Is the ghost turtle dead?

Titled ‘Shaking Land’, the third episode of ‘The Rising of the Shield Hero’ season 2 follows Naofumi as he begins his final attack on the Spirit Tortoise with the help of the Allies. While his plans seem to have plenty of checks and balances, several things unfold in completely unexpected ways when the battle on the ground begins. Here’s everything you need to know about the ending of ‘The Rising of the Shield Hero’ Season 2 Episode 3. SPOILERS AHEAD!

The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2 Episode 3 Recap

It is estimated that the Ghost Turtle finally becomes active after a few days of rest. When it moves and appears to be moving to another populous city, the news soon reaches Queen Mirelia. Meanwhile, Naofumi’s party, the army of dragon hunters and the Melromarc cavalry have already begun their preparations for the final attack. The queen then orders other units to take their positions as well.

To always stay in touch with Naofumi during battle, she sends one of her bodyguards to serve as the Shield Hero’s messenger. As he is about to go to the battlefield, Naofumi tells Eclair that they will work according to the plan and that she will be crucial as an instructor. Later, the soldiers are encouraged by the arrival of the Shield Hero, who marches directly to the region where the first attack is planned.

Just as Naofumi’s party gets closer to the Spirit Tortoise, acquaintances suddenly appear in the sky and on the terrain. The Shield Hero uses his powers to avoid confrontation as best he can, but the party is eventually surrounded by the enemies and forced to participate. Meanwhile, the legendary monster is successfully drawn to its planned location, where it is ambushed by an Allied unit. Naofumi and his company bravely fight the acquaintances, and it seems that everything is going as planned.

But that’s when Naofumi gets the news that the first surprise attack on the Spirit Tortoise failed to stop him, and the unit suffered massive losses as well. One of the commanders then decides to focus on one of the enemy’s legs, hoping it will do enough damage to stop him from continuing. Unfortunately, that doesn’t work very well, and the remaining unit is nearly killed in the process. The commotion then leads to panic among the Allies and soldiers even abandon their positions.

But even in the face of impending death, the Commander of the Spirit Tortoise Kingdom refuses to leave his post and, as the legendary monster approaches, waits for the right moment. While in the battlefield, he uses explosives to seriously injure the Spirit Tortoise, sacrificing his own life. Naofumi soon learns that his plan has finally worked and that the legendary monster has stopped moving. After fending off all acquaintances, he and his party reach Ground Zero, where he begins to put phase two of his plan into action.

The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2 Episode 3 Ending: Is the Ghost Turtle Dead or Alive?

After the shield hero’s team and the allies manage to take out the legendary monster, Naofumi realizes that he must now carry out the most challenging part of his plan, which is to decapitate the enemy. He sends the message to the Queen that the Mage unit must immediately begin using high-quality multi-caster ritual magic. Meanwhile, Elrasla notes that if she had had more time, she might have trained someone Hengen Muso style and the whole operation could have been handled much more efficiently.

In light of the current situation, however, Naofumi makes good use of the lightning of God’s judgment thanks to the Mage unit and manages to injure the Spirit Tortoise’s neck. He then orders Raphtalia and Filo to take two consecutive blows on the same spot. Though the impact is even deeper this time, the two fail to decapitate the enemy. That’s when Naofumi uses his shield for another attack on the neck, combined with the powers of Ost Horai. Moments later, Raphtalia and Filo deliver another heavy blow in the same spot, and the legendary monster’s head is finally separated from the rest of its body. It looks like the heroes have finally won and the Spirit Tortoise is seemingly dead.

That could be a big mistake, though, as Ost Horai, who is supposed to die with her creator, is still alive. Plus, she clears up any suspicion by warning Naofumi that their battle with their enemy might not be over yet. So, to conclude, the Spirit Tortoise is still alive, despite being beheaded by the Shield Hero and his party. Therefore, you can expect Naofumi to continue fighting for the greater good, but it remains to be seen in what form the legendary monster will return this time.

Read more: The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2 Episode 2 Recap and Ending, Explained