Well, here we are, just as I said last time. The last chapter of the Spirit Tortoise arc and the longest chapter I think I have ever written across all of my stories so far. And just in time before I go on holiday as well.

Hope you are all doing well and that you are all enjoying this current season of anime. We're close to the last few episodes of each anime now and I've been having a good time with the ones I've been watching. Gotta say though, Harem in the Labyrinth of Another World has been an…interesting experience and my first real taste of an ecchi anime. If anything it's been a good indicator of what to expect if I decide to try any more.

With that all out of the way, it's time for the final climatic events of the Spirit Tortoise Arc. As always, I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero or any of its characters, locations, events or anything else related to the anime/manga/Light Novels. The only thing I own is my OC, Fergus Ward.

For Billy.

Chapter 9 – War of Heart and Soul

"She's right! Somehow that madman has activated the heart's biological self-defence system! Prepare yourselves!" Ost cautioned, and just in time as the eye suddenly fired a yellow beam of light straight towards us!

~AoaTSH~

I reacted instinctively as the yellow beam of light streaked towards us. "Meteor Barrier!" I yelled, raising my Shield of the First Avenger, and the familiar blue dome sprung up around myself and the others just in time. But, as I soon discovered, the beam was extremely powerful and unrelenting, causing me to grunt with effort as I struggled to keep the Meteor Shield up until the attack finally dissipated, shattering the Meteor Shield.

"Sir Fergus! Are you alright?" Rishia asked concernedly.

"I'm-I'm okay," I grunted back a tad wearily. "But that thing packs a wallop, and it doesn't look as though it's about to stop!" As I was speaking, the eye was charging up another yellow beam of light to hit us with.

"It's not gonna give us an inch to allow us to hit it! What should we do?" Keel yelled as she and the others braced themselves once more.

"She's right…somehow we need to give ourselves an opening in order to hit it…" I thought as I quickly tried to think of something, eyes darting all over the place to find anything we could use. And as my gaze wandered over one of the rock walls that was closest to the heart, I suddenly had a brainwave. "Everyone! Crouch down behind me and brace yourself!" I ordered as the eye continued to power up. "Filo! When I say so, go straight for the heart and hold nothing back, got it?"

"'Kay!" She chirped back as she crouched behind me, the others taking cover beneath her wings.

"Keel, have an arrow ready! As soon as Filo goes, take your shot as well!" I continued.

"Got it!" The white-haired demi-human replied as the eye completed the final few seconds of its charging sequence, seconds that at the moment felt like minutes. But sure enough, the eye once more fired off another yellow beam of light straight at us. But unlike last time, I didn't use any of my techniques. Instead, I merely lifted my Shield up and forward and tanked the attack straight on it. However, the force of the attack was still enough to push me back a foot or two as I struggled to keep it from going any further.

"Ungh…so glad I…did…all…those…workouts!" I grimaced internally as I struggled to hold it back. My arms and legs were screaming in pain at having to hold back an attack of such power and keep myself upright respectively. This straining pain wasn't as bad as the time I'd used the Blood Sacrifice, but then again that amount of pain had been immense since I'd released all my blood to power it. If I had to compare it to anything, it would be when I held back Pope Balmus' Judgement attack after my last duel with Motoyasu. However, even being used to it did little to take away from the fact that if it didn't start fading out in the next few seconds it would overpower my defence and take out myself and the others. "Come on…just a little bit more…THERE!" As soon as I felt the beam start to weaken, I took the opportunity to angle my Shield in just the right direction to cause the beam to reflect back and hit the rock wall I'd spotted earlier, creating a thick cloud of smoke from where it impacted.

"Filo! Keel! NOW!" I roared. But the next voice that spoke up wasn't either of theirs…

"I-I'll back you two up! Zweite Power!" As I looked back, I saw a familiar golden glow envelop both Filo and Keel as they started to rise up. "'Atta girl, Rishia!"

"Take this!" Keel roared as she drew her bowstring back before releasing the arrow, which flew straight for the heart. At the same time, Filo leapt upwards into the cloud of smoke, which quickly dissipated as she spun around, claws outstretched towards the heart.

"Spiral Strike!" She shouted as she propelled herself at the heart, striking it at full power with both claws, with Keel's arrow piercing the heart at the same time.

"Well done, you two!" Raphtalia and I cheered, but our happiness was quickly dashed by Ost's sudden groan of pain from next to us, and as we turned to look, our eyes widened in horror as we saw Ost on her knees, clutching her heart and grimacing in agony.

"OST!" We both yelled as Rishia rushed to her side, trying to hold her upright and keep her from toppling over. "Damnit…whatever we did to the heart…it's affecting Ost too!" I realised as I watched Rishia try to ease her pain, to no effect

"Ost! Are you okay?!" I heard Filo call out, but the familiar shook her head, her eyes and expression filled with determination despite the pain she was in.

"Don't worry about me!" She yelled. "You have to keep attacking the heart! It's our only way forward!"

"Damnit! Not like this!" I screamed internally, knowing we had no choice. But to win at the expense of someone we'd grown to know and care about, someone we all considered a friend? I'm not sure I'll ever be able to forgive myself for what happened next, but I knew it had to be done. "Whatever gods exist out there, know that this is an act of damnation I must perform..." "Raphtalia," I said coldly, masking the internal anguish my next words would cause. "Do it."

Raphtalia looked almost heartbroken at my order, tears starting to fall from her eyes as she gave Ost an apologetic look, one which the familiar returned with a sympathetic. "Hyaaaaaaaah!" She screamed as she burst forward and raked her sword across the middle point of the heart, decapitating it in a shower of blood and broken pieces. And as the remnants fell to the ground, Ost let out another pained gasp before closing her eyes and collapsing in Rishia's arms.

"NO! OST! HANG ON!" Rishia screamed as the rest of us all collapsed to our knees and gathered around her and Ost, her green eyes swimming with tears as she looked at me desperately. "Please, Sir Fergus! You're good at healing! Save her!"

"Zweite Heal!" I shouted desperately, placing my hand on Ost's forehead which already felt cold to the touch. The green healing magic surrounded my hand as I forced the magic into Ost's body, but to no effect. "Zweite Heal! Zweite Heal! ZWEITE HEAL!" I yelled again and again, but no matter how many times I cast the spell, nothing changed. Ost's body remained still and lifeless in Rishia's arms as the green-haired mage burst into tears, not even trying to hold back her heartbreak. "Damnit…damnit…damnit…Ost…I'm so sorry…!" I sniffled in turn as I too felt myself starting to cry.

And it wasn't just Rishia and I who were affected. We were all openly crying because we had grown so close to Ost. Keel stood with her head bowed, trying but failing to hold back her tears. Filo, still in her Filolial form, had wrapped herself around the distraught Rishia, who had proceeded to bury herself in her chest, and she, too, was crying large tears of sadness, just like the rest of us. Raphtalia, on the other hand, had flung herself at me and buried her head in my chest as she cried her heart out, and in response, I'd wrapped my arms around her and brought her close to me as we openly wept for the loss of our comrade.

For even in the short time we'd come to know her, all of us had developed a strong friendship and deep trust for the kind and caring familiar. It hadn't mattered to us in the slightest that she'd been created solely to harvest souls for the Spirit Tortoise, instead choosing to know her not only as a person and a comrade who'd risked her life to help defeat the Tortoise but also as a confidante and a source of wisdom who'd always done her very best to help us and, in Rishia's case, be like an older sister and mentor figure to her.

For a while, we all remained where we were, ignoring the dripping sounds of the blood that was pouring out of the remains of the heart and uncaring to everything else going on around us. For this moment, all that remained were the shattered feelings in our hearts over the loss of someone we'd all come to care about. Even if the shattered heart meant we'd finally won against the Spirit Tortoise…that didn't matter to us right now. All of us were united in our feelings of grief and despair over the death of our friend. And internally, I was cursing and raging against all the forces and circumstances related to this. The Guardian Beasts' creators, the Spirit Tortoise itself, Kyo…I screamed and railed silently at all of them, how what they had done had led to this. Because even though we had won, saving the world and preserving innocent lives in the process…Ost's death rendered it a hollow one.

"Ost…please…don't go like this!" I heard Rishia sniffle amidst our sorrows. "Not without…saying goodbye and…thanking for you everything you'd done for me…!" My heart shattered again at Rishia's words, knowing that they reflected what I currently felt. Even if she'd had to die…I wish we all could have had a chance to say goodbye. I was just about to raise my head to wipe the tears out of my eyes when I suddenly heard Rishia let out a startled gasp. "What the…Ost? You…you're alive?!"

"What the…? No, no Rishia, don't do this to me…don't give me false hope like this…" But as I lifted my head and looked her way, along with everyone else, I saw, to my utter amazement and relief, that Ost had lifted her arm up and was currently wiping away Rishia's tears, an exhausted smile on her face. She was alive! She was alright!

