Author notes at the end pls read~~~
Nihilux POV
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The beast growled, low and deep.
Then its tail moved.
It was faster than I expected.
The barbed tail extended, suddenly wreathed in purple flames, whipping toward my barrier with incredible speed.
I reinforced the barrier immediately, pushing more energy into it.
The tail struck against it.
The impact made the barrier bend inward, Its blue surface warping under the sheer force. A small shockwave rippled outward from the point of contact, kicking up dust and loose stone.
I felt the pressure through my connection to the barrier.
This thing is strong. If I hadn't reinforced the barrier, it might have broken through it.
Before I could counter-attack, the sphinx's mouth opened wide. Purple light gathered in its throat, building rapidly.
The tail pulled back.
The beam fired towards me.
I braced once again.
The purple flame beam hit my barrier and exploded, sending fire in every direction. Heat washed over the barrier's blue surface, flames spreading outward like a wave.
But it didn't push through.
The flame attack is a lot weaker than the tail. Doesn't have much effect on the barrier.
I flicked my hand and cleared the flames. And focuses on the monster.
Stone spikes erupted from the ground beneath the sphinx's jaw, right near where its throat would be. They were sharp and spinning. I flicked my wrist again and sent them shooting upward, driving deep into the beast's throat.
The sphinx's eyes flared.
It let out a strangled roar and immediately started thrashing, shaking its head violently from side to side. Its claws came up to its own throat, gouging at the flesh, trying to pull the spikes out.
Blood or something like blood leaked from the wounds.
I watched it carefully.
Interesting, this beast reacts to pain. Unlike the other monsters in this Wave.
All the zombies and skeletons had just kept coming, no matter what I did to them. Mindless monster just kept coming in a straight line, just one after the other.
But this thing felt pain.
That meant it had some level of intelligence.
The sphinx finally managed to rip the last spike free, tossing it aside. The wounds in its throat were already closing, flesh knitting back together at a visible rate.
Regeneration huh.
It turned its burning red eyes toward me.
I planned to impale this thing with a hundred stone spears.
And with a deep, rumbling growl, it spoke.
"Outsider."
I froze.
Wait. It can speak?
So, it wasn't just a mindless beast.
Before I could process that, the sphinx charged.
It moved from its position and slammed into my barrier with its full body weight, all that mass and momentum concentrated into one point.
For something of its size its surprising fast.
The impact didn't break the barrier, but it sent me sliding backwards several feet.
Immediately followed by another beam attack from its mouth.
I reinforced the barrier again and focused on deflecting the attack. The flames bounced off, scattering to the sides.
As the attack cleared, I thrust both hands downward.
Massive stone hands erupted from the ground beneath the sphinx, fingers wrapping around its body and holding it in place.
The sphinx thrashed immediately, snarling and clawing at the stone grip. Its tail lashed. And wings beating against the restraint.
I stepped back, thinking.
If this thing is intelligent... maybe the skill I got recently will work on it.
{Mental Command}
I'd got it from beating those people in the noble district. It has limitations, like I can't use it on mindless monsters, and the number of active targets it can be used on.
The sphinx was still struggling, violently trying to break free. I could see cracks forming in the stone hand. It wouldn't hold much longer.
And its throat wounds had completely healed already.
Impressive regeneration.
I focused more energy on holding it down, reinforcing the stone grip even as it started to crack.
Then I floated closer.
The sphinx's burning eyes locked onto me as I approached. It snarled, snapping its jaws, but couldn't reach me.
I stopped a few feet away.
Looked directly into those red, burning eye sockets.
And activated the skill.
{MENTAL COMMAND}
I didn't say it out loud. Just pushed my intent directly into the beast's mind with everything I had. Every ounce of mental force I could muster.
{OBEY.}
A notification flashed.
[MENTAL COMMAND FAILED]
[TARGET'S SENSE OF SELF TOO STRONG]
I stared at the text for a moment.
Then smiled.
Oh really? Well, don't mind if I do.
I shifted my focus. The first thread of Parallel Processing had been locked on maintaining the barrier at full strength this entire time.
I pulled it back. Told it to only partially focus on defence, keep the barrier up enough to stop attacks, but not at maximum power.
Then I used that freed mental capacity for something else.
Five iron daggers materialised by opening multiple rifts from my inventory, floating in the air around me. The ones Naofumi had bought for me back in the capital. They were made of magic iron.
It was worth it getting Naofumi to buy these for me.
The sphinx snarled, still struggling against the stone hand.
I sent the first dagger forward.
