MLII C7, P6- "Project Hope"

"Project Hope" is the sixth Part of "Miracula Luxia II" 's seventh Chapter. It was released on 11.07.2021.
== Plot ==
Months of hard work and dedication have finally rewarded Jared with success. During this time, he managed to unlock the hidden propeties of the strange diamond and find out what it is truly useful for.
But the time that he spent in isolation, away from the world and its inhabitants have changed him significantly. Albeit he is still willing to help people in need, his struggles have made him unsure in his own actions and thus unable to make any good decisions.
However, there is still a chance for him to redeem himself to the world. A huge army of Darkside Loyalists- some of Jared's sworn enemies, have teamed up with the vile "Darkness of Duskwood" bandits and are preparing to attack the unsuspecting village near him, effectively dooming its inhabitants in the process.
At this point, it is up to Jared whether he will leave a poor, defenseless village to suffer or not. Will he defeat the combined might of two powerful bandit armies and restore the hope of the people, the hope for a brighter future? Or will he decide that it is safer to hide like a cornered rat, hoping that they would leave him alone?
The choice is his. And there is no going back.
== Story ==
Fortunately, Jared manages to move on from the events that he was forced to experience. Forced to forget Meggy for the time being, he decides to dedicate his entire attention to analyzing the heavenly diamond and finding a way to use it against his enemies.
Many days have passed since the beginning. Many people come and go. Many minor events keep our hero busy. But it all becomes worth it in the end as the secret is finally discovered.
One day, in a warm summer night, he leaves his new home, approaches the bench and rummages through his handmade backpack. Soon, he pulls out the heavenly diamond and looks at it. Then, he looks at Demonslayer and notices that something is missing in its hilt.
"Strangely, it seems to be shaped like a small gem."- He wonders- "Could it be?"
He sighs.
"I guess that there is only one way to find that out."- He says- "Here goes... something!"
As he inserts the heavenly diamond into the hilt, he remembers the time when he had to risk everything in order to save everyone. He wonders whether he will have to do it again.
Meanwhile, the gem fits perfectly into the hilt and starts to shine on its own. A beautiful, white light illuminates the night.
"Amazing!"- Jared says to himself- "Could it be? Could it be that Demonslayer is destined to bear this gem within its hilt? If so, this means that this chain of events was no mere coincidence!"
Suddenly, Demonslayer starts to shine as well. Jared watches as it transforms itself into a new weapon.
A few moments later, the transformation stops. This gives our hero enough time to inspect the new Demonslayer.
"Wait. I recognize this weapon!"- Tanya says- "This is... this is the legendary sword of the gods!"
Jared nods.
"This is Ragnarok."- He says- "A sword that was created by the gods themselves, passed on to the bravest of heroes. Those who dedicate themselves to the light with no questions asked, they are the only ones who are truly worthy of such a masterpiece. After the last great hero perished, it was forgotten for centuries. Nobody dared to use its power, for good or for bad. Nobody was worthy enough to wield it and harness its incredible power."
He sighs.
"But now, it is in my hands."- He continues- "Am I truly worthy of such a magnificent weapon?"
Tanya seems to disagree with her grandson.
"No, Jared. You're wrong."- She says- "You, my dear, are more that worthy enough to hold this sword. The gods chose you as their champion and want you to keep spreading the rays of hope, to illuminate the lives of others with your courage and valor. Destiny itself brought this weapon here to help you out. It's amazing that a member of our troubled family has become the chosen one. What an honor."
Jared sighs.
"I am still unsure, grandma."- He says- "But your words have managed to talk some sense into me. Thank you for encouraging me to use this holy weapon."
He looks at the sky above him.
"I... I will do my best."
Having said that, he decides to go to sleep. Tomorrow, another day filled with troubles will wait for him.
A few hours later, he jumps to his feet, woken up by the sounds of marching feet. 
He enters the forest and takes a peek at the village, just in time to see a large army of bandits approach it.
"Your time has come, weaklings."- One of them says and raises his sword in the air- "You refused to pay us what we deserve. You killed our warriors when they came to rob you of your possessions. Now you shall feel our wrath."
The bandits behind him nod.
"We and the Darkside Loyalists have joined forced to bring misery and despair into your meaningless lives."- He continues- "And we will not stop until every single one of you is slain, every single building is burned, every single mother cries for her child. We shall not have any mercy upon you."
He turns back to the rest of the bandits.
"You know what to do, boys."- He says- "Attack the village. KIll the weaklings. Leave no survivors. Show them what it means to mess with all of us."
With that, he declares the final order:
"Attack!"
Soon, the bandits charge toward the unsuspecting town as the defenders assemble. Knowing that they are doomed for sure, they prepare to defend themselves, hoping to achieve a miracle.
"It seems like they need our help!"- Tanya says- "Jared, we must assist them! If we don't, this may be the end of the line for them!"
Jared shakes his head.
"What is the use of fighting so many of them when you know that you will perish yourself?"- He says sadly- "Their wrath is always more powerful than our faith. The tables have been turned... and there is no going back."
Tanya's voice gets angrier as she responds to her grandson.
"What are you talking about?!"- She yells- "You're Jared Kaos, sworn protector of the weak, patron of the heroes around the world. Your courage and valor have inspired many people to be like you! Are you really going to let those poor, defenseless down like this? They believe that someone like you will arrive to help them. So do me a favor and fight!"
Suddenly, Ragnarok starts to glow. A brilliant, white light illuminates him as an aura of comfort assures him that everything will be alright.
