Chapter 791

If you act like a lunatic, you might actually become one. If others had witnessed me running with Damien tucked under my arm like a lance, they might have freaked out, calling me insane. It was a scene that could only be described as madness.

Of course, I’m not a lunatic, and Damien Lance wasn’t a crazy idea either. It was just an extraordinary idea that ordinary humans couldn’t comprehend—a solution I arrived at after racking my brain.

Think about it. To injure the Starry Whale, the power of the Holy Sword is necessary, but I can’t wield it. Only Damien can draw and unleash its power. So, what should I do?

While pondering this, I saw Damien’s body swaying back and forth due to the earthquake caused by the Starry Whale. In that moment, a lightning bolt of realization struck me.

That’s it.

Even if I can’t wield the Holy Sword myself, if I wield Damien, who has drawn the Holy Sword, like a weapon, wouldn’t it be the same as wielding the Holy Sword?

I couldn’t be sure, but it was worth a try. So, I bestowed the honor of becoming my weapon upon Damien, who was quietly closing his eyes.

“Krrrrrrr…!”

A white horse with blade-like horns galloped, shattering the ground with its hooves. The rushing headwind. Thanks to the joke that I’d set its tail on fire if it slowed down even a bit, the speed was as fast as a storm.

Holding the reins with my teeth, I steered to avoid explosive magic and charged toward the Starry Whale, tightening my grip on Damien’s body under my arm to prevent his spine from breaking.

—

After acquiring Damien as a weapon, I pondered how to use it.

At first, I thought I could swing him like a sword… but upon reflection, that was undeniably insane. Considering my strength, if I grabbed Damien’s ankle or calf like a hilt and swung him, his body would shatter before the Starry Whale.

Swinging him would crush all the bones in his legs, and the moment the Holy Sword’s tip touched the Starry Whale’s skin, Damien’s spine would split, and his upper body would explode. The Holy Sword might withstand the impact, but Damien’s body is made of ordinary human flesh and bone.

No matter how I thought about it, swinging him was impossible. So, I had no choice but to thrust.

Instead of swinging Damien like a sword, I fixed him firmly to my body and thrust him toward the enemy, absorbing most of the recoil myself. Thus, this weapon had to be called Damien Lance, not Damien Sword.

How about that? A brilliantly creative yet surprisingly rational idea, right? Even Elpinel in the heavens would be amazed, never imagining such a use for Damien.

—

And so, now.

Riding the Cascador at breakneck speed, I aimed Damien at the Starry Whale’s side. His coat, now regenerated, fluttered wildly, and the chains wrapped around him loosened, flapping like a tail.

“——!”

Perhaps sensing the Holy Sword’s energy as a threat, or maybe just deciding to kill first and ask questions later, the Starry Whale’s side—where a galaxy-like swirl seemed to replace its spine—converged into a single point.

– Kwaoooooo!

A black beam shot toward me, carrying a destructive force that could tear my body apart just by grazing it.

“What the…!”

A whale shooting beams from its side? That’s just unfair.

The beam approached at lightning speed. It was too late to dodge, and neither Damien nor the Cascador could withstand such an attack. Even if I activated Reversed Heaven, the Cascador wouldn’t speed up, so I’d have to jump off like falling from a horse. So…

My brain, stimulated by an instinctive sense of crisis, spun at dozens of times its usual speed, coming up with a plan.

-I have to destroy it before it hits.

Blocking it with Life Force Technique tentacles was impossible. To counter it, I needed an attack with output equal to the beam.

So… something like Up-hwa’s heat ray.

My right arm was holding Damien, and my left was supporting his head. My mouth was holding the reins.

That left only one usable part.

Well, they say true heroes kill with their eyes. Whoever said that.

“Kenaz!”

I glared at the incoming black beam, focusing the Life Force Technique on my right eye and overlaying it with Rune Flame.

– Fwoosh!

A crimson sphere of flame blocked half my vision. Compressing it further, I reduced it to the size of a pupil and—

Releasing it like letting go of the reins, I fired it toward the Magi beam.

