Hey, looks like we just crossed 3000 followers! That's a cool milestone!
It's going to be weird when Season Two hits in April. Those of you who have been brave enough to read this far will see how the first half of season two handles the major Spirit Tortoise plot point from the LN's. I'm looking forward to watching it.
Chapter Forty-Six: The Heart: Part Two
Naofumi(?) ducked under L'Arc's upraised scythe, punching the redhead in the face.
"Ack!" L'Arc was thrown back through the air, surprised by the force behind the attack. He landed on his feet and caught Naofumi's next punch on his weapon.
"Huah!" Glass locked fans with Raphtalia(?)'s sword, then jumped back as a volley of Itsuki(?)'s arrows hit the area where she'd been standing.
Up close, Naofumi(?) had a terrifying smile plastered on his face. His shield also looked like the shell of the spirit tortoise.
Spirit Tortoise Familiar (mimic-type) appeared over the impostor's head.
"Yep, that's definitely not Shield Kiddo!" L'Arc shouted as he forced the monster off of him. He tried to slash his attacker afterward, but the mimic caught the redhead's scythe on its shield. Then, grabbing the weapon, he threw L'Arc into one of the side walls.
Shadow disappeared from view as Glass began dancing to the other two's approach. The Mimic Itsuki held a bow made of tortoiseshell and the mimic Raphtalia held a sword made of the same material.
"Zero Stance Rondo! Reverse Moonflower!" Glass began slashing the air again and again as she danced, sending slashes of energy at her targets.
The mimic Itsuki fired an arrow at her that split into a series of arrows as the mimic Raphtalia sent off a slash of light. Some of the attacks collided with each other while others hit the ground around the fighters. A few of the mimic's attacks hit Glass while a few of her own attacks hit the mimic monsters. Glass ended up worse off from the exchange though as she fell to one knee while the mimics remained standing.
The mimic Raphtalia, still grinning, ran forward to attack the spirit woman, but then, something dashed across its field of vision, and its right arm was severed from its body.
Shadow reappeared for a second, flicking a slimy substance off his dagger, before disappearing from view again just as the mimic Itsuki's next attack exploded in the area where he'd been standing.
L'Arc pushed the mimic Naofumi off him and twirled his scythe overhead. "Flying Circle!" A disc of energy formed above him, and then he sent it flying at the mimic.
A barrier appeared around the imposter in response. But L'Arc's attack easily shattered it and sent the monster flying back. Unfortunately, it got back up immediately next to its two comrades. The mimic Raphtalia's arm regrew before their eyes.
"Damn it! What's Kyo playing at here?!" L'Arc said as he held his scythe out in front of him.
Glass shook her head. "Whatever it is, we must defeat them and press on! We must find the real Heroes!" She held her fans up to prepare an attack.
"Do you really think you have what it takes to do that, Glass?" The Raphtalia mimic suddenly spoke out.
The spirit woman frowned at being addressed directly like that. These familiars could talk too? Regardless, she rushed forward. "Tortoise-Shell-"
But before she could land the attack, the mimic transformed before her eyes.
The skill died on the otherworlder's lips. Her fans held stiffly a few centimeters away from Ki-, Kizuna's…?!
"No…" The Spirit woman whispered.
The short, black-haired girl in front of her did not have the same manic grin as her two compatriots. "What's wrong? You look like you just saw a ghost. I don't see any mirrors around, do you?" The girl asked mockingly.
"Glassy, watch out!" L'Arc screamed in worry.
"Ah-!" The Mimic Naofumi's shield slammed into the spirit woman's face like a boomerang. Glass was sent flying back through the air, but L'Arc caught her.
Mimic Itsuki fired his next shot and because of their vulnerable state, neither vassal hero was able to defend against it. It exploded against them, though L'Arc took more damage as he protected Glass's body with his own.
"L'Arc!" Glass shouted in worry.
"Urgh, we need to fall back." The redhead grunted.
Glass didn't reply though. She was now helplessly looking over his shoulder at the form of her most precious person in the entire world.
Glass's eyes widened in horror. Tears streamed down the sides of her face.
"Geez Glass, if that's the best you can do then it's no wonder that you let me die." Kizuna spoke, sounding disappointed.
"No… you're not dead, please, you can't be dead, Chris is-" Glass pleaded in a begging tone.
"Glassy! That isn't her! That isn't… that isn't the real Kizuna." L'Arc tried to snap the spirit woman out of it. However, the other mimics began to laugh at how pitiful his voice sounded. Even L'Arc was holding back tears at the sight of their lost, possibly dead friend.
"Not your fault? Please, we know that's a lie." Kizuna spoke haughtily. "If you'd been there to protect me, none of this would have ever happened. None of us would be here right now!
"Had I been alive, I could have helped protect your world. I could have been there for the other Heroes when they were summoned and helped them to not lose their way. I could have fought off the waves alongside my 'friends' and 'allies' and kept everyone together. You would have never had to go off to other worlds to slaughter innocent heroes just for me."
Glass continued to sob. L'Arc merely stared in growing horror.
"You've failed me. You both are a disgrace to me and the world I cared for." The mimic girl gestured to Glass. "Come now, Vassal. You've known for a while what you must do to atone."
L'Arc shook his head and started screaming at Glass. But through her tears, her eyes fell on her fans. Reflecting Kizuna's face back at her.
Yes, she knew what she had to do. She'd been fighting it for so long, but… she'd failed her, she'd failed everyone she cared about…
"Glassy! Glass!" L'Arc kept yelling in desperation to get his friend's attention.
The Spirit Woman held her fans to her stomach, and…
…
...
…
"Well? What are you waiting for, Vassal? Do it and preserve what little honor you have left!" The mimic Kizuna spoke impatiently.
"... She never called me that." Glass answered blankly.
"Huh?" The mimic raised one of its eyebrows in confusion.
Glass looked up. Tears were still falling down the sides of her face, but now it was filled with righteous indignation. "She never called me by that title! No matter how many times I told her that it was proper to be addressed by your hero status! To her, I was always just Glass, not Vassal!" She screamed. Her fans glowed with power as she prepared a skill to attack. "You are not Kizuna!"
"Hmph." The mimic began to smile manically again. "Fair enough. I guess I miscalculated with my words there." Kizuna's voice suddenly sounded a little deeper. Almost like it was…!
"Kyo!" L'Arc yelled in realization.
"Indeed! Of course, it'd take you idiots this long to realize that simple fact." The mimic laughed in Kyo's voice. The other two mimics began laughing as well.
"Why… why are you doing this?!" L'Arc screamed. He thought they would have had this chat when they were face to face. But Kyo was trying to kill them. Worse, he'd just tried to convince Glass to kill herself.
Why?... Just, WHY?!
"I could explain, I suppose, but why waste my breath? A buffoon like you could never understand the mind of a genius." The familiar shook its head. "I told you before to stay out of my business, but you didn't. Now, I can't have you interfering with my plans any longer. So do me a favor and roll over and die already." With that, all three familiars began laughing again, though this time, it wasn't in Kyo's voice. He'd given free rein back to the servants of the Spirit Tortoise.
"Damn it, hang on Glassy! I'll get us through this!" L'Arc held his scythe in front of him again.
"Based on my observations, these monsters are resistant to physical attacks." The shadow appeared beside them again. "They also have regenerative properties. My normal attacks aren't contributing much. You'll need to unleash a powerful nonphysical attack in order to deal with them."
The Scythe Hero nodded. "Got it, just leave it to me!" His scythe began glowing as the three mimics charged towards them.
Crap, Glassy looked like she wanted to fight, but her wounds were still healing. She could heal up and power up using Soul Healing Water, but they had to save that part of their hand for when they fought Kyo!
