Chapter Fifteen: The Spirit Tortoise’s Soul
“This makes me so much stronger!” Kyo stepped out from behind his barrier and walked slowly toward us. The magic energy swirled in a vortex around him.
He seemed to vibrate for a second, and then he appeared directly in front of me. There was no time to think—I threw my shield up just in time to block a stream of pages from Kyo’s book.
They slammed against the shield with so much force that I couldn’t absorb all the energy. I dug my heels in, but the pages sent me flying backwards. Luckily, I managed to regain my balance before falling over.
“Whew! The most basic composition form is that powerful? Amazing!” Kyo laughed, pointing his book at everyone in the chamber. “Not bad. Alright! Now, I’ll show you what I can really do!”
He flipped open the book and sent pages flying out in all directions. There were too many of them to dodge, and a lot of people were forced to parry them, getting knocked off balance in the process.
It wasn’t over yet. The enemy had become so powerful that the support magic we’d been relying on until that point had been rendered useless.
“Yes! That’s better. This is the way I like my battles! Let the enemy think they have a chance before wham! You crush them. What could be better? Ahahahaha!”
“Shield Hero!” Ost shouted. “That man is using the energy that the Spirit Tortoise collected. He’s using the core to channel it into himself!
Hurry! If we can destroy the core, then we may be able to weaken him.”
That sounded like good idea to me.
“Now, now! Don’t you be naughty! I have some tricks left too, you know?” Kyo said, laughing. “Ahaha! Aren’t you forgetting about my precious hostages? Not that I need them—I’d still be able do whatever I wanted, even if I didn’t have them!” Kyo motioned to the three heroes behind him.
“Ugh.”
“You coward.”
Kyo turned back and frowned at Glass. “Not that you would care about my hostages.”
“. . .”
Glass didn’t move an inch. She glared at Kyo, anger burning in her eyes.
“Oh, please! You’re not so naïve, are you? Were you really not going to kill them, just because it isn’t a fair fight? Ahaha! Lucky me!”
He was so vulgar. I could hardly stand it.
He’d found Glass’s weakness and was mocking her—pointing his finger at her and giggling like a child. I wasn’t friends with any of the other heroes either, but I wouldn’t leave them to die.
“You coward!”
The shout rang out like a shot, echoing through the chamber.
“Huh?” Kyo mumbled, looking for the source.
“I cannot allow you to take these weakened heroes as your hostage! I will not allow it!”
It was . . . Rishia.
“Ahaha! If it isn’t the little girl who’s been standing uselessly on the sidelines! You’re going to tell me what to do now? Ha!”
“That’s right. I might not be the strongest person in the room, but I’m not going to stand by and let you get away with this!” Rishia shouted, flipping back the hood of her kigurumi to glare at Kyo.
Her eyes looked different. They weren’t pathetic or imploring. No—they were filled with passion and anger.
“This weak little girl doesn’t know her place, does she?”
“Have you even thought about how Ost must feel coming here? Don’t you realize that we’ve all come to fight for our futures? For our very lives? Master Itsuki taught me about justice, and . . . and . . . and I cannot allow you to get away with your scheming!”
“Justice? Ha! Give me a break! You’re so weak it’s pathetic—if evil exists, that’s it. You want justice? I am justice.”
The ground around Rishia seemed to squirm and crawl. Filo and the old lady had been gathering energy during Kyo’s speech, and now it was starting to overflow.
“You are getting on my last nerve. I’ll kill you first,” Kyo barked. He turned and sent a page flying at Rishia.
I returned to my senses and ran to protect her, but he was too fast. Damn it! He was going to kill her!
But she didn’t need me. She dodged the attack. She continued to glare at Kyo.
“What?”
“You . . . You cannot be proud of this power you’ve stolen from another! However powerful it may make your attacks, it’s not your power to begin with! You don’t know how to use it!” Rishia shouted, unsheathing her sword.
“Ah, now I’m being lectured by the baby in the room? Ahaha!” Kyo laughed and sent another stream of pages to kill her.
There were a lot more pages this time! There were so many of them, and they were moving so fast, I wasn’t sure if even I could block them—and they were heading straight for Rishia.
But she dodged them, without making any unnecessary moves, and kept walking toward the increasingly furious Kyo. Whenever she couldn’t dodge a page, she skewered it on the point of her sword.
“Your attacks show no consideration. They aren’t anything like Eclair’s, or Raphtalia’s, or Filo’s. They are uninspired shows of force—nothing more.”
“Shut up!” He shouted, suddenly offended. A vein stood out from his forehead, throbbing.
I couldn’t believe it. I could hardly follow his attacks as it was, but Rishia read his every move.
Her stats were very low considering her level. Did that mean that this sudden display of skill was all thanks to the Hengen Muso training? The old lady had said that Rishia had innate potential. Had she finally realized it? It looked like she had gone through some kind of awakening.
