A Monster's Grasp and the Hero's Resolve
The elf knight Elfride and Revius were locked in a fierce struggle against the Amon-class monster, their holy swords unable to deliver decisive blows.
Elfride had been right to worry. The holy swords of both heroes proved unsuitable for confronting such a colossal creature. Their slashes only carved shallow wounds, leaving the giant unscathed by any meaningful impact.
Instead, the one who took the beating...
“Ugh!”
Revius flew across the battlefield and slammed into the ground after his arm connected with the giant’s fist.
BOOM!
“Revius!”
“...This is nothing much.”
Despite his boastful tone, Revius rose with visible effort. As he gripped his dual daggers once more and charged forward, Elfride shouted urgently.
“Revius! Target the weak point!”
“I know that! ...That’s what I’m doing!”
The giant moved with a lumbering slowness born of its massive frame, but every swing of its enormous arms forced Elfride and Revius to dodge desperately, pushing them ever farther from the vital center.
Even when they closed in, the giant would lash out again with another arm or stomp its feet, sending them scrambling away.
“Fire!!!”
KABOOM! CRASH! EXPLODE!!
The soldiers had been blasting cannons from a safe distance to lend support. With every cannon roar, explosions and thick black smoke erupted from the giant’s body. Yet the beast proved brutally resilient.
Ordinary cannon fire did little more than slow its relentless advance.
“...Humans... annoy me....”
In the end, when the soldiers’ repeated cannon blasts kept harassing it, the giant lifted its colossal foot and prepared to stomp them into the dirt.
“Run, run! Hurry!”
“AAAHH!”
The soldiers scattered in panic as the giant grinned with sadistic delight and brought its foot down. A few who failed to escape saw their heads enveloped by a deep black shadow.
《 Sacred Chain 》
“...?”
The giant’s legs refused to drop further. Then arms, torso—every part of its body locked in a brilliant, glowing chain that prevented any movement.
《 Sacred Hammer 》
BOOM!!
“...Gah!?”
The giant’s head was slammed hard by some invisible force. Its body tilted violently backward and finally toppled with a heavy thud.
“...What... what was that?”
Revius stared in confusion, while Elfride immediately understood.
‘...Saint Estelle.’
She had refused to fight earlier, yet now stepped in the moment the soldiers were in danger. Or perhaps she had simply assumed Elfride and Revius could not defeat the monster.
“...Either way, I’m grateful.”
“Waaah! The heroes brought down the giant!”
The soldiers cheered, believing they had done it themselves. Elfride smiled bitterly as she told Revius, knowing the truth.
“Revius, now’s your chance. Don’t waste it.”
“...I know.”
Still dazed, Revius snapped back to focus, dual daggers in hand. Elfride targeted the giant’s heart; Revius the throat. Both leapt onto its massive body.
“...Guuuuh... humans....”
The giant tried to rise once more. But...
《 Sacred Hammer 》
CRASH—!
“Uuuugh...!”
Again the head was smashed, and the giant toppled backward. Watching the radiant hammer up close, Revius swallowed hard. He now knew exactly who had struck.
‘...I’ll have to run the moment the hunt ends.’
The fallen giant could no longer stop Elfride and Revius from striking its weak points simultaneously. Revius’s Joyful Sword sliced through the neck; Elfride’s Trust Sword pierced the heart.
“!”
The giant, now pierced in two vital places, began thrashing wildly. A deep gash on its throat allowed a roar to escape despite the damage.
“GRAAAAAHHH!!!”
“Damn it, why won’t it die!?”
“...It’s because the wounds are still too small! Revius, strike again...!”
“Wait, Elfride! Look above your head!”
Elfride startled and glanced up. A black shadow already loomed directly overhead.
KWAH!
The giant’s other hand descended. Thanks to Revius’s warning, Elfride barely raised her sword to block it, but the beast pressed down with crushing force.
“Ugh...!”
“Elfride! Hold on just a bit! Now... ugh!?”
Revius dodged in a flash as the giant’s free hand smashed into the empty space.
“...Revius, hurry... gah!”
“I know! The giant won’t let me close in...!”
True to its word, the giant kept swinging its empty hand at Revius while he was too far away. In that brief window, Elfride’s knee buckled of its own accord.
“Ugh... what strength...”
Elfride’s entire body trembled violently as she held back the giant’s hand. She was at her limit.
Just as she forced out her final strength to call for Estelle’s help, a flash of blinding white light appeared.
SLASH——!
Something whipped past like lightning.