– Kwaoooooo!

The ultra-high-temperature Up-hwa, compressed to its limit, shot out as a heat ray. A strike fueled by all my remaining Life Force Technique.

As Hersela’s voice, endlessly nagging in my head, vanished, the crimson heat ray and black beam collided like a star and meteor.

The next moment, a deafening roar shook the heavens and earth, and black steam spread like a wave.

The Magi beam, pierced by the heat ray, shattered like a snowman hit by a rock, scattering into mist.

Beyond neutralization—annihilation.

The heat ray, having pierced and scattered the Magi beam, continued unabated, plunging into the Starry Whale’s side like a comet.

And then.

“———————!!”

The Starry Whale literally convulsed, writhing as if struck by unimaginable agony. It was a shocking and astonishing sight.

“…Huh?”

I even dropped the reins, letting out a dazed groan.

Because—

– Chiiiiiiik…!

Beyond the Starry Whale’s side, which even Durandal’s slashes and Life Force Technique blades couldn’t scratch, the scenery of the opposite cliff was now clearly visible.

…It went through?

Even I, the one who landed the hit, was baffled. The only difference from previous attacks was overlaying Rune Flame. Just that, and I pierced the body of a Void Being, which only the Holy Sword could injure. How could I not be amazed?

Knut had said the Rune Engraving on me seemed different from others… but I never imagined something like this was possible.

…If I’d known, I’d have saved it.

I regretted wasting the Life Force Technique and Rune Flame on random monsters, but for me, this was nothing short of a miracle.

“——!”

Thanks to that, I closed the distance to the whale in an instant.

“Take this—!”

I thrust Damien’s Holy Sword into the night sky-like wall before me, carefully adjusting the depth to avoid impaling his head.

And then.

– Puuuuuk!

As expected, the pure white blade pierced the Starry Whale’s hide like a drill.

“——!”

The whale let out a roar-like scream as its side was pierced again.

“Ahahahaha!”

Laughing maniacally, I tore through the whale’s hide with the Holy Sword, careful not to break Damien’s body.

The monster’s flesh shredded like minced meat. From the gaping wound, a universe-like substance spilled out, resembling a black hole torn into the purple night sky.

I meticulously tore apart its body.

– Pooook!

Even after the Starry Whale, thrashing wildly, shattered the Cascador with its tail, I continued.

Until the whale, over ten meters long, shriveled like a deflated balloon.

I even roasted it with Rune Flame, driving it insane. Though it wasn’t as powerful as Up-hwa, it only burned the surface without penetrating or melting its body.

The fact that it couldn’t properly respond even as I climbed onto its body and hacked away suggested it had little experience fighting. With an invincible body, it likely just bulldozed through most enemies, never needing to refine its combat skills.

Its species trait of nullifying damage and its overwhelmingly fast and powerful magic abilities had ironically stunted its fundamental combat prowess.

—

About a minute later.

– Shwaaaaaak!

Suddenly, the Chains of Light wrapped around Damien burst into radiant Divine Light, unraveling and scattering.

“……Huh?”

As I was peeling back the Starry Whale’s hide, grinning ear to ear, the chains slapped my cheek like a whip, sending me flying.

“Kek!”

It was probably an accident, but the slap was so fast and powerful I couldn’t react.

“That hurts, you shiny brat!”

I spat blasphemous curses at the radiant white tidal wave, resembling a sun manifesting on earth, as I was flung through the air.

The wave of Divine Light swept over my body.

And then.

– Kwaaaang!

“Kek!”

My body arced through the air and slammed into the ground. A single groan escaped as my spine tingled with pain.

Seriously, what kind of nonsense is this?

Shaking my dizzy head, I brushed off the dirt and pressed my right hand against my head, using the shattered ground to push myself up.

– Kwadduk!

The rock fragments crumbled under the increased pressure of my grip.

I glanced at the dust on my hand and flicked it off a couple of times.

Tap. Tak.

The clinging powder fell away, revealing the pristine skin of my newly grown left hand.