You still remembered how to cast these spells easily. It was not a difficult incantation.

As *blank*, source of thy power, I order thee... decipher the laws of nature and *blank*

You still had to decide how you would fill in the blanks, but that was something you could easily figure out on the spot.

The mage held your Loch Shield high as Itsuki and Ren made the first attack.

"Thunderbolt slash!"

"Thunder shot!" The two moves went in unison, being blocked as easily as attacks against Naofumi. Next. Filo and Raphtalia went, with Filo forced to use her High Quick magic in order to dodge sprouting flames from a further attack by the Pope. Raphtalia was able to get a solid blow on the Ultimate Weapon, clearly getting to the Pope with the resulting clash.

A healing light appeared around the Pope as he stood straight, no longer winded from the unexpected change in tactics on your end.

"Filo, go again!" Naofumi ordered.

"Motoyasu, you're with me this time!" He shouted.

"Wha? Me-" Motoyasu didn't have time to react as Filo snatched him.

"Motoyasu!" Malty cried out, not noticing a sidelong blaze headed her way.

"Zweite Aqua Shot!" The spell from Melty rushed past her older sister, cancelling the shot as Motoyasu was thrown skyward by Filo, coming down spear first on Naofumi's shield.

Before you could question why, a burst of cursed flames erupted from Naofumi's Curse Shield, headed for the Pope. Before it could reach, it was simply... extinguished.

"No curses will work in the Cathedral. After all, this is Hallowed Ground, blessed by God himself." The Pope stated, to Naofumi's annoyance.

"Bishop, if you can hear me, I require more prayers so that I may show the true might of God." The Pope called out. You didn't hear the muffled response, likely something about a Mana deficiency.

"Is that a problem? This is a battle between God and the Devil. To perish as martyrs here is the greatest honor a follower of the church can pursue." The Pope answered his unheard bishop. After that, the iridescent lights in the cathedral began to grow brighter, crawling up the walls and towards the center of the ceiling.

"This feels wrong..." Filo stated.

"He's building up Mana... if that light reaches all the way to the top..." Melty paused, almost afraid to finish her sentence.

"A huge attack will follow, right?" Itsuki finished.

"Hey, can't your shield do something about it?" Motoyasu asked Naofumi.

"Huh?" Naofumi looked at Motoyasu, confused as the Spear Hero continued.

"I mean, your shield seems overpowered." He pointed out.

"Listen here-"

"He has a point." Itsuki pointed out.

"You're underleveled compared to us, and yet you're keeping up with us. Isn't that because of your shield?" He asked.

"Don't you have some special skill you can use?" Ren asked.

"As if I'd-" Naofumi's retort was interrupted by a gasp of pain. He fell to a knee, grasping at his heart as a look of realization crossed his eyes. He got himself back up, looking at his shield.

"Actually... it will be a gamble, but it may work." He murmured.

"You don't mean to use that power again?" You asked. Naofumi looked to your kneeling form, taking note of the silvery mist that was forming all around you.

"I do." He told you.

"I came out of it fine before. I'm sure I'll at least survive using it again." He stated.

"Hmph. You're a damn fool, Shield." You told him, looking up at the mage who was still holding a shield over you.

"You, it seems worthless, but keep your guard. Prove that the resolve of a single member of Motoyasu's can match the resolve you have forced the Shield to gather." You ordered.

"...understood." She fixed her footing.

In front of you, Naofumi hefted his curse shield, finally activating the ability you were waiting for. His rage would consume him, but he needed to prove himself before you could step in.

Naofumi lurched forward, losing his focus on reality. It was happening.

The mist around Naofumi began to thin out as his arm burst into flames, quickly fading to reveal a black gauntlet. His other arm suddenly combusted, revealing the same change. His legs burst, revealing just as dark sabatons. And when a dark breastplate appeared, his whole demeanor changed.

His skin paled, his teeth taking on sharper points as his eyes began to glow a bright red. His shield burst outwards, growing in size as flames consumed it. And then, he stepped forward.

One step, two, three. He slowly walked forward, a low growling emanating from his throat.

"Naofumi?" Raphtalia looked at him, frightened. She looked back at you as you studied Naofumi, before a look of determination crossed her face.

"Naofumi!" She charged, grabbing and hugging onto his shield arm, just like when he first activated the curse shield against the zombie dragon. Filo ran in after Raphtalia, hugging onto his torso as Melty-to your distaste- hugged on to his other arm. Already, they were bearing burns from such close exposure, but if it was necessary in order to have the others prove themselves... then you wouldn't interfere.

The three began to speak with Naofumi, words you did not listen to. You needed to prepare yourself.

However, their words did not go to waste. When Naofumi finally did come to, well... that cursed shield was again under his own control. And when he finally turned to the other three heroes.

