"Shield Hero, be reasonable, at least attempt to kill the undead. We're begging you, please. We can't have people like them running this village!"

This has been the fifth time the governor has come up to him in the last hour. He tried begging, bribes, and threats, even granting him the position of governor as long as he didn't place the toll Motoyasu was planning to enforce, but Naofumi refused to budge.

"I told you; I'm not going to risk my life just because you want to keep your title. If they can't defeat the undead, then I'll stop it before it attacks the village. But that's it. I refuse to participate in this stupid competition."

It's not as though Naofumi didn't care about the situation, he was pissed. He spent all this time getting in the good graces of the village just for Motoyasu and Bitch to come in and ruin everything. They were even talking about gifting him a wagon for defending the village.

The governor looked like he wanted to say more but finally decided to give up. Saddened by his future banishment from his territory, he went to speak with a group of villagers who were waiting nearby. Naofumi just ignored him and looked at the dragon knights getting ready for battle.

When the race was first announced, the dragon knights were ready to charge into the swamp without delay. But as soon as Bitch found out that Naofumi was planning to fight the undead at the village, she 'graciously' granted him an hour's head start. "It would be unfair for us to defeat it without giving you the chance to fail.", those were her exact words before she and all those stuck-up knights laughed at him.

'If only they saw the sword Momon gave us, they wouldn't be laughing then! Hah... But, knowing Bitch, she'd probably say it was stolen and steal it from me, just like everything else.'

He shook his head, trying to push the negative thoughts aside as turned to see Raphtalia and Filo approaching him.

"Gaah!" Filo ran up to him rubbing her body against his. She stopped suddenly noticing the nearby dragons and staring them down.

"Mr. Naofumi. We fixed up the barricade the villagers constructed, it's not great, but if the village ever gets attacked from the swamp, it should be useful." She seemed to notice something was off about him as she looked at him with concern.

"Are you alright, Mr. Naofumi?"

"It's nothing. What about Momon? Is he still shut in his room?" Raphtalia frowned at the obvious deflection but knew that calling him out on it would do nothing.

"He is. I tried knocking at his door, but he just told me he was preparing something, and he would be out soon. Other than that-" "GRAHHH!" Raphtalia was suddenly cut off by Filo yelling, causing them both to look at what she was angry at. They could see one of the dragon riders riding in their direction.

'Oh, great… it's him.'

"Hey Naofumi!" Motoyasu waved while riding his armored dragon over to them. Filo continued to make hiss-like noises and glare at the dragon with disdain as they got closer. After noticing Filo, the dragon stopped in its tracks and met Filo's aggressions with its own.

"What the? Hey, why'd you stop?" Motoyasu looked over at the angry Filo and, understanding the situation, begrudgingly stepped off the dragon.

"Go back to the group! So annoying when this happens." The dragon glared at Filo one last time before puffing out its chest as it walked back to the gathered knights.

"What do you want, Motoyasu." Motoyasu looked back at Naofumi and chuckled while shaking his head.

"Naofumi, I can't believe you wasted your headstart waiting in the village. I mean, you found a secret boss that even I didn't know about, and I played Emerald Online for years. But at the same time, who would come back to such a low-level area after the first wave event? Haha." Naofumi clenched his fists as Motoyasu continued.

"I wasn't so sure about giving you a headstart, but I'm glad you decided to let me be the one who gets the loot. I mean, you're probably too low-level for this boss anyway. Leave it to the pros am I right!" He patted Naofumi on the shoulder.

'He couldn't just take the materials and leave me alone? No, of course not! He just had to rub it in and act like this was MY idea!' Just as Motoyasu was turning to leave, Filo charged at him, knocking him down with a headbutt.

"Gah! Gaah!" She continued to scrap the ground like a bull ready to charge.

"What was that for? Stupid bird!" Motoyasu quickly got up from the ground embarrassed as a few villagers were laughing nearby.

"Whose filolial is this?!" He looked around at the passing villagers. The villagers quickly dispersed from the area, not wanting to anger their future governor or take responsibility for the scene.

"She's mine. And I gotta say, she's proven to be a great investment." Naofumi spoke up with a smile seeing Motoyasu so flustered at being pushed over. Motoyasu looked at him as if he heard him incorrectly and then started laughing.

