Chapter 26: Not so victory feast
"The shield hero has defeated the boss. Make the final push!"
"For the shield hero!" The battalions of Siltvelt cheered as they charged into the remaining enemies.
Werner's men flew past the rest, strafing the enemy legions with their magic. As they circled back around, they came under heavy fire as the yetis began throwing ice at them. A few of them were struck and fell to the ground.
But before they could be swarmed, Werner landed in a fiery blaze, sending out a wave of flames that burned away the approaching enemies. He grabbed his men, flew back into the air, and tossed them over to his flight wing.
"Break off for now. I'll handle the yeti's." Werner ordered.
Before his men could protest, he sped forward, flying through the enemy, as he was encased in a bird of fire.
On the way to the Yeti's, they focused fire upon him. He dodged the first barrage, rolling to the side. He then descended, sliding across the ice as the second barrage crashed into its allies. Taking flight once more, he threw the flames around him, burning through the third barrage, and finally arriving at the enemy.
"Well, that was impressive, my lord." Zalton chuckled.
"Platypus?"
"I'm here to kill my fair share, Lord Werner; I'll handle one of them. My men need the land in order to tank properly, after all."
Zalton left Werner in the dust, weaving through the enemy's attacks with ease, while on their ice.
"I see your shadow, Lord Jaralis. Now is the time to strike."
Zalton rolled to the side, avoiding the fist of the yeti crashing down on him. He then ran up its arm and leaped off, reaching its neck.
"I'll strike when I strike Genmu's boy." Jaralis scoffed.
Coming out of his hiding space, he threw off his cloak that camouflaged him with the ground and attacked. He drew his blade, slashing at the yeti's calves and bringing it down. He then threw some oil onto the yeti and set its body on fire, preventing retaliation, as it could no longer focus.
"As the source of thy power, the Shusaku commands thee. Let the way burn through, and scorch my enemy."
"[Dreifach Flash Flare.]"
"I'll end things here!"
"[Sixth Cycle: Waning Gibbous]"
All at once, the three warriors defeated their respective yeti.
Jaralis simply drove his sword into the yeti's head. It thrashed about while on fire, but Jaralis held firm and repeatedly stabbed the yeti until it was dead.
Zalton was the opposite, effortlessly slashing through the yeti's neck, and gracefully landing on the ground.
Werner was the most destructive of the three. In a bright flash, the yeti was practically incinerated. Whatever did survive, however, was now slowly burning away.
"That ties up the last of them. Now we only have a few loose ends to handle." Zalton sighed as he looked over the last legion of monsters.
"Now is our chance. Men, to me!" Werner flew back into the air and regrouped with the flight wing. He, alongside the other battalions of Siltvelt, began picking off the remaining enemies.
"After you." Zalton bowed, as Jaralis scoffed.
"Don't get in my way again." Jaralis walked off, with Zalton mocking him. "My fault for being nice, I guess."
/~/
"It's the shield Hero. The Shield Hero has returned!"
The crowd cheered as Naofumi and his party casually walked into the village, dragging the corpse of the boss along the ground.
"Welcome back, my lord." Zalton bowed. "I've gathered all the remaining monster corpses to your liking."
"I didn't ask for that? But I appreciate the gesture."
"As the representative of the Genmu, it is my duty to know, and satisfy your needs in his stead. Praise be the shield hero." Zalton bowed again as he walked away.
"Lord Shield, are you alright?" Werner asked.
"I'm fine. Sakura took some damage, though. I want her to get some more healing before anything else."
"Understood my lord. Come, I'll show you to the medical wing."
"Ehh, but Sakura wanted to fight some more," Sakura whined as Werner dragged her away.
"That was quite the display, my lord. Stopping that whirlwind. And that attack. I felt the intensity from here. Your power is truly great my lord." Jaralis complimented.
"I'm not one to brag. But I was the one who killed the boss." Ake nervously answered.
"Yeah. It was me and Sakura who stopped the whirlwind too."
"But as followers of the shield, he certainly was a big factor in the victory."
"I'm not sure what you're trying to get at, but I don't enjoy you undermining my allies' achievements to bolster my own. Keel came up with the plan to kill the boss. Raphtalia provided the necessary illusions, Sakura and Keel dispelled the whirlwind, and Ake dealt the killing blow."
"My lord, I wasn't trying to-"
"If you want to earn my respect, then you'll respect my allies first. If Werner could do it, then you certainly can as well."
Damn it. The Shield is too good. At this rate, I won't be able to do anything.
"Yes, apologies. It was unwise of me."
Alright then. I'll let the wolf have his way then.
"Whatever. Ake, mind helping me dissect these things?"
"I never really dissected a monster before, but I'll try."
Ake kneeled down, picking up one of the bears.
It took a bit to get used to, but after a while, he successfully removed the parts of the bear Naofumi needed and moved on to the leopard.
The bones and fur of the monsters didn't give anything special. Just some minor stat boost to defense and strength, alongside some cold resistance. The main weapon forms, however, gave Naofumi some pretty interesting abilities.
