IT'S OVER! IT'S FINALLY OVER! MY LONGEST CHAPTER TO DATE HAS FINALLY COME TO AN END! Man, my fingers hurt so much. But, in all honesty, that last chapter was just pure insanity. It had everything in it. Demon Ayu, the Blood Sacrifice, Ayu going hydra, the pope's death, and Neela standing up for our girl even after she tried to murder the other three heroes! I've never put so much effort into one chapter before and I truly hope all of you who read it enjoy it to its fullest extent. It's the ultimate chapter of this series. Now, let's get right back into the story. Please, enjoy!

I was in that same dream again. In a field of flowers, but this time, it was like the first dream. Figures stood before me and I could move this time. I walked forward and came to Neela and Seamus first. But, Seamus disappeared, leaving only Neela standing in front of several other silhouettes. I gave her a hug and, right when I touched her, the silhouettes lit up. Naofumi, Raphtalia, Filo, Alex, and Melty were all standing there together, but, there were still more silhouettes behind them. 

"Everyone here..... they're all people I've met on my journey. And, if there's more silhouettes..... then that means there's still more people for me to meet." I thought to myself as they all began to disappear. The sun in the sky turned black and the flowers began to wilt away like before. I knew what was coming. 

"We lost....." I quiet demonic voice said as the demon that rested within me rose out of the earth in front of me. 

"No. You're the one who lost. You only used me for your own personal gain. But, Naofumi defeated you. You have no control over me anymore!" I shouted as the demon began to giggle. 

"Yes, yes, I may have lost..... but don't think i'm gone." The demon said which surprised me. 

"What? What're you talking about? Naofumi destroyed you with his curse shield." I said as the demon shook its head. 

"Wrong. He merely destroyed a physical projection of myself. The real me cannot be destroyed. Which means i'll always be a part of you, Ayuma. Watching..... waiting..... until the time is right for me to use you once again." The demon said to me as my head started to ache for some reason. 

"No..... I will not let you consume me again. It.... it's brought too much pain...... too much suffering to those I love. I refuse to use your power ever again!" I roared back at the demon as it just laughed at me. 

"You forget. I don't need you to use the axe to turn you. I can do it whenever I want. I simply need time to rest after our recent defeat. And, when i'm fully rejuvenated, we will see each other again." The demon said as it sank back into the ground. 

"Then i'll be waiting for you...." I said as I suddenly woke up. My upper body shot up and I saw I was sitting in a bed. I looked around and I could see Neela and Alex sleeping with their heads resting on the sides of my bed. The bed itself looked super fancy, meaning this was probably in the royal castle in Melromarc or at some Noble's manor. 

My body, hands, and left eye were covered in bandages. I'm sure this was the first time they were actually treated since I was taken. I used my status magic to check my stats. My health was full but my stamina was near zero. No doubt it was from all the wounds. I'm sure it would be difficult for me to walk.

"What...... happened?" I said as I got another headache. The pain from my injuries was even making it hard to talk. But, me talking seemed to wake both Neela and Alex up and they both seemed ecstatic to see me awake. 

"Miss Ayuma, you're awake!" Neela cheered as she crawled up the bed to hug me. I hugged her back and the feeling..... the feeling was like nothing else. It was just so nice to be back with my family. However, I had to cut the hugging short as I suddenly got a furious itch on my back. 

"After you and the other four heroes defeated the pope, you lost consciousness and began suffering from the death magic brought upon the demon who was controlling you. Actually, the shield hero lost consciousness as well when he used his curse shield to finally stop your rampage. He woke after three days. However, it's been a full week since you went out." Alex explained to me. 

"A full week, really? My gosh...... I can't imagine what everyone's gone through since then. All the pain I caused..... I almost killed them all...." I said as I put my head down. 

"Hey, don't worry about that right now. Just be thankful that the queen arrived. She did everything she could to make sure both you and Naofumi were revived. And, it seems like her efforts were not in vain. You're finally awake." Neela said as the space where my left eye used to be became itchy. I went to scratch it but Alex reached over and grabbed my wrist before I could touch it. 

