Rise of the Soul Hero

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***

A few days later, everyone was ready for the upcoming battle. The wave was due to start in twenty minutes. The cart, in which they had packed everything they needed, was almost bursting with potions and other things. The four of them were just waiting for it to start.

Naofummi was checking his stats. Raftalia was examining her sword and the gift Naofumi had given her. In addition, a special sword to fight enemies that can hide in the shadows and have no body. Firo had already turned into a bird, while flicking her feathers. Andrew, simply stood leaning against the wall, while looking up at the sky.

In his scabbard, were his swords that had not been replaced. And in his muscles, he could still feel the pleasant ache from sparring with Ren. Even now, he remembered their friendly fight, a fight through which they had become quite good friends. But for now, Andrei decided to interrupt his memories. Stretching slightly, he walked over to Naofumi, and with a quick glance, examined him, from head to toe.

Naofumi, on top of his barbarian armour, was wearing a piece of the same dragon armour that had almost caused Andrew to leave this world. After thinking about it for a while, Andrei decided to start talking.

- Naofumi, are you sure it's safe to wear armour made of something that could kill us? I'm not an expert in such matters, but I think that creatures like dragons often retain their souls in the remains of their bodies. -

Andrei scratched his head nervously. Naofumi, in turn, thought for a short while, and then began to give an answer.

- Maybe you're right Andrei, but we don't have to choose, everything we have will be useful, no matter what it is, and in addition, you'll be close by, and if something happens, your formidable fist will quickly descend on my frowning face. -

Naofummi smiled slightly as he said these words and continued to check all the characteristics. Andrew, again, did not think for a long time, but decided to start talking.

- By the way, remember that strange power, you were angry then, well, if it happens again. I'll have to use it, probably more than a slap in the face. I hope you understand. -

Naofumi shifted his gaze from his invisible features to Andrew, and then began to respond.

- I remember that, and I took it into account that time, so don't worry, I'll give you the go-ahead for full-fledged attacks on me. But I myself will try to control myself. The most important thing is to have you by my side. -

After saying all those words, he switched off his characteristics. Then he stood up to his full height and stretched a little, and then continued to speak, rubbing his palms.

- Well, we have exactly five minutes left. I hope we will not fail and will be able to help as many people as possible, it all depends on us, the other heroes, as usual, will deal with the greater threat, but our task. is to help people. -

Everyone wanted to say something, but at that moment, they heard them being called out, turning round they saw the soldiers who wanted to help Naofumi. They ran up to Naorfumi very quickly, and one of them, handed him a pouch that sounded like it had coins in it. He then made a smile and began to speak with quite a lot of vigour.

- We have collected the money you spoke of. Hopefully now, we can join you and your team. -

Andrew immediately walked up to him, then gently patted him on the shoulder and began to speak, with the same smile on his face.

- Welcome to our ship, called Team. Do you want to know a little secret? Money is not the main thing, the main thing was your determination. -

Hearing these words, the young knight looked at Andrei and then at Naofumi. The latter in turn, with a small smile, began to clarify.

- You're sorry, it was a test that you successfully passed. Now, I'm more than sure that you really want to help. As for the money, keep it, if all goes well, you'll need it for better equipment. In the meantime, I hope you're ready for what's coming. -

In a second, the young squad looked even happier, and they said they were ready for anything. Naofumi was very pleased with this, he quickly enrolled them into the squad, and in just a minute, they were all transported to a village that was quite familiar to Andrei.

But despite the fact that they were here instantly, there were already monsters in the area. For this reason, Naofumi turned to the newcomers and then began to speak.

- ''Alright guys, quickly put your feet up and help the people. Don't worry, we'll cover you, so you don't have to worry, but we have to do everything as quickly as possible, otherwise, we won't be able to protect the people and destroy the enemies. -

Everyone immediately agreed with his words, and so it began. Quickly running forward, Andrew made two quick swings of his blades, cutting off the heads of the undead monsters. Their bodies fell to the ground, and Andrew, side by side with Raftalia, continued to cut a path for the younger squad and Naofumi.