He didn't know why their former ally was doing this. But even an idiot like him could understand that, whatever good graces he thought had existed between them before, Kyo clearly wanted them dead now. So they had to survive this! He had to protect his friend, and reach Naofumi at any cost!
"Second Form: Shooting Star-" The redhead began to shout.
"Icicle Prison!"
But before he could execute his skill, ice suddenly grew out from the ground around the charging mimics, trapping them in place.
"!" The mimic Kizuna began screeching.
L'Arc's skill dissipated as he turned around in surprise. Mirellia was standing at the head of her forces, her outstretched hand lowered. "I am to assume these are the mimic-types my Shadows warned me about?" She asked with a frown behind her fan.
"It is indeed so, my lady." The shadows that'd traveled with Itsuki and Naofumi earlier appeared at her sides. "Though we did not know they could take the form of people."
Werner stepped forward. Like Glass had been a moment ago, his face was shining with red hot anger as he pointed a finger at the mimic Naofumi. "How dare you impersonate our Great God! This greatest of blasphemies shall not go unpunished! I, the head of the great Shusaku clan, speak as one who has deciphered the laws of creation!" The birdman began to chant, his normally calm voice now firm, and filled with power and anger.
The mimics struggled to free themselves from Mirellia's ice as Therese and Wyndia walked up beside the birdman and began chanting as well. Therese looked very much pissed at how one of the mimics had taken their old friend's form. And Wyndia looked pissed as well, though it was more so in general at everything that had been going on lately.
She'd made a promise to herself, and she'd almost broken that promise by giving up earlier. She had to make up for it! She had to prove she could keep going forward for her Hero!
"Drifa Fire Pillar!" Werner finished.
"Bejeweled Ruby Blaze!" Therese shouted.
"Ruby Explosion!" Wyndia screamed.
KABOOM!
The three fire spells completely consumed the area the three familiars were trapped in.
"!" "!" "!" All three monsters began screeching horrifically as the intense flames of three powerful magic users burned them down to cinders. Eyes appeared all over their bodies as they burned away. The cavern around them shook from the explosion of power.
L'Arc and Glass covered their eyes, both from the intense heat and so as to not watch the screaming form of their friend melt away before their eyes.
…
After a few seconds that felt like an eternity, it was over. The mimics that'd been trying to kill the pair had been completely dealt with.
Werner huffed, pulling up the collar of his uniform. "And good riddance."
L'Arc breathed in heavily, tears appearing in the corners of his eyes. "Th-Therese!" L'Arc gave her a thumbs up.
"Glass! L'Arc!" Therese rushed towards them, wrapping her arms tightly around the pair. "Are you two ok?" She asked through tears.
"Y-Yeah. We just took a few hits. Nothing more." L'Arc tried to put on a tough face. But Therese had already let them go and began using healing magic on them. The redhead couldn't help but keep crying as she helped them out.
"Therese, Kyo chatted with us through those monsters." He said. "He… he was trying to get Glassy to kill herself!"
…
Therese looked at the spirit woman, mortified. However, Glass gave her a calm look in return. "I'm fine now. I wouldn't fall for such lies so easily."
"Are you sure?" Therese asked in worry.
"Yes. I will be fine. I would not give up my life that easily..." Glass stared down at her fans in contemplation. "Now what are you doing here? Why has everyone come here?" Glass eventually managed to ask, looking past the leaders at the army of soldiers and mages huddled in the cavern as well as the Hero's remaining party members.
"Shortly after you left, one of my Shadows informed me that Sirs Naofumi and Itsuki found the entrance to the Spirit Tortoise's heart. I've gathered everyone, and am on the way to meet him right now." Mirellia answered.
As if on cue, Naofumi and his group appeared from further down the corridor where the mimics had come from. "What the hell happened here?" He asked, looking confusedly at the scorched area filled with puddles of water. And why was Therese using healing magic on the two otherworld heroes?
"Ah, Shield Kiddo, Bow Kiddo, is that… is that actually you this time?" L'Arc asked hesitantly.
"Master Craftsman, L'Arc." Therese corrected him.
"Therese! Is now really the time for that?! We almost died to their imposters here!" L'Arc yelled angrily.
"Of course it's us. Now what the hell was that about imposters just now?" Naofumi asked.
Therese didn't answer L'Arc, but she did turn to explain to Naofumi what had occurred there.
L'Arc shriveled up on the inside as she stopped giving him attention.
It was true. He was nothing but chopped liver whenever Shield Kiddo was around. Damn you for making his life harder, Naofumi!
Glass awkwardly rubbed his back in sympathy. Damn it, now he'd sunk so low that even the stoic spirit woman was pitying him?! Why couldn't he have been born with Naofumi's accessory-making skills?! He would have never had this problem if his hands weren't so big and clumsy!
Naofumi nodded his head when Therese finished explaining what'd happened. "It really is one thing after another today. I'm glad to see you're all okay though."
"Hmph!" Why was L'Arc pouting now? Well, whatever, Naofumi didn't have the time to deal with the red-headed kindergartner right now. "I take it this is why we didn't find anybody waiting for us at the entrance."
Mirellia frowned. "Forgive me, my Shadow informed me of your discovery. But on our way, our ally here said the Otherworld Heroes were in danger." Mirellia gestured to Therese. The party system really came in handy at times.
"Now that that's cleared up, we should hurry. Sir Motoyasu and Sir Ren's party members informed us that their hero's health bars have been dropping."
Naofumi grimaced. Looks like his earlier suspicions were unfortunately correct.
He also noticed that Wyndia, Rino, and the others were shaking the longer they stood there. "Damn it, no time to plan around then." He shook his head. "Long story short, we found the heart and killed it since we hypothesized that it would reveal the way to the core. But that wasn't enough. Ost told us the sealing ritual would be necessary for us to proceed."
"Odd, that was not how it worked with our Guardian Beast." Glass said to herself. "Then again, the route to the core was open when we found it."
Seriously? So they didn't have to go through this maze wandering crap when they fought their Guardian Beast?!
"Either way, it's going to get even more dangerous from here on out. We need to be prepared for danger. Is everyone ready?" Naofumi asked.
Werner and the soldiers with him gave proud salutes. "Of course! We'll follow you to the gates of hell if we must, Lord NaofumI!" Werner shouted enthusiastically.
"We're ready." Rino cracked her knuckles.
"Yea, yea, let's go already." Elena nodded in agreement.
"L-let's do this!" Rishia said determinedly.
"Ah, yes, this old granny is raring to go!" Granny cracked her back and grinned widely.
"My soldiers are at your command." Mirellia stated regally.
Naofumi faced the elite coalition force. Itsuki and his allies stood beside him. Everyone looked at him expectantly.
This was probably the time to give some heroic speech to boost morale and stuff so they'd be ready for whatever threat that they would come across up ahead.
Thing was though, he was seriously not in the mood for heroic speeches. Ren and Motoyasu needed them as soon as possible. He wasn't going to waste his time standing there to come up with some fancy words or dribbles to boost everyone's confidence. The other hero's party members would never forgive him if he did that.
So he kept it short and blunt. "Don't be stupid, don't get cocky, and above all, don't get yourselves killed! I will not waste my time protecting idiots that get in over their heads when I have to protect a group this large! Now move out!"
Raphtalia sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose. She entirely agreed with everything her boyfriend said. But he could have at least put it a little more nicely.
"Yes, sir!" The coalition of humans and demi-humans had still saluted him with enthusiasm, however, clearly not caring about the short and brusque state of Naofumi's pep talk.
