Biggest thanks for Ace-Triad for fixing my SPAG problems, and Angel Wraith for beta-reading the chapter, and providing feed backs.
As always, I will blabber some more in my end note.
Cross posted on AO3, for anyone who prefer that site.
"Maintaining attitude, keep suppressing the target." Everyone is busy atop of the Faubley air battleship Gerard the Golden. Sailors reload the cannons, and then fire it down onto the back of the Spirit Tortoise. Half of the mages conjure up spells to make sure the ship remains steady in the air, while the other sits with their legs wrapped up, recovering their magical power through meditation. Knights jump onto their griffin stead, and then take off the board to act as escort for the air battleship.
"Sir, all systems are close to critical. We won't be able to maintain peak combat readiness for long." General Ironwood nods back to his lieutenant. He then cast a questioning look at Lord Arthur Weasley, Faubley's First Minister of Technomancy. The head of the Weasley family came along, as a consultant for any question he had regarding this new technology. He had expected a massive reduction in operating time when he ordered the entire crew to drive the air battleship full speed ahead the whole way. Even the mighty battleship crafted with the best materials, and Faubley's top magical technology can't solve all the problems in the world. And to prioritize speed was to burn every system of the ship under his command. But he had to give the order, or otherwise they might not even be able to arrive at the battle on time.
"We'll likely have ten minutes. Twenty if we are willing to risk making an emergency landing on the sea." The bespectacled redhead keeps his eyes attached to the console underneath him, rather than the general. Yet, he answers Ironwood's question without missing a single beat. Lord Arthur can be quirky, childish even when it comes to new innovation. But under pressure, he is one of the few mage lords Ironwood would like to stand besides himself rather than his enemy.
"We'll do what we can. Against a foe like this, nothing can be spared." General Ironwood casts a look at Lady Louise and her husband next. Just like half of the mages tasked to maintain the course for the ship, Lady Louise is also sitting with her eyes closed, legs wrapped around, hands closed in a gesture similar to praying. White steam going up her entire body, indicating that she's in a much deeper state of meditation. Her bodyguard, and personal maid standing behind her to act as her personal sentinel to make sure nobody gets close enough to harm her. "Lord Warde, how long will Lady Warde wake up?"
"She won't be back at her full power for half a day even with deep state meditation. The enemy threw a mountain worth of dirt over the head of our allies, and Louise used her full power to save the center host of Melromarc army." The captain of Faubley's griffin air corp casts a worrying glance at his much younger wife. "But knowing Louise, she'll wake up as soon as she's not on the verge of going out cold. To better explain the situation to you, if nothing else."
"I shall remember this massive favor from you both." The general nods his head back to Lord Warde as he refocuses his attention on the battle below reflected off the magical crystal. He's not used to commanding a battle not to win, but to do everything in his power to give advantage to his allies so they may win the battle for him. But it's a mindset he'll have to get used to. If either those rebels, or the summoned heroes are correct, they are truly facing a world ending threat this time. And the strength of Faubley alone will not be enough.
The Faubley General gives one last look at the army gathered below him on the ground. The main group is the fully rallied Melromarc host, even if they are at full retreat, to not feed their souls to the Spirit Tortoise. But their reinforcements from the north were... interesting. There are the armies from Siltvelt, individual clans who decided to make them look good in front of their king the Shield Hero. The Hammer Hero's Rebel Alliance came from all over the world. The oppressed commoners fought for the goal of overthrowing their noble masters, but they were based in Shiltfreden. There are also sellswords and mercenary bands from Zeltoble. Combined with what he was able to bring onboard of Gerard the Golden, all the major powers in the world have dipped a hand in this battle, even if none of them dispatched their official armies to aid Melromarc.
Chapter 55: Ants VS Mountain
"Private Jenkins has a valid concern, Max. If we don't pull out now, there's a good chance someone will try to detain us." Naofumi turns his attention to the side. Besides the rich boy, his veteran officer with the shaven head is whispering words of suspicion. Clearly trying to convince the Hammer Hero to escape. "Don't forget we are still the enemies of the nobility, who are the leaders of these armies. And the Whip Hero is here, who tried to kill you years ago. It doesn't make sense for them to let us leave afterwards."
