Final Fantasy 14's battle content designer Masayoshi Ishikawa says that he put Absolute Virtue in Windurst: The Third Walk just to show how strong Shantotto is. He also jokes that the menace could've been the first boss of Windurst if Shantotto hadn't destroyed it in the pre-fight cutscene.
In an interview with Famitsu, Ishikawa discusses the ways he tried to show Shantotto's strength in the finale to the Final Fantasy 11 crossover, Echoes of Vana'diel. Despite being the first boss of Windurst: The Third Walk, Ishikawa wanted her to appear particularly powerful.