodge or deflect the downpour of arrows, but in the crammed full room, most of them didn't stand a chance in hell. Many knights went down, arrows having punched through their armor and lodged into their bodies.

Aultcray felt his throat go dry at what that meant.

The stricken knights surged back to their feet, unheeding of the energy arrows piercing them and the blood dripping down their bodies. With their minds no longer their own and their loyalty no longer with king and country, they raised their voices in rebellion and turned their blades on the few knights that had managed to escape being struck.

With one Skill, the advantage in numbers had decisively shifted to Itsuki.

"Sir Spear Hero! Teleport us out of here!" Aultcray shouted.

Many of the brainwashed knights had already turned towards them, blades bared.

"What!? We can't just abandon everyone here!"

"We must! Their minds are no long their own!" the king's point was underscored as several deranged looking knights began surging towards them. "It's either that or kill them all in self-defense, if we even can, outnumbered and outgunned as we are! Teleport us, now!"

"You lot aren't going anywhere!" Itsuki thundered before Motoyasu could even begin to decide. He pulled back the bowstring and manifested another arrow. "Eagle Piercing Shot!"

"Sir Spear Hero!"

"…Fine!" Motoyasu spat, looking stricken. He raised the Legendary Spear and shouted, "Portal Spear!"

There was a flash of light. As soon as it dissipated, Motoyasu, Aultcray, Myne and the rest of the Spear Hero's party had disappeared, avoiding Ituski's Eagle Piercing Shot just in the nick of time and leaving the unfolding madness of the throne room behind.

Barely a second later, on the rolling grass fields just outside of Castle Town, light twisted and warped. It stopped as soon as it began, having deposited the Spear Hero and his passengers.

Without delay Aultcray made for the city. "Hurry! We've got warn everyone and to mobilize the city watch!"

"Y-Yes," Motoyasu stammered, not quite as quick to switch gears as the king.

"What an annoyance!" Myne shouted as she ran after her father and Motoyasu, the rest of the party following behind her.

They ran for Castle Town. Luckily, it didn't take them long to reach the city gates. They bypassed the line waiting for inspection and admittance into the city and went right for the guards manning the gates.

"What ar-your majesty!?" the guard that first saw them started towards them, only to freeze and stand up straight as he realized who had suddenly appeared.

The line of travelers and merchants turned to look at the unfolding spectacle.

More guards appeared from the outhouse beside the gate, where they were stationed. In no time at all half a dozen guards were stood before the king.

"This is a call to arms!"

Before, the guard's faces displayed shock at the king's appearance. Now, it had turned to abject alarm.

"The Bow Hero has gone mad and attacked me in the throne room!" Aultcray piled on. "Moreover, he has attained a most foul weapon that allows him to bewitch anyone he strikes! As the pope aided him in the attack upon my person, we can only assumed that the top brass of the Church of the Three Heroes has been compromised! Take this message to your commanders and to the head of the city watch! Have them mobilize every soldier in the city!"

For a moment, the guards stood stock still, their eyes wide and faces pale. Behind the king, the travelers and merchants were whispering words between them of disbelief. The king, however, paid them little mind.

"What are you lot waiting for!?" Aultcray shouted as the guards failed to move for a critical moment. "This is a do or die situation! If we don't act swiftly, Castle Town might well be brought to ruin! Now go!"

"Y-yes sir!" the guards saluted and ran of into the city to do as ordered.

With that done, Aultcray turned towards the travelers and merchants. "I presume you all just heard me. For your own safety, I'd advise you to remain outside the city limits."

Having said that, the king marched into Castle Town with a purpose in his step.

As Motoyasu followed behind, he was mumbling to himself, "Man, Itsuki must have hit one damn of switch."

Myne, in the privacy of her mind, agreed. In all her life, she had never seen her father act like this.


As it was the capital city of Melromarc, the city square of Castle Town was grand in scope and design, with a large fountain that dominated the space and large, square blocks making up the floor. Said city square was the scene of a grand mobilization of the city's defenders.

Well over 3000 men had gathered already, and more were continuing to arrive.

Unfortunately, they could not wait for the full host of their forces to make an appearance. With every second wasted, it gave Itsuki more time with his brainwashing weapon to swell his own forces. The king had held off as long he could stomach, but something in his gut was telling him that that they had to act as quickly as possible. Aultcray stood facing the assembled forces on a raised platform and used a wordless spell to raise his voice above the clamor.

Beside him, Motoyasu watched on as Aultcray addressed the troops.

"I won't bother with a long speech!" the king boomed. As soon as he said that, every soldier fell silent and turned their attention to Aultcray. "By all rights, your commanders should have informed every single one of you of the situation on hand! On the off chance that they haven't, I will go over it in brief!"

"The Bow Hero has gone mad!" Aultcray vocalized words that, if they came from almost anyone else, would have gotten them declared heretics. "He turned his bow on me! He has betrayed this country! And he has attained the power to brainwash anyone struck by his arrows! The upper crust of the Church of the Three Heroes has been compromised!"

The declarations made many of the people swallow in dread. In the ensuing silence one could hear a pin drop.

"Scouts have reported that the Bow Hero and his forces have further fortified the castle and its surrounding grounds!" the king continued. "We can only assume that everyone inside has been lost to us! Though we may yet save them by defeating the Bow Hero!"

"We march on the castle! We will press in from every direction and flush out the Bow Hero!" Aultcray added. "Once the Bow Hero is out in the open, do not engage! Leave him to me and the Spear hero! Is that clear!?"

"Yes, your majesty!" the several thousand strong host of men chorused.

"Good! Now-"

BOOM!

Far off in the distance, in the direction of the occupied castle, a hollow explosion resounded across Castle Town. Turning to look, the entire force could see a massive plum of smoke slowly rising up and out of the central watchtower, the highest point available in the entirety of the city.

Motoyasu was one of the people watching. Deep in his gut, the weight of an awful premonition took hold.

"Move!" Aultcray had the same idea, going by his alarmed expression. "Break up into squads and-"

A faint light could be seen shooting out of the smoke, heading straight towards them in an arc, flying high over the roofs of the city's buildings. The light was but a pinprick in the distance, even as it left the smoke, and even at the clearly apparent terrific speed it was traveling, it hardly inspired terror at first blush.

Then that pinprick of light became two pinpricks of light.

Which then became four.

Followed by eight.

Doubling into sixteen.

Thirty-two.

The pinpricks of light doubled again and again, swelling in number massively in the span of a few short heartbeats. One had became a thousand. Another heartbeat later and it had become painfully obvious just what these pinpricks of light were: arrows, fired from the Legendary Bow.

A thousand arrows now bore down on them, threatening to end the fight before it even began.

"-Charge!" the king finished. "Don't bunch up and don't allow yourself to be hit! Move! This nation and your own minds depend on it!"

Before Aultcray had even finished speaking, the city's defenders had already begun to do as ordered. They did not do so in a straight line, nor as a single unified force. Like ordered, they broke up into the squads they had been organized into, then a grouping of squads would take one of the exceptionally wide roads leading to and from the city square. The city's defenders would take any all paths through the city that led to the castle, after which they would besiege it.

RUMBLE!-WHISTLE!

The pounding of their collective feet could be felt in one's bones, but it wasn't long before the whistling sound of a thousand arrows slicing through the air eclipsed it.

"Follow me!" Aultcray ordered Motoyasu, Myne, the other women of the Spear Hero's party and the elite troops he'd personally appointed to accompany him in this battle. All told, their squad consisted of a little over thirty people. "I know a well hidden path that will lead us straight to the castle!"

"Sounds good, father-in-law, but I think we have bigger concerns!"