"It's a risk I'll have to take. I fight for the liberty of the people, not my own gain. It would be all for naught if my contribution would help bring down this world ending threat." The rich boy looks at the shaven officer, his eyes casting slightly down, looking like he's genuinely concerned about the point his advisor brought up. "But your concern is valid, Commander Shepard. Our rebels aren't helping much in this fight against the turtle and the plant parasite. You'll take command of them and retreat. And if I don't come find you... you will be the next leader of the alliance. The revolution can't be allowed to die with me."
"Very well. Let's go, private." The bold officer nods his head, and immediately turns around to leave. Naofumi half expected he would either try to say something more to convince his leader (who is also a hero with a self-growing weapon, which is probably a huge help for the rebels), or at least show some hesitation to leave.
"Err..." The younger looking private Jenkins looks left and right, his eyes darting between the Hammer Hero and his appointed commander. "I think I'll stay with Master Washington, Commander Sheppard. He needs someone to look after his back."
The commander didn't wait for the Hammer Hero, or the young rebel soldier. He immediately slinks away into the crowd behind everyone, till he disappears among the crowd. Naofumi doesn't know how he should feel about this. It's not like he blames the guy for running away when he's facing such overwhelming odds, and when he's also surrounded by potential enemies who'll try to kill him after the battle is over. But perhaps he expected this guy who made such a big deal out of other world invaders during the conference to be a bit more... steadfast about fighting a major threat? Maybe he's just being a hypocrite about it.
Naofumi let go of another miracle lightning attack in front of him, clearing a path out of the undead creatures in front of them. In front of them, the giant form of Dio and the nine headed serpent constructed by Tact are within a hundred steps. Yet the distance is becoming much harder for them to cross due to all the mutated plants bursted out of the turtle's body. Both veteran heroes are still fighting the turtle even when it was fighting with the fake Shin Getter. Dio's giant body is now coated in a layer of blackened flame, while all the vine tendrils whipping at Tact were simply torn into shred by seemingly nothing. Yet, their own attack on the turtle has about the same effect as those vine tendrils on them. And if they aren't doing any serious damage to this giant, the chance of someone else causing greater damage is next to none.
"That white tiger Gauntlet Hero has to be using the wrath form, Naofumi-Sama. And he can clearly control himself while using the effect of wrath form" Naofumi turns to look at Sato. He might be wrong, but his self-proclaimed number one fan looks excited, almost like he's high on something. Was it the evidence that his suggestion worked, or something else? "You have nothing to worry about, just let that form out! If that second rate hero can do it, you can master the wrath form better than him!"
"I'm not even angry enough to use the Wrath Shield. The option is grayed out. People don't just get angry if they want to." Naofumi does his best to ignore the clearly bad advice his number one fan gives, as he calls more of the god's power around him. He throws another wave of golden lightning at the mutated plant, turning it into charcoal and having it break off harmlessly around them. He was slightly surprised that his miracle attack seems to be as effective against these plants as the undead, because shouldn't grass resist electric attacks? Maybe it's because the plant grows from the power of the outer god, and that's why the gods of this world are trying to repel it? He needs to stop thinking with Pokemon logic.
Stubborn boy isn't completely full of it. Just mostly. The voice of the turtle in his head sounds more like a sarcastic quip than genuine advice. Although thankfully, the turtle didn't spend the whole time making light of the situation. I have no control of my newest constructed body, but I can feel it. The root of that plant has bursted inside my movement core, or you mortals terms - heart. You need a way to cut through, and destroy its root to kill it off for good.
So we are back at square one. Needing to destroy the heart. Naofumi didn't say anything more to his allies. Sato already pointed out the need to destroy the heart, him saying it again would only waste time and maybe undermine that message through repetition. But even with the knowledge of 'what' to do, the 'how' is much more important, and harder. Fake Shin Getter had chopped at the kaiju turtle over a hundred times during their confrontation, each time releasing more tendrils of the mutated plant, it must have already grown all over inside the turtle, leaving them with no room to get inside its massive body even if they can cut it open.
"We'll have to expose the turtle's heart somehow. But those red plants must have filled the turtle's body by now." Naofumi turns his head halfway towards his allies, not daring to fully take his sight off the target. "When we fought the Life Root, the original one this thing eventually spawned from, she managed to turn its magic against it and burnt it down to ash. We'll either have to do it somehow... or hit the turtle hard enough to obliterate its body and expose its heart."
"I might be able to do the second option." Naofumi's eyes darted over to the American rich boy. Is he saying that he is more powerful than the two veteran heroes who are currently fighting the kaiju turtle? Apparently, he is. Because he holds his own weapon, a fully golden hammer with elaborate markings and a piece of purple crystal embedded in the middle. "My golden hammer allows me to absorb the power of those who are willing to lend their power to me, and release it into a single massive attack. If all of you are willing to put your strength together..."
