The demon has finally revealed itself to Alex. And, it's going to be making its move very, very soon. And, on top of all that, a wave is going to hit Cal Mira. Alex and the heroes just can't catch a single break whatsoever. But then there's one more thing they'll have to worry about. You've probably figured it out just from the title and image above. It certainly changes the entirety of the game, that's for sure. How will our heroes respond to this change in events? Well, we'll all find out soon as this climactic battle finally begins! Hang on to your seats everyone, because I am pulling everything out for these next 2-3 chapters. Enjoy!

-PoV: Neela-

With me, Naofumi and the rest of his party discovering undersea ruins which housed a dragon hourglass, we were able to determine that it was possible for Cal Mira to be struck by the waves as well. And today, the wave would hit. 

Word of our discovery was sent out to the queen and she, along with the royal army traveled to Cal Mira to prepare for this wave. She sent over 5 ships, one large sailing battleship for each hero and the fifth being her own personal flagship. 

Each of us were ready to combat this wave, but something was very worrying for all of us. Alex has been missing for 2 days now, as well as, L'arc and Therese. No one heard anything of where they'd gone. We just had to hope they were all okay and that they could make it in time to help us. 

"This all happened so fast. I'm honestly surprised we all made it in time." The queen said. 

"Honestly, i'm impressed you managed to pull together this army in such short notice." Naofumi replied. 

"Oh, it wasn't a big deal. Preparing for the waves is the royal family's responsibility." Melty said as she had come along as well. 

"What are you doing here?" Naofumi asked her. 

"What's that supposed to mean?" Melty questioned him. 

"I'm here because..... i'm part of your party." She said to him. 

"I'm happy you're here. I'm always happy when I get to see you." Filo said to her which cheered her up. 

"Your majesty, do you think the people of Cal Mira will evacuate in time?" I asked her. 

"The Earl of the island acted quickly when we told him of the imminent threat. In fact, he's already finished evacuating all of the islanders from their largest island. Besides, we have every reason to believe this wave will be happening out at sea. Right now, all you need to worry about is the battle." The queen explained to us. 

"You've got a point, but what about your son? Aren't you worried about him since he's missing?" Naofumi asked. 

"I have faith in Alexander. He is strong, full of courage and wisdom. I'm sure he's fine and will make it to the battle." The queen replied as the sound of a clock ringing began to sound off through the area. 

"It's time. Everyone, prepare for battle! Naofumi, to your ship!" The queen ordered as Naofumi, Raphtalia and Filo jumped over to their battleship which was right next to the flagship. I stayed with the queen and Melty though as a line of defense for them. 

The sky began to turn red and those same swirling blue and purple clouds formed up above. And they began to spawn our enemies. They looked like fish-men, human bodies with fish features. Thousands of them dove into the water and began to swarm our ships in no time. 

"Taint the waters! We'll suffocate them before they get too close!" The queen ordered as soldiers on every ship began to drop special barrels into the water. The queen told me they were filled with these berries that house a poison-like alcohol that can render any who eat or inhale it to become paralyzed. And, she was obviously right as the fish-men began to float up to the surface, seeming lifeless. 

But these enemies weren't what we should be worrying about. It was the boss monster that had spawned already and was headed in our direction. We could see it approaching us and it was easily a mile or two away. The boss was an enormous whale-like creature with a giant spiral horn protruding from its head. 

"Meteor Shot!" Itsuki yelled as he fired an arrow directly at the creature. But the boss lifted one of its fins up and smashed it back down into the ocean, creating a wall of water that easily blocked Itsuki's attack. The boss then dove down deeper into the water, beginning to swim around all of our ships. When the boss resurfaced, it rammed its gigantic body into Ren's ship, pushing it away from all of us. 

"We can't hurt this thing unless we get it out of the water!" Ren yelled over to all of us. 

"He's right! Come on, Filo!" Naofumi shouted as he hopped onto Filo. They both jumped into the water shortly after. 

"We'll draw its attention and create an opening! Everyone get ready to take this thing down!" Naofumi shouted as he and Filo submerged themselves. 

"Is there any way we can help them, your majesty?" I asked her but she shook her head. 