Interdimensional Polar Bear Shield C 0/10
equip bonus: Slippery Surface Combat 1
Equip Effect: Strength up (medium)
Interdimensional Snow Leopard Shield C 0/10
equip bonus: Cold resistance (small),
Equip Effect: C Frostbite
Interdimensional Yeti Shield C 0/15
equip bonus: STR 10, Slippery Surface Combat 2, Skill: "Second Shield"
Interdimensional Penguin Shogun C 0/25
equip bonus: Cold Resistance (medium), Ice Sculpting Expertise 1, Skill: Whirlwind Aura
Equip Effect: C Blizzard,
This set of monsters gave him a lot of ice abilities, but each one of them aside from the bear was pretty useful.
C Frostbite was a counter that bit the enemy and temporarily froze the limb. This was the unique ability of the snow leopards, but he didn't notice, since he never got hit by them.
Slippery Surface Combat is as it sounds. It makes it easier to fight on slippery surfaces. And Second Shield allowed him to use Erst Shield twice, something Naofumi silently celebrated once he got it.
And for the last one, he has two skills. Another counter, this one blowing the enemy back while giving them a debuff. A very useful "get off me" move in case he was getting overwhelmed. And finally, Whirlwind Aura. It only works on one person, but it works like the Shogun's whirlwind, slowing down and weakening attacks directed at the one who had it.
It only had a few uses. But three hits were enough to abuse, even with the long cooldown.
"Some pretty good skills in this batch. Now for the long one."
Naofumi opened his shield menu and went to the Penguin Shogun shield. Compared to the original stats of the Chimera Viper, it was quite low. But it did provide a lot more utility compared to it, so it made sense.
Its attack was better than its defense. I should get this to Ren somehow.
Pondering aside, Naofumi went through the rest of his methods.
Chimera Viper Shield (awakened) 30/30 SR 8
Equip bonus: antidote compounding up, poison resistance (medium), Skill: "Change Shield"
equip effect: poison snake fang (strong), long hook
mastery level: 100
Item enchant lv 12: piercing resistance 24%
Status enchantment: Defense 25
Spirit Enchant: (Dragon Spirit) Defense 50, Fire Resistance Up
He would have to absorb the leftover corpses once the council was done arguing over who gets what. But he was willing to bet it would give him plenty of energy. Not that he was going to use it anyway; he was saving it for the next wave boss and the few shields with counters that needed awakening.
Going into his actual weapon, however, he found that there was nothing else that could be done.
He also wasn't planning on touching the Chimera Viper's Rarity. SR was a good enough position already. Smelting and item enchant were the same. He had gotten them as high as he could. The chances of going any higher were currently too low to risk. Status Enchant was slightly the same. He had been messing around with it, but after getting a defense boost, he just left it there. And lastly, he had recently gotten max reinforcement, so there were no upgrades there.
With weapon upgrades practically complete, Naofumi swapped to his non-weapon methods.
He had used all his magic rank points already, splitting them between Boost and Heal. Before long, he would have those two max. Aside from that, he had no idea what he would level next.
Job level (Defense) was at level 15 after absorbing everything. And once he reached that capstone, it actually gave him a new skill—something that hadn't happened before.
The specific skill he got was Hate Reaction, an aggro skill that draws every monster to him. Naofumi also silently cheered, having another useful skill to utilize in battle.
And finally, the Encyclopedia.
Item Encyclopedia
New Entries Unlocked
Interdimensional Polar Bear: 100%
Weapon Drop Rate Up
Interdimensional Snow Leopard: 100%
5 Agility
Interdimensional Yeti:
3% Cold Resistance
So these are the abilities it can upgrade? I wonder what else I'll get... but I'm out of stuff to check out. Perhaps a trip to the armory would give me some good boost. I shouldn't limit myself to just monsters, after all.
"Alright, I'm all good over here."
"Wonderful news. Would like to be escorted back to the capital, Lord Shield?" Jaralis asked.
What is this Lion up to now?
"I can portal back myself. But I do have to ask, What plans did you have that required me to return so soon?"
"Why the victory banquet, of course. The castle has been preparing for days; after all, you can't waste all that progress if the main hero isn't there."
"I'm still going to pass."
"B-but my lord."
"Yeah, why not go?" Ake asked.
"Remember the last party we went to?"
"... oh right. Not to mention the last banquet we had, too."
"But Lord Shield, that was a one-time ordeal that we swiftly dealt with."
"Last time I checked, you were drunk when I could have been killed by the simplest oversight in the book. One of two things happened. These so-called greatest cooks in the land purposefully tried to poison us for no apparent reason, or Siltvelt's elite guard was somehow outwitted, out-maneuvered, and didn't even attempt to see if the food was safe for consumption. I refuse to put my party member's life in their hands again. Not until you all fix the mess you made."
Naofumi was partially lying there. Every point he brought up was genuine, but he refused to say that it was possible for one of the council members to attempt to poison them. Not only did it get back at him for rejecting their noble women, but it could also be a ploy to weaken him for future confrontations, taking out his only source of attack.
Jaralis himself proved Siltvelt knew how to play dirty. A direct confrontation would be stupid; he was unsure if he could even take Jaralis in the fight, seeing as he's much more skilled than the Pope. So for now, beating around the bush with bullshit reasons was the best way to keep the lion and the rest of the council at bay. However, he could tell, from Jaralis' frustration, that this strategy wouldn't work for much longer.
