Sword and Shield

Civil War 7: Wind Down and Paying the Piper

After the battle of the fourth Wave in Melromarc where Holy Heroes fought each other, several important events would quickly follow one after the other.

"Your majesty, the battle is over. The Wave has ended, and all enemy forces have either been killed or have surrendered."

"What of the Bow Hero, the pope and the leaders of the Church of the Three Heroes?"

"The Bow Hero is alive and in our custody. The pope is dead, slain in battle. As far as we are aware, if the entirety of the leadership of the church were indeed brought along to the Wave, they are all dead. All confirmed members of the church on site are confirmed to have been killed."

"And the rest?"

"All brainwashed civilians have come back to their senses and are cooperating with us. As all of our assault had been aimed at the priests and the nuns, the civilians were far from the line of fire, so there were no casualties among them. There were a few brainwashed knights who died in the crossfire, but the number of dead knights don't even cross the three digit range. The surviving knights have also come back to their senses and are similarly cooperating with us."

"Good."

"Any further orders, your majesty?"

"Take the Bow Hero and incarcerate him. You know where. Use magic to keep him asleep."

"Yes, your majesty!"

"Aultcray."

"Yes?"

"I want you take the majority of our forces, the Sword Hero, the Spear Hero and their parties and head for the border with Siltvelt. Make every possible effort to ensure that they don't invade. If they do, you have full authorization to handle the situation as you see fit."

"…Understood. I'll set out with our forces before the end of the day."

"See to it that you don't fail," a sigh. "Shield Hero-sama."

"Yes, queen?"

"You and yours will be accompanying me to the capital, as will knight Eclair and a few select forces of ours. We will be taking the capital back."

The Bow Hero, hauled off and incarcerated in an unknown location. The border with Siltvelt, manned by the Wisest King of Wisdom, the Sword Hero, Spear Hero, their parties, sir Olberic and their general forces. The queen herself, with the Shield Hero, his party, Eclair and a few select troops marched on the capital and took it with no resistance, the general population more than happy to accept their ruling monarch.

A deep breath of relief.

"I've missed this throne."

"It's good to be home, mother."

A brief moment of silence.

"The capital is ours. Now what?"

"Now, we spread the message. Every little detail of this entire fiasco. I will declare the Church of the Three Heroes a heretical religion and we will demand the surrender of all the remaining anti-demi-human nobles and their territories."

"And if they don't listen?"

"Then they will suffer the same fate as all the others who didn't surrender."

Much like Clérigo City, the capital of Melromarc housed its own Broadcast Jewel and underlying system of rapid crystal ball information dissemination. On the first day that the queen returned, she set that system into overdrive, preparing and downloading several videos. This included not only the video of Melty and Aultcray pleading for the people to side with the pro-demi-human faction, but also a video of the queen herself declaring the Church of the Three Heroes a heretical religion, explaining that the Bow Hero and church's leaders were either dead or captured, and a demand of surrender of any and all anti-demi-human faction nobles and supporters.

Reactions to this were varied. By and large, the region that housed the capital was quick to agree to the queen's demands. Having suffered directly underneath the yoke of a less than mentally stable Bow Hero and even more fanatical church officials, they were all too happy to throw in their lot with the queen and the pro-demi-human faction, regardless of any previous resentment.

Regions that had already been under the control of the pro-demi-human faction like the Tageero, Selva, Emantla, and the Khoth regions naturally immediately followed the queen's lead. What few holdouts remained in those regions quickly fell.

Though its capital had fallen a while ago, the Igreja region offered more resistance, but as the narrative of the pro-demi-human faction had already been spreading there for a time, the civilians were starting to turn on the anti-demi-human faction more and more. There was still fighting going on in that region, but with the help of what few forces the queen could spare, together with the Shield Hero and his party sporadically showing up to aid the growing pro-demi-human forces, the rebellious anti-demi-human territories were staring to fall at an increasing rate.

Everywhere else was a mixed bag. More rural regions and territories were more quick to throw in their lot with the pro-demi-human faction. The few cities in these regions that housed their own Broadcast Jewels and underlying crystal ball information dissemination system were set to work in short order.

More urban regions, much like the Igreja region, offered more resistance. The queen would respond with demands and threats of what would happen to those who didn't tow the line. Some would listen and some would not. In those regions where her demands were by and large met, the cities that housed Broadcast Jewels would quickly begin to disseminate the pro-demi-human narrative.

Those regions that would continue to offer resistance would find their capitals targeted. With the Shield Hero and his party along with a cadre of elite soldiers of Melromarc leading the charge more often than not, those cities would fall, their administrations captured or killed if they resisted, and their Broadcast Jewels would be used to maximum effect.

"Report, knight Eclair."

"Yes, your majesty. All regional capitals are now under our control. Moreover, general administrative control over the country, army and information dissemination has also fallen into our hands. There is still significant fighting going on in quite a few territories, but most areas have either submitted to us or have been forcibly subdued. In short, though the fighting hasn't entirely stopped, I can say with certainty that we have won this civil war."

A sigh, one of such deep relief that couldn't be accurately put into words.

"What of Siltvelt? Has there been any change at the border?"

"As of the latest reports there haven't been any changes. Siltvelt's army is still marshaled at the border, but they haven't made any attempt as of yet to invade. The king, Sword Hero-sama, Spear Hero-sama, their parties and our general forces are still holding position. As you ordered, any of our forces that aren't necessary are being directed to the border with Siltvelt to further reinforce our standing army there."

"Good. With any luck, we might be able to prevent an invasion all together."

"Further orders, your majesty?"

"For our general forces, continue to marshal as many men as you can. If there any trouble spots in the country that can use the reinforcements, send a few men there, but the majority have to be directed to the border with Siltvelt."

"Understood!"

"Anything else to report, knight Eclair?"

"One last thing. Shield Hero-sama and his party returned to the capital about ten minutes ago."

"I see. Have someone tell them to meet me at the earliest possible convenience. I will appraise them of the situation."

The day went on, and as reconstruction efforts continued in the capital, Mirellia busied herself with paperwork and other minutia. The most pressing matters had been taking care of or had been delegated to the relevant people. Melty and Eclair were constantly at her side, providing what aid they could.

Later that day, the Shield Hero and his party arrived at the throne room.

"Queen."

"Shield Hero-sama. Everyone. It's good to see that you have all returned in good health. Can I assume that the uprising of rebellious anti-demi-human nobles in the Kraman region has been quashed?"

"You assume correctly, queen."

The monarch and the Hero shared a nod. Mirellia was sat in her throne, Melty standing on her right while Eclair was on her left. The Shield Hero and his party were lined up in front of the throne in a single line at an respectful distance.

In a series of brief bullet points, Mirellia recounted the current state of affairs to them all. After that, she made what was, to them, an odd sounding suggestion.

"How about taking the day off, Shield Hero-sama? Everyone?"

"Take…the day off?" Naofumi cocked his head and blinked slowly, as if the words didn't quite compute.

His party reacted similarly. It was a justified reaction, really. For who knows how long, because of the circumstances, the option to simply take it easy for a little while flat out didn't exist for them. 'Take a day off' almost sounded like a set of foreign words to them now.

Mirellia relaxed back into her throne.

"As of this moment, I have no further tasks for you, be that either in the capital or in wider Melromarc. You can do whatever you want today. Relax. Train. Help with reconstruction. Or anything else that strikes your fancy. Do as you will," she said.

After a brief moment, Shirou took a sudden step forwards.

"I have a request, your majesty."

"Yes?" Mirellia asked as her eyes fell on the demi-human.

"As you know, I have a specific power when it comes to weapons."

