Even though this choice might leave Caliph with a heavy heart like guilt after all the situations unfolded, for now, it was the only way to protect Caliph’s intense desire to protect Evelia.

At this moment, there was a strange feeling of understanding why Caliph wanted so desperately to protect Evelia. Somehow, I felt that Caliph’s heart, which had been blindly devoted to Evelia until now, was a bit more understandable.
“-There seems to be nothing good in dragging this out further, but do you need some mental preparation?”

Felix provocatively asked Caliph with a mocking tone, focused solely on annihilating the monster in front of him.

“If you needed mental preparation at this point, you probably wouldn’t have faced that gruesome thing.”

-Well, then there’s no need to stand here dragging time like this. What should we do? Act more like your usual self.

Felix willingly pushed Caliph forward. Caliph, who had briefly smirked at his words, took a deep breath as if waiting for it. Then, without any hesitation, he rushed towards Yustia.

The body that had felt light as Felix absorbed into the sword now felt even lighter. The legs that crossed with strength were almost invisible unless focused on.

He charged fiercely. Then, without hesitation, he swung the sword towards Yustia.

He smoothly cut off the arms and legs that grotesquely clung to her torso. After that, like before, thorny things stretched out from the cut surface, rising sharply like thorns.

As their numbers increased, attacking became increasingly challenging. However, there was no way to stop. If he stopped here, he would eventually have to sacrifice his life to that gruesome thing.

The endless confrontation continued. In a moment when his breath was getting heavy, and movements were becoming sluggish, the monster, which had been defensively postured, suddenly moved agilely as if it had been waiting. It swung its pointed arms.

Startled by the unexpected attack, Caliph quickly avoided it, but he couldn’t completely evade the attack.

The sharp thorn grazed his left arm. Crimson blood oozed out unexpectedly deep compared to what seemed like a light scratch.

Caliph looked at the bleeding spot with a bitter smile. It seemed that the creature kept only defending while waiting for him to lose strength.

Doing so would be a way to avoid fatal attacks while harming himself. Caliph’s eyes, already more intense, stared at the monster. Then, at that moment, Felix’s worried voice infiltrated his ears.

“-Hey, are you okay?”

“As you said, we need to find a way to harm it with the least possible attack.”

It was an answer that didn’t match Felix’s question at all. However, Caliph, like someone who couldn’t feel anything strange, fiercely tore into the monster.

Thinking that cutting off the limbs of the corpses attached to Yustia’s body would allow an attack on the heart, it might be better to directly target the heart. Although the arms and legs of the corpses that had already turned into thorns could pose a threat to me, considering such things, it seemed impossible to defeat the opponent in any way.
The decision was quickly solidified. Caliph took a deep breath, gathered the remaining energy at his fingertips, and then whispered towards Felix.

“I’m thinking of attacking the monster’s heart directly this time.”

-Aren’t there things like thorns attached to that creature’s torso?

“Even if you cut them off, they regenerate when you turn your back. Considering such things, it’s impossible to harm the creature.”

Caliph stated firmly. Felix, acknowledging the truth, let out a deep sigh. Then, with a voice full of concern, he asked,

-Are you okay? You might get hurt a lot.

“It doesn’t matter. I told you from the beginning. If I can protect Evelia, my life doesn’t matter.”

Caliph responded resolutely. His unwavering determination was clearly reflected in his voice.

Felix already knew well about his conviction and similar feelings. Therefore, Felix didn’t try to dissuade him unnecessarily. After all, he knew better than anyone that Caliph was not a man to be persuaded easily.

-All right. Then give it your all. If you succeed, I’ll also do my best to finish off that creature.

Felix encouraged Caliph with a voice lightly laced with laughter. As if it were a signal, Caliph exerted strength in his footsteps. Then, once again, he rushed energetically towards the monster.

Felix, for his part, poured all the energy he could into Caliph. Perhaps for the moment that might be the last, he willingly did so.