Chapter Fourteen: Megido Iron Maiden
“We can’t lose any ground!” Glass shouted. “Chris! Lend me a hand! Circle Dance Destruction Formation! Frozen Turtle Carapace Cracker: Ten!”
“I still need to send that Bitch to hell! I can’t lose here! Dimension Whip X!” Lyno said, the two of them unleashing skills from outside of S’yne’s sister’s range. Both of the skills they unleashed were stronger than before. The one that Glass unleashed was traveling along the chain toward S’yne’s sister, while the one from Lyno had caused her whip to split into multiple lashes, all of which were now flying for S’yne’s sister.
S’yne’s sister proceeded to create a chain cage around herself, however, catching the incoming whips.
“Here’s a little present!” S’yne’s sister retorted. I gasped as the defense-rating combination enhanced skill Glass launched proceeded to come back down the chain toward me.
“Naofumi!” Glass had an apologetic look on her face, but she hadn’t needed to worry. The attack entered my body . . . and I gasped again at how strong it was! Almost too strong!
“Raphtalia, Filo! This is dangerous! Everyone, get back!” I shouted. They quickly did so. Then I gathered my life force before stamping down on the ground hard and expelling it outside my body. With a thud, a massive crater was knocked out of the ground, and then the crater instantly froze over. If I hadn’t managed to redirect the attack, then I would have been torn to shreds for sure.
“Wow! Just how much stronger are you now?!” Kizuna gasped. Almost everyone there had been caught up to some extent in my sudden terraforming.
“Wow,” echoed Filo.
“An attack of such power inside Mr. Naofumi . . . even for a moment . . .” Raphtalia had been scooped up by Filo and was safe too, luckily, while Sadeena and Shildina were safely riding the Demon Dragon’s tail. They were as nimble as ever. Kizuna, Glass, S’yne, and newcomer Lyno had all staggered through the sudden earth movement, losing a bit of balance in the process. S’yne’s sister looked fine, maybe thanks to her chain.
“Well, well, well. Not very nice of you to try and use such a powerful attack on me,” S’yne’s sister said.
“What are you talking about? And saying that after you sent it back into me!” I retorted. I could feel some internal damage caused by the energy I couldn’t expel. I pushed down the urge to spit up blood and cast some magic . . . Drifa Heal would handle it. I started the incanting and the magic was completed instantly.
“One of my best features,” the Demon Dragon said, just inside my head. She had predicted what I was going to do and aided in the completion of the magic. It was a bit like having a parasite inside, and I didn’t like it.
“Drifa Heal: Ten,” I said. The pronunciation was the same, but it felt different somehow. The pain still faded away, though. The accessory taken from Bitch was helping out.
“Well, well, well. It looks like it’ll be quite rude of me if I don’t get at least a little serious. Weapon Wearing: Ten!” S’yne’s sister wrapped her chain around her body, creating what looked like . . . chain mail.
Chain mail! Why did it have to be chain mail? I cursed. I gave her a thumbs-down, taunting her.
“Don’t show me that horrible armor!” I shouted.
“Of course, Naofumi hates chain mail!” Kizuna recalled.
“Yes, you’re right!” Raphtalia said. “It’s what was stolen from him when the former princess tricked him!”
“Well, well, well,” S’yne’s sister said with a laugh. No laughing! So this was the reason why even just her chain had been pissing me off. She seemed intent on messing with my head . . . but I also might have been getting a little too angry over something so trivial. The more collected part of me called up my status and checked the transformation time on the Mirror of Wrath. There wasn’t long left! I was about to get swallowed by rage again! Once it ended, I’d lose various enhancements myself, and so would the Demon Dragon. Did we have any hope to continue the battle under those conditions?
“Raphtalia, Kizuna, everyone, the Demon Dragon and I can’t maintain our current state for much longer. We need to pile on and take her down now,” I told them. Otherwise, the options would be to take a beating or retreat. Taking a more measured approach might get us some results, but she wasn’t going to stick around for a lengthy battle. Regardless of the risks, I didn’t want to lose this opportunity, so we were just going to rush her down.