"Not underwater, we can't. We'll just have to wait for them to come back up and hope that giant monster follows them." She replied to me. And it seems we didn't have to wait long as Naofumi and Filo came flying straight out of the water. And they certainly did catch the attention of the boss is it leaped out of the water after them. 

"Now, hit it with everything you've got!" The queen ordered. 

"Meteor shot! Meteor spear! Meteor slash!" The other three heroes shouted as they all launched their attacks at the whale monster simultaneously. They struck near the right side of its head but the creature didn't even flinch. Instead, the monster landed back in the water and then fired off a beam from a large gem encrusted into its head. It struck the left side of Motoyasu's ship and blasted a large hole into it. 

"This isn't good. It doesn't even look like they put a dent in that thing!" I stated as the queen agreed with me. 

"Look out! They're starting to board the ship!" A knight yelled as we looked over and saw several fish-men jump out of the water and onto the ship. 

"Your majesty, Melty, please stand back and let me deal with these creatures. As source of thy power, I order thee! Decipher the laws of nature and rain down thunder and lightning on my targets! Grand Bolt!" I called out as I fired several lightning bolts from my new staff at the fish-men. I struck each of them down with one strike but there was just so many of them. It was hard for me to keep up. 

"Melty, NO!" The queen cried as I turned around to see a fish-man gripping Melty tightly in its arms. It was dragging her away to the edge of the ship. 

"Don't worry, i'll save her!" I shouted as I made a dash for the creature. But, as I just got within 10 feet of it and Melty, they jumped off the ship. I reached over the side to grab Melty and she did the same as she fell to the water. But we were already too far from each other. I couldn't save her. She was going to die. 

"GET YOUR SLIMY HANDS OFF MY SISTER! COBALT EAGLE!!" Someone shouted as a large metal bird came out of nowhere, stealing Melty away from the fish-man. The metal bird was carrying Melty in its talons as it landed on our ship, giving her safely back to us. 

"Looks like I made it just in time." Somebody said as they hopped off the eagle. It was Alex. 

"Oh, my son! I'm so glad you're alright! When I heard you went missing, I feared the worst happened to you!" The queen cried as she ran over and hugged her son. 

"I don't have time to explain what happened at the moment, but I brought us some reliable backup. Take a look for yourself." Alex said as he pointed out to the port(left) side of the ship. In the distance, another ship was entering the battle. And at its helm was Xev and Krystal, with both L'arc and Therese there ready to help us. 

"Backup is an understatement if that's who you brought." I said to him as he hopped back onto his eagle. 

"I'm going out there to help Naofumi distract the boss monster. L'arc and Therese may have a way to defeat it, if we're lucky." Alex said as he took off back into the sky on his metal eagle. He flew over to where Naofumi and Filo were flying, most likely to explain his plan to him. 

"Hey! L'arc!" Naofumi shouted, trying to get his attention. I looked over and saw him looking up to Naofumi. 

"We're going to create an opening for you! Even if you fall in the water, me and Filo will be there to bail you out!" Naofumi shouted to him as he nodded in agreement. Both Naofumi and Alex then flew down near the water, catching the attention of the whale monster again as it began to chase them. They then climbed higher into the sky as the creature dove deep into the water. But that didn't last long as it jumped high out of the water, trying to engulf them in its huge mouth.

"L'arc! Therese! Do it, now!" Alex shouted as the boss monster was now wide open. 

"Combo skill: Bejeweled thunderstorm!" Therese shouted as, from the gem bracelt Naofumi made for her, she fired a bolt of lightning that struck L'arc's scythe. 

"Here we go! Combo Skill: Thunderbolt Wheel Swing!" L'arc roared as he swung his scythe, launching a massive tornado of both wind and lightning that engulfed the boss monster. The combined power of the two elements shredded the boss, causing blood to rain everywhere as the massive creature landed back in the water, its blood seeping into the ocean. But it just floated there, not moving at all. With that one combo attack, L'arc and Therese slayed this intimidating creature.

"Amazing....." I thought to myself as Naofumi, Alex and Filo all landed on the body of the now dead boss monster. L'arc and Therese, as well as the other three heroes and Raphtalia had all gathered into row boats and were currently making their way to the monsters as well. I looked to the queen, giving off a look that might as well have said "Should I go over there too?"

