The greatest problem with the fake Big Kroom was its regeneration ability.
According to Pier, in order to solve this, his great sword was said to be imbued with the power of destruction.
Simply put, any living creature that came into direct contact with the sword would suffer wounds that made regeneration or recovery impossible, allowing for literal severing as the words suggested.
"No, why are you only saying this now!" Simon exclaimed excitedly.
Pier clicked his tongue. [Because I'm in a situation where I can't go out.
Look! There are too many eyes watching.]
Indeed, it was true.
Given the emergency, over ten observers were circling around Big Kroom.
"Is there any chance I could borrow Pier's sword?" [This is a sword of the dead made from a part of my body! No one but me can wield it, let alone lift it.]
After a moment of contemplation, Simon snapped his fingers and smiled.
"Then how about this method?" [Go ahead and tell me.]
After listening to Simon's explanation, Pier burst into loud laughter. [What a crazy idea!] "If we lose, we lose, right? Let's at least give it a try." [Alright!]
As Simon opened a spatial pocket, Pier dropped the great sword onto the ground.
Just to check, Simon grabbed the handle, but it did not budge at all.
"Then, I will begin."
Simon opened the spatial pocket once more.
This time, it was not the earthen floor.
Whoooosh! Using Pier's great sword as the ground, he opened the spatial pocket.
Moments later, Pier's skeletal arm reached out from within the pocket and grasped the sword's handle.
"Got it! Just hold it straight!" With a creaking sound, Pier's arm emerged from the spatial pocket, moving the great sword upright.
Simon and Erzebet gasped in unison.
"It worked!" "Indeed, the commander’s strategy is remarkable!"
[Remarkable? What a joke!] Pier's clone shouted in disbelief. [You want me to swing the sword in this state? I can barely hold it!] "Just holding it is enough," Simon said as he approached and placed his hand over the handle of the great sword that Pier was holding.
Pier, using his clone to gain sight, instinctively exerted strength.
"Hold it upright!" At Simon's command, Pier moved the great sword, and it moved as if Simon was wielding it himself.
Of course, Simon was merely pretending to hold it; the weight and power of the sword were supported by Pier.
"You're doing great!" [......
This feels strange.
I've never held a sword like this in my life, living or dead.] "It can't be helped. It's better than being chased by Kizen," Erzebet said as she pulled threads from her fingertips to create clothing.
She then tied the point where the great sword and Pier's arm were visible, making it invisible.
With this, they were perfect.
"...... But that aside."
Simon felt a slight dizziness.
The ring on his finger was continuously sucking in the pitch blackness.
"Keeping the spatial pocket open consumes quite a bit of pitch blackness."
"If we do this, it will also strain the spatial pocket. Let's turn it off until we reach Big Kroom," Simon said as he closed the spatial pocket and retrieved Pier's great sword before running.
It seemed like he would have to run for a long time, but fortunately or unfortunately, Big Kroom was smashing through the southern islands and changing direction back toward the central Kera Island. 'We must absolutely prevent him from reaching Kera Island.' Today was the third day of the island survival event.
Almost all the students were gathered on Kera Island.
If Big Kroom attacked Kera Island, a definite order to halt the exam would be issued, and in the worst-case scenario, a disaster could occur.
As Simon ran, he activated the magical communication device.
"Lorraine! Can you hear me?" A crackling sound was heard, and after a moment, Lorraine's voice came through. -I can hear you well! But the situation is not good.
The monster is heading back to the central island.
"I see it too. I have a way to take down that monster!" -What is it? "I have a weapon that suppresses regeneration. I need to use it myself. Can you hold the monster's arms for just five minutes? Please relay this to Serne too!"
After saying this, Simon thought he might have been too abrupt without explanation.
However, -Got it.
Lorraine replied coolly and cut off the communication.
She turned her gaze to Serne, who was flying nearby.
"Did you hear that?" "Hah."
Serne scoffed.
"Who does he think he is, ordering us around?" "Simon has a way to suppress recovery. Do you have another method?" "Do you really believe that?" "Yes."
Lorraine nodded as if it were obvious.
"I absolutely believe it."
"......." "You take the left hand."
Lorraine said only that and moved her skeletal horse away. '......
Hah.' For Serne, it was hard to understand the situation.
When she looked down, she saw Simon truly charging at Big Kroom. -Your method only increases the number of enemies.
"Ah, seriously!" Serne muttered irritably, crossing her arms.
Countless feathers began to scatter from her body into the air.
Meanwhile, Simon had now reached right in front of Big Kroom's foot.
The giant leg was not just kicking up dust; it was raising sandstorms.
"Erzebet! Are you ready?" "Anytime!" "Here I go!" The moment Big Kroom's foot touched the ground, Simon jumped up with all his might, landing on the top of the foot.
Whoosh! He then plunged the great sword into the top of Big Kroom's foot.
Feeling the pain, the giant's eyes turned downward.
Just feeling the gaze of that monster made cold sweat pour down. 'Here I go.' There was no time to hesitate.
Simon began to run, activating the pitch blackness in his body while the great sword was embedded in the foot.
From the top of the foot to the ankle, from the ankle to the leg.
"Hah!" He ran straight up while keeping the great sword embedded.
Whether Pier's words about the power of destruction were true or not, the places where the great sword cut did not heal at all.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Big Kroom was not idle either.
The biological bandages that wrapped around its body began to tear and fly toward Simon.
Simon focused his eyes. '......