“In that case, Shield Hero, how about we combine my strength with this skill?” the Demon Dragon suggested. She was hacking my status again already and indicating a skill name. It was one that hadn’t been converted for me before now, so I hadn’t been able to use it. I wasn’t sure if I could use it now because of the Demon Dragon’s support or because of the Mirror of Wrath.
It didn’t matter. I didn’t seem to have any other choice. This was the fastest solution.
“I will help you too,” Lyno added, starting to incant magic herself. She had the whip, giving her access to some powerful magic.
“As the source of your power, I order you! Let the true way be revealed once more and increase the speed of my allies!” From the incantation, it sounded like support magic. “Drifa Boost X!” That felt good. Our speed was up slightly higher than the support magic from the Demon Dragon.
“Let’s go!” I shouted.
“About time! Come at me!” S’yne’s sister shouted back.
“We’re coming alright! Take this! Mirror Cage: Ten! Into . . . Change Mirror (attack)!” I shouted.
“Well, well?” S’yne’s sister started to say as mirrors suddenly appeared around her and boxed her in. Just a few seconds later and the mirror cage started to crack. We had buffed and boosted ourselves considerably—even in just the last few minutes—but it couldn’t hold her for long. She must have really been toying with us before!
Change Shield allowed for a Change Mirror (attack). It had a counter effect against S’yne’s sister. Then came our moment to really get our hands dirty.
“It’s been a while since I used this one!” The Shield of Compassion gave me access to a skill, but it wasn’t an easy one to use, so I hadn’t really given it the time of day. Right here, right now, it felt like the option. But I’d need some healing immediately after using it. The skill name itself hadn’t changed, which meant the conversion might not have been perfect. But so long as I could use it, then that’s what I had to do.
“Face a combination skill from the Shield Hero and me!” the Demon Dragon said proudly. “This power is hateful flames of hell, burning even the soul. It’s the ultimate magic that can eradicate all! The power to obliterate my foes! The Dragon Emperor, ruler of this world, commands it! Like the flames of the end times themselves, burn this world to ash!”
“The punishment I choose for this foolish evil is to be pierced through by the iron woman. Confined by screams. Roasted by the flames of hatred!” I joined in. “Megido Iron Maiden: Ten!” As the incantation finished, an iron maiden appeared, pitch black, filled with hate, crackling with black flames with a devilish and dragon-like intent wreathed around it. The burning iron maiden opened, displaying an interior that burned with black fire, and then closed again around the mirror cage, skewering it through and turning into a burning pillar of fire.
“Wow! That’s really dark!” Kizuna said, looking with concern at the Demon Dragon’s and my handiwork. I wasn’t sure what else she expected from the Demon Dragon now.
“Stay focused!” I said. “We can’t be sure this will even damage her!”
“I know, I know!” Kizuna replied. In the same moment I cautioned her, S’yne’s sister appeared from among the dissipating flames, the signs of burns lingering across her body. That was also the moment that my floating mirrors and armor turned back to normal, and the Demon Dragon returned to her baby dragon form. I was out of SP. I’d been using life force . . . EP as well, so I hardly had any of that either.
The rebound from using that skill was also making my bones feel like they were on fire. I needed to get some soul-healing water or healing items quickly, or I wouldn’t be able to continue fighting.
“That hurt more than I expected. Is it my turn now—” S’yne’s sister started.
“Kizuna, now!” I managed to shout.
“Okay!” she replied. Then she fired an arrow from her Hunting Tool 0, hitting the accessory on the chain vassal weapon S’yne’s sister held. With a supremely satisfying sound, the accessory shattered into pieces! While it might not have been a deciding blow, we had at least dealt with her vassal weapon. That should have greatly weakened S’yne’s sister! The gemstone on her vassal weapon also turned from cloudy to clear.