"I'm sorry, but you can't remove or even touch those bandages yet. They must stay on for just a little while longer. However, when all the bandages do get removed.... I think I have something here that you might like...." Alex said as he walked over to a table near a corner of the room. He picked something up and then turned around to show it to me. 

"Ta-da! What do you think? I crafted this and all the other pieces using my metal magic. I tried to make it the same as the pieces you had before, so I hope you think I did a good job. And, you can thank Melty on the paint job." Alex explained as he held up and armor chest piece that was exactly like the one I had before. Actually, all the pieces on the table were exactly the same. And the colouring was the same too, black and purple all over. Just the way I like it. 

"You made all that!? But it looks just like the original! How the heck did you get it so spot on!?" I asked him as he chuckled a bit. 

"What can I say, I've got an incredible memory." Alex said as he put the chest piece back on the table and came back over. 

"There's also this, miss Ayuma." Neela said as she held up my axe in her hands. There was a large crack running through its blades. 

"That must be from all the punishment it received during the battle with the pope and the other heroes. Hopefully it doesn't cause any issues." I said as she put my axe back down next to my bed. And right after, two nurses came into the room. 

"We're here to change your bandages, I dare say." One nurse with medium length black hair said. 

"I dare say?" Neela questioned. 

"Oh, there's no need. Another nurse did it just an hour ago." Alex said. 

"They're not medics. They're Shadows." Neela said as I became confused. 

"Shadows? What's that supposed to mean?" I asked her as another person entered the room. They were an absolutely gorgeous deep red dress and they had beautiful purple hair, and a crown atop of their head.

"I rushed over as soon as they told me you had awakened. I'm relieved that your life is no longer in danger." The woman said as she came right up to the bed. 

"It's mother, uh, your majesty." Alex said as he bowed to his mother, the queen. 

"Allow me to introduce myself, I am Queen Mirellia Q. Melromarc." The queen said as she bowed to me. 

"I remember.... you're the one who cast that ice spell to freeze me in place so Naofumi could defeat me. I thank you for doing that." I said as she gave me a nod. 

"Well, I could hardly allow you to die, now could I. The axe hero is one of the five cardinal heroes. She helped to keep the world safe from the waves of catastrophe." The queen said but something was bothering me. 

"That's kinda funny since I was branded a traitor and thrown into prison and enslavement." I said as the queen sighed. 

"I owe you an apology and an explanation. I was far from Melromarc at an international forum with the other world leaders to determine how best to fight the upcoming waves when things took a turn. At this forum, we decided that the major nations would each summon one hero. Then all five of us would be able to work together to fight the waves. But by the time we'd made that decision, Melromarc's temporary leadership had already summoned all five cardinal heroes. This made the other nations furious, which forced me to travel the world to put out the fires." The queen explained. 

"So, you're saying that the asshole of a king and that bitch of a princess summoned us here all on their own?" I asked as the queen gave me another nod. 

"They weren't even supposed to have the power to make that decision. I did my best to keep them on a leash by leaving a lord I trusted in control of the kingdom while I was away. However...." The queen began to say as Alex took over. 

"He was tragically killed during the first wave and her majesty hadn't returned home yet. He was the king and just lord of the region of Sayet until that happened." Alex said as I saw Neela put her head down for a moment. 

"Hey, Alex, I've been meaning to ask you, but, why are you acting so differently?" I asked him as he looked at me all confused. 

"Acting differently? How so?" He asked. 

"Well, you're not acting all strict and proper. You're more kind and friendly now, not like when I met you before." I said as his cheeks turned red. 

"What!? You speak false words! I have no idea what you're talking about! I'm only acting this way because it is how her majesty like to see me." Alex explained as I just rolled my eyes. 

"I'm happy to see you've made some friends, Alexander, and that you can be yourself around them. I encourage you to stay in the axe heroes good grace as Alex." The queen said as Alex just looked embarrassed now. 

"So, at the start of all this, Naofumi, the shield hero was the only one who had to go through hardships and suffering. But, I ended up in the same state too. Why did that happen to us?" I asked the queen. 

"Aultcray, the king, already had his reasons for despising the shield hero. You on the other hand, was a more recent hatred. False accusations claimed that you attempted to murder him, but I believe it is because you sided with the shield hero. He saw you as the enemy, just as he did for the shield, and so, he used his power to destroy you. And the church took advantage of that to manipulate him." The queen explained as I sighed. 

