Raphtalia quickly sliced a large, poisonous frog in two. She glanced around the surrounding woods and took deep breaths through the fabric covering her face.
"I think… that's the last of them."
"Alright, let's get going then." Naofumi looked around skeptically before hopping in the wagon.
The trip up the mountain hasn't been too difficult so far. At first, they were bombarded by poisonous monsters, but they seemed to thin out as they continued. Naofumi didn't mind; he only needed a few for his shield. However, the sudden abundance of one monster did unnerve him.
"Master, why are those things still staring at us? I don't like them." Dozens of crows watched silently as Filo pulled the cart through the forest path.
"I don't know…"
"Mr. Naofumi, I overheard some of the villagers talking about these birds. They arrived a few days after the disease began spreading and had been harassing the village at night. They've even been seen desecrating villagers taken by the illness."
Naofumi hadn't given the crows much thought. They were widely known in his world but may be completely alien here. If he were to guess, these monsters came to the area to feast on the dead. But that wouldn't explain their infatuation with them specifically.
"Momon, do you recognize them?"
"I do. But there's no need to worry; they're mostly harmless. Akumu has used them before, but only for reconnaissance. They could also be wild. It's hard to say." Naofumi nodded in agreement with his explanation.
"Alright, let's just ignore them for now. There's no point in trying to fight them; they already know we're here. But don't let your guard down."
Just as everyone agreed with him, Naofumi saw a glimpse of a humanoid figure in the trees standing alongside the crows. Black feathers covered its body, shrouding it in darkness.
"What the…" Before Naofumi had a chance to get a closer look, it retreated into the trees.
"Mr. Naofumi, is everything alright?"
"Yeah, it's nothing. Let's get rid of the dragon and leave this place."
They continued up the forest path without issue. The further they went, the more diseased and colder the air became. Silence ruled the area, with only the wagon and the caws of crows breaking it.
Eventually, they discovered the clearing where the dragon had been defeated.
A once majestic and awe-inspiring creature was reduced to a pile of meat and bone. The adventurers picked it clean, its fangs, scales, skin, and everything else of value. Black rot covered the corpse, slowly breaking it down. Everything around the corpse had speckles of that rot, apart from some poisonous flies around its guts that they quickly got rid of.
"Raphtalia, Momon and I can handle disposing of the corpse. You can rest here." He'd seen how she had been struggling to breathe on their way up the mountain.
"I'm fine, Mr. Naofumi. I'll make sure to take it slow."
"Alright." He turned to Filo, who was munching on something in the wagon.
"Filo, keep those flies away while we work." She popped her head out of the wagon, still chewing on something.
"Hmkay!"
"What's the plan to dispose of it? Burying it at this stage of rot would only make things worse for the land." Momon questioned him as they made their way to the dragon.
"I know. I was thinking about-" A slight rumble rippled through the ground, making them stop in their tracks.
"Oh, no…"
Naofumi hoped and prayed that Momon was wrong for a change. But while he may have gotten stronger and had party members by his side…
This world still seemed to want him to suffer.
The dragon's body twitched violently as the rot that had been consuming it began to liquefy, reforming itself back into its original shape. Its head lifted into the air, eyes filled with hatred.
"Urrrgggooohhh!" Black rot spewed out of its mouth in an attempt at a roar.
What used to be a pile of meat and bile quickly turned itself back into a dragon, recreating its wings and tail with the rot meant to consume it. Its undead form was a mockery of the pristine magnificence it once held.
Naofumi stood there frozen as the dragon lifted its body off the ground. He knew there was a chance of this happening, but seeing the dragon this close made him second-guess himself. Just as he started thinking about running, Momon called out to him.
"Naofumi. If we don't defeat the dragon here, it will only grow stronger and put the village in danger."
"Dammit, I know that! It doesn't change the fact we're up against a dragon!" Naofumi grumbled as he steeled his resolve.
"But, like usual, you're right. Raphtalia! Did you bring the Mithril sword and potions with you?"
"Yes. I brought extra antidotes just in case." She patted her belt where a few bottles and her mithril short sword hung.
"Grrr! Master, I wanna kick that thing so bad!" Filo began growling impatiently as she glared at the dragon.
"Then hit it with everything you've got. Let's go!"
Without any more hesitation, the group rushed at the dragon with their weapons drawn. The zombie dragon swung its head towards the charging group, hatred in his eyes.
"Grrrroooooh!"