"I am," the queen nodded. She acutely remembered what Shirou informed them about Glass, the so called Fan Vassal Weapon she wielded and the fact that another world was to be found beyond the Wave of Calamity. That revelation was still something she mulled regularly on.

"During the battle with the Bow Hero, I saw and recorded the Legendary Weapon Replica."

At that, Mirellia's thoughts came to a grinding halt. After the battle they had recovered the Legendary Weapon Replica, or what had been left of it. The artefact hadn't survived the hailstorm of destructive power that had rained down on it and its wielder after the Castle Wall barrier had fallen. A great loss to be sure, as the weapon could have been a uniquely useful tool in their arsenal. But if she remembered correctly how Shirou's powers worked…

"You record everything about a given weapon, don't you?" the queen asked, her thoughts suddenly starting to race.

"That's correct."

"Does that mean you could make another Legendary Weapon Replica?" Mirellia got straight to the point.

The Legendary Weapon Replica was a marvel. Though the weapon was reportedly only about a fourth as strong as a genuine Legendary Weapon, which was still far more powerful than most any other weapon anyone could realistically get their hands on, it combined imitation Skills of all four Legendary Weapons. Moreover, the secrets to its construction, the forging techniques employed and the enchantments used in its creation, had long been lost to time.

Shirou inclined his head. "You are on the right track, your majesty. I have recovered all the forging techniques and enchantments in the making of the Legendary Weapon Replica. I could technically, if I had the necessary materials, make another such weapon."

"However..?" Mirellia asked leadingly.

"However," Shirou sighed. "The materials in question are exceedingly rare. As a matter of fact, before I recorded the Legendary Weapon Replica, I had never even heard of any of said materials. But that isn't the only problem. It's also a question of skill. I know the forging techniques and the enchantments used and how to perform them, in theory that is. But I have never forged a weapon in my life and my studies into enchanting has only just reached the intermediate stage."

Shirou pursed his lips in thought.

"The forging techniques and enchantments used in the creation of the Legendary Weapon Replica are far beyond my current skill level. I would much prefer to increase my experience before I even attempt any of those forging techniques and enchantments," he continued.

The queen was nodding along with Shirou's explanation. "And your request regarding this?"

"My ability to record the history of an object is not limited to only weapons. I would like to…" Shirou continued to explain. And as he made his request, the queen was quick to agree.

"It's an excellent idea. Melty, please accompany him. Make sure this young man gets full access to everything that he might need," Mirellia instructed.

"Understood!" Melty inclined her head.

"Then I will be tagging along, Mel-chan!" Filo decided immediately.

At that, Melty smiled.

"Anything else?" Mirellia asked with a raised brow.

Now, everyone remained silent.

"Then, the only thing I have left to say is this: have a nice day everyone," Mirellia smiled, which was once again hidden behind her customary fan.


The bell jangled, announcing their entrance into the shop.

"Welcome! How can I help…"

Erhard, the Old Man, the weapon shop owner, trailed off as he saw who had entered his shop. It wasn't long before a small smile stretched his tanned and scared face.

"Hoh, lad. Good to see you again! And I see that you are in fine company today."

Shirou walked up to the counter, Atla on his right and Rishia on his left. Filo, Melty and Fohl trailed from behind.

"It's good to see you too. How are things?"

"I have the same answer for you that I had last time. A hell of a lot better since those crazies are no longer in charge."

Naturally, one of the first things that they did after taking back the capital was checking if the Old Man had made it through the city's occupation in one piece. To all their relief, Erhard had been just fine. As a matter of fact, the man had been spared the experience of being brainwashed and had even led a small local insurgency against the Bow Hero and the Church of the Three Heroes after the king and the Spear Hero had been run out of town.

"Where is Shield Boy and the rest of the family?"

Shirou's lips twitched at their party being called a family, but answered anyhow, "Either relaxing or getting some light training in. The queen more or less gave us a day off, so everyone is doing whatever they want today."

"Nice. And you came to visit me on your day off! I'm flattered, lad!" the Old Man grinned.

"Don't read too much into it," though she was blind, Atla made it seem like she was rolling her eyes behind her closed eyelids. "We have been visiting every enchanter and blacksmith throughout the city all day long. Since we wanted to save the best for last, you are our final stop."

Snorting, Erhard leaned on the counter with both arms. "Still flattering me, I see. Then I guess that you lot need something from me. Now I'm curious as to why you would need to visit so many enchanters and blacksmiths. So, what can I do for you?"

Shirou grew serious.

"I want to see the tools you use for blacksmithing."

Erhard blinked. Whatever he might have been expecting, Shirou's odd request certainly wasn't it. He raised a brow, asking an explanation with his expression alone.

Shirou did so. And it was an explanation that made Erhard frown.

"Not a fan of the idea, I see," Shirou sighed. He wasn't surprised. Most other craftsmen he had visited today hadn't been either.

"I can't say the idea sits well with me, no," Erhard rubbed the back of his head.

"Please, sir Erhard. I understand your reticence on this issue, but I would ask that you agree to Shirou's request," Melty spoke up. "Treat this as a request from the crown, if you must."

"You don't have to go that far," Erhard let out a deep breath as his frown fell away. "I don't like it, but I know that you guys need to make use of everything and anything you can get your hands on in order to meet the Waves of Calamity and protect everyone. In other words: sure, go right ahead."

"Thanks, Old Man!" Filo chimed in.

"Thank you," Rishia bowed her head.

Fohl grunted, but didn't add anything else to the conversation.

"That said," a stern look overcame Erhard's face then. "You better appreciate what you are gaining here, lad. If I so much as suspect that you don't and you do not continue to hone your skills, you better be prepared to answer to me."

"Don't worry. I'll never look down on the fruits of someone else's labor," Shirou said.

"Good. Well then, follow me."

At Erhard's prompting, the group joined the blacksmith behind the counter. Erhard led them towards the back and into the room where he spent his time forging.

The room in question was rather stereotypical. A fairly large space with a huge forge placed up against the backwall. A trio of anvils were placed in the center, going from one end of the room to the other, and every single anvil had a large steel bucket full of water right next to it. A large work desk rested up against the wall to the right, beside which a huge pile of neatly stacked and ordered materials awaited to be forged into weapons.

Though none of that was what drew Shirou's attention. No, his gaze focused on the large rack hanging from the left wall, which held the tools Erhard used to forge his weapons.

"Go on. Help yourself."

Needing no further encouragement, Shirou walked up to the tool filled rack. His eyes looked over every single hammer, chisel and tongs. As he brushed his hand over said tools, his Magic Circuits ever so briefly became visible on the limb as he analyzed all of said tools with the barest of touches.

The materials the tools were made out of were ordinary in every meaning of the word. The tools' history and what came along with that history, however…

The process didn't take long. Less then a minute later, Shirou was done. He turned around, and his red eyes lit up as he looked at the pile of materials on the other side of room.

"May I? I'll reimburse you the cost."

"Go right ahead. I'm curious to see what you got," Erhard crossed his arms.

Without turning to look back, Shirou reached behind him to take out the necessary tools. He marched over and took out a particular silvery blue ingot from the pile. It wouldn't be long before the forge was roaring with a high flame. With an ease that was both foreign and yet hauntingly familiar, Shirou began to forge.


CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

A while later, Shirou was still forging. A piece of softened, red-hot metal was placed on the central anvil as he hammered away at it, slowly but surely shaping it into the form he desired.

"…Hey."

"Yes?"

"Are you sure that this is the first time the lad has forged?"

"Shirou-sama said so. And he has no reason to lie," Rishia said.

