Armory of the Forgotten Hero

by Masked Spider

The legend goes that there are four cardinal heroes. But fact and fable are often twisted in the land of Melromarc, while others are left out completely. One such fact is that there is actually another hero, the Armory hero, who doesn't wield a primary weapon. But the world will soon remember as Darius Saxon is called to remind the people that there aren't four heroes, but five.

77. The Otherworld Emperor

The Otherworld Emperor

Hello everyone and welcome to the latest chapter of Armory of the Forgotten Hero! It's boss fight time and our heroes are heading into the little dragon's den for this one. And before anyone asks, yes, I've heard that My Hero Academia is back and starting off strong. Naturally what this means is I will be updating my story, Hailstorm Vol. 2, in the near future. I can't say how near just yet, so for those wanting clearer updates, head over to my Pat reon and see about becoming a patron for news, scene samples, and commissions! Last thing, to my guest reviewer, yes, I did a nosebleed because the idea of a serious guy like Naofumi getting a nosebleed is hilarious to me. But I will admit the joke might not have been for everyone. Now without further ado, on to the story!

Late Afternoon: Rurorona Village

"So you're telling me Gaelion got a hold of the dragon emperor core you used in your armor in Glass's world," Darius raised an eyebrow, "why in the shit was that in your stuff and not with Earhard?"

"I thought it'd be better to hold onto it instead of painting a potential target on his back," Naofumi sighed, "I didn't think Gaelion would eat it or that it would do something like…...whatever that was."

"It is likely the dragon emperor has taken over his mind," Rat explained with a hand on her hip.

"We never did learn all that much about those fragments," Rifana rubbed the back of her head in slight embarrassment, "how exactly did that thing take over Gaelion's mind?"

"To put it simply," the alchemist began, "within every dragon is a core that contains their mind. Naturally the most common use for such a core is enhancing one's abilities but it's also possible to inherent the memories that reside in the dragon."

"I thought I felt something off," Naofumi looked at his shield, "I absorbed fragments of a core from a dragon zombie a few months ago. Its memories must've mixed with the dragon emperor core somehow and when Gaelion ate it, the dragon zombie's mind took over."

"I can already hear Fitoria saying 'told ya so'," Darius groaned while rubbing his temple, "but at least we have a potential place too…. Johann!" The cause for his alarm was the dragon boy suddenly collapsing in pain. The University Student dropped down to his knees with Rifana and Izumi to check on him.

"What's wrong," Naofumi also stooped to get a better look.

"His body is reacting like it's under the curse series," the Armory Hero read from his Stat screen, "it's likely the piece of the dragon emperor he's got inside him is resonating with the core in Gaelion."

"Whatever it is I can't seem to heal it," Izumi grit her teeth in concentration as she cast her healing magic continuously to no avail.

"If he's like that because of the dragon emperor core fragment," the Shield Hero's horrid revelation came just as Éclair appeared, riding on a horse.

"Sir Naofumi!" She called, coming to a stop in front of the group, "you must come quickly! Filo just collapsed in pain!"

Nighttime: Melty's Home

While there hadn't been many in Raphtalia and Rifana's village, a few large houses had been present not far from it. The princess had decided to claim one of these nearby residences as hers since she was going to be visiting often and its former owner wasn't around any longer. Melty wouldn't say it aloud but she also claimed the house because it had a large bedroom where she'd sat a good-sized bed so that she, Filo, and Johann could all sleep together. In the rare instances the duo got along well enough to do such a thing, of course.

Now, however, it was being used as an emergency hospital bed for the two mounts, both of whom were in a fair amount of pain. "Master," the blond girl called weakly when she realized Naofumi was there, "you came for me, thank you."

"Don't you worry," he assured while lightly rubbing her head, "we'll fix you both up right away."

"Here," Darius handed him a vial of orange liquid, "boost it with your shield's ability. If nothing else, it should hopefully help with the pain."

"This is a numbing agent," Naofumi analyzed on his Stat screen, "where did you come across this?"

"Figneria gave it to me after my last visit to Koteraan," he explained while enhancing another vial and working to get Johann to drink it, "she said it'd be useful if we find ourselves short of healers. The monsters that produce this stuff use it to dull the pain of larger monsters they're feeding off of so they don't notice."

"Yet another perk of having a former assassin for a teacher," Rifana commented, though her face was still etched with concern.

