" ": You talking

' ': You thinking

* *: Narrator/Voice-off

The moment Judgement, hit, the sheer pressure alone was enough to obliterate the first of three barriers.

"Gh... D... DAMMIT !! What's with that power ?!!"

Pope: This is the power bestowed by God, something that you demons cannot even begin to comprehend.

Soon, it was the second barrier that broke down, leaving only one to protect everyone.

"I... I'M NOT GOING DOWN LIKE THIS !!!

Four lines were shot from my staff, drawn to the strongest sources of magic around me, wrapping themselves around the four heroes' holy weapons, absorbing their power.

Motoyasu: What's that ?! H- Hey, let go of me !!

Naofumi: Stop struggling if you don't want to die !!

Empowered by the four holy heroes' strength, I was finally able to properly hold back that Judgement.

"G- Good ! If this keep up, we'll be safe !"

Pope: My, my, Staff demon. For you to hold it on your own like that, this is quite impressive indeed. But sadly, not enough.

My mistake, was to focus all my power into that barrier, leaving myself completely open to other attacks, something that pope understood right away.

I was confident I could stop the attack, until I took his attack square and fair in my back. Staggered by the shock, I momentarily lost my focus, allowing this to happen...

This crack's apparition was followed by a giant white light completely filling my vision field, and everything went silent.

"H- Hey... Where am I ? What happened ?! Where are Naofumi and the others ?"

???: Pathetic...

"Who's there ?! Show yourself !"

???: To think that you've fallen so low you'd be exterminated by such low-class magic... Truly pathetic.

"I don't know where or who you are, but you better tell me what's going on !"

???: Who am I... Does not hold any sort of importance at the moment. What IS important is what YOU will do now.

"What to do ? Hey, you saw it yourself, that bastard attacked me from behind. I've failed to protect everyone, and now we're all dead."

???: ... That's not quite alright. Didn't Fitoria told you ? As the second staff hero, you'll have a role to play in the upcoming wave. You can't just die here, you know.

"Oh yeah ? And what do you want me to do ? I'm already dead !"

???: So was Dio, and yet he managed to come back.

"What... ? Wait, was that..."

???: Of course it was, stupid ! Tell me, you're not planning on letting Filo all alone, are you ?! How irresponsible of a master you are !

"That's easy for you to say ! How am I supposed to do so ! You just expect me to go back ?!"

???: Precisely. Your time hasn't come yet, so get the hell out of here !

"... Where am I right now anyways ? This place's giving me chills, just those ruins..."

???: And here I thought that since you were a staff hero, you'd be able to use your brain... Stop being Okuyasu and think a little, dammit. It's not that hard to understand !

"You know me... And this place's similar to those ruins, those ruins of... Ohhhhhhhhhh..."

???: Good, you finally got it.

"Well, that doesn't change anything about my current situation. How the hell am I supposed to just 'go back' ?"

???: Seriously... You're the Staff hero, for fuck's sake ! *sigh*, here, let me give you a hint.

"You really want me to use that ? You know very well how it could end."

???: yep, and that's why I entrust you with it. Show these worthless fools what it costs to go against a True hero !

I was just being shot in the back by the Pope's attack, leading to a crack appearing in my last barrier.

Pope: This is the end for you, demons.

"I wouldn't be so sure of it.

(A/n: Apart for canon requiem, a requiem spell here is just roughly ten times more powerful than the regular spell.)

In the blink of an eye, the crack disappeared, and my barrier grew several times bigger, completely repelling the Judgement, and bringing it back to the ones who sent it, the church's followers.

Pope: Do not panic ! Judgement shall not descend upon believers ! This is the work of the devil !! Damn... You devil, how far will you go ?!

"H- Hey, I made it."

Filo: Master, you did it !! Are you all right ?

"Yes, don't worry. Just a little tired, that's all. I almost died once, that's more than enough already."

Naofumi: Well, that was scary, but you saved us all this time. Sadly, i'm afraid this I snot over yet.

"Indeed. The biggest problem is still..."

Ren: What's with your staff ?