"Shirou-sama would never lie!" Atla backed her.

"I've never heard him lie either," Fohl admitted readily.

"Why do you ask?" Rishia asked as she cocked her head.

"…I more or less understand what the lad has done," Erhard began. "With his unique ability, he has recorded the tools of several dozen craftsmen. This includes the history and the memory of the forging techniques of said craftsmen, which he can now draw on whenever."

Shirou's ability to record history worked automatically on swords and other weapons. But it could also work on other objects. The more similar said objects were to swords, the easier it was to draw out said history. And with his recently developed Tracing, he could also draw out and use the skills recorded in the accumulated history of, say, a craftsman's tools.

Before coming to Erhard's shop they had visited more then a hundred blacksmiths and enchanters. All told, by a rough estimate, in a long afternoon Shirou must have accumulated more than a century's worth of forging and enchanting history/experience.

But that still didn't explain…

"…That look in his eyes. Only a true craftsman can have such a deep focus on his work," Erhard shook his head. "I'm having real trouble believing he has reached such state so quickly, no matter what kind of trick he used."

"Maybe Shirou is just a natural?" Melty suggested.

"His Origin is Sword! Remember! It makes perfect sense to me!" Filo added.

At that tidbit of information, Erhard's brow rose. He returned to looking at Shirou as he fell silent, the same look of focus that Shirou had appearing in his eyes as he crossed his arms again.

Unbeknownst to her, Filo was right on the money. When he had replicated the Legendary Weapon Replica, Shirou had known exactly what it could do and how to use it by drawing on its accumulated history. Drawing on said history in order to wield the Legendary Weapon Replica had felt unnaturally natural. His Origin of Sword made anything closely related to that concept come easy to him.

And of course, forging was quite closely tied to swords.

With every strike of the hammer, the accumulated history of forging he had gathered this day became more and more his own at an increasing rate. It had reached the point that he wasn't even consciously drawing on the accumulated history anymore. He just did it all on his own.

"What's that odd dual glow?"

Even through the red-hot metal and the sparks kicked up by every strike of the hammer, there was a glow visible to the ingot Shirou was painstakingly hammering into shape. As matter of fact, there were two layers to said glow: a dull white and a deep blue.

"I think he is using both magical energy and Life Force while he forges," Rishia said.

"Life Force?" Erhard asked. Using magical energy during forging was standard practice, but Life Force wasn't a concept he was familiar with.

"It's rather complicated, but Life Force is really useful in combat," Fohl stepped in to explain. "That, and it can be used to enhance the quality of materials if you use it during the construction of whatever it is you are making. Shirou uses it all the time when he makes those accessories of his."

For Erhard, this day had been full of surprises, and he had learned a lot of useful tidbits of information. If what they had said about Life Force was true, it might be best if he learned to wield it himself.

The conversation fell quiet after that. They just watched as Shirou continued to forge. Even Filo was quiet, entranced by the sparks produced by every hammer blow.

The only thing of note that happened during the forging process after that was when Shirou took off the clothes covering his torso. The room had become sweltering hot at this point, and being the closest to the lit furnace made it so that Shirou faced the full brunt of said heat.

Rishia immediately pinked, and her eyes began to focus on Shirou's bared chest instead of the weapon slowly but surely taking form.

Atla, being blind, didn't have the same reaction. However, she did readily detect the sudden surge of emotions coming out of Rishia. She turned to 'look' at the green haired girl as she realized what feelings Rishia had towards Shirou. Said 'look' became decidedly unfriendly and competitive in short order, as her feline ears perked up, her tail grew rigid and she bared her fangs at her competitor.

Rishia noticed none of this. She only had eyes for Shirou as sweat dripped from his toned physique.

Fohl noticed the byplay and blinked in disbelief. Knowing that his input wouldn't be appreciated either way, he chose to say nothing. Instead, he let out a deep sigh and cradled his forehead. From in between his fingers, he glared at Shirou with abject annoyance.

"…"

With foreign experience that he had rapidly familiarized himself with, Shirou finished his little project within record time. At last, he put down Erhard's tools and held up the finished product.

Erhard had to hold back a whistle of appreciation.

Wandering Cross Guard Gladius – Base Attack: 240 – Enchantments: Defence Up (High) / Agility Up (Medium) / Air Resistance Down (High) / Sympathetic Link (ingrained spell) / Hardening (ingrained spell) [Blessing: Medium → High / Low → Medium]

For the material used, a mithril ingot, Shirou had managed to get practically the highest possible Attack rating out of it. Moreover, he had managed to successfully integrate three enchantments and two ingrained spells into the finished product. Only the most accomplished of blacksmiths could achieve such a feat.

"An excellent piece, Shirou. That said, the combination of enchantments, the ingrained spells, and this weapon's design is certainly…odd," Erhard gave his verdict.

Enchantments placed on a weapon effected the weapon itself, not its wielder. The enchantments applied to the Wandering Cross Guard Gladius made it an exceedingly tough blade and it would cut through the air with barely any resistance. Moreover, thanks to the Sympathetic Link ingrained spell, the weapon and user would be linked together, allowing the user to feel sensations through it, as if the Wandering Cross Guard Gladius was an extension of the wielder.

And then there was the weapon's design. As a gladius, it was a double edged blade and quite short, only seventy centimeters in fact. For its length it was also very broad, twenty centimeters. And like the name of the Wandering Cross Guard Gladius implied, its guard extended outward from either side of the weapon, giving the weapon a cross-like appearance. The steel of the blade was a pure silver.

"I know. I designed it with a specific purpose in mind," Shirou answered the unasked question.

"…Personally, I wonder why it's called the Wandering Cross Guard Gladius," Fohl muttered underneath his breath.

Evidently, Shirou heard him, because he suddenly smiled.

"You'll see."

A short while later, they would exit the shop after thanking the Old Man and bidding him good day. By the time they did so, the sun was already starting going down the horizon, tinting the world orange.

"…And that finishes that," said a satisfied Shirou. "We still have a little time. Does anyone else want to go do something else before we go back to the castle?"

He found himself quite surprised when Atla grabbed his right hand and Rishia his left. It happened in such perfect unison that he wouldn't have been surprised if someone told him that they had practiced the maneuver in advance.

"Let's go have a picknick, Shirou-sama," Rishia said.

"How about we go swimming, Shirou-sama?" Atla suggested.

Their words, however, revealed that both girls weren't on the same wavelength. Quite the opposite in fact.

Shirou blinked, stunned. Atla and Rishia paused, then looked at each other. Atla glared through her closed eyelids. For a moment, Rishia looked equally surprised as Shirou, until it dawned on her what exactly was going on right now. She glared right back at Atla.

"…Uhm," Shirou's words, just like his mind, failed him in that moment.

It wasn't long before Shirou found himself being pulled back and forth between both girls, neither of them willing to relinquish his hand as they bickered. Behind them, Melty looked stunned, Filo's shoulders were shaking with barely repressed laughter and Fohl tried and failed to reign in his rampantly twitching brow.

It had been a good day.


"So, this is where you all have been staying lately. Not too shabby, little Naofumi!"

The Shield Hero sighed at the overly familiar away he was addressed. Before, it had irritated him something fierce. Now, he only felt a briefest stab of annoyance. This person in question had, by now, quite frankly earned the right to address him so informally.

Sadeena looked around the room they were in. Said room was opulent to hell and back. As it was a room in the castle that the royal family of Melromarc called home, a room quite close to said royal family's own chambers, it was only appropriate. Ever since they had returned to the capital, the queen had insisted they stay at the castle, a generous offer they hadn't failed to take advantage of.

