Chapter 14: Party Crashed
"What made you think flinging enemies' buildings was a good call?" Naofumi sighed.
After eliminating the leftover monsters. Naofumi went back to Ryute and began helping with the repairs. Many of which were caused by Sakura.
"Shattered glass, holes in the wall, damage to the foundation. What exactly were you doing when I sent you out to escort everyone?"
"Oh, you know. Killing every monster Sakura came across." Sakura smiled with a derpy face.
"What did I say about using tornadoes in small spaces?"
"Technically, it was a hurricane."
"I told you not to use Typhoons as well!"
"But, Sakura used a hurricane."
"It is literally the same thing!"
"Really?"
"Ugh." Naofumi groaned, hitting his face out of pure frustration. "Let's just hope no one tries to sue us for damages."
"Sakura thinks people will be gracious for, you know, saving their lives."
"Just go help out the locals however you can. I'll deal with you later."
"Roger that." Sakura backflipped away and started to pull a cart filled with rocks with one hand.
After a sigh, Naofumi went back to his status screen, checking the energy and mastery of his shields after the battle. The Nue shield finally reached 100% mastery and was reset for its energy. He then used it, along with other monsters from the wave, and dumped it all into the chimera viper shield, awakening it.
Chimera Viper Shield C (Awoken)
Special Effect: Snake Venom Fang (Strong)
"Oh, that was so worth it. I'll upgrade the Thunder Dragon's shield next. Its special effect is still quite useful."
Item Encyclopedia
New Entries Acquired!
Interdimensional Locust:
1% piercing damage reduction, 1% poison damage reduction
Interdimensional Zombie: 2% rot resistance
If only there were more of that chimera. Naofumi pondered.
He wondered if absorbing the whole thing would be enough, but his thoughts were interrupted by the clanking of metal approaching him.
"Oh, footstool boy."
"Footstool!?" Ake grimaced.
"Yeah, what's the issue?"
"My name is Ake, Shield Hero." Ake sighed. "And I'm here to thank you for defending my village."
"Is that all? No more fire?" Naofumi teased.
"Sorry about that; we were forced to by the commander. But I'm here to deliver a message from the king."
"Oh, then tell him to fuck off for me, okay?"
"What? No, I can't do that. I'll be executed or worse." Ake panicked.
"You can figure that out. I'm not trying to listen to his bullshit anymore."
"But sir, it's a request for all 4 heroes. A celebration for the waves being driven away."
"I'll pass."
"But what should I tell him about your monthly payment?"
This caught Naofumi's interest, making him finally close his menu.
"Fine. You're coming with me."
"M-me!"
"Yes. I have a few questions about this world's lesser weapons."
"Lesser weapon? Wait! Sir! Help!" Ake cried out.
His vice-captain watched from afar as a bird tossed his rookie into the carriage. But he did nothing to stop it and only smiled.
"Menela."
"Yes, sir." A girl with a witch hat saluted.
"You're in charge. Do yourself a favor and don't try to find me."
"W-what? Vice-captain!" The witch shouted out. But he had already walked off, seemingly disappearing into the wind.
Appearing in the forest as the wind blew. The vice-captain unsheathed his sword and pointed it towards the trees.
"It's been a good life. But it seems it won't stay that way."
"Then you should have stayed in your place." The captain grinned. "The holy order sends its regards."
/~/
"Make way. We have a passenger." Naofumi announced.
Raphtalia frowned as Ake was tossed in. But it was not directed at the knight.
"Master." Raphtalia sighed.
"Don't worry; he agreed to this kidnapping."
"Sort of." Ake meekled added.
"Yeah, yeah. Now tell me everything you know about the lesser weapons."
"I'm still not quite sure what that is." Ake laughed nervously.
"You know. Ones like the carriage."
"Carriage?"
"Ugh." Naofumi groaned.
"I'm going to assume you're talking about the seven-star heroes."
"Seven star?" Naofumi inquired.
"Indeed. The seven-star weapons are heroes much like the holy heroes. Though, unlike the holy heroes who are summoned by ritual. They can be claimed people here."
"And there are seven of these people running around? Why summon us then?"
"I'm not sure myself. But the legends say the holy heroes only come when the world is in great danger. As for who wields them, I only know of one. Our king, The Wisest King of Wisdom, Aultcray Melromarc, is the current Staff Hero.
"Damn it!" Naofumi yelled. "There goes one method. Now I'm down four." Naofumi grumbled.
"Uhh. Is that everything you wanted to ask?"
"Pretty much. It seems I need to do a bit more digging if I ever want to figure out these methods."
"I'm not sure what this method is. But perhaps the other heroes can get it for you." Ake suggested.
"Well, that won't work because… well, it's… huh, I never thought of that. They should have similar functions to the shield. So once they realize there's more and it could be shared, they could get Motos and even the kings. All the while, I don't have to lift a single finger." Naofumi smacked his fist into his palms. A grand eureka moment.
"Seems like this party won't be as hopeless as I thought it was."
"Um… Glad I can help?" Ake tilted his head in confusion.
