"Hmph." The rocking of the wooden ship beneath your feet didn't bother you as you stared out at the endless seas around you.

As for why you were on a boat, at sea...

While in Cal Mira, Naofumi, alongside Raphtalia and Filo, had gone diving to a building that Filo had found underwater. After using a spell to open the locks closing it, Naofumi had found a Dragon Hourglass, the same kind as the one in the church in Melromarc. When taking the wave countdown from it, the timer showed a distressing number: two days until the next wave.

Hastily, Naofumi had used his teleport skill he learned from Itsuki to come back to the capital and warn the Queen, who got you and the largest army she could immediately muster, and prepared for a potential wave at sea.

After the second wave, this seemed somewhat sudden, but it wasn't a fight you were about to complain if, especially if Glass returned. You wanted to see if she had grown any stronger.

You breathed in the salty air, your legs and knees almost moving on their own to stabilize you against the boats rocking.

"Are you prepared, Y/n?" Raphtalia asked you.

"I have been prepared as long as I've been alive." You told her.

"I see..." She had learned of the truth behind you, quite presumably from Naofumi.

"Oh! Hey Naofumi! Look!" Raphtalia ran to the side of the ship, looking out at another nearby ship.

"It's L'Arc and Therese!" She pointed out.

"Hmm?" You stepped over, looking at the only ship Raphtalia could mean. On it, two people of equal height stood. One was a red haired man, wearing adventurers cloths and holding a scythe on his back, while the other was a light blue haired woman, with her hair flowing down her body. She had no weapon, and her clothes seemed to imply that she was a caster of sorts.

"You know these two?" From nearby the deck where Mirellia stood, ready to fight, Melty walked over, looking at the two in question.

"Yeah. We worked together at Cal Mira." Naofumi stated.

"I'm glad they're on our side." Raphtalia remarked, her hair getting blown around by the wind.

"They're way more reliable than Motoyasu and the other guys." Naofumi built off of Raphtalia's statement with his own remark.

"It's not often you trust others so blindly. No matter..." a loud chiming of church bells rang out of the air, and everything around you began to glow in a golden light.

"We'll engage the enemy as soon as we teleport!" Mirellia ordered.

"Everyone, prepare for battle!"

When the glow faded once again, you were at open seas, the churning skies already a bright red, with massive glowing blue and yellow fractures spanning the sky, horizon to horizon. From them, fish-like humanoids fell like rain, splashing into the water.

In response, the knights on either side of you began to roll out massive casks, which bobbed and weaved as they splashed into the water. When they drifted a good distance away, they seemed to dip into the water, before a loud BANG shook the air, and geysers sprouted. From near them, dazed fish beasts began to float up.

As soon as they arrived, an onslaught of arrows fell upon them, snapping them from their dazed state, and back to attention in time to swim back under.

You let the other fighters and knights focus on the smaller beasts as you looked ahead, past any other ships. Any moment, and the big bad would most likely reveal themself...

Just as you thought, a dark shape grew visible in the water a good couple hundred feet away. The water began to swelling before a massive, armored looking whale emerged, a single horn sprouting from its nose.

"Hmm..." you watched it's bloodshot eyes and jagged teeth, proof that the scourge had at least touched it, as a Meteor Shot flew through the air from another ship, most likely Itsuki's. Before it could hit, the beast dove under, swimming under the ships with a few flaps of it's massive tail. It gained speed, resurfacing in time to headbutt Ren's ship, immediately causing too much damage for an easy repair, and dooming the ship to sink.

"Y/n! Are you helping us this time or will you wait!?" Naofumi shouted out as Filo morphed into her bird form. You drew your Ultimate Weapon, which morphed into a bow with a flash of light.

"I've yet to fight a whale, and I'm equipped to do so. Do your job. I'll be waiting." You told the Shield Hero. He mounted Filo, leaping into the water as a white arrow of pure energy formed in your bow.

You were still unused to such... crude weaponry, but this weapon took the combined power of a thousand men to use. It would make a noticeable difference.