"It certainly beats sleeping under an open sky, that's for sure," Naofumi elected to say.

They continued to have idle conversation for a little while longer, until they both decided to get to the meat and potato's of this little get together.

The Shield Hero put down the cup he had been drinking from and looked over the table sat in between him and Sadeena. He leaned back into the couch.

"Now, Sadeena. What can I do for you? It's rather odd for you to contact us out of the blue like this."

At that, the female demi-human grew serious.

"I think I have about finished what I can do in Zeltoble."

Naofumi blinked. Raphtalia, who was sat beside him, found her eyes widening.

"You mean..?"

Sadeena nodded. "As you know, I remained in Zeltoble to round up as many of our hometown's villagers that had been sold into slavery as I could."

Naofumi nodded along. "And any villagers we found in Melromarc during the civil war we had sent over to you."

While Sadeena had been busy competing in the Underground Colosseum in Zeltoble, making money in order to buy the villagers that had been sold into servitude and ended up in the international market, the civil war in Melromarc had been in full swing. Ironically enough, this had proven to be a blessing in disguise. As anti-demi-human territories were overrun, it was inevitable that they would encounter demi-humans slaves, be they legal slaves or otherwise.

These slaves would then be sent to pro-demi-human territories for their own safety. Naofumi had intervened early on in this process, making sure that demi-humans that could be proven to have come from Raphtalia's hometown were sent out of the country, to stay with Sadeena in Zeltoble. It had been a general order from both the queen and the Shield Hero, and it had been followed to the letter.

"With our combined efforts, I think we have recovered nearly all the villagers we can realistically expect to," Sadeena said. "Nearly all the kids are accounted for. The adults…there are only a few of them, I'm afraid, which is to be expected."

Many of said adults had died protecting the village during the very first Wave that had hit Melromarc.

"And the children that haven't been found probably died, like Rifana," Raphtalia added quietly.

"Yes," at that, Sadeena's smile fell away.

A short silence fell, all three of them just thinking on the tragedy of it all.

"And? What's the next step?" Naofumi asked, getting the conversation back on track.

"Now that the civil war is more or less over, I'd like to get the villagers back into Melromarc."

Naofumi raised an eyebrow. Though she tried to hide it, the Shield Hero could detect a hint of urgency to Sadeena's words.

"Remember what I told you? That I had enlisted the aid of a certain merchant in the business?"

"Yes. A merchant that had a thing for you. Whatever that means," Raphtalia muttered.

Sadeena smiled without humor. All of a sudden, she started to loosen the wrappings binding her chest.

"What are you..!?" Naofumi reacted immediately, only to trail off.

Sadeena had only loosened the top layer. This did give the Shield Hero an enticing look into the valley of her breasts, but something else took up all of his attention: a Slave Crest.

Beside him, Raphtalia looked equally as shocked as himself.

Sadeena's humorless smile widened. "You see, this merchant is a rather nasty piece of work that would only do me the favor of tracking down the villagers if I gave him something of incredible value. Besides the money I gathered for buying the villagers, I only had myself to offer."

"Piece of shit," Naofumi spat. Some would question this arrangement, but the Shield Hero understood it immediately. Besides being exceptionally beautiful, Sadeena was also an incredibly powerful fighter. In spite of the fact that she hadn't had the benefit of the Legendary Shield's Stat growth adjustment ability, she could still contend on an even footing with all his other companions.

In other words, Sadeena was a rare gem and this merchant had taken advantage of her desperation to find her fellow villagers in order to 'claim' said gem.

"Sadeena, I…" Raphtalia was at a loss for words.

Neither of them expected the sudden snort from Sadeena.

"Don't worry your pretty little heads too much," she said, giving an errant wave of her hand. "That guy only thinks he has a hold on me. A Slave Crest of this level isn't enough to bind me, and since I managed to talk him down from applying a Curse Mark, I'm still free in spite of what that rat bastard thinks."

"Are you-"

"I'm sure, yes," Sadeena nodded, cutting Raphtalia off. "I went against his orders multiple times, I just made it seem like I did what he asked. That said, this merchant also knows where I am keeping all the villagers that we rescued. I'm afraid that he might try and take them hostage as further collateral."

"And that's why you want to send the villagers back to Melromarc," Naofumi concluded.

"That, and the fact that staying for the long term in Zeltoble isn't an option. The country of merchants and mercenaries is not for the faint of heart," Sadeena said.

Naofumi's eyes hardened. "I have several connections in Zeltoble. Lord Ciaran and Hickwaal still owe us a couple of favors. As influential members of the Merchants Guild, I'm sure that they will be able to put the squeeze on this guy. In the off chance that they can't, we will deal with the issue ourselves."

Sadeena inclined her head in thanks. "Thank you, truly, little Naofumi. I don't think I will ever be able to repay you for taking care of little Raphtalia and helping all of our fellow villagers."

"There's still the question of where we will house all the villagers after they've returned to Melromarc," Raphtalia broke in.

Naofumi pursed his lips. "I'll talk to the queen. We will figure something out. Don't worry."


Two weeks after the battle with Bow Hero, the king, the Spear Hero, the Sword Hero and their parties were recalled to the capital. Siltvelt had withdrawn their forces from the border, clearly being cowed from invading. The majority of Melromarc's forces under the command of sir Olberic would continue guarding the border for the foreseeable future. If Siltvelt were to march on the border again, those forces would still be there, while the Heroes and the king were but a single teleport away.

"Motoyasu-sama! What kind of rewards do you think we will receive?" Myne asked.

At the moment, they were walking down the long corridor leading to the throne room. The king was at the head, Ren and Motoyasu were behind him while their parties formed the rear.

Motoyasu gave a roguish grin. "We might not have fought Itsuki, but we did take care of the Wave with no issue. That Boss Monster was a cakewalk now that I have properly powered up!"

As the Spear Hero boasted, Myne and his other party members fawned over him. The king showed no reaction, but Ren felt his brow twitch at the display. The Sword Hero had to fight to show nothing else of his irritation. His party was in a similar boat.

"…So I'm sure we will receive whatever your heart's desires, Myne!" Motoyasu ended his longwinded spiel, much to Ren's relief.

They came upon the large double doors leading into the throne room. Said double doors swung open as they approached, and they strolled on in without slowing down.

On the other side, they could see the queen sat upon her throne, her fan hiding her expression. Melty stood at attention on her right and Eclair was on her left. Naofumi and his party plus Sadeena were lined up in a single file on the right. Like normal, soldiers lined the circumference of the room.

Aultcray directed the Spear Hero, the Sword Hero and their parties to form up into single files of their own in front of the throne. That done, he approached the empty seat besides the queen.

SNAP!

The king froze on the spot at the sound of the queen snapping her fan shut. The thunderous expression on Mirellia's face staid his feet.

"Don't you dare sit down beside me. You do not deserve to do so," the queen said in a deadly whisper.

The king lowered his head a little, not looking surprised at the harsh reception. In a flash, the atmosphere in the room changed. While Naofumi, Ren and their party members showed little reaction besides a grim smile or two, Motoyasu's eyes widened in alarm while Myne's face paled.

Mirellia fell silent for a long moment, allowing the tension to build.

"…Almost three months ago, I left Melromarc on a diplomatic mission when the Dragon Hourglasses' across the world started to move," Mirellia said, the muscles on her face drawn tight. "I left people that I thought I could trust in charge, sure in the knowledge that they would do whatever it took to protect our nation."

Everyone but the queen was deadly silent. None of them dared to interrupt.

"And what happens when the first Wave hits?"

Mirellia's hand trembled with barely repressed rage.