"You should go and assist them, Neela. We an handle things here now that that giant monster has been dealt with. We'll finish off the small fry." The queen said to me as I gave her a nod. 

"As source of thy power, I order thee. Decipher the laws of nature and grant me the power of flight! Tempest Wings!" I called out as wings made of wind appeared on my back. I took flight over the ocean until I reached the monster. I landed safely and made my way over to where Alex and Naofumi were standing. L'arc and Therese had made it here as well at this point. 

"That was a pretty powerful combo move you two used. Thanks for the assist." Naofumi said to L'arc and Therese. 

"Well, you weren't going to beat it alone with that defense focused shield." L'arc replied. 

"Thanks anyway." Naofumi replied back. 

"Hey! Naofumi! You, Alex, and that friend of your here did a pretty good job." Motoyasu said as he and the other heroes arrived on the creature. 

"What're you guys doing here?" I asked them. 

"We came for the drops, obviously." Ren explained. 

"The items that the wave monsters drop after the wave is stopped belong to all of the cardinal heroes." Itsuki said. 

"That might make sense if you three did anything. Look guys, the ones who killed this thing were-" Naofumi tried to say but L'arc interrupted him. 

"Heroes? That your idea of a joke? Because no one's laughing. You weaklings can't protect a thing." L'arc said as he swung his scythe at Motoyasu, Ren and Itsuki, catching them off guard and sending them over to where Raphtalia was climbing onto the monster. 

"L'arc, what do you think you're doing!? Explain yourself!" Alex demanded as he formed two swords in his hands, one made of gold and the other, silver. 

"I guess you really are the shield hero, huh?" L'arc said to Naofumi as he gave him a slow nod. 

"Alright then. I guess it's come down to this." L'arc said. 

"What the hell are you talking about!?" Naofumi asked him. 

"It's simple, really! For the sake of our world, you gotta die. Along with whoever the axe hero is." L'arc explained to us. 

"What's he talking about? Why do they have to kill Naofumi and miss Ayuma?" I thought to myself. 

"For what it's worth, we don't have anything against you. We don't have anything against any of you." L'arc explained but it was kinda hard to believe him now. 

"It's true. Please believe us. It's unfortunate, especially after you were so kind to us. But, we really do not have a choice." Therese explained. 

"But, without the heroes, our world will be completely helpless against the waves!" Alex said to them. 

"We know. That's what we're going for." L'arc explained. 

"What?" We all questioned. 

"L'arc, they'll understand if you give them a proper explanation." Therese asked him. L'arc sighed but he gave in and gave us what we all wanted to hear. 

"This is such a pain. Long story short, i'm a hero, just like you guys. And Therese here is my companion. But we're from another world. Got it?" L'arc explained as this was all very hard to comprehend. 

"Another world?" I asked them. 

"And just like your world, ours is also teetering on the brink of destruction. There's only one way to stop it." Therese said to us. 

"Basically, it means we've also got something to fight for. That's why we can't afford to lose. You understand, right? But, if we're gonna fight, let's keep it fair and square! So get ready, shield hero!" L'arc explained but Alex was the one to make the first move. He charged L'arc and clashed blades with him. 

"You say you're here to kill the shield and the axe heroes? Well, as king, I will not let that happen! I'll send you back to whatever world you came from!" Alex roared as he began to push L'arc back a bit. 

"Feisty one, aren't ya, king kiddo? But, i'm not here for you! We're only here for the shield and axe, so it would be wise if the rest of you didn't interfere!" L'arc shouted as he kneed Alex in the chest, sending him sliding back a bit. 

"Whether it is Naofumi or my master, miss Ayuma, I will not allow you to harm either of them! Scorching Inferno!" I shouted as I launched a wall of flames at both Therese and L'arc. 

"Power of jewels far and wide, I beseech thee, heed my call, come to me! My name is Therese Alexanderite! My friends, be the ones to destroy those who oppose me! I cast Bejeweled Ruby Blaze!" Therese called out as her hair turned red and she launched her own wall of flames that met mine. Our attacks seemed evenly matched as neither of us could push back the other. Our flames destroyed each other and we were left standing there in a stalemate. 

