Chapter 68

Ren led the charge towards L'arc and Therese, and for a moment, I saw actual worry cross their faces. But Therese backed up a step to give him space to swing. Behind me, the Queen called out, "Ceremonial casting!" And the mages around her, Melty included, started to cast a single spell as a group.

"First form! Wind slice!" L'arc called out, swinging his scythe as if he were drawing a line between him and the rush of oncoming adventurers. At the start of his swing, a small tornado formed, growing and gaining momentum as his swing went through empty air.

Aside from Ren, everyone who charged had been blown off the deck like a house of cards, while the Sword Hero managed to keep his feet for a half second, only to be blasted sideways and into the rail of the ship with a painful sounding crack of wood.

"We are the source of all power..." The chant behind me started.

But Therese was faster, "All encompassing power of the jewel, hear my plea and show yourself! My name is Therese Alexanderite. I am your friend. Lend me the power to destroy them!"

"Shining stone! Shooting star rain of fire!"

I honestly had no idea what to expect until she said those last words. The magic around here tended to be pretty literal though. So, I looked up. "Ah crap."

But she wasn't aiming at us. Instead, a half dozen small comets, yes, comets, vomited forth from the purple sky above, and started to smash into the water. Several smaller vessels simply vaporized as the magic fire from the sky slammed into them, and one of the larger ships, just a little smaller than the one we were on now, was punched clean through the deck and out the bottom like someone sticking a pencil through an orange.

The water responded to the magical and kinetic violation, and a whirlpool started to form under the corpse of the destroyed ship.

"Get those men out of the water!" The Queen shouted, "Melty, work with me!"

All the while, L'arc had been glaring daggers at me. To be fair, I had just tried to assassinate him and his friend before it could get to this point. Unfortunately, Usa was the only member of my party still on deck, Motoyasu and Kuro were still in the water, and Ren was clearly not up to the task.

"When you used his name, I couldn't believe it." He said, taking a step forward.

"Clear the deck, get everyone off if you can." I called over my shoulder.

I got no answer from the Queen, but a moment later the captain (at least, the captain when the Queen herself wasn't calling out orders) started barking orders.

"My name is Kodori Haruhime. And I will always be me." I said, "I'll have to thank you for taking care of all those copycats."

"But... You're supposed to be a man!" He said, ignoring my thanks. "Anyhow." He readied his scythe, "You are the strongest, so we've come to kill you, the hero of this world."

Ren, recovering his feet, and Itsuki, seemingly hesitating at shooting a person (though his bow was ready), both called out, "We're heroes too!"

"Pfft, yeah right! You two are so weak! That Motoyasu guy is stronger than you two, but her? She's the real problem for us." L'arc dismissed them both with a 'clearing the air' wave of his hand, "As a matter of fact..."

"Dodge!" I called out.

Too late. L'arc did another sweep with his scythe, but instead of just a heavy blast of wind and a small tornado, he simply sheared away part of the ship itself. Much like he'd done with the mast that Clive had been on, the wood parted, almost laser smooth, slid for a moment like snow on a roof, then toppled into the water, both Ren and Itsuki falling in.

"Therese?" L'arc said over his shoulder, "That should be enough to keep them away."

She nodded, "We don't want any undue deaths..." She lifted a nice polished aquamarine from a pocket, "All encompassing power of the jewel, hear my plea and show yourself! My name is Therese Alexanderite. I am your friend. Protect them from the falling flames. Shining stones, silent ocean!"

And just like that, the slowly growing whirlpool that was pulling in ships, people and debris from both into its centre, stopped. Like someone had just put the plug back in the bathtub drain.

I felt a little worry, giving her two of my best enchantments so far... But enemy or not, I couldn't bring myself to do bad work...

I smiled though, my horns tingling, my blood thundering through my body, "I guess that still makes you people." I grinned, "I fight people." The deck had all but cleared save for a couple of party members from the other heroes, Usa, and a handful of crew. Everyone else had jumped into the water to rescue people.

"You aren't joking around are you? You do know why we're here, right?" He stepped forward, his scythe making ready for a cross body or upward swing.

"I'm guessing you're from another world, and you have to kill the heroes, break the hourglasses, and save your world?" I replied, summing up what we'd guessed so far.