Overhead, the deluge of arrows was closing in fast. So fast in fact that they didn't have the necessary time to get to the relative safety of the cover provided by the buildings. Whatever Skill Itsuki had used, the speed of the resulting arrows was nothing to scoff at. And because of that, and because they had dallied a bit too long, they were right in the line of fire.

They weren't the only ones, either. Quite a few squads were in a similar predicament.

"Dritte Light Shield!"

Without a change in his expression, Aultcray used the same spell he had used in the throne room to defend them. The barrier of hardened light manifested overhead, and the arrows bounced off of it without much effect. Numerous though they were, it was obvious that said arrows were not all that powerful.

"That's my papa!" Myne praised.

Behind them, however, not all the other squads were as lucky. Some managed to dodge the barrage or do the same as the king, but other squads were swallowed whole by the rain of arrows. After which, in spite of their injuries, the stricken soldiers would invariably turn on their former comrades. A blink later, and several fights had broken out.

"Let's go!" the king took off, his retinue following behind him and leaving the chaos of the city square behind. They disappeared into an inconspicuous looking alley between buildings.

The path of said alley, like the king had said, would lead directly to the castle. It wasn't all that wide, however, having just enough room for two and a half men to walk side by side. The alley wound back and forth in between the buildings. The tight confines and high walls of the buildings cast everything in dark shadows, which, combined with how inconspicuous it was, would hopefully get them right up to the castle without being noticed.

"…"

The squad was silent as they ran through the alley, following its winding path. The fact that no noise could be heard in the usually bustling city, in spite of the situation and all the people calling the place home, was unnerving.

"..!"

Sounds of surprise were let out as a sudden harsh light briefly lit up the thin sliver of sky they could see inside of the alley. The sound of building and surging energy in the distance could then be heard, which was followed by-

BOOM!

- an explosion which made the ground underneath their feet shudder.

The spectacle continued, several flashes of light illuminating the sky followed by harsh explosions.

"What the hell is that ruckus!?" Motoyasu demanded to know, his feet still pounding the pavement.

Aultcray's face had gone pale with anger. "A Ceremonial Magic spell," he spat. He had recognized the signs of the spell immediately. "Judgement. An ultra-destructive and long range spell usually used only during large scale battles in wars. For the mages of the Church of the Three Heroes, it's a staple."

BOOM!

"Then those explosions…"

"Most likely, they are bombarding the other squads that are on the main roads," one of the soldiers accompanying them growled. "And the city along with it!"

A grim silence settled on the squad. They had known that the situation was dire, but not one of them had suspected the sheer lengths that the opposition was willing to go to, just how low they would sink. To bombard the city itself…casualties would be enormous, and civilian casualties at that.

Aultcray and Motoyasu shared a glance as they ran, expressions angered.

They continued to rush ahead.


In the shadows of the castle, a fierce battle was raging.

The ramparts were manned with brainwashed knights, priests and nuns. On the large open grounds outside the walls, city soldiers, protected by earthen walls magicked into existence and barriers, were exchanging arrow and spell fire with those no longer of sound mind.

Craters dotted the ground. Cracks and scorch marks littered the castle wall. Blood and bodies were strewn everywhere.

And the main gate had been blown of its hinges not long ago by Ceremonial Magic.

However, that was not to say that the battle was going well.

Aultcray took in the scene with mounting frustration and dread.

Before the battle had even been joined in earnest, they had lost over 500 of their number to targeted Judgement bombardment. Those men, vulnerable and exposed on the main roads, had been incinerated.

Thankfully, the enemy had refrained from using that spell since. Indiscriminate though they were, they weren't willing to potentially kill their own men by using such destructive magic in relative close range.

They'd still held the numerical advantage after that, outnumbering the enemy by over five to one. But they were on offence while the enemy was on defense, which negated the advantage of numbers a little. This was on top of the fact that Castletown's castle was a supremely defensible position.

But the worst part-

WHISTLE! WHISTLE! WHISTLE! WHISTLE! WHISTLE!

Were the mass formations of energy arrows raining down from the large central watchtower in an constant rhythm. A single hit from one of those arrows would turn friend into foe. Because of this, he had no other choice but to order nearly every mage in their forces to focus on defense, using barriers as liberally as possible, to protect them.

This, in turn, weakened their offensive pushing power by a lot.

And even then, a single slip up would birth a traitor in their midst. Those 'traitors' would then have to be restrained, or worse, lowering their numbers even more.

The battle had dragged on in that vain for a little while, with their numbers continuing to drop due to injury, death or brainwashing. They only started to make some progress when Aultcray coordinated a small cadre of mages, while the Spear Hero and his party protected them, in launching an Ceremonial Magic Spell of their own, that they had managed to break down the main gates.

With a force of will, Aultcray stamped down on the feelings of frustration and raised his voice.

"Charge! Through the gate! As long as we can get to the Bow Hero, victory is ours!" the king's voice boomed loud and clear. "Mages, protect us with everything you have!"

Barrier spells were deployed en masse and grouped much closer together then before as the entirety of their forces rushed forwards, creating an overhead dome protecting them all. The volleys of arrows that Itsuki was firing bounced off it like droplets of rain in a thunderstorm against a tiled roof.

Arrows and spells fired off by Itsuki's forces on the ramparts were similarly blocked.

As one, the formation rushed towards the broken gates of the castle.

But just as the first forward units were about to cross the threshold into the castle proper-

"Brionac!"

A harsh light shone through the gap in the wall.

"That's a Skill name!" Motoyasu gasped. "From the Legendary Spear!"

"Abort! Dodge!" Aultcray switched track immediately.

The forward units did as order, leaping sidewards and away from the broken down gates.

Unfortunately, not all of them were fast enough.

A beam of golden energy, as wide and tall as a small bus, roared out from the castle grounds proper. The remains of the gate were caught up in it and incinerated into ash. Those soldiers not possessing the swiftness to dodge in time shared a similar fate: just ashes in the wind.

The beam continued on ahead, heading directly for the Aultcray, Motoyasu and his party.

"Burst Lance!" the Spear Hero, having little time to react, acted without prompting and launched a quick Skill of his own. Red energy gathered at the tip of the Legendary Spear, and when he stabbed it forwards, the red energy rocketed forwards in the form of a beam of his own.

"Move!" Motoyasu thundered as soon as he had finished doing that. He knew about Brionac. It was a high level Skill belonging to the Legendary Spear, one he himself could attain at a much higher Level. Burst Lance, in comparison, was nothing. There was no way that Burst Lance would deflect Brionac.

What it did, however, was halt it for a crucial second. The two beams collided, gold against red, and a moment later, the smaller red beam was swallowed up by the gold.

But it had bought them just enough time to dodge. They threw themselves to the side, rolling along the ground. The golden beam of Brionac roared past. The wind screeched in their ears and they could feel the sheer heat emanating off of it, that's how close it was.

When it ended, a large, steaming furrow had been blasted into the stone slabs of the ground. Anyone caught up in it had been killed on contact.

"Dritte Light Shield!"

The king coughed harshly, the wind knocked out of him, but he did not allow that to slow him down. Above them, a barrier of hardened light manifested once again.

And it was good that it did. Due to either magical backlash, loss of focus or death of the casters, quite a few of the overhead barriers that had been protecting them earlier had vanished. If it wasn't for Aultcray's quick reaction, the next volley of Itsuki's arrows would have hit them and stolen away their minds.

However, not all of their forces were as fortunate. Some casters managed to protect themselves and the men around them, and others simply had the good fortune to not be in spots where the arrows came down, but a good chunk of their forces had went down with mind warping arrows stuck inside of their bodies.

"Good. Very good. Everyone, rejoice! This is as god intended!"

Biscas T. Balmus came striding out of the castle grounds, his feet padding over the eviscerated earth. Behind him followed a retinue of priests and nuns who had already deployed the Ceremonial Magic Castle Wall around them, enclosing them in what appeared to be a holy structure.