"S-sorry about that Rishia, and everyone," she said, her voice strained and weak. "I'm okay now, I promise…"

"Ost…" I breathed in a relieved tone as Filo and Keel, after taking a moment to recover from their own despair and were now wearing mixed expressions of joy and confusion, helped Rishia lift Ost to her feet. "How is this possible? You stopped breathing…we thought you'd died on us…"

"N-not yet, although in a way…it's not good news that I am still here…" she answered, leaning on the others as initially struggled to maintain her balance. "But if she's still alive, then that means…"

"How are you still alive?" Raphtalia asked worriedly as she unwound herself from me, gazing at Ost with the same mixed expression of joy and confusion as the others. "We've destroyed both the heart and the head of the Spirit Tortoise…surely that should have been enough to kill it…"

"Yes, the Spirit Tortoise lives even though its head and heart have been destroyed. However…" She placed a hand on her chest where, we all noticed with gasps of startlement and quiet exclamations of "It's beautiful!", a purple tattoo-like mark had appeared which was currently glowing. "Now I remember everything..." She continued, her tone relieved. "About the Tortoise, about who I am..." She let go of Filo and Keel with those words and, after a few shaky steps forward, lifted her arms in the air as a brilliant green glow surrounded them. "And now I, Ost Horai…!" She cried, her words full of power and authority. "…command myself to reveal the path to my deepest depths!" As she spoke, a green circle appeared on the ground not far from us, causing the ground in its surface area to suddenly vanish and leaving a large hole in its wake.

"Is that…?" Keel asked in wonder.

"Whatever spell that was, it must have opened away to the true heart of the Spirit Tortoise!" Raphtalia realised.

"Please, we all must hurry!" Ost called out desperately as she lowered her arms, the green magic fading from them as she completed her spell. "Look, the Spirit Tortoise is already starting to revive!"

As I looked over towards where the remnants of the heart were, my eyes widened as I saw she was correct: this heart, which I now understood was one of the fakes that Kyo had been talking about earlier, was already starting to regenerate. And judging by the shaking all around us as well as the faint roar we suddenly heard from far off, that wasn't the only part of the Tortoise that was regenerating itself! We were running out of time!

"You heard her! Everyone into the hole, now!" I yelled as I dashed forward and jumped down into the depths below, hearing and feeling the others do the exact same all around me.

It was now a life-or-death race against time…we had to destroy the true heart of the Spirit Tortoise and put a stop to whatever Kyo was planning before the Spirit Tortoise fully regenerated and resumed its killing spree once more!

~AoaTSH~

As we all plummeted down the temporary hole that Ost had created, we were all suddenly forced to put our hands over our ears once again as an all too familiar sound reverberated all around us, causing the nearby walls to tremble and several small bits of flesh and rock to fall alongside us.

There was no mistaking what this all meant: The Tortoise had undoubtedly been able to regenerate its head and heart and would now be back on its rampage. The clock had officially ticked down on us…from now on, every second of every minute was vital. Whatever awaited us, whatever the cost, we had to end this now, before any more lives were lost!

So, as soon as the six of us landed on a smooth and solid surface emitting a crystal-like light-blow glow, we wasted no words or arguments and dashed forward towards the large blue crystal directly in front of us. As we got closer, I took a quick look around. Nothing stood out, with the solid parts of the wall displaying a more neutral colour and intertwined with some of the fleshier designs that we'd been passing by constantly during our journey through the Spirit Tortoise's interior. In fact, the most interesting feature of where we were, aside from the giant blue crystal smack in the middle of it, were the large pink disks that were dotted at equal distances on the walls all around us.

But as I was saying, we weren't here for anything else except for what I understood to be the true core of the Spirit Tortoise: a giant blue crystal hovering in the air, no doubt controlled by the Tortoise's gravity magic. Its shape reminded me somewhat of a large kite, and directly in its centre was a dim, pink symbol which I couldn't currently make out.

"This must be it…right?" Keel spoke, momentarily awed by the sight before us.

"Yeah, no doubt," I answered grimly as I raised my Shield of the First Avenger. "Given what we've faced so far, I doubt anything less than our full power will work here. Are we all-?"

"Ah ah ah…sorry folks, but unfortunately I can't let you get started with whatever you're about to do," the now-familiar voice of Kyo spoke up as he emerged from behind the crystal, his expression hovering somewhere between smugness and exasperation. "What an absolute pain in the ass…I was really hoping my earlier trick would slow you down, perhaps even stop you from getting down here entirely…" he continued with a sigh as he placed himself between us and the crystal before smirking at us once again. "But! Seeing as you continue to prove yourself to be nothing more than persistent annoyances, then it's only fitting that I welcome you…to the true heart of the Spirit Tortoise itself!" As he spoke, he flung his arms and cloak wide in a dramatic flourish, no doubt trying his best to look like the mega mastermind he saw himself as.

And epically failing. None of us were impressed. If anything, the glares on everyone's faces only intensified at his actions, reactions that Kyo no doubt hadn't been hoping for.

"Really? No applause? Man, you lot are such a dull bunch!" He moaned. "You're making me start to wish that those three other morons had been the ones to make it here instead. They'd at least have provided me with more entertainment than this!"

"Cut the crap, asshole. None of us are in the mood," I snapped back angrily. "Listen carefully, because I'm only, once again, going to say this once: You now have a choice to make…either get the fuck out of our way or get yourself killed trying to stop us from doing what we came here to do."

"Such a killjoy Shield-Hero, you really don't know how to keep things fun…" Kyo almost sighed in exasperation. "Although, given what you just went through before coming here, I suppose I shouldn't have expected anything less. After all, the oh-so-bitter pain of losing someone does tend to affect those experiencing it in many different ways…" He then proceeded to let out a sinister chuckle. "As for me…did I feel any twinge of sadness at the sight of you lot mourning over the supposed loss of your treasured companion? HAH! Not in the slightest! If you really want to know, I was crying too…at the fact that you lot actually fell for that! It was hilarious!"

"Keep digging that grave, you heartless bastard…" I heard Raphtalia snarl from next to me, and from behind, I could hear accompanying growls from Filo and Keel. As for myself, I was doing my very best not to snap from the absolute gall of this nutcase to speak so brazenly and disparagingly about Ost's near-death. I could actually feel my anger trying to break out, to break loose and be free once more, but I kept a tight lid on it. Now was not the time to lash out. Not in the face of this piece of shit.

"Wait…you mean you actually haven't figured it out yet?" Kyo spluttered in a mixture of mockery and disbelief. "And here I thought you were the smart one Shield-Hero, but I guess you're just as thick-headed as those morons currently scurrying around over after all those fake hearts…!" His gaze then shifted behind me, his mouth breaking into a smirk. "Oh wait, I see…I think the one with the green hair back there…she's figuring it out!"

"What the hell is he on about?" I wondered as I chanced a glance back at Rishia, my eyes widening as I saw her expression, so often fearful and unsure, had now changed into one that was a mix of realisation and…was that a hint of sorrow too? As I looked in the same direction as her, I saw her eyes were locked on Ost, who was still struggling to keep herself upright and was currently leaning on Keel. "Why is she…looking at Ost that way…and why do I feel like I'm missing something?"

"What's he talking about, Master?" My thoughts were interrupted as I felt a tug on my cape, and looking down to my right I saw that Filo was just as confused as I was.

"If you really don't know what's going on right now, you lot really are all idiots," Kyo spoke up once more in exasperation. "But then again if you had understood, you probably wouldn't have done anything about it anyway!"

"Figured what…wait a sec…" As I'd turned my head back to look at Kyo, my gaze had, for a split second, landed on the giant blue crystal. And from within the blue crystal, I could see the dim, pink symbol from before had lit up and was glowing brighter, allowing me to make out a familiar design, one that I'd…

"Oh no…oh no no no no no…it can't be…"

"Aha, I think somebody has finally figured it out! Hehehehehe…" Kyo chuckled as my gaze, and the gazes of the rest of my companions returned to Ost. "All you would have had to do was kill that annoying woman right at the start of it all and save yourself the trouble of coming here, along with the deaths of all of those soldiers who ultimately died for nothing! MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" He momentarily halted whatever he was about to say as he broke down in another set of giggles. "That woman you're all looking at…she wasn't a familiar of the Spirit Tortoise at all; she's connected to its very core! In fact, you could say that she…was the Spirit Tortoise itself all along!"

As Kyo let out another maniacal laugh, our eyes drifted away from Ost's face down towards her breast, where the symbol that had appeared after her near death was now glowing brightly, just like the one in the crystal was.

There was no point in trying to deny it since Kyo's explanation, as much as I didn't want to believe it, made sense. All this time, I'd had a twinge of a feeling that something was missing regarding Ost, that there was more to her than met the eye. But I'd always played it down, attributing whatever new truths she'd revealed to us to her slowly regaining her memories. And even if I had suspected something, I don't think I'd have wanted, even knowing what we knew now, to believe it.