After a while, Firo jumped in front of them, chopping up all the monsters that came her way with her claws, turning it into a bloodthirsty meat grinder, which was spinning, as if it was not going to stop, and its screws were not going to break or fly out of this meat grinder. But with all this, the people who were in danger were saved thanks to this meat grinder.

In the end, of course, walking to a rather wide street, our four and the newcomers, saw a rather strange situation. A rather elderly woman, with blows of her feet and hands, was sending the monsters to the other side of the world. After a few seconds, she noticed everyone, and with a kind smile, began to speak.

- Oh guys, you're already here, quite quickly, by the way, thank you for that potion. It cured me and gave me back my youthful vigour. -

Naofumi looked at her, and with visible surprise, began to speak.

- Yes, I remember you, you're the grandmother of the guy we gave a lift to. To be honest, I'm rather surprised. But I guess we could use some help. People have been rescued, but the monsters won't stop pouring in. -

As the battle continued, Granny began to speak again.

- This wave would have ended long ago, in fact, the rest of the heroes are already there. Except they're still in there. So, take the girl, the bird and the white-haired man, and go there, without you, they will not manage without you, but don't worry about us, I'm sure the boys will help me properly. -

Saying this, she killed another monster with a kick and continued smiling. The young ones quickly came up to her and started to help her, and one of them also started talking.

- Don't worry, we can handle it. Now, you'd better be where the other heroes are, if you don't go there, then this wave will be a hundred times harder, and can take the lives of even those we've already helped. -

Naofumi thought for only a few seconds, and then began to answer with complete seriousness in his voice.

- Don't worry, we'll do what we can, but we need to know where they are now. -

After destroying another monster, Granny quickly walked over to Naofumi, then after thinking for a moment, she began to explain everything she needed to know.

- They are just south of the village, you'll find them easily. So go ahead and go, we're all counting on you. But most importantly, try to survive, without you, everything will go straight into darkness. -

Naofumi just nodded, then together with the others, he headed south of the village. Andrew ran at full speed, killing every monster that got in their way. Fortunately for our four, there were few monsters.

They got there pretty quickly. Above the forest, right in the sky, floated a rather sinister ship, at the same forest, stood Itsuki and his assistants, while shooting the ship. Andrew quickly ran up to him, and then decided to ask a question about where the others were.

- Itsuki, where are the others, and what the fuck is this ship. It looks pretty ominous. -

Stopping firing, Itsuki turned towards Andrew, and then, after a little breathing, he began to answer the question he had asked.

- They're on the ship. I think the boss of this wave is one of the monsters that are there. But I think they are wrong, we need to destroy the ship, and everything will be over. -

Naofumi walked slightly forward, looked at him incredulously and began to speak with a kind of sarcasm.

- If that's what the hero of the bow, the noble and honest one, thinks, then fine. Perhaps we foolish mortals will try to solve the issue on the ship, and you can continue to bombard this ship with your toothpicks . -

Having said that, he and Raftalia jumped on Firo, while they waited for Andrei. The latter in turn, after a little thought, began to speak.

- Even if the ship is the main threat, it's not a good idea to bombard its exterior. From the inside, they are much worse protected. -

Itsuki gave him a puzzled look, and wanted to say something, but by that time Andrew had jumped on Firo too, and they were heading through the air towards the ship. On the ship itself, a fierce battle had been going on for a long time, and it was not going to stop.

Motayasu and his companions were fighting against some phantoms, while Ren and his team were fighting the undead zombies of the ship's captain. Seeing all this, Naofumi began to give commands.

- Andrei, you and Firo, help Ren, and me and Raftalia, help the jerks. Be careful, these undead are much stronger than the ones in the village. -

Andrei nodded to him, and then he began to speak.

- You be careful too, try to avoid the power associated with that thing. Now, let's get going. -

Everyone quickly wished each other good luck, and then went to their designated places. Without a moment's hesitation, Andrei struck a rather strong blow at the captain, while adding a fire sign. Firo, in turn, quickly dealt with the rest of the undead. But at the same second, the monsters, began to come to life again.

Ren, who saw all this, sighed heavily, and then, with barely noticeable fatigue, continued the fight and began to speak.

