Thank you for being patient with this one. It gave me quite a hard time to write.

I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero. I only own the OCs.

The World War was over. All sides have collapsed upon themselves, but in the end, Siltvelt was the winner, with the help of the Shield Hero. We cannot stay here any longer. Sooner or later they will find us, and exterminate us too. If only peaceful surrender were an option… The Shield and the demi-human soldiers have been on a warpath, ever since one of the Shield's close comrades have been 'dishonourably' murdered by one of the Tyrantress's agents, killing any Melromarcians, in suspicion of them still under her forbidden tempering.

I probably would have acted the same way if my comrade died dishonourably.

Thankfully, half of our untempered populace, including us, have a plan to escape to the northwest, to hide in the mountains due to the intervention of the Tyrantress's… new commander. The other half is staving off the Shield Hero to prevent further collapse, and to hopefully rebuild.

But in the issue of the Tyrantre-... No, Malitecia's tempering magic, we have burned up the remains of that magic, labelling any copy of it forbidden, so that we, along with our future ancestors, will never use it again. However, our research and work, which were once dedicated to discovering and researching the way to have humans learn and cast their own magic, have not been in vain. To any who discovers this final log, here are my final words.

While we regretted serving the Tyrantress, we did not regret giving the power of magic in human hands. After all, the new Zweite magic series will continue to aid us in future endeavours. Further research in our new home will continue.

- Final Remaining Passage of the Destroyed Research notes of the Melromarcian Research Facility

Balmus hated running. It was the coward's method in battles. The Three Gods never feared their enemies, and Balmus did exactly what they have done to be like them! To be them! To be a God! Proud and judicial like the Bow Hero! Strong and tenacious like the Sword Hero! Heart and loyal like the Spear Hero! That's what the religion of the Three Cardinal Heroes explicitly stated; in order to achieve godhood and stand as their equal!

So why can't he combat the destruction of the Shield Demon?! It confounded him so much!

The land exploded as tall ice pillars arose into the air, tearing apart the ground and scattering his enemies. Tempered knights and mages were launched high in the air, either frozen within the holy ice or skewered by the sword-shaped pillars. And yet more were there to support their leader who, for once, was forced to run. The pillars were tall, yet radiated with faux holy energy that made him enraged! The Shield Demon, replicating attacks that Holy Knights would do?! Inconceivable! Balmus could only laugh in ironic horror at the complete absurdity, yet it was happening right in front of his face.

And yet, he couldn't shake off that same feeling of… His mouth reviled at the taste of saying the word. FEAR. He can't shake off the fear that had crept in his heart when his eyes caught sight of just how visible the sickly green power was slowly leaking out. That enraged him; he, the High Priest of the Three Heroes Church, fearing a demonic entity? Fearing something other than the Three Heroes?!

"Accursed demon…! Mocking us with his imitation abuse of holy magicks…! How low will the Shield stoop?!" Balmus snarled, his hands shaky. His benevolent face, even in the throes of peril, broke to display the righteous rage. How dare the Shield imitate the pure Gods of this land! How dare the Shield make him feel powerless.

His heart sought vengeance. With his own limited followers stepping up, now numbering in a few dozens compared to the hundreds he had before, they all began to feel their mana drain for his cause. But before he could act too rashly, L'Arc, being launched backwards from an attack, crashed near Balmus, causing him to break away from his rage for a moment.

"Damn… he is strong!" L'Arc got up, shaking off the pain before a smirk. "But that only makes me more excited to fight him!" He was going to jump back, but Balmus's voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Stand back, and tell your companions this: my spells, while powerful enough to smite the Shield, will destroy you too if you get caught in it." Balmus warned L'Arc, but he shook his head with a smile.

"No way! Not when this is starting to get interesting! Just leave it to us!" L'Arc responded with a cocksure grin, jabbing his chest with his thumb. "After all, we're Heroes! We're a match against the Shield Hero, and we have to kill him for the good of our world! You can just sit back tight and clean up the mess, if you want." Those words made the Pope's hands shake in sheer annoyance as he watched the newcomer join back into the fight. Can't they all see that Biscas T. Balmus, the Pope of the Three Heroes Church, the righteous man closest to the Gods that watch the Earth, can easily match against the Shield Hero?! He has the Scepter of the Three Heroes, a gift from the Gods themselves! A large following who are willing to give their lives for the greater cause! It's what the people need! The Three Gods, almighty as they are, can't defend the world themselves.

It's why people like himself need to stand up. It's the whole foundation on why the Three Heroes Church was made in the first place!

The Pope heaved his breaths, before relenting, letting those three fools handle the Shield Demon. They can wear him down long enough for him to land a finishing blow. In fact, Balmus's eyes then landed on the Shield Hero's party, and his scepter began to glow with mana.

.o0o.

The duel within the middle of the ice citadel continued to escalate. L'Arc smiled the whole way through, continuously barraging and swinging his Vassal Scythe like an axe and a windmill, while Yojimbo swung his Vassal Katana with the precision of a professional and the strength of a madman, if what his furrowed eyebrows told anybody who saw his face. Both of them attacked in tandem, weaving their attacks expertly, but Naofumi, within silence, simply dodged, parried or blocked them all without exuding any sort of effort. Finally, he had enough, and simply swiped at them, causing L'Arc to block the attack with his scythe, with great effort.

"Urrgghhhhh…!" L'Arc growled out, his Vassal weapon holding back the attack with great effort. It felt like he was holding back a thousand bulls, and it was only by an instant did Naofumi flick his wrist lazily, making him fly into the sky, from the deception amount of strength from swing. A flash of steel came from the left and Yojimbo came dashing in, his katana aimed at Naofumi's neck.

KLANG!