After all this time…it was just as Kyo had said…Ost had never been a familiar, nor a being created to enact the Spirit Tortoise's will. She…and I still couldn't quite believe I was saying this…was the human manifestation of the Spirit Tortoise itself.

~AoaTSH~

No one spoke for what seemed like an eternity, even though it was only a few seconds. Nobody moved a muscle. With the exception of Kyo, we were all still staring back at Ost with mixed expressions of sadness, disbelief, and realisation as the Vassal Hero's words echoed in our heads. As for the woman in question, whatever that glowing light had meant, it had clearly restored her strength because she was no longer resting on Keel. Instead, she stood with her hands clasped and her eyes closed almost in prayer as if she wanted to avoid our gaze entirely.

"But…if she is the actual human form of the Tortoise…why did she not tell us? Did she mean to keep a secret from us all this time? No…that can't be…she's been so honest with us from the start, even telling us the means of how to defeat it! Which means…the only possible explanation is that she really didn't know all this time, possibly even right up until Kyo told us…" My eyes suddenly widened as I remembered something from when we'd first laid eyes on her. "Back then…she'd begged us to kill her…but why would she do that if she hadn't known? This isn't adding up at all…"

"This whole time…Ost wasn't just a familiar. She-She WAS the Spirit Tortoise all along?" Raphtalia murmured, her eyes wide in disbelief as echoed my earlier thoughts.

"It makes sense if you actually think about it for a second," Kyo spoke up once again, causing us all to look back at him. "If she actually had been a familiar, she would have been under my control just like those bat and monkey-like familiars you all faced earlier. But no, she was never mine to control all this time. I mean, how else could you possibly explain why she helped you instead of opposing you!"

"As much as I hate to give him any sort of praise, he's spot on. It makes total sense…" I realised.

"Though I must say, I never expected the Guardian Beasts of this world to have so much power." And as he spoke his face twisted back into another savage grin. "But that's whatever…it's time to put an end to all this!" As he spoke, we all heard the Tortoise let out another massive roar as the whole area around us started to shake, which could only be due to one thing: the Tortoise was back on the move.

"The head and the heart must have fully regenerated! The Tortoise is back to full strength!" Ost warned.

"Which means we need to get our heads back in the game…whatever was just revealed, it still doesn't change the fact we have to bring this thing down," I reminded myself. "Hopefully the forces outside will be enough to deal with the head whilst we take care of Kyo." With that, I prepared to move forward, Shield raised as the others got their own weapons ready. But before I could even take a step or two, a bright yellow barrier sprung up and surrounded the Spirit Tortoise's core.

"What is that? Did Kyo do that, or the Tortoise itself?" Keel asked, frowning slightly.

"It's a barrier created to protect the core from any and all manner of assault," Ost explained as she opened her eyes. "In order to bring it down, you'll need to destroy both its head and heart simultaneously."

"That won't be easy, given how quickly it regenerated this time around, but it's our only shot," I grimaced in response. "I'm guessing the number of souls it's consumed had something to do with that…"

"Ah ah ah, close but not quite! Time for my next surprise, and I think you all might like it!" Kyo giggled as he snapped his fingers, causing the interior of one of the pink disks on the wall to light up and reveal three very familiar figures suspended inside of it…

"No! Sir Itsuki!" Rishia screamed in terror.

"Oh no! He's got Sir Ren too, and Sir Motoyasu!" Raphtalia exclaimed as we caught our first glimpse of the other three Heroes since we'd separated from them back in Melromarc. They were all floating in what appeared to be some kind of liquid present inside the dome they were trapped in and, judging by their expressions, were either deeply asleep or in some sort of suspended animation completely unaware of their surroundings.

"Those chumps you call the Bow and Spear Heroes were no match for the power of the Tortoise! Even when the Sword-Hero arrived on the scene, oh so desperate to save his fellow Heroes, he was nowhere near enough to make any sort of difference! Subduing them was no challenge at all!" Kyo exclaimed triumphantly. "Their Cardinal Weapons on the other hand…those were a different story entirely, so rather than trying to separate the Heroes from their weapons and take their power for my own, I instead repurposed them as a backup power source for the Spirit Tortoise! I'm going to drain every last drop of power and life force from them until they're dead!" As Kyo spoke the captive Heroes, their eyes still shut, suddenly let out simultaneous screams and bellows of pain as whatever Kyo was doing to them took effect.

"No…please…let them go!" Rishia murmured despairingly, collapsing to her knees. And even though I despised Itsuki, it gave me no pleasure seeing him and the others go through the pain they were currently experiencing. Just what the hell had happened to them?

"Now then, if you'd be so kind as to excuse me, I've got to get back to work, so many souls to harvest after all. However, since you were all so perseverant in getting here, I'm going to be very generous and give you all a front-row seat to the demise of your forces on the outside!" As he spoke, Kyo extended a hand out, and in response, a part of the wall above us shifted into a screen that gave us an aerial view of the outside world, or more specifically of the fully reformed Spirit Tortoise as it lumbered towards where the remnants of the allied forces were currently gathering. As we watched on in horror, the Spirit Tortoise let out another roar before summoning a whole array of the deadly pink spikes we'd encountered the other day all around its shell.

"Damnit! Without us protecting them, they'll be blown to bits!" I said helplessly.

"Someone…anyone…please, stop this!" Raphtalia begged. And amazingly, seemingly in response to Raphtalia's plea, the cowlick atop Filo's head suddenly started going in rapid circles. Which meant…

"Look, something's coming!" Keel shouted, pointing to something that suddenly appeared in the corner of the screen and which dove straight down before landing in between the Spirit Tortoise. As the new arrival raised their head my heart, which had plummeted towards despair, now soared with hope and fresh optimism. Even though she appeared as a small dot in comparison to the girth of the Spirit Tortoise, there was no mistaking the familiar white bob of hair nor the pink and white dress she was clad in. Unbelievably, right when all hope had seemed lost, Fitoria had arrived!

"W-Who's that?" Rishia squeaked. "Oh yeah, she hasn't met Fitoria yet…"

"That's Fitoria, the queen of all the world's Filolials and a super powerful being! Thank goodness she came!" Keel replied exuberantly as Fitoria shifted into her massive Filolial body, letting out a challenging cry straight into the face of the Spirit Tortoise. The Tortoise hesitated only for a second before reacting, firing off all the spikes on its back and aiming them squarely at Fitoria.

"Watch out!" Filo cried, but Fitoria didn't react as the spikes reached her, with their impact on the ground raising a cloud of smoke that momentarily hid the area she was standing in from view. But as it turned out, Filo didn't need to be worried as Fitoria burst from the smoke, seemingly unharmed as she rose into the sky above the Spirit Tortoise's head. As soon as she got into position, she summoned a blue magic circle beneath her feet before launching off of it straight at the Tortoise's head. The lumbering Guardian beast barely had any time to react as Fitoria slammed into its head, with the force of her blow pushing the Tortoise's head into the ground and causing it to waver slightly on its massive legs.

"Alright!" I yelled, pumping my fist as the others let out a cheer. Chancing a glance backwards I saw, much to my satisfaction, Kyo looking extremely frustrated and upset for the very first time in our brief encounter.

"Oh, Master, message from Fitoria!" Filo suddenly piped up, diverting all of our gazes from the screen temporarily. "She says she's sorry that she's late, but with everything that has happened in the past few days…I have decided the time is right for me to assist the Shield-Hero, and in so doing help free the other Heroes!" As we turned back to the screen, we saw Fitoria crash into the head of the Tortoise, her claw outstretched, with the impact causing the Tortoise to roar in frustration and fire off a purple beam from its mouth, which Fitoria easily deflected into the air. "When the time is right, I will sever the Spirit Tortoise's head. You need to be in position to destroy the heart at the same time!"

"I see…the Tortoise must have decided I can no longer fulfil the purpose I was created for," Ost murmured, hand clenched over her heart before turning to us. "The Filolial Queen speaks truly. In order to fully destroy the Tortoise, the head and the heart must be taken out at the same time. Though it will mean that I must also die, I will gladly do so knowing that your world and my master are no longer under the control of this lunatic!

"Understood," I replied determinedly. Even though it would be heartbreaking to lose Ost permanently this time...if that was the price to pay for all of my loved ones and friends to survive then so be it. I and the others turned back around to face Kyo, whose eyes were currently locked on the screen and whose face was currently locked in an annoyed snarl. "Seems like your plans are unravelling at a rapid pace, you smug bastard," I stated confidently, hoping to anger him even more and keep him off balance.