"I understand. Thank you for protecting our kingdom." Jaralis bowed, shocking Naofumi.
Jaralis of all people giving? Not a good sign.
"Sure. You're welcome, or whatever. SAKURA, WE'RE LEAVING!"
"Huh, already?" Sakura woke up, her back being massaged by one of the healers. "
"You can get a massage later; we're going home."
"Aww," Sakura sulked.
"If it makes you feel better, I have some people at the Genmu estate who will be thrilled at the opportunity."
"You do! Naofumi!"
"Do what you want. [Portal Shield!]"
"You're coming with me, Zalton."
"Wait, what about incog-" Zalton tried to whisper, but he was teleported away before he could finish.
When they left, a grin formed on Jaralis's face as he walked over to the werewolf council member. Pulling him aside, the two of them got a far distance away from the camp, before discussing with each other.
"I know a con when I see one, and it just confirmed my suspicions. That Platypus is working closely with the Shield Hero. That'll also explain why our shadows are unable to locate them."
"So the Genmu has been hogging the hero to himself. That old bastard." The werewolf growled.
"That Platypus has a manor not far out from the Genmu's territory. We're getting him on our side, so it's best for an accident to occur."
"Understood. I have a surprise from Melromarc as well. I think it's about time we put him to good use."
"You mean?"
"The missing brother of the Claw Hero. He's now in my possession." The werewolf grinned, as he howled to the moon.
/~/
The party arrived at the manor, and each of them went their separate ways. Raphtalia and Keel went to the bath, while Naofumi gathered all the food they had, and began to cook.
This left Sakura, Ake, and Zalton outside, as they all practiced… Well, Ake practiced. Sakura, with her lack of modesty, took off her clothes and had Zalton give her a back massage... outside.
Needless to say, it took a lot of strength for Ake to focus. And even when he did, he failed to produce any results.
"Ugh, I can't do it," Ake grumbled. He looked at the bottle; it only had a little bit of liquid left. He tried to replicate that feeling when he killed the wave boss, but he couldn't unleash it properly.
Instead of a well that suddenly gushed life force, it was a very small spill. So small that he could barely grasp it, and even when he did, he could only hold it for a few seconds at a time, before having to wait in order to draw it out again. The longest wait he had now was four minutes and counting. A small time to wait for normal situations. An eternity in an active battle.
"That would make sense. You may have found a cheat to awakening your lifeforce, but if you want to do it naturally, you'll still have to practice on your own." Zalton explained.
"I should have known this would only hinder me." Ake threw away the vial in frustration, but Zalton dove to the floor, catching it before it could hit the ground.
"Quite the contrary. So let's not throw away valid teaching material." Zalton sighed in relief, as he handed Ake back his vial.
"But I can't rely on it forever. After fighting the wave boss, I can feel it there if I try hard enough. But it's so hard to grasp. And even when I do, it's too small to do anything with?"
"That's how everyone starts out. You're still pretty early, so don't worry about your progress for now."
"If you say so." Ake sighed. "Then second question. How exactly do I do what you do?"
"What I do, huh? On the mountain, did you perhaps enhance your body?"
"Yeah. I threw everything into my arms and tore through the monster."
"Then you're on the right track. Once you fully awaken your Ki, you'll have to learn how to augment your body. Then once you learn to flow your Ki, you'll then learn how to apply it to weapons, and then you'll reach my level, which is the projection of your Ki, which then allows you to shape it, and alter its properties."
"By the spear. I knew I wasn't close to mastering it, but I had to do all of that!? This is going to be a bit."
"Indeed, it is a process. But, you have a shortcut right next to you."
"But I don't even know how to use it properly."
"That's what I'm here for. Now, take a swig." Zalton ordered.
Ake hesitantly took a sip. A single sip was enough to invigorate him, but he only had a little bit of drink left.
"Now do the same thing as before. Take it to your arms and hold, and keep it for as long as you can."
"Alright.'' Flow Ki into his arms like before, he held it for six seconds, before it dispersed. Falling on the ground, Ake felt numb in his arms, before they returned to normal."
"See how that works. That will be your training regiment. Whenever you have the time, do it. Then, once you feel your life force replenish itself, do it again. Now. Unleash your natural well of Ki."
"Eh? But I can-"
"Do it," Zalton demanded.
His knight instincts kicked in, and he began drawing out his Ki. It was still quite small, but he could tell it grew.
"There's… more."
"Indeed it is. Think of the drink you have there as a dam. Right now, your life force is blocked, but drinking the water damages the dam, long enough for some water to escape. And once it's rebuilt, there is more water on the other side, despite the flow being cut. Mastering your Ki is like controlling that damn, allowing you to access its water any time you desire. Keep doing the training I advised, until you can unleash enough of your Ki to do it naturally. Once you can do that, then you'll no longer have to rely on that water."
"I see. I'm going to need a lot more vials then." Zalton helped Ake back up, and just in time too. Raphtalia had called them back inside, making Sakura a bit annoyed that she didn't get a chance to finish her massage.
