Every hero present, their eyes glued to the screens displaying the turtle monster, heard the Federation’s emergency broadcast.
“All heroes are to report to Point G-17 immediately. Code name: ‘Tortus Petra.’ The target has been confirmed to possess a hardening-type ability. Category 2 threat.”
The training room cleared out in an instant, leaving only the ninja, General Titan, and Allen. Allen stepped out of the ring and walked past the ninja, noticing the man hadn't taken his eyes off him.
“Category 2... same as the other day,” Allen mused. “Excuse me, could you tell me where Point G-17 is located?”
Allen’s polite tone snapped the ninja out of his trance.
“It’s at—”
“You’re coming with us,” Shinobi interrupted, glancing at Titan. “It’s faster than giving you directions. Wait by the entrance.”
The ninja slapped Titan on the back and led the way. As Allen waited by the doors, General Titan rounded on the ninja.
“What was that about, Shinobi?”
“Do you remember the Gigax Leo incident? That Category 5 monster the high-ranking heroes couldn't handle?”
“I remember. The heroes from City A took too long to get here. By the time the Federation’s envoy arrived, the Gigax Leo had already been wiped out—along with the entire southern tip of City F.”
Titan’s face twisted into a grimace, but Shinobi kept going.
“The person who killed it was terrifyingly strong. They crushed the Gigax Leo with a damn meteor.”
“I know that. Did you find anything on them?” Titan asked, his voice low and serious.
“My brother managed to hack the database and recovered some images and a few clips. The one who killed him was a man in a yellow suit with a hammer in his hands. I couldn't see his face, but I saw faint particles of light radiating from his hands.”
“And the upper ranks?”
Shinobi shrugged. “My brother found proof that every high-tier hero exists on paper, but there’s no record of their movements, no credentials, nothing... it’s like they’ve vanished into thin air.”
With that, Shinobi and Titan dropped the subject and headed out. Joining Allen, they made their way to Point G-17.
Point G-17 was exactly where Allen’s apartment building used to stand. Returning there brought a fleeting pang of nostalgia.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
The turtle was nearly ten stories high, its skin and shell a deep, muddy brown. It moved slowly, but every step pulverized trees and sent tremors through the pavement. Dozens of heroes were already hammering away at the beast, but the turtle didn't even bother to counterattack. Its shell and hide were so massive it didn't feel a thing.
Allen watched the turtle with a flat expression. Although the turtle was classified as a Category 2, similar to the worm he had previously killed, its sluggishness made it seem like a Category 1.
“Is this part of the exam?” Allen asked.
Shinobi nodded. Allen smiled as his staff materialized in his right hand.
"Now, let's experiment with the Prism of Emotion." "I doubt I'll need to use the Topaz on something this weak."
Allen slotted the transparent stone—the Prism of Emotion—into the pommel. His tracksuit instantly morphed into the stark white suit. Shinobi went silent, staring at Allen’s back. He looked exactly like the man in the yellow suit who had ended the Gigax Leo.
“Weapon of Neutral Emotion.”
The staff in Allen’s hand transformed into a sword just as he leaped, soaring toward the turtle’s shell.
“Lesser Star Slash.”
Before Allen’s blade could connect, the vents around the shell’s edge sprayed high-pressure water at him. He lost his footing, his sword cutting only air as he went into a freefall down the slope of the massive shell.
After a seven-story drop, Allen stood up, rubbing a dull ache in his back.
"I'm glad I have the other four stones on me, otherwise I would have become a greasy spot by now."
He sniffed his sleeve, then looked back at the turtle with a sharp grin.
“So, it’s a liquid-based defense? In that case... I’ll have to use the Ruby of Passion.”
Shinobi was busy peppering the turtle with shurikens and kunai while dragging wounded heroes away from the base of the shell.
“How’s it looking, Warlord General?”
“Don’t call me that,” Titan snapped. “Is everyone accounted for?”
“I’d say so. Could you please use your ability to address this Category 2? Wait... is it getting hotter?”
Shinobi looked around at the heroes. Some had dislocated bones; others were bleeding from various jagged wounds.
“The examinee is missing,” Titan grunted, stripping off his shirt and jacket. “Where the hell is he? And why is it so damn hot?”
Shinobi, Titan, and the rest of the heroes followed the heat and looked up. Allen was levitating in front of the turtle.
He held the staff out and produced a red crystal stone, flicking it into the air with his fingers. It shattered, and the red dust was sucked into the Prism of Emotion in the hilt, igniting a fierce crimson glow. The temperature spiked.
“Style Shift.”
Crimson flames swallowed Allen and his suit. When the fire died down, Allen stood there in a suit as red as blood.
“Knight of Passion Style.”
Allen gave the turtle a slight bow. “Forgive me, Mr. Turtle, but it’s my duty to safeguard innocent lives.”
He gripped the staff in his right hand.
“Weapon of Blazing Passion.”
The staff, engulfed in crimson flames, reshaped itself into a massive double-headed great axe. Allen hoisted it over his head.
“Lesser Star Blazing Slash!”
As he brought the axe down on the shell, he didn't even need much force. The moment the monster’s liquid defense touched the flames erupting from the axe, it triggered a massive combustion. Fire roared across the turtle’s entire body. Allen followed up with one final horizontal sweep, shattering the shell. The flames surged into the creature’s soft interior, followed a second later by a violent explosion.
Shinobi wasn't the only one trembling; General Titan was shaking too. But while Titan shook from the sheer, absurd display of power, Shinobi shook because he had finally realized who had truly killed the Gigax Leo.