"You ride those things? Ahahaha!" Naofumi just looked at him confused and slightly offended.

Filolials were the most common domesticated monsters for riding and pulling carts. Bipedal dragons were the other option but only the nobility and knights used them regularly and were a fortune to buy fully mature and cost even more to be trained. Plus, they weren't even that different, dragons only having a slight advantage in having scales. So why was it so weird that he chose the most cost-efficient option?

"What's so funny? Filolials are used everywhere and are not even that different from dragons." Motoyasu finished his laughing fit and held up a finger.

"First off, dragons are way cooler than any bird and you would look like a fool trying to ride one. Second, I mean, just look at it. It's got a bunch of pink feathers mixed in with the white ones. A clear sign you got yourself a cheap bird."

"What does the color have to do with quality?" While Naofumi was trying to question his logic, Motoyasu just ignored him and decided to point and laugh in Filo's face.

"Gahhhh!" She reared her legs and kicked him straight on his crotch.

Motoyasu's laughing arrogant face vanished in an instant as confused agony quickly took over as he was sent flying. His entire body swirled through the air in drunken spirals before faceplanting on the dirt road. While the nearby knights rushed to Motoyasu's aid, Naofumi's face radiated pure joy.

'Filo, I am sorry I ever thought about cooking you. You have brought me the greatest moment of my life. And if Momon ever gets that mystery meat you love so much, I promise I'll buy it from him for you, no matter how much it costs.' While Naofumi and Filo were basking in their victory, Raphtalia could only shake her head.

"Mr. Naofumi, is it really necessary to make them hate you even more and make your relationship with the other heroes worse?"

"He laughed at a wild animal and ticked her off. How is it my fault that she crushed his manhood? And I do feel bad for him…a little." Raphtalia could see he didn't attempt to hide the joy on his face before outright praising Filo for a good job in front of her.

"You'll pay for this Shield!" The knights threw some threats at him as they carried him off towards the nearest healer.

Soon after this, the group of knights finished their preparations and headed out to the swamp. The knights carried flags while Motoyasu sat proudly at the front waving to nearby villagers, completely blind to how they viewed him. Normally Naofumi would've left, as their smug faces usually piss him off, but he decided to stick around. Watching Motoyasu wince at every bump was well worth seeing their faces. But it was only a few minutes before their figures disappeared into the swamp.

"Ah, well that was fun while it lasted." He turned to Raphtalia.

"Head back to the inn and start packing up, if we don't, I'm sure they'll force us to leave it behind. While you're doing that, I'll take Filo to see if the villagers are still willing to give us that carriage." He noticed Raphtalia was distracted by something and followed her gaze to a fully armored Momon.

"Naofumi, Raphtalia. I wish to speak with you both." Momon waved over to them as Naofumi sighed.

'Dammit, he wants that sword back. Hah, well, I don't blame him. If I paid someone in advance and they didn't deliver, I'd want it back as soon as possible too. But still…' He shook his thoughts of the inevitable conclusion and looked at the approaching black knight.

Naofumi forgot how intimidating Momon was in his full gear, the armor making his already large physique even bigger, and how envious he was of it. If he was willing to give away a Mithril sword for basically free, what were his armor and blades made from? What could Naofumi have gotten if Bitch didn't ruin his agreement with him?

When Momon reached them, he seemed distracted, looking around for something.

"If you're looking for Motoyasu's group, you're too late. They left for the swamp a few minutes ago. And before you ask…" Naofumi grabbed the sword off of Raphtalia's waist and tossed it over to Momon.

"Mr. Naofumi, what are you-?"

"Raphtalia. We were given the sword and his assistance on the promise we would fight the undead. We had the opportunity to go after it without him and chose not to. We failed our side of the deal." He looked back to Momon, "Her lessons were not a part of the agreement so we're even." Naofumi felt Momon's unwavering gaze upon him as he turned his head.

"Now if you don't mind, we're gonna pack up for when they come back from killing that undead." Just as he was about to leave, Momon blocked him.

"Hey I told you-!" Momon pushed the sword back into his hands, leaving Naofumi confused.

"Naofumi, answer me this. Why did wraiths attack the village days before the other undead?"

"I don't know. Their undead, mindless monsters that kill for no reason." Momon nodded in agreement.

