It was a flash of beauty, or whatever you want to call it. Kalia's silver sword plunged into the beast, gouging out its flesh and blood.

　The silver color of the blade drew a circle in the darkness of the night, causing the blood to splash. The gardens of the lord's manor, which had once been well maintained, were now covered in blood and flesh. The air around them reeked of the foul smell of rotting flesh.

　Each time the beast's flesh was torn open and a great deal of blood was spilled, the beast made a sound that mimicked a scream. And so it swung its mighty arm again and again to destroy those who opposed it.

　It was an unmistakably hard blow that seemed to reappear in space itself.

　--But all of them were knocked down to the ground by the silver sword.

　Kalia blinked her long eyelashes as she let out a huge breath from her lungs.

　Well, indeed, each blow of the beast is a massive threat. It's no exaggeration to say that it's a manifestation of death. If the flesh-stretching arm struck directly, it would surely shatter my body, and if the tip of the sword were to deviate even slightly, I would not be able to handle the vigorous blow. The majesty of it can make a cold sweat run down your spine.

　And on top of that. This beast has an undeniable abnormality in its body.

　When I looked at the wound I had just inflicted, I understood it at a glance. The flesh rose up from under the wound at an unbelievable rate, and in the blink of an eye, it was suppressing the splash of blood. It's as if the human healing function is being forced to speed up.

　The same is true for the face that Lugis and I gouged out earlier, with distorted flesh rising up. My eyebrows twisted involuntarily.

　Once again, a loud breath escaped from deep within Kalia's chest.

　The slash was clearly gouging the enemy's flesh, but she couldn't tell if it was making any sense. The wounds start to close up as soon as they are inflicted. Even Kalia felt a loose tightening in her spirit.

　It's messy. Extremely troublesome. This is what the mythical immortal giants are all about, thought Karia, shaking her silver hair.

　But no matter how strong this monster is, no matter how immortal it is, that's not a reason to retreat. It can't be a reason to give up. Besides, I have felt this way more than once or twice.

　I have crossed swords with creatures much larger than myself many times before. The giant boar in the forest of giant trees, the demon monkey in Gazalia. How many times have I nearly broken my heart? How many times have I been brought to my knees?

　The pride and pride of having overcome such majesty is now a huge pillar in Kalia's heart. The silver sword says that once you have overcome something, it is easy to overcome it again.

　In fact, not a single blow from the beast has touched Caria's cheek, nor has she been able to retreat her legs. In fact, it is Caria who is dominating this battlefield.

　And besides. There are other reasons not to retreat. Lugis' words reverberated in the back of Kalia's ears.

　--I'm sorry, but you'll have to stay out front for a while. He's got this mythical creature thing going on. Then you'd better prepare him for a proper way to die.

　As he watched the lacerations on the lump of flesh close up in front of him, Lugis said, and left the scene to Kalia. I'm sure you'll be able to imagine that the sorcerer, or at least the one who exchanged words with Fialaat, is involved in some kind of evil scheme. He also understood from his words that he wanted me to buy him some time to fulfill his scheme.

　I'm not sure what to say, but I'm going to say it.

　A large, hard blow from the mass of flesh snatched her cheek. It's a great way to make sure that you don't lose your mind. Even in the face of this, Kalia took another step forward.

　In the back of her chest, Kalia noticed that her heart was palpitating like it never had before. The blood flowed strangely fast through her body.

　Lugis was now gone from my side. But if he's planning to defeat this monster, if he's looking for an opening to do so, he must be watching the current battle from somewhere. Yes, they must be watching.

　You can't stop your lips from waving and your eyes from twinkling. After all, that man Lugis is the one who has been inexplicably turning a blind eye to my battles.

　During the fight with the giant boar, even though I told him to watch, he disappeared as if he was not interested. The same thing happened with the demon monkey, he disappeared without waiting for me.

　That's it, that's it. You have no idea how much it's shaken my emotions. You have no idea.

　My breath is heating up. Strength pours into the hand that holds the sword. I must be tired, but it doesn't matter. Only one emotion grows in my heart.

　He's watching, Lugis is watching. Then, I can never show my disgust. That feeling is greater than anything else right now. I'm fed up with the fact that I'm a pathetic woman.

　It's a shameful sentiment, and I know better than anyone that vanity is trivial. Yes, I understand.

　But, but... For once, let's not allow ourselves to be aroused. Let's not let our cheeks go slack, let's not let our spines run harder than usual.

　It's okay to have a little bit of fun, after all, I've never had this opportunity before. It's only natural to be excited and to exert a little effort when it's your first time. And it's also necessary. If we are friends, it is natural that we should know each other's capabilities well. Yes, it's natural.



　--So you can't blame him for wanting to show off a little.

　Silver light gleams in the bosom of the beast. With a drive of his hips and a twist of his ankles, he slashed down from the beast's shoulders to its chest and let his silver long sword crawl over its flesh.

　There was almost no sound.

　The longsword passed through the beast as if it were drawn in a straight line. The beast must not have understood what had just happened.

　A few moments later. As if in a rupture, the skin and flesh of the beast burst open.

　The flesh opened its mouth and spat out the fat and blood that had accumulated inside. The blood splatter bounced off its body as if it were happy to fly into the air.

　A flash that would have been fatal to a mere hexenbiest or beast, without a doubt. It must have been a blow that stripped away the core of life.

　But as far as this monster is concerned, it won't kill it. If it kills him, he's not going to play any tricks on Lugis. If that's the case, you'll need to attract a little more attention.

　Kalia's eyebrows shot up. She couldn't help but wonder about the thought that had just crossed her mind.

　Of course, Lugis could misread or misjudge things. It's more likely than not. So why do I keep listening to him?

　Silver hair sways. Her lips rippled gently. Deep in my chest, I can't help but let out a big sigh. Oh, so it's not just him who's helpless after all, but me as well. Really, I can't help it.

　The fleshy beast makes a distorted sound from its joints. It's as if it's letting out a scream. But still, the flesh continues to regenerate.

　The flesh rises from the inside of the wound, and the body repairs itself over and over again, as if trying to force the beast up onto the stage, as if forcing it to fight.

　Kalia takes a small breath for a moment, then twisting her body to gain momentum, she thrusts her silver sword at the beast's throat. It was, without a doubt, a stab with all her might.

　It's not that I thought it was a vital point. Nor did I think it would kill it. But this piece of meat tends to behave like a living thing in places. So a thrust to the throat would at least create an opening.

　The place where Kalia is stepping is now within the range of a full beast. You can't just pull out your sword and pull out of range. So this is my way of showing my trust, Kalia said, blinking her eyes.

　--Come on, let's see it. You have won victory from me, haven't you? Then I won't call you a pebble anymore.