"Before we eat, we do need to discuss something."
"Can't we do it as we eat?" Sakura groaned.
"If we do, you'll be too distracted to notice. Anyway, this may sound a bit sudden. But it's about time to leave Siltvelt." Naofumi announced.
Sakura leaned up from the couch, still in her towel.
"Do we have to? I love this place… The house I mean?"
"Yeah. Can't we stay for a bit longer, I can finally catch up on my leveling." Keel added.
"This place is no longer safe. I've already pissed off half the council, and I sense they're starting to lose their patience with me." Naofumi got out of the way, as Zalton moved past him.
"I could tell when you were talking to that Lion earlier. I couldn't really follow, but I felt the hostility between you two." Raphtalia commented.
"Jaralis has been a suck-up on day one. And the most likely to kill me out of all the council members."
"He's also pretty strong, one of the strongest on the council. I doubt any of you can survive a direct confrontation with him. Save for my lord." Zalton added as he came back down the steps with a basket.
"As he said. There's nothing for us here anyway, so it's best we leave."
"But where too? We won't make it to Zeltoble fast enough for the wave. And I advise going to Faubrey while negotiations are still going on. Our constant travel has probably already thrown them into some sort of disarray." Ake commented.
"We'll lie low until the third wave arrives. As long as we stay away from the castle town, we should be relatively hard to capture, seeing as most of our faces aren't known."
"So our options are to be hunted and potentially assassinated in Siltvelt. Or be hunted and potentially be assassinated in Melromarc."
…
"Melromarc it is." Everyone decided.
"Then it's settled. We'll leave at dawn. Zalton, you think you can handle any issues we might face at the border?"
"Not guaranteed. Chances are, no one on the council, save for Werner and my lord, would vote for your departure. But fear not; I know some smuggling routes."
"Then we'll work with it. Anyone have any other comments to share before we finish?"
"Indeed. How well does the shield hero fair against explosives?" A wolf-beast man asked.
"Not sure how that's relevant but... [Shield Prison!]"
Covering Sakura and Ake in a shield prison, he grabbed Keel and Raphtalia and leapt out of the building, just mere moments as the bottom floor of the mansion exploded.
"Oww." Sakura groaned, the shield prison rolling in front of them before dispersing.
"Not a direct hit. But that shield ball of yours did survive dreifach-level magic. I have to commend you for that." The werewolf clapped as he walked out of the fire. The flames passed around him, almost as if he were immune to them. In his hand, he carried Zalton's body and tossed it on the ground in front of them.
"Good thing I'm not that guy." Zalton chuckled as he rose out of Naofumi's shadow. Once he fully ascended, he looked up, shaking his head at the fire. "My lord isn't going to be happy about this."
"You survived!?"
"Indeed, that one there is merely a decoy puppet. It'll take a lot more than that to get the slip on me, council member Hund."
"You knew he was here!?"
"Sorry for not warning you earlier, my lord. I was focused on removing the explosives and forgot to warn you."
So he planted more, huh. That would have been a disaster.
"Whatever. Just be more diligent next time."
"Yes, saluted." Zalton saluted as he took out his Tanto.
"By the way, you all might need this." Zalton's shadow rose up from the ground, and spewed out everyone's weapons. "Unfortunately, I was unable to gather your armor, my lord. You too, lady Raphtalia."
"It's fine. We'll get it later." Raphtalia assured as she donned her blade.
"Ha. There will be no later." Snapping his fingers, several more werewolves leapt to his side.
A few humans also appeared. Not as combatants, however, but as carriers. In their hands was a glowing cage. And inside was a werewolf larger than them all. A daunting sight to all of them, except one.
"Is that?"
"Indeed it is, Shield Hero. From the very place you got your slaves, I acquired one myself. It's a shame too. I heard you declined his offer, so it's time to show what you missed out on."
The cage stopped glowing, with the crest on the Werewolf chest going off, as the collar on its neck got tighter and tighter.
"It's… choking him." Ake surmised.
With a howl, it broke out of its cage, and approached the party, only stopping mere inches away from them, at the command of Hund.
"Zalton. Who is that?"
"I have never seen him before."
"Then allow me to introduce you. The great werewolf gladiator of Zeltoble! Now, Coward, kill them!" Hund pulled out a syringe and injected some liquid into Coward's neck.
The werewolf's eyes turned white, and it roared as it rushed at the nearest person, that being Ake. The former soldier narrowly guarded himself as the werewolf hit him with a lariat and dragged him across the courtyard.
Falling to his back, he kicked the wolf off of him, before recovering himself.
"So strong."
"You like it. I commissioned the famous alchemist and follower of the wielder of the seven-star whip. He now has powers long since lost to time. They also made me this syringe, allowing him to go into a frenzy. Much easier than using a slave crest."
"You monster. You would experiment on someone!" Raphtalia exclaimed.
"Absolutely. Does anyone else like to voice their judgments? No? Good. Men, kill them, and capture the Shield Hero alive!"
The rest of the werewolves attacked, as more and more swarmed into the fight. This wasn't a small, rag-tag team, but a full assault force, hell-bent on accomplishing their goals.
"Keel."