"Help me out." He requested.

"Help you?" Motoyasu asked, confused.

"...please." In a shocking turn of events, Naofumi bowed his head.

"I... never expected to hear those words come from your mouth." Itsuki admitted.

"Can we win?" Ren asked.

"Alone... I'm not sure. But it's worth a shot." Naofumi admitted. With that said, he walked closer to the other three heroes, as Itsuki spoke up.

"I was saying we should fight together all along." He stated. Naofumi stopped in front of Motoyasu, looking up at the taller hero.

"Motoyasu?"

"I-I..."

"Fine, I'll do it!" He agreed after a moment of uncomfortable silence.

"We need to prove that friendship and string bonds will always prevail." He admitted, an embarrassed red hue covering his face. This seemed to draw a chuckle from Naofumi's party and the other heroes, before a ringing erupted from above, drawing their attention skyward.

"Well, it seems you were up to something, but no matter. Everything is ready now." The Pope lifted his ultimate weapon, now in a sword form, upward, as golden particles from the air focused around it, allowing to glow with another bright light. With a smirk, he pointed it downwards, towards Naofumi.

"This is goodbye, Devil of the Shield!" With a surge of power, a massive golden beam flew at you all. Naofumi ran forward, shield up to block the attack, which again flowed around it, providing a safe haven behind him.

"Even if you're the Devil of the Shield, I'm impressed you could stop the Cathedral's full-power attack." The Pope admitted, watching Naofumi grunt with the effort from blocking the attack. When it finally died down, Naofumi and all else were standing, unscathed.

"Immense power always comes at a price." He declared.

"And if your divine power comes at the cost of your disciples... your life alone won't be enough to pay for it!"

"Eh!" The Pope's eyes widened as he gazed on the Wrath Shield in all it's glory.

"That shield..."

"Let's go!" Naofumi ordered.

"Right!" The girls in Naofumi's party took battle stances.

"Yeah!" The other Heroes hefted their weapons.

As one, the Four Cardinal Heroes made their attack.

Ren and Motoyasu charged forward as Itsuki aimed his bow.

"Thunder Shot!" A red glyph appeared in front of him, which Itsuki shot through. As soon as it passed, the arrow split into several arcs of lightning, instantly shattering all defenses it came into contact with.

"There's more!" Itsuki leapt upward, bow at the ready.

"Wind Arrow!"

Filo charged in, ready as Melty, Malty, and Motoyasu's remaining Mage provided cover fire by use of Aqua and Wind shots.

"Don't let the enemy recover!" Naofumi ordered.

"High Quick!" Filo blurred forward several times, forcing the Pope to dodge her high speed kick, before he immediately put his spear up to block a surprise attack by Raphtalia.

"You won't get me with the same trick twice!" He told the demihuman.

"We're only decoys!" Raphtalia shouted in response. The Pope had only a second to register that before the second swordsman appeared from invisibility behind him.

"Meteor Sword!" With a blink of an eye, the first solid blow was landed on the Pope, shocking him beyond what could be thought possible. And as that went on...

"Air Strike Javelin!" A red light arced through the air, which the Pope could only summon several glyphs to ward off. The light pierced them all, one by one until Motoyasu's spear was embedded in the man's chest. He ripped the weapon out as Naofumi charged in on Filo, shield out.

"May this scared flame cleanse everything!" The Pope pointed his sword at the approaching duo as flames surrounded his weapon.

"Phoenix Blade!" The flames took the shape of a bird, and with a screech, were sent flying. Naofumi summoned an Air Strike Shield for Filo to leap off of, and above the attack.

"As source of thy power, the Shield Hero and I order thee!" Filo started the spell, while Naofumi finished it.

"Decipher the laws of creation, consume the flame, and give me power!"

"Wrath Fire!" With the unified warcry, the Phoenix Blade lost its shape, getting sucked into the glowing red gem of Naofumi's shield. A second later, it re-emerged, taking the shape of a dragon as it flew at the Pope instead, covering his body in flames as the ground around him exploded.

"He did it!" Motoyasu shouted.

"Let's finish this!" Itsuki declared.

"Yeah!" The Spear, Bow and Sword heroes charged once again, as the Pope stood straight, the flames wearing off.

"Chaos Spear!" Motoyasu thrust his spear forward, sending several thrusts of red light at the Pope, who hefted his own spear to block.

"State Of Emptiness." On contact, Motoyasu's attacks seemed to completely disperse, shocking the Spear Hero.

"What?" He didn't have time to react as golden light surged from the points of impact, flying at Itsuki and Motoyasu, the latter of which were blown back by the surprise.

Ren ran forward, swinging his sword at the Pope in a quick flurry. Each strike was blocked, before another flash of light sent him hurtling down the crater.