The dragon swiped at them recklessly, forcing the group to split off. Raphtalia and Momon flanked its sides while Filo continued charging forward. Naofumi held his ground, tanking the dragon's attack, drawing its attention.
"Hiiiiya!"
Filo jumped upwards and kicked the dragon's head, making a deafening crack as it snapped backward. Before it had a chance to recover, Raphtalia ran her sword deep into its side. She looked away as a blinding light erupted from the dragon's torso.
"UrrrrrrGGGGGHHH!" The dragon cried out in rage before smacking Raphtalia away with its hind leg. She avoided the attack but couldn't get her balance and rolled onto the ground with a loud thud. The dragon quickly raised its front leg to squash her.
"Air Strike Shield!" A shield appeared right above Raphtalia. The dragon's leg crashed against it with overwhelming force, nearly shattering it on impact. Right before it broke, Raphtalia rolled out of the way and got back onto her feet. The shockwave of the leg hitting the ground nearly made her fall again.
"Ahh! I nearly had it!"
"Stay focused! Take advantage while I blind it. Shield Prison!" Naofumi held out his hand as a globe of shields wrapped around the dragon's head, blocking its vision. It clawed at the shields, trying to break free.
Still frustrated by her mistake, Raphtalia ran towards the dragon with a burning passion to prove herself. She swung her blade down hard on one of its front legs, slicing it off.
"You know, it's too bad. I wish I could've seen what this dragon was like before it died. However, if the Sword Hero had killed it off, I doubt it would have been worth seeing. Momon casually commented as he spun his blades towards the dragon's hind legs, effortlessly cutting one off.
Its undead flesh tried to reconnect the legs to its body, but even its regenerative abilities weren't enough to reconnect them in time. Unable to support its weight, the dragon crashed onto the ground just as it broke free from the Shield Prison.
Seeing the opportunity, Filo went for another kick. However, the dragon's undead body was unshaken by the loss of its two limbs and smacked her out of the air. She landed hard on her feet, sliding across the ground as she tried to slow down. Not a moment later, the dragon opened its maw and spewed a purple gas onto her.
"Dammit!" Naofumi rushed in front of her, holding his shield up to block the attack.
Most of the poisonous gas was redirected away from them, but some still wrapped around them. Naofumi could feel the gas press against him with great force as he struggled to breathe. He looked back to see Filo holding her breath, waiting for the attack to end.
His lungs felt like they were on fire as he continued to block the torrent of gas. Just as he felt like he had reached his limit, it let up as he saw Raphtalia stab the dragon's head. The dragon swung its head wildly, spraying gas into the air.
"Just… *Cough* Die!" Before she could activate the sword's ability, she was thrown off and smacked away by the dragon's only remaining foreleg. She was sent flying, hitting the ground with a deafening crack.
"*Cough**Cough**Cough*" She went into a coughing fit as she desperately drank the antidote.
However, the dragon wouldn't give her the chance. It raised its half-regenerated foreleg as its bone rapidly grew out, creating a jagged edge. It lunged its bone toward Raphtalia but shattered when Momon stepped in front of her.
"You alright?" Momon had his twin blades guarding them against the dragon's severed arm.
"It's- Ugh! It's nothing I can't handle." She grasped against her ribs, multiple of which were broken by the fall.
"You should've gone for its neck rather than its head. Remember, it's undead; stabbing it in the brain isn't any different from stabbing it in the torso or anywhere else. Cutting up the neck would've interrupted the attack." Raphtalia struggled to stand but still nodded.
"I know. I-" Before she could say anymore, Momon threw her to the side. Just as he did, a blast of purple gas enveloped him.
"Momon!" She glared at the dragon spewing the gas and sprinted towards it, ignoring her pain.
"Raphtalia! Let's get that thing!" Raphtalia glanced at her side, seeing Filo running alongside her.
"Right!" She hopped on Filo and continued towards the dragon. Both glared at the dragon's undead form.
With a giant leap, the two split up. Raphtalia jumped ahead, bringing down her sword from overhead and cutting the dragon's neck in half. The dragon's breath stopped, but its flesh continued to try to repair itself.
Filo followed up with a mighty kick that tore whatever flesh and bone holding the dragon's head in place. Even without its head, the undead dragon's body raised its legs for a final attack before collapsing on the ground like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
"Mr. Naofumi, we did it!" Raphtalia ran over to Naofumi, who was stunned by the limp dragon corpse.
"We did... I can't believe it… We actually took it down." Momon walked over, cleaning the rot and poisonous residue off his gear.