Naofumi's shield-arm clashed against the katana's strike. While strong enough to cut steel, it felt like a diamond wall. "Grr…! Oka!" Yojimbo unleashed his own skill, as he raised his Vassal Katana and slashed against Naofumi's body. Cherry blossoms appeared out of thin air when the Katana struck, a beautiful display, clashing against a grotesque distortion. But it wasn't just for show; it came with a plethora of invisible sword strikes on the Shield Hero. However, Naofumi didn't even need to block, as the strikes, quick and sleek as silver, were proving ineffective as it bounced off his body. It was like the skin was made up of the densest of steel.

"Weak…" Naofumi muttered, his voice low, yet threatening. His green eyes shined on Yojimbo, who reared his blade with both hands.

"Then taste my unleashed rage! Mangetsu!" Yojimbo shouted, his voice laced with a tiny shred of hatred. He jumped into the air, his Vassal Katana glowing silver, before slamming on Naofumi, arching in the shape of a crescent moon. But once again, it felt like hitting a brick wall with a flimsy foam sword. Naofumi simply said nothing in reaction to it, instead opting to counterattack. He raised his shield, signalling an attack, making Yojimbo narrow his eyes and back flip, ready to block and parry the attack coming from the front.

"Holy…"

Yojimbo only blinked, feeling the wind shift, and suddenly, the Shield Hero wasn't in front of him anymore. Where did he-?

"...Shield Bash."

Yojimbo was so ready to block the attack in the front, but he wasn't prepared to take it from behind. He felt the mutated shield-arm crash into his head, like a speeding jet crash into his head, as a wordless scream left his agape mouth. The samurai dropped his blade, holding his concussed cranium in pain, as Naofumi pointed his stick towards his assailant.

"You seem to forget who you're dealing with, hero."

The Shield Hero's voice spat out the word 'hero', like it was poison to the tongue. Yet it chilled Yojimbo to the bone, as the incantation began.

"Seven shadows cast, seven fates foretold."

"Not today!" The voice of L'Arc came out of nowhere as it once again spun into a winding spiral and crashed into Naofumi, only to realize he didn't budge nor flinch. "H-Huh? Even his skin feels like diamonds!" The man fell to the ground, his arms aching a little from the ineffective attack, only to widen his eyes at the sight of red swords appearing behind Naofumi.

"But at the end of the broken path, lies death and death alone!

"All-encompassing power of the gem, hear my plea! I am Therese Alexanderite! Lend me your power to rescue my friends from certain death!" Another incantation by Therese began on the side, as the two men began to feel themselves being pulled slightly.

"Northswain's Strike."

The swords pulled back before launching towards the two men, just after the second incantation was finished. "Bejeweled Gravity Pull!" Thankfully, L'Arc and the stunned Yojimbo were pulled by an unseen force towards the side, courtesy of Therese and her floating amethyst, as Naofumi's swords fired straight ahead, shredding and running through whatever was in front of them; from empty houses, corpses, crops, even the ground itself was completely destroyed wherever the swords touched. The power behind the Northswain's Strike was unbelievable, as Therese and L'Arc witnessed it. "W-What power…!" Therese only breathed out in horror from the destruction, like she was witnessing a bloody fuller. L'Arc only narrowed his eyes at him.

"Tsk… his power is unbelievable, but he's not unkillable... But you're right, Yojimbo." L'Arc responded, spotting the glowing green eyes of Naofumi, who slowly turned his head like some sort of terminator. "He really does look like the green-eyed monster, to what he's talking about."

"Then he is mine to kill, for I will behead him." Yojimbo dizzily spoke up, shaking off his head injury. "No matter what, my blade will feast on his tribute of blood!" The samurai ran in, attempting to strike Naofumi down once more, this time with Therese joining in to assist.

"Well, if it makes Yojimbo happy, but when the time comes, don't leave me in the dust…!" L'Arc replied, his weapon beginning to spin like a cyclone, waiting for his chance to attack.

"Oka! Mangetsu!"

"All-encompassing power of the gem, hear my plea! I am Therese Alexanderite! Lend me your power to burn my enemies into cinders! Bejeweled Ruby Blaze!"

Not that it mattered to Naofumi, as he only looked at them with disinterest, as the attacks simply bounced off. The fireballs felt like a spring breeze and the katana strikes were ineffective, even when aimed at the usual weak spots on a human being; and he was beginning to get tired of it.

"It won't save you. Nothing will save you."

Naofumi's words continued to ring to their hearts, but it didn't make the three of them falter. Yet they had to think of a strategy fast, as they began to see energy building up once more. "Tsk…! Therese, channel your lightning unto me!" Yojimbo requested, as he began to run. His Vassal Katana transformed into what looks to be an ancient seven-branched metal blade. Therese then began to channel her own mana, the gem on her bangle flashing blue and crackled with lightning.

"All-encompassing power of the gem, hear my plea! I am Therese Alexanderite! Lend me your power to empower my friend! Bejeweled Thunderstorm!" She called out her skill, the lightning traversing along her fingertips and channeled into Yojimbo's transformed blade, as it shined blue. Naofumi only raised his shield, only to feel the wind pick up from above. His eyes squinted lazily at the sight of the sun, along with a man in the air, about to land his own attack.

"Don't count me out! Flying Circle!" L'Arc shouted, his spinning scythe, now charged up immensely after a bit of time, landed on the intended target. Naofumi only lazily raised his grotesque shield-arm, only to discover that the force behind it, along with the pain it was inflicting, made him buckle and blink in surprise. Even with his impenetrable defense, the attack was still hurting him?

"You…"

"Shoha!" Yojimbo roared out, swinging his blade right on Naofumi, who only parried with his stick. However, the corrupting Shield Hero couldn't seem to find an opening to strike back. He could feel the power of the Vassal Weapon's empowered strength brimming near his hand every time Yojimbo struck. Yet his mind couldn't seem to make it out on how...

"You… You're overcoming… my despair…? Inconceivable..."

