WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Episode 31 ofThe Rising of the Shield Hero, “Racing to Catch Up,” now streaming onFunimation,Crunchyroll&Hulu.
Episode 30 ofThe Rising of the Shield Herofinally revealed the mysterious individual responsible for awakening the Spirit Tortoise to be none other than Kyo Ethnina, the wielder of the Book Vassal Weapon. The twisted hero relished his dominance over the Shield Hero party, leaving them to handle the Spirit Tortoise defense system.
Fortunately, they succeeded and destroyed the Spirit Tortoise’s heart; however, the Spirit was still alive, hinting at a critical connection the party was missing. Through Ost Hourai’s guidance, they were able to find the true core, or according to Kyo Ethnina, the Spirit Tortoise’s deepest depths. However, after their arrival, Kyo Ethnina remarked that the Spirit Tortoise core was Ost Hourai, and she needed to be killed to stop the Spirit Tortoise rampage. But was his statement really true?
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A Shocking Reveal & Fitoria’s Intervention
The31st episode ofThe Rising of the Shield Herobegins with the Shield Hero’s party discussing with the dark-minded Kyo Ethnina. Through a rushed presentation,The Rising of The Shield Heroinformed viewers that the core was the central part of the Spirit Tortoise. Controlled by Kyo Ethnina, the Book Vassal Wielder shrouded the core in a powerful barrier backed up by souls and a shocking source. Unknown to Naofumi, all this time, Kyo had already captured the rest of the Cardinal Heroes, using them and their Cardinal Weapons as a power source for the Spirit Tortoise.
Meanwhile, outside the Spirit Tortoise, the enormous creature was about to unleash a devastating array of powerful long-range attacks on the Allied Forces army. However, before it could happen, the Filolial Queen showed up. Fitoria, the Queen of Filolials, was first introduced inThe Rising of the Shield Hero’sfirst season, where she tackled an undead dinosaur-like creature. She demonstrated her immense and unquestionable power in that battle, defeating the eyesore using a few hits. So, Fitoria showing up on the battlefield slightly relieved Naofumi since he had witnessed her tremendous battle ability firsthand. On arrival, Fitoria managed to counter theattack of the Spirt Tortoise, attesting to her reliability as a fighter at the battle’s forefront. Through Filo, serving as a conduit for Naofumi’s party to discuss with the Fitoria, both parties agreed to destroy the Spirit Tortoise’s head & heart simultaneously to destroy the core.
Rishia’s Surprising Resolve
While Naofumi and his party members were focused on strategizing, L’Arc and his cohorts showed up to assist the Shield Hero in defeating Kyo Ethnina and the Spirit Tortoise. After L’Arc tried to convince Kyo that their Vassal Weapons were not in line with his nefarious actions –using the Spirit Tortoise to destroy Naofumi’s world. Even though the Vassal heroes were tasked with bringing Naofumi’s world to an end, L’Arc objected to Kyo’s way of doing it. Annoyed at L’Arc’s talks, Kyo unleashed powerful attacks on his opponents, including the Shield Hero’s party. Using the uncoordinated stream of attacks as an opportunity, Filo and Rapthalia tried to attack Kyo in his unawares but failed. The Vassal wielder surprised the group by showing a replicate of the defense mechanism used by the Spirit Tortoise to protect himself.
After fighting for a brief period, Kyo played his trump card – the Spirit Tortoise’s gravity magic. Using it to attack his assailants, he subdued all of them. Next, viewers get a glimpse into this character’s darker side. Stomping on Naofumi’s head to feel a false sense of superiority, Kyo’s actions angered Rishia. His actions triggered a different side of Rishia fans have never experienced. Earlier in the series, Rishia appeared to be weak & unreliable, lacking a firm resolve.However, the Rishia in episode 31was remarkably different – self-assured and determined to defeat Kyo; she managed to stand in the midst of Kyo’s reverse gravity attack. Her actions reminded Naofumi of her master’s comment on her extraordinary Ki manipulation skills.
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Rishia was the only person that could see Kyo for what he was, stating that he was drunk on the power he stole from others while he was actually weak. Impressively, Rishia was able to move quickly and freely in the midst of Kyo’s gravity attack, marking her growth as a warrior. This could also mean that true Rishia is finally emerging from the self-created shell she encased herself within worsened by Itsuki’s rejection.
Naofumi’s Shield Upgrade & Ost Hourai’s Heartbreaking Demise
While Rishia was busy handling Kyo, Ost Hourai channeledsome of her power into Naofumi’s shield, which he used to free everyone from Kyo’s gravity attack. However, later when he tried using his rage shield to destroy Kyo & the core, following Ost Hourai’s advice, it didn’t work out – Naofumi bore no hatred for the misguided hero, despite what he did, proving that he was kind-hearted. However, this allows him to unlock the Spirit Tortoise Heart Shield and unleash a powerful attack to destroy the Spirit Tortoise core. Of course, Fitoria succeeded in defeating the Spirit Tortoise in the background, and L’Arc and his team of Vassal heroes managed to destroy its heart, so Naofumi’s attack was very effective.
However, the attack came at a great cost – the attack led to Ost Hourai’s death – a painful experience for Naofumi and his party members. However, there was no time to mourn since Kyo escaped to his world with the souls he stole. Following swift, Naofumi and his party members moved into a new, different world in pursuit of Kyo. This action signals a refreshing narrative for the series as fans would finallyexperience another different worldand a different power system.
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