And in the pope's hands…

"That's…" Aultcray swallowed thickly.

…Was a doubled edged, golden sword that had a pure white edge. A deep blue jewel sat in the hilt of the blade, giving off an eerie glow.

Motoyasu blinked. He couldn't be sure, not having actually seen the Brionac Skill being unleashed, but the only thing that seemed plausible to him was, as crazy as it sounded, that it was that sword that had given the pope the ability to use said Skill.

But that couldn't be right, could it? A sword releasing a Skill of the Legendary Spear?

"How did you get your hands on that?!" the king demanded to know. "It was lost centuries ago!"

"Why, one of my illustrious predecessor spirited this Legendary Weapon Replica away at an opportune moment, of course," Biscas said airily. "To be used on a rainy day of great need! That day has now come! This holy weapon will be used to wrench open a path for sir Itsuki and his justice!"

Having said that, Biscas lifted up his weapon, the so called Legendary Weapon Replica. As soon as he did that, it glowed and changed shape, taking on the form of a bow.

The bowstring was pulled taut with a clear noise. Just like the Legendary Bow, an energy arrow came into being, nocked and ready.

"…Retreat!" Aultcray spat. "We can't win! Not with that weapon in the enemy's hands! The odds are stacked too much against us!"

This time, Motoyasu spoke nothing to the contrary. With a resigned expression, the Spear Hero made ready to leave. Or, to be more precise, run away with his tail in between his legs. Again.

"All of you are not going anywhere!" Biscas decided. "Arrow Rain!"

TWANG!

The single arrow became dozens, soaring towards them like an oncoming wall of death.

Up above, another deluge of mind warping arrows came down like artillery.

Spells and even more errant arrows came from many different angles, the regular forces under the command of the Bow Hero lending their weight to the assault. Former allies, now under the control of the enemy's twisted sway, bared their blades towards them.

"..!" with a noise of pure frustration and hate, the king began the withdrawal.

But, as arrows rained down all around them, as spells of every stripe nipped at their heels, and ever more former allies turned on them, the truth became painfully clear.

This wasn't a withdrawal. This was a route. Plain and simple.

BREAK!

The very next day, early in the morning when the sun was just about to rise over the horizon, Aultcray, Motoyasu, Myne and a few experienced soldiers could be seen in the middle of a forest clearing, far away from Castle Town proper.

"This is a right mess, now isn't it?"

Though Motoyasu had tried to inject some levity into his voice and in spite of the sun slowly starting to light up the world, the atmosphere remained dark and heavy.

Aultcray was sat on a fallen tree, eyes closed as he pinched the bridge of his nose between his pointer finger and thumb. The roiling frustration just beneath the king's placid exterior was blatantly obvious to every single one of them.

"Captain," the king eventually said. "Repeat what our scouts and spies reported earlier."

The captain, a grizzled man with scar running diagonally over his face and decked out in knightly armor, perked up at the command. Nonetheless, his expression remained heavy. "Your majesty, the capital is under a strict lockdown. Church forces and otherwise brainwashed soldiers have taken complete control of Castle Town. Moreover, there are reports of even the civilian population being subjected to the Bow Hero's mind warping powers. Entire districts are being rounded up for the Hero of the Bow to bombard."

"Then Castle Town is truly lost to us," the king looked pained as he said it, but no one could argue with that conclusion. The facts are what they are. "What about our own forces?"

"We have about 200 men remaining, your majesty," the Grizzled Captain said. "The rest are either dead…or have turned against us."

Said men were stationed in another clearing not far away, recovering from the harrowing battle and even more harrowing retreat that followed.

Another heavy silence fell, with equally heavy expressions being shared amongst the group. The one thing that stood out was Myne's frustration and anger that was out on full display. Whatever she had been intending to do and see happen, this turn of events had thrown in a wrench of epic proportions.

"…And what," she spat. "Do we do now!?"

Surprisingly enough, it was the Spear Hero who spoke up first.

"We get help," Motoyasu decided.

"What?" Myne blinked. Everyone turned to look at him.

"As much as it pains me to say it, as we are right now we don't have a chance in hell against Itsuki, the church and everyone they have brainwashed," the Spear Hero said plainly. "Seeing that, it would be only logical to recruit some help. We need more people if we want to have any hope of taking down Itsuki."

"Sir Spear Hero is right," Aultcray said after a long moment of silence.

"Thanks for agreeing with me, father-in-law," Motoyasu grinned at the king.

"Don't call me that," for the first time Aultcray responded to the Spear Hero calling him father-in-law. In spite of everything, the king seemed to have loosened up enough to do that.

"Papa?"

The king stood up. "The Sword Hero was in the Khoth Region, wasn't he?"

"As of our latest reports, yes," the Grizzled Captain said.

"Then we will head to the Khoth Region first," Aultcray decreed. "We will pick up the Sword Hero on our journey to Faubley."

"Faubley?" Motoyasu repeated, clearly questioning.

"Faubley is the great nation that borders Melromarc to the north west, and is widely regarded as the strongest policy. It's also where conferences are held to discuss matters of international importance, like the Waves of Calamity," Aultcray began to explain. "There, once we have explained the situation with the Bow Hero, we will be able to recruit as much help as we could ever need."

"Is that wise, your majesty, seeking aid abroad?" the Grizzled Captain cut in before anyone else could respond. "The state of Melromarc's reputation is…rather strained these days."

"I'm aware, captain," the king said, realizing that he was a big part of said reputation. "Unfortunately, we have little other choice. We all experienced it firsthand. Though I'm sure that we could overcome Biscas and the Legendary Weapon Replica, the main problem is the Bow Hero and his ability to brainwash anyone he strikes. With that power, any average soldier is an inconvenience at best and a liability at worst."

The Grizzled Captain frowned at this, but found that he could think up no argument against the king's words.

"If we want to even the odds as much as possible," Aultcray continued. "We'll need to get the aid of a cadre of elite. Not only as many elite soldiers of every nation we can get our hands on, but also the Sword Hero and Seven Star Heroes."

Motoyasu had to fight to urge to open his mouth and ask questions, feeling that he had already asked too much. The Seven Star Heroes?

"We need to move with al due haste to reach Faubley. We will forego sleep if we must."

"Your majesty, that seems highly…" the Grizzled Captain began to protest, as did all the others.

"The next Wave will hit in less than two weeks," Aultcray reminded everybody. Whatever they were about to say, it died ignominiously on their lips.

Motoyasu looked alarmed. "You are right. No matter what we do, we will be forced to confront Itsuki as soon as the next Wave hits and…crap. Naofumi will be there, too. It is going to be a three way brawl! Four way if you count the monsters! We will need to reach Faubley before the next Wave hits, or…"

"…We will be at a massive disadvantage," the king concluded. Inwardly, Aultcray felt like cursing at the world for this unreasonable situation. The Wave was supposed to be the perfect opportunity to take out that Shield Demon and get his youngest back, not this nonsense!

"I'll rally the men! We will move as soon as we are able!" the Grizzled Captain set off to do just that.

Aultcray locked eyes with Motoyasu and Myne. The next words out of his mouth were appropriately heavy.

"Melromarc's fate will be decided at the next Wave. May god help us."


In spite of how their idea of picking up the Sword Hero and heading for Faubley was on the face of it sound, their plan of attack hit a snag immediately. The reason was obvious: the same day that the Bow Hero and the Church of the Three Heroes had occupied the capital of Melromarc, a civil war had broken out in the already destabilized nation.

And it did not take long for them to realize it, either. As they traveled as quickly as possible to the Khoth Region, having taken a road leading north, they had ran into villages and towns where battles between the pro-demi-human faction and the anti-demi-human faction had been fought or were in the midst of fighting.