"I'm already ahead of you. [Burning Land!]"
Taking inspiration from the wave, the fire on the house splashed into the ground, and spread across the courtyard. Those that entered the field suddenly found themselves accosted by an expulsion of flames and were left writhing on the ground.
Keel's holding back, huh? I'm pretty sure Raphtalia dislikes killing people too. If worse comes to worst, I may have to rely on Sakura to pick up the slack.
"Keel, keep it up. Sakura, Raphtalia. Dispatch of these guys quickly. Ake."
Naofumi looked over to Ake, who was evenly trading blows with the werewolf.
"You keep doing what you're doing."
"Thanks for the help!" Ake dove under the werewolf's claws and threw a jab into its stomach. He threw a few more attacks while he was disoriented, but it grabbed him by the neck and slammed him to the ground, leaving Ake only a second to catch Coward's claw, before it could hit his throat.
"WHY IS HE ONLY AFTER ME!?"
"Something about increasing aggression against humans while in a frenzy, or something to that effect. I wasn't really paying attention." Hund shrugged.
"You're a disgrace to your own kind, Hund. Just wait till Werner hears about this." Naofumi threatened.
"Not a chance. I have the entire council on my side; nothing you do can stop me! [Anti-Burning Land!]"
Casting his own spell, it went into the ground just like Keel's and dispersed her spell.
"Motherfu-" Keel grumbled as her bag pulled out some more oil. "Magic battle it is. Dragon Vein, hear my petition and grant it."
"Don't try me, little puppy. As the source of thy power, I order thee!"
"[Flame Flourish!]"
"[Dreifach Scorch!]"
Keel and Hund fired off their spells. Keel sent a flurry of flames, while Hund sent one big one. Hund's spell went through Keel's and hit the dog in the face. But Keel stood right up and growled.
"[Fire Stomp!]"
Keel stomped the ground, sending a wave of flames that tore through the ground.
"You still want more, huh? [Zweite Flame Guard!]"
Throwing a blanket of flames over him, Keel's fire split as it hit the barrier.
Staring each other down. Both of them began chanting once more, before conjuring more flames.
"I'll go assist Lord Ake if that's fine with you?" Zalton asked.
"Go for it."
"Thank you." With a nod, Zalton disappeared into the shadows of the evening.
"Raphtalia, Sakura. We're dealing with these guys then."
"Alright. Let Sakura put on her clothes first." She grumbled.
"As if I'd let-"
"Back off perv." Sakura slashed her sword, cutting the man out of the sky.
"Just hurry up. [Shield Prison!]"
Encasing Sakura within a shield prison. He and Raphtalia readied themselves, as the wolves attacked.
"Better be ready, Raph. [Erst Shield, Second Shield!]"
Naofumi swapped to the Yeti shield and deployed two shields in front of him. stopping several of the wolves.
"[C Frost Bite, C Blizzard!]"
He swapped shields, as the enemies maneuvered themselves to attack. The Snow Leopard shield grew teeth and stretched forward, biting three werewolves. They came out with minor injuries, but the top halves of their bodies froze over.
Afterward, the penguin shogun shield fired out an icy wind, blowing the enemies and making them noticeably slower.
"Time to move. [Whirlwind Aura]!"
With another swapping of his shield, a swirling wind appeared around Raphtalia as she nodded.
"Understood." Rushing forward, Raphtalia swung her blade, cutting through several of the wolves. When they struck back, they found that their claws and weapons would stop before they could hit her. Their weapons were near, yet so far, and Raphtalia took advantage of it, until the skill ended.
Finding the opportunity to attack was now, they moved to attack. But Naofumi moved in quickly, and stood in front of them.
Seeing this as a great chance to test out his final new skill, Naofumi activated Hate Reaction. The skill sent out a red wave that engulfed the remaining wolves.
He didn't expect it to work on humanoid enemies, but much to his surprise it did. And it worked well. Raphtalia was able to back away from the surrounding enemies unhindered, as their attention was focused on him, and him alone.
"[Zweite Mirage!]"
Using the time she had, she cast a spell on Naofumi, which seemed to even further mislead the enemy, as an illusion of him getting mauled, allowed him to sneak away. With Naofumi clease, she then called down a pillar of light that crashed into the wolf forces.
"Release the wolves!" The lead werewolf blew a horn, and more slaves came in, delivering more cages. Bursting out of the cages, they all rushed Naofumi, as the Werewolves fell back to recover.
"Uhg. There's so many." Raphtalia groaned.
"Complain later; here they come!" Naofumi warned.
He got in front of Raphtalia and parried the first wolf. While it was off balance, he turned around, and caught the snout of another trying to sneak up on him. Turning back to the first, he blocked another strike and shocked him with Lightning Shield before moving the restrained wolf and allowing Raphtalia to hit into several others.
"[Erst Shield, Second Shield, Change Shield!]"
"More came, attempting to attack on each side. He deployed both Erst Shield and Second Shield, and changed them to the Chimera Viper, and Two-headed Dog Shield, respectively. Using the last counters not on cooldown, the distracted attackers were easy pickings for Raphtalia, as she cut them down as well.