It drove into the sphinx's shoulder, punching through fur and muscle. The beast roared out in pain.
I ripped the dagger out sideways, tearing a gash through its flesh.
Then sent the second dagger into its other shoulder.
Then the third into its side.
The sphinx thrashed harder, trying to break free, but the restraints were holding firm. I reinforced it with one part of my mind while the other coordinated the daggers.
The fourth and fifth daggers joined in.
And then I really started tearing it apart.
The daggers moved in coordinated patterns. Stabbing, slicing, ripping. I wasn't trying to kill it cleanly. I was trying to hurt it as much as I could. I wanted to break that sense of self in the beast that was resisting my command from taking over.
One dagger carved a line down its side, opening a deep wound. Another punched through its wing, tearing the membrane. A third drove into its leg, then twisted.
The sphinx's regeneration had kicked in immediately, wounds were trying to close, but I was making new ones, before the old ones could heal in time.
Its blood was thick and dark. It looked almost black spilled onto the stone. The sphinx's roars turned desperate.
It clawed at the ground, at the stone restraints, at me, at the odd monster who got close to me before I ripped it apart as well, at anything it could reach.
I didn't stop and kept going.
I held it in place while the daggers did their work. It was brutal, really. Each strike is meant to cause maximum damage without killing it outright.
I drove a dagger into its throat again. Ripped it sideways. The sphinx gagged, and began choking on its own blood.
Another dagger carved into its haunch, cutting deep through muscle.
The tail tried to whip at me, flames sputtering weakly. I caught it mid-swing with telekinesis and slammed it into the ground. Then drove a dagger through it, pinning it down.
The sphinx tried to fire another beam attack. The purple light gathered in its mouth, it was weak and flickering.
I shoved a dagger into its jaw from below, disrupting the attack. The energy is discharged harmlessly into the air.
Its regeneration was working overtime now, trying to keep up with the damage. But I could see it slowing down. Each wound took longer to close. The flesh knitted back together more slowly.
Good
I pulled one dagger out of its shoulder and immediately drove it into its chest. Pulled it out. Drove it in again. Over and over again.
The sphinx's struggles were getting weaker.
I watched a deep gash on its side start to close. The flesh is knitting back together a lot slowly now.
On impulse, I extended my telekinetic sense toward it. Not to rip it open again, just to feel what was happening.
And suddenly I could sense it.
A flow of energy. It was an invisible flow of energy that was rushing toward the wound, which originated from somewhere in the beast's chest.
Is it the heart?
It was weaving through the damaged flesh. It wasn't just physical healing; there was a current to it. A magical or biological process was directing energy in damaged parts of the body to vastly increase the process of healing.
I focused my telekinesis on that flow.
Is this magic that I am sensing?
Is this magic that is healing this thing?
I began trying to interrupt this energy I could sense from the monster. It was big, its amount of energy was massive.
It was like trying to dam a river.
The wound stopped closing for a moment.
Then the regeneration pushed back against my interference and resumed. But it was slower and less efficient this time.
I can disrupt it.
I kept the daggers working all the time. Parallel Processing handled their coordination automatically. But now my main focus shifted.
I started sensing where the regeneration was most active across the sphinx's body. The torso. The torn wing. The deeper wounds.
And I applied telekinetic pressure directly on those healing processes.
Each time I disrupted it, the regeneration slowed more. The sphinx's body had to work harder to heal, burning through more reserves for less result.
The last minute or two, I had it down to a rhythm.
Daggers caused damage. My powers prevented healing.
The sphinx couldn't keep up with both.
Its body shrank further, burning through whatever energy reserves it had left, trying to repair itself while I actively blocked the process.
Five minutes.
That's how long I kept it up.
Five minutes of relentless, continuous brutality I caused to this beast.
By the end, the sphinx was maybe three-quarters its original size. Its body had shrunk from the constant damage and regeneration, burning through its reserves trying to heal.
The dark fur was matted with blood. The wings were torn and ragged. One of its legs barely moved anymore.
The burning red eyes had dimmed significantly. Just faint embers now instead of bright flames.
Its regeneration had slowed to a crawl. I watched a gash on its side close over the course of thirty seconds instead of just a few moments.
It was still alive, just barely.
Anymore and it's surely dead.
I recalled the daggers, letting them float around me, dripping with dark blood.
The sphinx lay there in the stone hand's grip, panting. Its breath came in ragged gasps through the wendigo skull.
The fight had gone out of it entirely.
I floated closer again.
Looked into those dimmed, burning eyes.
And activated the skill again.
