I Don’t Want to Be a Heroic Spirit

Size has its advantages, and so does agility.

Compared to the Abyssal King Rifthound's colossal 800-meter-long body, Kiichi Hougen was as small as a mosquito.

But that very size made the Abyssal King Rifthound unwieldy and slow.

As she dodged another swipe of its massive claw, Kiichi Hougen slashed out with her long blade, sending wave after wave of wind-forged sword energy slashing into the beast's body.

The Abyssal King Rifthound roared in fury, its enormous tail whipping around like a gale-laden whip. However, with a light beat of her wings, Kiichi Hougen dove downward in an elegant arc, causing the attack to miss entirely.

Then, above her, ominous energy began to gather once more.

The Abyssal King Rifthound was attempting the same move: condensing the abyssal power into its maw, preparing to unleash another devastating breath attack.

"You're seriously trying to pull off a move that requires a charge-up time in front of me? What's wrong with your brain?" Kiichi Hougen sneered as she glanced upward.

The next moment, the sky was suddenly painted in resplendent, divine gold.

Like the wrath of a god descending upon the earth, a lightning-forged spear materialized, crackling with divine fury, and slammed down upon the Abyssal King Rifthound's head.

The brilliant radiance of the lightning could have seared the eyes of any who dared look at it, and the thunderous roar of its impact could have shattered eardrums.

The thunderous strike cracked open the beast's forehead, scattering fragments of its charred outer shell in all directions.

The Abyssal King Rifthound's attack was interrupted, but the energy already gathered in its maw began to destabilize, erupting in a violent explosion within its own mouth.

BOOM!

The shockwave from the explosion was so intense that even Kiichi Hougen was pushed back, her wings fluttering to stabilize her mid-air. She narrowed her eyes, peering through the thick cloud of smoke engulfing the beast's head.

Although the Abyssal King Rifthound was born of abyssal energy, the backlash from this explosion had clearly done significant damage.

So when the beast emerged from the smoke, its face fractured and riddled with gaps, Kiichi Hougen wasn't the least bit surprised.

Hovering mid-air, she took a few deep breaths, her reserves of magic power already replenished.

"The problem right now… is landing a decisive blow, isn't it?"

She frowned slightly, glancing at the absurdly massive form of the beast before her.

"If it were a Holy Sword wielder's weapon, it would probably obliterate it completely, leaving nothing behind—assuming enough magic energy were provided."

In the Fate universe, the most iconic Noble Phantasm was undoubtedly Excalibur, the Sword of Promised Victory. Forged from humanity's faith and crystallized within the planet's core, it was the ultimate god-crafted weapon—a symbol of unparalleled power and honor.

By concentrating the wielder's magic into pure light, it unleashed torrents of radiance capable of obliterating entire cities with ease.

If Excalibur were fully unleashed, it would surely make short work of the Abyssal King Rifthound.

"A celestial-forged Holy Sword, huh… Even someone like me, who doesn't care about much, can't help but admire its glory." Kiichi Hougen mused wistfully. "Too bad Chaldea has so many Artorias, yet not the original Blue Saber… Hmm?"

Her thoughts were interrupted as she noticed the Abyssal King Rifthound gathering its purple-black energy once more.

"Again? Haven't you learned your lesson yet?"

Initially assuming it was another breath attack, she quickly realized she was wrong.

Without any noticeable charge-up time, the Abyssal King Rifthound fired a purple-black energy projectile shaped like a wolf's head directly at her.

With a graceful beat of her wings, Kiichi Hougen darted away, but the wolf head relentlessly chased her.

"A homing attack, is it?"

Her voice carried a hint of surprise before she chuckled wryly.

She conjured an ice spear imbued with freezing energy and hurled it at the pursuing projectile. When the spear collided with the wolf-shaped energy, it detonated in a powerful explosion.

Sparing only a glance at the dissipating energy, she turned her focus back to the Abyssal King Rifthound.

The beast, undeterred by the loss of its projectile, opened its maw again, releasing three identical wolf-head projectiles aimed from three different directions.

Seeing the incoming projectiles brimming with corrosive power, Kiichi Hougen grinned and didn't dodge. Instead, she accelerated straight toward one of them.

The wolf head opened its jaws wide to devour her, but what met it was the gleam of a crescent-shaped blade.

BOOM!

The severed projectile detonated upon impact, its purple-black energy unleashing a wave of abyssal heat and light that enveloped Kiichi Hougen.

The remaining two projectiles followed suit, erupting in deafening explosions.

This abyssal energy, like nuclear radiation, was devastating to all living beings in this dimension.

The Abyssal King Rifthound fixed its gaze on the epicenter of the blasts, its massive, scarred body tensing as it moved forward.

And then… it realized it couldn't move.

Turning its head, it saw icy chains glowing with frost, binding it tightly. It had no idea when these chains had coiled around it.

"ROOAAARRR!!"

The sensation of being restrained drove the beast into a frenzy. It thrashed wildly, attempting to break free.

"If I want to destroy you, scattered attacks won't work," Kiichi Hougen remarked calmly, her figure illuminated by the dissipating energy waves. The green winds of the element of Anemo gathered around her, causing her flowing white hair to dance like ethereal silk.

"I'd need something like a Holy Sword or a Holy Lance—something that concentrates the user's magic to the utmost degree before releasing it all at once. Only then can I inflict serious damage."

She looked down at her weapon with a faint smile.

"I could theoretically compress elemental energy using my own body, but I lack a weapon capable of withstanding such power. The ones I forged myself, while serviceable, would likely shatter if forced to bear such intensity."

She sighed wistfully, gripping her bow with one hand and nocking an arrow with the other.

"Ah… It's truly heartbreaking. These weapons have served me well."

As she drew the bowstring, the winds howling around her coalesced, pouring into the small arrow.

For the first time, the Abyssal King Rifthound felt the presence of death looming over it.

"This might not reach the level of smiting gods, rending skies, or shattering stars… but it should be more than enough for you."

With a soft murmur, Kiichi Hougen released the arrow.

The arrow, infused with the concentrated fury of the wind, broke the sound barrier instantly. Before the shockwave of its flight reached anyone's ears, the storm-like fang struck the Abyssal King Rifthound's neck with catastrophic force.

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