"But what even is happening to them," Raphtalia asked.

"I don't know how," the Shield Hero observed, "but their experience points are being stolen and their levels are slowly dropping. Gaelion is transferring them to himself."

"It's true," Atla spoke up, "I feel an ominous outpouring of power from the both of them."

"Is there a way we can stop it," Izumi questioned with her own look of concern.

"Let me try something," Grilaroc, who they'd picked up along the way, stepped forward and put her hands on Johann, "if I can dampen the flow of power their condition should improve. Atla, you take Filo." The white tiger girl nodded before stepping forward and placing her hands on the Filolial girl. A glow emanated then from beneath their fingers for a few seconds. When it faded, the mounts opened their eyes.

"That's so strange," Filo stated weakly, "I'm feeling a bit better now."

"I feel," Johann groaned, "less like crud." Everyone sighed in relief, happy to know that their friends were in less danger.

"Don't get too excited," Grilaroc somberly informed, "they're not cured yet."

"We managed to buy them a little more time," Atla clarified while wiping her brow, "but it's not much."

"Still, thank you both," Naofumi nodded in gratitude before checking the Stat screen again. Darius was pretty sure what he was thinking. Hengen Musou had managed to slow down the draining of their levels, but they'd be lucky to make it two days before the mounts dropped to zero. The possibility was high they wouldn't survive if that was the case.

"I guess this makes our next course of action pretty obvious," the Armory Hero crossed his arms.

"We find Gaelion and break the curses on both of them," the cardinal hero affirmed with determination, "Atla, Grilaroc. You two stay here and tend to Filo and Johann. I'll have Rishia and S'yne stay behind to protect the village. Sadeena and Ren are already getting the wagon ready so we should head out as soon as possible-."

"NOOO!" Filo cried, somehow managing to sit up despite her current state, "please don't leave me here, master!"

"You and Johann both need to stay here and rest," Naofumi pointed out as he turned to leave.

"But we can't take you guys anywhere if we stay behind!" The dragon boy sprang up unsteadily, "who's gonna fly the boss or pull that carriage if we're not around?!"

"It'll be really awkward," Darius chimed in, "but if I use strength enhancing gauntlets and magic, I could pull everyone and Sadeena could swap out with me along the way."

"SCREW THAT!" The two mounts yelled before Filo continued, "Filo might not care about titles, but I couldn't call myself a Filolial queen if I just gave up because I didn't feel good!"

"And like hell am I gonna let you pull that stupid carriage boss!" Johann added, "I'm going and I'm gonna show that shrimp what a real dragon emperor is!"

"If they're going then so am I!" Melty suddenly declared.

"Not you too, Melty," Naofumi groaned, "I can't just drag the princess of Melromarc into such a dangerous situation."

"I've fought alongside you before," she countered, "and I'm not about to let my friends go alone in the condition they're in!" The Shield Hero fixed them with a slight glare, but they stared back just as intensely. Once a tense moment had passed, he let out a sigh.

"At the first sign of serious trouble, I'm sending you both back here with a portal," he declared, not willing to compromise further than that.

"Thank you!" The trio cheered with the two mounts looking livelier now.

"That means we'll need to bring either Atla or Grilaroc along," Darius pointed out, "it's possible getting closer to the dragon emperor core might cause the flow of energy to speed back up."

"I'll go," Atla stepped forward, "You'll need to leave behind a few strong people to protect the village and if I'm managing Filo and Johann's curses then I should be out of the way when the fighting starts."

"You did well enough on the hunt," Naofumi acknowledged, "and you're not wrong about the village needing protection."

"I'm too old to go chasing off after dragons, anyway," Grilaroc chuckled with her arms behind her back, "Atla's proven a more than capable student, I'm sure she'll be fine."

"If Atla's going then so am I," Fohl, expectedly, stepped forward with a fist over his heart.

"I'm going to," Wyndia declared, "Gaelion was supposed to be my responsibility so I can't just stay here and wait!"

"I want to say no to that," the Armory Hero sighed, "but I already know you two will just find a way to follow us."

"We can make it work," Naofumi shrugged in resignation, "everyone, get whatever you need for a fight. We're heading out before dawn."