{MENTAL COMMAND}
{OBEY.}
The sphinx's eyes flared.
It started thrashing.
Head whipping side to side, claws tearing at the stone beneath it. Wings flaring open, then snapping shut. The barbed tail lashed wildly, gouging deep lines into the cliff face.
It was fighting, trying to resist.
Much weaker purple flames burst from its mouth in random directions as it tried to break free. Some of the fire hit the ground. Some shot into the sky. One stream nearly caught me, but I moved aside.
The thrashing continued. A full minute of violent resistance.
Then, slowly, it began to calm.
The movements got smaller.
The flames stopped.
The wings folded back against its sides.
Its head lowered.
And then it went completely still.
I floated next to it.
The sphinx stood there, unmoving. Its burning eyes were still lit, but there was something different about them now.
I landed on the ground in front of it and looked up at the massive creature.
A notification appeared in my vision.
[NEW SKILL ACQUIRED: REGENERATION DISRUPTION]
[Can sense and interfere with biological/magical regeneration processes] [Effectiveness scales with focus and proximity]
[LIMITATIONS: IT CAN'T--]
I dismissed it with a thought and smiled.
You'll make a perfect mount
I let go of holding its healing back and waited for it to heal fully.
.
.
.
It took maybe two minutes for the sphinx to heal completely. By the end, it looked almost as it had when it first landed massive, imposing, those star-patterned wings folded against its sides. The dark fur shimmered like stars again.
The only difference was the eyes. Still burning red, but dimmed. And completely obedient.
Behind me, I could still hear the sounds of the Wave. Monsters were swarming in the distance. Skeletons and zombies were climbing the cliff, though fewer now since most of them had been drawn away or killed by my earlier efforts.
There were only a few monsters left around the cliff, and they were being taken care of by my new parallel mind.
But that didn't matter right now.
I moved closer and reached up, placing one hand on the sphinx's side.
The fur was warm under my palm. Not from fire or the recent battle. It was just naturally... naturally warm.
Now looking at it like this, it's really big as well. If I had to guess, it was almost twice the height of an average person.
I focused and sent a mental command through our connection.
{Stand.}
The sphinx obeyed immediately. It rose to its full height, no longer crouching in that submissive posture.
Nice
{Kneel.}
It lowered itself down smoothly, its front legs bending, bringing its massive body close to the ground. The wendigo skull dipped toward me.
I climbed onto its back, settling myself between the wings. The fur was surprisingly comfortable and dense enough to grip without being rough or scratchy. I could feel the muscles beneath, powerful and ready.
{Rise.}
The sphinx stood, lifting me with it. The motion was smooth, controlled. No resistance at all.
From up here, I had a much better view of the battlefield all around me.
The forest below was still swarming with monsters, though the numbers had thinned considerably. The village in the distance had fires burning in a few places. I could see the smoke rising. And overhead, the cracks in the sky continued to pulse with that sickly purple light, more monsters dropping through every few seconds.
The Wave wasn't over yet, but the number of monsters from before as far less.
And now I had a… pet? Hmm, I will need to think of a name for it. For now, let's just call it Sphinx.
Naming was never my strong suit.
I leaned forward slightly and sent another command.
{Fly.}
Its wings unfurled.
Each one was wider than the sphinx's entire body, those deep purple feathers catching the fading light.
[Author notes~~]
[Picture in comments, ignore the crown, and imagine the tail is sharp like a spearhead~~]
Then the wings beat down once.
We launched into the air.
The cliff fell away beneath us. Wind rushed past my face, whipping through my hair. The sphinx's movements were smooth, each wing beat carrying us higher into the darkening sky.
It felt amazing riding such an amazing creature.
I looked toward the village.
Time to see how Naofumi was doing.
{There.}
I pointed in the direction of the burning buildings.
The sphinx angled toward the village and accelerated.
Wind rushed past as we flew, faster now. The ground blurred beneath us. It could definitely fly much faster, but there was no need to rush.
I glanced back at the cliff as we flew over it.
The entire surface was covered in bodies. Monster corpses were everywhere. It covered almost the surface except the top, where I was. Skeletons shattered into fragments. Zombie knights collapsed in heaps. Dead wasps littered the ground, their wings torn and burned.
All of them were dead.
Was it because they were all mindless monsters that I didn't feel anything killing them.
Nothing was left moving on the cliff.
I shifted my focus internally. The second thread of Parallel Processing had been killing any monster that came to the cliff. But there was nothing left to fight here.
I put it on standby. Ready to activate if needed, but not actively working.
I feel tired.
