Chapter 38: What a Coincidence
He still remembered his days in training when the instructor had specifically warned them that standard swordsmanship was most effective against humanoid foes. "If you ever face something enormous, many-limbed, or monstrously deformed, don't try to suppress it with swordsmanship. Use divine magic immediately!"
He finally understood that advice. When the enemy was no longer human, most sword techniques lost their purpose—and could even become fatal openings.
The paladin had already taken several hits after just a few exchanges. If not for the durability of his armor, he would've been carved into pieces. The living mercury, now unshackled, moved with the manic delight of a child who had just discovered a new toy. It attacked with increasing fervor, its body warping into impossible shapes, striking from angles the paladin's training could never anticipate.
The tide turned swiftly. Seeing his disadvantage, the paladin's sword flared with holy radiance once more—but this time, lightning arced along the blade as well.
This was an advanced variant of Sacred Slash, infused with the power of thunder.
He had meant to save it for Ambrose, but who would've thought he'd be driven to desperation by such a bizarre creature?
The heavens themselves seemed to roar as the thunderous blade descended. Even though the living mercury conjured several long swords of its own to block, the divine strike was unstoppable. This empowered Sacred Slash could pierce through even the monster's innate resistance to inflict a fearsome wound.
Yet in the end, the sword only severed one of the creature's arms.
"I missed? How can that be?!"