The Next Day: Village Of The Zombie Dragon

The two parties raced as fast as they reasonably could to the village where the zombie dragon once resided. They used every bit of enhancement magic and potion they could afford to use along the way to help Filo and Johann transport everyone. In addition to Naofumi and Darius's usual party, they'd brought along Sadeena, Ren, Atla, Fohl, Melty, Eclair and Wyndia. Most of them rode in the wagon but Wyndia did catch a ride on Johann thanks to Izumi offering to be carried in the dragon's talons again.

She assured them she was fine but that didn't stop Darius from tying a rope to her to make sure she didn't fall if Johann's grip failed. It made landing slightly tricky once they arrived at the village, but Izumi was able to drop down gracefully to the ground without incident. Johann and Filo were less graceful as they collapsed the moment they arrived. "Easy Johann," the Armory Hero patted his still transformed mount, "you did great, so let us take it from here."

"But we can still fight," Filo rolled onto her side, clearly exhausted with Johann mirroring her, "we just need a nap."

"One minute," Johann grumbled as his eyes closed, "we'll be up in…one minute."

"Melty, Atla," Naofumi crossed his arms, "stay here and tend to them. Fohl, help them in any way you can."

"Right," the white tiger boy turned and started to head to one of the nearby village houses, "I'll go get some food!" The two girls knelt by their friends and began casting healing magic and applying Ki to slow the drain on their levels. About this time, the villagers were all coming out to see who'd arrived.

"It's the savior," one of the villagers announced excitedly, "the Shield Hero is here!" The whole village came out at this declaration, whispering excitedly among themselves as a man in a grey tunic and black cape stepped forward. Darius assumed it was the village leader. He'd never actually gotten around to visiting this particular village himself.

"Thank goodness you've come, Shield Hero," he began, "yet another dragon has come to our village."

"Let me guess," Darius spoke up, "it's in the same place the zombie dragon used to hole up?"

"That's what we suspect," the village chief turned and pointed towards the mountains, "there's a huge cave just beyond that mountain over there. It's where that horrible dragon from before used to live. But please be careful, our village won't survive another plague."

"Then we don't have time to waste on courtesies," Sadeena pointed out, "let's get going." No one was in argument with that as they gathered up the rest of the group and headed on.

A Short Time Later: In the Mountains

Ren had wisely stayed out of sight of the villagers, knowing his presence likely wouldn't be the best thing for them right now considering his contribution to their suffering last time. Naturally he was thinking how best to avoid such a mistake again as they trekked up the mountain trail. Of course, even if he wanted to think about something else, the presence of numerous graves marked with sticks and red cloth ensured such a memory was always brought back to the forefront of his mind. "Our best course of action is to first weaken Gaelion," Sadeena spoke up, going over the plan they'd come up with, "and then make him spit out the dragon emperor's core."

"That's the plan," Naofumi confirmed, "but if the core's taken over his whole body-?"

"We'll have a tough call to make," the whale woman voiced the thought everyone else knew but not all wanted to admit. Before anyone could say anything else, a roar sounded. The source was a porcupine-like monster the size of a large dog who came bounding down the mountainside and landing in front of them.

"We do not have time for this," Darius rolled his eyes, summoning a replica of the Hunting Hero's club. The monster porcupine roared again before curling into a ball and spinning, launching itself towards them at high speed. Before the Armory Hero could make his move, however, Wyndia rushed forward and held her hands up.

"Dark Fire Palette!" She declared as purple particles gathered, forming an electrified orb larger than the attacking monster. It was honestly overkill in a way as the projectile launched and disintegrated the porcupine creature in an instant.

"You can use magic," the Shield Hero voiced his and some of the others' surprise.

"I'm able to fight if I have to, you know," Wyndia put her hands on her hips and continued up the trail.

"No, we did not know," the Armory Hero deadpanned, "that's why we're surprised."

"I'm sorry," Sadeena giggled slightly, "I thought someone else might've told you. Wyndia can use the Way of the Dragon Vein."

"I saw some mentions about that during our magic training at the castle," Naofumi tried to recall, "something about taking power from the dragon veins beneath the earth as energy for spells."

"More or less," the whale woman nodded, "if Wyndia there is able to master it, she'll be able to not only perform Choral magic but Jamming magic as well."

"I could afford to learn some Jamming magic," Darius admitted, "One of my specialties is supposed to be Affliction Magic but there's not been a lot of it out there to learn. Most folks like buffing themselves, it seems."