"You can combine our strength together and crush the turtle's body, revealing its heart." Naofumi doesn't need the American rich boy to explain in greater detail. Since it works similar to Goku's Spirit Bomb attack. Of course, he expects it to have a similar drawback as that famous technique. "Is there any catch? Like you have to stay in one place to charge up?"
"Yes. I can't move while I absorb people's power, and the actual attack is melee range. My hammer grows in size as I absorb power, and all the energy I gathered would be instantly released when my hammer touched something. So I have to stand right in front of the turtle to make sure my attack doesn't hit the wrong target." It takes a few seconds for Naofumi to fully understand the implication of the Hammer Hero's words. And he quickly realizes that it's an attack that has much more severe drawbacks than the Spirit Bomb. Since the rich boy needs to stay at the range where he can easily get hurt to charge it up, instead of throwing it out of his hand. "It's not all bad. The size of my hammer will grow as it absorbs more power. But I still need to stand where the vines can hit me, so I'll need protection."
"So you need our allies to give their strength to you to power you up, and you need our protection while you stand right in front of the turtle. Pretty convenient for you when all of your buddies are running away." Motoyasu casts a suspicious look at the Hammer Hero. Naofumi noticed how besides him, Sato was sharing a similar look on his face. And his face quickly twisted like he swallowed something bad after he heard Motoyasu's words. His cheeks also collapse a little inward, like he's sucking a lot of air.
"I will be risking my own life standing in front of the giant turtle. Does that sound reasonable? If all of you decide I'm not worth the effort protecting, I could be instantly squashed." The American rich boy speaks back to Motoyasu. He isn't using any bad words, or cursing. Yet there is still something in his tone that makes it sound less than courteous.
"We need to trust each other right now. Don't pick a fight, Motoyasu." Motoyasu's feet shift on the group like he's about to do some stomps. His face also twitches like he is about to say something more. So Naofumi quickly stands in front of him, to further separate him from the Hammer Hero. He narrows his eyes at the Hammer Hero, because he probably doesn't trust this guy much more than Motoyasu. "I'll find people who are willing to lend you strength. But this better not be some kind of trick."
Ah. So you are willing to trust this guy's method more than mine. Even though you trust him as much as you can throw my constructed body. The sarcastic quip in Naofumi's head really isn't helping him alleviate his sense of stress. Is it because you are both mortals, both human?
The American rich boy's face turned sour, clearly not happy that he's constantly being questioned. Understandable, since Naofumi knew how it felt when everyone expected himself to be a bad guy. Then again, this guy openly said he's going to fight everyone who is a noble. The young soldier Jenkins jumps to his defence as he points his finger at everyone. "Master Washington gained nothing by lying to you. If he wants you to die, he doesn't even have to risk anything to come to this battle with us. Or he can leave with Commander Sheppard earlier."
"Even if your precious 'master' is here to 'help', he's still trying to steal away Naofumi-sama's thunder! Naofumi-sama doesn't need anyone's help but me. He'll show you why he's the only competent hero who'll save this world!" The soldier's action seems to triggered the fanboy instinct inside of Sato that has been kept more in check recently, as he almost instantly reverted back to his fervent worshipping of the 'Shield Hero Naofumi Iwatani' he read from the story, which is very much not Naofumi himself.
"YOU! BE QUIET!" Naofumi grabs Sato by his shoulder, yanks him back, gives him a fierce glare and tosses him back to his party members. Atla's glare back at him was equally intense, but Naofumi doesn't have the time, or energy to care about what the child thinks now. He turns back to the Hammer Hero and his companion. "You are right. We shouldn't be questioning each other. We'll find people who are willing to lend energy to you, and we'll protect you while you charge up."
"It's too risky if we rely on this as our only plan to deal with the Spirit Tortoise. Even if the Hammer Hero is being honest, we don't know if we can gather enough energy for him to throw an attack that could destroy the turtle enough to reveal its heart, or if we can protect him long enough for him to throw that attack. Don't forget, we have two Dragon Aspects on our side, not even them, or that giant armored demon could damage the guardian beast as much as he claimed." Cain's words make Naofumi look up at the two dragons circling around the turtle in the sky. He's not wrong, as one of them sends down rains of fiery meteor, the other seems to turn the air around into storms of blades. But what flesh they break off the turtle's body quickly grows back, and the thing they peel off drops down onto the ground, turning into more blobs of undead creatures that lumber at everyone around the turtle. "I suggest we gather our fighters who aren't directly in combat with the Spirit Tortoise to lend their strength to the Hammer Hero. And we gather all of our available mages to do something similar with a ritual spell. It won't have an unlimited damage ceiling like the Hammer Hero's ability. But it'll be safer to attack from the range and it gives us an additional plan if something goes wrong."