"I wouldn't be so surprised. Raphtalia and Filo have been training with me for weeks now. I would find it insulting if they were killed by a freshly animated undead with you protecting them. Dragon or otherwise." Naofumi shook his head in disbelief.
It was strange to think about, but they had really defeated a dragon. Sure, it was a zombie dragon that wasn't at maximum strength, but still. Momon did help, but it wasn't like with the Death Knight, where they were holding him back. They fought it and won.
He looked over to the severed head, where Filo was pressing her foot against while mumbling to herself.
"Dumb dragon. I hate your stupid head. And your gross smell!" She wound up her leg and kicked the head right down the mountain, bouncing as it rolled down.
"Filo!"
"What? It's just the stupid dragon's head." Naofumi rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"The whole point of this trip was to get rid of that. Go grab it so we can dispose of it properly!
"Whaa! Hmph, fine. But I wanna be praised for killing the dragon when I come back!"
"Hey! It wasn't all you, you know!" Raphtalia called out as Filo stuck out her tongue as she began running down the mountain.
Naofumi sighed, seeing them argue again. He just ignored it as he reviewed their levels. After defeating the dragon, he expected their levels to reach the 40s, but they seemed to be capped at level 40. There was a strange star next to their levels as well.
'Of course, as soon as we defeat a strong monster, something prevents us from leveling up more. Hah, I know the other heroes would laugh at me for not knowing about it. Yet, they'd still keep it to themselves to spite me.' It's just another game mechanic he'll have to learn about the hard way.
"Alright. We better start butchering this thing. Raphtalia, make sure to-"
Just as he was speaking, a sudden chill washed over the group. They look around to see a white fog beginning to seep out from the surrounding forest.
"They shouldn't be interfering." Naofumi overheard Momon mumble something under his breath just as a woman's voice spoke from within the fog.
"I would praise you for killing that dragon, but it was far weaker than Akumu predicted it would be. And yet, you took so long to defeat it. I don't understand why my mistress doesn't just kill you."
A beautiful woman emerged from the fog. Her perfect golden hair complemented her icy blue dress. Naofumi would think she was a model from his world. But when he looked closer, he noticed how she floated effortlessly across the ground, with a large X-shaped scar on her chest and her translucent body.
"What are you talking about?" The woman glanced over to Naofumi.
"Oh, come now. You don't believe that Akumu hasn't attacked you because he hasn't wanted to. Our lady gave him one chance, and he failed. Now you can be killed by my lady personally. You should be thankful."
The woman hovered closer, giving no regard to Raphtalia, who was ready to charge in at a moment's notice.
"What? Are you here to kill us?" She scoffed at him
"If I did, you'd be dead already." She gestured over to the remains of the dragon.
"All I want is the dragon. The corpse will still be removed, the village will be safe from the spreading disease, and we won't need to fight. And I assure you, I'll have it done faster than you ever could."
"Heh, you can't seriously think we'd agree to that, do you? I don't know if you've met the other heroes or something, but I'm not as idiotic as they are." The woman showed no reaction to Naofumi's remark.
Naofumi was not one to claim to be a hero. If it were anyone else, he wouldn't have cared about what they did with the dragon as long as he got paid. However, this monster would use it against them if they let it take it.
"You don't seem to understand your position here. My previous statement wasn't a request; I was merely informing you of what was going to happen, regardless of whether you complied or not." Her lifeless eyes seemed to perk up as she held out her hand to him.
"I hope your companions are more willing to cooperate. Deal with him, killer. But don't get carried away. Our mistress wants him alive. For now."
Before anyone could react, a blur of black feathers flew in front of Naofumi. A pair of pure white pupils stared at him as a gnarled hand grabbed his face. Naofumi tried to pull away, but the creature tightened its grip on his face. Long talons dug into his cheek and neck, and he saw a beak open as the creature spoke.
"Fall before my princess… [Nightmare]." And with a whisper, the feathered creature let him fall backward.
He was completely paralyzed, unable to stop himself from falling. He saw Raphtalia attack the creature as he fell deeper into a void. Everything felt like it was swirling around him, yet he was perfect still. He heard the wind blowing around him as he continued to fall.
Without any warning, Naofumi landed hard on his back. He groaned in pain as he looked around, everything still swirling around him. It was still a void; however, now he was standing on something solid, and strange, void-like trees surrounded him.
