Tairen's Fang
"May this place be covered in light that purifies all evil and filth! Holy Territory!"
The golden light enveloping Arke's entire body spread and filled the inside of the cave. "Krrraaah!" The Tairen that had been snarling mockingly at them moments ago now glared at them with a furrowed brow. The effect wasn't limited to the physical realm alone.
[Can you hear my voice, young man who wields my fang?]
A voice unlike any Elsid had ever heard echoed in his mind. It was soft and carried a strange sense of comfort.
"What the—? Who's there?"
"Huh? What's wrong, monster priest? Did our priestess's technique surprise you that much?"
Robin seemed to think Elsid's reaction was simply awe at Arke's magic. The voice was meant only for Elsid.
[Thanks to the barrier that girl created, I can finally speak to you.]
The gentle voice returned, confirming it was indeed made possible by Arke's holy magic. There was only one being who would speak to him in this situation.
[I am Tairen, the mountain spirit. I once ruled over a mountain long ago.]
As expected, the voice belonged to the Tairen whose corpse they were currently fighting with all their might. Why now, of all times? Elsid already knew the answer—the Holy Territory barrier had made communication possible.
[You don't need to speak. Just listen.]
But the battle was raging. Even as the voice echoed in his head, the rotting Tairen lunged at him. Robin immediately retreated while Elsid raised his sword to deflect the attack. Clang! He parried the fangs before they could sink into his body. Boom! He barely dodged the whip-like tail that lashed out in the same breath. His focus was stretched thin, and all of this was happening while the Tairen's physical abilities were weakened by the Holy Territory. That was precisely why Rain wasn't joining the attack and instead guarded Arke. If the monster's strength increased any further, they wouldn't be able to handle it.
[Ordinary weapons cannot wound my body.]
El sid knew that better than anyone. That was why he focused solely on evasion and defense without wasting attacks.
[So I shall lend you my fighting technique.]
Then the spirit said something astonishing. Lend him a technique? Elsid had never heard of such a thing.
[More precisely, I will only imbue my technique into my fang.]
The fang referred to the Arming Sword in his hand. Now that he thought about it, the voice had called him "the young man who wields my fang" from the very beginning.
The moment the voice spoke, a dramatic change occurred in the Arming Sword Elsid held. Crimson and white flames, intertwined like threads, erupted and swirled violently around the blade. The fire was beautiful, and somehow carried a sense of sanctity.
[It seems the cost of lending my power... is that I can no longer speak.]
The spirit of Tairen spoke in a fading voice.
[The rest... is up to you. Please... end me.]
With those final words, the voice disappeared from his mind. Yet the red and white flames coiling around the sword in his hand continued to spin without extinguishing.
"Elsid, what are those flames? Don't tell me you can use a fighting technique now?"
"Yeah. It's borrowed, and only for one use, though."
Rain asked in surprise, but there was no time to explain further. Elsid didn't know when the flames would vanish. He slowly approached the monster. The Tairen zombie fixed its gaze solely on him now, ignoring Arke.
'Let's test these flames... just a little.'
Elsid muttered inwardly and swung the flaming sword. Whoosh. For the first time, the Tairen zombie dodged his blade.
'This'll work.'
A grin formed on his face. At the same moment, the Tairen zombie swung its massive forepaw—the same hammer-like strike as before. Elsid evaded it. The tail lashed out again, but he brought his sword up to meet it. The Tairen zombie immediately withdrew its tail.
"Grrng!"
It growled as if displeased by the flames and began to open its jaws wide. Before Elsid could even guess what was coming, dark energy gathered around its mouth and ignited into flame. It was a new attack he had never seen before. Unlike the beautiful flames on his sword, this fire was murky, black, and filthy—like polluted filth given form.
Fwoooosh!
The Tairen zombie fired the dark flames straight at him. Elsid barely had time to react before he threw himself aside. Ssssss. The ground where the flames struck melted and turned black.
"Ugh... So flames are still flames, huh."
Because his reaction had been slightly delayed, he hadn't completely avoided the attack. The flames grazed one arm. A burning pain shot through it, and Elsid grimaced. Fortunately his legs were unharmed, but he would have to fight with only one arm for the rest of the battle. He hadn't expected such a threatening ranged attack.
'I need to change my approach.'
Rushing straight in relying on the flames would only make him an easy target for the zombie's dark fire. If he could land even one clean hit with his flaming sword, he felt he could end it—but seizing that single opening was proving difficult.
'Guess I'll have to gamble.'
He had found a method, but if the timing was off, it would be the end for him. Still, staying passive would only put him at a greater disadvantage. Having made his decision, Elsid charged without hesitation. The Tairen zombie reacted instantly, opening its jaws to unleash more dark flames.
'Go ahead. Fire away!'
Instead of fearing the flames, Elsid endured the pain in his arm and accelerated. Just as his body was about to cross paths with the dark fire, he threw himself backward into a slide, passing directly beneath the Tairen's belly. There, he saw it—a mark that looked as though something had once pierced the flesh.
'There it is.'
Elsid instinctively knew this was where the eastern continent swordsman from the records had struck the living Tairen's heart. He didn't hesitate.
Thud!
True to the technique's name—"Penetrating Flame Fang"—he drove the flame-wreathed fang through the single hole in the Tairen zombie's belly.
"Krrraaah! Krrrng! Krrrng!"
Crimson and white flames erupted from the Tairen zombie's body and began consuming it from within. The source of the fire was, of course, the sword embedded in its stomach.
'This is no joke.'
After that, there was little left for him to do. The Tairen zombie thrashed on two legs, rolled across the ground, and howled in agony. By the time the flames finally died out, only a few scraps of rotting flesh, a half-melted eyeball, and more than half-exposed bones remained. The creature looked ready to collapse at any moment, yet Elsid still had work to do.
Thud!
He retrieved his swords from the mostly incinerated corpse—the Arming Sword and the wooden sword. Surprisingly, both blades were completely undamaged despite the intense heat. Even after being wreathed in flames, they weren't hot to the touch. Perhaps it was because the fire had been created by a special technique.
Just as Elsid finished recovering his weapons and the Tairen zombie finally collapsed, all remaining flesh fell away from the bones, turning to black ash that scattered in the wind. Only the skeleton remained standing in its original majestic form.
[Thank you... for freeing my soul from that cursed body...]
[I will surely repay this debt.]
The spirit's voice returned once more. The liberated soul of Tairen was offering its thanks before departing.
'Do as you like.'
Elsid gave his own reply, unsure if the spirit could hear it. Then he looked around.
"Arke, are you all right?"
"Haha, I guess using high-level holy magic took a toll. I'm a bit dizzy."
"I'll carry you. Rest for a while."
"Thank you. I'll take a short break."
Arke, exhausted from the holy magic, and Rain, who was relatively unscathed, were sharing a rather romantic moment. Well, Arke's cheeks were flushed, but Rain's expression remained unchanged as he carried his comrade with pure goodwill.
"Aah, I wish I could carry a decent woman instead of some guy. Preferably one with a big chest, if possible."
Meanwhile, Robin was spouting nonsense beside the two young people. Watching the scene, Elsid finally felt that everything was over. It had truly been an exhausting day.