After a minute of waiting through the sounds of arrows flying and barrels detonating, Naofumi flew out of the water, quickly followed by the massive fish beast. The three other heroes swiftly released their attacks, being the Meteor versions, as mist formed around you.

"Bloodcurdling Shriek." With a rush of energy, a red javelin of energy soared through the air, releasing its named cry as it flew straight through the body of the fish beast.

"Hmph." You readied another arrow as it fell back into the water. Of four strikes to land true, only one pierced the things scaly hide.

With a shout of effort, Raphtalia got to a harpoon, shooting the massive spear out of a cannon, also piercing the hide. Seems she's been learning just as much.

You were about to loose another self named Bloodcurdling Shriek, before the creatures head dipped out of the water, it's horn glowing. Hot air brushed past you as a laser shot out of it, decimating another ship. Around you the boat began to lurch as the fish men latched on, beginning the climb aboard.

You shifted the Ultimate Weapon into its sword form, holding it in front of you. With a deep breath, a Deep Sea Hound leapt aboard, fangs headed for your face.

"Waning Blade." The air around you darkened as you swung the blade in a 270. After a split second, all beasts suddenly lurched over, cut down with blood pouring, while leaving the actual knights intact.

You smiled at the effect. Being able to come up with your own spells through this weapon was... nice. A chance to show your power however you pleased.

Before you could dwell on it, Melty's surprised scream echoed through the air.

"Melty!" Mirellia shrieked. The one in question was in the grasp of a more humanoid fish beast, who was trying to go overboard with her.

"No point in trying. Wan-" before you could finish the spell, the beast seemed to simply fall apart, as a new figure landed in the deck. A man in red, wielding a huge scythe.

"Ah, you must be L'Arc." You remarked.

"Indeed I am!" Before L'Arc could face you and meet you, a gurgling roar burst out as another fish person leapt from above, trying to get at the newcomer.

"Skybound Wheel Swing!" With a ring of the last syllable, L'Arc swung his scythe upwards, somehow generating a twister that spit the fish men back into the water.

"I'll admit, you seem tough." You told him.

"I do my best." L'Arc flashed you a smile, before you made eye contact, and you caught a flash of unease in his stare.

"L'Arc! Y/n!" You looked up at Naofumi, who stood on the ships mast with Filo, pointing out into the sea.

"You guys get on that big thing and attack it!" He ordered.

"Understood, Naofumi!" Your sword shifted into bow again as you ran to the edge of the ship, putting a knee up as you took aim. After a moment of hesitation...

"Get it's big ass out of the water again!" L'Arc shouted. You readied your shot, as your bow began to glow with a bright light.

A few seconds after Naofumi dove back in with Filo, they flew straight up and out, shortly followed by the beast.

"Skybound Wheel Swing!" L'Arc repeated his previous attack, this time drawing a thick line of blood across the beasts eye.

"Hmph. I guess I'll finish it this time around." You leapt upwards with all your strength, wind rushing around you as you reached full height. Just as you began to fall, you pointed your bow skyward, releasing the brilliantly radiant projectile.

"A Call Beyond: Dark Side of the Moon!" As you fell, the clouds began to churn, glowing a bright white, before a spire of light blazed through the air, ripping through the boss beast. A second one came, then a third, before a massive hailstorm of stars decimated the body of the beast. The light blinded all the saw it, before the stars finally faded, and the body of the fish beast finally dropped into the water, dead...

"Nice work." Your feet hit the hide of the beast with a dull thump, Naofumi beside you.

"You fought well." You told L'Arc as he leapt onto the corpse, that woman Therese behind him. He stayed silent for a moment, looking at you with a suspicious glare. In fact, that weapon he wielded seemed to be quite strange as well.

"What are you guys doing here?" Naofumi asked as Ren, Motoyasu, and Itsuki dropped onto the corpse as well.

"We're here for the drops, of course." Ren stated.

"It does all belong to the-" you held your hand out to Itsuki, stopping him from speaking.

"Y/n? Is something wrong?" Itsuki asked. Your weapon glowed with a bright light, before disappearing completely, leaving your hands empty.

