Legend of the Five Heroes Chapter 23 (Patreon)
Content
Bleach/Shield Hero parody: Patreon Reward
Chapter 23 Soul Eater
Of the heroes summoned to this world, Ichigo was the only one who hadnât âplayed a gameâ similar to this world. While the games varied depending on the heroâs world, one was an online multiplayer, the other was a virtual reality thing, in one it was a phone game of all things. The point was they had some form of knowledge of enemies and bosses.
This seemed to be fine so far exceptâŠ
âWhat are you all doing!?â Ichigo shouted.
Bazz-B was attacking the ship from a distance. Uryu was attacking the Skeleton Captain. Cang Du was attacking the Kraken. Askin was tearing through the crew.
Four heroes and their parties and one boss, how was this taking so long?
The ship was taking damage, but it seemed to be repairing itself. The ship was a threat as if it got close to a town itâd start attacking with itâs on ship cannons. Had they not slowed this thing down the bombardment would have been devastating.
âIâve been slowing the ship down, but my attacks canât deal a critical blow on their own.â Bazz-B said. âI asked the others for help but they jumped on the ship.â The ship seemed to repair itself. In his game you had to take out the ship to reveal the true boss, but that might not have been the case here.
Bazz-B figured that out, but noticed so long as he attacked the ship, it didnât advance. âThanksâŠâ Ichigo said.
âSorry I wish I could have done more.â
âWe got the town evacuated just in case, but demons are spawning as we speak, letâs finish this boss.â
âSounds good, now letâs see what the others are doing so we can stop this Wave!â The Shield and Bow heroes joined the fray.
It was a mess on deck.
Askin and Bambietta (and the rest of his female party) were taking on the ships crew. They were tougher looking lizardmen and kobolds and had stronger armor and weapons. They wiped them out only for more to spawn from below deck. âSo the ship replenishes the crew.â
Cang Du was fighting the Kraken chopping off heads and tentacles, the problem was it could feed on the crew and when it did that it regenerated. âThe crew...or weak opponents feed the kraken, allowing it to heal and regenerate.â
Uryu was fighting the Undead Captain, but as he sliced and diced and did damage it wasnât backing down. Something Ichigo noticed is that even if the heroes or enemies damaged the ship, it repaired itself. âThe Captain is repairing the ship!â Ichigo noticed as every time the ship healed it glowed a strange aura.
âForget the captain, we need to take out the crew for the Soul Eater to appear!â Askin declared.
âYouâve tried that, itâs clearly the Kraken, we must destroy it to reveal the Soul Eater!â Cang Du argued.
âIf you lot would help weâd wipe out all the crew before they can re spawn and the boss will appear.â
âNo if you lot would help me! We could slay the kraken before it could regenerate and the boss will appear.â
You are both wrong, we have to slay the Captain, once heâs dead the crew will stop spawning and the kraken will stop attacking then the Soul Eater will appear.â Uryu snapped.
âHow dare you argue with Askin-sama!â Bambietta was being a pain in the ass again.
âThese idiots...they all treating this like a game...itâs not!â Bazz-B was the only one who took this worldâs lives into consideration. Each of the others were stuck in their own game logic.
Ichigo face palmed. âIn their games, one of the four is the true key to unlocking the true boss. In this world the synergy between the four seem spot on...wait...between the fourâŠâ
âI think I got it!â The ship replenishes the crew, the kraken feeds on the crew, and the captain protects the ship. âNow, one could assume that the crew or the kraken protect the captain except they arenât.â
âSo whatâs protecting the Captain?â They got their answer when Uryu managed to cut the Skeleton Down, there was a flicker from its shadow and it raised back up. This had Askin and Cang Du mocking Uryu claiming he was wrong.
âThe ship, the kraken, the crew, and the kraken, they are all pawns for the Soul Eater.â All the Soul Eater had to protect was the captain, the others were self sustaining.
Ichigo filled his party in on the plan. âGot it!â
âLetâs go!â Toshiro cheered.
âYou know what to do?â Ichigo asked Bazz-B.
The pinkette nodded. âIâll be ready.â
Truth was they were all right, they needed to attack everything at once. Which they were more than capable of doing, given they had their parties with them.
âRoot Attack!â Roseâs roots thrust into the deck of the ship and began attacking the floating vessel. âAcid Rain!â He cast on the back of the ship, pelting the stern with a shower of acid.
With the ship under attack it seemed to piss off the others and Rose became a target, but the Krakenâs tentacles couldnât reach Rose with Ichigo standing guard.
âShadow Double!â Sajin made a copy of Toshiro.
âIce Dragon Roar!â Toshiro released a chilling blast of snow and ice, which was very effective on the Kraken, freezing its limbs. With two ice dragons, they managed to freeze all eight tentacles.
âShadow Bullet!â Komamura blasted the tentacles and shattered them.
As for the crew Renji and Grimmjow dealt with them. âSquall!â
âAll First Blaze!â The ship and the crew took damage. With the ship taking so much damage it couldnât re spawn the crew.