"Fair enough answer, but then what is taking the other undead so long to get here?" Naofumi looked at him confused as he continued.

"The swamp is only so large, and the village has been hearing its roaring for almost a week. The undead can sense areas with large sources of living and death, they are instinctually attracted to it. They don't rest, eat, sleep, and have no other sources of life to distract them, thanks to the wraiths." Naofumi started to realize what he was getting at.

"So, I ask you. Why did this all happen right when you were using this place as your base and the Spear Hero was granted the position of governor of the region?"

"It's a trap…" Naofumi gave his theory and Momon slowly nodded. They all looked towards the entrance of the dark swamp.

"I need some help over here!" One of the knights desperately tried to free his dragon from a trap, with little success.

"Hah, did your dragon get stuck again?" Another knight got off his dragon to help with the situation.

"Yeah, sorry I didn't see that mud spot."

Motoyasu sighed at the scene before him. They've been in the swamp for less than an hour and have had to stop multiple times because of the dragons getting stuck in the mud. Myne decided to punish the knights riding them by making them walk, but they got stuck more than the dragons did.

"Myne, I don't think bringing the knights was a good idea. They're just slowing us down. We should've gone back to Castle Town to pick up the rest of our party like I suggested." Myne, riding a dragon adjacent to him, turned towards him with a smile.

"I know they're slow, Mr. Motoyasu, but they really look up to you and just wanted the chance to prove themselves to you. And there's no need to bother the other girls, they need rest after the last quest in the mountains." Motoyasu pouted a bit at her response before looking back at the struggling knights.

"Hmph. They're just going to get themselves hurt. Considering this boss arrived after the first wave it's probably at a higher level. Hah, but you're right, Myne. I should be more considerate of their feelings. We'll just have to step in when they know they're outmatched."

"You're so kind Motoyasu~." She stopped her dragon and turned it around. "I will try talking with them and make sure they try even harder to prove their devotion to you."

As she went to talk with the knights, Motoyasu looked around the dark swamp. Normally swamps were full of life with insects, reptiles, and other creatures that were constantly making noise, but here only a slight breeze could be heard rippling through the murky waters. And even though it was midday, it was pitch black this far into the swamp.

'This place is so creepy, I love it. The atmosphere is perfect for a hidden undead boss! The areas I've explored previously so far were pretty generic, but having this low-level area become corrupted by a high-level monster is awesome!'

After a minute of waiting, he got bored and looked back to see how the knights were doing.

"Hey, Myne. Are you and the knights read-AHH!" The dragon he was riding suddenly kicked him off making him land in a puddle of mud. Motoyasu watched it as it went running back toward the village at breakneck speed.

"Stupid dragon! Why does this keep happening to me?" Motoyasu stood back up, wiping off the mud on his armor. "Myne, can you have one of the knights get my… dragon?" When he looked behind him there was nothing.

"Myne? Knight guys? Where did you all go?" He heard his voice echo through the swamp, but no one answered. He looked around to see if his dragon had wandered away from the group without him noticing, but he could still see the group's fresh tracks right behind him.

"Myne, are you upset about the new party member? I know we have enough people, but she was so cute, I couldn't say no when she asked to join. You understand that right?" Once again, only the silence of the swamp answered his call.

He tried looking deeper into the swamp, but his field of view had gotten even worse than before as if the darkness was growing thicker. He stayed silent for a moment in hopes of hearing something in the swamp, but even the wind had gone silent. Motoyasu laughed nervously and began trekking along the muddy path.

"Ha-ha! You knights really know how to pull a prank. You even got Myne into it. I gotta say I'm impressed, she never agrees when I want to do something fun…"

No response.

"You got me alright, but we got an undead boss to face so don't you think you should come out…? Did you guys hear me?!"

As he continued to call out for his party, a faint light started to appear in the distance. Hoping it was the edge of the swamp, Motoyasu began running towards it. As he got closer, he could see a woman's Silhouette in a bright clearing ahead of him.

"Myne!" He began to rush forward as fast as he could, sloshing through the mud, dashing on dirt, and then finally, stepping on clay tiles.

"Myne?" He didn't notice before but his surroundings suddenly changed to the interior of a school.

'Where am I? Wasn't I just in a swamp?' He looked around before noticing a classroom with a sign on the outside with 'Class 121' written on it.