Whenever this happened, they would aid the anti-demi-human faction and/or inform them of what had become of the Bow Hero and the Church of the Three Heroes.

This, in turn, swelled their forces. While not all anti-demi-human forces would believe them at their word, the fact that the Spear Hero and the king himself were doing the talking was highly convincing to many of them. The anti-demi-human forces would more or less defect from underneath the banner of the Church of the Three Heroes and would side with the king and the Spear Hero instead.

They had effectively become a third faction in the civil war, one that opposed the pro-demi-human faction, but would also drain support and manpower from the anti-demi-human faction. They would effectively cut a swat through both factions on their way to Faubley.

And as they continued this journey, they would eventually pass into the Igreja Region, where they would intervene in a certain battle. A battle where, unknown to them, the Shield Hero and his party were leading the charge…


The present.

The two sides eyed each other warily. Fohl and Atla, hoods still lowered over their faces, were tensed and ready to explode into action. Motoyasu and Aultcray were out in front, facing them directly, while Myne, the rest of the Spear Hero's party and an eclectic mixed force of mages and knights were behind them, ready to offer their support.

"…Two kids?" Motoyasu let slip, incredulous. "We're fighting children?"

"Sir Spear Hero, I'd suggest you let go of that notion right this instant," Aultcray said firmly. "They might be children, but they have already taken out several dozen of our men and injured even more. Holding back or not fighting them is not an option."

The Spear Hero fell silent. His lips pulled down into a grimace.

"That's right, Motoyasu-sama! Teach those bastards a lesson they'll never forget!" Myne cheered on her Hero. The other two women of their party followed her example.

"Bastards?" Fohl repeated, then snorted. "Don't you have any better insults?"

"Shut your mouth, you cur!" Myne snapped.

Immediately, Fohl's lips pulled down and his eyes sharpened. Apparently, she did have better insults waiting in the wings. "I dare you to get close and repeat that in-"

"Don't listen to what they have to say!" Aultcray barked, interrupting Fohl. "They are just trying to stall and buy time!"

One of Atla's feline ears, that poked through a hole in her hood, twitched as she noticed a particular aura approaching rapidly. Hidden by her hood, she smiled. "Yes, we are trying to stall you, and we've already succeeded."

"What are you…"

CRASH!

With a loud sound, something came falling from the sky, landing in front of Atla and Fohl. Aultcray and Motoyasu jumped back, making distance. They watched warily as a new figure rose to full height in front of them.

Shirou looked back at them, locking eyes with the Spear Hero and the king of Melromarc.

"…Well," he said. "Things just got a whole lot more complicated."

Motoyasu's eyes flashed with recognition. "You're one of Naofumi's party members!" he exclaimed. His eyes darted towards Atla and Fohl. "Then, those two…"

"Are our comrades. I'd appreciate it if they didn't come to any harm," Shirou said, voice hard.

"Shirou-sama, you know these people?" Atla cut in.

"That's the Spear Hero. The man over there is the king of Melromarc. And the redhead behind them is the oldest daughter of the king," Shirou pointed out every individual of note on the opposing side.

Aultcray watched them, his mind going a mile a minute. "If you're here, then the Shield Hero must be too! I'd figured you scum would have thrown in your lot with the pro-demi-human faction, but I could never have imagined running into the Shield Hero's party in some random fight!"

"So you did not know we were here?" Fohl said, eyes trained on the king and narrowed in suspicion. "Try and pull the other one! Do you expect us to believe that the Spear Hero and the king of this nation just happen to show up and meddle in one of our fights on pure happenstance? As leaders of the anti-demi-human faction, you two wouldn't go to the frontlines unless it was necessary to do so. In other words, you are here to take out the Shield Hero!"

"For your information," Motoyasu spat back. "We aren't a part of the anti-demi-human faction!"

A confused 'huh' escaped Fohl at the sudden and heated rejoinder.

"It's Itsuki and the Church of the Three Heroes who are calling the shots there!" the Spear Hero was making no effort to hide his anger. "They tried to kill us, or worse! The only reason why we are aiding the anti-demi-human faction in this fight is because they will be more likely to defect to our side!"

There was a moment of silence as those words lingered.

"…Atla," Shirou asked.

"He's telling the truth as he knows it, Shirou-sama," Atla said, appearing surprised that was the case.

Aultcray considered the hooded girl. Had she some ability that let her discern truth from lies with no faults? If so, it was worth taking note of.

Shirou shot the king and the Spear Hero a considering look. After a long moment, he opened his mouth, "How about a ceasefire?" he suggested. "Though for different reasons, it seems all of us are now against the Church of the Three Heroes. There's no reason for us to fight. I'd suggest hearing each other out first before anyone else gets hurt, or worse."

"Absolutely not!" Aultcray thundered before anyone else could get a word in edgewise. "You and that despicable Shield kidnapped Melty! And it's the Shield and you rotten demi-human's fault that my country is in the midst of a civil war in the first place! Why would I trust anything you say!?"

"The cause of this civil war lies more with the teachings of the Church of the Three Heroes," Shirou countered, wisely not adding that the king supported said teachings. "As for Melty…I could take you to her right now, if you want?"

Hearing that, Aultcray's mouth snapped shut, cutting off his tirade. "She's here?"

"That's right. She's in the city center," Shirou confirmed. He looked deeply into the king's eyes in an effort to convey his sincerity. "We never kidnapped Melty. That was a lie perpetuated by the Church of the Three Heroes. It was they who kidnapped your daughter. They then recorded said kidnapping, doctored the footage and tried to pin the blame on us and Naofumi."

"If you didn't kidnap Melty, then why is she in this city?" Motoyasu asked a pertinent question.

"Because the queen, Mirellia Q. Melromarc, asked us to save her daughter."

"You lie," Aultcray spat.

"It's the truth," Shirou insisted. "As her husband, you know as well as I do that the queen opposes the teachings of the Church of the Three Heroes. The moment all four Holy Heroes were summoned to Melromarc, she decided that the church was nothing more than a liability and had to be removed from the country. To foster better international relations, and for a host of other reasons, the queen decided that the Church of the Three Heroes had to be removed from Melromarc root and stem."

Aultcray's face twisted. On this one thing he knew perfectly well that the demi-human was telling the truth. In private, Mirellia had never hidden her disdain for the church from him. And considering what the summoning of the Holy Heroes had done to international relations, in a time of crisis no less at that, he could perfectly envision her fury at the situation.

Especially as she had been away on a diplomatic mission at the time.

"Before this entire mess even began, Mirellia had sought us out. She wanted our help to undermine and destroy the church," Shirou revealed. "We agreed. And if I were to hazard a guess, the Church of the Three Heroes found out. That's why they kidnapped Melty. In order to use her as a hostage against a now hostile monarch."

Aultcray gritted his teeth. He didn't want to accept the demi-human's words, but the king could not detect any lie in said words. Moreover, given the situation, he could envision his wife doing exactly as the demi-human had said. She always prioritized the bigger picture…

"We saved Melty, and we're trying to save Melromarc, too," Shirou continued to hammer his point home. "Even if our ultimate goals don't align exactly, declaring a ceasefire and taking out the greater threat first should take priority, no?"

Aultcray visibly wavered, as did the Spear Hero. No matter previous grievances between them, and if the demi-human was telling the truth, joining forces would indeed make sense. Hell, even if the demi-human wasn't telling them the whole truth, joining forces would still be smart in the sense that it would greatly simplify taking down the Bow Hero and the Church of the Three Heroes.

It was the logical thing to do, even if trust and the resulting alliance would be tenuous at best.

Unfortunately, logic doesn't always rule the decisions of men.

Especially if certain bad actors get involved.

"Don't listen to that cur, papa, Motoyasu-sama!"