"All-encompassing power of the gem, hear my plea! I am Therese Alexanderite! Lend me your power and destroy the Hero's unshakable defense! Bejeweled Armor Break!" The voice of Therese cried out from behind the two men, with blue shards firing like missiles, landing right on Naofumi's body, and breaking Naofumi's stick, destroying any chance to counterattack. The crystal energy spikes landed on his sides and shoulders, seeing as they pierce armour and defenses. The ensuing combo of attacks finally broke through, as Naofumi stumbled backwards in abject surprise.

"No hard feelings!" L'Arc offhandedly spoke out, as the Flying Circle landed on Naofumi's waist, slashing gruesomely like a chainsaw. Naofumi let out a gasp of pain, as a heterogeneous mixture of crimson blood and a celadon green liquid splattering out of his wounded waist. A giant gash was visible through his armor, as Naofumi trembled in pain.

"G-Guh...!"

But they were not done. When the Flying Circle began to return back to L'Arc's hand, Yojimbo's Vassal Katana was already on Naofumi, slashing wherever he could. "Taste all of my rage, monster!" Yojimbo's words spilled forth, satisfaction laced in them as he began his assault. More red and green blood came out of Naofumi's wounds as the samurai's empowered blade slashed on his arms, legs and chest. And Naofumi could do nothing about it.

The pain… it was something so alien and yet something he was so used to. He should be used to the pain; after all, he's the Shield Hero! And yet this one wasn't like the fight against the Cerberus, or the Dark Chimera, or even when Raphtalia slashed his hand, drawing blood. This was different; in his mind, he was alone. Alone in this new, alien world. Alone with his despair. He had nothing… nothing but despair and this broken Shield… He should have relied on it more to utterly destroy his enemies.

It made him invincible. It made his stats rise to impossible heights. And yet… they were overwhelming him.

It was something Naofumi cannot fathom. Their power and determination… overpowering his own?

"Farewell, demon!" Yojimbo spoke, his katana swinging towards Naofumi's neck. A few more inches and his head will fall with honour. Or at least, the Shield Hero will choke on his blood and die a painful pathetic death. However, in the blink of an eye, the stunned Shield Hero refocused his eyes and hardened his stance once more.

"Holy Shield Bash."

"What?!" The final swing of the Vassal Katana simply bounced off of Naofumi's Shield of Despair swinging in return. Yojimbo recoiled back, as it felt like hitting a diamond wall, as the Shield Hero then gripped the samurai's throat, lifting him up into the air.

"Pathetic."

Naofumi simply stated, seeing the shock and the burning hatred in Yojimbo's eyes. With the blood and wounds caked on the Shield Hero, he was becoming more and more like a monster. Despite being held by the throat, Yojimbo continued to struggle and fight back. He kept swinging his katana desperately on Naofumi's arm, but it was futile. His katana depowered at the wrong time, with the skin on the Shield Hero's arm becoming hard as diamonds once more.

"What's wrong, little one? Weren't you going to unleash your rage?"

The grip got tighter, closer and closer to crushing Yojimbo's windpipe. Yet the samurai stayed defiant even in death. "I'll… kill… you…!" The samurai managed to squeak out in pain. Naofumi only shook his head and laughed.

"You call that rage? More like an embarrassment. Whoever died in your arms doesn't matter. People die all the time so get over it."

That got the samurai seeing red. He tried to scream, swing, slash, growl, do anything to hurt the man in front of him to no avail. And Naofumi could feel it deep within the man in front of him: a deep raging fire that he once remembered having. It was... strangely nostalgic in a way. The Shield Hero then saw L'Arc and Therese, wanting to attack, yet with Yojimbo in the way, they were hesitant.

"What's wrong? Aren't you going to attack me and save your friend? Or is he really that precious to you?"

L'Arc and Therese grit their teeth, not knowing how to get around hitting the Shield Hero, but not hitting Yojimbo and possibly killing him. "Fight fair, dammit!" L'Arc shouted, with Naofumi only smirking.

"Fight fair, he says. This is a war, not a-. GACK!"

The Shield Hero coughed out, his eyes dilating hard. His body began to stiffen up, as the power of the Holy Knight began to fade away. His own Shield of Despair began to recede itself as the tubes of green disconnected and the eye on the shield began to close. Did he stay too long on the Shield of Despair? Or did he push himself too hard? Naofumi's hand let go of the slumping Yojimbo, who coughed heavily from the chokehold, and jumped out of the way of L'Arc's spinning scythe. Therese ran to help nurse Yojimbo's throat while L'Arc readied another Flying Circle. "Seems like your power-up just ran out!"

"Y-You…! Damn you…!" Naofumi growled, jumping out of the way once more of L'Arc's strike, before suddenly, as soon as he hit the ground, his body felt intense gravity immobilizing him onto the earth. "W-What?!"

"Instant Blast!" The voice of Aultcray caught Naofumi's ears, along with a blast of energy hitting his side, sending him flying. Searing pain erupted on his wounds scraping on the ground, making a bloody streak, as Naofumi crashed into the ground, making a cloud of dust appear as he landed. L'Arc looked to the side, and saw the old King of Melromarc, still holding his daughter on one arm, and the Seven Star Staff on the other. "Allow me to assist on taking down the Shield Hero." He declared, his eyes never leaving the cloud of smoke. However, the answer from L'Arc caught him off-guard.

"What? No way! We got this!" L'Arc responded, which got Aultcray stunned.

"W-Wha-?! But this is a Cardinal Hero! There's no way you could-!"

"Trust me. You're better off hobbling somewhere else, old man."

"Old man?! I'm not that old! I uhh… The gray is natural!"

"Yeah right, old man. Especially when there is a child on your chest? Yeah. Definition of old man."

"WHAT?! How dare you! She's my daughter!"