“Let’s see you dodge this! Composition of Flame!” Kyo used something resembling a skill, summoning a roaring flame shaped like a demon. The flame creature charged at Rishia.
“Die!”
Her sword flashed, cleaving the demon in two.
A split second later, swords of ice came flying from the back of the room to nail the demon’s body to the floor.
“Wh . . . What!?”
“You might think you’re smart, but you always attack the same way. Your eyes tell me exactly what you’re going to do!”
“Are you making a fool of me? Take this!”
Kyo furiously used another skill. He was so upset that he wasn’t thinking clearly. He could have used his hostages, but he was too focused on trying to kill Rishia, who knocked his skills away with the blade of her sword.
After Kyo powered up, none of us stood a chance against him. But now Rishia, of all people, was holding her own.
Kyo smiled. “You almost had me coming to get you. But I have my hostages over here, so you’d better just stay put. And after the power boost I just got, you’re only delaying the inevitable. You can try to buy yourself time, but I’ll only keep getting stronger.”
“When you realize you can’t win, you turn back to your hostages,” Rishia said, her eyes cold.
She was like a different person. And yet I could tell that the passion she was displaying, this new persona, was who she really was.
“I . . . I don’t have the strong will power that Naofumi does. And I don’t have the excellent sense of purpose that Master Itsuki does. I’m not as kind as Motoyasu, and I’m not as cool-headed as Ren.”
No . . . She was wrong about that.
She selflessly fought for others. After being saved herself, she knew what it meant to save another. In truth, she was more selfless and caring than any of the heroes. At the very least, she was more heroic than I was. And now she was holding her own in battle.
She had thrown herself into battle completely and was ready to sacrifice herself for the chance to defeat Kyo. She’d done it without hesitation, just like Ost.
Maybe she was a simple person, but she had all the passion to back up her decision. Her very soul was shouting its resolve. She was enraged at the evil she’d seen. I had never known there was a lion in her heart, slumbering this whole time. I never would have even suspected it.
Her stats were so low for her level that it had always seemed a little unnatural. And the old lady had insisted on Rishia’s innate talents. She must have been right. Everything unfolding before me at that moment proved it.
“I’m not as strong as Raphtalia, and I don’t have Filo’s pure heart. I’m not talented with a sword like Eclair, and I certainly don’t have the experience of the master.”
“Yeah, I get it already. I’ve heard enough of your whimpering, little girl.
Why don’t you just get out of here? If you don’t, I’ll kill your hero friend.”
Rishia’s hand filled with light, which shaped itself into a blade.
“But I . . . I . . . I can beat you. I can beat you!” She shouted. Her conviction rang out through the chamber. Then she turned, aimed, and threw the blade of light at the heroes imprisoned on the far wall.
The blade didn’t hurt them but burst into a warm, enveloping light that settled on their crystal prisons.
The crystals cracked.
“You! Argh! You let them go?!”
“You’re next! Hyaaa!” Rishia raised her sword and charged at Kyo.
Kyo raised his book and used it to block Rishia’s sword. For a moment, their weapons were locked together, neither one overpowering the other. Sparks flew.
“Who the hell are you? Die already!” Kyo yelled, jumping back to get distance from Rishia. The crackling barrier reappeared around him. It must have disappeared while he attacked.
“You’re the one that needs to give it up! You don’t have any hostages left!” L’Arc shouted, standing before the collapsed heroes and brandishing his scythe.
Kyo smirked, ignoring him. “Don’t you get it? This world is dying anyway. At least I’m putting its energy to use! You’re fools for not understanding that!”
“YOU’RE the fool! The vassal weapons decide what we can do and what we can’t do!”
L’Arc screamed, his voice cracking with anger. I’d never heard him sound that way.
“Yeah, well I’m not a slave to the vassal weapons. What does an object have to teach me about anything?”
Damn. There wasn’t much I could do to help.
While Liberation Aura was still in effect, I could use the Shield of Wrath to cast Blood Sacrifice and destroy the core, like Ost had suggested. If it didn’t work, I’d be out of the battle for good. But with how things stood at the moment, I didn’t see another way to win.
There was no way out. I was actually impressed that we’d made it as far as we had.
I moved silently, so that I wouldn’t draw the attention of Kyo, who was still in a shouting match with L’Arc. Silently, I touched my shield and changed it into the Shield of Wrath.
But the shield wouldn’t let me!
“No. That shield cannot break the core.”
I heard a mysterious voice. I turned to its speaker and saw her there, struggling against the cords of light that bound her. Her face bore the same pleading expression she’d had when I first met her.
“So . . . It is finally time for my remaining strength to find shape in the holy shield.”
The sound of rushing wind filled my ears, and the shield in my hands changed shape.