From behind the king and the Spear Hero, Myne shouted at them. She looked at Shirou, Atla and Fohl with naked disgust. It was clear that Myne wasn't operating on any kind of logic, either.

"He must be lying! You can't trust a word that comes out of his mouth!" Myne continued the pile on.

"Why you?!" Atla was incensed at someone calling Shirou a liar.

"Do you really believe that mama would actually seek them out for help, no matter how dire the situation?" Myne sneered. "The Shield Hero raped me! Took advantage of me! And has been nothing more then a common criminal ever since stepping foot in this world! All of you have heard the tales!"

The knuckles of Motoyasu's fingers around the shaft of the Legendary Spear whitened as he clenched them tight. His wavering expression firmed, becoming hard and angry.

Aultcray's reaction wasn't anywhere near as pronounced. Nonetheless, an angry scowl formed on his face, and the softening of his eyes disappeared in one blink to the next.

"Mama seeking them out for help, despite all that they have done!? Don't make me laugh!" Myne's eyes grew wicked. "He's lying, trying to lull is into a false sense of security! The moment we'll let out our guard down, they'll stab us in the back! And if we get taken out, what will happen to my darling little sister?! We can't take that risk!"

After the end of Myne's tirade, everything briefly fell silent. Shirou's expression became grim.

"…Myne's right!" Motoyasu, hopeless as he was, quickly folded to his woman's reasoning. "We can't trust a word that they say!"

Aultcray stepped forwards. His expression spoke volumes of where this was heading, and it wasn't a peaceful resolution.

"…I spoke nothing but the truth," even though he knew the attempt was most likely doomed, Shirou decided to give it one more shot. "I'll admit, it's a risk to trust us. But at the same time, it's also a risk to engage in hostilities with us, especially with the threat of the Bow Hero and the Church of the Three Heroes looming in the background…"

"Stop your prattling!" Aultcray barked. Behind him, the combined forces of magic casters and knights readied themselves for battle. "Don't listen to a word they have to say! Take them out quickly! Before the rest of their party can-"

"Hidden Light Slash!"

A raging crescent of cutting light sliced through the air straight towards them, following in the wake of Shirou's sudden sword swing, making the air ripple. The blade had left its sheath with a clear ringing noise, having been swung with such swiftness that their opposition hadn't even been able to properly perceive it.

Having seen where the winds had been blowing, Shirou ruthlessly took the initiative.

It certainly seemed to do the trick. The opposition had clearly been taken by surprise by the sudden aggression.

"Dritte Light Shield!"

Nonetheless, the king managed to react in time and placed down the third tier barrier of hardened light in front of them.

SCHING!

It did little good, however. The Hidden Light Slash sliced through the barrier as if it wasn't even there. Aultcray let out a wordless curse.

Taking full advantage of his Speed Stat, the Spear Hero leapt forwards. Not having enough time to release a Skill, Motoyasu caught the Hidden Light Slash on the shaft of his spear, holding the weapon out in front of him with both hands like a shield.

"…!" Motoyasu choked as he was subjected to the sheer force behind the technique. He slid back as the Hidden Light Slash continued to rage, forcing him back even as he desperately tried to brace himself and halt its momentum.

"Atla!"

"The king is the most dangerous by far! He is a mage first and foremost!" Atla shouted, immediately understanding what Shirou wanted to know. Now that they were this close to the enemy she could tell something like that quite easily. "The Spear Hero is the second strongest!"

With another clear ringing noise Shirou sheathed his blade. Crouching low and bracing to push of against the ground even as his hand remained closed around the hilt of his sword, the demi-human found himself leering at his opponents.

If what Atla said was true, then there was no way that the Hero of the Spear had been able to make use of the book. The book containing all they knew about the Legendary Weapons. They had given it to him in the hope of making one of the Heroes stronger, though they had all feared that the obtuse Hero in question would not be able to make use of it, hostile and suspicious as he was towards them.

For once, Shirou was happy with having his hopes dashed.

He pushed off, accelerating forwards as if he had been fired out of a cannon, releasing a shockwave in his wake. One moment, he was standing still. The next, he was in the king's face.

"Atla! Fohl! You two focus on everyone else! I'll deal with the king and the Spear Hero!"

"Yes!" Atla agreed without complaint. "Onii-sama, let's go!"

"Right behind you!"

CLANG!

As Shirou closed the distance, his sword left its sheath, his quick draw accelerating the swing of the blade even more. He swung for center mass, but Aultcray swung his empty hand in response. Stones from the cobblestone road leapt up, reforming themselves into a long staff of magically reinforced, hardened stone. All without a chant or even the barest hint of focus required.

The king grasped the improvised weapon mid swing and clashed head on with Shirou.

"KUH!" Aultcray grunted as their weapons met, sliding back in the face of the demi-human's strength and his momentum.

A quick exchange followed, steel meeting stone again and again. It was clear, however, who had the advantage. Not only was his weapon much better, but Shirou was far more capable at close range then the king, and seemed to have the advantage in pure physical ability.

Shirou, for his part, was surprised at the king's ability to match him. From Atla's words and the king's build, it was clear that Aultcray didn't specialize in close quarters combat. Nonetheless, though he was on the backfoot, Aultcray managed respond with startling skill and acuity, managing to keep the biting edge of his Shirou's sword well away from his flesh. For someone who specialized in magic, that spoke either of diversification or raw experience with people getting up close and personal.

But that didn't change the fact that if something didn't alter, Shirou would eventually get through the king's guard.

Luckily for Aultcray, he wasn't alone.

"Spear Swing!"

Coming down from above, having managed to shunt the earlier Hidden Light Slash that had carried him away to the side, Motoyasu swung the faintly red glowing Legendary Spear down on Shirou with all the force he could muster.

CLANG!-CRUNCH!

Shirou blocked it, holding his sword lengthwise above his head, one hand on the hilt and the other on the broadside of the blade. Even though a small crater formed underneath his feet, his knees did not bend in the face of a Hero's Skill.

Aultcray swung his stone pole like a club at Shirou's neck, seeking to exploit the opening.

"YAH!" with a cry of exertion, Shirou disengaged and leaped back, and then-

"Hidden Light Slash!"

-launched a raging crescent of cutting light mid leap. At this distance, the technique would slice into the king's and Hero's flesh in the blink of an eye.

"Dritte Stone Spires!"

Or it would have. Aultcray stomped down on the road. With a terrible roar of noise, the cobblestone cracked open as stone spires with sharpened points erupted out of the ground. The Hidden Light Slash was ripped apart as the spires, as wide and tall as a grown man, tore through the ground and towards Shirou. The area of effect of the spell was massive, expanding forwards and outwards from where the king had stamped the ground, quickly overtaking the entirety of the road ahead.

The king and the Spear Hero heard the sound of combat behind them, Atla and Fohl having engaged their allies. Still, they did not turn around, keeping their eyes on Shirou who continued to leap further and further back.

Their eyes widened as said demi-human suddenly reversed course, leaping towards the erupting stone spires. He kicked off against a rising spire mid eruption, evading the sharp point by the breadth of a hair and gaining air quickly.

"Light Swords!"

Energy in the form of swords rained down on Aultcray and Motoyasu, launched from high up.

"Flying Chaos Thrust!"

Motoyasu answered in kind, throwing the Legendary Spear towards the Light Swords. The Legendary Spear split in over a dozen copies, with a spear answering for every sword. The weapons met in midair, pushing against each other for the briefest of moments, before a series of detonations rang out. Several plumes of smoke and fire filled the air.

Acting quickly, even as the shockwaves of the explosions washed over them, Aultcray did something he had been anxious to do since the second phase of the battle had begun.

"All Dritte Power! All Dritte Guard! All Dritte Agility!"