"My representative, lord Seaetto, died. My husband ignores my orders and summons all four Holy Heroes in clear violation of an international treaty, nearly starting a war. And my eldest daughter…has the gall to deceive the Shield Hero and falsely accuse him of rape."

"I didn't lie, ma-!" Myne immediately started to shout.

SHING!

Only to fall silent as a razor sharp icicle with the mere width of a hair cut open her cheek. As blood started to drip from the wound, Myne's lips clamped shut, a look of utter terror on her face.

"What do you think you are-!?" Motoyasu exploded, already raising the Legendary Spear.

"Everyone. If the king, the Spear Hero or his party try and interfere with these proceedings, you are to stop them immediately. With lethal force, if necessary," Mirellia stated coldly.

Motoyasu froze as everyone – the other Heroes, their parties and the soldiers – turned towards them as their hands closed around their weapons. The Spear Hero realized that they had been placed in the very center of the room with everyone else surrounding them, and that probably wasn't a coincidence.

"This isn't a joke," the queen said for emphasis. "Aultcray and Myne have done things that I cannot and will not forgive. Today, I'm getting to the bottom of those crimes and laying them bare for everyone to see. That's the only way to start making amends."

The Spear Hero's eyes darted in his socket, trying to find a way out. For a moment, he entertained the thought of teleporting them all away.

"Don't even try it," Ren growled. The Legendary Sword was already drawn. The moment Motoyasu tried to teleport, he would stop him.

The Spear Hero realized this. He begrudgingly lowered the Legendary Spear.

"…Fine!" Motoyasu spat. "Then we will just prove that we carry no blame for this situation! And once we do that, you will apologize to Myne!"

Mirellia didn't deign to respond to that. She wacked her fan into the palm of her hand, like a judge banging their gavel.

Her thunderous eyes alighted on her husband.

"While I was away on a diplomatic mission, you summoned all four Holy Heroes in clear violation of an international treaty. How do you plead?"

"…Guilty."

That single quiet word left the king's mouth. And as he did so, his gaze did not waver from the queen's.

Mirellia's brow arched. That was the only sign that she was surprised.

The other reactions around the room were far more expressive. More then a few mouths fell open in astonishment at the quick admission of guilt.

"Father-in-law?" Motoyasu whispered in disbelief.

"Papa!" Myne cried.

The king clenched his fists as he ignored the rest of the room. "Looking back, I cannot believe what I was thinking when I went against your orders, Mirellia. I have no excuse, and I unquestionably did what you accuse me of. All I can say is this, knowing full well that it will not be accepted: I am sorry."

Instead of responding to the apology, the queen continued.

"Did or didn't you threaten the party members of Sword Hero with the safety of their families? Families, I might add, that have been loyal servants of Melromarc's royal family for generations. Just so that they would not disclose critical information to the Heroes?"

"Guilty."

Mirellia stared hard at her husband. Not saying anything, she waved her hand.

Lowering his head as he recognized the dismissal, Aultcray stepped aside to watch the rest of the proceedings. His part of this trial, which was unquestionably what this was, was now over. All he could do now was but to watch until it was time for sentencing.

Myne's already pale face gained the pallor of a corpse when her mother's eyes turned to bore into her.

"Myne," Mirellia spat the name like a curse. "Did or did you not lie that the Hero of the Shield raped you?"

"That wasn't a lie, mama! It's nothing but the truth!"

"Oh? And I don't suppose you have anything else but your word to prove your claim?"

"I-I'm you daughter! You know that I would never lie, mama!"

"It's exactly because I know you that I don't trust a word that comes out of your mouth. You have always delighted in other people's misery."

The queen snapped her fingers. In response, two soldiers approached Myne and forced her to her knees, even as she struggled to resist with all that she had.

"Myne!" in spite of the situation, it looked like Motoyasu was about to throw caution to the wind and interfere. He froze when he felt the Legendary Sword all of a sudden come to a rest in between his shoulder blades. In the moment he had been distracted, Ren had moved into his blind spot.

The Spear Hero could do little but watch helplessly as a soldier carried a jar with purple ink to the queen. Said queen pricked her finger and dropped a single drop of her blood into the ink.

"Mama! Please don't do this!" Myne, realizing what was about to happen, struggled ever fiercer, but the soldiers holding her down showed no sign of relenting.

Another soldier took the ink and used it to inscribe a Slave Crest on Myne's chest. Myne hissed as the purple mark burned into her skin, but then the high level Slave Crest disappeared, hidden until its functions were needed.

"Just to be clear, I set the conditions of the contract that any lie that comes out of your mouth will be punished by a painful shock," Mirellia said coldly. "Now, then, lets repeat my earlier question: did or did you not lie that the Hero of the Shield raped you?"

"Yes! The Shield Hero raped me!"

BA-BUMB!

There was a sound like a heartbeat, only far louder then normal. The next second, Myne's Slave Crest roared back into visibility as it burned a deep purple. Purple lightning crackled around Myne as a very painful shock was delivered, as promised.

"AAAAAHHHHH!"

As Myne screamed in pain, Naofumi felt an odd mixture of emotions. He was being cleared of his 'crimes' right before his very eyes, this Bitch was being punished in the process, and the powers that be were the one's doing it in his name. The mix of elation, vindication, relief and schadenfreude almost made him lightheaded.

"The pain won't stop until you tell the truth. The Slave Crest will kill you if you don't."

"Fine!" tears streamed down Myne's face. "It was all a lie! The Shield Hero never raped me!"

As soon as those words left her mouth, the purple lightning crackling around her as well as the Slave Crest disappeared.

"And why did you falsely claim that he raped you?"

"I-I didn't have a particular reason-AAAHHH!"

The Slave Crest acted, purpling lightning once more burning her flesh.

"Okay! Okay!" Myne gibbered. "I wanted a sob story in order to help me seduce the Spear Hero!"

Again, as soon as she told the truth, both the purple lightning and Slave Crest disappeared.

From the side, Aultcray closed his eyes and lowered his head even more. Shame. It filled every fiber of his being and threatened to overflow. Shame in himself, and shame for his eldest.

"And this fake rape accusation wasn't thought up in collusion with someone else?" Mirellia asked with a raised brow.

"S-some church officials might have dropped a hint here or t-there," Myne said haltingly, muscles still spasming from the lightning. "But nothing that I would consider collusion!"

This time, the Slave Crest didn't react.

Huh, so she can tell the truth if placed under duress. Nice to know, Naofumi thought spitefully.

"And does that mean that you also had nothing to do with the Church of the Three Heroes going rogue before they were brainwashed by the Bow Hero? Did you have anything to do with Melty being kidnapped?"

"I had nothing to do with that!"

Again, the Slave Crest remained inert.

This time, the queen was unable to keep her surprise from showing. After all that had happened, her opinion on what her eldest was capable of had soured more and more. But it appeared that Myne hadn't done all that Mirellia had expected. The question was, was this because she wouldn't do such heinous things, or was it because she never got the opportunity to do so?

"Well, then. Let's just be sure."

Mirellia's eyes speared Myne's trembling figure.

"If you had the opportunity to get rid of your sister and regain your right to the throne, would you do it?"

"No! Of course not!"

ZAPP!

This time, Myne resisted longer, hoping against hope that her mother would bring a halt to the proceedings herself before she was forced to admit the truth again. A single look into Mirellia's eyes, that had gone even colder than before, would tell anyone that wasn't going to happen.

Eventually, the errant princess' resolve broke.

"Y-yes! Whatever it took to become queen, I would do it!"

As soon as the lightning stopped, Myne went limp. The only reason she didn't collapse was because the soldiers were still holding her.