"It is as if the gods themselves are talking to me."- He says to himself- "I can feel their spiritual energy. Their dazzling light. Their infinite wisdom. All of them are guiding me forward towards a single goal- helping those people and bringing hope back into their lives."
A few moments later, he rises to his feet. Holding Ragnarok in his left hand, he leaves the forest and approaches the village.
"Alright then."- He says- "Let us ged rid of this deadly menace. Immediately."
Without any fear in his heart, he joins his new allies on the battlefield and helps them fight a large group of vicious bandits.
It turns out that Jared's help is enough to turn the scales of fate in their favor. Each and every single one of the vagabonds is slain as others watch their allies die.
"Impossible!"- One of the bandits says- "How can such a pathetic army of warriors be able to defeat us- an elite group of bandits with superior fighting abilities?!"
A few seconds later, Jared takes a step forward and points Ragnarok at them.
"Unlike you, bloodthirsty freaks, we are motivated by the power of faith and hope."- He says- "And, as long as we have them on our side, we are not going to lose."
He lifts the sword in the air and mutters an incantation. Moments later, sparks start to fly out of it.
"Feel the rage of the Heavens and Earth as they crash into you!"- He yells and plunges the mighty blade into the ground.
Suddenly, a huge earthquake manages to wound and kill many of the bandits while leaving others shaken by the whole experience.
As the rest of them try to run away, a huge hole opens up under them and swallows everything in its reach, dead or not.
As the last bandit in the vicinity falls down, the massive hole suddenly closes on itself. It is as if a mysterious force opened it up to help him out and closed it as soon as the task was done.
Jared feels relieved that he didn't fall down with all of the bandits.
"The powers of the gods are truly something that you should always fear."- He says to himself as he approaches the rest of the bandits.
At the beginning of the battle, their army seemed to be huge and unbeatable. But now, it is nothing more than a bunch of pathetic outcasts with evil on their minds.
"How can this be happening?!"- One of them yells- "How can a single hero with extraordinary powers be able to defeat us like this?"
Jared stares into their eyes. He sees the fear that is slowly seeping into their souls.
"Just because you teamed up with another pathetic army of bandits does not mean that it will shoot you up towards the top of the food chain."- He says to them- "You should remember this. One bandit may not be able to make an army, but one hero is definitely capable to do so. One hero is also able to bring hope and joy into the lives of the innocents around him. And defeat miscreants like yourselves in the blink of an eye with no fear in his heart. Know that you have made a mistake today and learn from it."
He draws his weapon.
"Maybe next time, you will realize that there is always a light in the darkness."- He says and charges.
As some of the bandits are slain, the rest start to panic. They have never seen such power, such dedication.
"Let's get out of here!"- One of them says and starts to run away.
However, he is soon shot down by one of the village's guards who have come to help Jared.
"Young hero. Today, you decided to risk your own life and help us out."- He says- "Now it's our turn to help you."
As the bandit wonder what is going on, a large band of warriors surround them and start to strike them down.
Most of them are slain with ease. However, the last one- possibly their leader- refuses to go down without a fight.
He manages to kill some of the guards while wounding a few of them with his dagger. Meanwhile, he watches out for Jared, intending to make him suffer for all the bandits that he killed today.
"Where are you, Jared Kaos? Are you scared?"- The bandit yells as he kills another guard- "Come on, you fool. Come here and fight me like a man! I will make sure that you don't survive this battle."
However, he did not suspect that Jared would be standing right behind him. As the unsuspecting bandit continues to fight for his life, he feels the touch of cold steel press against his neck as Jared prepares to stab him.
"Your kind never learns when they are truly outmatched."- He says- "Oh well. You brought this upon yourself. Now feel the light!"
Unfortunately, the bandit does not want to give up yet. He jumps to his feet and turns around, almost stabbing Jared in the shoulder.
As he wrestles our hero's weapon out of his hands, he tries to stab him, but is easily pushed away.
Jared does not take the time to take his weapon back. He quickly approaches him and starts to punch him in the face.
The bandit tries to defend himself, but is easily overpowered as Jared continues to punish him for his mistakes.
In the last moment, he manages to grab his knife and quickly stabs Jared in the leg. As the boy takes a step back, he tries to attack again, but is shot in the shoulder by one of the village's guards.
As he tries to pull the arrow out of his shoulder, he looks up and sees Jared. He is pointing Ragnarok at him.
"You should have gone for the head."- He says and stabs him in the head.
The last of the bandits has been defeated. The village cheers as Jared takes a deep breath.
He looks around and sees how much the mood has changed ever since he came to help.
"Grandma is right."- He says to himself- "To those people, I am a ray of light that illuminates them. That provides them with the comfort and safety that they are always looking for. But, most importantly, I give them hope. And that is what truly matters."
As he looks around, he notices the village elder approach him. When he comes close, he shakes his hand and smiles.
"Thank you so much, Hopebringer."- He says to him- "Your presence has given us the strength to fight back. To defend what is ours. And for that, we thank you."
== Trivia ==
* This Part is dedicated to an upcoming VTuber (and VSinger) known as IRyS- a half-demon/half-angel who is thought to be Hope Incarnate. A member of HololiveEN's Project: Hope, she vows to bring hope to the people around the world with her voice.
** Coincidentally, she is also set to debut on the same day as the release date for this Part- 11.07.2021.
* This Part's name is a reference to HololiveEN's newest, upcoming project- "Hope".