"And? What about her?" Yojimbo commented coldly, retreating back to his battle stance in a calm fashion. "Holding a dead body on your person is a liability in battle." That got him a shocked look from Therese, a cold look from L'Arc, and a defiant look from Aultcray.

"She's not dead." Aultcray firmly stood his ground. "I refuse to believe that…! She's just unconscious!"

"Then leave. This is our battle. You clinging onto her shows weakness."

"She is what drives me to fight! My daughter gives me strength!"

"More like she makes you act foolishly." Yojimbo's incredibly callous words made Aultcray grit his teeth. "You want justice against the Shield Hero? Throw her aside."

"I would never!" The King growled out, holding Melty within her arms. Even with all the battling going on, he could still hear her… breathing… sleeping…

'F-Father…?' He could hear Melty call out in her sleep… or perhaps it was his own mind speaking those words to ease him.

"That's enough, both of you!" The voice of Therese cut their argument for good. "Yojimbo, you have your own vengeance to focus on! Leave others out of it!" The long-haired woman then turned and bowed her head hastily towards Aultcray. "I'm sorry about my friend... and about your daughter, but we must focus on the bigger threat here." Yojimbo was about to interject, but a glare from the young woman made the words stay in his throat. It was better to not put himself in a deeper hole. Plus, she had a point; the Shield Hero needs to die.

"R-Right. The Shield Hero will die toda-!" Aultcray began to declare, but suddenly stopped himself, as if he made a mistake on an oath. It was how he was powering his Seven Star Staff after all, in his mind at least. L'Arc and Therese raised their eyebrows at the odd action until the old Wise King cleared his throat, not letting go of the unconscious Melty. "Pardon me. I will protect the two of you. But not your cheeky samurai friend." Yojimbo only scoffed.

The group of Heroes then noticed the clouds dispersing and the dark killing intent returning. Aultcray, L'Arc, Therese and Yojimbo readied their weapons and prepared for an offensive yet they were surprised that his bloody wounds were all gone. Only blood stains were on his armor and cape.

"Tsk… Forgot that he could use potions…!" L'Arc chastised himself as he saw the broken potion flask in his hand; a hand that has transformed once more to the grotesque Shield of Despair.

"He's still vulnerable. If you were able to break him, then…!" Aultcray responded, but didn't get a chance to finish as a blur as fast as the wind dashed towards the enemy.

Ahead went Yojimbo, with his Vassal Katana ready to strike once more as he ran to close the distance within a blink of an eye towards the cloud of dust. "Yojimbo! No!" L'Arc called out, seeing him run blindly towards the enemy.

He was most likely unaware of how resilient Naofumi was, as the three of them heard a cry of pain as Yojimbo was launched backwards and landed on his back, groaning in pain. Two slashes from the bicep of the arms, across the waist and down to the hip, shaped in an X, cut deep down to the bone. Therese ran to help check his wounds, noticing that the wounds required immediate attention.

"Damn me… that actually hurt…"

The two men still standing turned to Naofumi, looking healthy just as before. This time, instead of a stick in his hand, it looked to be a bloody arm, ripped out of a stray knight from the Three Heroes Church, down to the socket. His hand gripped the blood-darkened bone, the red staining his palms and fingers.

"You…!" Aultcray shook in anger at the being in front of him. "I've waited decades for this moment. I will have my vengeance against you, Shield Hero! For the precious lives you've taken away from me!"

"And?"

That simple word was mockery to the old man's ears and it pushed him over the edge. He raised his Seven Star Staff, and the spell came up in an instant without the need of an incantation, all to destroy what was in front of him.

"Drifa Ground Da-!"

A flash of darkness engulfed Aultcray's vision for a split second, only to see Naofumi right in front of him, the arm, sharp as a rapier for some reason, aimed right at his neck. The old man froze, fear gathering inside of his heart… just like years ago.

'Your sister… we can't find her… We can only assume… that she is dead.'

"Old man!" L'Arc cried out, slamming his scythe on Naofumi's shoulder. It would have hurt, if the Shield Hero didn't use his ability first.

"Pulsating Thorns."

The attack bounced back to the user. Instead of Naofumi suffering from a cut from the Vassal Scythe, L'Arc felt pain erupt on his right shoulder, a gash appearing on top of it. "Gaaaugh!" L'Arc gripped his shoulder in pain, hissing out. How in the world did that happen?

"L'Arc!" Therese cried out, while she was still treating Yojimbo, seeing L'Arc fall to his knee and getting kicked away by Naofumi, before turning his attention towards the speechless King, who was astounded by his power.

"I can see it in your eyes… You hate me, don't you?"

"Y-You…! I…I'll…!" Aultcray gritted his teeth in rage, yet he couldn't form complete sentences. He wanted so badly to attack, but his instincts told him to flee. His mind, body, heart and soul screamed at him to run. And yet, one look at Melty, the unconscious little girl who shivered at the aura of Naofumi, made him stand his ground. Naofumi only scoffed at his defiance, his grip not relaxing at all, as he reveled in the new class he shifted to. A sacrifice he can live with.

[c1aSs s3l3ct3d]

Naofumi Iwatani; F̸̥̀e̶̛͇n̷͖͐c̷͊ͅe̴̞͗ṟ̵̂ Lv. 40

[Bearer of a Century's D̴̠͛ḛ̵̈́s̶̗̾p̴̙͘a̴͖̾i̷̻͊r̵͉͝] This class now has Wellspring of D̴̠͛ḛ̵̈́s̶̗̾p̴̙͘a̴͖̾i̷̻͊r̵͉͝.

HP: 9999

MP: 9999

Ǎ̵͉t̷̛̻t̴͎͆a̴̭͋ċ̵̦k̷̩̈: 9999

Defence: 9999

Speed: 9999

S̴̾ͅT̶͎̈R̴̻͋: 9999

VIT: 9999

D̷͉͘Ȩ̸̐Ẍ̸͈́: 9999

INT: 9999

WIS: 9999

LUK: 9999

"Then hate me more. Because in the end, it will all be o̶̙͐v̷̖͑e̵̡͠r̵̳̓.̶̣́"

.o0o.

