The 5th Hero

Axe vs. Spear!

The wave is finally over and our heroes emerged victorious. Now, it's going to be a little while until the next wave hits, allowing the heroes to grow stronger and gain even more new abilities. I've got some interesting ones lined up along the way, but for now, we come to one of the most epic moments in this entire series. Now normally, this part would have the shield hero pitted against the spear hero, but if you can make any guesses by the title, then i'm sure you can guess where i'm going with this chapter. Oh, and lastly, my internet source currently isn't strong enough for me to look up my sources for material, so i'm going in blind on this chapter with only my memory to help. Wish me luck! Now, with that out of the way, enjoy!

When the evening came around the next day, a party was hosted for the five cardinal heroes for their victory during the wave. Even Naofumi was invited despite the recent accusations against him. The party was hosted in the ballroom of the royal castle. All the heroes were spread out, each having crowds around them except for Naofumi. Motoyasu was surrounded by a crowd of women, while Ren and Itsuki were surrounded by their own party members. Around me and Neela were a mix of guests who thanked us for our service during the wave. "I hear you were able to defend a nearby village from an invasion of monsters. You two must be mighty strong for doing that all on your own." One of the guests said to me as he took a sip from his drink. "Thank you, but we weren't on our own. We teamed up with the shield hero and his party member to defend that town. We actually made a pretty good team." I explained as some of the guests began to look a little disgusted. "You team up with him? Why would you do such a thing? Who would want to even be with a monster like the shield hero?" A woman said. "Oh give me a break. He's one of the cardinal heroes, just like me. Without him, you may not even be alive. So show some respect. Sure, he might have done some questionable things in the past but he still did his duty and defended the land from the wave. So zip it!" I said to the woman as I walked away and over to Naofumi. 

He and Raphtalia were standing away from everyone by a window. Raphtalia looked like she was trying to get Naofumi to try some cake. "Not one for parties?" I asked him. "Just not a fan of the crowd. I know that i'm not really wanted here." Naofumi said to me. "I'm sure that's the case for most here, but at least you've got the two of us." I said, referring to myself and Neela. But, as we began to have a conversation, Motoyasu appeared and interrupted us. He had taken off one of the gloves on his hand and he threw it at Naofumi's feet. "Naofumi.... it's time to fight." He said to him with obvious anger in his voice. "Why would you want to fight me?" Naofumi asked him. "Don't play stupid. I want to fight you because of what you've done to poor Raphtalia." Motoyasu said. "And what exactly have I done to her?" Naofumi asked. "She's your slave! You have her under constant abuse!" Motoyasu explained as I had to step in. "That's enough, Motoyasu. You clearly haven't had your eyes open at all! Naofumi hasn't been abusing Raphtalia! Just look at her! Doesn't she seem very happy to you!? But go on, tell me she looks like someone who's being abused!" I said as Myne, now a member of Motoyasu's party stepped in. "I hear the shield hero isn't the only one with a slave. You have one too, axe hero!" Myne stated as everyone in the ballroom began to turn their heads toward us. "Yes, actually, I do. But take a look at her. Does she look like she's suffering? Or i'm abusing her? No. I don't treat her like a slave. I treat her like i'm her mother. And the same can be said for Naofumi and Raphtalia." I said, staring directly at Myne. "And you could be easily lying about it all. There's no way for either of you to prove it. Now, stand aside axe hero. Mr. Motoyasu has challenged the shield hero." Myne said to me. "I don't think so. Come on, Raphtalia, we're leaving." Naofumi said as the two of them began to leave. Myself and Neela followed as we were through with this whole party as well. 

However, as we made it to a staircase, we were stopped halfway down by some royal guards. We were blocked from in front and behind us and the guards grabbed Neela and Raphtalia, taking them away from us. "What's the meaning of this!? Return my friend to me, now!" I demanded as the king appeared. "It has come to my attention that you and the shield hero have slaves in your parties. This is unacceptable. But, I have decided to make an acception, provided you agree with my terms." The king said as I turned to listen to him. "The shield hero and the spear hero will do battle. If the spear hero wins, then both of you must release your slaves. But, if the shield hero wins, then you may keep them." The king explained. "Seeing as you probably won't give us back our friends if we refuse, it seems we have no choice. But, instead of Naofumi, I will be the one to battle Motoyasu." I said as the king sighed and then nodded. "So be it. Let us gather in the courtyard where we will witness the battle between the spear hero and the axe hero!" The king said as we headed to the battleground.