"Hey Wyndia," Rifana and Raphtalia caught up with the dog girl, "where'd you learn to do something like that?"

"My dad taught me everything I know," she smiled happily in trio continued to converse while Izumi moved to whisper something.

"Darling," the horned girl's tone told him she wasn't flirting this time, "it might be nothing, but I happened to notice Wyndia was on edge and kept her hood up while we were at the village."

"You also think it's odd that she'd know a rare type of magic like Dragon Vein magic," Darius whispered back.

"It's just a theory," Izumi mused, "but it might explain a lot. Wyndia should never have met the Sword Hero yet seems to have a dislike for him, she loves dragons and knows an express amount about them but seems ignorant of numerous other subjects. And her father likely didn't abandon her or sell her off given her obvious love for him, meaning he probably died. I once heard her mention to Johann that she'd only been a slave for a few months. How long ago was the zombie dragon slain?"

"A few months ago," the cardinal hero recalled, "you thinking Wyndia has some sort of connection to the dragon that used to roam this place?"

"I believe we shouldn't rule it out," Izumi advised, "it might mean Wyndia will be even more adamant that we find a way to save Gaelion."

"I want to save him too," Darius reminded, "but I get what you're saying. We'll just have to cross that bridge when we get there." The Yama Clan girl simply nodded in understanding as the group trekked onward. They stopped at a site that was familiar to Naofumi's party and Ren in order to rest, the latter of whom looked upon the area with regret.

He remembered the mistake he'd made and the vow he'd swore upon his secret second visit; that he'd be victorious next time. A vow he couldn't keep at Cal Mira nor when facing the Spirit Tortoise. "I realized something, Naofumi, Darius," he spoke just as the group was about to head out again, "I haven't given you two a proper apology."

"Did you have something specific you wanted to apologize for?" The Armory Hero questioned.

"Pretty much everything," Ren sighed while looking at the spot where he'd originally left the dragon's corpse, "I listened about the monster disposal issue but nothing else. I didn't want to accept that your methods for getting stronger were better nor did I want to believe that you sincerely wanted to help us improve. I just assumed you thought the same as us, that fame and glory were your goals. I wanted so badly to believe it was all just a game and that you guys were somehow cheating. People suffered because of my mistakes, including you two, and for that I can't say I'm sorry enough."

"You did make things a little more difficult than they should've been," Naofumi shrugged, "but there's still time to turn things around. I'll accept your apology, but if you're really sorry, you'll make up for it by working as hard as you can."

"And it's not like I can really hold a grudge," Darius added, "as mentioned you've gotten your ass beat repeatedly and I only kick people when they're down if I need too. So what say we do this dragon fight over and do it right this time?"

"That'd be a good start," Ren nodded with the ghost of a smile. The group headed out then and after another several minutes discovered a massive cave with water flowing out of it and down the mountain.

"This must be it," Naofumi mused aloud as they approached a much smaller side entrance, "Raphtalia, can you light up the area?"

"On it," the raccoon girl held up her hand, "Drifa Light!" An orb of yellow light materialized and floated above them, illuminating the entrance in front of them. As the group continued, they quickly realized that it wasn't just a large cave they were in but a whole system of caves. Because of this, it meant not everything was illuminated.

"AAAAAAGH!" Wyndia suddenly yelped as the ground next to a hole suddenly gave way. Ren dove after her and the next thing anyone knew he was hanging from his sword which he'd stuck into the rock wall while holding onto Wyndia with his other hand.

"Wyndia! Ren!" Naofumi called down while Raphtalia illuminated the hole with her light magic. It was a surprisingly long drop.

"We're fine," he assured before looking down at the dog girl, "are you alright?"

"I am," she responded, unable to hide the relief on her face.

"Hold on a second," Darius announced as he summoned two clawed chains to grab onto their comrades and pull them back up.

"Perhaps it would be better if Wyndia waited outside the cave," Éclair suggested once the two had been settled.

"No!" She shot the idea down immediately, "I'm coming with you!"

"You sure," the Armory Hero raised an eyebrow, "I would've thought you knew these caves like the back of your hand?"

"That hole wasn't there last ti-er, I mean," Wyndia fumbled her words as everyone glanced between the two.