Spirit Tortoise Heart Shield conditions met
The information appeared in my field of vision. I quickly knew that it was by far the best shield I’d come across. I was shocked to see that it had already been powered up to a certain extent.
Spirit Tortoise Heart Shield (awakened) 80/80 AT abilities unlocked: equip bonus: protection of the dragons special effect: gravity field, C soul recovery, C magic snatch, C gravity shot life-force up: magic defense (large), lightning resistance, SP drain nullification, magic assistance, spell support exclusive special effect energy blast 100% mastery level: 100 The physical shield looked a lot like the Whale Magic Core Shield. But the specifications were incomparable. When I used the new shield, it changed the efficacy of protective magic, and the shield’s stats rose to be more than twice the previous shield.
“Please . . . You must defeat me . . .” The shield’s “energy blast” option was blinking. I felt like she was
telling me to use it. But . . . If I did . . . All the day’s events came flooding back into my mind, and I realized
with a shock that I’d only been fighting with Ost for a single day. I felt as though we’d spent so much more time together than that, which spoke to the depth of the difficulties we’d faced together.
“Do not hesitate . . . You must . . .” “But If I . . .”
“If everything had gone according to plan, we would not have met. The heroes would never learn what the Spirit Tortoise really was, only of its role, and for that, they would slaughter me without ever knowing my true form. I would have fulfilled my purpose, only to disappear. That was our fate.”
I knew that. My head told me that it was true. But my hands were shaking.
Of all those I’d faced that could talk back to me, I’d only had to kill a few. Actually no, I’d only killed the high priest. But we had never had a real conversation, much less understood one other. He had simply tried to kill me.
When I fought him and killed him, I told myself that it was in self-defense. That was how I’d gotten through the shock of taking a life. So even though I knew what I’d done, I had never had cause to regret it.
But if I used the energy blast here, the Spirit Tortoise—Ost—would die.
And she’d do it for the world. She’d die for us.
We’d fought together. She was my friend. And when I thought of killing her, my emotions didn’t want to accept it.
“Your hesitation is touching. Possessor of the holy shield . . . Shield Hero, please . . . Help me to fulfill my mission.”
“Aren't you upset by your fate?”
People hated her. They wished for her death. She was destined to be killed by heroes, the embodiment of “justice.” It was too sad—too sad to bear.
“Upset? No, of course not. I can nourish all the life in the world, helping it to thrive. I am not sad.”
Even I felt like I could understand the draw of sacrifice. But why? Could I really die for the sake of others—without hesitation? I’d been framed for a crime, thrown out into the streets penniless and alone. I’d hated the world with all my heart. And now Ost’s sacrificial, selfless love was threatening to undo all of that pain.
“I know . . . I know that you understand. If you did not, you would not have fought so long, so hard, to stop me.”
I remembered how I felt when Raphtalia and Filo believed in me, and I knew she was right. I wanted to protect my friends. I wanted to protect the people that believed in me. I understood what Ost meant. She was saying that that feeling extended to everyone in the world.
“Now . . . I know it is much to ask of you . . . but it is all that remains.”
“What the hell are you doing?!” Kyo suddenly noticed me and sent a stream of pages flying straight at me.
I blocked them with my shield. I didn’t flinch. His attacks no longer bothered me.
“What? How did you block that?! Whatever—you won’t stop this one!”
“No!” Rishia shouted. “I will! The justice of which Master Itsuki speaks compels me to stop you!”
She took aim and threw her sword straight at Kyo.
“Ha! Good luck! This barrier is stronger than it’s ever been—you’ll never get through it! It’s more flexible than the last one! You don’t stand a chance!” Kyo shouted condescendingly. He deployed a few pages to block the flying sword.
But the sword pierced straight through them, hit the barrier, and kept on going.
“Damn! It’s so . . . fast!”
The sword broke through the barrier and sailed through the air. Then it landed, with a dull thud, in Kyo’s chest.
“Ugh . . . You!”
It was time! I turned to look at Ost. She nodded.
It felt like time slowed down. It felt like only Ost and I could feel the seconds pass.
I held up the shield and imagined the energy beam firing.
The shield sprouted four legs to support its weight, and crosshairs appeared in the air before me. Then it summoned an enormous amount of energy from around me and formed a ball of crackling energy—the same energy the Spirit Tortoise had shot at us outside.
The shield grew into a shape like the barrel of a gun, and a wing-like pedestal appeared behind me. The crosshairs came into focus, and I set them on my target.
It was time. Time to grant Ost’s final wish.
I nodded, and the beam fired.
Everything went white. I couldn’t see anything but the crackling energy.
“Damn! I don’t think . . . !”
Kyo ran to block the beam from hitting the core, but there was too much energy for him to stop it, and it blew him out of the way.