"You, L'Arc. You're not here to reap any rewards, are you?" You asked.

"What?" Naofumi tensed up, as the other three heroes immediately readied their weapons. They knew to trust you, good.

"Oh, you figured that out so fast?" The Scythe wielder asked, hefting his own weapon. You narrowed your eyes at it, thinking back to another strange weapon you had encountered...

"I see... I see I see I see..." you put your hand to your chin, tapping it as you walked forward.

"It all makes sense..." you remarked.

"Makes sense? What are you talking about?" Naofumi asked.

"You see, Shield Hero, when I left my homeland for the first time, we were technologically superior to this land, this world. It often crossed my mind how your most technical weapons were cannons. But..." You smirked, looking at L'Arc.

"Say, instead of my homeland regressing into Melromarc, what if the two were completely separate?" You suggested.

"I... don't think I get it." Motoyasu admitted.

"Say, your world and my home world were different. If someone had decided to summon me into a different world with different heroes, then maybe I would be facing you on the opposite end of this battlefield." You suggested.

"Is that correct, Scythe Hero?" You asked. After a moment of stunned silence, L'Arc began to laugh. First, it was a light laugh, which quickly evolved into a loud belly laugh, echoing across the seas.

"As I feared. Naofumi, this is my fight now. Take Filo, and get the other heroes where you will not be in my way." You told him.

"Fine. You heard him!" Sounds of scuffling ensued behind you as L'Arc watched you.

"You know, I would normally be mad at you for ordering such a thing. But you, you're Y/n. Surely you remember a fine lady from the previous wave, don't you?" He asked. You smiled, the revelations coming one by one.

"You mean Glass, The Fan Hero, do you not?" You asked.

"I do. You really roughed her up, using only an enchanted broadsword. Now, my policy is to fight fair and square, so-" You snapped your fingers, producing a booming sound around you. All around you, mist formed in large clumps, releasing itself into a dense fog.

"If you want a fair fight, you came to the wrong place. L'Arc, foolish hero, tell me..." in your hands appeared a new weapon, a single mace.

"What do you bleed?" The Scythe Hero didn't have time to react before air rushed around him, knocking him back. When it faded, and L'Arc looked back at you, his eyes widened.

"Therese!" You smirked at the struggling woman in your arms, your grip tightening.

"Now, all I need for you, is to sleep..." Mist surrounded the mage's head, and her body fell limp. You placed her down behind you, turning your mace to L'Arc.

"Now, all loose ends have been tied for now. For the time being... you may attack first." You told him.

His normal humorous stance dropped completely, leaving only the hero in attack mode.

"Nobody messes with Therese, you hear me!?" You sighed in disappointment as he sprinted at you, dashing at truly incredible speeds for a human...

Only to be knocked aside by a wayward swing of your mace.

"That all you have? Even Glass did better when I gave her a chance." You shook your head in disappointment. You hefted your mace, taking a new stance.

"Now, good luck." With a blast of wind and dust, you dashed forward, swinging your weapon with all your might. L'Arc managed to lift his weapon's blade in time to block the attack. The force of it alone knocked him off his feet, sending him sprawling across the corpse of the fish monster. You leapt upwards in the air, lifting your weapon as you dropped down onto L'Arc, who flipped up in time to dodge you, punishing your attack with a downwards stab of his scythe. You smirked as the weapon planted itself in your back, before reaching up to grab it.

"Not too bad, but not enough." You forced the weapon from L'Arc's hands, letting it clatter a few feet away. Now defenseless, L'Arc could only duck and weave repeatedly as you swung the mace, forcing a rhythm out of him as he leapt backwards after a few of these, landing on his hands, then flipping to his feet. Surprisingly, his scythe was in hand once again.

"So, your weapons behave much like any other from a hero, hm?" You lifted your mace up high, bringing it down at full force on him, forcing him back even further.

"Damn, I guess I might've underestimated you." He admitted, standing up.

"And that's exactly what I told you not to do!" A familiar female voice shouted. And once again, from the skies, dropped a familiar woman in black, fans in hand.

