Atla (Web Novel)

Atla (アトラ) (ambiguously translated as Atlas) is a supporting character in The Rising of the Shield Hero Web Novel. Atla is a demi-human slave bought by Naofumi in Zeltoble along with her brother Fohl. It is later discovered Atla is the descended of the head of the Hakuko of Siltvelt and related to the Melromarc family.

Appearance
Before Naofumi healed her, her entire body was covered in bandages so that you couldn't see her real face. Her skin was also covered with festering sores, so much so that it's was a wonder she was even alive. Although her ears and tail were probably of the same race as her elder brother, Foulu, it was difficult to say for sure.

Atla has a child's body and appears to be around 10 years old, so there was a disparity. it could be said that she was as delicate as a doll. Despite being a slave, her hair was glossy and her skin was smooth and pale. Her eyes are out of focus and her pupils are dilated.

After the skin disease had recovered completely. Naofumi was lost for words that Atla is a beauty of a different class from Raphtalia and Filo.

Personality
Atla can cut off her anxiety and calmly view any situation. She also has a tendency of shadowboxing. Despite her beauty, Atla always tried to get Naofumi's attraction and do everything to attract him. Like always visit Naofumi's room to sleep with him or wear sexy underwear. Naofumi also mentioned her as one of the pervert villagers besides Sadeena. Atla also like to tease her brother, Fohl, every time he tried to go against her act toward Naofumi.

Even though her level's grown pass 100, she hasn't grown at all. Perhaps, due to her past illness.

Abilities
Atla is great with dodging and rolling. She has a strange sense for it. She plays with Filo a lot, and she trained with Naofumi, so she knows how to defend as well. Her fighting style is fundamentally defensive. It's a style where she waits for an opening in the opponent's stance before attacking. Her battle senses are of genius levels. She has learned to sense presence even without any teaching. She is able to disrupt the flow of power within an opponent. Atla is a genius. By experiencing something once, she can adopt 10 or 20 times faster than a normal person. Her movements have become unbelievably sharp. She even studied Noafumi's style of defense and even helps him study the application of Chi. It's hard to read her movements, and she's fast. What's more, whenever someone thinks they're going to hit, she immediately diverts the attacks. And on top of that, her attacks naturally ignore defense, so it's hard to develop countermeasures. Even a fully strengthened Hero would have to go all out against her. Atla always takes on a large number of opponents, so she gets a lot of battle experience unrelated to her level. During the day, she trains with other strong geniuses like Filo and Sadeena, constantly improving herself. Atla 's small build and dexterity make it hard to land blows on her. Atla has high growth. Whenever Atla feels at a disadvantage, she retreats and adjusts her position. Atla thrusts through them. Instead of hitting them straight on, she goes for the vital points and uses chi. Atla can gather chi, slightly healing her wounds, recovers her stamina in battle. That's why if you don't beat her quickly, you become at a disadvantage the longer the battle runs.

Magic
Information to be added later on.

Skills
Hengen Musou - Defensive Skills: Granny said that Atla 's defensive techniques were lacking, so Naofumi worked together with the Atla to develop new techniques from the ground up. Naofumi made him so that Atla was able to use these skills. They're skills based on his natural ability of defense, so Atla could mimic them. Musou Kassei - Atla learned how to hold up Mussou Kassei for long periods of time. The Musou Kassei that Filo and Atla picked up is somehow different from the one Rishia used because they only learned through observation. Even so, Rishia says their skill is not inferior. And no matter how long Atla can keep Mussou Kassei up, there's still a limit. Using only internal Chi, it's one minute. While taking Chi in, five minutes.
 * Collect - This is for magic-based attacks. Using Chi, she can move and redirect a magic attack aimed at her. It's convenient when facing large scale magic head on. Its radius of effect is three meters. Of course, if she infuses more chi into it, she can increase that.
 * Wall - This technique manifests an invisible wall for a few seconds to obstruct enemies. It mostly works like Naofumi's Air Strike Shield. It can stop physical and magical attacks to some extent. It's much more all-purpose than the Air Strike Shield. Its deployable area is also really large. Its weak points are its low defense and its short effective time. Atla is able to place Walls on her hands. Making it so her opponent bangs his fists against an extremely sturdy wall, attacking her opponents' hands. It was meant to be a defensive skill, but against an unarmed opponent like Fohl, it can be used like that as well.
 * Ball - A counter skill. Using it, she can gather and condense a magic attack and send it right back at the caster. Of course, there are plenty of magic it cannot send back, so it isn't that effective. It works on a different principle than hitting attacks back with Naofumi's shield.
 * Point Ball - A variant of Ball, she doesn't just return what was given to her. In the counter ball, she put in much more of her own power. It's mainly geared towards anti-personnel battles but it can equally be used against large monsters like the Spirit Turtle.

Shield Spirit
After she died, Atla became a spirit who lives in Naofumi's shield which made she able to communicate with other spirits such as Spirit of Shield and with other Legendary Weapon's spirits to persuade them to help in the fight with Medea.

