The Rising of the Shield Hero Volume 05 (22 page)

Perhaps thinking I’d found away around his best attack, L’Arc switched gears and started using another skill.

“First form, wind blade! Second form, sky blade!”

Two swirling tornadoes appeared, then they titled downwards like tunnels of violent wind.

The wind was so powerful I thought it might blow me away, but I was able to stand my ground.

Did he think he was going to defeat me with a normal attack like that?

I switched to the Chimera Viper Shield and blocked the attack.

“Huh? You changed your shield?”

“Yeah, now deal with the counter attack!”

The awakened version of the Chimera Viper Shield had a counter effect called snake fang (large).

The sculpted snake design of the shield came to life and bit L’Arc.

“Huh! It’s . . . poison!”

L’Arc jumped back from the attack and held his head in his hands, reeling from the poison’s effect.

While he was stumbling, Filo got in a few good attacks, though none of them were strong enough to knock him down.

“Master! I’m going to try a powerful attack, so you better stand back!”

“Got it!”

“Damn. That was tricky.”

A bottle of medicine shot out of his scythe. He caught it and drank it. It was probably an antidote.

But there was something else. Another bottle! Soul-healing water! He’d figured out my plan.

But it was enough to confirm one thing: L’Arc had SP to deal with.

Traveling with Raphtalia, I’d realized that normal people didn’t have any idea what SP was.

For most people, soul-healing water didn’t do anything more than help them concentrate—but for heroes, it was something else all together.

That meant that L’Arc was a hero or something else roughly equivalent.

“Master!”

Filo had finished charging her attack. All I had to do was give her an opportunity.

“Raphtalia!”

“Yes!”

She immediately knew what I meant. She started casting a spell. I’d needed her to keep Therese from interfering in our battle, but the time for concerns like that was over.

Therese noticed that Raphtalia had backed off her attacks, and she used the opportunity to immediately start casting a support spell.

But Raphtalia could swing her sword even as she chanted.

“Ah! You’re very good!”

“I don’t have another option, I have to attack and cast my spells at the same time against someone like you!”

“I am the source of all power. Hear my words and heed them. Hide!”

“First hiding!”

“Hiding Shield!”

Our combo skill could make an invisible shield. I set it to where I needed it.

“Change shield! Second shield!”

“Watch it!”

L’Arc, unable to see where the shield was, swung his scythe in a wide arc.

He was coming at us!

“What?!”

L’Arc’s kneecap slammed into the invisible shield.

And I had changed it to the Two-Headed Black Dog Shield—with the special effect dog bite!

The shield warped into the shape of a dog and bit down on L’Arc—hard. He couldn’t move.

“Spiral strike!”

Filo used the move she’d defeated the inter-dimensional whale with. She was flying straight for the immobilized L’Arc.

“Damn! That doesn't look good!”

L’Arc switched his scythe to his free hand and started to spin it. He was able to stop Filo’s attack.

He must have been using some kind of defensive skill, because Filo’s attack didn’t seem to do any damage.

“ . . . .”

But Filo kept spinning and spinning, delivering attack after attack. Slowly, she seemed to be breaking through.

“That’s not enough!”

The dog bite effect ran out. The shield vanished, and L’Arc jumped out of Filo’s attack range.

But I wouldn’t let him get away that easily.

“Shield prison!”

The third strongest shield skill I had, after air strike shield, was shield prison.

You could use it to hold an enemy in place or to protect yourself. It was perfect for restraining someone that tried to dodge all the time.

“Ugh! Dammit, Naofumi!”

With the shield prison in place, he couldn't avoid Filo’s attack any longer. It connected.

“ARGH!”

What? He blocked her attack with his bare hand!?

Not even L’Arc was strong enough to pull that off. The attack broke through. He was bleeding, but not defeated.

“Damn. Not bad.”

His arm was covered in gashes. He pressed his free hand against the wounds and held out his scythe.

“Guess that wasn’t enough!” said Filo.

“Filo-chan. That was one impressive attack. I never thought you all would get this far.”

“L’Arc!”

Therese shouted for him. Raphtalia had kept the pressure on her so consistently that she wasn’t able to cast any sort of support magic on him at all. Raphtalia was really impressive. Therese kept flinging spells at her, but whenever she wasn’t able to dodge them she bat them away with the blade of her sword.

And Therese must have been very powerful too—she was holding her own against all of Raphtalia’s attacks, and she only had her magic to rely on.