This seemed to flummox them both, "Wow... That's right." I could see his muscles bunch up, "Suppose if you know what's at stake, then-"

Lightning fast, he rushed forward, his scythe coming up from my left exactly how I imagined it would.

But instead of blocking, or stepping back, or ducking, or jumping... I took a step forward. Almost chest to chest, I looked him right in the eyes as I followed the movement of his attack, then stepped backwards with a little lean to the right, leaving me exactly how we started, except now I was standing between Therese and a very puzzled L'arc. Of course, I didn't have my hands behind my back. Instead, one hand brought the metal cornered Book Shield up in a fast powerful arc, slamming him under his stupefied chin, while my spell glove glowed, a whip of electricity, much like Usa's only JUST magic, lashed out and pulled L'arc's back leg out from under him.

He slammed onto his back, and I looked down at him, the Book Shield cracking open, my other hand glowing with magic potential, and I asked, "How does the deck taste, little man?"

L'arc looked up at me, surprise, pain, and a little blood on his face. "Usa? Caster."

"Yes Ma'am!" There was a long slithering jingle of chain, and a very loud CRACK as Therese 'eep'ed.

"Is it true then? Aside from the... being a guy thing I guess?" L'arc got to his feet, using his free hand to boost himself up while keeping his scythe between us.

"That I use slaves?" I replied, flicking my eyes left and right, pulling up and manipulating things in my status window while he decided to chat. "I would much rather say, I buy them, train them, then let them do as they please."

"As they please? Like the hundreds of slaves you had ravage the countryside, before killing a local lord?" I could see him doing his own warm up, but he was focused only on me.

"Oh, him? I killed him. He enjoyed beating demi-human children in his spare time."

Therese started a spell, "All encompassing-" But cried out in pain just before Usa's whip CRACKED again.

"Are you sure you have time to chat?" I taunted, "Every second you do, Usa gets closer and closer to hitting her properly."

"Bastard!" He growled, jumping forward, "Twin sickle!"

Sadly, my physical attack power was still rather poor. But the huge increase in level had returned a reasonable amount of my old speed to me. L'arc's huge scythe shortened, and a glowing magical replica appeared in his other hand.

Both weapons came in from my right and I stepped back a half pace. He reversed one, then the other, and tried again, the first aiming for my throat, the second at my gut in a fast one-two. I leaned back a little for the first, then brought the Book Shield down against the inside of his wrist to halt the second.

"Fight back!" He growled, trying to shoulder through me now that his two weapons had been pushed apart.

So, as his shoulder pushed between my breasts, I put my free hand on top of his head, curled my fingers into his spiky hair, stepped back, and slammed his face onto my knee. Punctuating the noise of his nose smashing into my knee, there was the sound of splintering wood and another cry of distress from Therese.

"Would you believe me if I said Usa couldn't kill a conversation before I brought him into my party?" I said as L'arc pushed with his forward leg to throw himself a couple paces away from me.

It was obvious he wanted to ask more, but he looked past my shoulder, grit his teeth, and rushed at me again. More cautious this time, he was still trying to overpower me. To be fair, he was still far stronger than me. And much more skilled than Ren, maybe even Motoyasu now that I'd corrected his blood flow issues...

I had to be careful, let him make his own mistakes, give my party time to get back on deck...

I ducked, wove, tapped his weapons aside, and was just about to get a hand on him, but he put on the breaks and jumped backwards, his magical replica vanishing and his more material scythe growing again to its original length. "Fine!" He reared back, "First form! Wind slice!"

"Seen that one." I replied, making a gesture with my hand to activate a stored spell. I'd used both of the wind-burst spells, so I fell back on javelin of stone, and paired it with a 'dirt wall' from the other glove. Having such a wide variety of magic in my party had let us figure out all kinds of magic combinations.

L'arc's mini tornado met my sudden mud barricade, and all it accomplished was getting dirt over the two of us.

"Ha! You'll run out of spells like that! Second form! Sky Blade!"

Huh, just like my Air Strike Shield, he also had a 'second shield', or in this case, wind. He was right though, I would run out of spells if it came down to just a pair of gloves against what ever toy box of abilities he had.

This time however, I created an ice wall from my selection of stored spells. Being in the middle of the ocean gave me plenty of material. But this time I also started chanting, "I am the source of all power-"

"I won't let you!" He shouted, "Deadly dance!"