"'Last time'," the cardinal hero repeated while crossing his arms, "so it is like that, after all."

"Like what?" Rifana asked, a little confused before realization dawned on her, "wait, the dragon who used to be here before. His name wasn't also Gaelion, was it?"

"It was," the dog girl bowed her head, "I knew him before he…."

"No need to go into details now," Naofumi interrupted, "we can get the full story later. Right now, we need to find this Gaelion as soon as possible."

"Right, this way," Wyndia took the lead then. As had been revealed, she knew the caves surprisingly well and they reached a large area after another few minutes.

"I'm starting to wonder how natural this cave is," the Shield Hero mused as he tried to estimate it's exact size.

"The light I'm casting doesn't even reach all the way back," Raphtalia observed as she moved the orb a bit further out.

"Let me," Wyndia stepped forward and put her hands on the ground, "dragon vein, grant me your light." In response, a blue light began to radiate from the rocks, spreading out from her hand. In a few moments, the entire cavern was illuminated.

"Beautiful," Raphtalia stared in awe along with a few other members of the party. It was a moment that didn't last as they were quickly reminded that the cave was home to a dragon. The party caught its movement and ducked just in time as the red form of Gaelion soared over them and landed on a rocky spire some distance away.

"I think he's gotten even bigger," Darius noted while summoning his Whirlwind Warhammer. He didn't want to resort to any cardinal or powerful bladed weapons just yet.

"Gaelion," Naofumi called, "it's alright. We're not here to hurt you so just stop. Let us help you!" The response he received was a roar from the dragon. He seemed to no longer register them as anything other than intruders in his lair.

But that wasn't the worst part. "Filo! Johann! STOP!" The voice of Melty sounded as the two mounts came rushing in from another part of the cave in their monster forms. The princess, Atla, and Fohl were holding on for dear life but finally lost their grip and fell downwards. Naofumi caught Melty bridal style while Atla landed in a crouch.

Rifana caught Fohl by the leg, preventing him from faceplanting into the ground while Izumi and Raphtalia caught Rina and Raph-chan, who'd also hitched a ride somehow. "What's going on," Darius glanced back at their newly arrived friends.

"I don't know," Melty responded frantically as the mounts, whose eyes were glowing red, began attacking Gaelion, "they just started going crazy. Nothing we said is getting through to them!"

"It can't be," Naofumi and everyone else looked on as Gaelion and Johann flew around the cavern, exchanging fire blasts while Filo raced beneath them, leaping, and trying to strike at the flying beast. "The fragments of the dragon emperor must be resonating with the core and driving them to fight for it."

"What should we do," Fohl asked, his gaze looking back and forth between his friends and the battle unfolding in front of them, "we aren't going to have to fight all of them, are we?" It was a question no one had time to answer as Filo finally managed to land a blow on Gaelion, knocking him off his flight path before Johann hit him with a fireball that forced him down to the ground. The Filolial then leapt up alongside her flying companion as they bared down on the red dragon. But Gaelion had more than just fire in his arsenal.

Roaring, the winged beast unleashed a blast of poisonous, purple smoke from his mouth that engulfed both Johann and Filo. When it faded, the duo had reverted to their child forms. "No don't!" Sadeena yelled, suspecting what was about to happen. But it was already too late as Gaelion whipped his head around and caught both of them in his mouth out of midair.

"Johann! Filo!" Everyone yelled in horror as the dragon swallowed them both. Darius and Rifana crossed the distance first with the Armory Hero striking the reptilian monster's head and the weasel girl striking his back right leg, causing him to topple over.

"Guys, listen," Naofumi yelled, "Filo and Johann are both still alive in there!" Darius was able to confirm just as much with his own Stat screen, halting his next attack to hear what anyone else had to say. Thankfully, Sadeena already had an answer to the next question he was going to ask.

"If we get the core back from Gaelion they'll be fine!" She explained while racing forward with everyone else. By this point the dragon had risen back up and blew fire in their direction, causing the party to scatter before Raphtalia and Éclair countered with yellow energy slashes. They impacted the dragon's stomach but did little damage since the duo were holding back.

The enraged beast took to the air next, avoiding Ren's Meteor Slash and a water blast from Izumi before getting hit from above by a lightning strike; Sadeena's Zweit Thunderbolt. Gaelion crashed to the ground, briefly stunned as the group moved in. The dragon emperor roared in rage as a blast of wind and more purple smoke was sent out, halting their charge. Thankfully, everyone else's poison resistance was up, as opposed to Johann and Filo who'd lost much of it due to their levels being drained.