And for a moment it seemed to work as his gaze darted back to me, his snarl increasing slightly until it shifted back into its usual cocky grin. "Don't be so sure of yourself yet, Shield-Hero," he taunted. "Whilst that overgrown chicken may have saved your comrades out there, don't think it means for a second you'll have it your own way in here. Don't forget, I can draw upon the life force of the other Cardinal Heroes to boost the Spirit Tortoise's power and defences. That, combined with the power of my Vassal weapon, should prove more than enough to keep you lot at bay for as long as I need!" But just as he was about to bring his weapon around to either prepare some form of attack or spell, one of the nearby walls suddenly exploded in a thick burst of smoke, and in its midst, we saw a very familiar weapon poking through.

"I hope you don't mind us interrupting the party, jerk!" L'Arc's voice rang out jovially as he made his way through the smoke, Therese and Glass following behind him. When he saw us, his determined expression broke into a wide grin. "Sorry for the delay, Shield-kiddo! We had to cut through a bunch of fake hearts on our way here!"

"Glad you three made it," I replied with genuine happiness. Until they'd arrived, I'd been slightly unsure of our chances against Kyo given how confident he seemed, but now with L'Arc and Glass' Vassal Weapons at our side, along with Therese's magic, our odds had dramatically improved. "And yeah, this jerkwad was crowing about all the fake hearts he put in your way. But you'll be pleased to know this one is the real thing."

"Gotcha. Also a dead giveaway considering how large and shiny it is," L'Arc agreed as they walked over to us, his eyes quickly roving over the core before returning to me. "And I see you and this asshole are now acquainted," he continued, jerking his thumb at Kyo as he spoke, "for which you have my sympathies if he's gabbed on as much as he did with us."

"No kidding, he really loves the sound of his own voice," Keel piped up as the Vassal Hero growled angrily once again.

"Grrr….DAMNIT! Just how many walls did you knuckleheads have to bust through in order to get here?!" He snarled.

"Sheesh…seems like whatever we did got him pissed. Never seen him this mad before," L'Arc commented before giving me a fierce grin. "What do you say, kiddo? You lot ready to help us end this?"

I smiled back, my last waves of doubts regarding their trustworthiness fading away as I bumped his fist with my own. "Damned right we are," I replied with just as much ferocity, my companions making similar comments as we readied ourselves once more.

"I swear, by the Vassal weapon that I wield, that I will put a stop to your plans!" Glass proclaimed as she raised her fan and pointed it at Kyo. Therese simply nodded in acknowledgement as she raised her hands, the gems on her bracelets shining brightly.

"Eh, you lot? Put a stop to me?!" Kyo replied, momentarily confused. "Isn't your goal to destroy this world as well? Why the hell would you stop me when our goals currently align? With your help, I could easily and quickly gather enough souls to reduce this world to ashes, thereby saving yours in the process!"

"You have a point... Perhaps it makes more sense for us to go along with your plans," L'Arc said, his gaze and voice hardening as he brandished his scythe at Kyo. "But after all of this? We would never agree to such abhorrent and despicable acts! Our Vassal weapons beg us to put an end to your despicable actions! And I'm sure your Vassal weapon does, too!"

"Can't you hear its voice crying out to you? It's surely begging you to stop whatever it is you have in mind! The Vassal weapons are meant to save lives, not destroy them!" Therese pleaded.

Kyo chuckled darkly as he held the Vassal Book out in front of him. "Listen…to this? Oh no no no, you idiots have it completely the wrong way round. I am not a slave to the Vassal Book…it obeys me!" As he spoke, the weapon in question opened up and released a large swarm of yellow pages that proceeded to take the shape of a large bird above Kyo's head. "Composition Form One: Bird of Flame!" At his command, the pages burst into flame as they soared towards us like the phoenix it was portraying.

~AoaTSH~

Without hesitation I planted myself in front of the others and used my Avenger Shield to block the attack, causing it to fizzle out in a large cloud of smoke.

"Raphtalia! Filo! Keel! NOW!" I bellowed

"Right!" Raphtalia and Filo charged past, using the smoke as cover to try to flank the Vassal Hero as Keel shot an arrow at his head. But as the arrow flew towards him and the girls descended on him, sword and claw raised, Kyo simply smirked as the same barrier that had protected the core sprung up around him, causing the resulting attacks to fail.

"Oh…? Did I forget to mention that I can use the same barrier that's around the core to block your attacks as well?" The Vassal Hero chuckled as the girls retreated. "And it's powered by the life force of those three morons you call Heroes. So long as they live, I have all the power I need to keep you at bay!" As he spoke the three trapped Heroes were forced to let loose another chorus of agonised screams.

"No! Sir Itsuki!" Rishia cried.

"Keep up the assault! Don't give him a chance to strike back!" I yelled

"On it!" Raphtalia yelled. "L'Arc, on me!"

"Got it!" The Scythe Hero answered as he charged Kyo head-on whilst Raphtalia used her illusion magic to sneak around Kyo's back and strike from there. But even their combined attack couldn't land a dent in the barrier

"Fitoria told us to remove the barrier from around the core. It's the only way we'll be able to stop its head and heart at the same time!" Filo reminded me as she proceeded to release a mini tornado at Kyo which was also blocked, as were the multiple arrow shots and fireball from Keel and Rishia respectively

"I know, damnit! There's got to be a way around these damned barriers!" I growled as Glass and Therese took their own shots at Kyo, only for their respective ranged attacks to be stopped by the barrier as well.

"I'll open a way to the core. You should be able to bring the barrier down from there!" Ost spoke as she raised a glowing purple hand. However, Kyo had other ideas.

"As if I'd let you go anywhere!" He shouted as he thrust his arm outward, causing the heart to glow brighter than ever before. And at the same time, I suddenly felt a massive weight crash down upon me, forcing me onto the ground and rendering me immobile, despite my best efforts to move.

"Damnit…he's got gravity magic too!" I growled as I did my best to move my arms and legs, willing myself to try and move forward. But the gravity magic keeping me pinned was overwhelming and I could barely even twitch, let alone move a muscle. And though I couldn't move my head to look behind me, my companions and the other Vassal Heroes were experiencing the same thing if their groans of pain and effort were anything to go by.

"Very clever Shield-Hero…gravity attacks are the Spirit Tortoise's preferred weapon of choice after all, something it and your lady friend back there have in common," Kyo remarked casually. As I raised my head, I saw him reach back towards the heart and call forth what seemed to be a small blue ball of energy into his palm before turning back to me. "Oh, and just in case you wondering if I was totally reliant on the power from those three stooges, I've got a fun bit of proof that says otherwise! See?" He then proceeded to float the ball of energy above his palm as he started walking in my direction. "Behold the fruits of my labour! This orb contains all of the souls that the Spirit Tortoise has gathered! Pretty cool huh?"

I didn't reply, instead fixing him with the nastiest glare I possibly could. L'Arc had been right, this guy was totally sick in the head, talking about taking and using human souls as though they were nothing and using them to fuel his own power instead! This guy was the complete parallel of my very own existence and purpose, to protect and cherish those very same souls. As I stood for order, he represented the very chaos that inevitably rained down upon any form of it.

"Oooh, so scary!" Kyo teased mockingly upon seeing my expression. "No need to get upset, Shield-Hero! Just watch!" With a twitch of his fingers, the ball vanished into nothingness, taking the souls there with it.

"Bastard!" "I'm begging you, please stop!" I heard Ost plead from behind me

"You're going to regret that…along with everything you've done! Every soul you've taken! I will see them avenged when I stop you!" I managed to shout.

"Hahahahahahahaha! Oh, this is just precious…thinking any of you can do anything to me from down there!" Kyo chuckled manically as he walked forward until he was standing right next to me and pulled me up by my hair so that I was able to glare right back into his crazed eyes. "Come on then Shield-Hero! You with your oh-so cliché cries of bringing me to justice or promises to never let me harm another person! Let's see you put those words into action!" I proceeded to do my best to do just that, willing and stretching any parts of my body to move, to do something, anything, to try and hurt this bastard. But again, the gravity magic was proving far too strong for me to even try to launch some kind of attack. "Pathetic! You're just like those other stooges, Shield-Hero! Weak and pathetic! Stop fighting and surrender to my inevitable victory!"

His words caused me to let out a pained chuckle as I merely smirked back at him. "Seems like you were wrong after all Kyo," I replied determinedly. "If you think I'd give up…and let down everyone relying on me…then you don't know me at all." With those words, I hocked a ball of saliva and spat right in his face, and the sudden look of shock and disbelief on his face as my spit dripped off of his spectacles and nose to the floor…I wished right then I'd had a camera on me to record it. It was absolutely priceless.

"You…DARE…SPIT ON ME?!" He roared, losing whatever composure he had as he let out a roar whilst at the same time smashing my face back into the floor, sending waves of pain throughout my skull as I felt some of the bones in my nose shatter from the impact. He then proceeded to step on my head with one of his boots and press down hard.

"No! Stop it! Don't hurt him!" Raphtalia screamed desperately.

"Get your filthy hands off him, bastard!" L'Arc roared.