“Aghhhhh!” He climbed to his feet and ran to attack me directly. But before he could, the barrier that he had been using appeared and . . . protected me instead!
“What? Not at a time like this! Nooooo!”
The shield was filled with the power of the Spirit Tortoise. The Spirit Tortoise’s heart—Ost—protected me.
As long as we were inside the Spirit Tortoise and I had that shield equipped, I couldn’t be hurt.
I had to use its energy to break the Spirit Tortoise’s core—that’s what Ost wanted.
Then I . . . I had to help her!”
“Ugh.”
The beam grew stronger and wider. The barrier protecting the core cracked.
The crack widened, and the beam burst through the opening, slamming against the next barrier. Then it broke through that barrier and went on to the next.
Again and again, the beam shattered the barriers in its way. Then, finally, it hit the core itself.
There was a loud piercing, shriek-like sound, and the core shattered into thousands of pieces.
The chamber was bathed in blinding light, and I couldn’t see anything for a while.
Cough . . . Cough . . .
The blast was very powerful. I blinked to get my bearings. The chamber filled with light, but it wasn’t the blinding light of the energy beam. No—it was light from outside.
The chamber was silent. The projection on the wall that Kyo had used to monitor what was happening outside had vanished.
A column of smoke rose from my shield. The gun barrel shape that had appeared when I fired the energy beam turned into glowing light before vanishing.
Finally, I saw my friends lying on the ground, where they had ducked under the beam.
“Mr. Naofumi.”
“Kiddo.”
I smiled and waved to them. “Alright, back on your feet. We still have work to do.”
The enemy wasn’t gone yet. It wasn’t over.
“You!”
That’s right. The enemy was still standing.
“You ruined my plans! Ruined by the stupid Shield Hero!”
“Stupid? Coming from you?”
“Yeah!” Rishia shouted, running over to support me. A sphere of magic hovered over her outstretched hand. She had defended herself against Kyo’s powered-up attacks and had scored impressive critical hits against him, too. What had caused her awakening? Her emotions? Her Hengen Muso training? She moved so quickly, so fluidly.
“Come on everyone! Let’s get rid of him once and for all!” Rishia shouted.
Raphtalia, Filo, Eclair, the old lady, and then L’Arc, Glass, and Therese all readied their weapons for a final face-off.
And then Ost appeared behind me, wrapped in light.
“Ha! None of you stand a chance against me, so you all have to team up. Is that it? What a laugh! Oh well, I guess it’s time!” Kyo barked, a pained expression crossing his face. He looked like he’d swallowed a bug.
“You’re not getting out of this one. You’ll pay for your crimes with your life!”
“Will I? I’ve already accomplished what I set out to do. A genius knows when it’s time to step away.”
Soft light spiraled into Kyo’s hands.
It looked like the Spirit Tortoise’s energy!
I looked back at Ost to find her trying to stretch out her arms, but she couldn’t move fast enough.
Glass and Eclair leapt at Kyo, but he was just a little too fast for them.
“Aha! You didn’t think all the energy would disappear when you destroyed the core, did you? Too bad! I developed this thing myself, so don’t expect that energy to return to the earth! Ahaha!”
The energy formed a ball in his hand, then floated into the air above him. It glowed with a faint light before quickly condensing to form a ball of gravity so powerful that it warped space and tore a hole in the air.
“Thanks for the fun! Later!” Kyo shouted. He jumped into the hole and
vanished.
But before he vanished completely, he pointed Rishia and I and shouted, “I’ll kill you for what you’ve done here. Prepare for your execution!”
He was really pissing me off!
“Wait!” I ran after him, but he vanished into the hole before I could catch up. I couldn’t let him get away! If he escaped now, he’d only show up again later, even stronger. I couldn’t let that happen!
When I reached for the hole to chase after him, it sparked and repelled me.
Action not permitted.
Holy heroes are not allowed to invade another world.
Invade? Another world?
Did that mean that the hole led to yet another world?
“Mr. Naofumi!”
“Naofumi!”
Raphtalia and Rishia called after me
I turned to face them, only to see Ost lying there, half transparent. She looked like she might disappear at any moment. But she didn’t seem to be in any pain.
“Hey . . .” I tried to protest, but there was no point. I’d destroyed the core, so it was only a matter of time before Ost disappeared. We’d talked about it before I fired the beam. There was no time to wallow in regret.
I had a responsibility to her. I had to make sure I listened to her final words. I had to make sure she left us without leaving anything unsaid.
On my way back to Ost’s side, I passed L’Arc, Glass, and Therese. They were walking towards the hole in the air, their weapons and arms outstretched.
“We will find out where he has run to. Please wait for our return.”
“Alright . . .”
They would carry on the investigation where I wasn’t able to follow. Glass had appeared through the rifts that came with the waves, and so had L’Arc. They knew where they were going.
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