"Th-That's one of my spear's advanced skills... a counter!" Motoyasu told Itsuki.

"So that weapon can even mimic advanced skills..." You murmured. You wanted that weapon.

"The sin of defying God demands more than cleansing!" The Pope shouted, his spear glowing with brilliant light, shifting into a bow. The Pope drew back a glowing arrow, shifting his aim up to shoot at the center of the cathedral's ceiling, unleashing a radiant light upon everyone. When it faded, the fractal-like patterns of the cathedral ceiling were covered in a sky blue, covered with the occasional cloud. From each mosaic-like piece, a copy of the Pope appeared, bow drawn. With each release, an arrow flew at every direction, forcing everyone on the defensive.

"Ah!" The mage defending you was forced back an inch when a golden arrow struck the Loch Shield. She wheeled around in time to stop another from hitting you in the back, but the force of it knocked her shield arm away, leaving her chest open for one more shot that hurtled towards her.

You stood at full height, simply swatting the arrow away with your hand.

"Well done, heroes." Your voice was no more than a fleeting whisper which brushed against the ears of all around you.

"Y/n!" Naofumi looked at you in shock as the mist that had gathered in the area began to swell up, gathering around you.

"I am impressed at your ability to finally rally, when needed. Impressed... and Satisfied." You stated.

"Satisfied? You mean-?" Itsuki watched as the mist around you darkened.

"Yes. Gather around me, all of you. Your battle is over." As all gathered around you, you lifted your arms skyward, your entire body beginning to glow with white light.

"As Aspect Of Paleblood, source of all power, I beseech thee. Disregard the laws of creation and nature, and bring despair upon these heretics." The air around everyone began to shift its tone, taking on a foggy red hue.

"Behold! Oh Paleblood Sky!" All at once, the Cathedral shattered, showering all nearby with flakes of the remaining magic.

"Wha-what is this!?" The Pope hefted his spear, first to you, then at the sky. Instead of the grossly incandescent sun that once gave him hope, the sight he was met with, was a blood moon.

The red sky shocked and amazed all, even the followers that were still in prayer. As they watched, a few that had fallen began to convulse, their bodies turning a void black, before disappearing.

"No matter what celestial tricks you play, I will not allow anyone to stand in the way of God's judgment!" The Pope declared, pointing his dull spear at you.

"God? That's funny. Up here, I see no God..." the mist around you began to swirl violently, taking on the shape of a massive, convulsing being with winglike tendrils.

"OTHER THAN ME! A Call Beyond: Depths Of The Cosmos!" The winglike shape of the mist around you began to glow with specks of white light, which quickly shot out in a straight line.

The Pope couldn't even lift his weapon to block the first wave, which burned through his shins, forcing him onto his knees. With him properly subdued, you turned a second wave of stars onto the surviving followers, quickly annihilating a third of those that remained. Their bodies quickly turned dark, disappearing into the blood and mud.

The Pope was left pitifully crawling away, still clutching the weapon he had used. A lone pair of footsteps approached him, prompting him to crawl faster, finally dropping the spear.

He was forced flat when a boot stepped on his back, and a hand closed around his neck, lifting him up.

As he was turned to face the Devil's Hound, mist overtook his vision, and for a second, instead of the bloodstained mask and eyes, he saw a mass of tentacles surrounding an empty, dark hole of a face.

A warm glow surrounded the Pope's head as unspeakable words began to warble in his mind, his throat, his mouth.

H̵i̵s̸ ̶e̷y̶e̶s̵ ̴s̷l̴o̴w̸l̸y̵ ̵b̵e̸g̵a̵n̴ ̵t̵o̸ ̵g̷l̵o̴w̶ ̶w̷i̷t̵h̴ ̵y̵e̴l̷l̸o̷w̷ ̸l̸i̴g̴h̵t̴,̷ ̶a̶s̷ ̶h̸i̷s̶ ̴m̷o̷u̴t̷h̸ ̶c̶a̵s̴t̶ ̸s̴h̵a̶d̷o̷w̷s̸ ̴o̴n̴ ̶y̸o̴u̸r̸ ̴s̴h̴i̸r̴t̵,̷ ̴h̵i̵s̷ ̶h̴a̴n̶d̷s̶ ̸d̸e̶s̴p̶e̵r̸a̴t̸e̵l̸y̵ ̷r̴e̷a̷c̸h̸i̵n̸g̸ ̴o̴u̶t̷ ̴f̸o̶r̸ ̴s̵o̶m̸e̸t̸h̴i̵n̷g̸ ̷t̵o̵ ̸h̶o̸l̶d̴ ̷o̵n̸ ̸t̵o̴,̶ ̶t̴o̷ ̸b̶r̸i̶n̷g̵ ̷h̴i̷m̶ ̵c̵o̶m̸f̸o̷r̸t̷.̶.

