"Waitwaitwaitwait. Let me see if I am hearing this right. You…WANT us to kill you?" David asked.
Just then the Spirit Tortoise let out a piercing cry once more as Natyal looked to find the woman had disappeared as the cry had soon stopped.
"She vanished." Natyal said. "Could she and the Spirit Tortoise be connected somehow?"
"Most likely. I have the feeling this isn't the last we have seen of her." David said.
After the familiars attack had subsided, Naofumi and Mirellia held a conference with the other leaders of the Melromarc nations, inlcuding the Spirit Tortoise Kingdom, and along with them were the Alliance and Mythos Hearts Leaders along with some of their teammates.
"Tell me what we're looking at." Mirellia said.
"After the Spirit Tortoise destroyed the capital, it headed toward this border town before shutting down. If the legends are correct, it will remain in that state for two or three days."
"It destroyed this nation's capital, took the lives of the royal family and many of its people, and now it's taking a nap? Accursed creature!"
"Legends say that the Spirit Tortoise mostly attacks densely populated areas. Its next target would be Lowhirot, and this was merely a stop along its way." Mirellia said.
"The Spirit Tortoise can't afford to ignore a force as large as the one we've amassed."
"So, how are we going to destroy something that size?" Naofumi asked.
Natyal looked down in concern as she clenched her chain.
"The Shield Hero?"
"If the Queen's right, we've got two or three days at most. We have to come up with a plan and get ready before it wakes up. There's not much time." Naofumi said.
"A Plan? We don't need a plan for this thing! We have brave knights and soldiers from every kingdom in the land! If we charge in with our force, that Tortoise won't stand a chance."
"Indeed."
"It's a Guardian Beast. It's not gonna go down easy. You can send in a whole battalion, and it would still be unfazed." David said.
"The Leader of the Brave Adventurers is right." a Spirit Tortoise kingdom General said. "We must've thrown tens of thousands of our most loyal troops at that walking fortress, and they couldn't stop it! Defeating the Spirit Tortoise by conventional means is impossible! We need the help of the Four Heroes." he said as Naofumi closed his eyes for a moment.
"Well… just one of the four, we don't really have a good location on the other three." Ethox said. "But the shield hero is part of our guild, so naturally, you'll have help from our full force to take this thing down."
"Full force, you say? Then why hasn't the Jura Tempest Federation sent any representation? Where is Rimuru Tempest and his loyal followers? With them on our side, surely we stand more of a chance."
"Well, yes. But they have some other matters to attend to at the moment." David said.
"But even without Rimuru here, we are going to help in any way we can. Right, Naofumi?" Hope asked.
"Maybe. As long as no one's charging into battle with a death wish. I wanna minimize casualties, otherwise it'll interfere with our real job, which is to fight the waves." Naofumi said.
"It'd kill you to be more polite, y'know." Glimmer said.
"Glimmer's right. They're not going to help us otherwise." Raphtalia noted.
"Then let us come up with a plan for the allied armies to defeat the Spirit Tortoise." Mirellia said.
"I'd like to hear what the Shield Hero thinks, but… What of the Seven Star Heroes?"
"They've left their countries and are on their way, but some are far off. They may not make it in time."
"Seven Star Heroes? Are they supposed to be other Cardinal Heroes?"
"Not quite. Unlike the four Heroes, the Seven Star heroes all wield Vassal Weapons. Some of them were, like Naofumi, summoned from another world. And some of them were chosen from this world." Mirellia explained.
"Vassal Weapons…come to think of it…" Theo said thinking back to the figures they met on Cal Mira Island. "Some of those guys had strange weapons too. They were like cardinal weapons but not as powerful. So those are Vassel Weapons…"
"But as of right now, they are weaker than the current heroes." the queen explained.
"Alright, that makes sense. But with them not coming, what are we supposed to do about the-" Hope started.
"Excuse me." a familiar voice cut in as the woman from before suddenly appeared in the room.
"That voice…" Naytal said in surprise.
"Your majesty!" a general said.
"Majesty? Who is she?" Subaru asked.
"She is the concubine of the now deceased ruler of the Spirit Tortoise Kingdom." the queen explained.
"I never gave my name when we met the other day, Shield Hero. My name is Ost Horai." the woman said. "And for the time being, I'm the King's regent. And contrary to what some of you might think…I am a familiar of the Spirit Tortoise."
"Uh… Yeah, some of us were able to figure that out." Fulgore said.
"I'm gonna go out on a limb here, but is that the reason why you wanted Naofumi to kill you?" DW typed.
"I think we will need to ask her to elaborate as to why she wants that." Sectonia said.
