《The Holy Chain Of Exorcism》and《Cursed Blade: Dread’s Crimson Moon》

“Flo…?”

Flo was pulling something like a chain out of Oswald’s corpse.

There was a wedge attached to the end of the chain.

That—could it be one of the sacred relics the Holy Church was supposed to recover?

“【Holy chain that drives away evil】【 Demon-piercing wedge that rends the darkness】【Magical shackle that sews the heavens together】—”

Flo closed her eyes, concentrated, and began reciting something like a spell.

It didn’t require a magic-casting incantation; these were likely the words needed to activate the sacred relic.

With each phrase she added, the chain glowed and lengthened with a clinking sound.

It stretched—longer and longer—until it enveloped Vanargand’s massive body.

“Guaooooo!!!”

Startled by the glowing chain summoned by Flo’s chant, Vanargand halted its attack on me.

It turned its fangs toward Flo, who continued praying.

“This is bad!”

Vanargand shot its tail out, aiming to pierce Flo’s body.

The tip of the tail was sharply pointed and would easily pierce a girl’s soft skin.

“【Shadow Domain (Shadow Field)】! Minotaur—protect Flo!”

A skill I learned recently that creates a domain centered on myself to boost the status of Shadows.

This domain is my shadow itself; the farther I extend my shadow, the farther I can summon Shadows.

The Shadow Domain barely reached Flo’s feet.

The Minotaur I summoned in front of Flo served as a shield against Vanargand’s tail thrust.

“Brugaaaa!?!?”

‘Unbelievable—Minotaur gone in a single blow!!’

The Minotaur that shielded Flo.

The Minotaur that once overwhelmed a party of four A-Rank Adventurers and gave me so much trouble vanished.

“But thanks to the Minotaur, we bought some time!”

Vanargand retracted its tail to normal length, refocused on Flo—and launched it again.

Just before it did—

“Goblin Lord’s Greatsword!”

――Thanks to the Minotaur’s delay, I reached Vanargand’s feet, summoned only the Goblin Lord’s greatsword, gripped it myself, and drove a full swing into the back of its foreleg’s knee!

――Slash!!

“Gyaoooong!?!?”

Struck at the joint, Vanargand’s foreleg buckled and its balance broke.

The extended tail that had been launched struck the wall a few meters beside Flo as its balance faltered.

“――【Lord, put me to the test】【I offer silver wine】【The fruit of a blood-unknowing maiden】—”

Flo continued her chant.

Given what was happening before her eyes, she should have been paralyzed with fear, yet the girl mustered courage for victory and did not stop praying.

If that’s the case—I have no choice but to bet on it too.

The chain flying around Flo grew even longer and glowed more brilliantly.

“Dullahan’s Longsword!”

I leapt onto Vanargand’s tail stuck in the wall and jumped again.

Taking the wolf-beast’s head, I summoned only Dullahan’s longsword and drove it into its brow!

“Gyaooong!?!?”

“—【The saint’s clavicle as a sacrifice to the sword】【The apostle’s prayer upon the scales】—”

Flo’s chant continued.

“One more! Minotaur’s Axe!!”

I used 500 MP to revive the perished Minotaur.

I summoned only the axe and hammered it in as if to drive the pommel of the previously plunged Dullahan’s longsword further in!!

――Roar!!

“Guaooooo!?!?”

“Huff, huff… sorry, Master Dullahan. Even though you taught me swordsmanship, in the end this is the only way I can fight.”

Even an S-rank monster wouldn’t stand a chance against this barrage.

“Wa—Waoooooooon!!!!”

“Seriously!?”

The longsword should have been buried deep in its head, yet Vanargand only staggered slightly before launching a counterattack!

It opened its mouth wide, exposing a throat like an abyss—and lunged as if to swallow me and Flo whole!

“—【When prayer is fulfilled】【May it become the holy chain that repels demons】――――【Holy Chain of Exorcism】!”

――Clink clink clink clink clink!!

――Bind!

‘【Holy Chain of Exorcism】—a holy relic of the Holy Church that binds a monster’s body without question and strips away its defenses—its power was so great it rendered even me unable to move.’

At the last moment—the chain activated by Flo’s chant bound Vanargand’s entire body.

All its knees folded, its tail was tied in knots, and its jaws—meant to swallow everything—were wrapped by layers of chain.

“Ha, haa—now…! Mr. Sid!”

Having used considerable willpower, Flo, sweat on her pale skin and blonde hair plastered to her forehead, instructed me to deliver the killing blow.

“Even so… that combo earlier was the limit of my strength!”

The all-out strike using the Goblin Lord, Dullahan, and Minotaur—powerful Shadows’ weapons—still failed to finish it.

‘No choice—I’ll take matters into my own hands.’

“(Wait, Ekarraat! If you come out now Flo will notice!)”

I had summoned the Minotaur earlier as a shield to protect Flo, but I had no other option, and since it was killed instantly she probably didn’t notice.

“No—I’m only bringing out my weapon—《Cursed Blade: Dread’s Crimson Moon》.”

Ekarraat stuck only her face out of my shadow and then a sword slithered out from her throat.

“(Are you okay!? That’s a pretty rough look even for a peerless beauty!?)”

Since she produced it, I had no choice but to take the sword that came out of her mouth.

Swords aren’t unheard of in this country, but Ekarraat’s blade shone a crimson red—a strange sword indeed.

I had never seen a sword like it.

‘It can’t be helped. Its cutting edge is so extreme that no sheath for《Dread’s Crimson Moon》exists. There was no way to store it other than within my Undead body—hey! Don’t sniff it! Stop that!’

“(It’s a bit sticky, but I feel a lot of energy—this might let me take down that wolf.)”

‘《Dread’s Crimson Moon》 shows its true value by drinking its owner’s blood. Since you are Undead, you can let it drink as much blood as needed. Let it be soaked in blood and with a full swing—defeat Vanargand!’

As Ekarraat said, I trapped the blade against the inside of my opposite elbow and yanked it out with force!

The sword soaked up my blood, making its crimson blade glow even more ominously.

“Oraaaaaaa!!!”

“Drinking blood, carving even the moon, the crimson blade—dyeing even a crescent moon night crimson—《Moon-Annihilating Cleave (Immortal Blood Pain)》.”

The overhead slash cleaved into Vanargand—and—

“Gyaooooooooooooon!?!?”

I succeeded in slaying the S-Rank Monster, Vanargand.