"…"

A shocked silence lingered throughout the room. Melty lowered her head, but didn't look surprised. Aultcray on the other hand had gone as pale as a sheet and looked at his eldest with pure horror.

"That can't be…" he muttered.

"This is bullshit!" Motoyasu shouted, his patience completely gone. He ignored the Legendary Sword digging into his back as he continued. "You're using that damn mark to make her say those things! None of that is true!"

It wasn't a bad inference, if you didn't know how a Slave Crest worked.

"You really think so?" Mirellia said with a cold smile. "Fine, then. Register Myne as a temporary slave to yourself, Spear Hero. If you do that, you'll quickly understand how the Slave Crest works."

"If that's what it takes! I'll prove her innocence!"

Under directions of the queen, Motoyasu pricked his finger and placed a single drop of his blood onto Myne's Slave Crest. The blood was absorbed into it.

"Look at your Status Menu. The details of how a Slave Crest works should be listed inside."

Motoyasu did so, reading the specifics that had appeared in his Menu. He nodded and turned towards his redheaded party member.

"Myne, Naofumi raped you, didn't he?"

"Yes! AAAHHH! No, he didn't!"

Color drained from Motoyasu's face as Myne was immediately punished for the lie.

"That can't be true!"

The Spear Hero was shaking like a leaf in the wind.

"Spear Hero-sama, face facts. Myne has always been a liar. Through and through. Chances are that she has told you more lies than truths."

In spite of the queen's words, the Spear Hero's face suddenly hardened with conviction.

"I don't believe it! Myne isn't like that! It's all Naofumi's fault!"

Naofumi clenched his fists. Motoyasu didn't understand the difference between trust and blind faith. One day, the inability to see the difference would knock him on his ass.

"What you do and don't believe doesn't matter, Spear Hero-sama," Mirellia's smile was frigid. "It is incontrovertible that Myne's rape accusation was flat out lie. Moreover, she has admitted to the fact that she would be willing to get rid of her sister if it meant regaining the right to the throne. You are aware of the fact that just planning to kill someone of the royal family is a crime, yes? The fact that the one planning to do so is also part of the royal family doesn't change that."

Once more, the queen smacked her palm with her closed fan. The sound echoed like a judge banging their gavel.

"Aultcray, even if we weren't in a time of crises, your actions are unforgivable and nearly brought ruin to this nation," Mirellia began. "However, you did admit your guilt without hesitation. Moreover, your aid in the civil war proved to be invaluable. Considering your continued worth to Melromarc, I'll let you off with a fairly minor sentence."

Aultcray swallowed thickly as Mirellia glared at him.

"You will remain king, but in name only. You will have no decision making capability," Mirellia stated. "Anything that you do decide will have to go through me or someone else that I trust first. Besides that, you won't be allowed to remain on the sidelines anymore. From now on, in order to pay off the debts you incurred with your actions, you will be joining the Heroes on the frontline of the Waves. Failure to comply with this will result in your immediate expulsion from the royal family."

Naofumi's features crunched up. It was a fair sentencing, all things considered, but it wasn't enough to satisfy him.

"…Yes. I hear and obey," Aultcray accepted it without a fight.

With that done, the queen turned towards Myne, who could do little else but look up at her mother with naked fear.

"Myne, I hereby disown you from the royal family."

The shocked intake of breath around the room was like a roaring wind.

"Mama!"

"I just disowned you. Do please stop calling me your mother."

A knight walked up to the queen and handed her a length of parchment. The queen looked at it briefly before getting up from her throne and holding it in front of Myne's face.

"See this, Myne? This is the total amount of money you apparently took out of the treasury while I was gone," Mirellia took hold of her daughter by the chin and forced her to meet her gaze. "Everything that you took, down the smallest piece of bronze, I expect you to return it plus interest. You will remain a slave to the crown until you have done so, and will work as an adventurer aiding the Heroes in stopping the Waves in order to make said money back."

Apparently, Myne had dipped her toes into the nation's treasury for who knows what. Most of them couldn't find it in themselves to be surprised anymore.

"That's way too much! I'll never be able to pay it back!"

Mirellia stared down her eldest with a stone cold look of contempt.

"Please, mama! Forgiveness!"

"I'm all out of forgiveness, I'm afraid. That said, now that I think about it, you and Aultcray both shouldn't be asking me forgiveness," the queen turned and pointed to the Shield Hero. "Both of you tried to ruin the Shield Hero out of spite and greed. Throw yourselves at his feet, and if he forgives you, I might decide to be a little more lenient with you both."

Myne's face scrunched up in disgust at the thought. Aultcray, on the other hand…

"…I know full well that this apology won't be accepted. It doesn't deserve to be accepted," as Aultcray said those words, they seemed to cause him physical pain. "But I will say it anyways: I am sorry."

Naofumi stared the king, not quite believing that the man had actually apologized. The Shield Hero didn't know what to think, but he did feel something dark and terrible loosen up just a little in his chest.

Myne, however, remained stubbornly silent with a lowered head.

"I just had another thought," Mirellia suddenly said. "As Aultcray has apologized, he is now of the hook for any further punishment, but since Myne hasn't, I think she deserves a little extra. What about you, Shield Hero-sama? Do you have any ideas for further punishment?"

At that, Myne's head jerked upwards in a clear sign of panic.

Death. Execution. Torture.

Naofumi's mind became black with dark thoughts of what he wanted to happen to Myne. He hated her so much, he wanted to see her face twisted in fear and pain. The fantasies of such that came to his mind would, if uttered, definitely make everyone think less of him. He almost uttered said fantasies out loud anyway, if for no other reason than to make Myne suffer a panic attack.

He repressed it, however. His party would not approve, and if the queen actually wanted her eldest dead, she would have sentenced Myne to execution. In deference to his erstwhile allies, he held himself back.

"Please, Shield Hero-sama! I'm sorry! I beg of you, please, forg-!"

As soon as he heard Myne's voice, however, Naofumi exploded.

"Shut your damn mouth, Bitch! Your fake ass apology just makes me want to throw up!" the Shield Hero spat with such hatred that almost everyone recoiled. "Hah! That's it! Why didn't I think of it earlier! I won't be satisfied if I don't get to levy a single punishment of my own on her, no matter how insignificant it is! Legally change her name into Bitch! Anyone who doesn't call her Bitch should be punished!"

As those words echoed throughout the throne room, everyone could do little but listen in shock. Only the queen didn't seem to be taken aback.

"An excellent idea," Mirellia snapped her fan closed with a decisive sound. "From this day forwards, Myne's name will be Bitch. Anyone who doesn't call her by her new name will face a fine."

"Mama?!" Myne spluttered.

"I told you already, I'm not your mother anymore, Bitch."

Myne, now Bitch, went red faced.

"You can't do this to Myne, you two faced-!" Motoyasu started to rage.

"My proclamation just now applies to everyone, Heroes included!"

"I don't give a damn!" Motoyasu screamed. "I'm the Spear Hero! The one who dealt with the last Wave and its Boss Monster with ease! You can't treat me or mine like this! I won't accept any of this nonsense all of you are spewing! Nor these stupid punishments levied at Myne!"

"Oh?" Mirellia turned towards the Spear Hero with a frigid smile. "And how exactly are you going to stop us? You and what army? Remember, you might be a Holy Hero, but two other Holy Heroes will oppose you if you try anything violent to get what you want."

At that, Motoyasu clamped up. He gritted his teeth, infinite loathing in his eyes.

"Naofumi!"

The Spear Hero and Shield Hero matched glares.

"Duel me! If I win, Myne goes free!"