"So he hated me for such a small reason as that? And he hated a totally different shield hero as well? What the heck does any of that have to do with Naofumi though?" I asked. 

"And Malty made things worse by trying to ensnare you both the way she did." The queen said as I clenched my fists with anger. Just hearing her name made me furious. 

'I'm guessing things would've went a lot differently if I had been summoned by one of those other countries." I asked as the queen nodded. 

"Yes. One such country is ruled by demi-humans. The shield hero is worshiped there, almost like a god. And, another country, which is full to the brim with mercenaries, is said to be the perfect land for the axe hero." The queen explained as I looked at her with surprise. 

"Mercenaries? With me? Seriously?" I asked as she chuckled a bit before continuing. 

"If, for whatever reason you decide to leave this country, Melromarc has no right to stop you. But first, I promise to clear your and the shield hero's name of an end the humiliation you both have suffered. You both have been pariah's in my kingdom for far too long. And, to reward you for fighting against the waves, and eliminating the treasonous church, we'll honor you with the greatest award Melromarc has to offer, along with the bonus of 500 gold pieces." The queen said as I nearly choked on the air from surprise. 

"Wait, what!? No, no, no! That's way too much! I can't accept something like that after all the pain I caused everyone else!" I said as she nodded once again. 

"Very well, I will remove the bonus. And lastly, there is something i'd like to discuss with you in private, if you don't mind." The queen said as I gave Neela and Alex a nod, gesturing them to leave. They did and left me and the queen alone. 

"This all seems very generous of you. Which means, there's obviously some sort of catch you haven't told me yet." I said. 

"At this point, without your help, Melromarc has no hope of surviving our uncertain future." The queen replied. 

"You can't convince me to stay here in this country. But that doesn't mean i'm going to leave it. But i'm just someone who goes where the waves are. Where i'm needed. So I can fight them off." I explained as the queen nodded. 

"I understand. Forgive me for asking, but how's your recovery going?" The queen asked as I just sighed. 

"Well, i'm awake, aren't I?" I jokingly said as she chuckled a bit. 

"Excellent. If you can walk, would you consider a visit to the castle tomorrow before you embark on your next journey?" The queen asked as I became curious. 

"What for?" I asked. 

"It will give you and the shield hero the opportunity to clear your names before the public. Besides, king Altcray and princess Malty will be put on trial tomorrow for the crimes they have committed in my absence. And they will be found guilty, and sentenced to death." The queen said which took me by surprise. 

"Aside from myself and the shield hero, you are the only other one who knows about this. And, regardless of whether you work with our country or not, that won't change what's going to happen. This is Melromarc's way of..... No. This is my way of making things right again." The queen said as I still remained just absolutely stunned. 

"But, you're talking about your husband and daughter." I said to her as she lowered her head. 

"There are consequences. Their sins are enough that not even the queen can save them. The people know an important announcement will be made tomorrow. Ad they've been instructed to gather outside the castle if they wish to hear it firsthand. And, I have to be honest, your presence would be useful, if not, essential. Of course, I understand it's hardly adequate to recompense for the way you've been treated. But..... please....." The queen said as she bowed to me again. I let out a heavy sigh this time before taking a second to think about it all. 

"Fine. I'll be there. Just hope I can walk by tomorrow." I said as the queen raised herself back up. 

"Thank you, axe.... no. Thank you, Ayuma. I promise all false charges on you will be cleared." The queen said to me as she went to leave the room. When she opened the door, she left and both Neela and Alex came back inside. 

"So, what did you talk about?" Neela asked me. 

"Sorry, can't tell. Queen's orders." I jokingly said.

"Oh, come on! Can't you tell us at least a bit?" Neela asked. 

"Well, I guess I can say at least this. She wants me to come back to the castle tomorrow so she can clear mine and Naofumi's names." I explained. 

"That's amazing! Thank goodness.... and, this means that everyone in Melromarc will finally know the truth. That you and Naofumi didn't do anything wrong. I'm so relieved." Neela said as she came right up to me and hugged. 