It was of little comfort, however, as Gaelion's size increased again and this time by a large margin. He grew to three times his size and width, towering over everyone like a sentient building. His skin also turned black, his scales became rigid and segmented around his limbs, spikes grew out of his back and shoulders and his once friendly face turned terrifying. It was very much like they were facing a true dragon emperor now.

And his first move was a classic of all dragons: he readied to breath fire. "DARIUS!" Naofumi yelled, his unspoken order already clear.

"On it," he summoned every portal he could and wrapped the dragon's maw up with his chains. The beast gave a growl of irritation as flames shot out of its nose instead of its mouth.

"Stardust Blade! Meteor Slash!" Raphtalia and Ren called out their attacks as they unleashed blue slashes at Gaelion's legs. The blows hit home but failed to penetrate the monster's skin.

"Lightning Strike Harpoon! River Basin!" Sadeena and Izumi struck next. This time the dragon reacted, swatting the whale woman's thrown harpoon aside with his clawed hand and blocking the stream of water with his wing. The beast yanked his head free of Darius's chains then and let out a deafening roar.

"Shit," Rifana cursed before slamming the head of her mace into the ground, using her earth magic to affect the rocks of the cave. Gaelion's form rocked as his left foot sank, knocking him slightly off-balance. "Our attacks aren't strong enough; we need a boost!"

"Already on it!" The Shield Hero held his hand up, "All Zweit Aura!" His cardinal weapon glowed green as a similar colored aura covered everyone else, boosting their abilities. Raphtalia again led the charge, dodging around Gaelion's maw before unleashing another Stardust Blade attack. This time it did visible damage as a large cut spouted blood on the dragon's right leg.

Gaelion fell down to all fours but retaliated by snapping at Éclair as she came running by. Sadeena took advantage of the distraction and slammed her electrified harpoon into the side of his head. Ren came in with his own energy slash on the other side of the dragon's head, causing him to stagger back. "Give Filo and Johann back!" Melty yelled as she and Izumi summoned a blue magic circle in the air, "Drifa Aqua Slash!"

The beast roared in pain as the mass of magical water slammed into his chest, threatening to knock him over. This was remedied by Rifana and Darius, the latter of whom was using a replica of Kizuna's hunting club, slamming their weapons into the dragon's back. With a weakened groan, Gaelion collapsed to the ground on his stomach. "They did it!" Fohl cheered from his spot behind some rocks.

He'd taken cover with Atla and Wyndia, figuring it best to stay out of the way of the higher level, more experienced fighters. "Now's our chance," Sadeena called, readying for her next attack.

"Wait! Please!" Wyndia broke cover suddenly and got between them and the dragon, "that's enough, please stop Dad!" A collection of gasps, and a few sighs was the response to this revelation. She turned and rested her head against the downed dragon then. "You don't have to fight anymore, Dad, it's okay."

"So, it's exactly what we thought," Darius rested his current weapon on his shoulder, "you were raised by this dragon?"

"Yes, Gaelion raised me," she confirmed with tears in her eyes.

"And I was the one who," Ren didn't need to complete the statement.

"Yes," Wyndia again confirmed as she dropped to her knees, "ever since dad died I've hated the heroes for ruining my life. I told myself that I hated you with all my heart and that I'd never forgive you. But the Shield and Armory Heroes rescued me from slavery and showed me kindness like no one else has. They don't hate demi-humans like so many other people in this country and they're not like the villagers here who stole your treasure and set up your body to be a spectacle for others!"

"So please, give back our friends, give little Gaelion his body back. I gave him your name because I wanted him to grow big and strong like you. I know you want to protect me, but I'm fine now. I've found friends who want to take care of me, so it's okay Dad, you can rest now."

Everyone waited then as Gaelion slowly rose back up, his attention still on Wyndia. He lifted his clawed left hand then and swiped at his daughter. A number of shouts and swears filled the chamber as Ren rushed in and tried tackling her out of the way. He succeeded in taking the blow for her and was sent flying.

Darius was able to slow his fall with his chains as Naofumi rushed over to him. "Wyndia," Ren grunted in pain while still on the ground, "are you hurt?"

