Chapter 31: The Holy Grail War
I flipped my grimoire open with a flick of my wrist and turned straight to the Card of Heavenly Vow.
The page unfurled in front of me in all its glory. But right now wasn’t the time for flair.
I quickly cut into my palm as thick red blood started dripping down. And then, without hesitating, I wrote—each letter burning itself into the page.
"For the next two minutes, I renounce all defense. I will become as brittle as glass. Even a pebble thrown at me will pass through me like a glass.
In exchange, grant my chains the power to pierce anything equal to the defense I’ve given up."
My hand didn’t even shake as I wrote those words. The vow looked raw and crude on the page, but there’s power in blunt honesty, not in pretty words.
As the final drop of blood touched the parchment, the vow sealed itself with a faint hiss. I felt it at once: an invisible chain tightening around my heart.
A sharp sting ran down my spine, like invisible glass shards scraping across my nerves. I felt it instantly as my body hollowed out. Every muscle and tendon turned brittle, as if the wind itself could snap me in half.
At the same time, the chains at my back coiled and twisted with a sudden surge of ruthless sharpness. Each link felt alive and hungry as if it were an extension of my own intent to kill.
Normally, I could summon five chains at once. But the five that emerged now were different: each tipped with a spear-like head.
I clenched my bleeding hand into a fist as I observed them.
"Two minutes. That’s all I have. There is no room for mistakes."