"Don't worry about it. He forgives you." Raphtalia nodded.
"I never said that," Naofumi argued.
"Oh, denying his feelings! He totally forgives you." Sakura cheered.
"Shut up. And focus on the road." Naofumi grumbled.
It took an hour to reach the castle, and Naofumi used every moment to learn everything he could from Ake. Though, he didn't give much helpful info. It was just a bunch of reiteration from the talks he had with Ren. He did learn something interesting, however.
For so long, he assumed the king held absolute power, but that was far from the truth. That title instead went to the queen, Mirellia Q. Melromarc. After learning that, he burst into laughter, much to Ake's confusion. After being reprimanded by Raphtalia, he silently chuckled to himself before arriving at their destination.
"So this is a noble's party?" Sakura marveled.
The food could be smelled from outside, and Sakura could barely contain her excitement for the food. Raphtalia also looked on with wonder, marveling at all the expensive plates and glasses used for such a banquet.
"Don't get too excited. Parties of high society are usually pretty shit."
"As long as the food is great, Sakura will not complain."
"Hold it." Sakura tried to run off, but Naofumi pulled her back by her collar.
"Fine. Sakura won't break anything."
"And?"
"And she won't cause chaos. Can Sakura go now?" Sakura grumbled.
"Well, since you know what to do for sure." Naofumi let go of Sakura's collar, allowing her to finally escape to the buffet table.
"Same applies to you."
"Come on, what did I do?"
"You punched a guy into a house."
"It was once! Don't need to hold it over me forever." Raphtalia grumbled as she walked off.
Naofumi then turned over to Ake, who was still near him.
"And you, don't reveal anything we talked about today. If you do, I will find you." Naofumi threatened, leaving the intimidated knight alone.
He looked around the room for a moment and spotted his target. And luckily enough, Ren was there too.
"Two stones with one bird." Walking up to their table, Naofumi took a seat, interrupting their previous conversation.
"Ren, Itsuki."
"Naofumi."
Everyone stared at each other for a bit before Itsuki decided to speak first.
"So, I heard everything from Ren, and to be honest, it sounds pretty sketchy. I mean, a circus tent in an alleyway that's run by a slave trader doesn't sound like the best source."
"It's not like I was desperately looking for your approval, but if the facts are there and still remain, why don't you go check yourself? Who knows, maybe you might get a good pet out of that visit as well."
"What do you mean?"
"He means—"
"Allow me, Ren." Naofumi interrupted. He clenched his hands together, like a businessman ready to negotiate. "Believe me or not, I don't care; I'm not here for that. What I desire is a trade."
"A trade?" Itsuki raised his eyebrow. "For what exactly?"
"Information for Information. I'll give you something worthwhile for your power-up methods."
"What are you talking about? Didn't Ren already tell you the method?"
"He did. But I've recently discovered some information that may surprise you. If you're willing to trade for it, of course?"
"Alright then, bite. Though, I already know pretty much everything." Itsuki boasted.
"We'll see then." Naofumi opened his menu. "So let's start off with some of the boring stuff. Contrary to what the king said. The waves are happening everywhere with a dragon hourglass, and not just in Melromarc. And if we don't deal with those, those waves will become more frequent."
"You told me this before; you said a bird queen told it to you?" Ren asked.
"Her name is Fitoria; she's basically an unbeatable boss NPC who guides you."
"I did hear some chatter about waves in the other area, and I guess some stuff about this legendary bird. Good info, but I'll need something more concrete."
"Then how about this? Some monsters have the potential to become intelligent. And when a hero raises one, it'll gain the ability to transform into a human. Right now, I only know of three monsters that it applies to. Griffons, dragons, and Whether it works on anything else is up to you to figure out."
"Wait, so that's why Draco has been able to transform!?" Ren exclaimed.
"Indeed. Even one of mine can transform."
"The pink one, right?"
"Correct."
"Impressive. I agree; I didn't know this. I never had a monster companion in my old game. Alright, I'll bite, but don't be disappointed if you get the same methods."
"Don't be hasty. That's actually my next topic."
"Really? What did you find?" Ren asked.
"I actually want to confirm something first. Ren, how many methods did you say there were?"
"Three, like last time."
"Last time. Now Itsuki. Mind reading out yours?"
"Umm, sure. Okay, the first is Job Level. It's like a second exp bar but for your stats. Once you sacrifice enough monsters to fill the bar, it gives you increases in that specific stat."
Naofumi opened his menu, and the method popped up, along with a second bar under his exp bar. Of course, he chose defense to increase and sacrificed some of the monsters from the wave. The gauge filled up quickly, and he gained a boost. Though it was quite low, only being a 2 boost. It also went on a cooldown for a few hours, preventing him from leveling it up any further.
This method certainly was a slow burn. Naofumi grumbled as he listened to the second.
"The second is Reinforcement. Each weapon has a certain amount of ore slots. And each gem increases the weapon stats differently. Like a topaz increases lightning damage for the form."
Chimera Viper Shield (Awakened), (0/30), (R)
Mastery: 0%
This menu is getting cluttered. Naofumi looked over to Ren, only to notice how dumbfounded he looked.