With everyone's battle cries reverberating behind him, the Shield Hero led the large elite force back down the cavern towards the heart.
The next part was a little chaotic.
With so many people with them this time, Naofumi and Itsuki spaced their party members throughout the small coalition force to protect everyone. Naofumi once again led from the front, but with only Ost and Glass to assist him. Itsuki followed from the rear with L'Arc as his backup.
As they got closer to the entrance, Naofumi had a short conversation with Glass to make sure that the spirit woman and the pouting redhead could still fight. She assured him they could, though she did give more details on what Kyo had done to them.
Naofumi wasn't sure what to think about it. Honestly, if he'd met a version of himself that could damage other people, he would have been pissed enough to pull out the Cursed Shield. So it was probably a good thing he didn't face those familiars.
Though, it didn't sound like that'd been as important as the psychological warfare Kyo had inflicted on the pair.
"Are you sure you can still fight?" He asked again.
"Oh, I can fight alright. And I will keep fighting until I get my hands around that scrawny little weasel's neck for playing me like a fool." Glass said, her red eyes shining with anger as her fan's gemstones flashed red.
"Funny, I was having the same idea." His shield's gemstone flashed the same color. It seemed the two of them were on the same page this time.
"Careful. It might not be so easy." Ost warned them.
"As if it's ever that easy for us." Naofumi rolled his eyes. He remembered that he had to be careful about pulling out that shield. The last thing he needed was to lose control and kill all of his friends.
After that, there wasn't much time to talk. When the rock walls turned to flesh, the coalition soldiers took on more serious postures, and the hero's party members stood at attention. Attacking any familiar that tried to ambush anyone.
Naofumi helped out by using his skills whenever he could. The issue was, the familiars came from everywhere. The floors, the walls, even the ceiling. With how many people there were in the army, it was impossible to protect everyone at once. The attacks also came more frequently than before. Was that because of the amount of people they'd brought with them this time? Or was Kyo taking on a more direct approach against them? The human mimic familiars that he'd piloted remotely to target them certainly made it seem that way.
It wasn't long after reaching the fleshy part of the cavern that casualties began occurring.
"Ahhhh!" A knight screamed as a pair of white cell familiars encased his body from below. Melting it like it was made of wax.
"Huah!" Raphtalia was quick to arrive and kill one of the familiars. The other soldiers managed to kill the other one with their own strength.
However, there was nothing that could be done for their dead comrade. Those with weaker stomachs vomited at the sight of his melted remains.
"Keep moving! Staying still means sharing his fate!" Raphtalia helped those soldiers up so they wouldn't fall behind. Afterward, she stayed nearby to offer them more protection as Filo took her original spot in the line. The other members of the Hero's party played similar roles as they progressed. Even managing to intervene in time to save the lives of several soldiers.
However, several more deaths like the first knight occurred before they even reached the sinewy walls. And with them having to cross in groups, it became even harder to protect everyone.
Itsuki assigned Mirellia's shadows to the sinews that needed to be cut. Ost needed to open the last wall briefly again so another Shadow could cut the white sinew on the other side, but fortunately, that didn't end up taking long.
Itsuki went ahead with the groups as they crossed. Naofumi stayed back with the main force to help defend them until he followed behind the last group. Despite their best efforts, another dozen deaths had occurred either while waiting to go through, or while moving forward.
Damn it, Naofumi wished he had a few more skills in his arsenal now. He was starting to realize that this might not be the only time he'd have to protect a small army in the future. Especially since they were training their own in Lurolona.
When this was over, he needed to find more skills to defend people with.
"This intense beating sound…" Werner looked troubled as he ruffled the feathers on his back.
"Yeah, that's the heart. It's just up ahead." Naofumi affirmed. "Mirellia, can you prepare the sealing ritual before we reach it?" Naofumi asked the Queen.
"I'm afraid not. It's not something we can begin preparing for until we get there." Mirellia told him. "And once we start, we won't be able to move until it's done."
"Shall you need my assistance for it?" Werner asked the Melromarcian leader.
"I will be focused on assisting the mages in casting the spell. We'll need someone besides the Heroes to direct our forces to keep the chain of command intact." Mirellia told him.
"Then I shall do my best in that regard." Werner bowed politely to the Queen.
"I'm sorry to delegate you to a backup role." Mirellia apologized.
"It's fine. But I'd prefer it if I didn't have to step in to take command. Please do be careful." Werner said seriously.
"Do you have any orders for us?" Chen approached with the soldiers under her.
"Yes, Captain Chen, I trust that you and your soldiers will be able to assist Sir Naofumi in protecting the mages," Werner said.
"Of course! We shall give Shield Lord our lives if need be!" Chen affirmed with a salute.
"Don't do something so stupid!" Dou-Lon karate chopped the back of his friend's head. He'd learned well from his mentor. "Sir Naofumi would never forgive himself if his allies sacrificed themselves needlessly for his sake!"
"Ow…" Chen rubbed the sore bump on the back of her head sadly. "I'm sorry, forgive this unworthy Hakuko Shield Lord-"
Dou-Lon karate chopped the back of her head again. "He doesn't find you unworthy! Stop with all the unnecessary drama!"
"Boo, stop being mean to me!" Chen complained.
Naofumi frowned. He was starting to wish he'd kept his mouth shut since yet another conversation went down the inevitable route of the unworthy hakuko trope he found incredibly annoying.
At least he could count on the birdman to help keep things in order if everything went south.
Soon, they were back in the hall where the blue dragon hourglass was. Many of the soldiers were creeped out by it. But Naofumi kept everyone moving past it. There was no need to gawk and stare at a stupid little projection.
Finally, they were before the heart again.
"...!" The heart recognized them.
Good, they would be the last people it ever saw.
"All Zweite Aura!"
"Zweite Down!"
"Herculean Strength!"
The Heroes cast their support spells, and Ost added her own buffs to the mix.
The heart began firing its heat beams as familiars flooded from the walls, floor, and ceiling around it.
Within seconds, the battle was in full swing.
"Air Strike Shield! Second Shield! Royal Shield!" Naofumi summoned the first two skills horizontally on his sides as the third skill appeared in front of him. The familiars crashed into them, being halted in their tracks.
"Huah!" Raphtalia slashed through several familiars before jumping back behind the safety of the barriers.
"Zweite Tornado!" Filo's wind spell helped clear the space in front of the shields.
"Raaaaaaghhhhhh!" The soldiers behind the powerful mother-daughter duo rushed forward. Using the opening provided by Filo to slice into the monster's ranks. Amongst them were Dou-Lon, Eclair, Chen, and her group.
"Full Moon Army!"
"Moon Breaker!"
L'Arc jumped overhead and implanted his large scythe into the ground, creating a shockwave of power as Glass caused a rain of blades to come down on the enemy. Despite not having the strength of their world, the otherworlders were still powerful enough to handle groups of familiars.
Though Glass had to step back to recover after using the powerful, draining move. And L'Arc was rescued by a well-timed fire spell from Therese and the other mages playing support so he could retreat.
"Saint Arrow's Rain!" Itsuki assisted as well with his own spread skill. Sending a wave of explosions across the floor in front of them.
"Drifa Wave of Darkness!" Rachel's spell followed right behind, smothering the enemy in a dark wave that consumed them.
However, the supply of familiars coming out from the walls and ceiling around the heart seemed endless. Some of them even began to cover over the heart. Something that confused Naofumi as it still had its barrier to protect it. But he wasn't allowed to focus for long as the horde rushed towards them again.
"Get back!" Naofumi shouted.
Many immediately complied. Though Chen continued stabbing into the enemy with her weapon.