"Rrraagh!"

Continuous slashes and hard-hitting pummels from Raphtalia and Keel landed against Balmus's barrier, who only just stood there with a smirk. They could not dent the barrier now without their Aura buff, compared to what Keel and Filo were able to do before WITH their Aura buff.

"Dammit! We were able to break that barrier before, so why can't we break it now?!" Keel whined, gritting her teeth. She massaged her fists, which stung from hitting an immovable wall that she broke a while ago. So what was wrong now?

"Hmph! Without your precious Shield Demon, your powers have weakened." Balmus explained in an arrogant voice, his scepter now charging up with mana. Raphtalia and Keel didn't want to admit it, but he was right. Their Aura buff seemed to have worn out.

"But the Shield Hero's party isn't alone!" Van Reichnott's voice countered the High Priest's words, readying his magical tome in front of him, a sigil glowing and rotating with mana. "As the lord of this land, I order thee. Decipher the laws of nature and destroy my foe's ironclad bulwark! Zweite Defense Null!"

A red orb lashed out onto the shield that Balmus had around him, and it shattered easily. Raphtalia saw an opening and, after activating High Quick from her sword, dashed like the wind towards the High Priest… only for another barrier to reform, blocking her strike.

"W-What…?! That was…!" Raphtalia could only gape at the speed of how strict the timing was, with Balmus readying to strike back with an imitation Cardinal Sword.

"Prepare to be cleansed, foul bea-." The priest began, but instead of inflicting pain, he felt stinging pain on his shoulders as two knives were driven into him. Courtesy of the shadow perched on his shoulders, who infiltrated his defenses before it closed up.

"Not this time, I daresay!" She growled out in anger, continuously slashing her other blades on Balmus's vital areas. Yet with each injury she laid on him, the wounds just kept healing.

"Graaugh! Off of me, vile traitor!" Balmus shouted at the woman, throwing her off after a few slashes. Yet before she could go back and infiltrate through the barrier once more, a group of knights ran in, their bodies glowing golden, to defend the High Priest.

"Kill the traitors!"

"Defend thy Eminence!"

Their battlecries rang in the air as they charged. They weren't numerous but due to the golden glow that coursed their bodies, they were not easily dispatched. However, Raphtalia, Keel, Van Reichnott, Aurora, the shadow, and Filo were ready. Raphtalia raised her glowing sword, Keel rubbed her gauntlets together, Van Reichnott and Aurora mana together, the shadow pulled out special tags that began to glow with fire, and Filo huffed like a bull and bent her fowl legs.

"As the lord of this land, I order thee. Decipher the laws of nature and confuse my foes who bar my path with steel! Zweite Confusion All!"

"Radiant Moonstrike!"

"Dragon Thunderclap!"

"Pyre Seal!"

The confusion spell hit first, a burst of light breaking up the formation of the knights. They screamed, confounded by the dizzying spell, before being struck by lightning and ice at the same time, pain coursing through their bodies. Spell tags then appeared and attached themselves to the knights armor before Filo charged right in.

"FILO CANNONBALL!"

The massive bird, entire body and all, ran and collided with the troops like a living cannonball, ultimately crushing some of them, and the others knocked back far. And right after Filo collided into them, they exploded and burst into flames, killing them in their own immolation of flame thanks to the Shadow. All that were left were the mages behind Balmus, along with Balmus himself.

"Accursed demonic beings…! Vile heretics...!" The High Priest seethed, shaking to himself, seeing how his options were starting to become limited. His guardians are down, he only has around two dozen mages and his options for attacking are limited due to the mana the replica weapon of the Cardinal Heroes uses up. If they hit the barrier, then the mana would be even more scarce and he would be defenseless.

And Balmus hated feeling defenseless; being able to do nothing as his enemies advanced.

However, luck began to save him as from the sky, a great shadow emerged from the sky, which looked to be a flying gunship, the size of a shipping container. Cannons adorned its sides, with a cockpit filled with windows on the front. Propellers and jets were propelling and lifting the behemoth of a vessel, along with a hull and a massive door that allowed passage. What stood out, however, was the symbol of Faubley printed on the side.

"W-What is that…?! A giant metal box?" Filo stammered, seeing something that was even bigger than herself.

"I've never seen something like that before…!" Raphtalia took a step back, her eyes widening at the sight.

"An airship… Faublien-made." Van Reichnott narrowed his eyes, before getting the attention of his allies. "Everyone, come to me! Aurora, erect a barrier!"

"I already know! Now supply yur mana, ya shite!" Aurora snapped back, as both of them began to channel their mana around them.

"Armour of life, block all strife! Veil of light, halt their might! Sacred Soil!"

A barrier immediately formed around the group, in the shape of crystalline tessellations, before the cannons from the gunship aimed downward and fired. The rounds would have killed them, or at least seriously injured them, if not for the barrier Van Reichnott and Aurora projected around them. The strikes landed around them, blocking them in a cover of dust before unveiling them to be safe and sound.

"Aye, those basturds! I knew dere were sumfin' fishy 'bout dem!" Aurora cursed, before her fairy skin felt heat from behind. Strengthening the Sacred Soil once more, the Scholar and his fae companion blocked what looked to be a Drifa Hellfire hitting them. The sheer power behind the spell was felt by the shockwave that came with it. Raphtalia, Keel and Filo instantly turned their heads, spotting the one who fired the spell, one who made Raphtalia glare angrily once more.

"You…! How dare you leave me out of this fight!" Malty growled, her hands and legs still a little shaky from the cold shackles, but her anger was still flaming hot. Instantly, she began to charge another spell, despite the spell taking a humongous toll on her mana. "I am the future queen of Melromarc! I won't be denied until your bodies lay on the field! Drifa Hellfire!"

