Chapter 44: Shield of Fury

"UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

I unleash a roar which rivals the dragons, and catch the arm of the shadow with the shield.

I don't feel pain or anything else.

"GYA!?"

The black shadow mouth distorts in astonishment and sneers at me.

Ridiculous.

"DIE!"

I catch the black shadow and throw it.

The black shadow flew while roaring in surprise.

"GYAOOOOO!"

However, the shadow gets up immediately, and rushes to attack.

... Can this shield attack an enemy?

Not available.

The black shadow attacks me with it's tail and arms knocking me to my knees.

"It's not working!"

The attack of the black shadow is not effective on me.

"Haha..... are you stupid?"

Though, I don't have any means to defeat it.

After that thought a black flame immediately appears around my arm, and it burns the tail and arms of the black shadow.

"GYAOO!?"

The shadow was surprised at that fact and fell down.

"Hm..... Is there a counter-attack offensive ability in here?"

The shadow is keeping it's distance, seemingly afraid.

"Are you begging for your life now? It's too late for forgiveness!"

I slowly recite a skill.

"Iron Maiden!"

However, the skill is not activated and a skill tree appears in my view.

Shield Prison -> Change Shield (Attack) -> Iron Maiden

Is this the activation conditions?

that's troublesome, I suppose to trigger the counter-attack I have to trick the shadow into hitting me.

"Wait for me...I'll kill you by any means possible....."

The shadow swings its arm at at me, frightened by my murderous intent and anger.

My shield is raised to intercept the arm and a black flame engulfs it.

It roasts the meat and melts the bone.

This amount of heat is insufficient...I want to erase the existence itself.

"-----------OT!"

I see, the more angrier I get the more powerful the Shield of Fury gets.

That's simple.

All I have to do is remember my feelings for those bastards.

Mein = Sofia..... Or was her name Malty?

I feel angry just remembering that name.

Next is Trash king, Motoyasu, Ren, and Itsuki.

I remember the things they did to me one by one.

Hate...I want to kill them...

My anger begins to dissolve into the crimson shield, staining it black.

"This time I'll kill...Everyone....."

I catch the arm of the shadow, and everything is erased, exterminated by the flames of indignation.

The flame wraps around the entire shadow and consumes it all.

Somebody touches my hand.

Dokun...

This is... The same gentle feeling as that time?

" I am different from the whole world which tortures and shuns Naofumi-sama...I'll say it as many times as it takes, Naofumi-sama won't do  something like that."

...Eh?

My visibility warped by darkness slightly shakes.

Somewhere inside of me a voice is warning me that if I give in to the anger I will lose whats most precious to me.

I want to deny it. But...

"Please believe me. I am convinced that Naofumi-sama didn't commit any crime.You are a great Hero of the Shield-sama who gave me medicine to save my life ,and taught me how to live...I am your sword, and I will follow you no matter what road you take."

A voice whispers to me.

Don't be consumed by the urge to kill.

There is something you must protect.

Did you forget your anger?

I did not forget. But, I want to repay the person who so sincerely believes in me.

Do you defy me?

Do not order me. I will decide for myself!

...I am always here waiting for an opening...

The black voice disappears, and my view becomes bright.

"Cough! Cough!"

When I noticed Raphtalia was holding my hand while trying to hold down her coughing.

"Ar-Are you okay?"

She had suffered terrible burns.

There is no enemy here that can use fire.

Just... What...

Ah...

Special effect of the Shield of Fury, Self-Burning Curse.

"Raphtalia!"

"Coug-"

Raphtalia smiles and collapses.

Because of me.....Raphtalia suffered serious wounds.

"I am the Hero of the shield who deciphers and calls forth the power of nature to heal!"

"Fast Heal!"

"I am the Hero of the shield who deciphers and calls forth the power of nature to heal!"

"Fast Heal!"

"I am the Hero of the shield who deciphers and calls forth the power of nature to heal!"

"Fast Heal!"

Until my magic power runs out I do not stop healing.

Raphtalia...Raphtalia is the only person who believed in me!

There are severe burns. Using beginner class recovery magic is insufficient for treatment.

I must hurry to the wagon and use the healing ointments.

"GYAOOOOO!"

I turn around and see the zombie dragon roar. It faces us and uses it's breath while attacking with it's un-burnt arm.

"Get out of my way!"

I intercept the zombie dragon's attack by raising my arm.

The shield shines with a black light, and activates Self-Curse Burning.

"Stop it!"

The shield stops as if responding to my voice.

If the shield activates again here it will also burn Raphtalia.

I cannot do such a thing; However, the poison breath is very bad for Raphtalia's vitality.

As if in response to my intentions, the shield burns only the poison breath. But this output is not enough to  earnestly slaughter the enemy.

What should I do.