"You…you think you're so much better than me…just because you are the oh so noble and heroic Shield-Hero!" He continued to yell, ignoring the pleas of my companions as he proceeded to stomp away repeatedly on my head. And even though this brought along fresh waves of pain, which combined with the injuries he'd given me when he initially smashed my face into the floor, was enough to make me want to scream, I didn't want to give him the satisfaction. Even though he was overpowering me physically, I wasn't prepared to give him any sort of psychological advantage by letting him think he was breaking me.

And this only served to infuriate him even more. "How?! How are you not screaming in agony right now?!" He bellowed as he continued to stamp on my head. "Your nose is broken! I've stomped on you enough times to give you a concussion! And you still can't do anything thanks to my gravity magic! Why won't you just lie down and give up already, you infuriating piece of crap!"

"Because he's far better than you ever will be." Judging by the gasps around me, it seems I wasn't the only one surprised that, of all people, it was Glass who was speaking up for me. "The Shield-Hero has never given up for anyone and fights to the bitter end, even when all seems lost. I know this personally having fought with him twice already. Even in our first encounter, when my power greatly surpassed his own, he never showed any fear. He never wavered. His only focus was on stopping me and keeping his world and those he cared about safe. If I couldn't break him or cause him to falter, you have even less of a chance of doing so."

"Sir Fergus would never resort to dominating or forcing other people or objects to his will to make things easier for himself like you are doing right now with your weapon, the Spirit Tortoise and the other Heroes," Keel piped up. "Even when given the chance to increase his own power at the cost of his soul, he never even considered it. He relies on the power he has earned, and the power of those who trust and believe in him, like us, to defend this world from the likes of you who seek only to bring chaos and destruction. Unlike you, he has a pure and noble heart and soul, and everyone here knows it!"

I let out another chuckle as I managed to raise my head slightly to grin fiercely at my oppressor. "Even though you're the one overpowering me right now, holding me to the ground with gravity magic and giving me a constant headache with the heel of your boot…it doesn't change the truth…" I spoke up determinedly. "Compared to me, the other Vassal Heroes, and yes even the other Cardinal Heroes right now…you are merely a thief, a scumbag and a pathetic excuse for a wannabe supervillain, and I and the others, even pinned at your mercy as we are, can clearly see that."

"See? SEE?!" Kyo spat, his expression now completely crazed as he grabbed my hair once more and lifted my head slightly upwards before proceeding to smash my chin back into the ground. "You…you think you're so great, so clever…you won't be able to see much of anything once I'm through with you! Time for you to really suffer!" Keeping my head held down with one hand, he proceeded to scoot back a little before swinging his left boot back as far as it would go. And as he did so, it suddenly dawned on me what he was about to do.

"Oh shit…this is gonna hurt really bad…" Held down as I was, I couldn't do anything to avoid what was coming. All I could do was brace myself for the resulting explosion of pain that was sure to come. And that's exactly what I felt as the tip of his boot connected with my eyeball with a sickening *CRUNCH*, causing an eruption of pain where my left eye, or what was left of my eye, used to be. Unlike the previous time I had felt such agony when I'd used Blood Sacrifice, the pain was now focused entirely around my highly damaged eyeball instead of all over my own body.

Even with this sudden onslaught of pain...even though my mouth and throat were literally begging for me to scream in agony, the rest of me gritted and tried to bear it. Even though I could feel bits of my eyeball dangling and falling off from what was left of it, as well as a large amount of blood that was now pooling around my face and dripping onto the ground, I squeezed my eyes shut and refused to give in. Even though I was in excruciating pain, I refused to give Kyo any satisfaction. I would not allow him to win.

The same couldn't be said for my friends and allies, who were all crying out after seeing Kyo wallop my eye. I could clearly hear Filo, Rishia, and Therese pleading with Kyo to stop, as well as the roars of fury and vengeance coming from L'Arc and Keel through the sea of pain I was in. But it was Raphtalia's agonised scream of pain and despair that stood out the most, the one that made my heart shatter as soon as I heard it, the one that instantly made me want to go over and comfort her and take away her pain, even though I couldn't at this moment

And throughout all this, Kyo merely laughed in delight. If anything, his tone had gotten more crazed as he revelled in my obvious suffering. "That's what I like to hear…all those delicious cries of pain and agony as your loved ones can do nothing but watch you suffer, Shield-Hero!" He gloated. "But that's not enough! I want to hear you scream as well Shield-Hero! Scream and beg me for mercy! Beg me for the pain to stop! Ahahahahahahahahahahahaha!" As he continued to laugh I felt the impact of his boot crunch into my eye once again, shattering it into even more of a gooey mess that I could now feel swirling in the area where it used to reside. "Come on, scream damn it!" Kyo snarled as again and again he pummelled his boot into the eye socket, breaking and shattering what was left until it was completely broken apart. And even despite all this, despite the waves of agony rippling through my skull with each impact of his boot, and despite how much I wanted to, I stubbornly held back any sort of scream that was threatening to burst my lips.

"Please! Stop it…stop hurting him! FERGUS!" I heard Raphtalia sob.

"Stop hurting my Master, meanie!" Filo pleaded.

"You sick fuck, I'm going to enjoy tearing you apart in exactly the same way!" L'Arc shouted.

"You'll pay for what you're doing to him!" Keel roared. Amidst all their cries and shouts I could hear their renewed groans as they tried and failed to break free of the oppressive gravity magic.

"GAH! Damnit! What the hell is wrong with you?! Any sensible moron would be screaming their head off right now after having their eye completely shattered and smashed to bits!" Kyo bellowed as stopped wailing away on the remains of my left eye. And as I slowly cracked upon my right eye, I could see him breathing heavily, his expression now a mixture of disbelief, incredulity and frustration. "Fine then, if you are such a sucker for all this pain, then you won't mind if I do the same to your other eye!"

"NO! DON'T DO IT! PLEASE!" Raphtalia screamed, one that was echoed by the others

"SHUT UP! ALL OF YOU SHUT UP!" Kyo yelled, his gaze shifting to Raphtalia. "As for you, silly little demi-human, you get to watch as I completely blind your precious Hero here!" With those words, he wound his foot back to give my right eye the same treatment. I shut my eye and braced myself for the blow.

Which never came.

I chanced a quick glance with my one remaining eye and saw that Kyo was no longer looking at me, his expression becoming even more shocked at whatever had caught his attention. "You…how are you…? You're supposed to be the weakest of this whole sorry lot!" He screamed. "How the hell are you able to move, much less stand?!"

"Huh? One of us is actually managing to fight back against the gravity magic? How?!" I wondered

"You…you're nothing more than a coward...!" I heard a familiar voice call out, causing my eye to widen as I realised who it was. It was Rishia! But instead of her usual stutter and squeak, her voice was now full of purpose and determination. "Pinning us all to the ground like this…causing so much pain to Sir Fergus when he can't even fight back…just the mere sight of you is making my stomach crawl with disgust. You…you're sick, a verminous disease that needs to be eradicated!"

"Rishia…" I nor any of the others had ever heard her speak such venomous words. In fact, most of what came out of her mouth were squeaks and apologies and promises to do better, so to hear her speak with such calm ferocity without even stuttering once…it was so unlike her. And as I looked back, I saw what had gotten Kyo so shocked. Unbelievably, Rishia was slowly pulling herself to her feet, her muscles and body straining as she pushed against the effects of the gravity magic to even maintain some semblance of balance. But in complete contrast to the rest of her body, her face and eyes were currently set in cold determination, glaring at Kyo with quiet fury.

~AoaTSH~

As much as I didn't want to give Kyo any form of credit, he quickly recomposed himself, staring down at Rishia as she continued to struggle to her feet. "Well, isn't this just precious…look at you being so brave and heroic of a sudden," he sneered. "After all, I could've sworn only a minute ago that you were whimpering and crying in the background, begging for me to show mercy to your precious Shield-Hero…just like a coward should behave…"

"You're right…I am a coward," Rishia replied back determinedly as she rose up to her full height and began to walk forward, albeit very sluggishly due to the weight of the gravity magic still trying to press her down. But that did nothing to stop her, her eyes and poise filled with determination as she kept putting one foot in front of the other. "And even though I've gotten better, I still sometimes struggle to do anything by myself! But what that means is…that I understand you better than you understand yourself!"

"Huh?! Just what the hell are you blathering about?!" Kyo frowned.

"You're in the same position I once was!" Rishia told him as she kept walking, passing by where I still lay prone and confronting Kyo face to face. "You aren't strong at all, just like I was...before Sir Fergus took me in!"

Kyo growled and fired an energy projectile at her point blank, but Rishia merely stepped aside and allowed it to graze her shoulder. And even that shot didn't stop her as she kept walking, all the time verbally laying into Kyo. "I used to think of myself as weak and useless, incapable of helping anyone! It consumed me so much that I attempted to commit suicide out of despair. But there was one person who didn't give up on me and saved me from death. He saw potential in me to grow stronger and more confident in myself, despite my weaknesses! He and his friends took me in. They looked after me, gave me a place to live, became my friends, and guided and encouraged me to become stronger and more confident than I had ever been in my life!