âStar Shower Arrow!â Bazz-B added to the damage.
âGator Wheel!â Ichigo attacked the Skeleton Captain, thanks to his Undead Hunter it did even more damage. Uryu didnât know the plan but he helped.
âDivine Slash!â Ishida slashed the thing down and the Captain was down.
The shadow flicked. âNow Sajin!â
âFast Light!â The spell caused the shadow to expand, revealing the creature lurking inside.
âShining Arrow!â Bazz-B fired and struck the shadow.
âShaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!â The Soul Eater appeared.
âThere it is!â Askin and Cang Du gasped.
âWeâve drawn it out, now finish it off!â Ichigo snapped.
âWhere does he get off ordering us around.â Bambietta huffed.
âLightning Spear!â
âCyclone Axe-Swing!â
âTsunami Sword!â
âTwilight Arrow!â
The four heroes unleashed their attacks upon the Soul Eater. They did some damage, but it was still standing.
It lunged and attacked the party members, draining their mana to heal. âCrap!â
âSaaaaaa!â It was using a breath attack, it drained mana from the heroes to charge an attack. Boom! They got blasted away.
âSuch power!â Ichigo gasped.
âBastard...it drained our mana!â Askin was leaning on his spear.
With their mana stolen they could hardly move. âThe heroes of this world donât seem to be worth anything.â A woman observed.
âSaaa!â It was charging another breath attack, using itâs own mana this time.
âItâs gonna kill themâŠâ Ichigoâs hand balled into a fist. âDamn it!â
âAir Strike Shield, First Barrier, Light Screen!â
âIchigo-sama!â His party cried out as the blast came and struck.
âThis isnât a normal boss...this is the type of high-class boss, that hardcore gamers take on for hours.â These so called gamers wasted so much time and energy just trying to get to the boss.
The shield heroâs barriers held up and managed to reduce the damage and Ichigo blocked the attack. âThanks Ichigo!â Bazz-B said.
âTch...we didnât need your protection.â Askin grumbled.
âWeâd have been fine on our own!â Cang Du got up.
Ichigo felt his rage building. âWe donât need you the lowly shield!â Bambietta hissed.
âWhy...why am I risking my life for these people...even Bazz-B he wants us to work together but I just canâtâŠâ Heâs been cleaning up their messes, having to deal with their attitude, and Bambietta...just fucking BambiettaâŠeverything sheâs done to ruin his life. âWhy am I doing this?â
Renji and Grimmjow were wanting to kick their asses, but they had Soul Eater problem. âWhy are they so mean to Ichigo-sama?â Rose asked.
âLater, letâs crush this thing!â Komamura said.
The Soul Eater charged at Ichigo. âNo you donât, Ropes of Light!â Sajin hooked the Soul Eater like a fish and snatched him.
âFrost Claw!â Toshiro kicked him. It knocked him back and a bit further into the air.
âAir Cannon!â âBlossom Blizzard!â âRed Flame Cannon!â Grimmjow, Rose, and Renji blasted the boss.
The Soul Eater cried out in pain and thrashed, but Sajin was using his bulk to hang onto the Soul Eater. He was keeping him from sweeping through the downed people, draining their mana and healing. âIchigo-sama!â
Ichigo saw them, his party, his loves, the only thing he cared about in this world. âFor them...fight for themâŠâ He glared at Askin, Cang Du, and Bambietta. âThese fools can go to hell, they can say what they want, no matter what happensâŠâ
âRenji...Grimmjow...Sajin...Toshiro...Rose...Bazz-BâŠâ Yes even Bazz-B. Ichigo in his heart thought about the people that have made this world bearable. âI will protect you. So lend me your strength!â He manifested the Rage Shield.
âIf I give into my rage...theyâll die...even if I donât have faith in those idiot heroes...itâs my job to protect themâŠâ
âDo you have to protect them?âIchigoâs eyes widened.
âWho said that?â
âYou can let them suffer and die...they canât defeat the Soul Eater, leave the fools to their fate!â A phantom apparition swirled around Ichigo. The zombie dragonâs core empowered the Rage Shield causing it to evolve.
Shield of Rage II â It unlocked and enhanced the rage shieldâs abilities.
The humiliation of being defeated by humans...the anger of his dying grudge being snuffed out...the destructive impulse rage at the world and destroy everything...it fed the flames of Ichigoâs anger.
White and Red armor formed over Ichigoâs arm, it looked like he had a dragonâs claw. His aura flared with a malevolent aura. âHate them...burn them...destroy themâŠâ
âGrrrrr!â Ichigoâs eyes turned yellow, the whites of his eyes turning black.
A woman above watched from above, she opened a fan. âThis one might be promising!â
-x-
Ichigo felt he was sinking into the darkness. âDestroy!âHe raged.
âIchigo...control yourself!â Sajin called out.
The Soul Eater let out a cry, his energy poured into the ship. The Kraken was revived and the crew was revived. The crew and Kraken attacked the heroes and their parties.