"Actually, it's not me that needs to die specifically. It's the Spirit Tortoise itself." Ost said.
"So…you're the same as those bats and yeti's?" Otto asked.
"Yes. But I take the form of a human. My role was to get close to the center of power and gather up souls." Ost said.
"Ah, yes. The handbook did say that the purpose is to block the waves and the souls gathered were to be a resource to help it gain its strength." David said.
"The Spirit Tortoise's anger felt unnatural though, as if an outside force was manipulating it." Natyal said.
"Yes. Someone broke the seal without warning. If it is not stopped now, there will be no world for it to protect." Ost said. "And I will not be able to fulfill my duty. Shield Hero, please destroy my creator, the Spirit Tortoise."
"Surely there must be another way." Natyal said.
"Hey, if you can put Mr. Slow-and-Steady back to sleep for another million years or so, shoot your shot." DJ said. "If not, our best option is to kill the big guy. Hate to kill this beauty here, but it's gotta be done."
"DJ is right, Natyal. Our options are limited here." David said.
"I understand you have a soft spot for animals and beasts, but sometimes they need to be…put out of their misery." Theo said. "Wait…is breaking the seal something anyone can do?"
"No. I am the only one who knows, least I thought I was. The role of the human type familiar is to inform the 4 heroes how to break the seal should they ever discover our plans." Ost said. "Cause when the four heroes cannot stop the waves, it's up to the four heroes to wake the Spirit Tortoise and gather the necessary souls. Only then will the waves stop. What other options would there be at that point?"
" 'The world demands sacrifices from all life.' Is that what you meant, Fitoria?" Naofumi asked himself.
"If that's true, then… What a terrible trial fate has set out for us and the heroes." Mirellia said.
"Where is it going to then?" Ainz asked.
"Well…the Spirit Tortoise tends to favor large and densely populated areas, so this city is likely to be its next target." Ost said. "Of course, I'll provide what advice I can to help you find the one behind this and stop it."
"Thanks but the…handbook David got…pretty much revealed that. Though, now…we need to get a leader to lead the armies against it." Jexi said. "There's too many individuals here. We need to unite under someone. Someone like…" he said as they looked to Naofumi.
"Whatever. I'm only here to protect my territory, nothing more. You can sit here and complain if you want, I'll even take it on myself if I must." Naofumi said.
"But you don't have to." Ethox spoke up. "We're a team. So if we all work together, combining your skills with our offense, then the Spirit Tortoise stands no chance of-"
"Ethox, you've got great positivity, but given all he's been through, Naofumi's a tough nut to crack on the whole 'total teamwork' thing." Ajna said.
"She's right. After everything that happened with Malty, or Myne, or whatever her name is now, he's kind of a bit reclusive in trusting others outside of his party." Takeshi said.
"E-Even though we all fought side by side against Ehto when he was chosen as an Isekai Hero? Don't you trust Theo, Naofumi?" Ethox asked.
"Don't get the wrong idea, I do. If it wasn't for him helping me back then, I'd either be rotting in a jail cell or dead. But it's a mutual thing. That trust will only go so far." Naofumi said. "If I would need to sacrifice him to survive, I would."
"(He's a part of the guild, but he still abides by the viewpoint he has now because of what Witch did. The only ones he seems to care the most for are members of his own party.)" Ethox thought. "(In a way, I get it. It isn't just Naofumi who has his own viewpoint on what Mythos Hearts means to them. We all have our own reasons for being a part of it.)"
"Anyway, if anyone here's got a plan that'll take out the Spirit Tortoise with minimal casualties, I'll gladly follow orders. I'll even give them. But if you're all gonna argue over who's gonna get the credit, then just forget it. A few others in this room, including myself, can take it alone. Sit here and complain all you want." Naofumi said as he got up and left, Raphtalia bowing in respect and following behind him.
"Somehow, I had a feeling he'd say something like that." Tanya said. "He really is our Guild's lone wolf, isn't he?"
"Yeah. But every group's got one of those." Makoto said.
"Be that as it may, he is a crucial part of our forces. He'll return to lead these forces into battle." Ainz said.
"Ainz is right. If anyone can get him to come around, it's Raphtalia. She always seems to be Naofumi's voice of reason." Legolia said.
"Guess all we can do is wait for him to come around then, right?" Ethox asked.
"He'll lead us into the fight, no question." Theo said.
The next day, the army mobilized and started heading outward, away from the city.
"Since it likes populated areas, going away from the city is probably our best bet." Naofumi said. "Plus we'll be luring it to us with our numbers, and then find some way to pin it down. You don't need to defeat it. We'll take care of the rest."