The urge to kill and anger is always supplied to me from the shield, I try to hold it down somehow as to not be swallowed by rage again.

My highest priority now is to return to the wagon quickly and treat Raphtalia.

Protecting Raphtalia is all that's left of my reasoning.

"GYA!?"

While in the midst of attacking and defending the zombie dragon begins scractching at it's chest painfully.

"Wh-what is going on..."

What on earth is happening? Is the Self-Curse Burning burning it from the inside?

"GYAOOOOOOOO!!!"

Eventually the dragon stops moving and returns to it's original corpse form.

Now is not the time to observe the situation.

There seems to be no more poison flies buzzing around.

They probably escaped as a result of the zombie dragon's rampage.

I return to the wagon with Raphtalia, and rub the burn cure made from healing ointments and medical herbs on Raphtalia's burns.

And the antidote was given to Raphtalia.

"Ah.....Naofumi-sama"

Raphtalia's breathing becomes quiet and opens her eyes to smile at me.

"Are you okay!?"

"Yeah.....Thank you for the medicine Naofumi-sama..."

Still, her burns are quite severe. Though the simple burns are cured with the medicine..... because the effect was from black magic, a black trace is left. Though it's a little better, a complete recovery seems unlikely.

"I-I'm fine.....Hurry.....the dragon"

"The zombie dragon isn't moving any more"

"That's not it... dispose of the corpse quickly."

"...okay."

Raphtalia's strong gaze was directed at the corpse of the dragon.

"Is it safe to leave it here?"

"to protect your body you must fight."

"Is see.....okay."

I got off the wagon and walked towards to corpse of the dragon.

It is necessary to dismantle the dragon and then let my shield absorb it.

And Firo...even if it's only a corpse, I have to at least make a grave.

When approaching the corpse I noticed it's internal organs were wriggling.

what on earth is going to happen.

I can barely fight in this state.

Shield of fury...

It's a dangerous shield that erodes the mind, but it provides strong physical defence and a strong counter attack.

I still haven't recovered from when I used it earlier so I change to the Chimeric Viper Shield.

But I get ready to respond to anything while taking a stance.

And I approach the corpse.

The wriggling stops in one place, It's getting eatten? the chest is broken and something appears!

"Puhaa~!"

A familiar bird that was dripping with rotten liquid walks out of the corpse of the dragon.

"Fu.....Finally I'm out"

"Firo? Are you safe? Are you not injured?"

"Yup. I don't think I'm hurt."

"Then...What about the blood that came out when you were eaten?

"Blood? I threw up all the food that I ate into the dragon."

Did Firo eat the red fruit that resembles tomatoes?...Is that why It looked like blood was dripping?

She certainly was eatting before the battle.

"Don't scare me like that! I thought you died!"

"An attack of that level is not even painful Firo isn't even itchy."

Is this a bird or a  monster.

No, it is in fact a demon.

Honestly...I am surprised.

"Master, were you worried about Firo?"

"I don't know."

"Master is embarrassed~"

"Do I have to kill you myself this time?"

"Noo~"

Sigh... She's safe, that's great.

I'm angry at the smirking Firo though. I'll remember this.

"so what did you do"

"Oh right. There was a big crystal that shined purple inside the stomach of the dragon. So I tore it up and it stopped."

"Hmm..."

What does that mean?

Was the foundation of that zombie dragon the big crystal?

The place where Firo came out...the heart?

But, such a thing.....

Because it's a dragon? Did the magic that stay in the body all gather in the heart and crystallize?

That might be possible.

"So...The crystal?

"Geffuuuuu!"

Yup. She ate it....I want to smack this fellow...

"I left a little. A souvenir for Master"

After saying so, Firo passes me a small purple fragment.

... What can I do with this?

First, I'll let the shield absorb half.

As I thought, the amount of skill Trees unlocked and level are insufficient.

"Because Raphtalia is hurt, Firo dispose of the corpse with me.

"Okay~!"

Honestly... This bird really surprises me.

I watch Firo and think.

At that time, if i didn't give in to the anger.

After I changed the shield to defeat an enemy for Firo, I completely lost to the anger after that.

If Raphtalia did not stop me, I might have even burned Firo.

Anger... The shield which was cured.

Were you trying to take over the consciousness of the hero?

All that I can say is, it gave me an uncontrollable urge to kill.

...At that time, that was all I could think about.

"Itadakimasu!"

"Hey Firo, don't eat that meat! it's Rotten!"

"Meat that's about to go bad is the most delicious, Master~!"

"This one isn't going bad, it's completely rotten!"

And without any tension the zombie dragon was disposed of.

Though I couldn't level any skill tree's with the bone and meat of the dragon.

Still, the dragon zombie's skin and dragon's bone seems to be useful so I'll put in the wagon.