The crushing force vanished instantly. Elfride found herself held and pulled to safety.
KWAH!
The giant’s hand was severed cleanly, tumbling down from above.
“...?”
Elfride looked up at the white-haired man who had caught her. He released her carefully and asked, concerned.
“Are you all right, Elfride? Did anything get hurt?”
Blood dripped steadily from the white hair and twin swords, yet his voice held a warm worry that made her heart swell.
Elfride smiled gently and whispered his name.
“...Abel.”
#
Honestly, that hand had looked terrifying. I’d only come to check on Elfride because she seemed in real danger and had stopped.
Revius hadn’t even helped...
“Ugh! Stop annoying me...!”
...I was dodging pretty hard, though.
“Abel, why did you come?”
“...I was watching the monster fight when I saw you looked in trouble, Elfride.”
“Surprised?”
“...So you ran straight here from there?”
“Yeah?... Yeah, that’s right. Why?”
I... I literally sprinted.
“...I see.”
Elfride’s eyes held something like genuine surprise. Was there a problem?
“Hero!!!”
Ah, it’s that woman again.
The only person screaming like that was the saint, leaping around while shouting.
She looked oddly cute, jumping like that.
“Why did you go there so recklessly?! Come here right now!!”
“I’m coming~!”
Elfride, you’re on your own. I need to keep going.
“I’ll head back if it gets dangerous...”
“Abel, wait.”
“Hm?”
Elfride grabbed my arm and called out to the saint.
“Sain—Saint! I need to borrow Abel for a moment!”
...Why are you borrowing me?
The saint shouted back in confusion.
“What!? What are you talking about!”
Exactly. This monster is nothing for me. It was just a surprise attack earlier. It’s not my real strength.
Elfride apparently disagreed.
“If it’s Abel, we can do it! I’ll support you as much as I can...”
“No way!! The hero is too weak—he still can’t handle monsters like this!”
You damn brat!
Elfride sighed deeply and looked at me.
“Abel, you decide. With your speed and sword, I believe you can cut down this giant. I’ll support you so you don’t get hurt. What do you think?”
“...Me?”
“Yes.”
Me... against this big guy?
“...Is this actually possible?”
“Trust me. With you, it will be.”
I have to believe the girl who got tossed aside before I rescued her...?
But her eyes burned with hope when she looked at me. I couldn’t refuse.
“...I’ll try.”
“Hero!!!”
“If it fails, just run. If you can’t run either... please save me, Saint!”
“What irresponsible thing is that!?”
I don’t know, you idiot. You’re the one who can save me.
“Elfride, what now?”
“While Revius keeps the giant’s hands pinned, you stab its heart.”
“...That’s simple.”
“When it tries to stand, I’ll stop it. Just watch the severed arm closely and aim for the heart.”
“...Understood.”
The giant, even after losing one arm, still swung the other wildly in threat. The gap from the missing limb didn’t stop it from charging straight at us.
...Feels like playing pinball.
“Abel, show confidence.”
That hit would probably break bones...
“With your speed, you can dodge and reach there easily.”
“...Hmm.”
All right. Let’s do it. If it doesn’t work, I’ll retreat. Plus, I have blessings—so one good hit won’t kill me.
...It’s going to hurt like hell, though.
“Make sure the giant can’t move.”
“Got it. Revius! Stop the giant from standing!”
Revius shouted back at Elfride’s command.
“You’re busy! What are you saying?! Do it yourself!”
The saint grinned. “You sound confident, hero. You can handle the other side safely.”
...Hah.
“...Hah.”
I gripped my sword tightly, crouched slightly, and widened my stance. Watching the giant’s wild swings, I searched for an opening.
“...!”
“Abel, now!”
I knew it!
I exploded forward. The giant’s heavy arm sliced overhead as I slipped beneath it in a blur and landed straight in the center of its chest.
Blood poured from the wound Elfride had already made.
The giant was still alive after losing this much blood? It was disgusting.
I raised the sword high and drove it down. The flat of the blade stabbed deep into the wound, tearing a far larger gash than before with a spray of blood.
The stabbed giant thrashed wildly.
“H-hey!?”
“Abel! Twist the sword and pull it out! It’ll stop instantly!”
What? My grip isn’t balanced for that!
The giant rolled sideways in its death throes. I ended up dangling from the sword handle.
“Eh...”
Looking down, it felt dangerously high. Even attached to the chest, the drop looked immense.
S-shit! This is terrifying!!!