"Approved. You guys take the message to everyone in the south. We'll fight the turtle to keep its attention from our troops. Let's go." Naofumi turns his attention back to the kaiju turtle, he takes point in the front to protect everyone alongside Motoyasu, as their group begin to advance towards the spot the rich boy pointed to where he thinks he can pull off his attack.
"If you have anything left in reserve, use it now! This is the moment to determine life, or death! Take my blood as tribute. [BLOOD SACRIFICE]!" Dio's voice suddenly rings out, seemingly speaking to no one in particular. Dark flame burst out from his giant body almost like all the blood vessels from his body have gone burst, forming into what looks like a giant bear trap that continues to snap at one of the turtle's legs.
"Tisk, to think I'm reduced to a mere side show... [LUST FORM]!" The giant snake constructed out of Tact's whip begins to change its shape. Growing three times its original size, its scale pales from black to purple, and pointy spikes grow out of its spine. It coils around the other leg of the turtle, digging its spikes into both the ground, and the turtle's body to keep holding it in place.
"[Zero no Te]." Granny didn't say anything other than the name of her attack. The golden energy bodhisattva claps its two main hand together into a prayer gesture, and a white wave of energy shoot out from its mouth, actually pushing the giant turtle back a little. Even peeling chunks of its body off the surface. But it didn't last long. Very soon, both the energy bodhisattva, and Dio's giant body disappears, as the turtle steps over where they stood moment ago with renewed steps.
Red fire mixed with formless wind blades, the fight between Kael'thas and the unnamed dark knight takes the form of a beautiful, yet deadly dance. The red phoenix prince narrows his eyes, and glares at the interloper with a judging gaze. They have easily gone through a dozen exchanges since the start of their fight, but he can't even tell the origin of his enemy. The weapon the dark chimera knight uses appears to be the same style as Kyutenrou weapons. He's not an expert of their fighting style, so he can't tell if the mysterious interloper is another Kyutenrou remnant like Isshin's men. Their weapons are more suited for slashes than lunge attack, and that's certainly what the unnamed knight is using. After a few more pointless exchanges, Kael'thas' patience begins to wear thin, and he decides the time for warm ups are over. He flips his wings with renewed strength, adding his own vacuum blade attack behind his fire wind as a sneak attack. As the prince of the red phoenix, his wind attack is as strong as his fire, even if he likes to hide it as a secret trump attack.
Just as Kael'thas expected, his opponent's attack tears through the fire storm, but they are shattered in term by the phoenix's own wind blade. His attack cuts through the sky, shooting towards his now defenseless opponent. That's the thing about the Kyutenrou weapons. They are designed for quick, fierce slashes. But it takes longer for one to pull back their weapon and attack again once they are already committed to their movement.
What the red phoenix prince didn't expect was for the black armored chimera to suddenly and inexplicably change the direction of its flight. Just enough to let his attack sail harmlessly over the dark knight's head. Almost as if an invisible hand gives it a push. How can it be? Just like the dark knight's arms, which are still in the process of being pulled back. The flying beast's wings are bent in an angle that suggests it has fully exhausted any momentum it could have generated, and should not be able to make the dodge it did. And by the time he was distracted by the feat of almost impossible flight, his opponent had finished preparing for the next attack. The dark knight's intention is well-telegraphed, even if their speed is still blinding. Kael'thas could have dodged it, but now it's his wings that are locked in place and can't generate enough momentum to push him out of harm's way. That's until he feels someone slamming into him, just enough to let him avoid the otherwise deadly wind blade. He looks down, and sees a dark colored bird now falling towards the ground. Avdol!
Concentrate on your opponent! I'll be fine! Blood spills from the shoulder and wing of the Benu prince, but he still sounds more worried for Kael'thas than himself. The red phoenix prince refocuses his mind on his opponent. There's nothing he can do for Avdol for now. Not when his enemy is ready to catch him in another easy to exploit mistake. Regardless, he's not going to throw away the second chance Avdol bought him.