Naofumi continued his effort to defend, but the piles of wolves attacking pushed him back. While he was busy, attempting to not get trampled. Other wolves went around, attacking Raphtlia. She held her own for a bit, using a mixture of light and illusion magic to keep safe. But she was slowly getting overwhelmed, and slowly began being dragged down, as the wolves jaws dug into her flesh.
Naofumi began chanting a healing spell for Raphtalia, but he noticed something descending from the sky. Acting fast, he encased the raccoon in a shield prison as he swapped to his thunder dragons shield.
"[Draconic Reflection]" Letting the wolves trample him, they were blown away as a tornado landed on them. The tornado was then eaten up, and directed at more approaching wolves, blasting them away as well.
"[All Zweite Heal VII]"
A wave of healing washed over him, and Raphtalia, as he followed Raphtalia, regrouped with Naofumi.
"Thanks for the save." Raphtalia nodded.
"And way to be late."
"Getting dressed takes time, sorry." Sakura grumbled.
"Doesn't matter. We need a tornado, 360 degree coverage."
"Heh. Why stop at one!? As the source of thy power, I order thee. Let the way flow through, and guard my allies in a field of storms. [Dreifach Triple Gale Wall!]"
Raising her hands, three tornadoes shot up into the sky. Many of the wolves were blown away. But those who were strong enough to withstand the winds rushed into the tornado, only to be dispatched by Raphtalia.
"Let's speed this up." Sakura began to walk, the tornadoes following her. Some were dragged away by the winds and flung across the courtyard. Others were engulfed by the tornado and killed by either Sakura or Raphtalia while they were trapped inside.
They were going to continue their streak, but Sakura lost control over her spell, and it suddenly dispersed.
"What?"
"I've had enough of these shenanigans. Shun! Kill him, them now!" Hund ordered.
"Come on, Keel!"
"I'm trying my best, Sakura!" Keel grumbled.
"Doesn't matter. Here he comes."
Naofumi raised his shield, as another massive Werewolf came to the enemy's aid, and attacked Naofumi.
"[C Frostite!]" Swapping to his Leopard shield, Naofumi's shield a bit down and spread ice across its arm.
Reeling back, Sakura leapt forward and struck him in the gut with a kick. She then gave Raphtalia a boost, allowing the girl to blind the wolf with a flash of light.
"[Rope Shield!]" Shooting out a bundle of rope, he wrapped the werewolf's leg and tugged it. Despite bracing himself, Naofumi's strength was too much for the wolf to handle. Falling on his back, his eyes finally adjusted. And the last thing he saw was Raphtalia and Sakura, descending upon him.
"As the source of our power, we order thee. Let the true way be revealed, and blow through our enemy with a shining tornado.
[Cooperative Magic: Shining Tornado Buster!]"
Covering themselves in a shining pink tornado. They fell fast as lightning and crashed into the wolf, drilling him into the ground.
"Anyone else like to try?" Naofumi threatened the enemy, and they all slowly backed away, before running off.
"Traitors!"
"Pay attention!" Hund turned back to Keel, as a spear of darkness struck him in the torso, and knocked him to the ground.
He got back up, grumbling, and cast another spell. But Keel was relentless in her assault, flinging spell after spell as the wolf attempted to recover.
"I'll help Ake!"
"If you say so, let's-."
"No!" Ake shouted. Ducking under Coward's fist. He took his arm and tossed the massive wolf over his back. "Let me handle this."
"I see."
"So… what now?"
"Prep for our escape, of course. Gather everything you can from inside the house; I'll keep an on thing out here."
"Yes Master." Raphtalia and Sakura ran off, as Naofumi began watching the battle unfold.
/~/
Ake's battle against Coward began to stagnate. The boosts of the shield hero were very potent, as despite being lower than the gladiator by 25 levels, he was fighting on par with the wolf quite easily.
None of them could gain the advantage over the other. And Zalton was acting more as a coach than an actual partner. The battle could go in anyone's favor—that was until Coward howled and suddenly got stronger out of the blue.
"[Fast Wild Slash]"
Rushing forward with new-found speed, Coward scratched Ake across the chest, tearing into his armor, and knocking the knight onto his back.
"M-magic? I've never seen that type before."
"Like it. That's just one of the techniques offer by alch-"
"[Heavenly Sphere!]" Descending upon Hund, Keel slammed the boasting wolf into the ground, with a dense ball of holy water.
"So this is what alchemy can do."
Ake rolled back, avoiding another strike. Spinning around, his sword picked up a small whirlwind as Coward charged at him. Stopping his spin at the perfect moment, he struck Coward, digging into his side before the gust blasted him away.
He then charged forward himself, bringing his blade down. But he hesitated and pulled back his strike seconds before he could finish the wolf off.
"Zalton. What can you tell me about that collar?"
"Nothing. This is my first time seeing it. But from observing it, I could tell it works in conjunction with the slave seal, both shocking and choking the poor fellow into doing his bidding."
"So all we need to do is take out one of them, and he'd be free?"
"Unlikely. We also need to break him out of his frenzy, or he'd be even more uncontrollable."
"And how exactly do I do that?"
"My best guess is exhaustion. I can handle the slave-controlling devices, but I need you to give me an opening."
