That's right, Ryoji had a trump card.
A trump card completely different from Lightning Flint.
Yet it was the same kind of trump card in one important sense—once it was used, victory usually followed.
He had conceived this technique long ago, but because it carried side effects similar to those of Lightning Flint, he had rarely found an opportunity to use it.
But now, he had no choice.
He raised both swords simultaneously.
"That's a throwing stance... Is he planning to throw both swords at once?"
The frenzy on Finn's face had completely faded, replaced by mental exhaustion.
He watched Ryoji's movements, a thoughtful look appearing in his eyes.
But simply throwing both swords would never be enough to break through the Corrupted Spirit's triple-layered defenses.
Not to mention her powerful regenerative abilities. Unless the Magic Stone in her chest was destroyed, killing her was impossible.
"What are you planning to do?"
Ais stared at him with blazing eyes.
Bang!
As if sensing the trembling air itself,
the flower armor folded shut on its own, the tentacles intertwined and gathered before her, and vine armor surged up from underground once again.
The three layers of defense appeared simultaneously before the Corrupted Spirit.
She seemed nervous as well.
She shouldn't have been. She possessed overwhelming power. Her body had no weaknesses.
Yet she could not suppress the fear rising within her.
Under the gaze of those bright eyes, she felt as though a hawk had locked onto its prey.
Ryoji made no move.
He made no attempt whatsoever to stop her from reinforcing her defenses. In fact, he did not even seem to consider doing so.
"He's putting everything into the next attack?"
Bete guessed his intention.
If the strongest possible attack could be unleashed, then any defense would become meaningless.
There was no need to stop her at all.
And not only that… He even closed his eyes.
"Why would he do that?"
Gareth couldn't help clicking his tongue. No matter how you looked at it, he shouldn't be closing his eyes at a time like this.
If he wanted to throw something, he needed to aim with his eyes!
"No. If it's him, closing his eyes is actually more appropriate." Finn muttered quietly.
As someone who also possessed intuition, even if their abilities developed along different paths, he understood one thing. Sometimes, thinking about nothing at all was more accurate than racking your brain for an answer.
At this moment, he had likely entrusted all of his reactions to instinct.
Only a strike thrown by pure instinct could become the strongest strike.
The Corrupted Spirit seemed to be chanting something under her breath.
Her murky song entered everyone's ears.
"That monster isn't casting defensive magic, is she?"
Standing at the very back, beside Raul and the other Supporters, Tsubaki's expression gradually turned anxious.
"What is he doing? If she finishes casting defensive magic, we'll really have no way to deal with her!"
But I believe in him. Alicia responded with a resolute look that conveyed exactly that, leaving Tsubaki speechless. I understand your admiration for him, but this is a battle! Is it really okay for things to remain at a standstill like this?
On the battlefield… The monster's spell reached its midpoint.
A dark-golden magic circle appeared beneath her feet, and its light gradually spread across her body, making her seem harder than metal itself.
At that moment… Ryoji moved.
He raised both swords high overhead and leaned backward, his spine stretching taut like a drawn bowstring. Then, under the suddenly tense gazes of everyone present, he hurled both swords with all his strength.
Light.
There was only light.
For a single instant, nothing else could be seen.
Light filled the entire field of vision.
Eyes could not move.
Mouths could not speak.
Ears could capture nothing.
Only the nerves themselves failed to react.
The only thing anyone saw was two parallel streaks of light bursting forth from his hands.
One seemed faster than the other.
And the other seemed faster than the first.
No.
In the end, no one could tell which was truly faster.
All they could see was that light tearing through space, ripping apart the earth, and stretching across the sky.
Then disappearing beyond the horizon.
Not only the members of the Loki Familia, but even the Corrupted Spirit herself was stunned.
She could not perceive a single movement. She could not even witness a single phenomenon with her eyes. Before she could finish chanting her defensive magic, the battle had already ended.
It was so fast that it existed on an entirely different level.
"BOOOOOOOOM….!!!"
Suddenly… A violent storm swept across the area.
The immense air pressure transformed into a shockwave. Using the trajectory of the light as a dividing line, it surged outward like seas split apart, engulfing the ground for hundreds of meters around.
"Whoa! What a strong wind!"
Tiona cried out in surprise.
Everyone was startled at the same time. They instinctively braced themselves, digging their feet into the ground, yet they were still blown dozens of meters away by the ferocious gale.
As the one at the center, Ryoji suffered the greatest impact. His body was hurled away like a rag doll, bouncing several times across the distant ground.
"Look over there!"
Following Finn's trembling gesture, everyone steadied themselves and turned their eyes toward the Corrupted Spirit.
Then they all fell silent.
At that moment, an overwhelming sense of weakness assaulted the monster's fading nerves.
She lowered her head blankly.
"...Huh?"
When did her lower body disappear?
No... why was everything below her neck gone?
Only then did she regain her senses.
Ah.
It seemed the world had spun around for a moment just now.
At that instant, her chest had already been pierced through.
Looking into the distance—
The monster's lower body lay on the ground far away, rapidly turning to ash. As for her upper body, there was no trace of it whatsoever.
Under that attack, her entire upper half had been completely annihilated.
"...Aria."
She turned her eyes toward the golden-haired, golden-eyed girl and let out an unwilling whisper.
Then her body crumbled into ashes and scattered away.
A breeze swept through the area, leaving not even a single trace behind.
"...Is it over?"
Ais's face was filled with disbelief.
That light from earlier… It was powerful enough to make her tremble.
She understood clearly that if she had been the target of that attack, she would likely have been reduced to nothing.
"There are still a few monsters left."
Finn's gaze fell upon the dozens of monster corpses scattered in the distance.
"Well, that's basically the same as being over."
The greatest enemy had already been defeated by Ryoji, using a trump card so powerful that it left everyone trembling.
A mere few dozen New Species monsters were no longer worth mentioning against the remaining members of their group.
"Captain, this is bad! Ryoji's passed out!"
Alicia's alarmed cry suddenly rang out from afar.
"What?!"
Everyone was shocked.
Since Ryoji had not gotten back up for a long time, Alicia had run over to check on him.
The result was that his eyes were tightly shut and he was completely unconscious.
There were no injuries on his body at all. It was clearly a case of mental exhaustion.
"Seriously, is this guy strong or weak? I can't figure him out at all..."
"Hahaha!"
Listening to his companions' complaints, Finn could not help but burst into hearty laughter.
"Alright. Alicia, take care of Ryoji and give him some Potions. We'll use this opportunity to clean up the remaining monsters. We can't let him take all the glory for himself!"
"Yes, sir!"
(End of Chapter)
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