But the giant’s final struggle wasn’t over. It thrashed again, this time rolling its entire body in the opposite direction.
“Waaah!?”
“Abel!”
《 Sacred Sword 》
BOOM!!!
“...Huh.”
The radiant sword pierced straight through the giant’s skull with a thunderous crack. The thrashing body went instantly limp and collapsed.
This is...
“...Hero, are you okay!?”
“Hero, why are you so reckless?”
...It was the saint’s doing, after all.
Elfride and Celine now stood below. Their expressions were very different.
I shouted back at Celine in protest.
“Reckless?! Elfride said I could do it!”
“...Not that. You should have dropped your sword and dodged. Why are you hanging there like that?”
“...Ah.”
Right. The sword could be recovered later anyway.
The saint called up loudly, still dangling.
“Hero, are you hurt anywhere~?”
“Yeah~ I’m fine~.”
“Come down quickly~! I’ll catch you below~♡”
“...Here?”
No way. This is terrifying. From a distance, that feels like seven stories up—why would you jump?
“I’ll catch you with divine power! Just jump without fear~!”
“...Is it safe?”
“Of course~♡”
Ugh, I don’t know.
I trusted the saint and let go. My body fell rapidly.
...It’s gaining speed... this is terrifying.
“Sain—Saint, catch me soon! I’m starting to get really scary...”
“...Idiot♡”
“...What?”
KWAH!!!
“...Aaaah....”
Y-you damn brat... why aren’t you catching me...
...Huh? Actually... it doesn’t hurt that much.
I leapt up from the ground. The saint came skipping over with a giggle.
“Doesn’t hurt, right~? My scared little hero♡”
“...You said you’d catch me.”
“I blessed you so it wouldn’t hurt. That’s the catch, ♡”
...You horrible woman. I’ll never believe you again.
“Oh right. What about the Mother? We still need to hunt that too.”
“That was already taken care of by Revius, the hero.”
Celine answered. In the direction she pointed, Revius swung his Joyful Sword at the Mother’s neck.
...Last hit.
The moment the sword plunged into the Mother’s throat, its mouth opened and a horrifying voice echoed out.
Normally I couldn’t have heard it, but with the saint’s blessing, every sense was amplified. I heard every word clearly.
“...Give it back...”
...What?
Splash—!
A torrent of red blood poured from the wound, covering the sky.
“...What was that saying?”
“Eh?”
The saint tilted her head, listening to her own muttering. I asked.
“What did the Mother say right before it died? ‘Give it back’ or something?”
“...Give it back? Give what back?”
“I have no idea.”
“You heard a hallucination~? Maybe it’s because the hero is an idiot~♡”
...What does being an idiot have to do with it, you idiot.
“Abel.”
“Yeah?”
Elfride approached me. She reached out a hand and said gently.
“You did well. Now... can you stand up?”
“...I feel a little tired, so I’d like to sit for a bit.”
“Hehe. Understood. But just a little more effort, okay?”
Elfride pointed behind her. Soldiers waited in the distance.
“Heroes sometimes need to show off a little. It makes people feel safer.”
“...I see.”
Being a hero is exhausting.
Just as I took Elfride’s hand, another hand suddenly reached out.
“...Saint?”
“Hold my hand~♡”
“...Eh?”
Suddenly, what...?
“Saint Estelle, one hand is enough. There’s no need to borrow a ‘man’s’ hand.”
“I’m not a man, I’m Abel’s friend!”
“Oh? But I’m also the hero’s ‘friend’~♡ And even earlier than Elfride the hero~♡”
...What are you two doing?
“Sigh.”
Please don’t fight over weird things.
I took both their hands at once. The saint and Elfride both flinched in surprise.
“Done.”
Holding both hands, I stood. Elfride and the saint looked at me with dazed expressions.
What?
“Hero.”
“Yes, Celine.”
“The soldiers are waiting for you, hero.”
I looked toward the soldiers as Celine spoke. They stared at us with dumbfounded faces, as if they still couldn’t believe this was real.
Though this situation was unfamiliar, I instinctively knew what to do. I clenched my fist high and roared.
“We won!”
“WAAAAAHH!!!”
“The heroes did it!!!”
“It’s over!!!”
The soldiers cried with joy and relief, hugging each other, dropping their weapons, and cheering wildly.
I watched them smile without a shred of pretense. Then the saint quietly approached and asked.
“Hero.”
“Yeah?”
“How are you feeling~♡”
...How am I feeling? What a question.
“...Amazing.”
“Huhuhu♡”