And it seems like Ren is too astonished to realize. Naofumi pondered as he listened to the last method.
"And the last one is Item Enchant. You can extract energy materials you absorbed into your weapon and then use them to increase its stats. Though it's quite annoying since a failure to increase would reset the level."
Chimera Viper Shield (Awakened), (0/30), (R)
Mastery Level: 0
Item Enchant: 0
So it's similar to Ren's Rarity. Naofumi attempted to use the method, but an error occurred. That's when he figured out it couldn't be used on weapon forms that are still locked. So he swapped to his thunder dragon's shield and succeeded.
Thunder Dragons Shield, (0/20), (R)
Mastery Level: 23
Item Enchant: Level 1 (Lightning Resistance 2%)
I wonder if the shields are somewhere, now that I know.
"And that's it."
"Um, bullshit." Ren insulted.
"Um, not bullshit. You should know."
"I do know, and it's not whatever you said. The methods are Rarity Up, Mastery, and Energy Imbuement. Not whatever an ore equip is."
"No. I never even heard of "Rarity Up." Itsuki mocked doing air quotations. "You sure you don't have your facts straight?"
"Nuh-uh."
"Fuck you mean, Nuh-uh?"
"Both of you shut it," Naofumi ordered, shutting up the two.
"As I expected. Each weapon has a different set of power-up methods."
"That can't be true."
"You just witnessed it. But I guess you need a little more convincing."
Naofumi read Fitoria's method to the two heroes, shocking them even more. He even mentioned the icons a weapon gains when the method is active.
"That's impossible."
"Even after I just explained it?."
"It's not that I don't believe you. It's just that—
"It's hard to believe. None of these were ever in my game."
"Then perhaps you should consider that this world isn't a game. You treat your partners like NPCs when they all have their own dreams, aspirations, and fears. That is why I have a better connection with my team. And why I'm doing better in the powering-up department."
"I highly doubt that."
"I had enough time to evacuate an entire village, kill all the monsters inside, and make it to you just in time to save your ass a trip to the healer. Is that something you really want to claim? Naofumi argued, rolling his eyes. Itsuki had no counterargument and sighed instead of trying to come up with one.
"I'm just going to need time to comprehend this. None of this is normal."
"Sure, let's just ignore the explanation I just gave. But when you're struggling, you know what to do." Naofumi reached into his back pocket and pulled out a sack of silver coins, much to the interest of the other heroes. "Anyway, I'm low on coins, so let's swap to something more fun." Naofumi reached into his bag again, this time pulling out a deck of cards.
"Oh, bring it on."
/~/
"Why am I here again?" Ake sulked.
"Because you're one of the only people in this country who doesn't want Naofumi dead. That's a cause for celebration!" Sakura cheered. "Hey, you're a knight; why don't you join us? We'll have so much fun together!"
"I can't just quit. I have a duty to the people of Melromarc."
"And you can still do that. We're heroes; killing monsters is our thing." Sakura drank her mug full of a red liquid, which Ake could only guess was alcohol made out of a rucola fruit. "Hey, Sakura is sorry for landing on you today; she thought you were a monster and—" Sakura took another sip of her mug and yawned. "What was she saying again?"
"You were apologizing."
"Right. Anyway, you were under Sakura. You got a good look, right? Consider that revenge." Sakura teased.
"What!? N-no I didn't."
"Really? You wanna see it now?" Sakura teased again, this time playing with her skirt.
"Please keep your clothes on." Ake blushed, pushing down Sakura's hand.
"Ha ha." Sakura laughed. "Oh, you're so cute when you're embarrassed. Who knew bloomers could get this reaction? And she's not even showing them yet!"
"C-c-cute!" Ake's face became as red as a cherry. "Sakura, how many drinks have you had?"
"Oh, Sakura doesn't know... umm, 8 maybe?"
"Okay, I think you've had enough." Ake snatched Sakura's mug.
"Nooo~, don't take Sakura's drink," Sakura whined.
/~/
"Sorry for Sakura; this is the first time she's ever been drunk before."
"She is… surprising, to say the least." Ake sighed. "Just make sure she gets her rest. She's a real lightweight."
"I will. Thanks again." Raphtalia waved as Ake left. With a sigh, she went back to her thoughts as Sakura rested her head on her shoulder. Naofumi was correct about noble parties being uneventful. As a demi-human and party member of the most hated hero, most people didn't dare to talk to her.
There were only a few, but they were the usual thank you's for saving their village and not much else. Not to mention, unlike Sakura, she didn't drink and wasn't planning on it any time soon. With nothing left to do, she spent the rest of her time reading her grimoire. Reading the words was no longer an issue, so getting a better hand on Zweite tier spells and even Dreifach spells was her top priority. That was until a shadow blocked the pages. Looking up, she recognized the spear that was on the man's waist and knew exactly who it was.
"Ahh. The spear hero."
"Indeed. I've seen you during the wave, though I never had a chance to introduce myself. I'm one of the heroes summoned to this world, Motoyasu Kitamura." Motoyasu introduced.