Malty throws up more fire spells at the many vine tendrils grown out of the Spirit Tortoise's wounds with her father. They were easily whipped into nothing by the thrashing vines. Besides her, other mages also throw up their attacks, and they manage to get better results than her, if only barely. Prince Joseph fires spells together with his royal mage concubine, the mages from the Crusader Block throwing up waves of fire, mini-suns made of electricity, and conjures dragon of pure darkness, snapping, immolating, and devouring the tendrils of the mutated bioplant. But more grows out to replace the ones they destroy. None of their attacks are able to eradicate the vines for good like they originally planned. She sees a certain familiar short figure waving around her. "IMP! What's going on with these red weeds growing out of the Spirit Tortoise? They came from Bed-Chan's seeds, right? Can't she do something to stop her own child?!"
"She's been trying since she started fighting the Spirit Tortoise. Clearly hasn't had any result yet." Zylden's head bobs left and right, in a way that looks like he's trying to get a better look at the situation in spite of his short stature. His concerned, but clear eyes paying more attention to the ongoing battle than the derogatory name Malty called him with. "That seed must have further mutated after shield boy's crazy kid planted it down. And it must have changed towards being more like the original outer god. That's the only explanation why Bed-Chan lost control of the child she spawned out."
When it rains, it pours. That's the thought that comes to Malty's mind. She looks back, trying to get a look at the army they left behind and realizes they are moving in the distance. Not retreating, but towards the east, where the heroes were stationed. Eclair is still inexperienced at commanding a host made of the lords all around the nation, she wouldn't have dared to do something on her own. Did she get further instruction from someone? Her question is quickly answered when a figure wearing the priestly robe of three heroes church's golden triangle descends upon them. "The heroes have devised a plan with the Hammer Hero's ability to absorb the power of others and unleash a devastating attack. Our army will provide the power needed for the Hammer Hero's attack, while the elite fighters stand in front to intercept the Spirit Tortoise. We are also gathering all of our mage users for a ritual attack as a backup plan."
The Hammer 'Hero'? That mad fool who declared war on the entire nobility? Malty's first instinct was that it's some kind of a trap. He's going to stab everyone in the back, no different from Astaroth (although technically he didn't stab anyone in the back, since he never pretended to be an ally to begin with). And he'll use the energy he gathered to hit everyone who was a noble or serve the nobility instead. But they aren't doing anything against the Spirit Tortoise or the mutated bioplant growing inside of it. So they'll have to put all of their trust in a future enemy.
"Good plan. The ritual magic we prepare will be a backup if the Hammer Hero's attack fails to kill the turtle, and it'll also be a good reminder to the Hammer Hero not to double cross us with such an enormous amount of trust he's asking of us." Malty looks to his father. She hasn't thought as far as him, only on the possible folly at entrusting a future enemy. She takes a closer look at her father's face, and sees that his eyes are narrowing in a way that suggests he's not nearly as confident in Hammer Hero's character as his voice tries to project. Another lesson to her, perhaps - that a leader must constantly project the aura of certainty.
"Joseph, Wales. Cover our disengagement." Father didn't give further instruction to her. Their engagement has progressed to the point that he has to put most of his focus on the battle, not in teaching her how to lead. Malty half expected, half feared that Prince Joseph would not comply with his command, but thankfully the mad prince isn't so petty. The Gallian prince raises his magic wand alongside his royal mage concubine. The two of them conjure up a giant wall of moving wind in front of the falling bioplant tendrils while everyone rides away. This wasn't enough to protect them from the violent thrashing of an abominator born of an outer god's power, feeding off one of their world's Guardian Beast. But it was enough to slow its attack down.
"[Oath of the Round Table]." Archduke Wales, and his eldest daughter didn't immediately pull back like everyone else. They stayed in front of both Prince Joseph and Lady Sheffield, and chanted out the name of their technique. A golden disk appears above both of their heads, and glowing weapons made of pure light drop down from the disks. Malty easily recognized the great sword, and the long spear coming down from Lady Artoria's disk happens to be the same weapon used by the sisters of House Vance. The Siltvelt animals conquered Albion and murdered their entire royal family, House Arc was the one with the closest tie to that old royal bloodline, but they were not the direct descendents. As a result, very few of them were able to use House Albion's fabled holy sword Excalibur (the last being Shirou Emiya's companion Artoria Arc, the grand aunt of the one who inherited her name). But they were able to use some of their specific techniques. The ability to create a special oath, and allow them to use an energy copy of their most trusted companion's weapons is one of them.