This was the first time he had ever used his powers so much. And he had killed hundreds, literally, of monsters if not more. He was feeling mentally exhausted and was craving sugar.
No more using powers for today, unless needed… and I want something sweet to eat.
The village was maybe 200 meters away now. I could see the smoke rising more clearly from a few burning buildings. Some movement in the streets below. Villages or adventurers who helped fight the waves, probably. Or maybe it was Naofumi and Raphtalia.
Then the sky above me started to glow.
It was a bright, intense white light that bleeds through the purple cracks.
I looked up.
The cracks were closing.
Not slowly. All at once. The edges pulled together like zippers, sealing shut with visible speed. The purple energy pools collapsed inward, shrinking, vanishing into nothing.
And then, in an instant, everything disappeared.
The cracks. The pools of energy. The monsters still dropping from the sky just... stopped existing mid-fall, blinking out of reality.
The Wave was over.
Beneath me, the sphinx had lurched.
Then it started thrashing violently.
Its whole body twisted violently in the air. Wings beat erratically, no longer synchronised. The smooth flight turned into a chaotic tumble as it bucked and writhed, trying to throw me off its back.
I grabbed onto its fur and held on tight.
What the hell?
A notification flashed in my vision.
[ERROR: MENTAL COMMAND INVALID TARGET] [CANNOT CONTROL MINDLESS CREATURES]
I stared at the text.
Wait.
Did this thing become mindless again now that the Wave ended?
That was the only way it made sense. During the wave, it had intelligence somehow. And now that the wave has ended, it has become a mindless monster.
Like the power that gave it awareness was tied to the Wave itself.
The sphinx roared. That same terrible sound from before, but now filled with rage and confusion instead of obedience.
Its head whipped back toward me, jaws opening wide. Purple light gathered in its throat.
Shit.
I let go of the fur and pushed off hard with my telekinesis, launching myself away from its back.
The sphinx fired.
A stream of purple flame shot past where I'd been sitting half a second ago, close enough that I felt the heat through my barrier.
I reinforced the barrier and dropped, using telekinesis to slow my fall.
Hit the ground hard but managed to stay on my feet. We hadn't gotten far from the cliff. Maybe fifty, sixty meters at most.
The sphinx crashed down a few meters away from me, wings flaring wide to slow its descent. It landed heavily, its claws gouging deep furrows into the dirt.
Then it turned toward me.
Eyes burning bright again.
What a shame.
Now it was just... this. A mindless beast that would attack anything in sight.
There was no bringing it back. My [Mental Command] didn't work on mindless creatures. One of its limitations.
I felt a flicker of annoyance. Frustration, even. All that effort to break its will, to dominate it, and for what? Two minutes of flight before the Wave ended and took its mind away?
And underneath the annoyance... something else. Sadness, maybe. Or regret.
I'd have to kill it now.
Damn.
Would've been an amazing pet.
The sphinx charged at me with a roar.
I raised both hands.
It got maybe three steps before I caught it mid-charge with my telekinesis. Stopped it completely and slammed it into the ground hard.
The impact cracked the earth beneath it, sending up a cloud of dust.
Then I stomped my foot.
Spikes erupted from the ground beneath the sphinx. Dozens of them. Sharp stone lances punching up through its body from below, piercing through fur and muscle and bone.
The sphinx roared in pain. Purple flames burst from its mouth in all directions.
It tried to move, tried to pull itself off the spikes, thrashing desperately.
And then I noticed something.
It was healing.
Not this time.
[REGENERATION DISRUPTION]
I reached out with my telekinetic power and stopped it from healing. Its wounds immediately stopped closing.
Good.
Now I started tearing.
Telekinesis ripped into its body from multiple angles simultaneously. The fur that had shimmered like stars. The wings with stars trapped in the feathers. The flesh beneath.
The sphinx thrashed and roared, purple flames bursting from its mouth in all directions, but I didn't let up.
I kept going.
I ripped the wings off first. They hit the ground in ragged pieces, the patterns of lights like stars fading as they separated from the body.
Then the legs. Pulled them apart at the joints with brutal precision.
The tail came next. He tore it free from the base and crushed it into a tiny ball.
The sphinx was still trying to fight. Still trying to breathe fire. Still trying to heal from the damage.
But it couldn't keep up.
I compressed the torso of the beast inward with overwhelming force. Its bones cracked and splintered. The wendigo skull let out one last hollow roar.
Then I crushed that too. The ram horns snapped. The skull fractured into countless tiny pieces.
Took maybe thirty second's total.
