I quickly agreed, nodded and summoned Somnia into reality. Then, I wrapped Somnia around one of Theodore’s arms. This way, he could hear Somnia’s voice too.

“Somnia will tell you the monster’s weakness. Keep her wrapped around your arm, it will help.”

“Ah… Understood. Thank you.”

Theodore awkwardly glanced at Somnia. Somnia responded bluntly.

– What are you looking at? I’m not exactly thrilled to be wrapped around your arm either.

“No… I mean… I’m counting on you.”

– Hmph.

Soon after, the leader monster fully emerged from the rift, and Theodore began to engage it.

The knights took care of the smaller ones that followed. Seizing the moment, I approached the rift closely.

The rift stretched high, seemingly reaching the end of the sky. Being a substantial rift, closing it would require a lot of time and energy.

‘Caligo, Frigga.’

Both spirits promptly followed my commands. Caligo restrained or flung away the smaller monsters rushing at me, while Frigga wrapped around me for protection, concentrating spirit power at my fingertips.

My hand was enveloped in the light and began emitting my spirit power. I touched the rift. From that point, the rift began to rapidly heal.

Through the gap in the rift, I glimpsed into another dimension filled with chaos. It was an indescribable, vast landscape, resembling a hastily painted oil canvas or a stormy sea churning in a whirlpool.

‘…It’s a view I can never get used to.’

If left unattended, our world could change into that chaos.

– Be careful!

Somnia’s urgent cry came. I glanced back without removing my hand from the rift. A ferocious monster was unleashing a relentless assault on Theodore.

The monster was as large as an ancient tree, the biggest problem was its abnormally large hands.

‘And that tail…’

The monster swung its tail and hands wildly, gradually pushing Theodore back little by little. Even though Seraphim was performing admirably, it was clear they needed additional support from other spirits.

‘….I need to hurry.’

I poured every ounce of my physical and mental energy into amplifying my spirit power. A blinding light converged at my fingertips, spreading out and sealing the rift much faster than before.

Finally, the rift closed completely.

‘I did it…!’

Drained from the effort, I staggered when I let go of the rift. There was no time to rest. I gathered my remaining strength and rushed towards where Theodore was.

‘Caligo, Frigga!’

At my command, Caligo’s darkness bound the leader monster’s movements. As if waiting for this moment, Seraphim blinded the beast with its blue flames.

The monster’s sharp, elongated screams seemed to shake the earth and sky. Then, Frigga’s chill dispersed in the air.

Sharp ice crystals formed and bombarded the monster like a barrage.

– Ah, when will this thing die?

Somnia echoed my frustration. The leader monster was a leader for nothing. It was resilient despite being pierced by numerous ice crystals, and continued to thrash.

That’s when Theodore shouted to me.

“Lily! Can you use Caligo’s power to smash the monster’s head into the ground? I’ll cut off its neck!”

“Got it!”

I responded right away and expanded Caligo’s shadows to wrap around the monster’s head.

Given the creature’s height, over 5 meters tall, it would be challenging for Theodore to leap high enough to sever its neck efficiently.

But with Caligo’s power, we could pin it to the ground, giving Theodore the chance to strike its neck.

As the monster continued to resist, Caligo’s irritation spread to me. It was unusual for the composed Caligo to show such frustration. Showing the extent of the monster’s provocation.

Darker shadows fully suppressed the monster’s head and torso. At that moment, I bled from overexerting myself, but I stood firm, determined.

Thud!

The massive body of the monster was finally slammed to the ground.

Seizing the moment, Theodore leaped high and swung his sword, decapitating the monster in one clean stroke.

The cleanly severed head rolled away from its body, hitting the ground.

Landing on the ground, Theodore turned to look at me, our gazes locking.

“…Theodore! Watch out!”

The tail of the monster, thought to be dead, lashed out in a final act of defiance.

Struck by the tail’s tip, Theodore’s body was flung far away.

My vision blurred red and I couldn’t see everything else. Ignoring my own limits, I froze the monster’s massive body with Frigga’s cold.

Then, I ran towards Theodore, who was lying in the distance.

Blood from his head soaked the earth beneath him.

__