Background
Atla suffers from a hereditary illness. She cannot see, cannot walk, and she has a short life expectancy.

Atla hasn't been able to walk since she was small. If she was ever able to walk, then she wouldn't be to be the one who just got protected all the time.

She later became able to walk on her own.

Chronology
Atla and her brother Fohl were slaves owned by Zeltoble's Slave Merchant. When Naofumi was there he purchased them and in order to make Fohl more obedient and obtain a high-class slave for cheap, he used the Medicine of Miracles in an attempt to cure Atla of her hereditary illness. She refers to Naofumi as the owner of the gentle voice because she cannot see to which Fohl becomes somewhat jealous.

After New 7 Deadly Sins awakened on Naofumi's body, she later sided with "other" Naofumi and join his flying castle's army and fight for him until the last day.

Before the battle of Houou, Naofumi placed her on the back as his promise with Fohl. Then she got a duel with her brother as approval that she strong enough with both of them. In the end, she fought along with Naofumi at front.

When Heroes arrived in Houou's Island, she also tried to move The Gauntlet and failed. But she said that her brother is more suited to become the next Hero of Gauntlet.

During the battle with Houou, Atla was fatally injured after jumping in front of Naofumi and redirecting all of the flames that Naofumi was blocking from Houou to herself after using the special skill "Collect."

Atla lost an arm and everything below her abdomen was burnt to a crisp, Naofumi tried to revive her by using all of the Yggdrasil medicine that he had but according to Ratotille Anthreya, the damage was too severe and she was only being kept alive with the help of the healer's magic in the medical tent and Naofumi's medicine. Even then, she only had a few minutes left; Atla used all of her remaining strength to confess her feelings to Naofumi one last time and share their first kiss. She also made him realize that Raphtalia loved him not as a child but as a woman. Atla requested to be used as materials for Naofumi's shield after her passing, with the latter honoring her request.

Later, as her last wish, Naofumi absorbed her body to his Shield which gave him access to Shield of Compassion. Since that she became a spirit which lives on in Naofumi's Shield.

Atla appeared as a spirit which came out from Naofumi's Shield after he got back to his world after Medea's first invasion. She later helped Naofumi to communicate with other spirits, also conveying to him about his last chance to get back to Heroes World as Spirit of Shield's offer. Which after that she continues to live as a spirit with Naofumi and Raphtalia.

Side Story
At Christmas night, Naofumi (who act as Santa) gave her a pair gloves which made by a material that can be touched by a spirit (which Naofumi's hope that her brother will be happy to be able to touch her again). He also gave her a doll of him with the same material with gloves as a Christmas present which granted her wish to hug Naofumi all night.

Legacy
Her name is left in records as the existence that supported the Hero of the Shield. During the battle with the legendary beast Houou, she lost her life prematurely. After that, it is said that she was revived as a Spirit, but specialists hold this fact in doubt.

Relationships

 * Legendary Heroes
 * Naofumi Iwatani: Naofumi is Atla's absolute doctrine. She treats Naofumi's orders as absolute and agrees with whatever he says. And whenever his life is concerned, she will stay by him until the end. She was drawn to his deep-rooted kind nature. His true nature is one where he is always devoting what he has to others.

When Naofumi unlocked the shield of the Seven Deadly Sins and had a new personality take over; Alta stood by his side refusing to help Raphtalia and the other villagers who didn't agree with "Naofumi"s new goals of world domination because he was still the very same Naofumi deep down albeit possessing a different personality.
 * Ren Amaki: Atla and Ren fought on the same side against multiple enemies such as Itsuki, Mald, Houou, and many others. Atla and Ren have not interacted much but the latter acknowledges Atla's skill in battle and hopes not to make an enemy of her.

Atla and Ren fought against one another briefly when Naofumi was under the influence of the Seven Deadly Sins shield where they were under separate camps.


 * Other Heroes
 * Aultcray Melromarc XXXII: When Aultcray first saw Alta; he gave off an expression that bore elements of both happiness and sadness and began to approach Alta more whenever she came to the castle.
 * Fohl: Atla's elder brother. He obsesses over Atla's safety to the point where he becomes overbearing. Needless to say, Atla managed to outwit Fohl's psychologically and physically from bringing him a drink that contained sleeping pills to outright jabbing his pressure points to make him faint.

Atla also has to constantly remind Fohl that she isn't the sickly child that she once was and kept doing things that Fohl didn't regard as innocent and pure to try and convince him to let her stay by Naofumi's side.

After Naofumi's short-term personality change due to the Seven Deadly Sins shield, Atla becomes less successful at thwarting Fohl's attempts at keeping her in the house because of Fohl's renewed resolve.

Atla and Fohl fought once over the condition of sending Atla out to battle Houou Houou and the battle ended in a draw. Fohl was very happy to see that Atla had become strong and resolved to protect her on the battlefield regardless.

Trivia
Information to be added later on.