"Raphtalia. Now, is there something you need?"
"Well, I just wanted to ask. Surely you've heard the rumors of what he did; why work with someone like Naofumi?"
At the question, Raphtalia crossed her arms, making Sakura fall on the table. "That's exactly what it is: rumors. I've been with Master for a while, and he hasn't done anything. Neither to me, Sakura, nor any other women." Raphtalia scoffed.
"But he's still dangerous and unstable. He's been causing all sorts of trouble in-"
"Have you seen him cause this supposed trouble?"
"No bu-"
"Then it is as I said earlier. It's just rumors."
"Then perhaps him buying a slave will get you to change your mind. Just a few hours ago, we found out he had a slave on pre-order."
"And that's a surprise why?"
"What do you mean? A hero should have one… unless. Wait, are you?"
"Yes, what of it?"
"That explains your loyalty; he dares command you to follow him."
"What are you talking about? I follow Master myself."
"That can't be it. Myne was right about his brainwashing." Motoyasu got up from his table and marched his way over to Naofumi's table.
"This could be trouble," Raphtalia grumbled as she got up herself.
/~/
"I'm all in," Naofumi said. Sliding all his coins across the table.
"Again, there's no way!"
"There's only one way to find out." Naofumi grinned.
"I'm going to fold. I have no chance." Ren complained, dropping his bad hand on the table.
Itsuki on his end couldn't handle Ren's resignation. After a few drops of sweat, he conceded himself.
"You need a napkin; it seems the room is getting a bit hot." Naofumi taunted.
"Fine, I concede." Itsuki relented.
Naofumi laughed, dropping his garbage hand and taking the money on the table.
"You all need to work on your poker face. So next rou-" Naofumi stopped his taunting midway through and deflected a spear flying towards him without even looking.
"You got some nerve interrupting my win like that," Naofumi grumbled.
"Don't act dumb. You own slaves!"
"Well, yeah. One of them was pretty cheap too. Can't say the same for Sakura. Two is already a lot to handle."
"Actually, you have 3!" Malty joined in. Calling in a couple of knights. They carried in a demi-human boy. He was ragged, dirty all over, and had dog ears and a tail.
"It can't be! K-KEEL!" Raphtalia exclaimed, running towards the knights. But they blocked her from passing.
"Oh yeah, I forgot about him."
"Don't make that sound so casual!"
"Well, slavery is legal in this country. So I'm not breaking the rules there."
"W-what about your morality? You think it's okay to own another person just because it's legal!"
"Absolutely. Glad we can clear that up."
Motoyasu clenched his spear more and stepped towards Naofumi. "That doesn't make things better. Supporting the business is just going to make it grow more!" Motoyasu pointed his spear at Naofumi's face. "I challenge you to a duel. If I win, you release your slaves."
"No thanks, I refuse," Naofumi replied. But when he tried to walk away, his path was blocked by several knights.
"I can't allow that, Shield Hero. The Spear Hero has made his point. I decree that this duel between the spear and shield shall happen. For the ownership of these slaves."
Fucking king. Naofumi grumbled.
"And if I win?"
"You get to keep your slaves?" Motoyasu answered.
"That's not a fair deal of terms, though." Ren interrupted. "If you want a fair and legal duel, then both parties need an equal bet in return."
"I also say it's an unfair advantage for Motoyasu since Naofumi can't attack. So a 1-on-1 duel won't solve anything. A 3 vs 3 is a better choice. Motoyasu will have the numbers advantage since two of his teammates can attack. But Naofumi could also make better use of his tank abilities with his allies, evening the odds." Ren explained.
"But we can't. It must be a battle between only the spear and shield." The king rebutted.
"What, are you saying that Motoyasu couldn't win against Naofumi's team?."
"Bullshit, I can beat any team of his."
"But I can't allow that. Even if it's a team match, the shield hero could still be forcing his party members to fight via slave crest."
"Sakura is not a slave, so she doesn't apply. As for Raphtalia, we can let her decide." Raphtalia's slave crest started to glow as Naofumi pointed at her.
"You better not."
"Calm down; it won't hurt if you follow orders."
"What the hell are you doing!" Mototyasu demanded, but Ren held him back.
"Giving her a choice. If she truly despises me as you say she does, then you can have that 4 versus 2. Raphtalia, as your master. I order you to choose either your desired partner to fight with." Naofumi ordered. "If you lie, the punishment will be harsh and agonizing," Naofumi added, just to mess with Motoyasu some more.
"I knew this would be a problem." Raphtalia sighed and walked to Naofumi's side, her slave crest not activating in the slightest.
"I-impossible. There has to be some sort of trick!"
"Not at all; Raphtalia has chosen under slave crest orders. Now there's no reason for the 3 versus 3 to be denied."
"That only means she fears you; I will not allow this!"
"But you have to; the king decreed it himself. Oh, and for my bet… I'd like to learn your power-up methods."
"Learn my methods? Why, you haven't unlocked them yet?"
"You have no idea." Naofumi sighed.