When I was done, there was nothing left but a bloody mess scattered across the scorched ground. Chunks of dark fur and purple feathers, and shattered bone. The ram horns broken into countless tiny pieces. Dark blood was soaking into the dirt.
I stood there for a moment, looking at what was left of the creature.
Then I turned toward the village.
From here, I could see it more clearly now that the Wave was over. The sky had cleared completely, the purple glow gone. Normal twilight remained.
The village looked... relatively okay.
A few houses were on fire. Smoke was rising from a few buildings scattered throughout the settlement. Some structural damage is visible even from this distance a collapsed roof here, The outer was broken in many places.
But it looked almost empty of monsters.
Whatever had been there during the Wave was either dead or had vanished when the cracks closed.
Naofumi must have handled it.
I considered flying there, but I was feeling tired and didn't want to use my powers anymore than needed.
So, I started walking toward the village.
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Narrator POV
Nihilux walked through the village.
The streets were filling up again. People emerging from wherever they'd hidden during the Wave. Most of them looked shaken, some injured, but alive.
He could see a steady stream of villagers coming back from the direction of the mines. Parents carrying children. Old men helping each other walk.
Families reuniting with tears and desperate embraces. A few were crying from grief. Most just looked exhausted and relieved in equal measure.
The fires had mostly been put out. A few buildings were still smoking, blackened timbers barely standing. Soldiers and villagers were working together to handle what remained.
One group was forming a bucket line from the well, passing water hand to hand to douse the flames on a collapsed house. Another was pulling charred wood away from a building that was still intact, trying to prevent the fire from spreading further. The smell of wet ash hung heavy in the air.
Bodies had littered the ground. Monster corpses, mostly. Skeletons shattered into pieces, bones scattered across the dirt like discarded toys. Zombies in various states of decay, some still twitching as whatever dark magic animated them faded. The occasional dead wasp, its wings torn or burned, body crushed and leaking yellowish fluid onto the cobblestones.
A few human bodies, too. There were not many, but enough. They'd been covered with blankets or cloaks, waiting to be identified and moved. A woman had knelt beside one of them, sobbing quietly alone.
Nihilux stepped over a skeleton's ribcage and kept walking.
As he moved through the village, he started noticing the looks people gave him.
A soldier was directing villagers near a collapsed building when he spotted Nihilux.
Further down the street, Nihilux passed two elderly women sitting on a low stone wall. One of them, grey-haired with a weathered face, stared at him as he walked by. After he'd passed, he heard her whisper to her companion, "Who is that boy? Why isn't he helping with the cleanup?"
The other woman's voice was quieter but still audible. "Leave him be, Martha. It's not our business."
Near what used to be the village square, a group of young men was helping move debris from a collapsed shop. They looked like adventurers based on their gear; a few had mismatched leather armour, weapons at their belts.
One of them, maybe twenty years old with a sword strapped to his back, nudged his companion and jerked his head toward Nihilux. "Look at that guy. Just strolling through as if nothing happened."
His friend, slightly older with a bow across his shoulders, glanced over. "Probably in shock. Some people deal with it by going numb."
A third one, younger, frowned. "What are those weird clothes? What even is that?"
"Don't know. Never seen anything like it."
They went back to work, but Nihilux could feel their eyes on him as he passed.
He turned down another street and heard voices ahead. A small group had gathered near a partially destroyed house some villagers, a few adventurers, and a couple of soldiers. They were discussing the damage.
"Do we even have enough lumber to rebuild?" An older man was asking, gesturing at the destroyed buildings around them. "The lumber mill was damaged, too. I saw the roof collapse during the fight."
A woman in a carpenter's apron shook her head. "We'll have to source it from the capital or the next town over, unless we can fix the mill."
One of the soldiers, a grizzled veteran with grey in his beard, crossed his arms. "I saw the mayor talking to those knights earlier. Think the crown will send aid?"
Someone laughed bitterly.
Nihilux kept walking, leaving their debate behind.
Near the edge of the square, he passed another group of adventurers. These ones were younger, newer to the profession if their excited chatter was any indication.
"Did you see the size of that wasp?!" One of them was practically bouncing on his feet, grinning despite the destruction around them. "I mean, it was huge! Bigger than a horse!"
His companion, a girl maybe sixteen or seventeen, nodded enthusiastically and said something.
"Shut up and move the bodies."
The voice came from an older adventurer, probably in his thirties, who was dragging a zombie corpse toward a growing pile. His expression was flat, tired, and annoyed. "People died. Show some respect, would you."
The younger ones went quiet, chastened, and got back to work.