He rushed forward, his scythe swinging, his feet kicking, there was even an elbow or two in there. But since I wasn't actually a mage, I stopped trying to cast and went back to defence. Once again, we circled each other, his weapon missing me by the smallest of margins I could manage, or bouncing off the edges of the Book Shield.

But just as I found an opening for an attack of my own, he jumped back again. "Got you!" He shouted.

Then I realized his hands were empty. I had just enough time to look behind me, the point of his scythe stuck into the wood of the deck... before I was suddenly encased in my own personal vortex, and thrown into the air.

(Usa)

"Usa? Caster."

"Yes Ma'am!" Usa replied, uncoiling a length of chain from one arm, spinning it once to let the weighted head at the end gain a bit of speed, then giving it a little tug as he let out the rest of the chain so the head darted towards Therese like a dart. She dodged to the side, but a sharp pull backwards and down sent a wave down the length of chain and made it CRACK in the air.

He was thankful Kodori had just given the order 'take care' of the mage. It was up to him how to go about it.

He didn't want to kill anyone. He was capable, and had killed two of the bandits the second time they met on the way to Zeltobe. But like nearly everything, Kodori's vague order gave him a choice. The goal was set, the method however, was up to him.

Therese, aside from being very pretty, was also very brave. Most people, himself included! Flinched at the crack of a whip. For the first few days, even though he was holding it himself, the whip made him flinch. But Therese was calm. Or at least, 'not panicking' as Usa lashed out again and again, the weighted spike on the end zipping through the air every time she tried to set her feet.

"All encompassing-"

She still tried, and her timing was perfect too! That little spot in his mind, the one he put all of those things that bothered him in until later, noted that the caster was very experienced. The instant she dodged the spearing projectile end of his whip, she put a hand over one of the gems on her wrist and started to cast.

But Usa just sped up. As the length of the whip recoiled back to him, he spun in place to wrap some of the slack around his body, used his left hand (where almost all the slack was held in nice neat coils) to pull back, then his right hand to catch and guide the weighted end just before it got to him. He completed the spin, let the weight go, and let out more slack from his left hand, each motion adding to the speed and momentum of the weapon.

Therese went wide eyed and cried out as the serpentine slashed against her arm, then jumped aside as Usa CRACKED the whip again, part of the wooden rail of the ship shattering.

"Please surrender." He said as the chain came back, coiled around his formerly weak hand and arm, before his dominant hand took over, spinning the chain around once, twice, then letting go to lash at Therese's ankles.

"She's forcing you to kill for her!" Therese gasped out as she rolled away, put a hand to a gem, thought better of it, then jumped over another low sweep of chain.

"She said deal with you. I'm choosing how." Usa replied, the gem encased in the spiked cage on the end of his whip sparking as he spun it around in a slow circle.

Then L'arc shouted, "Got you!"

Both of them turned to see Kodori getting thrown skyward, and L'arc running towards them, ripping his scythe out of the deck as he went past.

Usa didn't panic, didn't flinch, didn't even slow down. He just said, "She's glowing again..."

Usa then turned towards L'arc, bent his elbow, caught part of the spinning chain around it to change its angle and speed, then tried to hit the oncoming L'arc in the face with it.

Again, L'arc showed he wasn't just some battle maniac, and instead of taking the attack, literally, head on, he interposed the wide blade of the scythe, diverted the attack handily, then lashed a kick into the Rabbit's gut. Usa did his best to parry, his left arm getting between him and the oncoming boot, but he was still propelled backwards into the short wall under the ship's forecastle.

Gritting his teeth through the pain, he let himself slump forward and did as Kodori had taught him, pushing off the wall he was backed into. He dove aside before L'arc could cut him down with his scythe, rolled, and pushed off a set of mostly broken stairs to get his two opponents in front of him.

"Lightning huh? Therese?" L'arc had lost all of that easygoing humour.

So had Therese. "I agree."

And together they shouted, "Great wheel of thunder and lightning!"

L'arc started to swing his scythe, Therese brushed her hand (and a gem held between her fingers) over the flat of the blade as it went by, and with a sudden sparking furious roar, Usa was suddenly facing down a tornado twice as tall as he was that was throwing off lightning.