As the Legendary Spear returned to Motoyasu's hands in a surge of energy, the king layered a deluge of Enhancement magic, not only on himself and the Spear Hero, but on every ally on the field as well. Across the board their Stats jumped by 30%.

"Shadow Sneak Blade Rush!"

And it was good that he did. Without the increased speed, it would have been far more difficult to dodge the shadow lined blades that erupted out of their own shadows. They managed to escape with only a scratch or two on their legs.

After that, the battle briefly halted. The Spear Hero and the king looked on anxiously as the smoke slowly but surely dissipated. Motoyasu leaned forwardsm Legendary Spear at the ready, fully expecting the aggressive demi-human to close in again and engage them. Instead-

WHISTLE!

-they heard a high pitched whistle cutting through the air.

It was only thanks to the battle with Itsuki that Motoyasu recognized what the noise was: an arrow traveling at high speed towards them. His legs tensed in preparation to dodge.

The smoke ahead twisted, as if pulled along by an awesome centrifugal force. An arrow with a visible slipstream around it erupted out of the smokescreen.

Aultcray leaped right. Motoyasu to the left. The arrow buried itself into the cobblestone in between them with a tunk and-

BOOM!

-exploded. Said explosion was massive compared to the previous ones. Aultcray managed to throw up a barrier in time to defend against the shockwave and shrapnel, but Motoyasu got caught up in it and was sent tumbling, his ears ringing and his stomach churning.

Nonetheless, as soon as he regained his senses he got back on his feet. Only to be confronted by the most intense shootout had seen since coming to this world.

WHISTIL!-WHISTLE!-WHISTLE!

HISS!-CRACKLE!-SCHING!

Arrows flew in their general direction in a constant stream, fired off by the demi-human now perched atop a roof of a large building in the distance. The king was countering by digging deep into his bag of spells, firing off spells of every element to catch the explosive arrows midflight, resulting in a series of explosions and shockwaves.

"Sir Spear Hero!" Aultcray called, even as he lobbed a sphere of pressurized water forwards. "I need you to close the distance!"

"But what about..!" Motoyasu turned to look anxiously at their allies.

The mixed force of mages and knights, including Myne and the rest of his party, had ensconced themselves. Seeking refuge in a veritable fortification of earth magicked into walls and ramparts, and a variety of barriers. The defense was most definitely needed. The two child demi-humans were circling the defenses, darting in and out, launching attack after attack from every direction, taking full advantage of their speed and dexterity.

Their allies struck back with a flurry of spells, arrows and the occasional thrown weapon, but neither side seemed to have a clear advantage at the moment. The reinforcements and the new tactic of using a mixture of physical defenses and barriers seemed to lend enough weight to the formation in order to for them match the Hakuko siblings on an even keel.

For now, that is. There was no telling how that battle would go, or how long it would last.

"You must!" the king implored him. "These arrows have massive range, not to mention immense explosive force!"

At that, Motoyasu looked up, alarmed. "Then, if we give him an opening..!"

"I've already intercepted several arrows meant for our allies," Aultcray confirmed his fears. "We have no choice! We have to get in close to deny him to advantage of range, not to mention free reign of the battlefield!"

"Right!"

Motoyasu's left foot came down with a resolute sound. His right slid back as he heavily leaned forwards, placing his left hand on the ground in a pose not dissimilar to a professional athlete about push off and begin the run of his life.

"I'll cover you! Go!"

"YAH!"

With a veritable roar, the Spear Hero pushed off. The cobblestone underneath his feet cracked and splintered. He rocketed forwards, not dissimilar to Shirou earlier as he accelerated so rapidly that he left a shockwave in his wake.

Shirou saw the rapidly approaching Spear Hero and changed tack.

A trio of arrows were fired off at once, with the Enchantment of Lock-On applied. An explosive arrow followed closely in their shadow.

"Zweite Fire Missiles!"

A dozen soccer ball sized fireballs flared into existence above the king, which then spiraled upwards and forwards. They overtook the rushing Spear Hero on all sides. Four of them twisted in midair and made last second adjustments in order to intercept the oncoming arrows.

Three arrows were incinerated into cinders. The last-

BOOM!

-exploded in a brilliant conflagration. The resulting shockwave washed over Motoyasu, rustling his golden locks and making his bones tremble, but he didn't allow the discomfort to slow him down one bit.

BOOM!-BOOM!-BOOM!

More arrows were fired, which were then intercepted by the remaining Fire Missiles who flew along with the Spear Hero and guarded him against the incoming enemy fire. Motoyasu gritted his teeth as the shockwaves of the explosions continued to hammer him on all sides.

Nonetheless, as the shootout played itself out all around him, the king managed to protect the Spear Hero throughout it all by adding more Fire Missiles into his guard. Even when Shirou increased the speed of his attacks and starting adding trick shots into the mix, Aultcray saw through the flow of his assault and responded in kind.

"Almost there!"

Motoyasu exclaimed as he almost reached the base of the building Shirou was on. He rammed the but of the Legendary Spear into the ground and used the leverage to vault himself into a high arching jump.

The Spear Hero came down on the roof with an audible sound, an explosion going off almost directly in his face as another arrow was intercepted by the king, and-

CHING!-CLANG!

-he immediately had to bring up the Legendary Spear to defend against an oncoming purple longsword, lest he lose a limb. Motoyasu managed to catch the blade on the shaft of his spear, which he then repelled by spinning the weapon.

"Take this!"

Halting the spinning of the Legendary Spear, Motoyasu adjusted his grip on the weapon and stabbed forcefully towards Shirou's gut. Now, finally, ever since this high paced battle had begun, he was truly face to face with his opponent. He was going to seize this opportunity for all it was worth!

He was going to overwhelm his opponent. Wrench open his guard, and-

CLANG!

Shirou smacked aside the Legendary Spear, the flat of his blade striking the weapon just beneath where the spear tip met the shaft. The sheer force behind the deflection almost caused Motoyasu to lose his balance and most definitely made his eyes go wide.

He managed to right himself just in time. If he hadn't, the returning blade, Shirou having reversed his grip on it, would have struck true.

What most people forgot, and which Motoyasu hadn't been aware of either before he had gained a little experience as the Spear Hero, was that there was more to a spear then just its tip. The length of the shaft was an equally viable weapon, more then enough to rupture flesh if swung with enough force. It was thanks to this revelation that he managed to get the Legendary Spear back into position in time to meet Shirou's swing.

"Spear Swing!"

Adjusting his grip yet again, Motoyasu forced the Legendary Spear back towards his enemy, swinging it almost like a club as he used a Skill to raise his Attack Stat.

CLANG!-CRUNCH!

Sword and spear met. The roof they were standing on cracked and visibly trembled.

"Yah!"

Releasing a battle cry, Motoyasu withdrew and released yet another one of his many Skills as a rapid follow up on the first.

"Chaos Thrust!"

A single thrust became a dozen.

CLANG!-CLANG!-CLANG!-CLANG!-CLANG!-CLANG!

Spinning his sword around his wrist with practiced ease, Shirou deflected every single thrust. The last parry made the Spear Hero gasp and stumble back as his spear was deflected forcefully upwards.

CHING!-SPLAT!

The purple longsword tore through the armor of Motoyasu's shoulder. It left behind a deep cut that wept a considerable amount of blood.

"Tch!" biting out a wordless curse at the pain, the Spear Hero wrenched his spear back into position. He managed to block and parry the next three strikes, but…

CHING!-SPLAT!

The fourth slice managed to get through his guard, scoring a moderate sized cut on his bicep.

Gritting his teeth at the pain, Motoyasu did not allow it to slow him down. The rapid close quarters combat continued for over a minute, the adrenaline in his veins making it feel like an eternity for the Spear Hero. However, no matter how fierce the struggle, anyone who could keep up with the battle would not have had any doubts who had the advantage.