Another blazing dense ball of hellfire launched itself from her hands to the Sacred Soil, which deflected the first one, but wasn't strong enough to survive a second one. But before it could even fight back against the barrier, Raphtalia swung her Icebrand a few times, sending waves of ice against the fireball before it exploded harmlessly. Malty looked deterred for a moment at the sight of Raphtalia's hardened face.

'How… How can this demi-human scum render my spell into nothingness?! How?! There must be a cheat! A demonic incantation I'm not familiar with! The Shield Hero did something to her! It's something, damnit! BUT WHAT?!' The vain princess roared to herself in her mind, struggling to find a solution to even the odds. Anger filled her veins as she fished out another mana potion for herself to drink. 'Damn her! Damn her and her friends! Damn that Shield Hero! Damn them! Damn them! DAMN THEM ALL! I am the future queen! I will exterminate him! Him and his lesser demi-human scum!'

'Yes! Let it rage inside! The blood of the future queen of Melromarc flows through you!'

A sword slamming into her own royal blade snapped her out of her irate thoughts as Raphtalia pushed hard against Malty, who was struggling to hold her own. Rage transformed into desperation, as her abilities with a sword were nothing to Raphtalia's own skills, as after a few sword swings, she found her blade thrown onto the side. Next thing she knew, the princess was knocked to the floor, with Raphtalia's blade pointing right at her throat.

"Y-You… Don't you dare…! Do you know who I am?!" Malty warned, with Raphtalia narrowing her eyes.

"Of course I know! And I'm done playing games! This is all the demi-humans you've killed!" Raphtalia declared, pushing in her frozen sword towards Malty's neck. The princess could only grip the sword, despite the sub-zero touch and the blood coming out from her skin gripping the blade. But, as if the stars were aligned for this very moment, a shadow came from above, making Raphtalia stop. Above her, in the shining sun, a figure jumped out of the gunship and made a mad, speeding dive towards the pair. One of them smiled with glee, with the other widening her eyes in shock. But a third came running towards the two, spotting the shadow to be a man.

A man with an axe about to cave Raphtalia's head.

Before the attack connected however, a full-power jump kick from Keel slammed onto the man's side, throwing him off course onto the ground just nearby. With a grunt, the man landed with a thud on the ground, which was just enough of a distraction for Malty to kick away Raphtalia, her hands wreathed in flame once more. "Zweite Fire Squall!" Flaming squall-shaped fireballs charged towards the stunned raccoon demi-human, landing on her body. Yet it only felt like insignificant sparks to Raphtalia, once again due to her heavy fire resistance, as she shook it off and stood back up, with the help of Keel.

"Damnit… A stupid kick, throwing me off? Preposterous! And you got your buttmud footprint on my new one-of-a-kind leather jacket too!" A familiar irate voice caught their attention as the man who was diving from the gunship was none other than Tact, who began to walk towards the group, an ornate axe in his hands. His clothes showed no signs of cuts and damages on it.

"Hmph, well you're a lot weaker than Master Naofumi made you out to be." Keel replied, making Tact's eyebrows furrow and twitch. It made him angry, because she was right. For some reason… a level 40 Pugilist able to push him aside? To inflict pain?! Someone who is level 300+?! Impossible!

Besides, he was still so much more powerful than these whelps.

"Hmph. I only let you kick me. It wouldn't be any fun seeing you die too quickly." Tact rebuffed, his traditional smirk coming back to save face.

"Lord Tact… You saved me…" Malty, who stood up onto her two feet, smiled sweetly at her hero, before sharply glaring at the Shield Hero's party.

"I'd never leave your beautiful self behind, my dear Malty! That's not how this true hero rolls!" Tact smiled, doing his usual arrogant smirk, looking at Malty while showboating his own guns and handsomeness to her. However, a small ache of pain zapped in his head the moment he saw Malty smile… something about that seemed familiar about it.

"Prince Tact Arusahorun of Faubley…? But why is he here?" Van Reichnott muttered, feeling the wound that he made on his chest, the phantom pain still there.

"He is nephew to King Aultcray of Melromarc. But I daresay it's not because they are family." The shadow responded curtly, her grip tightening on her daggers. Van Reichnott could only let the questions linger in his head. 'What was he doing here? Why would he assist Melromarc? What did he hope to gain? Faubley was already technologically and militaristically more powerful than any kingdom in the world, so why the allegiance with the Pope?'

"I have my own reasons. But 'killing you' is not my job." Tact told off the shadow, who rolled her eyes. However, the prince continued, smirking and eyeing the two wary demi-human women in front of him. "But you two… You piqued my interest. You two seem to have potential to be part of my little group of lovelies. I'm guessing you two don't want a spot in my harem, eh?"

"Eww! Don't know what it is, but it sounds gross." Keel replied out loud, looking disgusted.

"Tsh… Fine then. But, like toys, you'll play by my rules." Tact finished the exchange of words, before he raised his right hand and snapped his fingers. The gunship seemed to see his signal, and fired again on Van Reichnott, the shadow, and Aurora, causing the Scholar and the fairy to summon their Sacred Soil once more. The two demi-humans turned around, seeing dust come out of the explosions from the ground, but the shadow called out to them.

"Do not worry about us! Go after Tact, I daresay!" The shadow called out.

"Big sis! We can handle that big box!" Filo's voice was heard amidst the bombing. The big round bird let the shadow on its back, with what looks like explosive tags and bombs on her person, and jumped high in the sky. Raphtalia and Keel wanted to protest, but a few balls of powerful light appeared around Van Reichnott and were launched towards the gunship, hitting specifically at their cannons. Seeing the destructive gunfire cease for now, the two demi-humans turned back to the prince and the princess.