"I'm fine," she assured worriedly as Éclair rushed over to check on the both of them, "but what about you?"

"Here, let me," the Shield Hero held out his hand, "Drifa Heal!" A green light radiated from his hand, managing to close several of the Sword Hero's wounds. "Think you can still fight?"

"Barely, but I'll manage," Ren stood up, using his sword as support. "But what's going on? I thought that was your dad?"

"I thought so too," the dog girl stared in disbelief, "but this dragon, he's acting nothing like dad." A fact which was further emphasized as more purple smoke and purple glowing light was expelled from the lines in his body.

"I am the emperor dragon," Gaelion suddenly declared in a deep, growling voice, "ruler of all monsters beneath the stars!"

"So that's what happened," Naofumi came to a very unfortunate realization, "the souls of the zombie dragon and the dragon emperor from Kizuna's world combined together. You're the other world's dragon emperor!"

"YES!" The beast rumbled, "and my festered rage craves to take control of this world from you pathetic humans! Once I do, I'll kill the Hunting Hero and her comrades who crushed my burning ambitions!"

"Who cares about your ambitions!" Melty yelled suddenly, "what have you done with our friends?!"

"You must be referring to my fellow dragon and the one you call a Filolial," the beast hummed in amusement before reaching for his chest and pulling apart the plates, "don't worry, I'm certain they're quite happy to be a part of my flesh." Everyone looked on in horror at the sight of their companions, unconscious and imprisoned within the muscle tissue of the dragon, being absorbed little by little. One, however, saw an opportunity. As the dragon emperor let go so that his armored skin would close back, he was stopped by multiple chains sprouting from white portals on either side of him. "What?!"

"Thanks for show and tell dumbass!" Darius grinned savagely while summoning a bow and quickly firing a barrage of ice arrows, carefully hitting around his friends so as not to freeze them on accident. "Cut them out now!" Izumi and Éclair understood instantly and rushed forward. Naofumi assisted them by casting two Airstrike Shields for them to leap off of, avoiding the dragon's claws.

As the beast tried to reach for them again, a strike to the head from Sadeena's harpoon and some sharp rocks aimed at his eye, courtesy of Rifana, caused him to rear back slightly. It gave the other two fighters enough time land on the dragon and quickly cut the muscles holding their companions. "Impudent whelps!" The dragon emperor snarled, blasting more purple energy and smoke out of his body. The ice shattered as both Izumi and Éclair were sent flying. But they weren't alone in their flight this time.

Darius and Ren both moved and caught them before they hit the ground, digging in their feet as they slid back a short distance. "Filo! Johann!" Melty and Wyndia rushed over with Atla and Fohl right behind them. "Are they alright?!"

"They are mine!" The otherworld creature bellowed, lunging forward with his large maw opened to devour the pair again. It wouldn't happen this time as a blade flashed and the monster recoiled from a cut on the side of his mouth.

"You mentioned Kizuna put you down last time," the Armory Hero remarked behind his mask while brandishing a replica of the Hunting Hero's sword, "then this is going to be some serious déjà vu for ya!" He rocketed forward, propelled both by High Quick and the speed enhancements granted by his weapon. The dragon emperor thrashed about, attempting to strike the elusive fighter as he cut into him again.

"The four of you get Filo and Johann out of here," Naofumi indicated Melty, Wyndia, Atla, and Fohl, "work on healing them and slowing their level drains just like before. If they start moving erratically again, you have my permission to hit them with paralyzing strikes." He cast Zweit Aura on Raphtalia who joined in the fight with everyone else, slashing at the dragon's immensely tough hide.

"Alright, but be careful Sir Naofumi," Atla pleaded, "the ominous power I feel flowing out of these two. I can feel it flowing out of your shield now, going towards the dragon." The cardinal hero looked down at his own Stats, noting that there was indeed an anomaly. 'Of course,' he put two and two together, 'a piece of the zombie dragon is also in my shield, it must be using my defensive abilities to bolster its hide.'

"Don't worry," he assured without turning around, "this isn't the first monster we've fought with high defense." The others nodded in understanding before picking up the mounts and carrying them out of the area towards the cave entrance. In the meantime, those who remained continued to assault the dragon with one attack after another. The problem was, only Darius seemed to be doing anything to their opponent.