CHING!-SPLAT!

Shirou managed to get through the Spear Hero's guard again and again, leaving behind moderate to deep cuts. A solid minute into the battle, and the Spear Hero had already been driven into a corner, with his armor scarred and pitted, blood dripping down all of his limbs.

What the hell!? Motoyasu mentally spluttered. Shirou's attacks were coming so quickly and precisely that he was being overwhelmed. The onslaught was so fierce in fact that he didn't have the time necessary to activate a Skill. The injuries and pain were rapidly starting to catch up with him. And he knew that, if he faltered now, said pain would cause him to slow down, sealing his defeat.

Somewhere in the back of his panicking mind, in some secluded corner from his waking conscious, Motoyasu wondered how it was possible. His Level was higher. He was a Holy Hero. A deluge of third tier Enhancement magic had been layered onto him by the king of Melromarc…

And still he was being overwhelmed. It didn't make any sense. What trickery is this!?

CHING!-SPLAT!

As the purple long sword once again tore into him and spilled his blood, Motoyasu lost it. Screaming in frustration, the Spear Hero lunged forwards and locked weapons with his opponent. Muscles bulging and veins expanding, Motoyasu used all the strength he could muster to keep said opponent stuck where he was, trying to overwhelm him with brute force.

The purple longsword and Legendary Spear grinded against each other. There seemed to be no hint of give on either side.

That was, until Shirou suddenly and inexplicably took his left hand off the hilt of his sword.

Not hesitating for a second, Motoyasu pushed with all that he had. And his efforts were rewarded as the purple longsword gave way, being forced back and down.

Just a little more! Any second now and he would have broken his opponent's guard. The second that he had a clear shot, he would use Meteor Spear at point blank range, no matter the blowback he himself would receive for using that Skill at this distance. He would dish back every bit of pain he had received, plus interest. Not yet! Almost there!

"Hengen Musou, Hidden Technique: Bullet."

"GAH!"

Just before Motoyasu could do as he intended, Shirou used his free hand to punch him in the stomach. Or, that's what it looked like. In actuality, Shirou's knuckles had not made contact with the armor of the Spear Hero. They had halted less then an inch from doing so, but on the other hand, the ripple of Life Force, the 'bullet', had continued on.

Ignoring his armor entirely, the energy ripped through Motoyasu's gut. His Defence Stat utterly useless in the face of the Life Force based attack, the 'bullet' wrecked his insides without obstruction.

Gasping in agony, Motoyasu spat blood. He fell to a knee, eyes blank and muscles falling limp.

Shirou reared back his blade. The purple longsword was now raised over Motoyasu's head. To the shaken perceptions of the Spear Hero, it looked suspiciously like the blade of an executioner, ready to end his life.

CHI-

"Dritte Light Shield!"

CRUNCH!

A bare second before the purple longsword would have sliced into Motoyasu, a barrier of hardened light appeared in between the two combatants. The blade punched through it, but wasn't able to destroy the barrier outright. The blade halted an inch from the Spear Hero's flesh, the weapon stuck in the barrier.

"Dritte Fireball!"

A humongous ball of fire came down from above, right on top of Shirou. Even behind the barrier, the Spear Hero felt his pores open up and start to sweat from the heat.

Eyes widening, an expression of alarm crossed Shirou's face for the first time since the battle began.

The fire spread out over the roof in a roiling wave and accompanying shockwave. Luckily for Motoyasu, the barrier, damaged though it was, still managed to protect the Spear Hero from any real harm.

Shirou had disappeared, lost in the flames.

"Sir Spear Hero!"

Aultcray had suddenly appeared beside the ailing Spear Hero. Motoyasu looked blankly up at the king, still out of it.

"Dritte Heal! Dritte Grow Heal!"

Faint green energy enveloped Motoyasu. The third tier spells made his wounds vanish into nothingness and replenished his stamina.

"Thank you, father-in-law," the Spear Hero surged back to his feet.

"Think nothing of it."

Both of them looked intently at the roiling flames that were slowly starting to dissipate. Their enemy might have been swallowed up by said flames, but in spite of their faint hopes, neither of them could be certain that the third tier spell had been enough to take Shirou out.

CLUNK!

The Light Shield dissipated. The purple longsword that had been stuck in it, abandoned by their opponent in an effort to dodge the fireball, dropped to the ground with an audible sound. A second later the fire mostly dispersed, sans a few streaks of flame that stubbornly clung to the roof.

"…Kuh…"

In the midst of the carnage was Shirou, kneeling in the center of the remaining flames and hissing in pain. In spite of the fact that he had let go of his weapon in order to try and dodge, he had not been able to escape the blast zone in time.

Scorch marks covered his armor. Moreover, most of his visible skin had burns on it. Motoyasu's eyes darted up to the health bar floating above Shirou's head, something that in the usual heat of combat was utterly forgotten.

Said health bar had dropped from a healthy green to a sickly yellow, just past the halfway point. That, however, wasn't what caught his attention.

Beside him, the king made a noise of irritation.

Shirou's health bar was rapidly filling back up. The burns on his skin were visibly regressing bit by bit.

"Passive health regeneration!?" Motoyasu gasped, dismayed.

"Sir Spear Hero!"

"On it!"

Motoyasu exploded forwards. They could not give Shirou the time necessary to recuperate. They had to take him out now, while he was still weak.

Shirou's eyes darted to his abandoned weapon, but he didn't have a chance to make a play to retrieve it. The Spear Hero was on him. With a groan, Shirou forced himself back on his feet.

"Chaos Thrust!"

Motoyasu used the Skill the moment he got into range. A single thrust became a dozen. Now that his opponent was bereft a weapon..!

Shirou bounded backwards-

"Hengen Musou, Hidden Technique: Bullet!"

-and launched a 'bullet' mid jump, hoping to stay the Spear Hero's feet as he got out of range. But…

"Zweite Fire Missiles! Zweite Fire Missiles! Zweite Fire Missiles!"

The king added onto his woes. Three dozen soccer ball sized balls of fire spread out, spiraling around the roof they were battling on. With a snap of Aultcray's fingers, said fireballs arched towards him in a cascade of attacks that came from every direction.

Faced with this, most people would have panicked.

For Shirou? It just hardened his resolve.

Eyes narrowing and face hardening, his feet pounded the roof as he truly started to move. In spite of his injuries, Shirou moved swifter then he ever had before. The fireballs came down on him in a constant series of attacks, and he evaded them by a hairsbreadth each time. Moreover-

"Hengen Musou, Hidden Technique: Bullet!"

-much like Atla had done before he struck down said fireballs with well placed 'bullets' whenever the opportunity presented itself. In no time at all, more than half the fireballs had dissipated into harmless embers.

"Meteor Spear!"

However, the king's magical attacks weren't his only concern. Out of the lingering flames of a recently destroyed fireball came a coruscating beam of silvery energy, courtesy of the Spear Hero. By the time Shirou noticed it, the Skill was already in his face.

"Crap!"

He threw himself to the side, and he did so just quickly enough to avoid a direct hit. Unfortunately, it still managed to clip him, burning his side even more as the beam roared past him.

Shirou stumbled as he came down from his jump, falling to a knee.

The remaining fireballs converged him, plunging down on him from every direction.

Drip.

Blood dripped down from Shirou's lips and wept from multiple wounds. Nonetheless, one could tell from a single look into his eyes that he was far from conceding defeat.

"..!"

With a wordless yell he unleashed a rapid fire series of 'bullets'.

BOOM!-BOOM!-BOOM!

From his kneeling position Shirou had managed to prematurely detonate all the fireballs.

"Got you! Spear Swing!"

Only to choke back a curse as Motoyasu was suddenly right on top of him.