"Eep!" The hakuko girl shouted out in surprise as Dou-Lon grabbed her by the shoulder. Throwing her back behind Naofumi's barrier just before the familiars could overwhelm her. He was quick to join her. "I was doing fine, you know!"
"Even if you're doing fine, when Sir Naofumi tells you to retreat, you retreat!" The hakuko shouted as he punched a white blood cell away from the cracking shield in front of them. Eclair then stepped in, sword shining with light as she thrust forward around the barrier. "Hah!"
The light exploded dramatically, encasing several familiars in its blast. Heat beams then impacted against the shield, and the group jumped out of the way just before it was destroyed and the heat beams tore up the area they'd been standing in.
"Dritte Shield!" Naofumi summoned another barrier in the spot, allowing them to defend the position again.
"I'm glad to see you finally attacking with more confidence, Miss Seaetto!" Dou-Lon grinned widely.
"Now that I can trust my sword to not break on me, I can fight with all my strength!" Eclair replied with an equal grin on her face.
"Is that your full strength?! Hah! Maybe I'll finally be able to beat you next time then!" As Itsuki's next skill sowed chaos amongst the familiars in front of them again, Dou-Lon raced forward and began impaling one familiar after another on his lance.
"Funny how a weak bakako like you can claim that! Let me show you how a real warrior battles!" Eclair rushed forward, sword shining with magic power once again as she fought vigorously besides the tall hakuko.
Chen paused, staring at the two for only a moment. "Captain!" At the call of one of her soldiers, she shook her head and focused on leading her comrades into battle once again.
"Bejeweled Rolling Thunder!" Therese's outstretched hand reached forward, and a chain of lightning came from one of the accessories on her wrists. The lightning impacted against the heart's barrier, cracking it.
"Sapphire Dragon's Roar!" Wyndia thrust her palm forward as the sapphire in her grip glowed brightly. An intense roar of sound traveled over the field of battle, not harming any allies, but devastating the familiars that rushed in front of the heart to protect it.
Gem magic was extremely useful. She didn't have to worry about hurting her comrades with her spells anymore.
"%$# !" She cussed, however, as the sapphire in her hand broke. "I thought I had it earlier after that ruby didn't break!"
"It's fine! You're doing great Wyndia!" Therese handed the dog girl a replacement sapphire from her pouch, and Wyndia was forced to focus on the battle once again as another one of Naofumi's barriers broke and a heat beam tore through a line of soldiers.
"Air Strike Shield!" Naofumi replaced the barrier, sweating heavily from exertion. Protecting a group of people this big was, appropriately, a big challenge. It was taking all of his mental focus to keep track of everything and everyone.
It didn't help when a mandala-like pattern appeared around the floor of the heart.
"Everyone, get back!" He yelled again.
They immediately did so. Itsuki and the party mages kept pressure on the familiars for Naofumi as a large heat beam shot from the center of the Heart towards the mages.
"Urghhhhhh!" Naofumi groaned as he got in the way of the attack. He felt his hands burning behind the Whale Core Shield. He debated finally bringing out his Blessed Shield to block the attack. But ultimately decided not to because of the limited time he'd have to use it. He had to save that shield for when they fought Kyo, or in case the heart had even more powerful attacks than this.
Oh, how he wished he could use the damn shield freely.
However, an idea came to mind, and he pushed the bottom of his shield forward to tilt it up.
Sure enough, the rest of the intense heat beam deflected up into one of the sinews connecting the heart to the ceiling, splitting the flesh and raining blood down on the heart.
"...!" The heart cut off the rest of its heat beam. Ha, just because he couldn't attack didn't mean he couldn't use his opponent's attacks against them!
He was a shielder. It was his job to learn how to be the biggest prick on the battlefield! With the attack over, the frontline fighters rushed forward again as the mages assisting them pulled out Magic Healing Waters to replenish their reserves.
"Sir Naofumi, the preparations are almost complete!" A mage called out to him. Quickly glancing back, he saw Mirellia and the mages with her had prepared a large pentagram on the floor beneath them..
"Alright, Itsuki, Raphtalia, Filo, get ready to weaken the heart!" Naofumi called out.
"Got it! Let's do it just like before, Bow Uncle!" Filo said as she started charging up her magic power. Raphtalia did the same.
"Remember, this time we don't want to kill my main body's heart, we only want to weaken it!" Ost told them.
If they killed it, it could risk leaving the sealing spell no target to be used on.
"Got it!" Itsuki moved into a position where he'd have a clear line of sight of the heart after Raphtalia and Filo plowed through all of its defenses. "Maya, Aksel, Rishia, Granny, help them by keeping the familiars from getting in the way!"
"Ohoho, I was waiting for it to be my turn." Granny laughed happily as she rushed forward from the reserves. The group took L'Arc's place as he retreated to take some time to recover. Rishia followed right beside her, an oddly determined look on her face.
"Ha!" "Huah!" The pair immediately began assaulting the familiars with a variety of different attack patterns. It was like watching a deadly dance between master and student. The familiars immediately began to focus on them, and that was when Aksel and Maya charged in.
"Ha, take this!" The tank shouted as his axe tore through one white blood cell after another.
"Finally, it's our turn!" Maya cheered happily as she similarly sliced over and over with her daggers.
The four powerhouses began drawing the majority of the familiars on the battlefield to their position. Naofumi stayed where he was at though, because of the heart's continued heat beams towards the mages.
"Kay, we're ready!" Filo called out.
"Get started on that magic!" Naofumi shouted back to the mages behind them.
"We are the source of all power, and we command you, Hear this truth and heed it. Drive a wedge to stop the Spirit Tortoise, one of the four spirits of destruction!"
Filo clawed at the ground beneath her. Naofumi focused on the heart as more familiars began flocking over its surface. Itsuki's party members were providing a good distraction. They just had to-
A mandala-like pattern appeared under the heart again just as Filo and Raphtalia rushed forward and Itsuki began charging up a skill. At the same time, the barrier around the heart dropped.
"Wait, get back-" Naofumi cried out.
"High ceremonial magic?" The mages behind Naofumi said confusedly.
The familiars covering over the heart exploded out like bullets in all directions. The shields Naofumi had up protecting the army immediately shattered under the onslaught.
Screams erupted behind him as the sealing spell was interrupted.
Naofumi looked behind him to see how bad it was, only for his face to fall.
He'd managed to block some of the familiars, but not all. A couple dozen mages had been caught by the attack, and around half of them had died instantly. Itsuki had been hit as well, and looked very pale. Therese and Wyndia and the others with them had managed to escape unharmed though. Though it looked like it was thanks to L'Arc shielding them with his weapon and body. He definitely looked very pale right now.
"Quick, Magic Healing Waters to the survivors!" Werner called out to the soldiers that'd been waiting to rotate into the battle.
With the sudden surprise casualties, the other part of the force immediately rushed forward. Some handed out the potions to the various mages, while others took the places of those who'd just died on the front lines.
"Hang on, Elena! You're not going to die now!" Rino was holding up the other girl in Motoyasu's party.
"It's fine. One nap and I'll be all better." Elena said wearily.
"Karn, you idiot! I didn't need protection from that attack!" Crystal yelled angrily.
Itsuki's swordsman was pale as well. The two had been in the reserves waiting to rotate forward. "Heh, don't worry, it'll take more than this to kill me." He then grimaced. "Damn, that's one nasty attack though."
Naofumi stared over it all, his eyes slowly widening in horror. Damn it, he should have realized how abnormal it was for the heart to cover itself with all those familiars! Now they'd suffered all sorts of casualties from this! And-
Oh, Gods, RAPHTALIA! SHE AND FILO HAD RACED AHEAD AND-
"N-Naofumi!"