"My nation of Haikazuya will provide a dragon rider battalion to serve as a decoy. Cavalry, heavy troops, archers… We are the strongest nation in the land." the Haikazuya general said.
"As for pinning it down…" Naofumi pondered.
"Lowhirot has stationed every siege weapon it has in the area. No matter how big it is, we can knock out at least one leg."
"Or I could summon Hekatoncheir to try and keep it pinned." Simon suggested.
"A nice suggestion Simon, but we should save large scale magic for later." Tanya said. "I noticed an unmanned fortress nearby while my battalion and I were scouting the area. We can use that as a sort of roadblock in the tortoises path. If we can find a way to bring it down that is."
"If you wish, we in Mideus can provide the Ritual magic to do so. It might take some time, if you don't mind how many mages die."
"No, like Tanya said, we should save magic for later." Naofumi said as Megumin breathed in as if to recommend something. "And no Megumin, using Explosion on it is a no-go. Best to save your spell as a last resort since you've only got the one."
"Aww, but I thought blowing it up would be the best idea…" Megumin pouted.
"We do have enough bombs to blow up a mountain. We never got the chance to use them." the General of the Spirit Tortoise Kingdom said.
"We'll use them, then." Naofumi said.
"We'll get to it then." the Haikazuya general said as he and the other generals went to prepare.
"Now, when it's done, how do we cut off its head?" Naofumi asked.
"If Rimuru were here, he could probably use Beelzebub on the head…but he ain't, so we'll have to do it the hard way." Ultra said.
"Not necessarily." Simon said. "Alighieri could behead the creature when it's weakened. But other options are open."
"We'll figure it all out later, but for now, it looks like we have a solid plan to immobilize it at least. So let's get ready to spring into action once it comes calling." Hope said.
The armies soon mobilized and prepared for battle as day turned to night, some of the group sat around a fire along with Naofumi, his party, and Ost, and the funny thing was, Rishia was in a Filolial costume.
"Oh, please forgive me, besides the Shield Hero I never got some of your names." Ost said.
"You don't need to worry about that. We're just a few do-gooders who don't wanna see this country get trampled." Jexi said.
"I see. Thank you." Ost said. "Although, I do want to apologize to you all. I had heard wind of an event called the Multiversal Auction happening at this time. If it weren't for the situation with the Spirit Tortoise, you'd all probably would still be enjoying the festivities."
"There will be all the more festivities to enjoy after we are done." David said.
"But for now, we will do all in our power to help you." Natyal said.
"So, Rishia…" Luz said. "Been meaning to ask, but is getting back into Itsuki's party all you want out of journeying with us?"
"Huh? Wh-what do you mean?" Rishia asked. "All I want is to return to Sir Itsuki's party and fight by his side again. But when you put it like that, it must make me sound like an awful person."
"It was our idea to bring you in, don't beat yourself up about it." Ethox said.
"But I think I know what the young sorceress is onto. You're in love with the Bow Hero, aren't you?" Ost smiled, making Rishia jump. "If you are, then I just have the perfect advice. I'm not sure I can be much help with the Spirit Tortoise, but this, I can help with!"
"What, exactly?" Rishia asked.
"The key is to get intimate as fast as possible!" Ost said. "Do it and then think later! I seduced a ton of royals that way!"
"*PFFFT!*" Al was heard as she spat out her drink.
"Whoa! Haven't you ever heard of slow and steady?!" G. Aqua asked.
"Yeah, pushing the needle a little fast there, don't you think? I'm speaking from experience." David said.
"Y-Y-Yes, Sir David's right, I can't do that! And it's not like that!" Rishia said.
"Sure it's not…" Luz grinned.
"Master Naofumi, what does she mean?" Raphtalia asked only for the Spirit Tortoise let out a cry.
"Ungh…" Natyal grunted as she held her head.
"The Spirit Tortoise…" Ost said.
"Are you okay, Natyal?"
"Everytime it lets out that piercing cry, I feel so much pain… every part of my body wants to rush over to it and soothe its rage." Natyal said.
"We know how hard it is for you to attack other creatures, heck even see us battle monsters. Trust us, if there was another way to fix this, we would've known about it." Legolia said.
"Unfortunately, it can't be helped. Ost said it herself." Goblin Slayer said. "If it's not stopped permanently, the casualties would be immense. So we have to do what she says and kill it."
"I understand. But this doesn't make it any easier." Natyal said.
"Acknowledged." Tanya stated. "Now…let's help this giant bastard shuffle off the mortal coil."