"So you're Tact of Faubley… Master Naofumi warned us about you." Raphtalia muttered, readying her blade, which only made Tact smirk.

"Did he now?" Tact only chuckled in an ironic manner, before outright laughing at the woman. Raphtalia and Keel looked unsettled with the laughter, along with the rest of the party, until he suddenly stopped and looked at the two of them with a knowing glance. "Laughable… Becoming for the Shield Hero to use the two-bit whores he picked off the streets to do his dirty work. Clearly my station is better than his will ever be."

The prince only shook his head from the situation, only to meet with two of the harshest glares he has ever seen. Keel growled like an angry wolf as her eyes sparked with rage, but Raphtalia's eyes were empty and cold, like staring into an empty howling abyss. Sure, this was nothing new for Tact, as he got this from every one of his enemies within his lifetime, but for some reason, Raphtalia's eyes was like feeling a cold knife twisting in his gut. And he lost his signature smirk as he blocked both an electrical punch from Keel, and the freezing slash from Raphtalia.

"How dare you!" The two demi-human women roared, letting loose a flurry of punches and a storm of slashes on Tact, who was beginning to have a hard time blocking them fully as he felt himself getting pushed back. Another impossibility, Tact thought to himself. They shouldn't even be pushing him back. The sheer force behind them shouldn't be pushing him backwards. They were candles compared to him: the flames of hell itself!

And yet… were they just stronger than him? Did he underestimate them? Or… did he somehow get weaker?

He began to push them back with his own strength. Despite feeling like he was weakened for some reason, he was still leagues stronger and faster than Raphtalia and Keel.

"L-Lord Tact!" Malty cried out in worry, but Tact simply ignored her. Now was not the time for her words. He swung the Seven Star Axe around in a circle to throw the two demi-human women off. Reeling himself backwards to slam his axe down on Raphtalia, whom he sees as a bigger threat, he attempts to throw his entire body down and crush the demi-human in front of him… before a shock in his nerves threw him off during the action, making him lose grip on his axe. A jolt of green energy ran through his body, sending nothing but pain and spasms into his system.

"G-Grr…! W-Wha…?" The blonde man muttered, as his head began to ache. A voice echoed in his head as he was getting shocked. Where was it coming from?

'Yes~. You are my sworn. My harbinger of conquest~.'

Raphtalia ducked underneath the thrown Seven Star Axe and, seeing Tact defenseless, she slashed him across the chest. Unlike Naofumi's attempt to slash against his body, now the wound cut deep and froze over, sending him into the air. Keel followed up, sending a Power Dunk on the man, shattering the ice and sending him unceremoniously to the floor in pain.

"L-Lord Tact!" Malty could shout. It was all she could really do. Foolishly she relied on Tact's strength too much to really do anything to assist and she was going to pay for it. Malty couldn't beat one demi-human. What chance did she have against both? But in her mind, she still had an ace in the hole. She tried to dig into her own inventory, trying to fish out a special potion to dig out.

"No way! Shoulder Tackle!" Keel cried out, and charged in a blinding speed, knocking the breath and spittle out of her and launching her backwards, sending her painfully to a tree. Her pack got separated, with potions, gold, jewelry and other trinkets flying out to the side.

"G-Grr…" Malty moaned in pain, before her eyes noticed the potion, a special Hero's Elixir of Life, on the floor. However, a wave of ice came between the princess and the elixir, cutting her off thanks to Raphtalia having the princess at swordpoint, unable to move away unless she risked getting killed.

"I have you now." Raphtalia's words and her Icebrand chilled her to the bone. Her eyes were still displaying that hollow rage that Malty still doesn't have the full context to understand.

"Y-You… You don't have the gall to kill me, s-scum…!" Malty chattered, snarling in anger. She tried everything, from spells to swordplay. Even using a special potion to power her up, but even that did nothing. Now she had nothing.

And she hated that. How she hated that.

"You're right."

Raphtalia spoke those words, something that sounded unbelieving to Malty, as the raccoon girl lowered her sword. Keel breathed a sigh of relief and nodded. Raphtalia was too much of a kind-hearted soul to kill haphazardly. But Malty only smirked at her supposed cowardice and doubled down.

"Hah…! I-I knew it! You're weak! Unprivileged! You scum can't even kill someone you hate!" Malty countered spitefully, taunting the raccoon girl, yet the fear was still in her voice. Keel growled at that statement.

"You shut your mouth! She doesn't have to kill yo-!"

SCHLASH!

A slashing sound was heard, echoing throughout the forest. Nobody moved, until a click from Raphtalia sheathing her sword was heard. As soon as Keel heard the click, she turned to the stoic Raphtalia and then at the laying Malty.

"I don't have to kill you…"

Keel heard Raphtalia's voice only heard Malty scream in unfathomable pain, as she fell to the floor. The pain stung and burned like cold fire, as her body spasmed uncontrollably. Her screams were oddly satisfying to Raphtalia, something unlike her at all. As someone who didn't want to make Malty's death quick, she aimed not for the head...

"...but you won't hurt any more people."

...but right on her legs. Malty's legs were indeed reduced to frozen stumps, with blood curdling out in frozen red clumps. Her cut-off feet laid on the side, crimson liquid coming out from the shin. For now, Malty would survive, but it would be a matter of time before the cold will cause her to succumb.

"C-Curse… you…s-scu...!" The red-haired wretch struggled to say, before the cold became too much and she fell unconscious, but Raphtalia simply turned around, caring naught about her. The princess can't hurt anybody anymore and Raphtalia… relished in that. Keel expectantly looked shocked that her best friend would go this far. While they have killed before, they never aimed to do it with bloodlust. But Raphtalia… Just for a moment before she struck...

She radiated with hatred and bloodlust.

"R-Raphie, are you…?" Keel began, but Raphtalia cut her off with a smile and a nod.