Nearby, a different group was working with more mercenary efficiency. One of them, a hard-faced woman with scars on her arms, was kneeling next to a dead demon dog. She had a knife out and was carefully extracting something from its mouth.
Someone else nearby was talking, a younger adventurer addressing a small group. "I heard the Grand Guild Master herself is coming from the capital tomorrow."
"As if, why would the guild master come herself from the capital?"
Nihilux continued past them all.
The village was coming back to life in stages. The immediate panic was over, replaced by the grim work of recovery. People were already organising, already planning, already rebuilding even as they grieved.
He was looking for Naofumi.
It didn't take long to find him.
Naofumi was standing near the centre of the village, close to a group of injured villagers. Some of them were being bandaged by others. A middle-aged man had a deep cut across his arm that someone was wrapping with torn cloth, the makeshift bandage already soaking through with blood.
An elderly woman sat on a wooden crate, her leg splinted with what looked like pieces of a broken spear shaft. She grimaced every time someone adjusted it.
A younger woman was being helped by what looked like her husband, his arm supporting her as she limped. A gash across her forehead had been bandaged.
A few soldiers were nearby, helping distribute water and supplies. One of them was handing out bread to a family with three children, the kids grabbing at it hungrily. Another soldier was checking on an injured man, examining a wound on his side.
Naofumi wasn't doing anything in particular. Just standing there, shield still on his arm, watching the scene with a tired expression. His shoulders were slumped. There was blood on his armor not his own, and dirt smudged across his face.
Nihilux walked over, boots crunching on scattered debris.
Naofumi noticed him approaching and nodded. "Hey."
Nihilux nodded back but didn't respond verbally. He was tired. Not physically, he wasn't injured during the wave, but mentally. The constant fighting of so many monsters, the sphinx battle, and using his new regeneration disruption skill repeatedly. It had all added up.
Speaking felt like too much effort right now.
They stood there for a moment in silence, just watching the chaos of recovery efforts around them silently.
"Where were you during the Wave?" Naofumi asked eventually. "I saw that light on the cliff earlier. The bright blue one. That drew all the monsters away from me when I was stuck on the watchtower surrounded by zombies." He paused, looking toward the cliff in the distance. "Was that you?"
Nihilux nodded again.
"Thought so." Naofumi squinted at the cliff, studying it more carefully. From here, you could see the damage. Part of it looked like it had been carved away, sections of rock just... missing. And the entire surface was dark. From the bodies of monsters.
The whole cliff was covered with the corpses of countless dead monsters. Hundreds. Scattered across the rock face, piled at the base, some still hanging from where they'd been climbing when they died. "What the hell happened up there? It looks like you fought an entire army."
Nihilux just shrugged.
Naofumi let out a tired laugh. "Right. The usual." He shook his head.
"We've been here less than a month, and this is already normal." He sighed.
Blue text appeared in the air, glowing softly.
You did well here, Naofumi. The village is still standing, and most people also survived.
Naofumi's expression darkened slightly. His jaw tightened. "Most."
The word hung in the air between them.
Before either of them could say more, Raphtalia came running up from a side street, weaving between groups of villagers.
"Master Naofumi! Master Nihilux!" She was slightly out of breath but smiling. Her sword was still in her hand, though it was sheathed now. There was blood on her clothes zombie blood, probably, dark and thick but she didn't seem injured. Just tired and dirty.
"There are no monsters left in the village. I checked everywhere. The houses, the alleys, the storage buildings, even the barn on the edge of town. We got them all."
Naofumi nodded, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. "Good work, Raphtalia. Thank you."
Then she stopped, really looking at Nihilux for the first time. Her smile faltered slightly as she took in his appearance.
He was clean. Completely clean. There was no blood on his strange jacket, no dirt smeared across his face, no visible injuries. His clothes looked almost pristine compared to everyone else in the village.
She looked down at herself covered in zombie blood, dirt caked on her arms and legs, her new outfit already showing signs of hard fighting and wear.
Then back at Nihilux.
"You're... not hurt at all?" She asked, confusion clear in her voice. "Master Nihilux, where were you during the Wave? What happened?"
Nihilux looked at her for a moment, then shrugged.
More blue text appeared.
I was on the cliff.
Raphtalia waited, clearly expecting more explanation. When none came, she pressed on. "But... you're not even dirty. How did you-" She gestured at him, then at herself. "I fought maybe a few dozen zombies and I look like this. You look like you just went for a walk."
Another shrug from Nihilux.
My barrier kept me clean.