They couldn't hear him as he backed up, oddly calm, "It's never a good sign when she starts glowing." And lashed his whip around what was left of the broken mast to stop himself from getting blown away.

His mastery of lightning magic and his well loved but still quite functional Nue-hide cape mostly protected him from the lightning. But before he had to suffer more than a couple of painful shocks, Kodori slammed between him and the oncoming threat.

Glowing with that sinister (he'd never say that unless asked directly!) glow of hers, the Shield of Marius blazing with its own anti-lightning enchantments he himself had help make on the original, she braced herself behind it, in front of him, and just...

Waited.

With the two spikes at the bottom of her Shield buried in the thick wood of the deck, and the 'air wake' enchantment turned off to allow the full weight of the Shield to hold her down, she just held her ground in silence.

And then, with a sudden liquid-like splash, the wind and lightning effect scattered against her Shield. "They are going to be a while." She said, "Clive's bow is broken, and the whirlpool dragged the others a bit far." She moved the Shield aside, the sudden light making the frost coming from her mouth visible, "Can you keep going?"

"Yes Ma'am." Usa replied.

She nodded, not looking at him, but smiling, "Nothing's changed." And charged forward.

(Kodori)

My brief time in the air brought about several revelations. First, I still hated getting thrown. Even as 'the strongest' in Orario, a large enough monster could still swat me aside if I got careless.

Two, that whirlpool had pulled my party a good way off, and when I spotted Clive, who was closer to the ship at least, he only had the centre 'bracing' of his bow on his back. L'arc's attack was a little too close for comfort.

Three, vassal weapons could be 'dropped', unlike the Legendary ones. That caught be by surprise, and I felt stupid for not remembering that. The King only had the Staff when he'd been booted out of the castle.

And lastly? These two from wherever they were from, were about to bully my rabbit.

So, after protecting him and giving him the short form on the situation, I reminded him of his 'job' in this particular fight, and rushed forward.

"Finally using the Shield like a Shield huh?!" L'arc laughed, his scythe swinging up and under, but ringing off the Shield as I brought it in line. "We knew you'd be tough, but you really are strong!"

"All-" Therese started, but was again interrupted by Usa, this time by a lightning bolt from his hand, not the whip.

"And you have some serious talent with you!" He added, missing me with a kick, then forcing me back with another heavy swing from his scythe, "But now that we're together-"

"Nothing's changed." I said, bracing my shoulder behind the Shield of Marius, and slamming the entire thing into L'arc before he could recover from the swing.

He stumbled back, but recovered before I could capitalize on it, "Oh it has!"

Therese called out, "Shining stone! Ball of flame!" A shortened cast?

L'arc jumped back just a little as a wave of fire crashed into me. I knew I could only play this card once, at least with them, and just let the attack hit me. The deck, the poor mast, some of the ropes around me, a barrel, all of it caught fire.

L'arc jumped forward, his scythe braced like a hockey player about to cross-check me, instead ran into the Shield as I brought it up from an 'oh no I'm on fire' act, to another full on counter push.

He was sent back to a skidding halt next to Therese, and I asked him, "You never did tell me how the deck tasted." I looked to Therese, "What? I couldn't give you a poorly made gift, my pride wouldn't allow it. It just won't work on me."

She actually looked a little sad, and enemy or not, I did feel a little guilty.

"Do you think..." She said to L'arc.

"No, we can still win." He looked at her, serious, "We have to do this."

He rushed forward again, putting himself directly in front of Therese. I moved the Shield directly in front of me, both arms behind it so I could use its 'you can't drop me' effect to my advantage no matter what way he swung.

"Shining stone! Protection Shatter!" Therese said behind him, one of the many gems on her person throwing out a glowing ball of light.

L'arc threw on the breaks, skidded to the left, and it looked like his attack would come just after that glowing ball would hit me! I pushed myself sideways, away from both of them, but her spell made a near right angle turn in the air and smashed into my chest before I could dodge a second time.

I had just enough time to see a little (grey) red flash on my status screen before L'arc's scythe crashed into my upraised Shield.

I felt the shock of it go from my forearm right to my feet! It felt so much heavier! I had to brace my left hand on top of the Shield to stop him from sliding up and off of it for a potentially decapitating strike.