"I can try, just be." Ake was suddenly tackled and carried away by Coward.
"You'll know the signal when you see it!" Ake called out.
Planting his feet on the ground, he slowed Coward to a halt. With another howl, Coward overpowered Ake once more, and picked him up by the face.
He dragged Ake face across the ground, before picking him back up, and tossing him through the manor walls. He continued his rush down of Ake until the knight got in a lucky grapple and slammed Coward through the manor instead.
He ran back outside, grabbing his sword along the way. With another Howl, Coward's claws glowed, as he also rushed at the knight.
The two of them proceed to exchange blows. Ake would make shallow cuts and knock the boy away with a powerful gust of wind. Coward, however, was going for the kill, with every attack of his tearing away at Ake's armor more and more.
Before long, Ake had to discard his breastplate, leaving his upper body exposed. He went back on the defensive, guarding against Coward, as the dog slowly wore itself out. Ake grinned at the result, Coward's eyes turning normal for a second, before heading back into a rage. Now was the moment. Tossing away his sword, he went in for a grapple, just like many times before.
But this trick wouldn't work anymore. Coward sprawled to the floor, breaking Ake's grip. He then went in for his own grapple and wrapped Ake in a bear hug.
With a howl, Coward teeth glowed as it bit down. Ake moved his head to the side, avoiding the bite, but that meant leaving his collar bone open, leaving it to be bitten as well.
"Agh." Ake grunted. He could hear Hund laugh behind own, before promptly getting struck by Keel. He thought this was the end, but this was actually part of his plan... sort of.
"As the source of thy power, I order thee. Decipher the laws of nature, and burn my enemy. [Zweite Flare.]"
Fire burst from Ake's position as he burned Coward off of him. In a flash, as he was recovering, Ake took the last sip of his life force water, and leapt into the air.
"[Strong Left!]" Slamming his fist down into Coward's head, the werewolf was smack into the ground, a crater forming under his body. Ake didn't even give him a moment, before landing on his stomach, and holding the wolf down.
"Now's the time." Zalton rose out of Ake's shadow with a pitcher of water, and tanto, in hand.
"[6th Cycle: Waxing Gibbous!]" Landing on the wolf, he swung his blade, cutting through his collar. He then poured the pitcher, with the wolf growling as the slave crest activated one more. And as soon as it activated, it disappeared, as the water washed away the seal.
"Now's our chance. Together"
"R-right." Ake coughed, but joined Zalton with their chanting.
"[Dreifach Cleanse!]"
Zalton and Ake both cast a support spell, cleanse. Usually it was for dealing with certain status ailments, such as poison or venom. But they were hoping it could be used to cleanse his mind of whatever was putting him into a frenzy. With another howl, he threw both of them off of him. Zalton landed gracefully on his feet, while Ake landed face first on the ground. When he got back up, he saw Coward thrashing around, while clutching his head.
The spell didn't fully work, but it did affect him in some way. After some time, Coward fell to his knees, falling unconscious. He was about to hit the ground, but the two of them caught him before he could hit the ground.
"No one should be forced to fight like that." Ake sighed.
"Huh? But aren't you a slave of my-"
"You know what I mean!"
/~/
"Face it, dog. Your fancy little magic is no match for mine! [Zweite Fire Squall!]"
Hund shot a ball of fire into the air. The ball then exploded, raining down fire upon Keel.
The dog then transformed into her therianthrope form, and used her small frame to weave her way through the rain of fire. Sliding past Hund, he pulled out his last bottle of oil. But before she could set it to a blaze, Hund grabbed her by the neck and lifted her into the air.
"This is the end. [Dreifach Flare]"
"[Flame guard!]"
Quickly lighting the fire, Keel was blasted into the manor, as the flames narrowly guarded her. Lying on the ground in pain, she pushed herself up and slowly made her way to the hole she just blasted through.
But before she could leave, she had an idea and went right back upstairs.
"Come on, our puppy! Once I'm done with you, I'll deal with the Shield Hero myself."
"We'll... see about that." Keel huffed as she limped out of the manor, carrying all the water from the bath with her.
"[Grand Deucalion]"
The water took the form of two massive whales, which both fell upon Hund. The werewolf was crushed by the water, and swept away as the courtyard flooded. Keel then landed on the ground, water following her along as she got closer to the werewolf.
"You think water is enough to stop me! [Dreifach Flare!]"
Hund stretched out his hand. There was a bright flash, as Hund generated a massive ball of fire. Instead of firing it off, however, it shrank, condensing itself into a tiny spark, which he simply tossed.
Keel didn't slow her stride and rushed head-first at the spell.
"[Water!]"
Leaping into the spell, the spark flashed before exploding into a ball of flame that could be seen for miles.
"Keel." Raphtalia muttered, very worried about her friend. But Naofumi put a hand on her head, reassuring her.
"She's got him right where she wants him." Naofumi whispered as he watched Hund turn to them.
"This battle is far from over, Shield Hero. I still have enough mana to go toe to toe with the entire papacy of Melromarc."
"That's cool and all, but as you said, your fight is far from over," Naofumi warned.