Archduke Wales, and his daughter each grabs a weapon of choice. But the other weapons didn't simply disappear. They float around their body, protecting the sworn liege of their original users. As the bioplant vines finally fell around them, they were cut down by the father and daughter, allowing everyone to safely escape their attack range. But they weren't the turtle's main target, as it slowly turns around its body towards east even as Bed-chan does her best to slow it down, and with the hydra construct of Prince Tact and giant-sized Dio continue to strike it. Behind them both, a group of fighters stand in a tight formation, not advancing to help the two veteran heroes attack the Spirit Tortoise, nor retreating to run for their lives. They look like they are protecting something that's staying behind their back. Among them, Malty could see a golden light slowly growing.
"That's the Hammer Hero, charging his attack. He planned to use it to break the turtle's body, revealing its heart." Biscas Cain points his finger at the glowing golden light. Malty can see Naofumi stand in front of the group, because of course he will risk himself to protect others. He conjures up one energy shield after another in front of them, and then changes them into his rock shield in an effort to slow down, if not to stop the turtle. For most, the barriers he made are near impossible barriers. Yet for someone as strong and large as the Spirit Tortoise, they are merely pebbles underneath its feet.
Malty raises her hand, ready to shoot a few spells out. But her hand is instantly grabbed by her father. She turns around, and sees her father shaking his head at her while pointing his free hand at another direction. She takes another look, and sees a group of people, some of Motoyasu's bird children among them standing in a clear ritual circle. "Don't waste your strength. Our place is there."
Malty takes another look, and sees even Raphtalia is among the gathered mages, and knows her father was right. This threat really is something they need to put every bit of strength into the right place to deal with. She lets her arm drop down, and quickly joins the rest of her group to stand among the already gathered mages.
"You are using your power wrong." Kyo narrows his eyes at the young knight riding in front of him. At his current, power depleted state, to say he's not a little bit jealous of the young man would be lying. Seliph has the power of a dragon aspect coursing through his veins, yet he's wielding it like a brute. Which is not to say his movement is unrefined. More on how he used his movement, like trying to hammer a lump of metal with a sharp sword. Very wasteful. "Have you heard of the story of Baoding, the God of Cooking? Specifically how he butchers cows? No, of course you haven't. That's a legend from my world. I don't expect that two-faced coward to even know about it."
"I assume the story has a lesson that would help in our battle, Lord Tome Hero? If so, it would be very helpful for you to impart the knowledge." The knight riding in front of him doesn't show any obvious sign of impatience and sounds quite receptive to a story in the middle of a battle. Still, Kyo isn't sure if he's simply trying to maintain courtesy, or is truly receptive to the lesson as he says.
"Baoding was a famous chef of my world. To the point people call him the God of Cooking even though he is not the summoned Cooking Hero. But his most famous feat was being able to fully cut apart a cow... or any large animal while they are still alive. And the animal he takes apart would be completely relaxed, not even realizing they were being butchered." Kyo decided to intentionally drag the story out. Both to see if his audience is willing to receive his teaching, and to keep the knight away from the turtle longer. With his magic still not recovered, he's defenseless if something happens. "He famously said that for the common cook, they need to take a new knife every month because they try to hack bones. For an experienced cook, they need to take a new knife every year because they only cut meat. But he never changed a single knife his entire life, and still kept it in pristine condition. Because he lets his knife move through the weak point of the flesh - the seams between the bones."
"You are saying it's not enough for me to master my own techniques. I need to also be aware of my enemy's weakness and weak points. Because that's where I can direct my attacks for maximum damage. Hmm..." The eyes of Seliph lights up, clearly able to catch the most important point in Kyo's story. But the glimmer dies out as quickly as it came. "But even if I understand the principle, I would not know where the weakness of the Spirit Tortoise, or the mutated bio plant sprouting out of its body are."
"Well. It just so happens one of my books grants me the ability to see the inside of my enemies. And that's not all. I also learnt a technique from my book that allows me to temporarily trade one of my abilities with my allies called [Skill Swap]." The corner of Kyo's mouth slowly turns up as he fires off the suggestion he's been secretly planning for. He doesn't know if a hero ability like [Skill Swap] would have higher priority than an ability that spawns from a dragon aspect. But he would lose nothing by trying. And if the young knight agrees... It would be an interesting experience to test how it feels to have the power of a dragon aspect flow through his own vein. "All you have to do is to lend the power you gained from your patron dragon aspect to me, and I'll give you my ability to see the inside of monsters. I get the power to protect myself, and you have a chance to put the lesson you learnt to test. Both of us win, and all you have to pay is feeling a bit more lethargic than usual during this battle."