"Raphtalia!" The Tanuki girl and their daughter in her human form stumbled towards him. They were both very pale. Upon seeing them, instant relief filled his being. Though it also made him realize that he hadn't put any barriers back up yet. The soldiers were fighting for their lives. It was only because of Ost assisting by grabbing the heart's attention with earth magic attacks that they hadn't been annihilated.
"Air Strike Shield! Second Shield! Dritte Shield! Royal Shield! Meteor Shield!" Calling up every barrier possible, he bought the frontlines some time.
Naofumi then focused on Filo and Raphtalia. "I-I almost thought you two died in that attack!"
"I-It's ok. Filo protected me." Raphtalia managed to say, though she looked pretty exhausted.
"Filo sensed something was wrong at the last moment. So Filo used Filo's magic energy to try and protect Mommy." Filo said happily. Even tired, she was still upbeat.
"Alright, you two take a break for now." He said seriously. Handing Raphtalia a Magic Healing Water. "I'll call you back when you're ready-"
"No." Raphtalia downed the Magic Healing Water, restoring some color to her face. "I can still fight." She rushed forward, taking Ost's place as the Tortoise woman took a few steps back, looking exhausted from the amount of energy she'd expended on her spells.
Within moments though, she too was back in the fight.
Naofumi sighed, pulling out another Magic Healing Water for Filo. "I take it you're not going to rest either?"
"Nope! Daddy's flock still needs Filo!" She answered happily.
Filo… you amazing daughter you.
Filo then frowned. "After that attack, Filo believes these monsters are made of magic energy."
"You mean, they stole your magic energy?" Naofumi asked in confusion.
"No, well, yes, they stole Filo's magic energy. But they're also made of magic energy!" Filo tried to explain, but it didn't get across Naofumi's mind. The little girl began to pout.
"Filo will have to use action then if Daddy can't understand Filo!" She raced ahead of the barriers in her human form where more familiars were beginning to gather again.
"Wait, Filo!" Naofumi tried to reach forward to stop her. Even after drinking the potion, she'd still looked too pale to just rush back into the fight.
However, white lights appeared around her form as she began sucking in the surrounding air. It was the move that Fitoria had managed to teach her.
"!" However, this time, the white blood cell familiars in the air began being sucked towards the small bird queen. Naofumi rubbed at his eyes in disbelief. But yes, Filo was sucking them into herself.
Was she actually eating them?! But the paleness of her skin disappeared. She and her clothes started glowing with magic power!
"Oho! I didn't realize the Shield Hero's filolial had knowledge of life force techniques!" Granny laughed despite looking as pale as the others. "Come, Rishia, repeat after me!" And then, the old lady started doing the same move too! Sucking in the familiars around her to charge up her power.
What the hell?! The more she did it, the younger she looked as her skin became more full.
"R-Right!" Rishia began sucking in air as well. She was less efficient than her master, but she was managing to do it. And the familiars that'd stolen their magic power and then some were brought crashing back towards them, being sucked into the life force wielding duo.
"I… don't understand what's going on anymore." Naofumi shook his head.
Raphtalia fell back at his side. "Does this mean we can try that move again?" She asked.
At least one of them could throw off their confusion to focus on the battle. "Mirellia, are you still able to cast the sealing ritual?!" Naofumi shouted back.
"Yes, I believe we still can with this number of people." Mirellia replied. The original caster who'd been the medium for the spell had been killed. This meant it would fall on her shoulders now to make sure it went off properly. "Werner, you'll need to take sole command from here."
"Already on it." Werner began giving out more orders to the various soldiers. Despite the casualties the heart had inflicted, they were back to fighting alongside the Heroes just like before within moments.
"...!" The heart fired more heat beams at Filo, but the bird Queen dodged to the side. She was now bursting with magic power. "Oh boy, Filo feels all fired up!" She cheered happily.
"Ha, you're not the only one!" Granny thrust a palm forward, and an explosion of energy slammed into the remaining familiars in front of her. Rishia slashed with her rapier, and the air clearly shimmered in the blade's wake.
"Ugh…" Itsuki still didn't look well, but he gave the duo a thumbs up. "I'll be counting on you to finish this!" He told them.
"Of course, your faith in us shall be rewarded, Bow-dono!" Granny laughed.
"Stand back Mommy! Filo can handle it this time!" Filo yelled.
"G-Got it, be careful!" Raphtalia told her.
Filo got low to the ground, still in her human form. Granny and Rishia rushed up beside her. A wave of familiars came pouring at them.
"T-There's so many!" Rishia said in a scared voice.
"Ohoho, that just makes this all the better!" Granny cackled madly.
"Filo can handle them!" Filo transformed into her filolial form. She could feel it, with this amount of magic power at her disposal, she could use a powered-up form of the attack she'd learned from Fitoria.
"Spiral Kick!"
Green energy surrounded her, and she rushed forward at an astonishing speed. Naofumi wasn't able to track her at all. One moment, she was standing there, then the next, she was on the other side of the room in a fighting pose.
Every single familiar that'd been in her way exploded into showers of gore.
The barrier around the heart shattered instantly. A hole pierced through the top right part of it.
"...!" The heart's eyes widened in shock. Naofumi and Raphtalia were similarly shocked. Neither had been able to track Filo's speed at all. Blood burst from the wound like a dam being broken.
"Take this, the power of a master and her student working together!" Granny rushed forward with her hands outstretched. Rishia, briefly awed by the powerful attack Filo had just unleashed, quickly followed behind her teacher.
"Eight Palms of Destiny!"
"Fueh! Spiral Slash!"
Granny's attack targeted the heart itself while Rishia's attack slashed into the sinews binding it to the floor.
"...!" Multiple holes appeared all over the heart, and the sinews holding it down were cut clean through. The eyes looked around all over frantically as its wounds tried to regenerate. It wasn't firing any more heat beams though.
Ost gasped loudly, clutching at her chest. Naofumi immediately looked at her in concern, but she forced herself to speak. "Now!"
"We are the source of all power, and we command you, Hear this truth and heed it. Drive a wedge to stop the Spirit Tortoise, one of the four spirits of destruction!"
A huge mandala of light appeared above the heart, surrounding it in a swirling pattern of magic.
"High Ceremonial Magic: Seal!"
The mandala multiplied one after the other. Materializing into chains that wrapped themselves tightly around the heart.
BaThump BaThump BaThump BaThump!
Naofumi watched, keeping his shield raised in front of him.
BaThump BaThump BaThump… BaThump… … Thump… … …
The eyes closed, and the chains finished wrapping around it.
The heart's beating had stopped.
…
Naofumi stared at the heart. Behind him, the mages breathed in and out in exhaustion.
"Is… is it over?" He asked.
"Hmmm…" Filo cocked her head. "Fitoria says the Tortoise has stopped moving!"
They'd done it! They won!
Cheers erupted from the army.
Finally. Naofumi relaxed his shoulders.
"Hey, Mommy, Filo still has some excess power!" Filo suddenly rushed up to Raphtalia, who turned in surprise.
"Huh-" Splat!
Suddenly, Filo spat out one of the familiars she'd sucked up. The remaining paleness on the Tanuki girl's body disappeared.
"Ewwwwwwwwwww!" Though she did not look very happy about it.
"Here! Filo will help everyone else!" She suddenly ran around, spitting familiars out at Aksel, Maya, Itsuki and all the other allies who'd been hit.
"No, I am not going through that!" Karn immediately hid behind Crystal. Who tried to run because she didn't want to get hit either.
"Filo, honey, at least ask them for permission first!" Naofumi yelled at her.