With another snarl, Kyo fired off two more energy projectiles, and this time they both hit their mark with one of them grazing Rishia's cheek and the other taking a chunk out of her dress.

"Rishia!" Ost cried out, but amazingly, the green-haired girl was unaffected as she continued to walk forward.

"And now, because of them, I have overcome my weakness and become so much stronger, all the while remaining true to myself and who I really am." She continued, her voice getting stronger and more confident with every word she said. "And yes, I may still be clumsy. I may still cower and hide at many things, but that doesn't matter to them. They know it's part of who I am and they care and love me for it! I owe them a great deal…Sir Fergus, Raphtalia, Filo, Keel, Ost, and everyone else who has guided me from then until now! And I refuse to stand back and watch you hurt them for a single moment longer!"

"GAH! Will you just shut up already?! You have no idea what you're talking about or who you're talking to!" Kyo bellowed as he unleashed a wave of energy projectiles at the advancing magic-caster, causing her to let out a squeal of panic as she disappeared in a cloud of smoke that billowed from the resulting impact. "NO! RISHIA!"

"Sister Rishia! Please don't die!" Filo begged.

"Damn you, you bastard!" Keel roared. But as the smoke cleared, everyone's pleas and curses turned into gasps of astonishment. For not only was Rishia still standing, but she was also completely unaffected by Kyo's attack due to a barrier she'd no doubt quickly cast around herself.

"No…I know how weak you actually are," she continued as the area around her body started to glow with green light. "That's why you go to such lengths to convince everyone that you're actually strong! Like a terrified little animal puffing out its fur!

"WHY WON'T YOU JUST DIE ALREADY!" Kyo roared as he summoned more pages from his Vassal Book before turning them into small flaming birds and throwing them straight at Rishia, blanketing her and the area around her in a cloud of smoke and flames.

"RISHIA!" I yelled desperately as Kyo chuckled like a madman, no doubt thinking that he'd finally snuffed her out. But much to his, and our, astonishment, Rishia burst through the cloud of smoke completely unaffected, rapier drawn and aiming straight at Kyo.

"You first," she said coldly as swung for his head. But even as Kyo managed to duck and avoid the blow at the last possible second, his once confident expression had now morphed into one of panic. He spun on his feet and threw several more flaming projectiles at Rishia, forcing her to nimbly duck and weave through them all as she then proceeded to vanish into the cloud of smoke they produced from hitting the ground.

"Grrr, hiding in the smoke…and I thought you said you weren't much of a coward!" Kyo spat as he turned his head back and forth in an attempt to pinpoint her location.

"Even though my strength may still be lacking compared to Sir Fergus and the others, I'll still never lose to the likes of you!" She retorted, her footsteps echoing all around the chamber as she no doubt ran about all over the place to try and confuse him.

"Guess she's showing off that whole Hengen Muso thing she and Raphtalia have been learning from the old lady…" My thoughts were suddenly interrupted as I heard, and saw, Ost crawl desperately towards me, hand outstretched. "Ost…what are you…?"

"Shield-Hero…" she murmured, resting her hand on my Shield. "I hereby grant you…the powers of the Spirit Tortoise!" My Shield began to glow blue as she spoke, and it began to transform on its own. As I watched in awe, it transformed into a large blue orb surrounded by a solid silver circle that contained a silver head-like shape that pointed back towards the Shield's centre and from which a small blue orb of light was currently glowing. And in my Status Menu, I saw that I had forcibly unlocked and mastered the Spirit Tortoise Heart Shield thanks to the power that Ost was giving me, and below this notice appeared a small paragraph of words that, upon a quick perusal, appeared to form a chant.

"Speak the words Shield-Hero! Free us with your new Shield's power!" Ost implored.

Despite the pain I was still in from my busted eye, I didn't hesitate. "I call upon the power that dwells within the heart and soul of the Spirit Tortoise to listen to my words!" I began to chant. "I, Fergus Ward, the Shield-Hero and one of the four Cardinal Heroes, implore thee to become one with my magic and the power of this Cardinal Weapon! Come forth from this Shield, the physical manifestation of thy power, and set us free from all those who oppress us and thine self! Grant us release, and give us the strength to fight back this who has besmirched you so! ALL! LIBERATION! AURA!" As I bellowed these final words, a large burst of blue light erupted from the Shield, surrounding us all and coating us in its glow, as it did so I suddenly felt myself be released from Kyo's gravity magic.

"Wha-what is this? Is that this world's most powerful magic?" I heard Kyo squeal in fright as I felt the strength returning to my limbs…well, almost all of them. My eye was still throbbing in pain, and as I tried to get back to my feet, I was hit by a new wave of pain that threatened to pierce my skull and almost caused me to pass out as I felt myself falling back towards the ground. "Oh, shit…must be the blood loss catching up with me…" I wearily realised as I suddenly felt a strong and familiar pair of arms catch me and guide me safely to the ground.

"Oh Fergus…your eye…" I heard Raphtalia murmur, and as I looked up at her whilst making sure to keep my left eye closed, I saw her and Keel looking down at me with concern. And over Raphtalia's shoulder, I caught a quick glimpse of Filo charging at Kyo, launching a Spiral Strike that he was forced to block with a barrier. As Filo fell back, I saw Ost lift up her hand once more, and as it glowed green for the second time that day I saw a hole suddenly appear in one of the walls of the room.

"I've opened a path to the core! Get inside now!" She commanded.

"We've got this! You lot can take care of this jerk!" L'Arc shouted as he dashed towards the hole, with Therese and Glass quickly following behind.

"Filo, go with them! And don't hold back!" I ordered my blonde-haired companion.

"Right away Master! Hey, you lot, wait for me!" With a shout, she chased after L'Arc and her group as they went through the hole.

"No! I won't let you!" Kyo bellowed as he tried to set off after them, only for his path to be blocked by Rishia who had reappeared during all of this, rapier drawn and pointing directly between Kyo's eyes.

"I'm the one you'll be facing, not them," she said coldly.

"Tch, damn you!" Kyo growled as he conjured a purple blade created entirely from magic and swung it at Rishia, who was able to block it easily before going on the offensive and forcing him back.

"Okay, looks like she's got him covered. Whilst we've got time, let's get this blasted eye sorted!" I growled as I cast a quick healing spell to mop up all the blood and take away some of the pain.

"Are you able to grow it back?" Raphtalia asked, daring to hope. And as much as I wished I could say yes, I knew the reality was far different and would be a lot more painful.

"The damage is too much for me to be able to do that. After all, there's only so much that healing magic can do," I told her regrettably. "For now, the best thing I can do is get rid of what remains and use my magic to numb the resulting pain." I then turned to look at Keel whose face was currently white as a sheet from my explanation. "I'm going to need both of you to help me with this."

To her credit, Keel's face hardened with resolve despite knowing what this would do to me. "Just tell me what to do," she replied. And although Raphtalia looked like she wanted to protest, in the end she gave me a determined nod as well.

"Keel, I'm going to need to borrow your knife. And Raphtalia, you'll need to find a spare piece of cloth or handkerchief or anything like that." As soon as I'd finished speaking Keel was pressing the hilt of her blade into my hand whilst Raphtalia was fishing out a small bit of cloth from within the packs around her belt. I transferred my grip on Keel's knife from the hilt to the blade and jammed the hilt in between my teeth. "I'm going to extract the remains of my eye from its socket. Obviously, it'll hurt like hell, which is why I'll be clamping down on the knife hilt to keep from screaming too loudly. I want you both to make certain that I keep going, no matter what, and that when I'm done... Raphtalia, you're going to put that piece of cloth over the eye right away to stop the blood flow. Got it?" My explanation made both of them look even paler, but they nodded in agreement to show that they understood. "Okay…here goes…" I braced myself as I bit down hard on the knife hilt before reaching into my eye socket with my right hand and, after getting a good grip, started to pull…hard.

Pain shot through my eye socket once more as I slowly, but carefully, yanked the damaged organ out of its socket. All that pain, combined with the horrible sensation of my eye being slowly ripped from its socket, made me want to scream and bellow to drown it out. So I clamped down even harder on the knife hilt, forcing myself to keep going, to keep fighting through the streams of agony and discomfort I was currently experiencing. Beside me, I could feel Keel and Raphtalia both grasping onto my shoulders firmly, and I drew strength and comfort from their grips to keep going until finally, after what seemed like an eternity, I could feel what remained of my eyeball hanging on to the socket by a last remaining tendon. With one great, final effort I yanked away the final tendon, feeling what remained of my eyeball come away with a fresh bout of pain. As soon as that happened, I felt Raphtalia's hand press the piece of cloth she'd gathered over my now empty eye socket which was already threatening to bleed heavily.