"Fine, I agree to those terms. But it doesn't matter how many tricks you employ. I'm still stronger, and I'll free Raphtalia from whatever control you have over her."
"Good luck with that; there's no control in the first place," Naofumi mumbled.
"What was that!"
"I said. I'd like to see you try."
/~/
"You need to take this seriously, Naofumi!" Raphtalia exclaimed. She had been watching Naofumi check out the quality of the swords for 20 minutes now.
"Don't worry, we got this." Naofumi was reassured.
"Don't worry!? Sakura is drunk, and you can't attack; none of this is fair."
"Oh, I thought she was just sleeping." Naofumi walked over and stretched his hand over Sakura. "As the source of my power, I order thee. Decipher the laws of nature and cure my target of their ailment. [Zweite Cure.]"
A wave of green energy washed over Sakura. Once the spell was complete, he grabbed Sakura and shook her awake.
"Ughh, headache." Sakura groaned.
"Wake up. We gotta fight."
"Eh? But… party. What happened?"
"Doesn't matter, get up."
"Fine." Sakura relented, groggily getting up.
"Anyway. I have six methods now. If I play it safe, nothing he throws could even hurt me. So that just leaves you two to defeat the others.
"Ohh, Sakura calls Myne."
"Go for it."
"Woo." Sakura cheered.
"Even if everything you say is true. Just be careful, okay? I have a feeling this won't be as simple as we think it is."
"Big Sis will be there to protect you if anything goes awry."
"You're still drunk; I'm not calling you big sis."
"Worth a shot." Sakura smiled with a derpy look.
The gate opened, and the party was ushered into the arena. Everyone booed them. Some even threw food at them, but Sakura saw it as a kind gesture and ate it. On the other side of the arena, however, everyone cheered for the arrival of the spear hero's party. Many were even chanting for him to "take the demon out." Almost as if they stopped being subtle about the reason they hate him.
"Called it. She really did volunteer herself." Sakura chuckled.
Motoyasu had chosen his team. The first, and obvious, choice is Myne herself. She was one of the reasons Naofumi agreed to a team match in the first place. Having the chance to legally kick Myne's ass was a dream come true. Even if he couldn't do it himself. He could live vicariously through his party, who also shared a hatred towards her… well, a disdain from Raphtalia. But at least Sakura shared his sentiment. Oh, and the second party member was an irrelevant pink-haired girl who looked like a monk. Not that it mattered; even Raphtalia could sense that she wasn't a threat.
"Silence." A random knight shouted as he walked up to the stand. The whole crowd went silent, muttering a bit.
"Welcome to the fight of a lifetime. The battle between the shield and spear. If the shield hero wins, he gains the right to know the Spear Hero's power-up methods… whatever that means. And if the Spear Hero wins, he will earn the freedom of the Shield Hero's slaves." The knight announced, making Naofumi get more boos and curses from the crowd.
"The rules of combat are simple: the last team standing wins. A party member is eliminated if they spend ten seconds on the ground after receiving an attack. Any outside help is banned, and any use of items other than your weapon-equipped weapons and armor is also banned. Do you all understand?
Everyone shook their head at the knight, and Naofumi immediately turned to his party.
"Sakura. Obscure our approach, Naofumi whispered.
"You're putting Sakura through too much work; she just got up." Sakura sighed.
The knight tossed the starting flag high up into the air and quickly ran off the field to avoid the incoming battle. Meanwhile, Sakura began chanting, but her voice was muffled by the crowd.
"Surrender now, Naofumi. I don't want to hurt them." Motoyasu demanded.
"Well, that just makes things easier. Raphtalia, mind being my human shield? Naofumi chuckled, getting an eye roll from Raphtalia.
"Don't play games with me, Naofumi! I'll stop you right here and now."
"BEGIN!" The flag hit the ground, and Motoyasu immediately started running. He raised his spear as if he was going to throw it. But before he could, Sakura stepped forward and raised her leg into the air.
"[Zweite Sandstorm!]'' Stomping on the ground, a tornado engulfed Naofumi's party and blew sand and dirt all across the arena. Motoyasu could barely see his surroundings as he tried to fight back the strong winds. But he didn't have to fight for long, as the spell stopped.
Rubbing the dust out of his eyes, he raised his spear, ready to throw it once again. But when he did, he noticed Naofumi had disappeared. Not just Naofumi, but his entire party as well. Motoyasu and the crowd looked frantically, trying to find the shield hero, but they couldn't find him.
That was until a pink blur made itself known and attacked Matly, slamming her into the opposite wall.
"Myne!"
"Hya!"
Appearing out of nowhere, Raphtalia slammed the sheath of her sword into Motoyasu's gut.
Motoyasu gasped for air, but he recovered quickly and attacked Raphtalia with the blunt end of his spear. But Naofumi also appeared and defended against the attack with ease.
"[Dog Bite]" The two dogs on his shield shot forward and bit Motoyasu on the hand. While he was in pain, Raphtalia swung her sheath, hitting him upside his chin.
"Myne!"
"Occupied!" Myne shouted.