If I had to fight them both at the same time, I don’t think I could win.

“You know I really thought I could win. But it looks like I just don’t have what it takes to beat you, Naofumi.”

He was still acting like my superior.

I was amazed he could set aside the battle for a minute to talk.

I looked out at the ocean where an unconscious Motoyasu was floating. Ren and Itsuki were unable to fight. The fools. What would they have done in my situation?

This isn’t how my game went! You’re supposed to lose this fight! I was sure they would say something stupid like that.

If L’Arc or Therese were able to use a curative spell or medicine, then we’d have to start this all over again.

Then what?

I was about to think of how to end the battle when a great spray of water erupted before us, and a shadow appeared.

“How long are you going to take?”

“You?!”

An unexpected visitor landed right between us. I couldn’t believe my eyes.

It made sense. I’d started to wonder about it myself. I’d felt there must have been a connection.

The person before me was so powerful. I hadn’t stood a chance the last time we fought.

She had a refined face, long black hair, and pale skin. She wore a somber kimono, held a folding fan, and her fighting looked like dancing, like art. She had disappeared into a rift during the last wave.

She looked just as she had the last time I saw her. She exuded an oppressive sense of power over the whole area. She was staring straight at me.

It was Glass.

Chapter Thirteen: Soul-Healing Water

“Oh, if it isn’t Glass? What are you up to?”

“Clearly I’ve defeated the enemy and come looking for you.”

L’Arc was talking to Glass as if they knew each other.

Could it be? I’d considered the possibility before, but were they really connected?

From the look of it, they seemed to be friends. Damn! Filo and I had been about to win! With Glass in the mix, I didn’t see that as a possibility anymore.

“Now then. Naofumi, was it? We’ve met before.”

She regarded me quietly and spoke politely.

“I wasn’t hoping to see you again.”

“I’m impressed you made this much headway against L’Arc. And from the look of that shield, you hadn’t even gotten serious yet.”

“What?! He wasn’t trying?”

L’Arc was shocked.

“Correct. When he fights for real, he uses a shield that’s very different from the one he has equipped now.”

“Oh, then I guess I really never stood a chance.”

It’s not that I wasn’t fighting for real. It’s that the Wrath Shield asks too much from me.

“Heh. This guy was using a defense rating attack—I couldn't use my best shield because of that.”

“I see.”

Glass opened a folding fan and pointed it at me.

“Then I suppose I will have to join this fight myself.”

“I’d really rather not fight you, but I guess I don’t have a choice.”

I took a step forward and readied my shield.

“Counting the wave boss, this makes round three.”

Honestly I was annoyed. I didn’t want to keep fighting without a break.

But the other heroes were useless, and the queen couldn’t do anything to help. How was I supposed to fight these people without any support?

“Ha!”

She snapped open her fan and swiped at me. Her attack flowed like water.

Based on what I’d seen the last time we’d fought, I didn’t have to worry too much unless I was using the Wrath Shield.

I raised my shield and blocked her attack.

Soul eat activated and drained Glass’s . . . SP?

“What? That shield!”

Understanding the shield I was using, Glass took a long jump backwards.

What was happening? Glass was behaving like it was the first time she’d ever been hurt.

And her attack had felt much weaker than the last time we’d fought. What was happening?

I had the Soul Eater Shield equipped.

It had a counter effect called soul eat, which stole the enemy’s SP.

If the enemy didn’t have SP, it stole their magic power.

“L’Arc, you understand, right?”

“Yeah.”

L’Arc stepped forward and Glass opened her fan wide.

“Circle dance break! Tortoise shell shatter!”

I felt like she was moving slower than she had last time too.

I used air strike shield to block her attack.

“Naofumi, I’m coming!”

L’Arc spun around my skill and moved in close to use his defense rating attack.

“Don’t even try!”

Before he could hit me, Filo reached out and grabbed the handle of his scythe, preventing the attack from connecting.

That was smart. If she held the handle then she could throw off his control of the blade.

“Ms. Glass! There’s no choice!”

Therese pulled out a gemstone and threw it at Raphtalia.

“All-encompassing power of the jewel, hear my plea and show yourself. My name is Therese Alexanderite. I am your friend. Lend me your last light! Surrender yourself for the sake of our future!”

“Shining stone, shrinking explosion!”

“?!”

Raphtalia ran to get distance from Therese.

It was the right move. A second later there was an ear-splitting blast and a great rush of searing wind.