"Like we said, if you stay out of this, then we will not bring harm to you. Please, Neela." Therese said to me as I raised my staff up again. 

"I don't think so. While miss Ayuma was taken from us all, if we were to find her and bring her back, and with you two still being here, her life would still remain in danger. So, I will fight in her place and defend her and Naofumi from the both of you." I told them both as L'arc leaped for me, swinging his scythe down which I just managed to block with my staff. 

"So, that missing lady Alex told us about was the axe hero, your master, eh? That does indeed hurt, hearing what happened to her. It means she's not here for us to take down. I don't want to hurt you, Neela. So please, get out of our way before we have to." L'arc said to me as I pushed him away. 

"Nothing you say or do will get me to move." I replied to him. 

"Then what happens next..... will be on you." L'arc said as he pointed his scythe to me and Naofumi. 

"Bring it on, you son of a bitch." I said as black flames started coming out of all three gems encrusted into the end of my staff. 

"Skybound Wheel Swing!" L'arc shouted as he swung his scythe, creating a tornado that ripped its way towards us. 

"Neela, get behind me!" Naofumi shouted as he ran in front of me. L'arc's attack met his shield but Naofumi seemed to block it. But, it seemed he still sustained some damage though as he began to hold his right arm in pain. 

"How'd that happen? I blocked his attack but I still got hurt." Naofumi said in confusion. 

"Are you alright? Can you still fight?" I asked Naofumi. 

"Yeah, I can still move my arm just fine. But, I have a hunch about what happened." Naofumi said to me as he faced L'arc. 

"I gotta say, I wasn't expecting a defense reversing attack." Naofumi said to him. 

"You got it. The higher that my targets defense is, the more damage that attack will deal to them. In other words, it's the perfect counter against the shield hero!" L'arc explained as Naofumi looked a little surprised. 

"You were just guessing, huh? Luckily for you, my policy is to fight fair. I have no secrets." L'arc explained. 

"Fight fairly? But this is a duel to the death? How can anyone want to fight fair in this kind of situation?" I thought to myself. 

"Naofumi!" Someone called out as we all turned to face them. It was Melty. 

"What the? How'd you get over here?" He asked her. 

"I got a ride." Melty explained as she was standing in a row boat with a member of Itsuki's party. She had long green braided hair and she laid in the boat, looking completely exhausted. 

"You haven't finished this wave yet, so hurry up and beat these guys, already. Then finish the wave so we can get back to finding Ayuma." Melty ordered him as Naofumi just chuckled. 

"Alright then. L'arc, you've got a sound strategy. Those defense reversing attacks will totally mess me up. Unless, I figure out how to dodge all of them. You'll be worthless against my air strike shield. So, I will use them if I have to." Naofumi explained to them. 

"Naofumi, why exactly would you tell him how you're going to best him?" I asked.

"Because it's fair." Naofumi replied to me as I now understood. He was going along with L'arc ideals, to fight fairly. 

"Well, if that's the case, then let's do this!" L'arc shouted as he leaped at us. 

"Neela, now!" Naofumi shouted as he ducked, allowing me to have a clean shot at L'arc. 

"As source of thy power, I order thee! Decipher the laws of nature and burn down all foes with the flame of the black demon! Deathly Hades Geyser!" I roared as I unleashed a huge channel of black flames that engulfed L'arc. We heard him scream a bit from pain as he was sent flying backwards over to Therese. I stopped my attack when he went out of my range, but the sight of him, it was clear he took some damage. 

"That's no ordinary fire, you've got there, Neela. How'd you get that spooky flame?" L'arc asked me. 

"It is a gift from my master, miss Ayuma. It's the very strength she possesses, and I will use it to defeat you!" I shouted to them. 

"I gotta admit, it's got some power. But, we've both got lots left in the tank. How about you two?" L'arc asked us. 

"Will you please stop fooling around?" A new person asked as, from the clouds above, a beam of purple light struck down in front of Therese and L'arc. And emerging from the light..... was our worst nightmare. 

It was Glass....

"Well hello there, Glassy. What're you doing here?" L'arc asked her. 

"I got tired of waiting." Glass told him. 