She clashed blades with Sakura, who was still a bit disoriented by the hangover. Her first few attacks do well, cutting up Sakura's shoulders and arms a bit. But when she attempted a killing blow, the bird slid under the blade and tripped up Malty with her foot.
Malty stumbled back, but before she could even recover, she had a fist firmly planted into her nose, sending her flying into the walls of the arena.
"Alright. Starting to become sober again. Sakura is such a lightweight."
"You damn demi, you dare lay your hands on the princess." Malty raged as blood dripped from her nose.
"Well, Sakura's technically a queen. So she outranks you… probably."
"Don't mock me! [Fast Fire Squall!] Getting back up, Malty released a giant ball of flames into the air. When it got to a certain height, the flames exploded and launched small balls of fire at Sakura.
How did Fitoria do it again? Read and disrupt?
"[Anti Fire Squall.]" Sakura yawned. She blasted at the flames with a gust of wind, but she failed to cancel it all and got hit by many of the flames.
"Ouch. Alright, Sakura's mad." Sakura grumbled as she patted out a flame on her dress. "[Zweite Mist.]"
Sakura blew into her hand, releasing a mist that obscured Malty's vision. She tried to find a way out, but she was suddenly struck in the face. Malty then swung wildly, attempting to hit her attacker, but that only left her open for even more attacks from behind. Sakura continued to pummel the blinded princess until she finally focused hard enough to cast a spell.
"[Fast wind!]" Malt shouted. Slamming her hands on the ground, the mist dispersed itself, giving Malty enough time to catch her breath as Sakura stopped her assault.
"Sakura is going to hit you from behind! Be ready!" Sakura playfully cheered. She sheathed her sword and dashed forward with
blinding speed.
Malty prepared herself, waiting for Sakura to get close enough to strike. But Sakura transformed into a blur and zipped right past her.
"Sakura told you." Sakura kicked Malty in the back, putting all her weight into the attack.
"[Fast Wind Bind]"
Punching Malty in the face, the wind wrapped around her, holding her in as the bird pummeled her senselessly.
"Damn. Lesty!"
"Understood." Backing away from Raphtalia. Lesty chanted a quick spell and fired it at Motoyasu.
"What?" Seeing the spell come his way, Naofumi leaped away. Instead of friendly fire, however, it swirled around Motoyasu's spear, as if it was powering itself up.
"Sorry, angel! But I have to stop you! [Erst Fire Lance]!"
Throwing his spear, it burst into flames mid-flight.
"Sakura! ... wait, what am I doing? [Erst Shield]"
Naofumi summoned a shield in front of Sakura, intercepting the spear. But it didn't hold for long, and it successfully broke through. Sakura leaped out of the way, but she couldn't dodge the resulting explosion as it hit the way, getting burnt as she skipped across the arena.
"Damn it. Raphtalia, switch!"
"Understood."
Raphtalia swung her sword at Motoyasu, giving Naofumi the moment to disengage. He began running toward Sakura, but Lesty blocked his path.
"I won't allow it!"
"[Lightning Shield.]" Lesty threw a kick, but Naofumi effortlessly blocked the attack and struck back with a counter that shocked Lesty. After the skill ended, he wrapped up her legs with his rope shield and tripped her, making her fall to the ground.
"Lesty!"
"Not a chance!"
Raphtalia swung at Motoyasu, but the spear hero blocked it. Seeing no other choice, his spear glowed with red as he pointed it at the Tanuki.
"I'm sorry for this, but I have to fight back. [Chaos Spear!]" Motoyasu sends a barrage of spear strikes at Raphtalia, but Naofumi shifts his focus and encases her in a shield prison.
The prison withstood the barrage, and when it ended. Raphtalia came out, rushing at Motoyasu.
The Spear Hero thrust his spear into Raphtalia's leg, but it went through, and her image dissipated.
"An illusion?" Motoyasu tried to get in a defensive stance, but the real Raphtalia appeared and punched him in the face.
"[Fast Holy]" She then smacked him with her scabbard before blasting him with a ball of light.
It wasn't enough to take the hero down, however. Motoyasu stood tall and attempted to strike back, but Sakura came through fully healed, kicking his spear aside and allowing Raphtalia to strike again.
"Contendent Lesty has been eliminated," Ake announced. He could not tell himself why he did it. But he forced himself onto the announcer's platform and replaced the original knight who refused to make the call.
"Sorry, Moto." Lesty sulked.
"Damn it."
Motoyasu pushed the two aside and went straight for Naofumi. Naofumi, however, defended against every attack with ease. And even taunted Moto with every failed attack. Seeing his assault fail, Motoyasu leaped back and readied his spear.
[Pile Lance!]" Motoyasu rushed forward, thrusting his spear, but the ever-confident Naofumi stood his ground. He blocked the attack, but that was a big mistake. When the spear hit his shield, Naofumi felt a surge of pain flow through his arm and disperse itself throughout his body.
Ugh. Did he overpower my defenses? No. It's as if he just ignored it entirely.
"[METEOR THRUST!]"
Using one of his strongest skills, Motoyasu thrust his spear at Naofumi's chest.