"Ha! Like that? Not so-"

He started to taunt me, but once the initial shock went through my body, I braced, pushed back, then backed off a step. It was something I learned from Ryuu, giving enough resistance to a heavy attack to balance the 'effort' between fighters, then escape.

He then did a comical 'huh?' as a long chain wrapped around his torso, and he started twitching like he'd just hugged an electric fence.

"You talk too much. Hold him there!" And I ran towards Therese.

She had a momentary look of panic, then resolve as she tossed a very sparkly gem at me. "Shining stone! Imploding bomb!"

I put on the breaks HARD, my feet almost sliding out from under me as I heard the word 'imploding'. With what was obviously a heavy defence debuff on me, I wanted no part of that, and I put up both my Air Strike Shield and Second Shield up in front of me, "DUCK AND-"

Noise. My world vanished in an ear shattering blast of shattering noise. Both my Shields evaporated, I was slammed into and off of the deck like a ball, spun, and landed on my face a couple arm lengths from L'arc by Usa's leg.

Then, exactly what I was waiting for showed up with the worst possible timing.

"How long were you intending to tarry here?" I heard Glass say through the ringing in my ears, as she landed on the forecastle deck above Therese with an elegant flutter of cloth.

I forced my limbs to obey, pushing myself up to my knees, elbows, then upwards to my feet. Usa, in his effort to protect himself, had to let L'arc go to hide behind a toppled stack of barrels, so now, we were facing three on two odds as the scythe wielder groaned to his feet.

"Sorry Glass. You didn't tell us how tough she was." L'arc groaned, backing up slowly, weapon held defensively.

"Recover." I mumbled to Usa, bringing a potion to my lips and feeling it burn down my raw throat.

"She?" Glass looked at Usa and I, "Oh? A deception! Were you not a man? I know you, fierce rabbit. But has the Shield changed owners?" She met my eyes and her gaze narrowed, "No. I know those eyes."

"Are you going to stay this time?" I asked, feeling the potion finish its work, the pain and sharp feelings over my body and under my skin fading.

Usa tapped his foot against the deck twice, as if he were settling his foot in his boot.

"This time, he is all you have with you. I've seen your little dragon, the tanuki, and the pesky archer in the waters. The failed heroes are insensate, their parties scattered. I do believe I will stay. Just long enough to do this properly. There will be no third meeting between us, Demon Fox."

I took a risk, and brought up the Book Shield again. "Oh? Playing at a mage?"

"Careful, Glass." Therese said, "Her gloves are a little like my gems."

"She can really throw hands too!" L'arc said, sipping his own potion, the electrical burns around his torso fading slowly.

"Ma'am?" Usa asked from behind me, so still that the coils of his new whip made no noise.

"I can distract Therese." I mumbled, raising the book to hide my lips, "Can you handle L'arc for a minute?"

He shifted his feet, "I'm not confident, but I will try."

There was no fear in his voice, but he reminded me so much of Bell, so much of Issei, even Maki, that I couldn't help myself but try and encourage him a little more. "No matter what, Sir Usa, I am confident you can."

And once again, the little black fox spoke up, the only sign it was there at all were two blank yellow eyes in the shadow under the fallen mast., "Zweit Aura."

"Go!" I said, glancing past Glass to Therese, who was suddenly sideswiped by a horse sized silver fox, the 'silver guardian'.

(Top down view)

Kodori and Usa glowed with the empowering buff effect, while Therese was knocked over by a silent ghostly fox. Lips curled in a snarl, its bite was very real, but it was only powerful enough to hold the gem-caster down for the moment, her arm held in a bruising grip between glittering teeth.

L'arc turned to see his distressed companion, "A sneak attack!" And took a single step towards her.

But even now, Therese was looking out for him, "Behind you!"

L'arc turned back just in time to move his leg, avoiding the spearing weighted end of Usa's whip. But the chain whip reached full extension, recoiled, and wrapped once, twice three times around his ankle, then with a hard yank L'arc was pulled onto his back, again.

Kodori rushed at Glass, her lips moving in a fast mumble, an array of ice shards forming around her and zipping towards the near motionless kimono clad woman. Then with a sudden flutter of elegant fabric, she swept away or danced around the icicles. "True, these are a little better than last we met." She said, her dance getting her closer to Kodori, impossibly light steps allowing her to sidestep a thin lightning bolt as it jumped from the Book Shield towards her.