"Who is that woman? Just the sight of her makes me shiver." Melty said. 

"That's Glass. She almost killed us during the last wave. And now, it appears she's on their side." Naofumi explained. 

"So good to see you again, hero Naofumi. But where's the other one who wields that black axe? Where is Ayuma?" Glass asked. 

"She's gone. She's not here for you to destroy." I explained to her. 

"I see. Well then, Zero Stance Rondo: Reverse Four Seasons!" Glass shouted as she unfolded her fans and whipped them around, firing condensed wind slashes at all of us.

"Everyone, behind me!" Naofumi shouted as me, Alex, Melty, Filo, and Raphtalia all ducked behind him. He changed shield and met her attacks head on, successfully blocking them all. 

"Rupture Stance Rondo: Tortoise Shell Cracker!" Glass called out as she folded up one of her fans and pointed it at us. From the tip of it, she fired a purple beam of energy. Once again, Naofumi met the attack head on and he was able to block it with ease. 

"From the looks of things, you haven't seen his best shield yet." Glass said to L'arc and Therese. 

"His best? What do you mean?" L'arc asked her. 

"When he gets serious, he brings out something that's far more ominous. It's his trump card. And Ayuma, the axe hero has the same ability. It's what nearly bested me during the previous wave." Glass explained to them. 

"So Naofumi's got that kind of dark power too, eh? And Neela over there says that black flame she's using is part of Ayuma's strongest ability. Looks like things are finally getting interesting." L'arc said as he readied his scythe, along with Therese preparing her jewels.

"Raphtalia, Filo, and Melty, see if you can deal with L'arc and Therese. Neela, Alex, we're going to take down Glass." Naofumi said as Alex walked over to us, combining his two swords into one long gold and silver katana. 

"I'm ready whenever you are." Alex said as L'arc and Therese went into battle against the others, moving down the body of the dead boss monster so they wouldn't get in our way. 

"A 3-on-1 fight? I like the sound of that. Although, you're letting those three fight a duo as powerful as L'arc and Therese? You're placing an awful lot of trust in your party." Glass said to Naofumi. 

"L'arc told us he's a hero. It's just that he's fighting on behalf of another world. I take it you have the same story, Glass?" Naofumi asked her. 

"That's correct. I am also what the people of my world call a "vassal wielder." The Fan Hero!" Glass said as she unfolded her fans and leaped at us.

"Deathly Spiral Tornado!" I shouted as I launched a channel of black flames that surrounded Glass in midair, trapping her inside. 

"This power of yours is indeed similar to the one Ayuma used in our previous battle. But, it's far too weak!" Glass shouted as one of her fans began to glow. She swiped it through my flames and blew them away. She then landed in front of us, folded up both her fans and attempted to stab Naofumi with them. But, he was able to block all her attacks with his shield. 

"Soul eater shield!" Naofumi called out as his shield changed forms, with it now having the face of the soul eater boss from the previous wave. The shield opened its mouth and began sucking energy out of Glass. She screamed in pain as she jumped away from Naofumi. But, she fell to one knee, making it clear that she received a fair amount of damage. 

"All this shield does to anyone else is steal a bit of their stats, but with you, it seems to suck out your own life force. This fight is over. The wave will die down if you retreat, won't it? So, how about we all just call it a day?" Naofumi asked her as she stood back up. 

"Call it a day? Oh no, this battle's not over yet. Not until one of us is dead. I will never surrender!" Glass said as she charged us. But Alex interfered this time as he clashed weapons with her. And he was pushing her back, most likely from the power his weapon had from the combination of the two metals. 

"Naofumi, attack her, now!" Alex shouted as he went in to strike. His shield opened its mouth again and sucked away more of Glass' life force. 

"Stop this, now! If you don't, you're gonna kill yourself!" Naofumi shouted as he and Alex backed away for the moment. 

"As long as I still draw breath, I will do everything in my power to end yours and Ayuma's lives. For the sake of the world I love, I have no choice! So, the only way you'll ever be able to get rid of me is if you kill me! Otherwise, this world will end!" Glass explained. 