The other heroes busted out some mana potions and recovered. They began to fight back.
âWhatâs wrong with him?â Bazz-B asked. He protected Ichigo from being attacked.
âItâs the Rage Shield, but itâs evolved itâs even stronger now.â
The aura was making the monsters go nuts, turning their focus on him.
Aura of Rage: A skill that draws the attention of monsters and enemies, to target you.
âLet them come!â Ichigo pushed Bazz-B out of the way and took some attacks from the crew. He smirked. âDoom Blast!â The charge attack was charged faster in this new state.
Ichigo fired a red beam out, it obliterated those that attacked him, punched a hole in the ship and killed the kraken with one shot. âRage is my only weapon...itâs the only weapon I needâŠâ
The Soul Eater broke free from the ropes of light and fired another attack at Ichigo. He took the hit as his other arm became encased in similar white armor. âPfft, is that it, come on hit me!â
âThe other heroes are useless, rage is all you need...itâs the only thing you can rely onâŠâ The figure slowly took form, looking more and more like Ichigo. âImagine how much fun you can have if you let your rage flow...donât hold back let it all out!â
âAre these my thoughts...I...I have to focus...my enemy...I know who my enemy isâŠâ
Renji was calling out to him. âRenji...Bazz-BâŠâHe pushed past them. âIâm sorry...Itâs fine...Iâll finish it...right now!â
âShield Prison!â In an instant he caused the Soul Eater to be trapped. Then he used the Change Shield (Attack) using his needle shields to pierce the boss. âDeath Sphere!â Since he had Shield of Rage II he could use the Change Shield Attack again, this time using the Gator Shield. Buzz saws appeared in the sphere, they buzzed and the shield prison spun around and around, creating a death roll. The Soul Eater was blended up and dead.
From the shadow of one of the Kraken tentacles another Soul Eater burst out and charged at Ichigo. âSpike Shield Prison!â He cast the spell to trap the Soul Eater and skewer him. âFoolish sinner, I grant you punishmentâŠâ
âSyaaaaaaaaaaaaa!â The Soul Eater cried out in pain.
âPiercing your whole body with a virginâs embrace!âThe sky grew dark and the shield prison was lifted toward the sky.âSuffer in pain...your cries muffled! Know my wrath and a maidenâs tears. Iron Maiden!â
An Iron Maiden descended from the sky chains connecting it to the void from whence it came. The torture device opened revealing long spikes. The prison was drawn into the maiden and it closed. Ichigo grasped his hand closed and the Soul Eater was impaled.
His hand released and the Soul Eater was let go and it fell to the ship dead. This was terrifying, as the second Soul Eater hadnât taken any damage and Ichigo just one shot it!
The technique had burned all of Ichigoâs mana. The Rage Shield 2 faded away. âThat was fun...donât hesitate to call on me again...IchigoâŠâ
âThat was impressive!â Bazz-B praised. âAre you okay?â
Renji and Grimmjow helped him up. The strange armor had vanished along with the shield, and his eyes had returned to normal.
âHow did he fight so well, I canât believe it!â Askin said.
âIâll say this is my defeat this time.â Uryu said sheathing his sword.
âAll that power...smells like a cheat skill to me!â Cang Du grumbled.
âMaster didnât cheat!â Rose huffed. âI was gonna give you these, but if you wanna be jerks.â He had conjured some Goodberries.
âWe donât need those, we have plenty of potions!â Bambietta said, but they were being stubborn. Good Berries could fully replenish their health and mana as if they had taken a long rest. Itâd take three mana potions to recover from the fight, each.
âRose let those sore losers stew in their own defeat. They are just mad they couldnât do a thing against the Soul Eater!â Grimmjow mocked.
âThatâs not true!â Askin flipped his hair. âI could have easily beaten it, but I just used up too much energy.â
Toshiro wondered if that was really true.
âWell if you donât want them? Weâll just take em!â
âWeâll take em!â Askin and Cang Du snapped.
âWonderful, thatâll be 10 gold each.â He charged them big time since they were being jerks. For Uryu he only charged 2 gold.
Ichigo was still reeling over the effects of the rage shield. âIâm exhausted...I canât even fight anymoreâŠâ He looked up and looked to Bazz-B. âThe wave...is it over now?â
The distortion hadnât ended.
A sudden chill washed over the ship. âThis feeling, itâs like Iâm being pulled deep under water!â
A dark skinned woman with striking blonde hair appeared, she was wearing an aqua blue kimono with black sharks on it. On her sleeves she had four sharks circling each other. âHonestly, you lot had such trouble with those small fry, Iâm amazed.â
Her aura was immense.
To everyoneâs shock two more Soul Eaters sprang up, the shadow of the crew converged into one of them, and one burst from the deck of the ship. âThere were two more of them!?â
âWereâŠâ She busted out fans and with a spin attack she killed both eaters with one blow. âNow let us begin...the true fight for the wave begins now!â
To be continued...