Had the gemstone exploded?

Her magic was so strange. From what I’d seen up until know, Therese’s magic worked by using gemstones.

If she would blow one up, did that mean that we were winning?

“Mr. Naofumi!”

Therese used the confusion of the explosion to reunite with L’Arc and Glass.

Raphtalia did the same, running back to Filo and I.

With us all back together, there was only one thing left to do.

“Shooting star shield!”

A force field appeared around us.

“L’Arc, hurry and show me your wounds.”

“Sorry, Therese . . . .”

Therese used magic to heal his gashed arm.

“You’re much stronger then the last time we met. You really are a hero.”

“I know.”

“It’s hard to call it a fair fight. But I won’t hold back now.”

Glass opened her fan wide and prepared to use a skill. It had defeated the other three heroes in one shot the last time we met. I remembered it.

At the same time, Therese was preparing a spell.

This wasn’t looking good. Were they about to use a combo skill!?

“All-encompassing power of the jewel, hear my plea and show yourself. My name is Therese Alexanderite. I am your friend. Defeat them with a storm of ice!”

“Shining stones, blizzard!”

“Combination form. Reverse hail snow moon flower!”

Like cherry blossoms on the breeze, the wind carried daggers of ice on in a quickening squall.

“Shield prison!”

I used shield prison inside of the shooting star shield force field to protect us.

A few seconds after Glass initiated her attack the force field shattered. The shield prison rocked in the winds and ice.

I could feel the attack power rattling the shields around us. The winds died down just as the shield prison’s effect time wore out.

“He survived our combo skill?”

“We’ve gotten stronger since the last time we met. Don’t forget it.”

“It seems I’ve underestimated you.”

I thought I saw an expression of anxiety flit over her face.

Exactly. This fight felt a lot different than the last one had.

If we’d been able to survive that attack from Glass, it was proof that we’d become a lot more powerful since the last time we met.

But there was something even more intriguing than that. I had to know why Glass had seemed so intimidated by the Soul Eater Shield.

It looked like she had jumped back, almost scared, from its counter attack.

Alright, it was time for our attack now.

“Raphtalia, Filo, it’s going to be tough, but try to keep L’Arc and Therese at bay and focus your attacks on Glass. If you can’t avoid them entirely, you can let a few of their attacks through. Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.”

“Alright.”

“What are you gonna do?”

“Don’t worry about me.”

“Mkay!”

We all agreed on the plan and turned to begin the attack.

“Shooting star shield!”

See, the force field also prevented anyone not in your party from crossing into range. So we couldn’t get a grip on them and restrain them, but by keeping my party members safe within the force field we were free to focus on attacking.

But if the enemy’s attacks exceeded what the field could withstand, then it would break instantly. So I’d have to keep an eye on it.

Raphtalia and Filo used the force field as a shield and drew Glass and L’Arc’s attacks.

Glass attacked and attacked, again and again, her impatience growing increasingly evident.

Finally, there was a splintering sound as the force field reached its limit and broke.

“Now! Circle dance form, tortoise . . . .”

“Hya!”

Filo drew back and clawed ferociously at Glass’s fan.

“You! Get off!”

Glass swung the fan to try and knock Filo back.

Now!

“Air strike shield! Change shield!”

I turned the air strike shield into what I had been using since the start—the Soul Eater Shield.

Glass’s attack was flying at Filo, but my skill was faster. Her attack collided with the shield.

“What?! No . . . .”

The soul eat counter attack activated, and Glass immediately made to dodge it.

I knew it!”

That confirmed it. Glass was weak against the soul eat attack.

“Raphtalia!”

“What is it?”

“Do you have the magic sword?”

“Yes.”

“That’s our trump card this time. Give it all your power and thrust it into her!”

We didn’t have any other way to use it, so we might as well put it to use while we could.

“Understood! Hyaaaaa!”

“Not so fast!”

L’Arc dashed over to cut her off.

“Don’t forget about meeee!”

Filo crosscut and stopped L’Arc from advancing. Now nothing was in Raphtalia’s way.

I followed her, bringing up the rear.

“Ms. Glass!”

Therese crossed her wrists and chanted a spell.

“All-encompassing power of the jewel, here my plea and show yourself. My name is Therese Alexanderite. I am your friend. Halt their advance with a wall of flame!”

“Shining stones, flame wall!”

A wall of raging flames surged up to protect them.

I leveled my shield and kept running right for it.