'Wait a minute… Isn't that Mr. Kagami's class?'

He peeked into the classroom and saw his old professor, Mr. Kagami. He was wearing his iconic pink tie and red glasses and was in the middle of lecturing a class. His professor noticed him and made a tapping motion on his watch and motioned him to go away. Motoyasu stepped back from the door and grabbed his head in disbelief.

'This-this is my old university. Is this real? If so, how did I end up here… Wait, I saw someone before ending up here. Where'd they go?'

Down the hall, he saw a girl standing in the middle of the hallway with her back to him. He could see her messy black hair and the university's uniform. He could tell she was holding something, but he couldn't quite tell what it was. Motoyasu felt like he'd seen her before but couldn't quite place where from. He shrugged and started walking towards her.

"Excuse me, miss! Do you know how I got here, or have you seen a girl pass by? Her name's Myne. She has reddish-pink hair and the kindest and most beautiful smile you've ever seen. Well, I'm sure your smile is just as beautiful." He stopped a few feet from her as she began to turn around.

"Moto, it's only been a few weeks, and yet… You're already dating another girl…!"

The hallway turned black as the girl turned around showing her teary eyes and crazed smile. Motoyasu's face paled as he saw her face and the knife she held in her hands. Even with her hair covering half her face, he could still recognize her from anywhere. He stumbled backward in fear.

"Momiji… What are you doing here…?" As he said her name, her eyes lit up and she started to blush.

"You remember me! Oohh, my sweet loving Moto~. I knew you would. I thought you would be angry after I stabbed you, but I KNEW YOU WOULD FORGIVE ME!" Her body started to contort sensually, as she stepped towards him.

Motoyasu could feel a cold sweat cover his body as he remembered how his previous life ended, how he died, how she stabbed his back as she confessed her undying love for him. The way she lovingly looked at him bleeding out saying how they would be together in the afterlife with the same smile. He pointed his spear at her with shaking arms.

"M-momiji, stay away from me. I-I-I don't want to hurt you, but I will. If you come any closer, I'll..." His throat was dry as he could barely even finish his sentence, "Please, just… go away."

"Hehehe. Oh, silly Moto~. Don't you see?" She brought the blade up to her throat and dragged it sideways, causing it to bleed profusely onto the floor.

"We're already dead. You and I are going to spend eternity together just like I told you~." He watched as the blood from her neck stopped flowing and slowly seeped back to her neck, closing the wound like nothing had happened. The realization of the situation made his heart start pounding in his chest.

"No… You're wrong, you're not real, this isn't real…" She took another step towards him, and his eyes went wide with fear.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" He sprinted away from her with all his might.

"heheHAHAHAHA! Moto, my love! I could never stay away! I will ALWAYS find you!" He could feel a knife hit his back, but he continued running.

He had to keep going, no matter what, he had to run. He could feel his heart beating out of his chest as he franticly looked for an exit, an escape, anything to get away from her. He would run forever if it meant never seeing her again. He could hear her voice all around him, laughing at him, confessing her undying love, and how they would be here together forever.

He felt like he'd been running for hours, but every time he thought he was safe another knife pierced his back as he heard Momiji's laugh echo throughout the hallway. This was it; he couldn't escape. His Spear Hero life was just a fever dream before his sentence to damnation.

'No! This can't be real! IT'S NOT REAL!'

"HELP ME! GET ME OUT OF THIS PLACE! PLEASE! ANYONE!" His desperate cries were answered when one of the classroom doors suddenly opened.

"Over here!" Not caring who or what was calling for him, he flung himself into the room.

As he hurled himself through the door, the door immediately slammed shut behind him, cutting off Momiji's voice, and allowing him to rest. He collapsed on the floor shaking uncontrollably as he continued to breathe rapidly trying so desperately to calm down. A comforting hand rubbed his back as he finally began to calm down.

"It's okay. You can relax, I'm here." A girl's voice soothed him as his breathing slowly steadied. Her familiar voice was stern but very caring… one could even say, loving. Motoyasu could feel the caring touch turn sexual as his body began shaking again and looked up to see the girl's face. Her straight brown hair was kept in a ponytail allowing him to get a good look at her.

"Ikuyo…" Her smile grew slightly. She looked calm, but he could tell from her eyes that she had the same insanity Momiji had for him.