"Ow! Hey! Still injured here, you know." I said as she backed off. I then suddenly got that crazy itch on my back again. It felt weird. Normally, it doesn't get this itch so often. 

"Neela, it's getting late. I think we should go and allow Ayuma to have some much needed rest." Alex said as Neela nodded in agreement. 

"Take care, mother. I'll see you in the morning." She said to me as they both left. But, as soon as they shut the door, that crazy itch on my back came back yet again. 

"Jeez, why the heck is it so itchy!?" I thought as I reached behind with my left hand and started to scratch profusely. But, in the midst of scratching, I pulled something off of me. I had it gripped in my hand and I pulled it over my shoulder to see what it was. 

"A black feather.....?" I questioned as I tried my best to look over my shoulder. I was so shocked to see both of the black wings from my demonic form sticking out of my back. They looked pretty small right now, all crunched up, maybe spreading out 3 feet each if I tried to extend them. 

"Why the heck are these things still on me!?" I questioned as I started to roll around in my bed to get out. 

"I thought the effects of the demon axe were gone!? So, why are my wings still here!?" I questioned as I rolled too far and fell out of my bed. I couldn't feel my legs so I was left to crawl around on the floor. There was a chair nearby so I crawled over to it so I could try and lift myself up. 

"This isn't real. These wings are not real!" I shouted as I made it to the chair. My arms were shaky but I used them to hoist myself up. I was now slumped over the chair. 

"Okay..... okay..... if I can just sit up...." I said as I tried my best to use my arms to maneuver myself so I could sit straight up on the chair. But, I nearly fell off when one of my arms gave out. But, I regained my strength and somehow, lifted myself properly onto the chair. The table which had my new armor on it was right in front of me, and something was sticking out to me when I saw it all. 

"The chest piece Alex showed me..... it has slits in the back of it! No, no, no, no, this can't be right! I can't be turning in that..... thing!" I shouted as I saw there was a mirror near the table. I used my arms to push off the table, sliding me and the chair into the view of the mirror so I could get a look at these damn wings. 

"These things can't be real, they just can't!" I yelled as I reached back to pull more feathers out. But more would just grow back and replace the ones I pulled. 

"What the hell is going on!? Why are these things still here on me!?" I questioned as, in the mirror, I saw a black hand rise over my left shoulder. I turned to look at it but it wasn't there when I looked. I then turned back and saw the hand was still there in the mirror. 

"You can only see what I want you to see, Ayuma." The demon's voice said to me as it revealed itself from behind me in the mirror. 

"What's wrong? You don't look happy. Do you not like the gift I left you, dear? And here I was, thinking you'd enjoy being able to fly all on your own." The demon said as I saw her stroke my hair in the mirror. But I couldn't feel it in the real world. 

"What do you want? What do YOU really want?" I asked it as it stopped touching my hair. 

"Oh, come now, i'm sure you can figure that out. I know you're a smart girl. What is it that you think I want?" It asked me. 

"You want destruction. To cover the world in darkness. To make it in your image. And you're using me as your pawn." I said as the demon let out a wicked smile. 

"Spot on as usual. And that's why I like you, Ayuma. You're intelligent, strong, fearless..... the perfect candidate for me to use." The demon said as it tried to put its hands down my breasts. But I turned away before it could do so in the mirror. 

"Oh, fine. I'll play a little nice, just for you." The demon said as it began to stroke the skin of my cheeks. 

"What are you planning? What're you going to do once you're back to full strength?" I asked it as it began to squeeze my cheeks together. I could actually feel it this time though. 

"Well, you are correct once again. I'm not fully rejuvenated yet, but i'll get there soon. And, once I am, you're going to become my plaything once more. This time, we'll come together as one and slaughter all those dense heroes. Especially that damn shield hero for harming us the last time. I'll be the one sending him to hell next time." The demon said as it moved its hands down to one of my stab wounds. They'd been sewn up but it still tried to poke them hard. And, it still really hurt. 

"Get your damn hands off of me!" I shouted as I tried to swing my left arm at the demon. But there was nothing to hit as it only resided in the mirror. 

