That's right—Eiji had a trump card.
A trump card entirely different from Lightning Flash.
Yet it was the same kind of trump card in essence—once unleashed, it almost certainly meant victory.
He had conceived this technique long ago, but due to its side effects similar to Lightning Flash, he'd rarely had the opportunity to use it before.
But now, he had no choice.
He raised both swords in unison.
"That's a throwing stance... Is he planning to throw both swords at once?"
The madness had completely faded from Finn's face, replaced by mental exhaustion.
He watched Eiji's movements, a contemplative gleam in his eyes.
But merely throwing both swords wouldn't be enough to break through the Demi Spirit's triple-layered defenses.
Not to mention her formidable regenerative abilities—unless the magic stone in her chest was shattered, killing her would be impossible.
"What are you planning?"
Ais stared at him intently.
Thud!
As if sensing the trembling air, the flower armor closed protectively, tentacles coiled together, and vine armor surged once more from the ground.
The Demi Spirit's triple defenses manifested before her in full.
She seemed to feel tension too.
It shouldn't be possible. She possessed absolute strength. She was flawless. Yet, she couldn't suppress the terror creeping through her.
Under the gaze of those bright eyes, she felt like prey locked in a hawk's sights.
Eiji didn't move a muscle.
He made no attempt to stop her from reinforcing her defenses—it didn't even seem to cross his mind.
"Has he poured his entire being into the next strike?"
Bete guessed his intent.
If he unleashed his strongest attack, no defense would matter.
So there was no need to interfere.
Not only that—he even closed his eyes.
"What's he doing?"
Gareth clicked his tongue in frustration.
At the very least, he shouldn't close his eyes, right?
If he intended to throw, he'd need to aim!
"No. For someone like him, closing his eyes might be the right choice."
Finn murmured quietly.
As someone who also possessed intuition—though their paths differed—he understood one truth.
Sometimes, thinking nothing at all yielded greater precision than overthinking.
At this moment, he must have surrendered all reaction to instinct.
A strike unleashed by instinct alone would be his strongest.
The Demi Spirit seemed to be chanting something under her breath.
A turbid melody seeped into their eardrums.
"Is that monster casting a defensive spell?"
Tsubaki stood at the rear beside Raul Nord and the other supporters, her expression growing anxious.
"What's he doing? If she finishes that spell, we'll truly have no chance!"
But I believe in him.
Alicia's resolute gaze conveyed that unshakable faith, leaving Tsubaki speechless.
I get that you admire him, but we're in the middle of battle! Is this stalemate really okay?
On the battlefield.
The monster reached the midpoint of her chant. A dark golden magic circle materialized at her feet, its light dispersing across her body, hardening her form until it seemed tougher than metal.
At that moment.
Eiji moved.
He raised his twin swords high, arching his body backward, his spine taut like a drawn bowstring.
Then, under the suddenly tense gazes of everyone present, he hurled the twin swords with tremendous force.
Light.
All they could see was light.
For an instant, nothing was visible—only light filled their vision.
Eyes couldn't blink, mouths couldn't move, ears couldn't hear.
Even their nerves failed to react.
Only two parallel streaks of light erupted from his hands.
One was faster than the other.
The other was faster than the first.
No.
In the end, no one could discern which was truly faster.
All they could perceive was that light tearing through space, splitting the earth, and streaking across the sky.
Until it vanished beyond the horizon.
Not only the members of Loki Familia, but even the corrupted spirit was stunned.
She couldn't capture even a single movement, couldn't perceive any phenomenon with her eyes. In the midst of chanting a defensive spell, the battle had already ended.
It was so fast it might as well have been from another dimension.
BOOOOOOM————!!!
Suddenly.
A violent storm swept through the surroundings.
The massive shockwave became a force of impact, with the trajectory of the light acting as a dividing line, like parted tidal waves, ravaging the earth for hundreds of meters around.
"Whoa! Such strong wind!"
Tiona exclaimed in shock.
Everyone was startled, instinctively bracing themselves, yet still, they were sent flying dozens of meters by the ferocious gale.
Eiji, at the epicenter, bore the brunt of the impact. Like a ragdoll, he was flung far away, tumbling across the ground several times before coming to a stop.
"Look over there!"
Following Finn's shaken command, everyone steadied themselves and turned their gazes toward the Demi Spirit.
Then, they fell into stunned silence.
At this moment.
An overwhelming sense of helplessness assaulted the monster's nerves.
She blinked dazedly, looking down.
"...Huh?"
When had her lower half disappeared?
No, why was everything below her neck gone?
She came to her senses belatedly.
Ah, right—everything had spun wildly just now.
That must have been when her chest was pierced.
Looking into the distance.
The monster's lower half lay collapsed far away, rapidly turning to ash. Her upper half was nowhere to be seen—completely obliterated by that single strike.
"Aria..."
She turned her eyes toward the golden-haired, golden-eyed girl, a murmur of resentment escaping her lips.
Then, she dissolved into ashes entirely.
A gust of wind blew, leaving no trace behind.
"Is it... over?"
Ais's face was filled with disbelief.
That light just now.
It had been so powerful it made her tremble.
She knew with absolute certainty—if she had been the target of that attack, there would be nothing left of her.
"There are still some monsters left."
Finn's gaze shifted to the few dozen remaining creatures scattered in the distance.
"Well, it might as well be over."
The greatest enemy had already been dealt with by Eiji, using a trump card so overwhelming it left everyone shuddering.
A mere few dozen new-type monsters were nothing before the remaining members of their group.
"Captain, it's bad—Eiji's unconscious!"
Alicia's alarmed shout suddenly rang out from afar.
"What?!"
Everyone was shocked.
Seeing that Eiji hadn't gotten up, Alicia had rushed over to check on him.
It turned out his eyes were tightly shut, completely unconscious.
There were no visible injuries on his body—undoubtedly mental exhaustion.
"Just how strong or weak is this guy? I can't figure him out at all..."
"Hahaha."
Finn couldn't help but burst into hearty laughter upon hearing his companions' banter.
"Alright, Alicia, you guys give Eiji the potion. Let's take this chance to deal with the remaining monsters—we can't let him hog all the glory!"
"Right!"