Just as he did, Keel came out of the smoke. A bubble of water covered Keel's face and torso. Water also dripped from her limbs, but due to her reflexively guarding her vitals, they were blown off, only mitigating the damage, instead of fully blocking it.
She winced as she landed on the ground, but pushed through the pain, and threw a punch straight in Hund's face. The wolf staggered back as Keel continued her assault. There was no attack in her arsenal that he didn't get hit by, and Keel continued to pummel the man, not giving him a moment to cast any spell.
"I call upon the power of water; come to me and take form. Earth Vein, lend me your power."
Kicking Hund into the ground, she leapt back.
The water that flooded the courtyard all conjugated into Keel's hand once more. She took the last bits of several items from her bag. From her lightning bottle, to her holy water. Chant after chant, she called upon the winds, fire, and every other element she had around her and gathered them all into balls above her head.
She could barely stand, and her skin and fur burned like hell. But full functionality of her body wasn't needed in order to win. She had no idea why she was so adamant about going at it alone. But something about this beast-man trying to hurt her friends made her blood boil.
"[Chains of Judgment]"
Keel fired off all the magic she gathered, forming them into chains of each element. Hund tried to fire back, as he too struggled to get up, but it was all in vain. The chains wrapping around his limbs and neck. Each chain either pierced, cut, or scorched his body as they lifted him high into the air.
"Agh!" Hund cried out, but Keel only tightened the chains.
"Bubba... w-what should I d-do with him?"
"We can leave him like that for a few more hours."
"Perhaps we should question him first before we get into any torture, my lord. At least that's my suggestion."
"Well, you're the professional here. Drop him, Keel."
Doing as ordered, Keel released Hund from the chains and dropped him to the ground. Afterward, she passed out, with Raphtalia rushing over to her.
"Alright then. Who had the balls to send you? I know you don't have any agency for yourself."
"D-damn you. Fa-" Hund tried to cast a spell, but Sakura kicked him in the chest, knocking the wind out of him.
"Ready to talk now? Or should we test how Sakura's corrosive blade works on beastman flesh?" Naofumi threatened.
"I'll t-talk. Please… don't kill me."
"Then do it. Who sent you? Was it the hippo? Dare I say Jaralis?"
"I-it w-as."
"My lord, look out!"
Zalton pushed Naofumi aside, as two arrows came into view. One struck Hund in the neck. The second was aimed at Naofumi, but due to Zalton's intervention, it went straight into Hund's head instead.
"Damn, take cover! [Fast Heal VII]"
Naofumi deployed two shields, but no more arrows flew. He then removed both arrows and began healing the wounds. But despite it being healed, Hund didn't get up.
"He's dead."
"Damn. Now we're back to being on the defensive." Naofumi grumbled.
"Zalton, scout the premises; make sure no one else is here."
"Understood." Zalton seemed to disappear into the ground, and Naofumi turned back to his party.
"How is everyone?"
"I'm fine, but Keel needs some healing."
"Same here." Ake groaned as he dragged Coward, despite his injuries.
"Even the wolf?" Naofumi asked.
"He wasn't in his right mind. But we can't leave him here."
"Fine then, but you'll be responsible for him. [All Dreifach Heal, VII]"
The wounds over everyone were healed, leaving them as good as new. Keel and Coward stayed unconscious, however. Healing one's wounds doesn't mean restoring one's energy after all.
"Now that this is over, let's not waste any more time. Try to salvage anything inside; we're leaving now."
"The poor food. Never had a chance to be eaten." Sakura sulked.
"Priorities Sakura. Come on, we gotta hurry."
Raphtalia grabbed Sakura by the collar and dragged her off.
"So?"
/~/
Siltvelt Castle (Underground)
"Hund should be here by now, wher-"
As soon as he voiced his complaints, the door burst open, revealing Jaralis in a mask and cloak.
"Jaralis finally." The hippo groaned. "Where the hell is Hund!?"
"Dead, killed by my own hands."
Jaralis tossed his bow to the floor, as he sat at the table.
"So he failed to beat the Shield Hero. What a pity." The snake hissed.
"I knew you should have sent me. You can't let dogs do the dirty work, after all."
"Dog or not, the Shield Hero and his allies seem to be stronger than we initially thought. Their puppy bested Hund in terms of magic, and that human almost single-handedly defeated his Trump carp on his own, despite the 25-level gap. You were all foolish to think a force like that could beat the Shield Hero." Jaralis growled.
"Tough tits Jaralis. We can just send more forces and then what? It's not like he can take us all on."
"Are you stupid? He already expressed he wants to return to Melromarc. And now he has the Genmu's little helper as his personal servant. He might as well already be across the border by the time we gather ourselves." Jaralis reprimanded with a sigh.
It took a few more breaths for him to fully calm down. But his rage was already made apparent.
"There's nothing we can do, so this meeting is adjourned. We don't know anything; we don't see anything."
"And what about Hund?" The vampire asked.
"Discreetly drop him off at the wave site. The last report said he went to fight off some stragglers."
"Understood."
"And what if we happen to find the Shield Hero?" Another asked.
"He's too powerful to control. If you get the chance. Don't hesitate to kill on sight."