Therese struggled, punched, kicked, and pulled. Every time she tried to move a hand to a gem to effect a spell, it would shake its head from side to side to stop her. Every time she hit it, it felt like kicking a pillow. All it was really doing was keeping her out of the fight, and ruining her nice shirt.

L'arc had gotten back to his feet in record time, and managed (only just) to shake the chain off his leg before Usa started to send lightning down its length at him (again!). "Fine then! Let's go a round or two!" He almost looked like he was having fun, as he met Usa's charge, his scythe getting blocked by the chain before he could connect with the rabbit's side.

Kodori and Glass circled each other, both faces impassive, calm, as one swept out with her fans, the other lashing out with fast agile punches and kicks. Occasionally, the book would emit a bit of magic, a bit of lightning, a shard of ice, bits of rock, but these were so weak that Glass hardly spent time trying to flick them away, if at all.

(Kodori)

"You are beginning to bore me." Glass said, one fan covering her mouth, a lady covering a yawn, the other closing and 'bap'ing my fist away with ease. "Where is that fire you had, last we met?"

I didn't reply. I was too busy trying not to catch one of those fans in the nose or something. In reality, I was waiting. I had no idea if it was just something the Shield did, but I could see the timer on Therese's curse ticking down. Something about it struck me as off though. While I recovered, when Glass arrived, I saw my stats were unchanged. L'arc's attack was, as far as I could tell, the same as before, so what did the attack do?

There was a sharp snap of lightning, then a cry of pain as Usa was sent flying past me to my left. "Close little rabbit! But not quite!" L'arc laughed, "Therese?"

"It's just holding me here! I'm fine! Make sure!"

"Right'o!"

"How long do you think he will last against L'arc?" Glass taunted, ducking under my kick and just missing my ribs with a fan, "You do not seem the type to sacrifice your pawns."

Two... one... The spell wore off. "I don't sacrifice people." I said, the Book Shield sweeping around in my hand, the corner catching her in the elbow, "And as far as I'm concerned, Usa is Family."

She frowned as my strike connected. It wasn't very powerful, but it had enough momentum to disrupt her 'dance', "Finally taking this bout seriously? Good!"

She came in again, faster, the sweeping fabric of her kimono trying to obscure her arms and legs as her blade-edged fans lashed out at me. She was skilled, certainly! But this wasn't what I wanted, no, needed her to do! Usa was running out of time, the silver guardian was six seconds away from cool-down...

So, I jumped forward, behind the sweep of her hand and its bladed ornament, put the Book Shield to my hip, and started to 'throw hands'.

"Glass look out!" L'arc called out, too late, as I drove my fist into Glass's ribs.

"You-" Glass grunted as raised my other hand to cross wrists with her, then smashed my forehead into her nose over her delicate shoulder.

Then, I just went for 'effect'. I knew I couldn't really hurt her, not like this. But I'd gotten her to show her temper before...

She recoiled from my headbutt and tried to back up a half step. I followed her step for step, my hands punching and grabbing. She tried to stab me with a fan, but I pushed her other arm over, the fancy square sleeve of her kimono catching the attack instead and shredding the fabric. I pushed her towards a bit of splintered wood and put my foot over the leg of her dress so it tore as she evaded. I changed the Book Shield, to the Quill Shield, then swept past and around her, the entire side of her kimono ruined with little holes and pulled threads.

And yes, I pulled her hair, slapped her face, and just because, palmed one of her breasts and squeezed as hard as I could.

"Enough!" She finally cracked, and I almost couldn't stop my smile. She jumped back a step, swept a fan at me to create a blast of wind that stopped me from pursuing her, then jumped again to stand on top of the forecastle.

It was about then that the Silver Guardian vanished, and L'arc sent Usa away again with sweep of his scythe.

"I will suffer this indignity no longer!" She growled as Therese was helped up by L'arc.

And she stood still, one fan raised above her head, the other to the side, "Circle Dance of Nothingness!" She called out, making the mistake of locking eyes with me again as dozens of glittering blades formed in the air around her. But most importantly of all, she stood still.

"Absorb soul." I said, an Air Strike Shield appearing to her left, the Second Shield to her right, both of them 'changed' into the Soul Eater Shield, "I know what you are, Spirit, and you will bother me no longer."