Seliph didn't immediately answer him back. Kyo expected him to be more hesitant about this exchange, since the power he is asking for is likely the foundation the young man built his fighting prowess on. And it's not like he has a reputation of being a trustworthy ally with the native of this world.
Naofumi didn't expect his shield ability alone could stop the mindless kaiju turtle. But it is still very discouraging to see it trampling right through the barriers he constructed simply by dragging its massive legs across the ground like a newborn baby learning how to crawl. Dio, Tact and even Bed-Chan are all doing their best, pushing and pulling at one of the turtle's legs, but they aren't doing much other than slowing it down. And it won't be long till the monster stands right over everyone. Naofumi looks back at the American rich boy. His golden hammer has barely grown to the size of the wooden house he stayed at in Balafon village. He doesn't know how strong the Hammer Hero's attack needs to charge before it's ready, but he's willing to make a guess that it needs to be around the size of the turtle. And somehow, everyone present has to buy him enough time (and energy). "HOLD YOUR POSITION, DO NOT RETREAT! The Hammer Hero, and all of our mages doing their ritual spells are standing behind us!"
"Do not falter, my brothers! Lend our hands to Master SHIELD HERO!" A man wearing dark-trimmed red armor, and has a pair of bat wings growing out of his back immediately runs up to Naofumi's side, and locks both of their shields together. Naofumi has some memories of the good looking man. Raziel, one of the leaders of the Sons of Biscas. His rallying cry was quickly answered back by the rest of the demi-human knights, as shield after shield locked together, forming into that of a giant turtle shell both physically, and with the energy field they generated together, right in front of the Hammer Hero standing behind their back. On top of their heads, their combined aura forms into a golden boar with its tusks out at the kaiju turtle. The giant kaiju turtle takes another step forward, and its front leg kicks right into their energy shield. Immediately, Naofumi feels like he's hit in the chest with a hammer.
He's not the only one, as some of the lower leveled demi-human knights were immediately sent flying back. Only the spatter of their blood splashing right onto their waving energy shield tells Naofumi of their fate. And the pressure didn't leave him as the turtle continued marching forward, putting more and more of its massive body's momentum into their defense. Naofumi doesn't know what feeling of being buried under a mountain feels like, but he's willing to bet it feels similar to what he is experiencing right now. More people tried to run up to his slowly crumbling energy shield to add their own power to it, but they were sent flying before they even got close enough.
"TAKE OUR POWER, NAOFUMI!" He hears the desperate wail of Motoyasu as he feels something on the wrist of his free hand. Naofumi looks down, and sees a glowing, ethereal looking chain connected to his arm from his friend. The burden on his chest feels lifted for a brief moment, before an even heavier weight crushes his body and mind, sending himself, Motoyasu, and his two female companions all on their knees. For a brief moment, Naofumi feels like his arm is going to give out till he feels more people locking their shields together besides him. Naofumi looked to the side, he expected Hayate, and even Fohl. But not his sister Atla, or Keel, for that matter.
"Don't get me wrong, Shield 'Hero'. I still hate you for looking down on Master Tairou. But I'm doing this for Master Tairou. He can't join you, because he can't use a shield." Atla manages to spit out through her gritted teeth.
"Raphtalia would cry if you died here." Keel's response is even shorter, probably because of the state she is in. Blood is dripping down the corner of her mouth, her ears, and even her eyes. But just like Atla, Fohl, Hayate and the Sons of Biscas, she didn't take a single step back.
"Form up! [SQUARE FORTRESS]!" Naofumi hears the howling voice of his bodyguard behind his back. He doesn't dare to turn his head, fearing that he would lose his foot, completely fall on the ground and never get up again. But he does see another energy field erect up all around him. This one takes a much more rectangular shape than the curved shape of his own [Tortoise] formation weapon art. Just like his own effort, the hastily conjured barrier immediately begins to bend and flicker against the might of the kaiju turtle, like it's about to go out. But it still manages to precariously hold, like a dancing ember in the middle of a storm.