“Go!” I shouted. Everyone who could still fight raised their weapons in response, preparing a selection of skills—
“Hydra: Ten!” S’yne’s sister shouted, slamming her chain into the ground with a thud. In the next instant, chains raced out toward all of us at incredible speed. If they hit the guys without holy or vassal weapons, it would be over.
I stepped forward to protect everyone, roaring as the attack impacted. I managed to hold my ground, but it was so powerful I couldn’t dissipate it completely.
“This again!” I moaned. She attacked so quickly and with such force!
“Master!” Filo grabbed me as I was sent flying away and channeled off the impact.
“Well, well, well. I gave that one everything I’ve got, and it still didn’t kill you. You are developing faster than I expected,” S’yne’s sister taunted.
“What . . . what was that? That was . . . too fast,” Kizuna breathed.
“I can’t believe how fast it was,” Glass agreed. Both of them had been sent flying, too, and were now barely standing.
“She still seems to be . . . somewhere above us in terms of strength,” the Demon Dragon admitted.
“Dammit! We destroyed the accessory controlling the weapon!” I said, unable to keep myself from complaining. I’d been hoping the weapon would turn on the one holding it and leave her behind, not remain in her grasp and start unleashing more skills!
“You make the mistake of thinking that all of the holy and vassal weapons are on your side. If you start to think of yourselves as absolute, as being able to do no wrong, then you become the same as those who terrorize this world,” S’yne’s sister said. It sounded like . . . it was a vassal weapon that wanted to be with S’yne’s sister, fighting for the sake of the waves. I had someone new for my shit list then—the spirit of the chain vassal weapon. At the point that the chain mail had come into this, it had been over.
That said . . . we were looking pretty screwed. We didn’t have the power-ups needed to win this. Thorough work on our levels and latent abilities was required.
“We should retreat,” the Demon Dragon said, guessing what I was thinking and starting to incant magic.
“Oh, no need to worry about me,” S’yne’s sister said lightly. “I was just thinking I’d better be getting back myself.”
“Is that so?” the Demon Dragon replied. “With us practically lying at your feet? Someone of your strength could play another round or two first, surely.”
“Indeed. You seem to have plenty of energy left to spend,” Sadeena agreed.
“Yes. We won’t drop our guard again,” Shildina added.
“Would you accept that I’ve taken more damage than I expected, and this is all getting a bit much for me? I think I’m cursed too. It’s nasty,” S’yne’s sister said, as laidback as ever. “That skill is powerful and fast, but it takes a long time before I can use it again. You clearly outnumber me, and I don’t want another of your special little surprises coming along and making me lose. For example, who knows what those two back there might do with their new weapons,” she went on. She really did talk a lot. I disliked her immensely. The “two back there” were Sadeena and Shildina. They did seem the most likely to come up with some kind of cunning plan. We had taken back both a holy weapon and two vassal weapons, so S’yne’s sister was right to be wary.
“You also look like you’ll grow into someone who will really provide a challenge. You may even prove more pleasing than the opponents we create,” S’yne’s sister said cryptically. It almost sounded like all this collaboration with Bitch and the others was simply to entertain whoever her boss was. I cursed under my breath. But she continued, “On that score, the harpoon guy did look quite promising too. I didn’t expect him to do something as foolish as this.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, knowing she would tell us.
“You didn’t see it? The ones like him can have strange powers, can’t they? In his case, he could place a multiplier on stats when inside his own territory,” S’yne’s sister dutifully explained. He had been weaker than I expected, but this explained it. His primary ability was about base reinforcement. “It was all a big coincidence, but you really messed up our plans.” With Kuflika about to die, he had left behind his home advantage and decided to play a risky away game in order to save her. That allowed us to fight him in a weakened state. “The one you all call ‘Bitch’ is also a particular favorite of the great one. You harmed her so badly that if I reported killing you, it would be my neck on the line.” I could accept that explanation. Bitch knew how to worm her way into someone’s heart. “At least, having died once, she might stop being so willfully ignorant.” This exchange caused Lyno’s anger to bubble over.