"What's the matter? Don't like it when people touch you? How does that make you feel? Do you feel angry? Upset? Frustrated? Infuriated? I sure hope so. Because all those feelings and more building up inside of you only quicken my rejuvenation." The demon explained to me. 

"So you're saying that if I stay calm, you're healing process slows?" I asked as it went back to squeezing my face. 

"That's right. But, if you're thinking about staying calm, then you can forget about it. I'm within you, I know how you get. You're just a nasty thundercloud of emotions. And with everything that's happened recently, i'm sure that clouds begun to rumble." The demon said asit started poking my forehead. It then put its hand inside my forehead and pulled out the two black curved horns from before. 

"What're you doing!? Stop!" I demanded as it stopped pulling them out midway. 

"Aw, what's the matter? By letting me do this, i'm only making you stronger, you know. Don't you want to become stronger, so you never lose anyone you care about ever again? Isn't that what you said before?" The demon said as I clenched my fists. 

"No. What I said before..... was that if you came between me and my family ever again..... I will kill you. And don't think for a second that i'll let you make me stronger. If I let you do that, it would only make you stronger as well. Now, get your hands off of me." I said as the demon sighed and pushed the horns back into my head. 

"Alright, fine. But that little threat of yours means nothing to me. How exactly can you fight something you can't even touch, or actually see for that matter!? I'm inside your mind, Ayuma, and I have the reigns! There's nothing you can do to stop me!" The demon roared as it began to laugh maniacally. I had to stop this before it tried to pull something else crazy. I looked to my right and saw my armor pieces were still on the table. It was a bit far since I slid away on the chair but I tried my best to reach the table. 

"Poor little Ayuma! Helpless in the face of pure darkness! You shall become one with me, and together, we will strike down all those who harm us and cover this world in a never ending eclipse!" The demon roared as I still tried to reach for a piece of armor. I was leaning so far that I nearly fell out of the chair. I now laid on my side as my fingers were just touching the edge of the table. I leaned a little bit further and I just barely got my fingers into one of my metal gloves. 

"You'll never be rid of me! I am eternal! I am infinite! I am the darkness! I AM DEATH!" The demon roared as I put the metal glove on, sat back up and smashed the mirror to pieces. Everything went silent then, and I couldn't feel the demon touching me anymore. I was breathing very heavily though, and my body was shaking. I was afraid. 

"You're not..... gonna control me...... ever again...... you here me!? I.... am not your puppet! I will not allow you..... to separate me from my family..... ever! If you try.... then i'll kill you!" I shouted as someone came into my room. It was a nurse. 

"What happened in here!? I heard the glass shatter!" She asked as she came running over to me. I figured by now, the demon was done talking to me. It said all it wanted to say. 

"If I use any negative emotion..... it heals quicker? But, how am I supposed to stay calm all the time in this world? And, with what's coming tomorrow, I don't know how it's even possible for me to relax myself and think happy thoughts." I thought to myself as more nurses came into the room to help me. 

While Naofumi may have defeated what was thought to be the demon lurking inside of me, it turns out that that was not the case at all. The demon still lurks deep within my mind, grasping tightly to me until it's ready to begin again. Until it's ready to slaughter. And, somehow I have to keep my composure in order for its healing process to slow down. But even that won't stop it. Because, one the demon is fully healed, it'll take control of me again and..... use me to kill my family..... my friends..... Neela....

While defeating the pope and having Myne and the king put on trial gave me my freedom.... I was far from being truly free. Because, with this demon still within me.....

".....I'll never have my freedom....."

So, that marks the end of that chapter, but i'm just speaking here just to add some reminders to you all! Remember, i'm taking in your own personal ideas for new OC's for the 5th Hero series! My favourite will be featured in this series very soon and the ones after also be placed in this series, but that'll be at the point where i'm going off the shield hero light novels. Also, there's still a lot of time for all of you to make an OC for my upcoming Black Clover series which i'm beginning in December. Just check out the update chapter before this one to get all the details you need on making your character! Currently, with my own OC, and two fan submitted OC's, my main three characters are in the series, but that doesn't mean yours won't get featured. If you submit your own OC, I guarantee they will have a very prominent role! So, get to it! Please, it'll mean so much to me! And,as always, stay tuned for more uploads by yours truly! Enjoy!