Concentrate!' He recreated the mental image that Bahil had taught him.
Time slowed down, and the speed of his running and the speed of the flying bandages began to feel like slow motion.
Simon twisted his body and head to dodge the bandages while keeping the great sword embedded.
"You need to run while making deeper wounds with the great sword!" Erzebet, who was transforming into a bread, shouted.
She was running alongside him.
"We need to keep causing pain to reduce the frequency of attacks!" "Got it!" Indeed, as he ran while embedding the sword deeper, he could feel the frequency of attacks decreasing.
However, this time, from the abdomen, flesh began to squirm up, and a third arm shot out with a whoosh!
'There’s an arm on its belly too?!' It came down with an open palm to grab Simon.
"I'll take care of it!" Erzebet rushed ahead of Simon, colliding head-on with the third arm.
She grabbed the arm and shouted, "Hurry up!" "Thank you!" Passing Erzebet, Simon now reached the area where the giant's navel was located.
But then, the surroundings darkened.
Big Kroom's enormous right hand was coming down to grab Simon.
From behind, Erzebet shouted for him to dodge, but Simon bit his lip and ran straight ahead.
Whoosh! At that moment, Big Kroom's wrist was completely severed.
Above the severed wrist, Lorraine was seen standing.
"Keep running, Simon!" Two horns reminiscent of a demon grew straight from her head.
Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Every time the ebony dagger in her hand danced, the monster's arm split apart like butchered meat.
In an instant, she leaped into the air, having severed the entire right arm up to the shoulder, landing on the waiting skeletal horse. 'As expected, Lorraine!' With Big Kroom losing its right arm, it now extended its left arm.
Whoosh! Black feathers wrapped around Big Kroom's left arm.
Serne elegantly swung her arms as she released her crossed arms. <Chains of Ten Thousand Wings> Clang! Clang!
The feathers disassembled into a magic circle and soon transformed into chains that connected to each other.
The links of the chains fit together perfectly, forming a twisted chain that bound the left arm and fixed it to the sky. -Aaaaaaaah! Big Kroom roared in fury, shaking its left arm, but the chains only clanked without breaking.
The creature ultimately moved its right arm, which had been severed by Lorraine.
The seven pieces of flesh stuck together like sticky jelly and slowly began to return to their original form.
Lorraine, riding the skeletal horse, flew at high speed while swinging her ebony dagger.
Swoosh! This time, it was a chopping motion.
The central part of the arm was sliced into equal rectangles and scattered in all directions.
However, before it could completely scatter in the air, the flesh pieces were quickly connected by a sticky liquid.
The only effective strike was Simon, who was climbing up while cutting Big Kroom with Pier's great sword.
"Hah! Hah! Hah!" Having climbed up to his chest, Simon was already feeling the limits of his stamina.
No, it wasn't just feeling; he had already surpassed his limits several times.
The great sword was held by Pier, but while running at a steep angle, he had to maintain the spatial pocket and dodge the incoming bandages.
The conditions were undoubtedly extreme.
Even so, 'I will definitely make it!' If he fell now, he would surely die.
With the vast scenery below him, Simon forced his legs to move. 'Ah!' At that moment, his right foot, which was stepping on the chest, suddenly lost strength, causing him to stumble.
Simon's body swayed greatly and was about to fall. -Oh my, are you already tired? A feather fluttered in front of Simon's face. 'Serne?'
Swish! Swish! Swish! Feathers began to stick to Simon's back. -I'll give you a push.
The feathers immediately disassembled into a magic circle and unleashed tremendous power.
Like a booster, the power surged forth, allowing Simon to step on the giant's chest with his right leg.
"Hah!" He ran again.
With the feathers supporting him from behind, it took much less effort.
He felt as if he were flying.
"Hah!" Letting out a rough shout, he stepped on the shoulder and soared up.
Finally, the open sky came into view.
There was nothing above anymore.
To the side, he could see the giant's shoulder and neck.
Simon now ran toward the neck while stepping on the shoulder. 'Pier!!' [I'm ready, boy!] Simon was charging forward.
The observers were watching from around.
And beyond them, Serne wore a complicated expression.
'......
Simon Polentia.' In truth, she had been thinking of replacing the commander with someone else.
What she needed was not the boy Simon, but the undead he possessed.
And the power of the commander.
If she could obtain the legion right away, there were countless necromancers in the Ivory Tower who would become endlessly strong, and Simon was destined to disappear, no matter what.
However, as Simon led his legs to their limit, with the fierce wind distorting his facial features, the sight of the boy charging solely toward the monster's neck while shouting in defiance was etched into Serne's retina.
An indomitable will that would never break. 'Could such a thing be possible for the necromancers of the Ivory Tower? Could they even imitate it?'
Having overcome all obstacles, Simon finally reached the giant's neck and swung the pure white great sword with explosive force.
Whoooooosh! The world split in two.
The giant's neck, which was dozens of times larger than Simon, was cleanly severed in half, revealing a smooth cross-section.
Serne felt swept away by a flood of exhilaration.
This was undeniable. 'Unparalleled.'
No one from the Ivory Tower could replace Simon Polentia. [Hahaha! You did it! Boy! You did it!] At Pier's shout, Simon smiled back.
As the severed head of the giant flew away, Simon's body also seemed to lose balance and was about to topple over.
High in the air, the cold wind blew fiercely, and Simon felt a thrilling sensation.
And then, "Simon!" His consciousness faded away.