"ZWEITE HEAL!" I growled as I removed Keel's knife from between my teeth, bringing my left hand up over my eye and allowing my healing magic to go to work whilst crushing what remained of my eyeball between the thumb and fingers of my right hand. Just like I'd explained to Raphtalia, my magic wouldn't bring my eyeball back, but it would clear up any resulting pain and blood flow that remained from its forced amputation. It took a few seconds to take effect, but slowly, eventually, the pain started to fade and the blood stopped flowing until finally, all that remained was the empty eye socket.

"Oh, Fergus..." Raphtalia sobbed as she flung herself into my chest, wrapping herself around me tightly. I immediately returned the gesture, holding her close and drawing comfort from her mere touch and presence once more. "I'm so sorry about... are you going to be okay?"

"I'll be fine, babe…I'll just need time to adjust to having one eye from now," I reassured her gently, squeezing my left eye shut and finding that it made things easier in terms of my sight. "And I'm sorry…for making you and the others worry so much. Are you sure you'll be okay with-?" Whatever I was about to say was cut off as Raphtalia freed herself from my embrace and put a finger to my lips.

"Stop it Fergus…none of what happened was your fault," she said gently, her eyes once more glimmering with affection. Off to the side, I could see Keel nodding in agreement. "And whilst it will take some getting used to, having one eye won't make me love you any less. I will always be by your side and help you whenever you need it." With these words, she pressed a short and sweet kiss to my lips.

"Thanks babe…both of you. Just…thank you…" I replied as we broke the kiss, the resulting silence as we all smiled at each other lasting for a brief moment before I set my expression in determination once more. "You both ready to help finish this?"

"Always." "Damn right!" We were just getting to our feet when I heard the sounds of glass shattering. Looking over to its source, I saw Rishia pointing her rapier towards the cage holding the other Heroes, or as it turned out HAD been holding them as whatever Rishia had done had caused their prison to shatter, allowing them to fall comfortably to the floor, free from their forced capture.

"I don't intend to forgive you," Rishia sharply told a trembling Kyo, blade pressed to his neck. "However, if you surrender, I may just spare you." This turned out to be the wrong thing to say as Kyo's expression turned manic once more.

"As if I'd ever give in to filth like you!" He screamed, erecting another of his yellow barriers and separating himself from Rishia. "I'd rather die on my feet than beg mercy from scum like you!" He hurled another wave of purple blades at Rishia, only for the magic-caster to effortlessly cut them aside as she charged at Kyo once more.

"Rishia was right all along about that man…he is a liar and a coward, resorting to stealing the powers of others and using it as his own to cover up how weak he is," Ost said, standing beside us and watching as Rishia continued to push him back. "Which is why we have to put an end to his schemes once and for all, whatever it takes." She then indicated one of the screens on the ceiling showing the exterior of the Spirit Tortoise. "Something which your friends and the Filolial Queen have taken to heart themselves it would seem. Look." As we returned our attention to the screen, we noticed the Spirit Tortoise charging up a purple ball of energy in its mouth while forming the familiar purple spikes all over its hide. But, much to our surprise, we noticed the familiar yellow magic circles forming above its head, indicating the preparation of another Ritual-tier spell.

"The mages from Mideus…they must have recovered enough mana to prepare another Judgement spell!" I exclaimed to myself

"Look at Fitoria go!" Keel yelled, spotting the Filolial Queen as she motored straight towards the Spirit Tortoise's head, launching herself towards the Guardian Beast at such speed that she was able to punch a hole straight through its throat and out the other side. This caused the Spirit Tortoise to hesitate just enough for the Judgement spell to descend onto its skull, bursting it apart in a large shower of blood and gore.

"They did it! The head's down!" I exclaimed joyously "All we need do is take away the barrier around the heart and then we'll be able to-"

"Master! We did it!" I heard Filo's call as she barrelled out of the passageway that Ost had opened. "Scythe Guy and Fan Lady destroyed the core! The heart's wide open!" Just as she said this, the yellow barrier surrounding the heart shattered, much to our delight and Kyo's despair.

"Damnit!" He yelled, trying to put up another barrier, only for Rishia to cut him off once more.

"Do it now, Sir Fergus! End it!" She called out determinedly. But this was the fraction of hesitation Kyo needed as, with a quick wave of his hand, another barrier sprung up around the core, only this time it was a flesh-made structure that greatly resembled the colouring of the Spirit Tortoise's fake hearts.

"Phew, glad I prepared a contingency plan just in case!" Kyo leered at us. "Now I get to watch your pitiful expressions as you finally contemplate your ultimate failure!" With those words, he descended into another bout of maniacal laughter as we all our teeth at his words.

"This can't be it. We've come so close…sacrificed so much…for it to end like this" I raged, but before I say anything, Ost got there first.

"No, it will not end like this! As the heart and manifestation of the Spirit Tortoise's will, I will not allow to subject it to any more suffering! I will see your schemes undone, Kyo Ethnina, even if it costs me my life!" As she spoke, her words filled with power and authority, she spun round and placed both of her hands on my Shield, still in its Spirit Tortoise Heart Shield form that she had forcibly unlocked me, and as she did so her whole body started glowing with an otherworldly light. "When we first met, Shield-Hero Fergus Ward, I begged you to kill me. I didn't know why I said it at the time, but thanks to the journey you and I have taken, I've been able to reclaim my memories and remember my purpose as the physical manifestation of the Guardian Beast. And now...I will do everything in my power to keep its power out of the hands of those who wish to harm it and the world!"

As she spoke, a series of green lights appeared around my Shield in the form of spikes along with what appeared to be a targeting system in my Status Menu that started to aim directly at the heart. At the same time, what appeared to be green wings of energy sprouted from my back

"Ost? What are you-?" My inquiry was cut off as Kyo suddenly figured out what was going on

"Huh…what are you-? NO! WHATEVER YOU'RE DOING, STOP IT! STOP IT RIGHT NOW!" Kyo bellowed in panic.

"Sir Shield-Hero…no…Fergus," Ost continued as if Kyo hadn't spoken, her voice slightly gentler yet still just as firm as before. "You said you'd do whatever it took to keep this world safe, to protect the lives of your loved ones, friends, and those who have come to rely on you. So I'm asking you now...to uphold those same words. Unleash the power of the Spirit Tortoise's Heart, destroy the Guardian Beast...and kill me..."

"Ost…please…don't make do this…" I begged, tears welling at the corner of my remaining eye even though I knew deep down that she was right. No matter how much we'd come to care for her…we had to see this through. For the world's sake, and hers.

"It's fine... I accepted that this would be my fate shortly after getting to know you..." she smiled as she finished transferring the last of her power. "Please...end this..." I could see tears welling up in the eyes of the rest of my party as she spoke. But when I looked at each of them separately, they all gave me the same sad but determined nod, silently telling me to go ahead.

"Alright…" I nodded once in return, closing my eye and focusing all the power that was gathering in the Spirit Tortoise Heart Shield, preparing it for the final strike. "I call upon the power of the Spirit Tortoise Heart Shield! UNLEASH!" A massive yellow beam of energy burst forth from the Shield and ploughed straight towards the heart, blowing away the fleshy barrier the Kyo had created and shattering the Spirit Tortoise's heart into a thousand pieces. However, such was its power that it continued to ascend, ripping through the rest of the Spirit Tortoise's body and shooting high into the air, parting the dark clouds that had formed above it and allowing the sun to shine down once more. At the same time, the Spirit Tortoise let out one last scream of agony before collapsing to the ground with one last earth-shaking rumble as its life finally winked out.

We'd done it. Despite all the odds…and despite everything thrown at us…we'd managed to take down the Spirit Tortoise, and put an end to Kyo's mad schemes once and for all.

~AoaTSH~

"We...we did it...We actually defeated the Spirit Tortoise..." I marvelled to myself as my Shield reverted to its original form and the ethereal wings on my back. Raphtalia turned to face me, her eyes welling up with emotion and tears as she flung herself on me. And as she did, I drew her into a tight hug, weeping with my one remaining eye as we finally, after all this time and so much suffering, could take a step back, relax, and reflect on everything we'd just been through.

"I have to say, we're getting pretty good at this whole saving the world thing, aren't we?" Keel quipped, a relieved grin on her face as she came up to us. By way of a response, I drew her into the hug as well, the three of us swaying on the spot as we pressed our faces into each other's shoulders, taking comfort in each other and rejoicing that we'd survived this ordeal.

"Lady Ost!" "Spirit Lady!" Our relief was short-lived, however, as we saw Rishia and Filo rush over to a prone Ost, who was currently on her back completely immobile, her eyes closed, and her breathing becoming increasingly laboured. The rest of us, along with L'Arc, Therese, and Glass who had returned from the core, dashed over to where she lay as Rishia knelt down and placed Ost's head in her lap, tears welling up in her green eyes. With the Spirit Tortoise defeated, it would only be a matter of time before Ost herself died. Even though I reminded myself that it had been necessary in order to put an end to Kyo's insane plan, it was still painful to see her on the precipice of death.