That was technically true. His psychic barrier had prevented blood and gore from reaching him during most of the fighting.
Raphtalia frowned, not entirely satisfied with that answer, but she seemed to recognise that pushing further wouldn't get her anywhere. She'd learned over the past week that Nihilux didn't elaborate unless he felt like it, which was rarely.
"Well... I'm glad you're safe," she said finally. "I was worried when I didn't see you after the Wave ended. I thought maybe..." She trailed off, not wanting to voice what she'd thought.
I'm fine.
"I can see that." She managed a small smile, though there was still concern in her eyes. "Did you draw the monsters away from the town?"
Nihilux was not paying attention to her and was looking around towards the people, and seemed not to realise that Raphtalia still waited to ask more questions.
She waited for a bit, then also looked around at the villagers being helped, the families reuniting, the children who'd survived were hugging their parents. Her expression shifted from shock to something more contemplative.
"I'm glad," she said quietly. "I'm glad we were able to save these people." Her voice got even softer, barely above a whisper. "If nothing else... I'm glad I was able to help prevent some other children from going through what I had to go through."
Her hand unconsciously went to her chest, fingers touching the spot where the slave crest had been. Where Naofumi had paid to have it removed. The skin there was smooth and unmarked now.
Naofumi placed a hand on her shoulder gently. "You did well Raphtalia. Really well. You saved a lot of lives today."
She looked up at him and smiled, eyes shining slightly. "Thank you, Master Naofumi."
Nihilux watched this exchange silently and thought that.
It was good. Naofumi needed someone who believed in him. And Raphtalia needed someone to protect, someone to prove to herself that she could make a difference.
They stood there for a moment, the three of them, watching the villagers slowly piece their lives back together. Watching hope return to this town bit by bit.
A cart rolled past, loaded with supplies. Medical supplies, probably, based on the white cloth and bandages visible in the back.
Someone was singing somewhere. A low, mournful tune. Probably for the dead who departed this world.
Nihilux closed his eyes as he listened to the singing voice and wished for those who died to find peace in the afterlife.
Raphtalia broke the silence. "Master Nihilux, are you sure you're alright? You're being even quieter than usual."
I am just tired, Raphtalia, nothing much.
She accepted that with a nod, though she still looked concerned. "Did you use a lot of energy fighting all those monsters?"
Yes.
"You should rest when we get back to the inn."
Planning to.
Naofumi glanced at Nihilux. "When you say tired, do you mean actually tired or just... done with today?"
Nihilux considered the question.
Both.
That got a small laugh from Naofumi, the first genuine one since the Wave ended. "Yeah. I honestly feel that too."
Then a group of people approached.
Five or six villagers, led by an older man with a weathered face and grey hair pulled back in a short tail. He wore simple clothes a farmer's tunic and worn trousers, but there was something about the way he carried himself that suggested authority.
Probably the village chief, based on the way the others deferred to him, stayed a respectful step behind as they walked.
The old man stopped a few feet away from Naofumi and bowed deeply. His back bent low, forehead nearly touching his knees, hands pressed together in front of him.
"Sir Hero," he said, his voice rough with emotion that he was barely keeping in check. "Thank you. Thank you very much. Please accept our deepest gratitude. Because of you, all of us were able to survive this nightmare."
The other villagers behind him bowed as well, just as deeply. A younger man, maybe thirty, with a bandage around his head. Two women, one middle-aged with dirt streaked across her face and one elderly with kind eyes. A teenage boy who couldn't be more than fifteen.
"We're so grateful you were here," the middle-aged woman said, her voice shaking with emotion.
"You saved my children," the younger man added. His eyes were wet. "My whole family. We thought we were going to die when those skeleton knights broke into our home, but then you were there-" His voice broke slightly. He swallowed hard. "Thank you. From the bottom of my heart."
"Thank you, Sir Shield Hero," the elderly woman said, her voice quavering.
"We'll never forget what you did for us," the teenage boy said earnestly. "Never."
"Thank you. Thank you so much."
Naofumi looked uncomfortable with the attention. His jaw tightened, and he rubbed the back of his neck, looking away from their grateful faces. He wasn't used to this genuine gratitude. Not in this kingdom, at least. But he was glad he could help these people.
"It's nothing," he said quietly. "It was just my duty. I'm a Hero. This is what I'm supposed to do."
He turned away slightly, looking toward the horizon. The sun was starting to set properly now, painting the sky in shades of deep orange and red and purple. Long shadows stretched across the village, making the destruction look even more stark.