- Thanks for your help, but we've killed him and those things several times. It looks like we need something more effective. Hopefully, together with you Andrei, we can solve this problem. -

At the same second, a smile appeared on Andrei's face and he started to answer.

- Don't worry, we'll manage, we've dealt with more than this, the main thing now is to figure out how to destroy it. But I don't think it's this thing that's in charge. There's someone more powerful. -

Ren thought for a moment and wanted to say something, but at the same second, they both heard Motoyasu's voice.

- Andrei is right, it's not the captain's threat, it's the phantoms, they're in charge here. Let's destroy them, and that's it, we'll all be finished, and this damn wave will be over. -

In response to that, Ren gave him a pretty tough answer.

- This is the last time you've fought that thing! These things aren't the enemy, you have to think harder than you do with your muscles and spear! -

In response, Motayasu wanted to say something, but Naofumi stepped into the fray, and he was clearly seething with anger.

- Shut up! You should have fought them the way you're fighting them. Shit, how could this world produce such idiots? -

After that, he activated one of his shield abilities, and Motayasu turned towards him, and making a strike at the phantom, he began to speak.

- Who would talk! You came all ready, and now you're being clever. I can't believe you're tolerated by your team. -

As soon as he said that, Naofumi turned in his direction and there would have been a fight. But luckily, Andrei decided not to stand aside.

- All right, let's stop this stupid bickering! If we don't get our act together, we're gonna die. So get your act together. And it looks like we need to destroy both of these things, and do it at the same time. That's the only thought that's crossed my mind so far. -

Everyone was silent, but it only lasted a few seconds. The silence was interrupted by Motayasu.

- All right, have it your way. It's at least a solution, and a logical one at that. But the question remains, how do we destroy them simultaneously? That's an interesting question. -

Having said all this, Motayasu continued to attack the phantoms and the strongest of them. Andrew continued to fend off the undead, wondering how they could destroy the main threats at the same time. This went on for a while, until he looked at Naofumi and an idea popped into his head.

Pushing one of the undead away, Andrew called out to Naofumi and began to speak to him.

- Naofumi, try to bind them with a shield, or rather one of the abilities, we'll move them, the rest is up to you. -

When Naofumi heard that, he started to answer.

- Understood, but be careful, those damn phantoms are pretty fast. But there's a problem with another individual. -

At the same second, Motayasu snorted and cursed at Naofumi, but at the same time, everyone started to follow Andrei's idea. Malti, of course, wanted to say something, but Motayasu, for once, didn't listen to her and continued to help.

In the end, both monsters ended up hitting each other in the back. Naofumi caught this moment, and launched his shield ability at them. At that very second, they were chained together, all that was left was to finish them off. The closest he got was Andrew, he wanted to pierce them with his swords, but at that moment, one of the phantoms threw him off with a body blow, throwing him to the edge of the ship. As he hit his back, Andrew let out a barely audible hiss and tried to get up, but he failed to do so.

The blade of one of the dead men was coming straight at him. Only thanks to his reflexes, he managed to defend himself with one of his swords. He wanted to pierce the dead man with the second sword, but he was only a few centimetres to the left of what he could reach. The dead man, in turn, did not let Andrei get up and did not stop striking.

The other heroes and their helpers couldn't help him in any way, as they had to fight other monsters. It was probably at this very moment. Andrei would have lost his life if not for the arrow that pierced the dead man's skull.

With a quick step, Itsuki ran up to Andrei, who in turn had boarded the ship with his crew. He held out his hand to Andrei, who in turn grasped it and got up from the floor, and then, began to speak.

- Thank you Itsuki, I owe you one. And you know, I'll be even more grateful to you if you shoot the two men over there who are chained together. -

Itsuki immediately smiled and set his eyes on the target. He pointed his bow at them, drew the bowstring, and began to speak.

- Don't worry Andrei, I'll do my best. Now I'll show you all how to shoot, without missing, and exactly in the bull's-eye. -

Having said all this, he released the bowstring, and the resulting arrow, pierced the undead captain and the phantom head. It was over, but that was just the way it looked. The wave did not stop, but there were no more monsters on the ship.

Everyone was silent, they didn't know what to do, but the eyes of almost everyone were fixed on Andrei. He realised it, but did not know what to say, so it went on until Malti, did not start talking.