"Ost…I'm so sorry…" I murmured brokenly as I, along with Raphtalia, Filo and Keel, fell to our knees beside her as well.

"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…CURSE YOU! You had just to go and ruin everything! You just couldn't resist killing your friend, could you?!" We all glared at Kyo as he got to his feet, a look of exasperation on his face as he continued to moan. "Well now what am I supposed to do, huh?"

"You bastard! Is that all you've got to say for yourself? I suppose we shouldn't have expected any form of pity from the likes of you!" I snarled. "At least your schemes and plans have all been ruined. Just do the decent thing for once and give up, and we may just spare your life!"

"Ruined?! That's adorable that you believe that! After all, I did accomplish what I came here to do, plus I permanently wounded the great Shield-Hero," he chuckled, regaining some of his old swagger.

"What are you talking about?" L'Arc demanded sharply as my companions growled at Kyo's slight about my eye.

"Did you honestly think that with the Spirit Tortoise's death the souls it gathered would just spread back out across the land and end up back in heaven? Well too bad!" As he spoke, he pulled out a blue vial from within his robes and held it up.

"No way…are those the souls he gathered from the Tortoise? What's he going to do with them?" I asked myself worriedly.

"I see you've figured it out already, Shield-Hero!" I managed to keep only the essentials in here in case things didn't go as planned. Now, please excuse me..." He tipped the vial to the side before any of us could say anything, causing a drop of what he'd gathered to fall to the floor and expand into another ground portal. "Mark my words, Shield-Hero, and you, you wretched green-haired girl," he snarled, his gaze fixed on myself and Rishia. "I'll make sure to permanently end you the next time we meet! Until then, I need to get off of this rotting carcass. Ta ta!" With a mocking salute, he proceeded to jump through the hole and vanish before any of us could move a muscle.

"DAMNIT! HE GOT AWAY!" I cursed.

"No, you jerk, come back here!" L'Arc roared as he, Therese, and Glass dashed up to the portal, peering down into the space Kyo had entered. After a brief moment of studying it, they all turned to face us.

"It appears he used the power he stole from the Spirit Tortoise to create a portal back to our world," Therese explained quickly. "However, it could close at any moment, so we'll go ahead and follow him."

"You can count on us to find a solution," Glass added, her voice unnaturally sympathetic. "We will not only defeat Kyo, but we will also return with the souls he stole from your world. This I swear."

"Leave the rest to us kiddos, we'll deal with the jerk and exact vengeance for all the lives he took, as well as for your eye Shield-kiddo," L'Arc assured us with his trademark grin. "You guys take care of yourselves until we meet again, alright?"

"We will," I responded gratefully, feeling fully justified in my earlier decision to trust them despite the outcome of our previous encounter. "And good luck." My companions also gave them a grateful nod and smile as they leapt into the portal after Kyo and vanished from sight.

"We should go after them, help them get those souls back," Keel spoke up determinedly. "After all, that bastard took them from our world's people. It's our responsibility to help get them back."

"As much as I agree with you Keel, we can't," I said with a sad shake of my head. "Only the Vassal Heroes have the power to travel between worlds, which means as much as I want to follow them, we're unable to."

"Yes…you can…" As I returned my attention to Ost, I noticed that she'd placed her hand on my Shield once more, causing it to glow green. In response, the following message appeared in my Status Menu: 'Special Permission. Invasion of another world by the Four Heroes is now allowed under certain conditions.'

"She managed to completely override the rules of the Cardinal and Vassal Weapons with just a touch of her hand! Just how-?" Before I open my mouth, Ost's hand moved over to cover it as she shook her head, a knowing smile on her lips. "If you don't go now…you'll get left behind when it closes…" she murmured, her voice growing ever weaker with every word she spoke.

"We can really do it? Go to their world after them?" Raphtalia asked, turning her head in my direction. I nodded silently.

"Ost! Don't leave us!" Rishia begged, openly sobbing. Everyone's eyes were now welling up with tears as they realised Ost was nearing the end of her life.

"It's okay Rishia…it's okay…" Ost smiled, reaching out and placing a hand on her cheek. "You are so brave...and strong now... Your actions during the fight demonstrated this. Carry that resolve and your kind heart with you, and you'll be able to show everyone how much stronger you've become." She then turned her eyes to the rest of us. "All of you…thank you…for being my friends, and for sharing this journey with me. I couldn't have asked for better companions in my final moments. Even if you shouldn't be mourning for my loss, it…gladdens my heart that you are all here with me at the end." Her gaze then turned to me as, with a wave of her hand, she floated one of the loose tresses from her dress over my wounded eye and proceeded to magically tie it up securely. "And Shield-Hero...thank you...for keeping your word and staying true to your mission. I am confident that you and your loved ones will be able to stop that madman, bring those souls back, and continue to successfully protect this world. And if I could ever be reborn in this world, it would truly be as your comrade. Thank you...everyone...for everything. Goodbye…" With those words, her eyes closed one last time and her breathing stopped, a peaceful smile on her face as she started to fade away.

"No! Ost! Don't go! Don't leave us!" Rishia screamed desperately. But it was too late for her, or any of us, to do anything as her body glowed brightly before silently fading away into small particles that floated up into the sky before finally disappearing.

Ost Horai, the physical manifestation of the Spirit Tortoise and our friend, had now passed on. And it was now up to us to see her final wishes fulfilled.

I eventually rose to my feet, wiping away tears from my eye, after a brief period of mourning in which we all cried and poured our hearts out for our fallen companion. "We'll do it Ost…we'll see your final wishes fulfilled, no matter what it takes," I vowed silently before gazing determinedly at my companions. "In her final moments, Ost gave us the means to carry on what she started, to follow that bastard Kyo to whatever hole he crawled out of and get the souls back that he took!" I stated firmly, pressing a hand to my heart. "Are you all with me?"

"You don't need to ask Fergus," Raphtalia replied instantly as she got to her feet, wiping away her tears. "Wherever you go, my place is at your side."

"We'll kick that meanie's butt! For Ost and all the people he hurt!" Filo piped up determinedly.

"I'll be sure to make that bastard pay a thousand times over for all the pain he's caused!" Keel vowed.

"I'm c-coming too! Ost believed in me and I won't let her down!" Rishia said last of all.

"All right, then, let's do this!" We all turned and raced towards the portal before leaping into its depths, not wasting another breath. But as we descended into its dark depths, I quickly lost sight of my companions. And as I tried to call out to them, my body smacked into something solid. And then I knew no more.

END OF HALF ONE

WOW! That was…an enormous undertaking. And at 14.5k words, this was by far the biggest chapter I have ever written and a massive divergence from my usual method of going one episode per chapter. This was more like one and a half episodes, but I was determined to get this done and finish off the Spirit Tortoise arc in this chapter.

Now then, a quick rundown of all the changes in this chapter. First of all, no use of the Wrath Shield like I promised. Yes, you could argue for Fergus holding enough anger in his heart after all the things Kyo had done to be able to use it, but I decided to remain true to what I promised at the start of the story where I said I wouldn't use the Wrath Shield at all. It meant the transition to the Spirit Tortoise Heart Shield was quicker and easier than it was in the anime.

I also made Rishia a lot more determined and focused before and during her fight with Kyo thanks to all the self-confidence, self-belief and focus she has gained from her time with Fergus, Ost and the others.

And last of all, the big one, and probably one of the few times I will give in to an over-used trope: Fergus losing his eye. Has it been overdone? Yes. Is it a bit cliché? Absolutely. But ever since watching episode 6, I'd committed to this path since I knew Kyo would be a lot more pissed off with Fergus due to him being, in Kyo's eyes, a stereotypical, boring hero-type dedicated to the concepts of justice and honour and would get a lot more wound up due to him standing firm and not giving in despite everything. And whilst Fergus has undergone his fair share of painful experiences in his journeys so far, he hasn't lost anything permanent until now so I felt it was time for that to happen.

And whilst I may apologise for giving in to an overused trope, I will never apologise for putting it in my story. This is what I decided a long time ago and I am sticking to it.

So now that the first half is done, what's next for this story? In short, a temporary hiatus. Like I said last time, I'm currently in between jobs and about to go on holiday on Thursday, so this is the perfect time to put this story on hold until a) I get back from my travels and b) find a new job and figure out what my future schedule will be. Once all that is sorted, then I'll come back to writing. So I'm not sure how long it will be, but hopefully, the gap between chapters won't be too long. Just depends on how long it takes to find myself the right job.

And when I come back, we'll be going to the Other World where we'll be meeting Kizuna and going on a new series of adventures from then. Until then, thank you all for reading and for all of your support. This is theoneandonlyedster signing out for now, and I'll see you in the next one, whenever that is! Take care until then.