C̶o̴m̴f̶o̵r̵t̴ ̵t̶h̵a̴t̸ ̷h̶e̴ ̷w̸o̸u̸l̶d̷ ̷n̸e̸v̴e̴r̵ ̸f̶e̵e̸l̵ ̵a̷g̸a̵i̶n̷.̴

T̸͈͙͛h̷̨̜̃̀̓e̷̝̓ ̶̦͓͆P̴̥̼͈̀̄o̵̧̒̂p̶̗̒e̶̥̾͠ ̸̼͇̅̌ṫ̴̯͑͛h̵̼̤̚̚r̷͇̕e̸̹͂̀͗ŵ̶̩̇́ ̸̳̈́͗h̸̗̮͑̊i̵͕̽̊s̶̳̼͓̽̒̍ ̷̰͚̟̈ḧ̸̼́̌̊ë̶̪̘̟́͘ä̵̲̰́d̶̬͒̈͊ ̵̹̗̗̔b̵͓̆͜a̷̤̯̪̿̃͠c̸̩̰͊͊̈͜k̵̹̀̽̄ ̴͇͇͙̓à̸̝̃̈s̵̭̠̲̒ ̴͙́t̴͙̓̈́ẖ̴̦̉̆͛e̷̢̎̿ ̶̜̦͛ļ̷̜̍̿ǐ̷̡̢̮͠ĝ̸̱̹h̷̛̞̝̃̉t̸͎̍̅ ̶̤͗̑̇g̴̢̜͕͌̈r̵̛͍̔ę̷̮̻͑̽̅w̶̬͂͐͂ ̷̺̬͊̍b̶̦̰̎̌̐r̶̝̕͜i̷̛͈̽ġ̸̝̍̊h̶̹̣̑t̷͔̳͠e̵͔̎͗͌r̸̩̰̱͘,̷͉̰̮̕ ̶̧̳̭͌a̷̙̪̣̋n̸̼̥̑̚ḏ̷̅ ̴̝̚͘l̴͚̀̑̕e̴̞̠͈͝ẗ̵̬̫͙̀͝ ̴̞̞̓͠ö̸̧̳͍̎͝u̴͇̣̓t̶͙͍͒͊ ̸̯͚̂o̴̽́ͅn̵̟̙̰͐͋ȩ̴͖́̽ ̴̼̯̤͘l̷͕̹̍̕͘ă̷̡̹̓͝s̷̨̛ẗ̸͎̘́̃͝ ̵̝̔͛͝b̸̛͉̏̐l̷̢̮̖̃̽ȯ̴̻ơ̸̞̈́̀d̴̫̄̏c̸̢͎̎ṳ̵̪̉̀r̶̯̂d̶͎̚l̶͈͙̠̆̅i̷̝̘͗̒͆ň̸̡̠̖g̶̣͈̊͝ ̷͈̣̞͒s̴̪̪̉c̵͇̅r̶̜͛̍e̶̱̊̃a̸̰̱̖̽̉̿m̷̰̭̗̊.̸̥̖͉̑͊

The screeching cry echoed over the plains as the Popes head blew to pieces, covering your head and torso with blood and bits of brain. You reached for his glowing skull, ripping it off of his neck, and discarding the limp body. You looked behind you, at the dull spear he had used. Walking over, you grabbed the weapon. It was incredibly dense, almost difficult for you to hold. With a surge of energy from you, the weapon began to glow with a white light, bringing a smile to your face.

The bishop of the church yelled in shock as you turned the Ultimate Weapon towards him and what puny numbers were left of the Pope's followers.

"What was that spell the Pope used, an offensive one? Oh yeah." The spearhead glowed red as you hefted it at the defenseless group. A smirk covered your face at the sound of their hopeless cries.

"Brionach."

"..." You looked down upon the members of the party you had just helped, who stared up at you in shock.

"Your questions will be answered, Good Heroes. However, it cannot be done immediately, as there is someone more important approaching." You declared, your voice echoing.

For once, no reply came back. The others were too shocked at your display of power. Behind you, the thundering of horses grew audible. You turned to face the new arrival, headed by a familiar woman in armor.

"I see you... have the situation under control." She spoke, looking out at the pools of blood that remained. You took a bow, kneeling in the process.

"I only did as permitted. Those men and women fueled an attempt on the life of not only the heroes, but the Crown Princess. As such, I did what was necessary, and sent them all to their fates." The blood moon began to fade away, revealing the blue skies again.

"I understand your actions, Great One. Thank you for keeping the others safe. Now, it is my turn to take the reigns." She told you.

"As you command, Mirellia."