Naofumi's brow twitched in a violent manner.

"…This nonsense again?" the Shield Hero groused. "What would you even offer me if you lost?"

Motoyasu's expression darkened, but he didn't seem to have an answer at hand. His hands clenched around the Legendary Spear, figure trembling.

Mirellia let out an explosive breath.

"Very well. There will be a duel on the ultimate fate of Bitch's punishment."

Nearly all the heads in the room whipped towards the queen.

"However," the queen glared at Motoyasu. "Only because I'm fairly certain that the Spear Hero would resort to violence anyhow if he doesn't get a chance to work out his aggression. That said, a single duel won't suffice. If you want to spare Bitch her fate, you will have to win three consecutive battles. Do you agree?"

"Yes!" Motoyasu took the chance for what it was. "I'll show you all what I am capable of now and save Myne!"

"Good. To the arena," Mirellia smiled another cold smile.


A floor of hardpacked dirt. A raised circular wall. Elevated seating on all sides. Flickering torches hanging from the circular wall. This was the arena where the Shield Hero and the Spear Hero had their very first duel, more then two months ago at this point.

The door on one side of the arena opened, permitting the entrance of one of the combatants. Hero of the Spear, Motoyasu, marched onto the field of battle.

Unlike last time, when there had been an adoring crowd to cheer him on, now there were much fewer people in attendance. Only the queen, the king, Melty, Eclair and the parties of the Heroes were seated in a wide spread on the elevated seating.

"Motoyasu-sama! You will win! I know it!"

Still, Myne was in his corner like always. That was more than enough.

He gave her his usual roguish grin, trying to reassure her that he had this. That done, his eyes scanned the elevated seating yet again, and his gaze came to a halt when he realized one important fact.

Both Naofumi and Ren were also seated in the viewing area.

"…What?"

He had assumed that he would be facing one of the other Heroes immediately. There might be a total of three duels, but who else but a Hero could face another Hero? Who had they chosen..?

On the other side of arena, the doors slowly creaked open. Motoyasu's eyes focused on the figure that came marching out of the shadows of the corridor.

"You…" the Spear Hero growled.

Shirou came to a halt in front of him. They matched glares.

"Heh," eventually, Motoyasu let out a chuckle. "Seriously? Do you really think you can beat me?"

"I reckon I have a fair shot," Shirou said, hand closing around the hilt of his sword. "Last time, if it had not been for the king aiding you, I would have won that battle. You know it and I know it."

"Maybe," surprisingly enough, Motoyasu didn't contradict him. "But that was before I had powered up appropriately. I was strong before, but now I might as well be on another world. And I am every bit as powerful as Ren and Naofumi. Think about it. Do you really think you can beat me? A Hero?"

Shirou was not cowed.

"Let's find out."

The queen snapped her fan shut. The sound drew all attention towards her.

"The conditions are agreed!" she boomed. "In order to decide Bitch's ultimate fate, the Spear Hero will have to win three consecutive duels! A single loss will mean that Bitch's punishment will stand as is! Should the Spear Hero win all three duels, Bitch goes free!"

Mirellia snapped her fan back open and raised it high above her head. Motoyasu dug his heels into the hardpacked dirt and leaned forwards. Shirou's sword slid an inch out of its sheath.

"Well, then: begin!"

The fan was swung down with a shrill noise.

Motoyasu exploded forwards. His Speed had always been his greatest Stat, and now that he had made use of more than a dozen Strengthening Methods, it had reached heights he hadn't thought possible, and it showed. It honestly looked like he had teleported as he closed the distance in less than the blink of an eye.

The Legendary Spear thrust forwards, aimed dead center of Shirou's chest. As the demi-human's sword was still but an inch unsheathed, it looked like Shirou had been caught flatfooted.

"Trace, on."

But then again, appearances can be deceiving.

CLANG!

A cross shaped gladius fell down from above, deflecting the spear thrust at the last second. Instinct took over, and Motoyasu had to call on all the speed that he could muster as what seemed like a dozen blows all of a sudden rained down on him from every direction.

"Ack!" a sound of surprise escaped him as he was almost overwhelmed in short order by a constant stream of murderous attacks. He leaped back, making distance again.

Feet sliding back as he came down, Motoyasu looked up, wide eyed at what he beheld.

"Living Sword Poltergeist," Shirou announced. His Magic Amethyst Longsword remained undrawn.

Behind his back floated eight copies of the Wandering Cross Guard Gladius, their tips pointing towards the ground. This was a technique he had discovered in the Legendary Weapon Replica, an ingrained spell that had struck him like a wildfire of inspiration. The moment he had come to know of this technique's existence, he had worked his but off in order to reverse engineer it for his own use.

In theory, the technique was simple. It would partition a small portion of the user's consciousness into a sword, which would then allow said user to manipulate the sword in question like it was one's own body. In practice, however, it was far more difficult. Learning to use what amounted to a new, free-floating limb required training and experience. Much like learning how to walk for the first time.

But for Shirou? Who's Element and Origin was both Sword? It had come far more easily to him than it would have anyone else. Still, eight swords was his limit right now. Anymore, and he would start having trouble coordinating both the swords and his own body at the same time.

"…The hell?" Motoyasu muttered, stunned.

"Ready or not," Shirou leaned forwards. Behind him, the Wandering Cross Guard Gladiuses shivered in the air. "Here I come!"

Sword hilt still held in a tight grip, he charged head on at the Spear Hero. Four gladiuses trailed behind each shoulder, looking almost like metallic wings.

"Piercing Light Thrust!"

Finally, the Magic Amethyst Longsword left its sheath. Burning energy coated the weapon's edge as a straight thrust headed for the Spear Hero's chest.

CLANG!

Stunned though he was, Motoyasu deflected the head on thrust easily enough. With his new level of speed, Shirou was moving rather slowly from his perspective.

It was what came after that almost overwhelmed him again on the spot.

The first gladius swung down on his head from above. The second stabbed towards his face. The third rocketed towards his left kidney. The fourth plunged down on his right knee. The fifth targeted his left shoulder. The sixth aimed for his left hand. The seventh struck towards his liver. And the final eight arched over his head in order to get a clean shot on his spine.

"Whirlwind!"

Jumping backwards and to the right in the small opening remaining there, the Legendary Spear spun like a whirlwind, deflecting a few of the gladiuses while the Spear Hero evaded the rest.

"Burst Lance!"

Taking the opening for what it was, Motoyasu stabbed the Legendary Spear towards Shirou and unleashed a narrow red beam of energy.

CLANG!

Moving with unnatural grace and speed, all eight Wandering Cross Guard Gladiuses slammed themselves together in the path of the beam, creating an impromptu barrier. Though the blades were unnaturally tough thanks to the quality of their forging and the enchantments/ingrained spells applied, they still only managed to halt the Burst Lance beam with their own total destruction.

Motoyasu rushed through the dust and slivers of broken metal, trying to seize the opportunity.

"Trace, on. Living Sword Poltergeist."

Only to curse and be forced to back off again when eight new Wandering Cross Guard Gladiuses materialized behind Shirou's back and shot towards him. Killing his forward momentum, Motoyasu twisted his heel and jumped to the side.

Again, the gladiuses moved with unnatural speed and grace, almost seeming to entirely ignore the laws of inertia as they moved to follow the Spear Hero. Said Hero hopped backwards and sideways multiple times, trying to make enough distance and get the gladiuses far enough away from Shirou in order to create a viable opening to attack.

It took longer than he liked. The unnatural grace of the floating weapons made them capable of almost keeping pace with him. Eventually, however…

"Yah!"