Ren: It keeps looking more and more powerful now.

"That's right... It's the power you all laughed at, without even questioning its real potential, that just saved you all."

Pope: What are you doing ?! Quickly, recover the formation-

Motoyasu: Prepare yourself, Pope !!

Motoyasu: It's not the pope ?!

In fact, all of the church's followers were now clones of the pope for us, looking the same and completely impossible to distinguish from each other.

Popes: MWAHAHAHA !! Where are you looking ?!

Itsuki: It couldn't be... Mirage arrow ?! This is a skill that uses illusions to trick people !

Motoyasu: What ?! How can we tell which one is real ?!

Myne: Tch... Just kill them all...

They probably would've been hit by all of these, if Naofumi didn't stepped on the way, his wrath shield completely fixed, as good as new.

""

Pope: You've appeared at last, shield demon !

Naofumi: Great power comes at a price. If the price for the power of god is the lives of these disciples... Then you must give very little value to life.

Pope: Price ? To give embodiment to god is the greatest happiness for my disciples ! And what about you ? Are you paying the price for the power of that curse ? SOW THE WIND AND REAP THE TEMPEST !!

"Is there anything you wouldn't be ashamed of... ? People like you, who wouldn't hesitate to destroy anyone in there path, even innocents... Are the scum of this world !"

Pope: AH ! I've got no lesson to take from you demons ! Now die !!

The shots were fired. They approached, until they stopped right in front of us, inches before hitting our group.

Pope: Huh ? What's happening ?

Suddenly, all the shots started to move back, reversing their movements, until the moment before they were even shot.

Pope: W... What ?! What is that ?! Everything's going back ! What is that power ?!

"This is... Requiem."

Pope: What... Requiem ?! No, this is impossible !! I'm blessed with God's power, I won't accept it ! I won't let you interfere ! I shall purify you demons !!

"This is the reality that you seek. Sadly... You will never be able to reach it."

Pope: DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH !!!

???: Be silent, shameless fools !

Naofumi: That voice... Who it is ?!

???: Now !!

"Don't have to tell me twice ! "

Pope: No... NO, I CAN'T ACCEPT THAT !!

"

Pope: GAAAHAAARGH !!!

Followers: P... Pope...

Ren: The expeditionary army !

Itsuki: It seems your forces weren't destroyed after all !

???: This battle is decided. Lower your weapons and surrender !

"Well, I guess this is a good ending, right, Naofumi ? Naofumi ?"

"N- NAOFUMI ?!! What happened ?! Answer me !!"

Raphtalia: Naofumi !! Someone, get some help !!!

"I wasn't expecting that... He must've used his cursed shield too much lately !"

Filo: B... But you'll be able to save him, right ?!

"I'll do everything I can, but we need to take him to a hospital right now !!"

Pope: Gh... Those demons... This is not the end, I shall destroy you-

Soldier: It's your fault... It's because of you we almost died here... Now you're going to pay !!

Pope: N- No, wait... Don't do it !!

Soldier: Die !!

His spear skewered the pope right in the guts, however...

Pope: GAAAAAAAAAAAAAA...

Pope: AAAAAAAAAAH... Huh ?

He wasn't on the battlefield anymore. In fact, he was now on the back of a horse-drawn carriage, heading somewhere unknown.

Pope: W... Where am I now ? What is happening ?

The carriage stopped, and someone grabbed his body, slumping it over their shoulder.

Pope: H- Huh... Why can't I move my body... Hey you ! Tell me what's happening !

They didn't respond, but deposed his body right next to a freshly dug hole. And looking around as much as he can, he could tell he was in a cemetery right now.

Gravedigger: Seriously, what a pain. Why should I bother digging a grave for him ? Wouldn't it be better to leave him to rot ?

Pope: I order you to tell me what's happening !

Gravedigger: Well, the hole is ready, so now...

He nonchalantly kicked the Pope's body, and he fell at the bottom of the hole, before starting to fill the hole with dirt.

Pope: W... What ?! What is happening ?!! Am I really going to die here ?!! Suffocated from being buried alive !! Someone, help !!