In an inverse of the earlier situation the Spear Hero had all of a sudden closed the distance and now loomed over Shirou. The red glowing Legendary Spear was brought down like an executioner's blade, ready and willing to pulp the demi-human's brain.

Both of Shirou's hands went for his belt.

CLANG!

What!?

The Legendary Spear came to a stop, the spear tip having been caught on the relatively small blade of a knife, a Dirk to be precise.

Shirou looked up at the surprised Spear Hero, bloody and beaten, but not defeated.

"You stubborn bastard!" Motoyasu spat as he tried and failed to push through. "Admit defeat already you piece of-"

"Shadow Bind Blade!"

Shirou's other hand snapped towards the Spear Hero's shadow. A second Dirk was carried along with it.

"Sir Spear Hero!"

Motoyasu jumped back, getting out of range.

Shirou surged back to his feet, reversed his grip on one of his Dirks and flung it full force towards Motoyasu.

The Spear Hero dodged it easily, but the moment he did, he noticed a little something that had been hidden in the shadow of the thrown Dirk.

An Incendiary Bomb.

"Oh cra-!"

"Dritte Light Barrier!"

Acting quickly, the king placed yet another barrier in front of Motoyasu. The Incendiary Bomb struck it with a hollow thunk, bounced back just an inch and-

BOOM!

-promptly exploded.

The Light Barrier shattered like so much fragile glass. The roiling flames and the accompanying shockwave caught up with the Spear Hero mid backwards leap. However, that took a backseat as the ground they were fighting on rumbled ominously.

They were battling atop a roof, after all. What happened next shouldn't have surprised anyone.

A massive crack suddenly split the roof open. The next second it collapsed inwards, as did the entirety of the house underneath it. The structure was quite apparently no longer able to stomach all the abuse.

The house came down, dropping them all into resulting rubble and dust cloud.

CRUNCH!

With a heave, Motoyasu pushed the rubble covering off him and stood up shakily. He gave himself a quick check over. Luckily, despite being caught up in an explosion and a collapsing building, he managed to get away with just a few burns, scrapes and bruises.

Or not, the Spear Hero winced as he tried to move his left leg. The limb throbbed and protested. If he had to hazard a guess, he must have sprained said leg.

"Sir Spear Hero!"

"Over here!" Motoyasu called out, feeling an immeasurable amount of relief.

Aultcray emerged out of the smoke, not looking any worse for wear. He took one look at Spear Hero and-

"Dritte Heal!"

-made his wounds vanish. The throbbing in his left leg had disappeared like a bad dream.

"Thanks yet again, father-in-law," Motoyasu said.

Aultcray did not respond. He was attentively looking around. The dust was still thick in the air, making it very difficult to see anything. An attack could come from anywhere. Motoyasu copied him, falling silent and paying attention to their surroundings with all his senses.

They waited for a minute. Two minutes. But an attack failed to materialize.

"…Did that explosion kill him?" Motoyasu muttered to himself.

As soon as those words left his mouth-

"Dritte Air Slash!"

-the king twisted around and unleashed a spell. Faintly tinted green and sharpened wind in the shape of crescent roared just past the Spear Hero's surprised face.

"Hidden Light Slash!"

An answering crescent of cutting light erupted out of the smoke. With a screech, the two attacks met and surged against each other. Wind roared as the two attacks cancelled each other out with a truly deafening noise, scattering the obscuring dust in the air with the resulting blowback.

This, in turn, revealed Shirou, standing a little ways away, just outside the rubble.

"…Goddammit!" Motoyasu spat.

That damned purple longsword had returned to Shirou's hands. Moreover, and much more importantly, the wounds that the demi-human had accumulated in their battle had vanished, leaving his skin free of blemish. If it weren't for the remaining battle damage to his armor, one could be forgiven for thinking that Shirou was just entering battle instead of continuing one.

It was blatantly obvious what their opponent had been doing in the brief lull of the battle: retrieving his weapon and downing a Healing Potion. Now they were right back to square one!

"…It's not too late end hostilities, you know."

Aultcray growled. "To say that even now...what temerity."

"And why shouldn't I?" Shirou asked, his raccoon ears twitching rapidly atop his head. Ever so slowly, a confident smile spread across his lips.

"Do you think you have already won or something!?"

Motoyasu rocketed forwards, Legendary Spear held out for a devastating thrust.

"Sir Spear Hero! Wait!"

Shirou did not appear alarmed at the Spear Hero's rapid approach. Though his guard was still up, it didn't even look like he was going to respond either.

…After all, he didn't need to.

THUMP!

With an audible sound, a figure landed in between Shirou and Motoyasu. The thrust meant for the demi-human was launched instinctively at this figure instead.

CLANG!

The Legendary Spear met a shield, stopping cold in its tracks. A deep green jewel in the center of said shield glinted as the spear tip rested against it. Motoyasu looked utterly stunned as he came face to face with Naofumi. The Shield Hero looked at the Hero of the Spear with his ever so usual scowl and abject annoyance.

"Na-"

Motoyasu couldn't even finish his exclamation of surprise. In a replay of their second duel, the snake-like extensions of the Chimera Viper Shield animated, lashed out and sunk their fangs into the Spear Hero's arm, pumping him full with deadly poison.

Crying out in pain, the Spear Hero shook his arm free and leaped back, coming to a sliding stop beside the king.

"Dritte Cure Poison!" Aultcray bit out. Green energy once again suffused Motoyasu, cleansing him of the deadly poison.

Normally, Motoyasu would have thanked the king for the assist. Now, however, the Spear Hero was too busy with looking grimly at their new opponent.

It was an action mirrored by Aultcray. "…Shield," he spat. "So, you finally show yourself…"

Naofumi looked back at them. By the second, the annoyance on his face grew more pronounced.

"…Of course it had to be you two idiots," Naofumi spat back. "I should have known. Only buffoons of your two caliber would show up now of all times."

"Shield!" Aultcray shouted. "What have you done with my daughter!? You-"

"Shut your mouth, Trash!" Naofumi cut him off. "I have had enough of your bullshit a long time ago! Everyone, take them out! Try and not kill them if you can! Though I won't mind if you do!"

…Everyone?

THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!

Several figures came down from above, surrounding the Spear Hero and the king.

Motoyasu's eyes darted around rapidly in their sockets. To their right was Raphtalia. To their left was Filo. Behind them was Elrasla. With Shirou and Naofumi to their front, they were utterly surrounded.

"…We don't have a choice!" Aultcray shouted. "Sir Spear Hero. We'll break out and link back up with the rest of our forces! We will face them as a united front!"

"Right!" Motoyasu didn't argue, knowing full well that any other scenario would lead to their defeat. No ifs and or buts about it.

Aultcray and Motoyasu readied themselves, preparing their magic and Skills to-

"All Zweite Power X! All Zweite Guard X! All Zweite Agility X!"

A deluge of Enhancement magic rained down on the Shield Hero's party.

Aultcray choked and froze. He looked at Naofumi, who had just used Enhancement magic that was a little different than Motoyasu was used to, as if he had just seen a ghost.

"…Father-in-law?" the Spear Hero questioned. Why did it feel like they had just lost the battle?

Aultcray's mouth moved, but no sound came out.

Naofumi watched him. The malicious glee on the Shield Hero's face could not be missed by even the most unobserving of fools.

"…Fuck," at last, a single very un-kingly word left the king's mouth.


Hey, guys. Next chapter and all that.

Nothing but fighting in this chapter. I don't mind, because I enjoy writing fight scenes. I especially liked writing the battle between Shirou, Motoyasu and Aultcray. Only the battle with Glass was more fun to write, and this one is a very close second in my opinion. I hope that translates in an reading experience that is just as much fun.

Stay tuned for the next chapter.