The force field was reaching its limit. The air was filled with crackling snaps—the wall must have been very powerful.

But it wasn’t enough.

“I . . . I can’t stop them!”

“Better not underestimate us!”

L’Arc and the others were so strong it was remarkable.

Honestly, I thought they might even be more powerful than the high priest had been, and he had a replica of the legendary weapons.

But they weren’t powerful enough to stop me.

Their best attacks were the defense ignoring and the defense rating attacks. Once I found away around those, I knew how to defeat them.

Still, if they got a chance to pummel us with close range attacks, we might not get control of the battle again.

We had to finish it before L’Arc got a chance to interfere!

“Raphtalia!”

“Yes!”

She fixed her grip on her magic sword and thrust it at Glass.

“I don’t think so!”

Glass judged the path of the blade and blocked with her fan.

This had happened in our last fight, and it had broken Raphtalia’s blade.

“Not quite!”

But the magic sword didn’t have a physical blade to break.

Raphtalia held back her magic power just before the blade hit the fan, and the blade wavered and vanished. Judging the timing, Raphtalia pivoted and then the blade reappeared—thrusting straight into Glass’s stomach.

But it hadn’t pierced through her. Was the attack power too low?

“What?!”

Glass was speechless.

For a single moment, the blade of the magic sword sparked.

“ARRRGHHHHHHH!”

Raphtalia screamed as she focused all her remaining magic power into the blade. It sparked and crackled and slipped into Glass.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

Glass wrapped her hands around the crackling blade and tried to pull it out. But Raphtalia focused further, pressing the sword in deeper before releasing her grip and jumping away.

The blade sparked again and then exploded with a blinding flash.

“Whoa!”

The light was so bright that I could hardly keep my eyes open.

I ran to Raphtalia and used my shield to block the light.

“Glass!”

L’Arc shout to Glass and tried to wrest himself free from Filo.

The area was filling with smoke. That’s how powerful the magic explosion had been.

We’d hit Glass in her weakest point. I hoped that would end the battle.

The smoke cleared.

Huff . . . .

“It’s . . . .”

Huff . . . .

“No problem at all . . . .”

Glass was still standing. She held her stomach and was breathing heavily. She looked like she might collapse at any moment.

Damn! It hadn’t been a finishing move after all.

But it had done plenty of damage. If there was a time for a follow-up attack, it was now.

“Ms. Glass. We must retreat for now.”

“No . . . . Not yet. I mustn’t retreat!”

“Glass! Dammit! Move!”

“Hey!”

L’Arc threw off Filo and ran to Glass’s side.

“Filo, are you okay?”

“Yup!”

Alright, we could still fight.

We’d backed Glass into a corner. Now even if they used restorative magic, she’d still be exhausted.

And I still had the Wrath Shield if I needed it.

As a last resort I could get the timing right and use iron maiden.

After powering up, the Air Strike Shield skill had a higher defense than it had.

So it was probably safe to assume that the attack power of iron maiden had gone up as well. If I defended with the Soul Eater Shield, then I could get back my lost SP too. And I could always drink a soul-healing water and use the skill in succession.

“Glass. Stay still.”

What? Something that looked like soul-healing water was dribbling out of L’Arc scythe and falling onto Glass.

That was all, but a strange look immediately crossed Glass’s face. She looked relieved.

“Rapid energy recovery?!”

Glass was as surprised as I was. What was going on?!

“Naofumi, you’re really something. You haven’t left us any spare room to maneuver, have you? I wanted to hang on to this, but you’ve forced me to play my trump card.”

L’Arc kept pouring the soul-healing water over Glass.

Her cheeks immediately flushed a healthy red.

I couldn’t explain it, but she looked even more powerful than she had before.

“L’Arc, what is this?”

“For me it’s a drink that refills my skill power. But for you it’s an amazingly powerful power up tool.”

“Oh yes. I see.”

Glass was on her feet in a flash. She narrowed her eyes at me.

I was getting a bad feeling about this.

“I’m going.”

Glass said it, and then she was right in front of me—before I could even blink!

Had she teleported? No, she had just moved so quickly that I hadn’t been able to follow her.

Luckily my shield was already positioned between us.

“Hyaaa!”

The strongest attack yet slammed against my shield. I felt it reverberate in my hands.

“Damn!”

The attack had been so powerful my arm felt numb.

What was going on? I’d been able to withstand her most powerful attacks just a few minutes ago!