"Oh, sorry Daddy! Here, does dog girl need any help-"
"NO! Keep your magical snot away from me you stupid bird!" Wyndia hid behind Therese.
"I don't want any of that either." The gem girl politely declined.
"I won't mind." L'Arc weakly raised a hand.
"Ok!" Filo spat on him and rushed off to help others.
"Remind me not to hug you anytime soon." Therese said to L'Arc.
Itsuki looked grossed out. But at least it looked like he'd recovered from the heart's earlier attack.
Naofumi smiled as Raphtalia wiped the white gunk off herself. "So, did that really restore your magic power?" Naofumi asked curiously.
"Yes, and I'm certain I'd rather stick to the potions instead." She shuddered in disgust.
He couldn't help but chuckle. At least their daughter was harassing everyone else instead of him.
Raphtalia glared at him. He simply smirked, but then she grinned, and before he knew it, she was hugging him with her slimy armor.
"Gah! Gross, get off!" He yelled incredulously.
Raphtalia snuggled deeper into him, and he tried in vain to push her away. She finally let him go and he gave her an angry stare.
"What?" The half tanuki girl asked innocently.
"You know exactly what you did." Naofumi hmphed.
"I'm sorry, I have no idea what you're talking about." She tilted her head innocently as she stayed smiling.
Naofumi would have played along with his girlfriend's antics. However, he noticed that Ost was still grimacing and clutching her chest with one hand. Raphtalia noticed it too, and a look of concern crossed her face. "Ost, is everything ok?" The tanuki girl asked worriedly.
"I, I am fine." Ost forced herself to stand up straight.
"Are you sure?" Naofumi asked.
"Turtle lady doesn't look fine to Filo." Filo walked up as well.
"More importantly, the entrance has not opened."
The cheering behind them died down. Looking at the area in front of them, no secret passageway had been revealed. No opening in the wall or floor or ceiling or nothing.
They were still at square one!
"L'Arc, Glass, do you have any idea what we're doing wrong?!" Naofumi asked angrily.
"No idea." L'Arc shrugged helplessly. Glass looked just as lost.
Damn it! Some help they were!
"Hey, what's with that nasty look on your face?!" L'Arc asked in an offended tone.
Before Naofumi could reply, the chains around the heart shook.
...
"No…" Naofumi looked towards it.
The chains shook again. Then again. Then…
BaThump!
The heart beat once.
BaThump BaThump BaThump BaThump!
The chains around it began to shatter. A mandala-like pattern appeared underneath the heart as its eyes opened wide.
"No!" Naofumi immediately rushed forward, pulling out the Shield of Hope II in the process.
The heart let out a massive beam of energy, even more powerful than the previous one. As soon as Naofumi blocked it, he felt grateful that he changed shields. Even if the shield's timer was flashing before his eyes now. All his skills that'd been out before shattered almost instantaneously, and it was only because of the shield's properties that no one behind him was killed.
"Itsuki!" Naofumi yelled through the pain he was experiencing.
"Explosion Shot!"
Itsuki's skill fired off, but more familiars popped out from the ceiling and intercepted the projectile, detonating the skill prematurely.
"...!" However, the explosion from it still washed over the heart, causing it to stop its attack.
"Ack!" Ost fell to her knees as Naofumi switched back to the Whale Core Shield. There was about five minutes left on the blessed shield's timer. He downed an HP potion to heal his injuries and then started shouting.
"Air Strike Shield! Second Shield! Dritte Shield!" He called up barriers again as more familiars flooded towards them. The frontline fighters were forced to move into battle once again.
"Ost, seriously, what the &%$# is going on?!" He yelled angrily.
"The mandala pattern appeared again! It's charging up another attack!" Itsuki warned.
"Royal Shield!" Naofumi called up the additional barrier just before the heart unleashed another attack. It promptly shot a familiar black ball towards Naofumi. Shattering both skills between him and the heart.
Some help that'd done.
"Hurgh!" Naofumi took the ball of magic head on, and, thanks to his buffs, pushed it back towards the heart.
"...!" The heart pulled up its barrier again, and the attack dissipated against it.
"Damn it, why is nothing working for us!?" Naofumi grit his teeth angrily before using Shield Prison to block the area between his two remaining shields whilst also trapping some familiars inside.
"I… I don't know…" Ost looked at a loss.
Another mandala pattern appeared under the heart. Seriously, why the hell was it spamming these powerful attacks one after the other now?!
But then, a wave of magic attacks from the mages washed over the familiars and into the barrier.
"...!" The mandala pattern disappeared as more familiars came out to get in the way of the attacks cracking the heart's protection.
"Just stay down you stupid pile of flesh!" Farrie yelled as she performed another combo spell with Tersia. She was grimacing though at the massive power difference between them. She was hardly contributing at all.
"Sir Naofumi. We must consider retreat. The mages are exhausted, and soon, the soldiers will be too." Werner warned him.
"No, we can't give up now!" Wyndia screamed at the birdman. She began chanting again and sent another gem magic attack at the heart.
The barrier around it shattered and there was even enough power left to inflict more damage on the heart.
"...!" "Urgh!" Ost fell to her knees again.
Naofumi felt conflicted. They needed to get past this, but nothing was working. Killing the heart and head at the same time did nothing. Sealing it did nothing. And whenever they hurt it, Ost…
Damn it! What else could they possibly do?!
With the barrier gone, a mandala-like pattern appeared under the heart. At the same time, familiars began to cover over its surface.
Crap, it was the same attack as before.
They were going to have to retreat again when they were so close?! This was the heart! The path ahead was right there! Ren and Motoyasu were ahead! The bastard Kyo was up ahead! If they couldn't get past this-!
But how?! Nothing worked! They were in completely over their heads! And that freaking heart was going to-
"Huah!" "Hah!"
Suddenly, the two large sinews holding the heart to the ground were cut clean through.
"!" The mandala-like pattern disappeared as the heart began beating erratically.
"Now Rachel!" Maya and Aksel reappeared from the Raccoon girl's invisibility spell, running away from the heart back to safety.
The black-haired mage nodded as she finished chanting. "Drifa Lingering Shadows!"
A wave of darkness washed over the heart. It was not only damaged, but the eyes began looking around frantically as some of the dark energy lingered, covering its eyes over. "I've managed to blind it for now but I'm not sure how long it'll take for it to recover!" Rachel yelled.
"Naofumi, should we retreat?" Raphtalia asked with worry.
Naofumi gritted his teeth. He wanted to say no. But unless they were given another option, they were toast.
"Ost!" Naofumi forced his worries for the tortoise woman aside for the moment. "Is there anything we can do that we haven't tried yet?"
"..." She looked to be in pain, just like the heart. But, then, an idea seemed to come to her. "Kill the heart and head at the same time. And cast the sealing spell on the heart as it's dying." She said in a weak voice.
That was a lot to get right all at once. Would they even be able to accomplish it? But given that they were out of options and the fate of their friends and the world was on the line, Naofumi grabbed onto it with every ounce of his being. "Mirellia, get ready to cast that spell one more time!"
The Queen nodded. Despite how tired she looked, she began organizing the mages once more.
"Sir Naofumi?" Werner looked confused by the fact that Naofumi wasn't ordering a retreat.
"Keep the soldiers organized for just a little longer!" Naofumi told him. "We're breaking through no matter what!"
The shusaku man's eyes began to sparkle in awe. Yes, how could he have doubted the Shield Hero!? He immediately began leading the soldiers with renewed vigor.
"Filo, do you think Fitoria can help to time her attack with ours again?" He asked.
"Hmmm… Fitoria is dealing with three heads now. But Fitoria is willing to try!" Filo said cheerfully.