Motoyasu's foot came down with a loud sound, halting his backwards momentum. Twisting his heel into the packed dirt, he all of a sudden shot forwards with all the speed he could muster. The gladiuses, now spread too far apart and being just a little too slow to compensate for the sudden change in both speed and direction, were left in the dust.

All of a sudden, the Spear Hero had a clean shot on Shirou.

"Hidden Light Slash!"

Motoyasu caught the raging crescent of burning light on the shaft of the Legendary Spear. Once, he'd had trouble defending against this technique. Now, he shunted it aside like chaff in the wind, his charge not having been slowed down one iota.

"Chaos Thrust!"

Pulling on one of his Skills the moment he got in close, he unleashed a dozen thrusts in less than a second flat.

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

"What!?" Motoyasu gasped.

Shirou had, with a lot of effort, managed to deflect only a single thrust of the spear with the Magic Amethyst Longsword. Once, he had deflected all dozen thrusts on his own, but now the attack was much too quick and vicious for him to even attempt doing so. All the other thrusts, on the other hand, had been deflected by eight new Wandering Cross Guard Gladiuses that had all of a sudden appeared around him, with a few of them angled just enough to defend against more then a single thrust at once.

Behind Motoyasu, with their tips driven deep into the packed dirt, were the earlier, now discarded, Wandering Cross Guard Gladiuses.

Shirou had withdrawn his consciousness from those discarded weapons, Projected eight new ones around him and immediately took control of them with Living Sword Poltergeist. The only thing of real note that he had done was doing all of that without the use of an aria, which did make it a little more difficult, but it was still well within his capabilities.

"..!"

No sooner had Motoyasu's attack been brought to a halt and the gladiuses twisted in midair and swung down on the Spear Hero in an renewed assault.

Motoyasu leaped back, getting out of range again. Mid leap-

"Meteor Spear!"

-he launched a beam of silvery energy straight at Shirou.

"That earlier trick of yours won't work on this!"

Shirou kicked off against the ground in order to dodge, knowing in advance what Motoyasu said to be true. But even as he dodged and the raging silver beam tore past him-

"Exploding Sword!"

-he activated another technique. Another derivative from the long history contained in the Legendary Weapon Replica.

Motoyasu came down, feet sliding backwards on the packed dirt. And as he did so, he came to a sliding halt mere inches from one of the discarded Wandering Cross Guard Gladiuses buried in the ground. The gladius in question burned white hot for an instant before exploding with a force not dissimilar to an incendiary bomb. With the added benefit of razor sharp shrapnel.

BOOM!

Motoyasu startled shout was swallowed by the explosion. Said explosion hammered his back and sent him flying forwards.

Straight into Shirou's oncoming charge.

For once, the demi-human didn't lead with his sword, but instead with his fist.

"Hengen Musou, Hidden Technique: Large Caliber Piercing Bullet!"

Said fist, aglow with highly focused Life Force, found Motoyasu's gut as Shirou jumped forwards and hammered him. The Spear Hero, still being carried forwards by the explosion, found his body wrapping itself around the Life Force empowered fist, spittle and bile leaving his mouth.

One would assume that with his Stats an order of magnitude more powerful, that the Spear Hero could take such an attack no problem. Or at least better than before.

They would be wrong. The Defence rating attack worked off Motoyasu's much higher Defence Stat, and ironically enough did a lot more damage because of it now than it would have before the Spear Hero had made use of all the known Strengthening Methods.

For a moment, time seemed to freeze, with Motoyasu wrapped around Shirou's fist.

Then the Large Caliber Piercing Bullet ripped itself free from Shirou's fist and carried the Spear Hero away with it. He continued to fly backwards until-

CRASH!

-he smashed back first into the far raised wall of the arena. Motoyasu disappeared into the wreckage and resulting dust cloud.

As the wall partially collapsed in a cacophony of noise, everything briefly fell silent except for the sharp whistle of the Wandering Cross Guard Gladiuses slicing through the air.

A second later, the dust and rubble covering the Spear Hero was scattered as Motoyasu surged to stand. Only to be confronted by all eight floating gladiuses bearing down on him.

No time to dodge!

With that thought ripping through his mind, he took the only option remaining.

"Flying Chaos Thrust!"

He threw the Legendary Spear and as it took flight, it split into a dozen copies. If he could not dodge, he would block.

Unfortunately, this would be prove to be an ineffective strategy.

Once thrown, the copies of the Legendary Spear were in the hands of Motoyasu's aim and momentum. The Wandering Cross Guard Gladiuses had no such limitation. Under the command of Shirou's partitioned consciousness, the gladiuses shifted minutely in their flight, shooting through the openings the Hero of the Spear's counterattack had left.

THUNK! THUNK! THUNK! THUNK! THUNK! THUNK! THUNK! SQUELCH!

"ARGH!"

A single gladius found the Spear Hero's bicep. Under Shirou's guidance, the sword struck directly at a chink in his armor with a last second shift. The gladius punched clean through said bicep and buried itself in the ruined wall behind Motoyasu, nailing him to said wall and causing him to let out a scream of pain. The seven other gladiuses buried themselves into wall around the Spear Hero, framing him.

"Fuck!" Motoyasu trashed against the wall, only succeeding in exacerbating his injury as blood dripped down the limb in copious amount. "You…rotten bastard!"

Shirou didn't react to the insult. Instead, he turned his head just enough to look at the queen watching from the viewing area.

"I'm not giving up! This battle isn't over!" Motoyasu raged, knowing that Shirou expected the queen to declare him the victor. "Don't think that-!"

Eyes narrowing dangerously, magical energy briefly flared out from Shirou. In response, the one gladius that nailed the Spear Hero to the wall and the seven others around him glowed faintly.

Motoyasu clamped up faster than he ever had before.

Oh, right. These swords can explode. Hahahaha. Silly me…

"…"

In spite of his earlier words, all the fight seemed to abruptly leave the Hero of the Spear.

Mirellia nodded.

"That's that! Spear Hero-sama has lost! Bitch's punishment stands!"

"Good going, Shirou! I couldn't have asked for better!"

Naofumi cackled like a bonafide villain, subtle tears of mirth stinging at the corner of his eyes as he slapped his thigh. He meant what he said. Motoyasu getting handily trashed, nearly making the Spear Hero crap himself in the process and Myne being stuck with the name Bitch? Priceless! Beyond priceless!

As the Shield Hero continued to laugh, he got plenty of disapproving looks. He took no note of this. He was in too good a mood to care.

"Ugh! I'm sorry, My-"

Shirou cut Motoyasu off with a flat look. The glow of the gladiuses subtly increased.

The Spear Hero's face twisted. The next few words out of his mouth hurt even more than the sword nailing him to the wall.

"I'm sorry, Bitch!"

Much like Motoyasu, the face of the redheaded former princess was a reddened mess of supreme humiliation and equally supreme fury.

"HAHAHA!"

The sight of said face made Naofumi's laughing fit double in volume.

This truly was the best day ever!


I'll be honest, I have no clue how I managed to get this chapter out so quickly. I must really have been inspired.

Motoyasu, powerful and quick, but lacking in skill and true combat experience. Against Shirou who has come into his own, who is truly skilled and who could make his high Defence Stat a liability, the Spear Hero never stood a chance. That's why I decided to keep their fight short but sweet.

By the way, before anyone asks why I gave Shirou the ability to manipulate swords like free-floating limbs, it's because it would be baffling not to do it. Not even mentioning the fact that it's hella cool, but considering his Origin and his Reality Marble, it makes perfect thematic sense for him to have such an ability.

Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed. Tell me what you think in your review!