Kokuri had been “killed” in various ways: burning, drowning, buried, and many other, though she didn’t die, the “deaths” were painful for her.

Wald’s eyes opened wide.

Standing beside him was a violet haired swordswoman.

The same person whom Vod had brought to the sanctum the day before. The same person who had emerged victorious against the head of the sanctum, Ignes. The same person—who had attained the title of sword saint.

The swordswoman unsheathed her sword, revealing a black blade with specks of white: a starry night sky. She gripped the handle with her left hand, not too strong nor too loose, and kept the sword beside, blade pointed toward the ground.

The monster’s sight, which was previously on Wald, had shifted toward the swordswoman.

Both exchanged stares.

The idea of one single person defeating the monster had struck Wald as unplausible. True, Dunnford had defeated a monster by himself—Wald had witnessed him from the sideline—but the knight was aided with magic. Meanwhile…

What could a mere swordswoman like her do against the monster?

‘SHAA!!’ the large snake hissed. Its voice carried a presence that seemingly forced the rain to a standstill.

Without wasting time, the monster rushed toward the swordswoman, baring its acid-coated fangs at her. From how Wald perceived it, the monster’s slithering movement this time was by far the fastest. Before, it had been cautious on braking and avoided crashing onto buildings. Now, the monster had pulled out all the stops.

Freya jumped to the side to dodge.

Her movement was slow.

In normal circumstances, anyone would agree with Wald that she wouldn’t make it, that lacking velocity would be her biggest downfall and that those acid-coated fangs would hit her.

However, she had predicted the monster’s rush and gained herself a good start with her jump. Not to mention, when she moved, there were no wasted movements, and that made her fast. She was as fluid and as elusive as a flowing water.

The swordswoman avoided the monster’s fangs by a hair’s breadth.

Then, she shifted her sight toward a certain spot on the large snake’s body. Specifically, toward a cut which Wald had preciously inflicted on the monster by aiming at the gap between its scales.

After her jump, she landed perfectly, allowing her to immediately claim foothold of the ground and ready a counterattack. Only when the time was right, as the monster was passing through beside her, she raised her sword. The blade struck exactly onto the cut which Wald had inflicted before.

Her movement was beautiful. Not in the sense that there was synthetic grace or elegance, but in the sense that her movements were—ideal.

Efficient. Accurate. Precise.

As she swung her sword, the black blade appeared white in Wald’s eyes. The slash followed a perfect circular arc, as if a full moon was being traced by the motion.

Her slash connected, a deep cut that claimed blood from the monster.

A crimson full moon.

Not being able to stop its rush, the monster—after having suffered the slash—crashed onto a building, buried under the rubble, and remained unmoving.

The swordswoman alone had defeated the monster.

***

Crack.

The sword shattered after the slash.

Vod, for many times now, had failed to kill the immortal Kokuri.

This vulnerable state of his, of having had his sword broken from his swing, was not an opportunity the immortal was missing. Kokuri responded by thrusting her kunai, the blade coated with darkness Elemental Magic.

Relying on his reflexes, Vod grabbed Kokuri’s wrist, dispelling the darkness with his mana, and derailed the thrust to the side. He kept holding on.

Under his breath, he muttered the name of a sword. One which belonged to Zenia, the formless sword, which would appear if he was chosen by the sword.

‘That name…’ the immortal remarked. They were close enough for her to hear him. ‘I hate that name…’

The sword didn’t appear.

Vod let go of her wrist and stepped backward.

He reached his hand to the side, toward his squad member. Right as he did the gesture, a sword fell onto his palm, and he gripped the handle tight.

‘That’s the last one!’ shouted his squad member after tossing the sword.

Vod had failed to summon Zenia’s sword.

And he was now on his last sword.

This was his last chance to kill the immortal. Right here; right now, to win, he had to surpass his limits and put his all into his remaining slashes.

***

‘Would they be able to handle the last monster?’ the swordswoman asked Wald after having killed one of the two remaining monsters.

Wald knew where she was going with the question. If the sword worshippers were able to handle the last monster, then she would leave them and go into the sanctum. While he understood her decision, he wanted her to help defeat the last monster, to prioritize the monster first and only then attend the matter inside the sanctum.

He said with reluctance, ‘They… could…’

Against the hard scales, Wald had faith that Brig’s dull sword would be able to damage the monster. He believed that with her help, the followers of the sword would win against that last monster.

‘The immortal is inside the sanctum,’ Wald added. ‘I believe that Vod is dealing with her, but he might need your help. Sword saint… if you could… please finish the battle fast and help the others.’

‘… I’ll try.’

With that, Freya ran into the sanctum.

***

Voices…

Freya had heard voices inside her mind, coming from inside the sanctum.

Running through the hallway, passing through the fallen monster worshippers, Freya recalled her decisions.

When she was on the Stormpiercer, ready to set sail, pass through the skystorm, and head toward Malegonia, there was a voice that stopped her. A voice which she had chosen to prioritize over attempting to break the curse she was carrying. A voice… that she couldn’t ignore.

Something is going on inside the sanctum, Freya had thought.

After she had defeated the monster, she could sense a sinister presence coming from the sanctum. One which was more sinister than the last monster. While Freya could help the sword worshippers with dealing with the monster, her instinct was telling her that she needed to save stamina, and deal with the matters inside the sanctum.

Those two decisions, on the Stormpiercer and after dealing with a monster, were what finally led Freya to the sanctum’s hall.

There, she saw Ignes lying on the ground, having been stabbed and lost blood. Far from her, was Vod who had lost his left arm, and was bleeding.

Under the three large statues was a kimonoed woman, one who had pitch-black eyes. Black as the abyss’s deep endless darkness.

‘You came right on time,’ the immortal, Kokuri, remarked with a grin. ‘Just as I finished writing the Formulae Magic, it seems that my wish has come true once again.’

Freya’s upper right arm ached. The wound remembered the pain that Kokuri had inflicted.

Her intentions had been to check the voice; yet, here she was, faced against the immortal.

Freya couldn’t help but let out a smile.

It’s as if this fight is unavoidable.