"Damn it. Shield Pr-" Naofumi raised his hand, ready to summon his skill. But a blast of wind struck him in the back, knocking him off balance.
"Fucking bitch!"
"Good work, Myne!"
Naofumi raised his shield to block the hit, but it was too late. Motoyasu broke through his posture and drove his spear through Naofumi's chest. A surge of pain ran throughout Naofumi's body, but he held firm and remained standing.
Motoyasu saw them and attacked with the blunt end of his spear. But Raphtalia came from behind and kicked the hero away.
"Go heal; we'll handle things from here," Raphtalia ordered.
"Raphtalia, please. Just surrender; we can help you!"
"Can you stop being an idiot and listen for once? I am not being controlled! Sakura!"
Zipping past the two, Sakura leaped into the air, ready to attack Malty.
"WRONG TARGET!"
"Too bad. She's going down, no—whoa."
As she was about to hit Malty, a rope wrapped around her arm and dragged her out of the air.
"[Paralysis Spear!]"
Sakura scrambled to her blade, drawing it fast enough to defend against Motoyasu's skill, at the cost of having it launched out of her hand. Going for another strike. Sakura quickly untied her ribbon and flowed mana into it.
In one swift motion, she summoned her claw and cut herself out of Motoyasu's rope. Avoiding the attack by leaping back, Raphtalia brought down her hand, calling down light from the heavens that crashed into Motoyasu.
Screaming in pain, Motoyasu held back the urge to fall and readied himself to finish this fight once and for all.
"He's running out of steam. If we hit him with another strong attack, he'll be down for the count. Think you can handle that?" Sakura asked.
"Probably." Raphtalia shrugged.
Waving her hand across her body, Raphtalia disappeared, and Sakura began her attack.
"[Fast Wind Cutter!]"
"Don't try using wind against me! [Anti Wind Cutter!]" Knowing wind magic like the back of her hand. Sakura had no trouble reading the spell and successfully negated it this time with a blade of her own.
Meanwhile, appearing at the far end of the arena. Raphtalia held out her sword, feeding mana into it as it glowed with a bright light. "As the source of thy power, I order thee."
"Oh no you don't!" Myne shouted. She was about to fire off another spell when Sakura appeared overhead.
"Just sit down!" Sakura brought her foot down, but Motoyasu got in the way, taking the blow for Myne. The strike was hard, and it drove his feet into the ground, but Motoyasu pushed with all his might and tossed Sakura off of him.
"Let the way of all things be revealed."
"Sakura swears she's hitting her. [High Quick]" Sakura sped forward, becoming a blur as she attacked Motoyasu from all sides. Much to her surprise, the spear hero could keep up, though barely. It took every bit of focus he had to defend against her attacks, and that was when she had an idea to exploit said focus.
Throwing a punch, she stopped her attack mere inches away from Motoyasu's spear and backed off. She then dashed forward again, this time throwing a kick. But she stopped once again. Only to leap back and attack once more.
Motoyasu didn't know what to do. He began to lose track of Sakura as all her feints were too wild to predict. But he knew an attack was coming, and he had to deal with it quickly, or else whatever Raphtalia was planning.
Focusing as hard as he could, he waited and waited, preparing for the perfect moment. And that moment finally came. As Sakura dashed in for another feint, Motoyasu thrust his spear after realizing the patterns in her attacks.
Sakura, however, was waiting for this moment. Narrowly dodging the spear, she zipped past Motoyasu and transformed into a puff of smoke.
"Sakura told you. You're getting hit!" Kicking with all her might. Sakura struck Malty in the face and launched her into the arena walls.
"As the source of your power, the heir to all filolial commands is you. Let the true way flow freely, and blast my enemy with the power of a storm. [Dreifach Tempest!]" Throwing a punch, she cleaved through the wind around her, gathering it all into a single ball that crashed into Malty, burying her deeper into the wall.
"Raphtalia now!"
"Right. Empower my blade with the holy power of Light! [Dreifach Light Blade!]"
Running towards Motoyasu, the hero attempted to put some distance between him and Raphtalia. But Sakura wouldn't let him escape, forcing him onto the offensive.
"[Chaos Spear]"
Being targeted, Sakura transformed into a human to avoid the attack. Motoyasu, however. Took advantage of her transformation and grabbed her as she tried to retreat, pinning her to the ground.
"Erst-"
"[Fast tornado!]" Motoyasu turned his attention to the approaching Raphtalia and readied a skill. But Sakura blasted him with a gust of wind, knocking him off balance and giving her a moment to escape.
When she did, she pivoted her body and kicked Motoyasu towards Raphtalia.
Damn it. I don't have time to block!
Motoyasu attempted to raise his spear, but Raphtalia swung fast, slashing Motoyasu across the chest.
The hero yelped in pain, the holy radiance searing his skin. But Raphtalia wasn't done yet. In one swift motion, she carried over her attack and hit Motoyasu again, this time with an upward backhand slash. This successfully carved an X-shaped wound in his chest. A wound that started to grow brighter and brighter.