THREE HEADS-
Forget it. He could think about it later. It was already going to be a miracle if they managed to coordinate their multi-pronged attack properly.
"Alright, Raphtalia, Filo, let's give it all we've got!" Naofumi took front and center again.
"Right!" Raphtalia took a stance beside him.
"Ok!" Filo cheerfully got on his other side.
"...!" The blind status effect disappeared. The heart's eyes focused angrily on him.
That's right. Get one last look at us you piece of &%$#. You weren't going to get another one ever again.
This time, Naofumi was the one who charged forward past the frontline soldiers.
"...!" The heart looked surprised but fired its heat beams at the Shield Hero after the short delay.
He dodged left, then right. Avoiding the deadly beams. He was sick of blocking them anyway. The heart grew frustrated as it missed the Hero repeatedly, and its familiars moved to swarm him.
"Now!" He yelled.
"High Quick!"
"Illusion Slash!"
Filo raced overhead in a blaze of speed. Her attack sliced clean through the top sinews connecting it to the ceiling.
At the same time, Raphtalia reappeared beside the heart's right sinew. Slicing clean through it and the other sinews connecting it to the ground.
"...!-"
"Shield Prison!"
Before the heart could react, Naofumi's shielded ball encased the monster. It was a tight squeeze and it began to crack almost immediately.
But it bought everyone the precious few seconds they needed.
"Bejeweled Ruby Blaze!"
"Flying Circle!"
"Tortoise Shell Cracker!"
"Sapphire Dragon's Roar!"
"Bunker Shot!"
The various Heroes and mages launched a variety of spells and skills. Outside, Fitoria rushed in on the now three heads, as room began to be made for a possible fourth one.
"Liberation Haikuuiku!"
The Shield Prison shattered.
All attacks landed simultaneously.
"...!" Explosions, holes, and gashes appeared all over the heart as the heads were all simultaneously detached at the same time.
"Drive a wedge to stop the Spirit Tortoise, one of the four spirits of destruction!"
"High Ceremonial Magic: Seal!" As the heart was dying, chains began wrapping around it over and over again. Its dying eyes widened from pain and terror.
Ost, who still looked very much in pain, began speaking clearly as the heart's beating slowed. "I, Ost Horai, command the heavens, command the earth, defy all reason, join, and spit up blood. Oh self, I command you. Open the oath to my depths!"
A loud noise immediately rumbled throughout the room as the sealing ritual neared its completion.
Naofumi stumbled back as, in front of Ost, a square hole opened up. Stairs began to fill the hole with a series of loud thunks!
The heart continued beating erratically. But just like before, it was beginning to come to a standstill.
A few seconds later, it was over. The noises ended, and a new tunnel leading deeper into the Tortoise lay in front of the Tortoise woman. The heart was sealed once more.
"Is that…" Naofumi trailed off, almost afraid to finish the sentence.
"It is. This passageway leads to my core." Ost stated tiredly.
"Now that, that looks familiar." L'Arc smiled widely as he rested his scythe on his shoulder.
More cheering came from behind them. The army looked happy but exhausted. Good thing the heart was trapped for now. Though who knew how long it'd hold under the seal this time.
"Only those who can command an exceptional amount of strength to face our adversary should come with us." Ost warned Naofumi.
Naofumi looked back at their friends and allies. They were about to go into battle against the one who'd hijacked the Spirit Tortoise, and who'd been strong enough to defeat and kidnap their Cardinal Allies. Only those who would be powerful enough to face him would stand a chance.
The rest would be nothing more than cannon fodder.
"Mirellia, Werner, lead your soldiers back before the heart breaks free again. We'll handle things from here." Naofumi told the two leaders.
"As you wish, Sir Naofumi." The shusaku man bowed. "Godspeed, and good luck." He then turned away. Tired, but glad that their sacrifices there had paid off. "Captain Chen, help me organize the men for retreat."
"At once." The hakuko woman quickly moved to follow orders.
"Dou-Lon, Eclair, could you two-" Naofumi began to ask, seeing how tired the two looked.
"No way! We're coming with you, Sir Naofumi!" Dou-Lon immediately interjected.
Eclair nodded as well. "I promised Wyndia I'd help her save Ren. I will not let a little exhaustion slow me now." She rested a hand on the dog girl's shoulder as she spoke.
Wyndia's ears fell flat on her head. But she looked up at Naofumi with determination. Farrie and Tersia had similar looks on their faces.
"Alright. I won't stop any of you. I'm just afraid of the disadvantage some of you will be fighting under." Naofumi shook his head, looking at Eclair and Farrie specifically.
"Our opponent is human. I should be able to handle myself just fine." Eclair said confidently. Farrie didn't have a verbal response. Only a short nod of her head.
Nearby, Itsuki had just finished learning who was coming along with him. Aksel, Maya, and Rachel were instant shoe-ins for more than obvious reasons. But Karn and Crystal were staying behind to help with the retreat.
Karn had been more badly hurt by the attack than they'd realized. And strength-wise, he was in no shape to fight a rogue Hero.
Elena had been injured too. However, while Rino was worried about her friend, her worry for Motoyasu made her decide to come along as well. Even if she didn't have the level of stats and skills that the others had.
As for Rishia and Granny.
"Fueh, b-but you need to come along." Rishia said sadly.
"It is fine, my dear pupil. Somebody must stay to help defend her Majesty and the men." Granny smiled as she rested a hand on her soldier. "Besides, if I'm around all the time, I'll just be holding you back from your potential."
"F-Fue?" She tilted her head confusedly.
Granny laughed boisterously. "There's nothing like growing while fighting a hard fought battle with your own strength! I've kept you in the frying pan for long enough! You are much stronger than you realize! Now go into the fire and make this old lady proud!"
"I, I…" Rishia stood up tall. "I will! I promise, Granny-dono!" She put a fist to her hand and bowed.
Granny hugged the green-haired girl, surprising her. But after squeezing her back in return, Rishia rushed to join the heroes as they and those with them gathered in front of the entrance.
"We're ready," L'Arc said.
The large group walked down into the tunnel. Disappearing into its depths long before the heart woke up and broke free of its bindings once again.\
The group walked down the tunnel. The walls and ceiling went from flesh to smooth rock, almost like marble.
"Ost, what happened back there?" Naofumi suddenly broke the tense silence that befell them.
"When the heart and head were killed and then sealed, I saw the way to unlock the entrance appear before me, and-" Ost began to reply.
"That's not what I'm talking about." Naofumi said a little harshly.
…
The Tortoise woman didn't speak. "Ost! Why were you hurt whenever we attacked the heart!?" Naofumi pressed on.
"The core is up ahead. We must prepare to face the enemy-" She brushed him off again.
"Damn it, Ost! Stop dodging the question and answer me!" Naofumi yelled at her.
"Ost, please," Raphtalia spoke softly. "We all saw you were hurting back there, but we didn't see anything hit you. What happened?"
Ost remained walking forward, forcing them to keep following her. "Nothing matters besides stopping the rogue Book Hero and saving the world. That is why I'm here." Ost said with finality. "I am not going to distract you from achieving anything short of that g-"
"She's dying, Naofumi."
Itsuki's soft tone did little to lessen the gravity of his words. And the way the spirit woman's shoulders sank afterward was all the confirmation that the shield hero needed.
"W-what? But, but why? What's-" His mouth tried to form some sort of coherent response
"Because we're killing her." The bow hero sighed before turning to face Ost's now suddenly more fragile form. "I'm sorry Ost, but you need to tell everyone who you really are. It was irrelevant before, so I kept quiet, but that's no longer the case. We all need to be on the same page from here on out and keeping secrets from each other will bite us when moving forward. You must tell the truth."