"L'Arc, I warned you of Y/n and his inhumanity. And yet, we need to defeat him in order to accomplish our goals..." Glass spoke.

"Ah, Glass. It's wonderful to see you again." You smirked, mace raised.

"You... I can't believe fate would doom us like this, but it's no matter." Glass seemed to be putting aside her fear of you from the previous wave. Truly, it was resolve burning in her eyes.

"Remember, this is for the fate of our world." She reminded her fellow hero.

"Yeah, I get it..." L'Arc stood up, holding his weapon in hand as you turned your mace upside down.

"So, you fight with renewed vigor. No matter, so will I..." with a grunt, you forced your mace into your gut, twisting the dull weapon in as deep as it would go. After a moment of this, with a sickening noise, you pulled the weapon out, revealing... well...

"W-What the hell is that!" L'Arc shouted out at Bloodletters power, seeing the weapon that now stood over you in height. Mist began to take to the skies, darkening in color until they were several void black pockets in space.

"Now, heroes. Both of you have been tested, and deemed unworthy on your own. Now... Your end is here."

L'Arc charged first at you, scythe at the ready as he leapt up, slamming it down on you at full force. You lifted Bloodletter to match his attack, stalking him in place long enough for the air above him to darken.

"You're too slow, too weak. Rain of Flesh." Above him, a single dead body fell against his back, detonating into a smear of blood on impact. While seemingly weak, it actually knocked the hero backwards, stunned from the hit.

"I won't let you win this time!" Glass shouted, fans raised as she began to prepare a skill.

"It's not your choice." You told her, a ring of bodies falling around her. Glass barely had time to move into a place of safety before she felt something impact her back, and she went flying.

Glass tumbled a few feet, colliding with a lone gravestone. But... what would such a marker be doing here?

Glass got to her feet, looking around to get a look at where she was... instead of the back of the fish she had just been on, she and L'Arc were being whipped around on a hill, in a field of white flowers.

"Now, cease this, and perhaps you'll live." Your voice echoed through Glass' mind, which she desperately tried to block out, to not hear.

"You wish to save your world, yet you even refuse to bargain with one who can." Glass' mind didn't feel great. In fact, she almost felt like she was going to throw up.

"Hm. Since I have more important business then you, I suppose you'll get off easy this time. However, first..." a red timer appeared across both heroes vision. 5 minutes.

"Survive."

Therese's body dissolved into golden light as you regained control of your body. As you stood straight, the air around you began to clear, until blue skies graced the land once again. Cheers filled the sky as the fact began to settle on you.

The third wave... was finally gone.

The pained screams of two heroes faintly echoed in your minds as you watched Filo fly towards you, ready to pick you up and bring you to an intact ship.

With the wave gone and dealt with, Naofumi, Filo, and Raphtalia tried to make the decision to leave early, to prepare more. However, dreary weather did not allow for that, binding the Shield's party for a bit longer than expected.

Coming back from a fishing trip, Naofumi had brought some fish to cook for dinner, as well as a cold, green haired girl, who had been previously from Itsuki's party. The poor girl was soaking wet and shivering from an attempt to kill herself by drowning. You listened to her tale of woe well, as she claimed to have been framed for breaking the Bow Hero's favorite accessory. You would not have hesitated to make her a hunter, and train her to become stronger, but Raphtalia needed to come first.

In the meantime, this new girl, Rishia, would not be the only one to gain from this. Thanks to his efforts in the waves, Naofumi did earn himself the title of lord... lord of Seyaette's Demi Human region. With Raphtalia's hometown now facing reconstruction at the hands of all Naofumi had helped in the past, you felt...

Well... it was strange.

You saw kingdoms rise and fall, feeling no different than before as they crumbled to dust, leaving no print on history.

But, as Raphtalia's flash was raised, you felt a sense of longing. Longing and Pride.

Raphtalia, first a child, now a full grown hunter...

Yes, she would make a fine replacement for you, when your time came. But not now, and not for many a millennium. But when the day did finally come, there would be no doubt.

Just as Naofumi had, alongside his many companions and friends...

The Moon will rise, be it a day or a decade. Let the moon rise.