"[Dreifach Light Slash]" The X on Motoyasu flared up, cooking the hero with more and more holy light, until his body finally gave in and fell to the ground.
The crowd that was once going wild for Motoyasu's victory suddenly went silent as he fell to the ground. Everyone watched on in shock as the spear hero not only fell to the shield demon's party, but it was due to the work of two demi-humans.
"The shield and spear hero have been eliminated. Leaving this match as a 2 vs 1!" Ake announced.
This announcement had seemingly calmed down the crowd, as they remembered there was still a chance to win.
Sakura looked behind her. Naofumi indeed was down. He may have healed himself, but that attack took a toll on him that forced him to rest. Usually, he wouldn't quit so soon. But he trusted the two of them to handle it.
Though they were all quite shocked to find out that Malty had not only survived Sakura's attack. But somehow she completely healed herself and equipped herself with Sakura's sword.
"Oi. THAT'S SAKURA'S SWORD!" Sakura raged.
Wasting no time, Sakura ran over and engaged Myne with her claw. Malty, however, seemed to be much stronger than before as well. She could now keep up with Sakura and defend against her attacks. But it wasn't enough; her blows were still too wild to be any danger.
"Miss Raphtalia. The crowd." Ake whispered.
Directing Raphtalia toward the suspicious-looking spellcaster, Raphtalia smiled as she chanted one last spell.
"[First Holy!]"
Pointing her hand at the cheat, Raphtalia fired a ball of light toward the gate. To most, it would seem she missed her shot. But to those on the field, she did indeed hit her target, taking down the spellcaster in a single blast.
Once he was down, Raphtalia fell to the floor, using the last bit of her magic energy. Sakura, however, was still up but was backed into a corner. Malty's strength has proven itself to be difficult to handle, forcing Sakura on the back foot. After a while, however, Malty's boost finally ended. And Sakura was quick to exploit it.
"Sakura will be taking that." Snatching her blade, she kicked Malty in the before picking her up by the neck. Suddenly, orbs of mana began to rise and flow into the bird as Malty slowly lost consciousness.
"[Spiral Strike!]" Slamming Malty into the wall. Sakura leaped back as far as she could, rushed back at high speeds, and hit Malty with a devastating spiral kick that drilled her deeper and deeper into the wall. After she was done, she extracted the princess and tossed her onto the ground.
The crowd once again watched on in dismay. No one dared to say a word. Until Ake grabbed Keel and hoisted him in the air.
"By knockout. The Shield Heroes team is declared the winner! As per the conditions, the shield hero gets to keep his slaves." Ake announced.
Sakura cheered as the crowd went rabid. The knights did their best to calm the crowd as the medics stormed the area to save Motoyasu and Myne.
With a collective nod between the three. Naofumi and Ake grabbed Raphtalia and mounted on Sakura's back, rushing out of the arena before anyone could stop them.
/~/
Kicking open the door. Sakura laid Raphtalia and Keel onto the bed, while Ake helped Naofumi over to his and began treating his injuries. He appreciated the assistance, as he still felt the sting of getting stabbed. Like it or not, Motoyasu had some serious power.
"Your magic healed most of the wound; no major organs were damaged. I can't do anything about the internal damage, though." Ake explained.
"I'll be fine. What about Raphtalia?"
"She didn't take any significant damage. At most a scratch or two thanks to your defense. You, on the other hand. I can't say much about him, though." Ake grimaced as he looked at the scars on Keel's back.
"It's best you take him to a healer first thing in the morning. You, on the other hand." Ake forced Sakura into the chair and began wrapping her arms.
"Uhh… thanks." Sakura blushed.
"Don't worry about it." Ake blushed back.
"So… what are your plans for now?" Sakura asked, trying her best to hide her face.
Ake, who was carrying Keel, placed him with Raphtalia and immediately started to tend to Naofumi's chest wound.
"I'm not sure. I'll probably be in some deep shit for helping you. But… I couldn't stand by and watch… It felt, you know."
"Then it's not our fault if you get into any trouble."
"Yeah. That's fair." Ake sighed.
"No worries. If something happens, we'll be there to protect you."
"Don't put me into this," Naofumi grumbled.
"...Sakura will be there to protect you!"
"That's nice and all. But don't put yourself at risk for me. The church already hates you; who knows what would happen if they wanted to kill you? Ake pleaded.
"Sakura will cross that bridge when she gets there." Sakura yawned. "And now Sakura is tired. Goodnight everyone." Falling face first into the bed, Sakura succumbed to her battle fatigue and fell right asleep.
"Do what you want. I don't care which." Taking off his armor. Naofumi also got into bed and began to sleep.
"What do I want… what do I want?" Ake pondered.
Feeling a presence watching him, he left the inn through the back door and went further into the alleyway. Discreetly leaving his helmet on Sakura's carriage. He went further and further away from the inn and turned his head.
"The watchers of the church. So they are real." Ake turned around, pointing his sword at his pursuers.
Exiting the shadows, three individuals in white cloaks approached.
"Real as we can ever be." The figure chuckled. Junior Knight Ake. Your captain awaits thee."