Therese, Glass, and L' Arc visibly shook at the bow hero's words while Ost slowly straightened back up as she turned back to face them again.
…
"You are right, holy wielder of the bow, I thank you for your words." Ost shook her head before facing Naofumi. "As he said, my fate is at hand."
"B-But why?" Naofumi stuttered, still unable to comprehend what was happening.
Or, maybe he had been aware. And he just hadn't wanted to think about it. Her advanced magic. Her ability to control the other familiars and to even command her main self to open the way for them.
"I have already told you before that I was a servant of the Spirit Tortoise. That I was it's conscience." Ost shook her head. She was seeing now why Mirellia had chosen to keep this from the Heroes. Unfortunately, the Bow had proven to be as observant and clever as the best of his predecessors.
"But I am more than just its servant. I am the very soul of the Spirit Tortoise." She said, "I am its will manifested in human flesh. When my main body dies… I will die with it."
…
…
…
"No… there's no way…" A horrified look gradually appeared on Naofumi's face. That same look was reflected on everyone else there.
"F-fueh! Itsuki, when did you learn this?" Rishia covered her chest in concern while addressing her hero.
"When we first met." Itsuki shook his head. "And I don't mean in that carriage carrying Fitoria. I thought I was going crazy along with Naofumi back then, but I couldn't shake off the fact that a feeling of deep melancholy was coming from the Spirit Tortoise. Especially its eyes. Like it deeply resented what it had to do but could do nothing to stop it…
"When I saw Ost again as a human, her eyes were the same. And when I heard her explain what she wanted to do, everything else fell into place."
"No! There's no way! I don't accept this!" Naofumi yelled angrily.
"Whether you accept it or not-" Ost tried to stop the Shield Hero's angry shouting.
"NO!" Naofumi bellowed. "I didn't come this far just to kill a friend!"
"..." Ost frowned as Naofumi seethed.
That… hadn't been the reaction she expected.
Raphtalia and Filo both looked sad too. Itsuki was also sad, and even the otherworld allies were frowning. "You're saying to kill the Guardian Beast means killing you too?! That, that isn't fair! I can't accept that!"
"You… care for me? Even though I am the embodiment of the foe meant to bring carnage to this world?" She asked unsurely.
"Of course, we care! You're our friend!" Naofumi answered truthfully. Even though it'd only been for a short time, Ost had become a great ally. She was powerful. She got along well with Raphtalia and Filo and everyone else. She was honest and above that, she was trustworthy.
There weren't many people Naofumi had met in this world with much of both. She called herself evil, and she spoke evil at times, but she was far better than any of the selfish greedy bastards he'd come across so far. They'd done their evil acts simply because they enjoyed it.
Ost… she did it because she had to, for the sake of the world.
She was probably a more genuine human than those humans parading around as monsters. She'd been giving her all to help them out up to this point. And when problems occurred, instead of blaming others, she'd blame herself and her own shortcomings for them and apologize for it.
"Even if you're meant to destroy, you do it because you must as a last resort for the sake of the greater good. Not because you gain any satisfaction from it." He said seriously. "And you've not only protected me. But my family and friends too. You're not just our ally. You're our friend. You're someone we can trust. And that means more than the world in my view."
…
"Shield Hero…" Tears appeared in the woman's eyes. "You have no idea how much those words mean to me…"
However, her shoulders sagged. "But what is more important? The lives of your fellow heroes- nay, the lives of the entire world. Or my own life?" She asked.
Wha-
Naofumi tightly closed his eyes. 'No, don't you dare force me to choose like that!'
"Shield Hero, as you said, I exist to protect this world. My choices are for the world. If the other two heroes die, nay, if the entire world dies so I may live, that would be a cruel fate indeed.
"Naofumi-" Itsuki tried to say.
"No, don't you even!" Naofumi yelled at the Bow Hero in anger.
"Naofumi. I have already come to terms with my fate." Ost shook her head. "As I am, I will destroy the world. More than that, your fellow Heroes will die if we do not press on. We cannot afford to wait."
"I know that!" Naofumi shouted at her. "But… we'll have to…!" He breathed in and out deeply as he tried to force himself to say it.
"You'll have to kill me." She supplied.
"Aren't you the least bit angry about that?! Don't you want to live!?" He counterasked immediately.
"Even if by living, I consign the world and its Heroes to being killed?" Ost asked.
…
Naofumi's shoulders sagged in defeat. "Is… is there really no other way?" He asked helplessly.
"I… I don't know." Itsuki had tried thinking of anything from his game that'd help. But there was nothing that came to mind. Absolutely, positively nothing. "Is there anything?" He asked Ost.
She shook her head. A look of sadness was also on her face. "I am afraid not. We have seen that the Book Hero has made it so that the sealing ritual does not work on me anymore. I will have to die if this world is to be spared slow and complete destruction by my hands."
Naofumi balled up his fists again. He was forcing himself to not cry. After all, she was still there. And Ost didn't want them to waste time crying over nothing.
It sucked. It truly, truly sucked.
"I know this is difficult to ask, but please, do not hesitate when the time comes," Ost said. "I will never forgive either of you if you try to spare my life." She rested her hands on Naofumi and Itsuki's shoulders. "You both must fight for this world. Not for me."
To save this world… to save those he cared about… Naofumi was going to have to kill someone who'd become a dear friend to him, to Raphtalia…
To Filo...
…
Raphtalia gripped his hand with hers. She gave him a steely-eyed look that didn't hide the tears in the corners of her eyes. Filo hugged his other side. Even if she didn't entirely understand what was going on, she looked sad all the same.
"Is Tortoise Lady going to be ok?" She asked.
"I…" He looked at her and nodded. "Yes, of course, she'll be just fine sweetie."
"Ok…" Filo stayed hugging his side, looking down at the ground as her father lied.
Kyo… was truly horrible, to put them in a situation like this.
"Alright." Naofumi nodded. "Let's go." Odd, the excitement he'd expressed every time he'd said that before was gone. Perhaps it was because they were finally reaching their goal. Or, maybe, it was because he knew that whatever happened, this would be their last adventure with Ost.
Whatever happened next. They'd be saying goodbye to her forever.
They finally continued on in silence. Not another word was said.
Naofumi slowly grit his teeth.
Why… why was it that every time he had hope for this world. Every, single damn time it happened, something would happen to make him hate it again?! Why, why was this world so cruel to demand such sacrifices of them?!
To save the world, to save its people… they'd have to condemn one life for it all!
Ost didn't deserve this! To just help them and die when it was all over!
For just a brief moment, Naofumi hated the world he had to protect more than ever.
Then, he redirected that anger towards the person they were about to face. The one who'd started this whole mess.
Almost fifteen minutes after they'd entered the tunnel, they finally came out into a large, white room. With marble walls pulsing as if they were alive.
"Wow! You sure took your time!" A figure standing near a large, crystalline object laughed gleefully. Behind him, the Sword and Spear Heroes were trapped in their crystal prison. "I was starting to get worried that your brilliant plan was to make me die of old age while I waited for you to finally arrive!"
Naofumi gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on his shield.
Whatever happened next… he was going to make this bastard pay.
And that was a promise.
Author's Notes:
Yeah, this was why I had to split the chapter in two. Unless you have meta-knowledge and Ost along with you, it is impossible to breeze through this entire section easily. All puzzles have a solution, and in this case, it takes killing the heart and head, while sealing the heart at the same time, and that's just to reveal to Ost how to make the passageway to the core appear. At least, I assume that's how it works.
If you want to blame anybody for making it this complicated, blame Kyo. I blame him for pretty much everything at this point.
Till Next Time
Allen