"Don't worry. I'm fine…" The raccoon girl cut her off, but Keel didn't need her nose or her eyes to see that Raphtalia was shaking a little. Her hand was gripped tight in a fist. Whether it was from anger or from fear, she didn't know.

However, there was still the matter of Tact.

.o0o.

Tact struggled. He felt debilitated. Fragiler. Weakened. Something that "Urgh… How can they hurt me…? I'm reincarnated! I-!" The man stood up, then looked at his own HUD to assess the damage… and noticeably looked shaken.

Tact Arusahorun Faubley; P̶̏̂̾͜r̵̘͚̹̅̀͋į̶͓̥̕n̵̰̬̰̾̌c̴͚͇̽́ę̷̲̈́ ̴̡̃͜L̸̪̞̞͌v̴̤͊ ̴̩̪̓̃̑100

"W-Wha…?! Ho-How…?!" The man looked at the glitched text, gasping like a fish. His level was NEVER that low. How did it get that low?! His levels were higher than 300! Unbelievable! It shouldn't be this low! It must've been a glitch! A cheat! What could have-?!

'You… will be the new Hero. MY Shield Hero~.'

The voice again spoke to him in a sultry welcoming tone. One that spoke to him in a mild tone that seemed to calm him down. There could only be one answer. The same man who has cursed him to be this way for years. "Naofumi… what did you do to me…? I was… I was supposed to be..." He cursed while gritting his teeth. This shouldn't be happening. How could his power be affecting him?!

He himself broke away from the black-haired man during that fateful fight… He was given a destiny by his master! And yet…

'All I desire… is the ultimate power of ever-lasting darkness! You are the new, carved from the remains of the old who hath drowned in the yawn of the Void! Now fulfill your purpose! Claim their Seven Star Weapons! And claim their Cardinal Weapons too! Claim their power for your queen! For all shall bow to me, my harbinger! ME!'

"Yes… my… queen."

Tact grit his teeth as he stood up, gripping his next Seven Star weapon, in the shape of a hammer. "You… You killed her…! You killed my love!" Tact growled out indignantly, with Raphtalia and Keel readying themselves a third time. The two of them were getting tired of how repetitive this was getting.

"Again? Give up, Tact. You lost once. You'll lose again!" Keel replied with a shake of her head, and her gauntlets once again at the ready.

"SHUT UP!" He growled out, anger beginning to well up and overflow. A dark hateful aura began to form around Tact, with his Seven Star Hammer glowing red with anger. However, Raphtalia, with a bit of quick thinking and sympathy, snapped herself out of her stupor and pointed her sword at him.

"I didn't kill her. But she might die, if you don't help her." The swordmaiden curtly told Tact. Malty may have been a heartless bitch, but maybe that will throw Tact off. The prince's eyes widened and turned to the red-haired woman, legless, half frozen, and on the floor, just as Raphtalia expected. He ran to her and saw the frozen stumps on her legs, paling at the sight.

"I… must… save her..." Tact mumbled to himself, readying a fire spell to cauterize the two open wounds. It was like he was working like a machine, unable to stop himself, as his own eyes glazed over. Instead of blue, they glowed green, as his own eyes didn't see Malty. Rather they saw someone else:

'You will be my guardian… My protector… My savior…'

'My love…~'

'For you will serve me, Queen Malitecia of Melromarc, your creator, for good or ill, until everything beyond this pitiful world belongs to me, and only me.'

The same flowing red hair, trailing down to her lower back. The sharp green eyes. The dress. The black elder staff in her hands.

'I will… protect you…my love...'

Raphtalia and Keel breathed a sigh of relief. They didn't know what the dark aura was, and that got them thinking a little.

"You saw that aura around Tact, didn't you, Raphie?" Keel asked, with Raphtalia nodding.

"Yes… It was like Naofumi, except it wasn't as… suffocating." Raphtalia replied, before remembering her allies, friends and her master. "We have to help him!"

Keel nodded, but before they could even turn, the two of them felt the hairs of their tails rise in dread. Their heads turned, and paled at the sight of an inescapable wave of light coming towards them.

"TRAITORS AND HERETICS OF THE SHIELD DEMON! LET YOUR SOULS BE SAVED AND PURIFIED!"

The voice of the Pope made her gasp in horror. The light touched all. Filo covered her eyes, screaming how it burned. The Shadow grasped her head, crying out in pain, until losing control. Van Reichnott covered the frightened Aurora, using his own body as a shield against the light. Raphtalia and Keel gasped, stepping backwards, before covering their eyes as their bodies burned from the light, which consumed them fully.

I'm baaaaaaaack! Miss me? Of course ya did! How was this chapter of the Original? It feels good to finally come back!

Yes, I finally discovered glitched up text. Sue me.

Yes, I'm adding more backstories in pieces and driblets to you. Especially about Malitecia the Tyrantress, her visual connection with Malty (it's pretty obvious), and just how OOC Tact is. I know that some of you take issue that Tact isn't the same as he is in canon. And this time, I actually read through the light novel to get an idea on how he operates. However. this one is much more different. He might as well be an OC at this point. I'm sorry for those fans who wish to keep it canon, but that is how the cookie crumbles.

Yes, this fight is extending for a long time. Fight scenes are not my forte so bear with me please?

Yes, the Vassal Heroes are much stronger than Naofumi without despair. And even with despair they do get an edge on him because teamwork, being outnumbered and Despairfumi taking things in a depressing angle to the point of not even trying.

No, Malty didn't die. But she's crippled. Hella crippled.

Yes, someone is still gonna die. Don't you worry.

Yes, Faubley in the books got airships. Dunno about gunships specifically since I can't remember. I was tempted to throw another Final Fantasy reference there, with human experimentation and magitek soldiers from Final Fantasy 15, but it's simply not possible at this stage.

Thank you for being patient with me! Leave a follow or a favourite, or perhaps leave a review~? Those keep the story going!