"You're just like me, right, Naofumi? You just want to protect your world. Then you should want me dead, right here and now! They're all waiting for us! My people are fighting against their own wave, and they're waiting for our triumphant return! That's why I cannot lose! That's how this ends... It's do or die, Naofumi!" Glass explained as she lunged at Naofumi, this time with an intense increase in speed. 

"Now die!" Glass roared as she folded one of her fans and shoved it right into Naofumi's shield. Her strength sent him flying back as me and Alex went to defend him. 

"We will not let you harm him, or Ayuma! Neela, it's time we work together!" Alex said as I gave him a nod and began talking in unison with him. 

"As source of thy power, we order thee! Decipher the laws of creation and bestow upon this sacred blade the power to cut down reality itself! Black Steel Warp Saber!" We roared as I used my black flames on Alex's katana. The sword absorbed the fire and the blade turned black, and began emanating an immense power.

"If you defend the shield and axe heroes, then you will die along with them! Tortoise Shell Cracker!" Glass yelled as she fired another purple beam from one of her fans. Alex charged her and he swung his blade at her attack. He split it in two with one swing as he kept up his assault. 

"A foolish prince wanting nothing more than to die by my hand. Very well, I shall strike you down!" Glass shouted as she folded her fans again and clashed weapons with Alex. Both tried to push each other back but neither could make any ground against one another. Until.... 

"I am no prince! I am the king of Melromarc.... and I will do all in my power to ensure that you, L'arc, Therese, and all the other heroes of your world are defeated!" Alex roared as he began to split his katana back into two swords like before. He now had a free hand with a second black blade in it and he used it to swing at Glass. 

"NOW FALL!" Alex roared as he sliced Glass along her chest. She fell to her knees in front of him and Alex crossed his swords in front of her neck, threatening to decapitate her. 

"Yield. Do so and I will spare your life and allow you and the others to return to your own world." Alex said to her. 

"I will never yield. You should just kill me." Glass said but, before any of us could make another move, the body of the dead boss monster began to move again. 

"What the? Don't tell me this thing is really still alive?" Naofumi asked as he got back up. But, the movement was far from what we thought. The sky, clouds, and the sea were all turning black in colour. A screeching roar sound could be heard and it was only getting louder by the second. 

And then..... emerging from the water next to the whale monster..... was something much, much bigger. A colossal sized Leviathan, easily three times the times of the boss monster emerged, its body serpentine and black in colour, with the head of a dragon and blood red eyes. 

"Wait..... that's the creature I saw when I met.... Oh no, it's here!" Alex shouted. 

"What is it!? What's here!? What is that thing!?" I asked Alex. 

"It's Ayuma and the demon!" Alex shouted as everyone, even Glass became shocked. 

"You're saying that..... that thing is Ayuma!?" Naofumi questioned as the leviathan roared again, filling the air with its ear deafening screech. But then, the leviathan turned and faced us, or, more specifically as Glass. If that was really miss Ayuma, then she would certainly remember her for almost killing her. 

The leviathan then lifted the end of its tail out of the water which came out on the opposite side of the monster we were standing on. It was covered in tentacles and they began to wrap around the dead monster, shaking everyone on it around like wild. 

"She's lost total control! We gotta get off this thing!" I shouted. 

"How!? None of the ships can get close, and even if they tried, no one's crazy enough to even attempt the rescue!" Naofumi shouted as cannon balls suddenly came flying over and struck the leviathan in the back of the head. 

"Did somebody call for a crazy ship captain!?" Xev yelled as he and Krystal were motoring their way over on their ship using Xev's reflector magic. The leviathan didn't seem to notice being hit by the cannon balls as it didn't turn to face them. It just kept its eyes on Glass. 

"Your highness, shield hero, everyone! We're gonna make a close pass, so you'd better hop on when we come by!" Krystal shouted as we all nodded to them. 

"Raphtalia! Filo! Melty, get over here! We've gotta get off this thing!" Naofumi called to them. 

"Alex, we'll need you and Filo to fly us over." I said to him as he gave me a nod. 

"Cobalt Eagle!" Alex shouted as he took out another metal ball that formed into a large eagle. Me and him climbed onto it and Naofumi climbed onto Filo along with Raphtalia and Melty. 