"The hell is going on? Where am I? Did that crow send me somewhere, or is this all an illusion, like what Akumu put Motoyasu under?" As he was getting his bearings, he heard a distant roar accompanied by a scream.
"Mr. Naofumi!"
"Raphtalia?! Where are you?" Another roar rippled through the forest around him as he heard another scream.
"Hold on!"
He began running through the trees. Strangely enough, a winding path led directly to the battle he had heard, but he gave it no mind as he rushed forward.
After what seemed like an eternity, he made his way to the end of the forest, where he saw Raphtalia fighting a prominent, armored figure. As he drew closer, his face went pale, realizing what she was fighting against.
"What's a death knight doing here?" He decided to ignore the why for now and continued running towards them.
Raphtalia had been dodging the death knight so far, but right as she tried to fight back, she was slammed by the death knight's tower shield. She was sent flying, landing awkwardly on her leg, an accompanying snap echoing through the void.
"Raphtalia!" Naofumi ran as fast as he could, but the death knight charged at Raphtalia, its flamberge held high.
"Shield Prison!" He held his shield out, but nothing happened.
"Wha- Air Strike Shield! Shield Prison!" Once again, nothing appeared around Raphtalia. Naofumi was so close but knew he wouldn't close the distance.
"Raphtalia! Move! Get out of the way!" She looked over at him, tears in her eyes.
"Mr. Naofumi… Help m-SSSHHHKKK." The death knight's flamberge stabbed straight through her face.
"…" The death knight pulled its blade sideways, causing it to rip through her face, rendering it unrecognizable.
Naofumi stood there, staring at her lifeless corpse. His vision blurred as he began to process what had happened. Raphtalia… died.
The little slave girl he helped when she had nightmares. The daughter that he never knew he wanted. The one person he knew he could always rely on.
Dead.
"Raphtalia…" His voice was a whisper as he felt like throwing up, his entire body sick.
He walked towards her, only to step on the mithril sword that had been knocked away. Without thinking, he picked it up and rushed at the death knight.
"AAAGGHHHHH!" The death knight just stood there as he ran the blade through its neck.
Naofumi looked up, wishing to see the creature dead. No. He hoped it was still there so he could stab at it until the agony he felt went away. But what he saw was his own face. His reflection stared coldly at him, almost with disappointment, as tears began to well up in his eyes.
"Your helplessness killed her. If you'd been strong, she'd still be alive. No one else is to blame but you."
The body burst into a flock of crows that flew into his face, making him drop the sword from his trembling hands. His legs gave out as he stared at his now blood-soaked hands. He slammed his hands down, shaking his head in rage.
"No. That's not true. You did this! YOU STOPPED ME FROM SAVING HER!" He screamed into the void, but the crows surrounding him made no response.
Suddenly, a familiar mocking laughter surrounded him.
"Hahaha, I can't believe you let her die so easily. What use is a shield in the hands of someone so useless" He could see Bitch standing in front of him before the other heroes emerged from the void.
"Why did you make her stay with you? She would still be alive if she were with me!"
"Heroes are supposed to protect the weak. What use is a hero who can't even protect their own teammates?"
"What should we expect from the shield class?"
"Shut up! All of you just shut up!" He went to grab Motoyasu, only for him to phase right through him.
They looked down at him. Mocked him. Berated him. He didn't ask for any of this. He never wanted to be the Shield hero. This world stole his old life from him. Now, it was hell-bent on taking the few things he had in this new life.
Rage built within him. A roaring flame that yearned to consume the world.
'That fire within you. Do you want the power to release it?' A voice from within his shield spoke to him.
'To burn away all that you hate. I can give it to you.'
He didn't need to say anything; the shield knew his answer. Darkness seeped from the deepest core of the shield, enveloping it in dark flames. A new shield appeared from the flames, one forged from his hatred of this world.
Curse Series: Shield of Rage
"At least that's one less demi-human in the world. Good riddance." Naofumi's seething gaze shot toward Bitch, and he held out his shield, causing a torrent of flames to shoot out of it.
Bitch and the other heroes stood helpless as the flames engulfed them, their screams echoing throughout the void. They burst into crows, trying to escape, yet even those could not escape his wrath. The flames continued to spread, with even the swirling void around him being consumed by his hatred.
There he stood, in the center of it all, with the blood-red flames surrounding him. Tears ran down from his bloodshot eyes as he glared at the burning void around him.
"RAPHTALIA!"
He screamed into the void, releasing a wave of fire that enveloped him, shattering the void that entrapped him.