"I'm here, my love. And we'll never be apart ever again." A knife pierced one of his calves and he began to scream in pain. She carefully removed the knife and looked down at the blood on the floor. She started to cry when she saw how much pain he was in.

"I'm sorry love, but I can't have you running away from us." Rage flared in her eyes as she stabbed down on his other calf.

"AHHHGH!" Unlike the other calf, she dragged the knife down his leg as he tried to crawl away.

"You never cared about me! I saw you eyeing up other girls, but I thought I was just overthinking things, but I was RIGHT! I gave my life for you and what did you do?" She stabbed the knife straight down on his foot, causing him to cry out again.

"YOU LEFT ME TO SUFFER IN THIS HELL ALONE!"

Suddenly a knock came on the door which flipped Ikuyo's personality again, making her calm. She removed the knife from his foot as she went to answer it. Motoyasu desperately crawled into a corner as she opened the door for Momiji. They both turned towards him, with Ikuyo's head doing a 180 to stare at him with a crazed smile. He wanted to run away, but he was paralyzed, forced to watch as they slowly stepped towards him.

""You love us don't you, Moto~."" Their bodies started to bleed from every orifice as they continued walking towards him.

""You couldn't choose between us."" Their bodies started cracking and snapping into irregular shapes. Their arms and legs elongated into thin twigs that spanned meters in length. Their hair falling out showing the rotting flesh underneath. Their beautiful faces twisted into agonized expressions.

""We allowed you to have a chance to have both of us..."" Their faces lunged in his face, ""AND YOU LET US DIE FOR NOTHING!"" He started balling in fear.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry I couldn't choose! I'm sorry I made you into this! I'm sorry I didn't die with you, but please… DON'T KILL ME AGAIN!"

They just stared at him as he noticed a male figure in the back of the room, smiling, staring into his soul. His face was rotten, his black coat was tattered, and his smile ripped through his flesh with pure sadistic joy. Motoyasu could only watch as the corpse took a deep breath in and then out.

"AhHh, your emotioNs are deliciouS~. Your rEgret, guilt, conFusion, and most importantly, your FeaR. It's such a beautiful melOdy of flavors I could consume for eterNity!" The corpse's smile widened as Momiji and Ikuyo's faces contorted into the same sadistic flesh-ripping smile.

"N-no… leave me alone… Stop smiling at me like that! GET AWAY!" Both the corpse and the two girls laughed at his desperate cries as the girls moved their hands to his face.

"HAHAHAHA-" Suddenly a black blade sliced across the girls' heads.

The surrounding room vanished, revealing the dark swamp once again. Sounds of crying and screaming filled the air as Motoyasu could see he was kneeling in the exact spot he was when he fell from the dragon. He looked down to see Momiji and Ikuyo's bodies dissolve into black rags on the ground.

"W-w-what's going on…?" He looked behind him to see the knights being consumed and drained by cloaked shadows. Their cries for help pierced his head like needles.

"You need to head back to the village. Now!" He looked up to see a black knight with a red cape flowing in the breeze cutting down one of the shadow beings.

"You… You were at the castle." The knight sighed as he picked Motoyasu up by his armor's collar and flung him into the swamp. He landed with a thud as he watched the knight defend himself against a giant armored creature that had black ooze and bee stingers seeping and sticking out of its body.

"Go! The princess has already been taken care of. Regroup with Naofumi and the others. They are waiting for you outside the swamp." A flamberge blade came down on the knight as he slowly got surrounded by shadows.

"RUN!" Motoyasu couldn't even process what was being told to him, but he ran. He would run until he was out of this godforsaken swamp. He could run, but he couldn't stop thinking about Ikuyo, Momiji, and the smile, that sadistic, flesh-tearing smile.

Everywhere he looked he thought he could see him, just out of view, smiling, waiting for Motoyasu to lower his guard, just so he could send him back to purgatory.

So, he ran.

No matter of futile he knew it was.

Author's Note:

For those who may be wondering, I have decided to not place any warnings for these horror chapters/sections. These types of chapters will come up again, a warning in advance for those who didn't like the horror. So in light of that fact, the story summary will now be updated with a warning for "Graphic Violence". (Thanks to those who gave me feedback!)

Anyway, I hope I did a good job with it. Thank you as always for the support and I hope you enjoyed it.