"Here they come, everyone get ready!" Alex shouted as Xev and Krystal were making their pass by. 

"Do it now, kids! Jump!" Xev shouted as we took flight, leaving Glass, L'arc, and Therese on the monster. I looked back to see if the other heroes were still there as well but I was just able to see them being taken away by their party members by row boat. 

All of us managed to land on Xev's ship and we quickly turned to head back to the main fleet. Meanwhile, we all turned to watch and see what would happen to Glass and the others. The leviathan roared once again as it started to drag the whale monster under the sea with its tentacles. Glass, L'arc and Therese began to fire attacks at it but they didn't even seem to be scratching it at all. 

Then, using extra tentacles, the leviathan ensnared all three of them and lifted them up near its huge mouth. But, before it could swallow them, the three of them disappeared into this air. 

"Looks like they were forced to retreat. They've gone back to their own world. But, we can bet we'll see them again, that's for sure." Naofumi said as we all agreed with him. 

"So, now that those other world heroes are dealt with, how the heck are we supposed to deal with that thing!?" Krystal questioned as the leviathan brought its head down and bit hard on the whale monster, dragging it below the surface of the water and, presumably, tearing it apart and eating it. And, after a few moments of silence, the leviathan reemerged and faced us and the fleet. The leviathan let out a mighty roar as it began to summon black lightning from the clouds above. Some struck the other ships, pummeling them and setting them on fire. 

"Everyone, stand back! I know how we can beat that thing and free Ayuma!" Naofumi said as he ran up to the front of the ship. 

"What're you going to do!?" I asked him. 

"The same thing I did before! The blood sacrifice!" Naofumi explained as his shield changed forms. It was now in the form of his curse shield. 

"Are you sure you can use it again? Last time, you nearly died from blood loss because of it." Alex asked him. 

'If it means saving Ayuma, then it's worth it! Now, turn this ship around, Xev!" Naofumi shouted. 

"Aye, sir!" Xev replied as he turned us around, taking us right towards the leviathan which started to turn and face us now. 

"Now sinner, I sentence you to cast your screams onto the place where you once came! The jaws of the dragon born from my flesh shall swallow you, and you'll become an offering to the gods as you howl in pain! BLOOD SACRIFICE!!" Naofumi roared as blood spewed from his body like before. He did not fall over this time and his blood began to seep into the ocean. And, moments later, the metal chain dragon emerged in front of the leviathan, opening its jaws wide to attack. 

"Now close! And send my enemy to hell itself!" Naofumi cried as the leviathan and metal dragon clashed heads. They seemed evenly matched but the leviathan quickly got the upper hand. I used the tentacles on the end of its tail to wrap around the metal dragon and subdue it. 

And then, the leviathan used its long serpentine body to coil around the head of the metal dragon, squeezing it tightly. And then, much like what Naofumi did to the hydra before, the leviathan bit down on the head of the metal dragon and tore it right off, swallowing it whole and letting the metal chain body of the dragon sink back into the sea. The leviathan roared in its victory over the blood sacrifice as Naofumi fainted from the blood loss in his body.

"Stand back, I can heal him!" Krystal shouted as she placed her hands on Naofumi. He began to glow with a cyan outline and his wounds were slowly closing. But, with what we all just witnessed, even if he's revived, there's not much we can do to win in this situation. Naofumi just used our strongest trump card and this monster beat it like it was nothing to it. There's no hope for us now....

"......She's going to kill us all....."

Okay, that marks the end of this awesome chapter, but I've got just a few things to say. Firstly, we're finally getting into the climactic final battle! I've literally waited so long for this. Best prep all your emotions, because i'm going to make them all melt away soon. Also, the next chapter is going to be LONG! And, when I say LONG, I mean LOOOOOOOOOOONG! So, because of that, I will need some more time to complete it. So, mark your calendars everyone, because the final battle officially begins Saturday, November 30th at 1pm EST! You won't wanna miss it! Everything that everyone's been fighting for, whether it be for Ayuma or against the demon will come into play in the next chapter. You may laugh. You may cry. All I can say is that this is going to be my greatest piece of work of all time. None of you are prepared for what's about to happen. And like I said, it all goes down very soon. See you all then!

Enjoy!