“Let your superior know something. Bitch is no virgin. Melromarc is a country of women, with a queen in command. We boast the best membrane reconstitution technology in the world. It will be hard to spot, I assure you,” Lyno said. I heard something about “membranes” and zoned out. I didn’t need to hear that about the country I was fighting for.
“That is a nice nugget of information. I’ll be leaving, anyway.” S’yne’s sister started spluttering, then looked at the blood on her hand. “Well, well, well.” She waved goodbye. She still oozed confidence, but she had clearly taken some damage. Maybe that was why she was running away. It did feel like we had made some progress, at least. “Bye-bye now!” With that, S’yne’s sister disappeared. From the sound of it, she had made herself vanish and then ran away at high speed.
“She can run really fast. Giving chase . . . would be dangerous,” Raphtalia said, looking in the direction of the retreating noises.
“How much of that do you think was real?” Kizuna asked.
“Good question. I don’t think we can draw a clear line yet, but it feels like we’re strong enough to threaten her a little, at least,” I said—somewhat hopefully. I wasn’t sure we would have won if the battle had continued, but I had to believe our first wave of attacks had been strong enough to at least make her consider retreat.
“Hey! We need to get back to L’Arc and the others!” Kizuna exclaimed.
“Right, but first . . .” I turned to look at Lyno. She gave me a salute and then a bow.
“Shield Hero, I am Lyno, an intelligence operative working under orders from the queen. I present to you the reclaimed whip seven star weapon,” she said formally.
“Thank you. We made it through this one thanks to you,” I said. She had pulled a real deus ex machina for us. I accepted the whip and tried to remove the accessory still attached to it. I took a proper look at the weapon itself. It was the whip that Takt had used. It was kind of a strange shape. I tugged at the accessory for a moment and then it popped right off. The whip seven star weapon regained its glowing light, turning into an orb that circled around me a few times and then vanished. Like the other vassal weapons, it would probably show up again just when we needed it or reveal itself once we got back to our world. I looked at Lyno again. “So you have something against Bitch . . .”
“Yes. That woman and her friends tricked me horribly, plunging me into a living nightmare. I was saved from that by you, Shield Hero, and the queen . . . and after I learned of the evil she was perpetrating, I swore revenge,” Lyno explained. So she was another one of Bitch’s victims. There were probably fewer stars in the sky. It just turned out Lyno had been the one in the right place, at the right time, to do something about it. Working as a spy, she had found the perfect moment to bring Bitch down.
That had been quite the sight. I was going to sleep soundly for a while after seeing that.
“As best as I could, I have also created a report on their technology and internal structure. I hope you will take a look at it later,” Lyno said. She was already proving herself incredibly competent.
“You’re hot stuff,” I told her. “I’ll have to reward you for all this.”
“Please, just punish that terrible woman. That is all I desire,” Lyno replied.
“No, something other than that. Something that was going to happen anyway isn’t much of a reward, now is it?” I said.
“Shield Hero . . .” She breathed with a deeply moved expression on her face. She had already proven it with her actions, but I could tell that she hated Bitch from the bottom of her heart.
“Lyno . . . you’re one of my party now,” I said.
“Okay!” she agreed.
“Punish the Bitch!” we both said together. She looked up and I gripped her hand tightly.
“She’s ingratiating herself with Mr. Naofumi at an incredible pace! This is like Ruft all over again . . . As Mr. Naofumi would say, she is Ruft II!” Raphtalia sounded confused by what was happening and had already given Lyno a strange nickname!
“Yeah, you’re right. Looks like someone who is really going to get along with him,” Kizuna agreed.
“Kizuna, you should stay away from her,” Glass cautioned. “We don’t need you falling to the dark side.”
“What’s wrong with that?” the Demon Dragon asked, genuinely puzzled.
“You stay out of this!” Glass shot back.
“Naofumi! We need to move!” Kizuna insisted.
“I know. Let’s hurry back and see how L’Arc and the others are doing,” I replied. The normal banter had started up again, but there would be time for the comedy routine after this was all resolved. We treated our wounds and then moved to the port town.
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