"[Shiten Koshun]!" Minato also pushes his hands forward, forming a triangle shaped golden shield in front of their combined barrier. A golden disk spins in the middle, with lines even brighter than the surface of his spirit energy 'shield' extending out into the triangle's three corners, and then further extending out towards both of their barriers, seemingly fortifying, and knitting both the [Tortoise] and the [Square Fortress] together. Yet as the turtle's body begins to apply more pressure, cracks begin to form around all of their combined defense. Even the boar hanging above the demi-human knights' head seems to be shaking uncontrollably under the turtle's feet. The young raccoon man, even with blood leaking out of his eyes, nose, ears and mouth, seems to find more power within himself. "[SOTEN KISSHUN]! I REJECT!"
Golden light extends out from Minato's triangle shaped shield, casting away the cracks on their barrier. Minato falls on his knees with a loud thud, and Naofumi knew he wouldn't hang on for much longer, and neither will everyone else protecting the Hammer Hero.
You can't keep this up forever... or for much longer even with all the help you are getting. My body, infected by that outer god virus, is too powerful for mere mortals like you to handle. The voice of the turtle continues to whisper to him from his shield, sounding more like a snake than a turtle. Let me in, I can help you keep all of your allies safe. Well... at least as I estimated. There is always the possibility that your WEAPON core, constructed by Alaya, will reject my mind as a construct of Gaia, and it'll lead to everyone's death. But it's not like you'll do anything different if you continue to reject my help.
"You want to live in my shield, rent-free?! FINE! JUST DO IT! Give me your power to protect everyone!" Naofumi screams out on top of his lungs. He probably looks like a complete mind man to everyone around him, and maybe he did go mindless in the last few minutes where he struggles to even stand. He has heard of the phrase of an ant trying to move a mountain, but right now it feels more fitting that a mountain is pushing against an ant like himself. Maybe he truly has nothing to lose now that the battle has progressed to this stage.
The turtle didn't say anything anymore. Naofumi can't observe any change to his shield either. And for a brief moment, he decided that he truly had gone insane. That conversation he had with the kaiju turtle's spirit when he lost consciousness and its continued whisper? He made all of these up in his mind because his mind can no longer handle the desperate situation. But then, something changes with his shield. He can see the whole thing clearly, since he's holding it right in front of him at the kaiju turtle. But even the back of his shield is starting to change color, till it looks as dark as a moonless, starless midnight. He can hear the cheering of Sato behind him, so he assumes something must have happened to his shield. "YES! You finally let go and awakened your anger like you should, Naofumi-Sama! And with the Wrath Shield You can kill- wait, that's not the Wrath Shield?!"
Naofumi still can't see the whole picture of what happened to his shield, since his body is braced against it, and his face is almost pressed right in the middle. But he does feel like the pressure grows lighter on his hand, as he hears a voice clearly not himself. "Eidolon Summon. [VICTORIOUS TORTOISE]."
A third energy field grows around him. And this time, the pressing burden on Naofumi's chest lifted up for good, allowing him to wobbly stand up on his feet and look beyond his shield. He sees an ethereal, emerald-colored turtle with black lines, about a quarter of the kaiju turtle's size, standing up and pressing back at the kaiju turtle's body, pushing it behind, away from everyone.
End Note:
A bit of clarification, Gerard the Golden is the same as Gerald the Golden which is what I think I have been using before in my story. But since I recently played the 3D remake of Romancing SaGa 2 (pretty good rebuild of the game for 3D, although I do have plenty of complain about it like I do for most things in life), I decided to use the official english translation. Since I can't remember which chapters I have mentioned this guy (and/or Katarina's canon finance, who in this story is named after Gerard from Romancing SaGa 2), so being the lazy bum I am, I'm not going back to every previous chapters in both of my story to fix them all. Yeah... just a bit of note to clarify everyone that Gerard is the same character(s) previously mentioned as Gerald.
As mentioned in the last chapter, Hammer Hero Maximilian Washington will play a big role in this battle against the Spirit Tortoise. His charged up hammer attack is basically Genesis GaoGaiGar's [Golden Crusher] from [The King of Brave GaoGaiGar Final], except obviously he sucks the power from everyone willing to lend him strength in this case.
While this wasn't what I originally planned, just like the way I wrapped up Three Heroes Church battle, I like this version much more than my original plan. There is of course, a chance to bring Hammer Hero in and give him more characterization to set up for future conflict and showing off what he can do. Plus, it'll lead to a couple of newly created scenes that'll happen (once again) in the next chapter which I like the addition of.