He wasn't in that hole. He was now in the middle of some forest, completely unharmed from whatever happened sooner.

Pope: Huff... Huff... Huff... What's happening... Why do I keep dying since then... is it related to what the Staff demon did to me ? Is that the power of the Requiem ?!

He was so busy and distracted, he couldn't hear the arrow, until it hit his shoulder, gravely wounding him.

Pope: GAH... !!! What ?!

He could now hear it, a bunch of animals running in his direction. It couldn't be a mistake, there was a dogs' pack coming after him. So he fled through the vegetation, unable to know where he was going.

Pope: This... This is definitely that Requiem thing !! Am I gonna die over and over again , For how long will I be stuck here ?!

He couldn't see that root, until he tripped over it. On the bright side, it allowed him to finally exit the forest. On the less bright side, there was a cliff right here. He fell, and fell, and fell, until hitting the rocks at the bottom.

A small town, somewhere near the ocean. He was now sitting on the middle of the street.

Pope: No... Not again... What's going to happen now ?!

Child: Hey mister, are you alright ? You're bleeding...

Pope: S... Stay away from me !! Don't approach me !!

Citizen: Look over there !! The sky is cracking open !! It's the wave of calamity !! Everyone run !!

Of course, the pope tried to run too, but his robe wasn't helping and he tripped over it, as he could already hear the rumble from the demons coming this way.

Pope: No... NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO !!!

"And so, that's basically what should be happening to him."

Queen: I see... I do not pity him in the slightest, he deserves at least that. An end without end.

Naofumi: W... What happened ?

"Naofumi, you're awake. Thank goodness, we weren't too late."

Naofumi: Yes, I remember now. I nearly died as a result of my own curse.

"Don't move around too much. I already healed your body, but the curse damaged your mind and soul as well. I can't heal those, so we'll have to leave it to nature for the rest."

Naofumi: Fine. So we finally meet ? The Queen.

Naofumi: You seem to speak normally... You're not some double, are you ?

Queen: I am not... Or so I claim. I shall leave the determination to you.

Naofumi: I have a lot of things to ask you. First, what happened since the incident ? Where are my friends ?!

Queen: They're resting in another room. Do not worry, their wounds were shallow.

Naofumi: ... I see. The church of the three heroes...

"Completely destroyed."

Queen: To be accurate, preparations has already made to purge them. We had been keeping eyes on the movements of the pope and his circles for a long time. Using the "shadows" hidden within the country, we pushed for this opportunity.

Naofumi: The church's destruction will serve as good propaganda.

"It would seem that the news of the Pope's death were not made public yet. Officially, he was put to death after attempting to kill the five heroes."

Queen: With this, our country shall abolish the church of the three heroes, and establish the church of the five heroes as the state religion. This I promise.

Naofumi: The church of the five heroes ?

Queen: Now that a fifth hero has appeared, there is a need for a religion that believes equally in the five heroes. Have you heard of a country called Siltbelt ?

"Isn't this the semi-human country ?"

Queen: The rule of their kind is absolute. They make slaves of humans and worship the church of the Shield hero.

Naofumi: The opposite of this country.

Queen: That is so. Some time during the long history of war between humans and semi-humans, the church of the four heroes seems to have splintered.

Naofumi: ... Then, shouldn't I have been summoned to Siltbelt instead of here ?

Queen: That's it. In this time when the world heads toward destruction, there is no time for countries to be fighting. Thus, the kings of each country gathered together to speak. Of course, I attended as well. First, we decided upon an order in which to summon the heroes. Since we were utilizing but fragments of sacred treasures, we could only summon them one by one.

Naofumi: Wait, but we were summoned together ?!

Queen: That's right. The summoning ritual is incredibly difficult, failures was not unlikely. And yet...

"C- Calm down, please..."

Queen: ... My apologies. This may cause damage to our country, but causing a war would be the worst possible outcome. That's what I've been working to ensure this day.

Naofumi: To avoid war... Melty said something of this sort too.

Queen: Iwatani sir...