The villagers bowed one final time, even deeper than before, holding it for several long seconds, then began to walk away. Returning to their families or helping with the cleanup efforts. The village chief paused and placed a hand over his heart, looking at Naofumi one more time, before turning and following the others.
Raphtalia watched them go, still smiling softly. There was something peaceful in her expression. Like she'd found closure in something. Like she'd proven to herself that she could protect others the way she wished someone had protected her.
A few minutes passed in relative quiet. The sounds of the village recovering filled the air. Hammering as someone started repairs on a damaged roof. Quiet conversations as people checked on each other. A child laughing somewhere, the sound almost jarring against the backdrop of destruction but also somehow hopeful.
Then Nihilux heard different footsteps.
A group of soldiers approached from the direction of the main road that led back to the capital. Five of them, all wearing polished armour that caught the fading sunlight, with the royal crest emblazoned on the chest, a crowned shield in gold on blue. One of them, clearly the leader, had more elaborate armour than the rest. Gold trim on the pauldrons. A red cape that hung from his shoulders. A ceremonial longsword at his hip, the scabbard decorated with silver filigree.
A royal knight.
The knight stopped in front of them and inclined his head respectfully. An acknowledgement of their status as Heroes.
"Sir Shield Hero," he said formally, his voice carrying the practised politeness of court, then glanced at Raphtalia and Nihilux. "And companions."
Naofumi's expression shifted slightly. The warmth from moments ago was gone, replaced by something more guarded.
"Yes?" he said, voice flat and neutral.
"His Majesty the King has requested your presence at the castle," the knight continued in that same formal tone. "A grand celebration is being held tonight to commemorate our victory over the Wave. All the Heroes are invited, along with their parties and companions."
Naofumi's jaw tightened. His hand flexed on his shield.
"A celebration," he said.
"Yes, sir. His Majesty wishes to honour all who fought bravely today against the forces of the Wave." The knight paused, then added, "Transportation has already been arranged. Carriages are waiting on the main road. We can escort you back to the capital whenever you're ready to depart."
Raphtalia glanced between Naofumi and the knight, uncertain. She could sense the tension but didn't quite understand it.
The silence stretched for several long seconds.
Finally, Naofumi spoke. "Give us a few minutes."
The knight bowed, more deeply this time. "Of course, sir. We'll wait here. Take whatever time you need."
He and the other four soldiers stepped back about ten paces, giving them space but remaining close enough to be ready when called.
Naofumi turned to face Nihilux and Raphtalia, his back to the soldiers.
"Well," he said quietly, his voice bitter and tired. "Guess we're going to a party."
He didn't sound particularly excited about it. If anything, he sounded like he was heading to an execution.
Raphtalia looked confused, her brow furrowing. "Master Naofumi? Is something wrong? Isn't it a good thing that the King wants to honour us?"
Naofumi didn't answer right away. He just stared at the ground for a moment, jaw working.
"The king hates me," he said finally, voice low. "Nihilux, you know that. He made that very clear from the beginning. So why would he suddenly invite me to a celebration? Why would he want to 'honor' me?"
Nihilux shrugged.
Politics. He has to invite all the Heroes. It would look bad if he didn't and….
Also, we did just beat a wave of catastrophe. Maybe he wants to give the people a reason to celebrate, be happy.
"Yeah," Naofumi muttered darkly. "That's what I figured." He looked back toward the soldiers waiting for them. "It's all for show."
He was quiet for another moment, then sighed heavily.
"Fine. Let's get this over with."
.
.
.
And so, the 4 holy heroes and their companions travelled back to the royal capital to attend a party hosted by the king to celebrate defeating the wave.
A party that would be attended by most of the nobles of the kingdom, as it was the kingdom's first victory over the Waves of Catastrophe with the help of the legendary heroes.
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Author Notes~~
Damn, i ended up changing the the entire fight scene. which means now i also need to rework the new draft for chapter 9 AGAIN. And i will probably need to push the Naofumi going to the village off into the next chapter after that one.
Sometimes i feel i should increase the pace of the story,but i really don't want to.
still this chapter is a just a little bit shorter than the ones before it.
I had planned it to be around 8k, but it ended up being around 7k.
i did't want to cut the chapter off in the middle of the celebration party. So I decided to make the chapter a little shorter. oh well.
Anyways pls tell me what you think of the fight scenes from this and the previous chapter.
Since nihilux uses telekinesis i can't really write him like idk..... 99% strong characters with the way fights.
I think I did a good enough job. but PLEASE GIVE ME FEEDBACK. i have no idea if you guys will like the fight sequence or not, so tell me what you think so I know for the future.