- Well, genius, what will your inhuman brain come up with next. Maybe you'll suggest we blow up the ship too, that'd be good enough for someone like you. -

Andrei wanted to say something to her, but he was beaten by Raftalia, who approached her practically right next to her.

- You should have shut up and kept quiet. You were useless in battle, and now you're turning on your racist, bitchy principles. -

It made Malthy's face red with anger. She poked Raftalia in the chest and started talking too.

- How dare you say anything to me at all, you stupid brute. You better go to your underdog. Maybe he'll caress you. -

Naofumi reacted immediately, followed by Motayasu, and then Itsuki and Ren. Their assistants were also in the scandal, and Andrew, in turn, stepped aside, and barely restrained himself from intervening in the altercation.

Keeping at least some calm, he took a breath, and looked around, everything was calm, but the wave continued, it did not like Andrew, and he did not know what to do. For this reason, he began to walk around the ship while looking around. He looked round it from bow to stern, but there was nothing. He had given up on it, but out of the corner of his eye, he noticed some rather strange shadows.

They did not belong to any of the living that were on the ship. For this reason, Andrew walked closer to the heroes and their assistants, who were still arguing. Because of the ruckus they were making, he had to raise his voice.

- Stop it! You're acting like jerks, I think I see what's going on. All of you, look at those shadows. Look at those shadows, they don't belong to any of us, don't you think that's strange? -

All of you, at that very second, turned towards those shadows. Looking at them, everyone realised that it was probably because of those shadows that the wave was still going on. Raftalia took the initiative. She quickly approached the shadows, then took out the very blade for such cases and pierced the shadows.

At the same instant, a supreme phantom transformed from the shadows. Its appearance was followed by a deafening roar, coupled with a shockwave of air. Because of this, everyone but Naofumi was pressed against the ship's bots. With a quick glance at his comrades, he began to speak, addressing Andrei directly.

- Andrei, I'm going to have to use that power. If anything goes wrong, you know what to do. But be careful, although you already know that. -

When he said that, he was covered in a red aura, along with Firo. Andrew, however, slammed his fist on the side of the ship and began to speak with a little irritation in his voice.

- What a fool, well, okay, decided so decided, we'll talk about it later, now there are other problems. - Having said that, he shifted his gaze to Raftalia and continued speaking, but to her. - Raftalia, don't let Firo get ahead, and I'll help Naofumi. -

He quickly stood up and began to walk towards Naofumi. The latter, in turn, activated a rather strange shield ability. First, the Supreme Phantom was covered by a metal ball, then it was wrapped in metal chains. And at the end, out of the sky, an iron maiden appeared, which slammed the ball, thus destroying the monster.

One could say that the wave was finally beginning to end, except that Naofumi did not come to his senses. Seeing Andrei, it was as if he began to growl at him, and tried to attack him. Luckily, Andrei was able to intercept him, and then he placed his right palm on Naofumi's chest and released the power of calmness into him. Gradually, he began to calm down, and Andrei, began to speak.

- Come on, come on, calm down, you're crazy, you're not friendly. We don't need this, we're a family, and a family should help when someone's having a hard time. -

Naofumi finally came to his senses. He let out a sigh of relief, but at the same time a heavy sigh, and began to speak, holding on to Andrei.

- I'm sorry, and thank you. It would have been harder otherwise, but we won. I think it was worth it. -

He made a little happy smile on his face, and because of that, Andrei just patted him on the shoulder and led him to the others. Everyone who saw this, however, was very surprised. Motayasu immediately got to his feet, and rubbing his bruises, began to speak.

- I don't know what just happened, but we've all won. The wave is coming to an end. And we'd all better get off the ship. I hope everyone agrees with that. -

No one was going to argue, they headed for a more convenient descent from the ship, but from behind the sail, cutting it, a girl jumped out, it surprised, and shocked everyone. No one could understand where the girl had come from. Black-haired, dressed in a dark female kimono like a Japanese geisha, and with a fan in her hands.

She walked leisurely forward, and with a smirk on her face, she began to speak.

- Well, you've done well, but now I'm your enemy. -