Everyone else's attacks were either failing to penetrate the dragon emperor's skin or bouncing off. It, unfortunately, made a fair bit of sense in this instance. The greatest strength of the Hunting Hero's weapon was the massive bonus it had when dealing with monsters. Darius also had a replica of the vassal scythe which hit harder the stronger an enemy's defense was, giving him the most advantages against their current opponent. "Everyone," Naofumi called, "focus on harassment tactics, keep him either blind or off balance!"

He opened up a channel to Darius then. "Keep hammering at him with everything you've got. The rest of us will support you as best we can."

"Appreciate it," the Armory Hero commented. The rest of the group caught on to what was happening. Rifana kept using her magic to make the ground around the dragon unstable, Izumi and Raphtalia used darkness and illusion magic to mask Darius's movements while also creating duplicates of him. Ren, Éclair, and Sadeena continued to assault the monster's face, doing their best to obscure his vision.

As for Naofumi, he focused all of his buffing magic on Darius while using healing magic on anyone else who got injured. It wasn't the fastest way to do things but with each cut the dragon emperor received, the weaker he got. There was still a chance they could do this without killing Gaelion. "I will not fall to this blade again!" The beast suddenly howled, "let us see what happens when such power is turned against you!"

The Shield Hero only had to wonder a moment what he meant when his cardinal weapon suddenly raised up on its own, the symbol of the Wrath Shield appearing on it. "What?! What's happening?!" His Stat screen was going crazy, the Wrath Series options had appeared and were being unlocked one after the other. The worst part was, it seemed like someone else was doing all the selections. 'Don't tell me,' Naofumi grit his teeth as he tried to will the screen closed, 'he used the connection to my shield to take it over somehow!'

A fact that was becoming increasingly apparent as the purple energy of the dragon began turning red. "Shit, everyone get back!" Darius warned, changing to his cardinal shield replica. It was just in time as the energy built up in front of the dragon emperor's chest before being unleashed in a massive explosion.

A wave of pure heat and force slammed into Darius before he could get his feet planted, flinging him into a nearby rock spire as he tried to tank as much damage as he could. It only lasted a couple seconds, but that was enough to do a number on the cardinal hero as he switched back to his Hunting Cardinal weapon, breathing heavily while taking stock of his condition. Obviously, he was in pain, his body ached from the impact, and it was even possible he had some bruising along with a few cuts. The shield protected him from any burns but that wasn't his main concern anyway.

Looking around, he found most of the others were in worse shape. Rifana and Izumi were sprawled out on the ground, one covered with dirt and the other water. No doubt they'd summoned their elemental magic to try and protect themselves, only succeeding in not getting completely fried. Éclair and Ren were close to each other, the strawberry blonde girl more burnt up, indicating she'd tried shielding the Sword Hero from the attack with little success.

Sadeena was hanging limply from one of the rocky outcroppings. The only other two who were still standing were Naofumi and Raphtalia, the former breathing heavily as he tried to stay upright. Amazingly he'd managed to get in front of his companion before the blast went off. But none of them would count for long as the dragon emperor began charging up a blast of red energy at the front of his mouth.

'I doubt we can dodge that easily in our current condition,' Darius shifted his weapon to the cardinal spear, 'and I don't think we can block what's coming with our remaining power. Gonna have one shot at stopping this.' He readied to throw the weapon as the dragon was about to lower his head. "Leave it to me!" Atla suddenly came rushing past all of them.

The dragon emperor ignored her as he finished charging up his attack while everyone else cried for Atla to get away. But the blind girl was far from helpless, a fact she demonstrated by jamming her fingers into the plates on their enemy's stomach. The beast reared back in surprise and pain, the red beam of energy discharging into the ceiling of the cavern. The next thing anyone knew, a mass of water was breaking through the ceiling, flooding the battleground.

And just when it seemed like they were making headway, shit went south so fast! Even getting Johann and Filo out of the dragon emperor might not have been enough in this fight. But we'll get our answer to that in the next chapter, so in the meantime feel free to leave a comment or review about what you liked/disliked or if you've got any neat ideas for future chapters! Once again, for news on when I'll be dropping Hailstorm Vol. 2's latest chapters, check out my Pat reon! Stop in next time as our heroes pool whatever resources they have left to face this otherworldy emperor! 'Til then.