"Glass no!" Therese shouted, her hands going to her wrists, L'arc turning to jump up and attack those Shields.

"Chain lightning!" Usa shouted, yes, shouted, his arms looped with the chain of his whip, the gem on the end dangling in front of his face and releasing his 'trump card' of his most powerful lightning attack.

I felt Glass's will slam into my own, but this time, I was ready, she was unbalanced, already committed to an attack, and angry. But I had two more steps.

"Shield Prison, soul eater cage!" I said, making a sealing gesture with one hand, then bringing the emerald I'd cut into a perfect box up with my other hand.

Glass vanished into the sphere of inward facing screaming faces, her very real scream of anguish echoing inside as L'arc parried(!) Usa's lightning bolt, and Therese turned to me, "Monster!"

I felt her will push towards me, the magic in the air making it obvious she was attempting something. But the cube of emerald between my thumb and middle finger glowed a silvery green and Therese recoiled as if someone had punched her nose. As she had said before, my own artifice had a will of its own, and would not betray me.

Glass was still fighting it, but I could feel her losing. The Soul Eater shields pulled away her very essence, while my own ability captured what was left. First to fade was whatever attack she had planned, next was her voice, and finally, as the Shield Prison deconstructed and faded, and the two Air Strike Shields vanished. I was left with rather weak knees, and an emerald that was... indignant.

L'arc was helping Therese to her feet, and the two of them were looking at me with hate. Behind me, poor Usa was slowly rolling over to try and get to his feet again. I had to show confidence, since I had nothing left after that. Even with every single tool I could make for 'the job', I felt like hammered metal, and the adrenaline was no longer hiding how much pain I was in.

"You come here, to this world, try and kill me, and when you fail you call me a monster? You fight a war and assume there will be no cost?" I held my fist up, a facet of the emerald glinting through my fingers, "She isn't even dead, not really, so you can't even call me a murderer."

"You will let her go! Right now!" L'arc straightened up, "Or I swear I'll-"

"What?" I asked, "You'll what? Watch me actually kill her, then fail to kill me anyhow?" I tightened my fist, "Just remember, I was summoned to this world, away from my family and children. The only way back is for me to see the Waves to the end. Remember that, when you come to face me again."

"Again? We're going to take you down right-"

"Boooooooooooosssssss!" Tetsu, right on cue, called up from the water below, "We're coming! Don't be dead!"

"Kodori!" Raphtalia called, "The whale is dead! But the wave is still going on! Is everything okay!?"

Kuro and Motoyasu both put a hand over the side of the ship at the same time, "Stupid spear... no 'rope spear' for me, nope."

I looked across to L'arc and Therese, taking the Book Shield from my hip again and letting it open, "Up to you."

00:59

A timer suddenly appeared, much like last time, counting down an hour. But I had no idea what for.

Still glaring daggers at me, Therese tugged on L'arc's arm, shook her head at him, and with a growl he wrapped an arm around her and jumped into the air. An instant before gravity would have started to pull them down again, something 'caught' them, and they zipped off into the sky.

The deck was slowly 'repopulating' with various party members and crew, as I walked... no... limped towards the spot they had jumped from. As I got there, the sky returned to its normal sunlit self. "You let them get away?" Motoyasu asked, not accusingly though. He sounded more surprised that I'd show mercy or something.

I leaned down and picked up a very fancy looking fan, the blue metal slats pinned in the middle by a dome shaped blue gem. It felt heavy in my hand, like one of Bell's daggers, but nothing else happened. No status screen indicators, no error messages.

A little voice spoke from my mostly closed fist, "You are not worthy to wield the Vassal Fan." Along with a little 'humph' that said 'so there!'.

Instead of replying to Glass, I looked to Motoyasu. "Give me a break. I can barely stand." I held up the emerald, carefully, letting it catch the sunlight, "But we won round two."

Soul Energy Gained! Select Shield to improve? Y/N

Notes!

This is why Kodori doesn't like to let people 'get away'. Of course, if SHE is the one to get away, she will take every advantage.

Thank you for reading! And if you want to see any full colour art, join the discord!

aKAQg4bnYu for the discord!

And my actual book, Were Too? is on Inkitt.

And! I'm looking into getting some story themed merchandise made. Join the Discord to find out more!