Looking back, I saw a large chunk had been sheared off the Giant Skeleton’s skull. It must have been from Kase’s leaping strike just moments before.

’But who blocked that fatal blow for me?’

Just then, the Skeleton Giant kicked out again. Kase countered with a backhanded swing of his Axe, striking its shin.

Colin pushed off with both legs, leaping to the side.

The blue, Axe-wielding shadow appeared again, striking the Giant Skeleton’s shin.

The Giant’s attack was knocked off course, allowing Colin to easily dodge the kick.

A flash of insight struck him, and he suddenly recalled his confrontation with the Centurion.

’Back then, the Short Sword had gained a new nick, and no one was there to block it for me when it came down. Could it be that Kase was already... Never mind. I’ll think about it later.’

Colin cut off his train of thought.

He drew the Hand Half Sword from his waist, stood his ground, and re-entered his Sword Dance state.

He couldn’t cast any more Tier One Magic, and he had only enough energy for one or two Cantrips at most. If he charged in rashly again, he’d have no way to dodge the enemy’s attacks.

Just then, Ale’s shout came from the distance.

"The Giant’s weak point is its neck! Cut the back of its neck!"

"Then how are we supposed to knock this thing down?!" Kase roared, swinging his Axe into the Giant’s knee again.

"Grease, Ale!" Colin shouted.

Even as he shouted, he felt a pang of uncertainty.

’Kase is in top form right now, but most of the abilities he’s shown are for protecting others. He doesn’t have any powerful offensive moves.’

’Even if we trip this Giant Skeleton, who among us can land the finishing blow?’

’Wait,’ Colin thought, a flash of inspiration striking him. ’There’s still the Holy Water!’

The Dragon Vein Mage said nothing, silently retrieving a piece of pigskin from her Magic Bag as a Casting Material and beginning to cast.

Seizing the opportunity, Colin launched a Flaming Arrow that slammed into the Skeleton Giant’s face.

The colossus retaliated with a backhanded swing of its Axe at Kase.

The Half-Orc gripped his Battle Axe with both hands and slammed it against the flat of the incoming Giant Axe.

Sparks erupted in a brilliant flash.

Kase’s Shadow Armor flickered violently, looking as if it might shatter at any moment.

They were locked in a stalemate for a moment.

In the end, it was the Giant Axe that yielded. Its trajectory shifted, and it slammed into the empty ground beside them.

Considering the immense difference in size, the scene had a bizarre, surreal quality.

"It’s working! Try to trip it!" Ale’s voice echoed from a distance.

Colin cast another spell. A new Flaming Arrow shot out, striking the Giant Skeleton’s right knee at the same time as Kase’s Battle Axe.

The clumsy Skeleton took the hit and lost its balance, toppling forward.

Colin watched it closely.

Even as it fell, it didn’t give up, reaching out its right hand to grab him.

The phantom from before appeared in front of him again. This time, however, the Giant Skeleton seemed to have put all its strength into the grab, pushing through the phantom’s block in an attempt to seize its troublesome opponent.

Colin leaped back, swinging his sword at the grasping, bony hand.

But the creature’s reach was far greater than he had anticipated. The bony hand seized his torso, clutching him tightly.

Its five bony fingers began to tighten, attempting to crush him to death.

’Damn it...’

Colin cursed inwardly.

The immense pressure made it increasingly difficult to breathe, and waves of pain shot through his arms and chest. He could clearly feel the blade of his Hand Half Sword pressing against his own arm; a sharp, stinging pain was already radiating from his forearm.

"Colin!" Kase’s voice cried out.

This time, Colin noticed a faint, ethereal blue energy appearing on his skin. It expanded outward, inch by inch, forcing the Giant Skeleton’s fingers to loosen just enough to give him a moment to breathe.

’Is this Kase’s ability, too?’

CRASH!

No longer able to support itself, the Giant finally crashed to the ground.

Its fingers went limp, and Colin dropped into the snow.

He got up and saw a bleeding gash on his forearm, just as he’d feared. His Hand Half Sword was now stained with his own blood.

’Damn it, now I’ll have to mend my clothes later.’

’I’ll have to see if an enhanced Radiant Sword can finish this Giant. If it can’t, our team is done for.’

Colin glanced at the Skeleton army on the distant, snowy slope.

They were slowly advancing. If they arrived, neither the team nor the Giant Skeleton could handle an army that large...

He looked up.

The Giant Skeleton was prone on the ground, trying to get back up. Kase was relentlessly attacking its shins, desperately trying to keep it down.

"Colin, now! Finish it! Colin!"

Kase’s shouts reached his ears.

Colin’s entire body ached. That squeeze had been no gentle thing.

But this was no time to dwell on it.

Using the enhanced Speed from his Sword Dance, Colin closed in on the enemy like a gust of wind.

He pulled out the Holy Water Bottle with one hand and smashed it against the Frost Giant Skeleton’s spine.

The Holy Water, blessed by the Gods, splashed out. It corroded the massive vertebrae, sending up puffs of white smoke. Tiny holes visibly pockmarked the bone’s surface.

Immediately after, a Guiding Bolt streaked past him and smashed a small crater into the Giant Skeleton’s skull. The dissipating light quickly coalesced on the Skeleton’s spine, marking its weak point.

VMMMM!

Colin felt the hilt of his sword begin to vibrate for some unknown reason.

The blade in his hand suddenly erupted with a brilliant golden light. Casting Radiant Sword had consumed nearly all his Spiritual Power.

Combat Mage, Blade Spell Mastery, Silent Sword Dance, Weston’s Smoothness... all the Specialties he had accumulated, along with his equipment, activated at once.

At that moment, Colin shone like the sun!

The brilliant golden radiance intertwined with the blood-red light on the blade, creating a chillingly sharp aura.

Kase leaped forward from behind him.

He gripped his Battle Axe tightly with both hands. The muscles beneath his phantom Armor bulged, and the veins under his skin writhed like venomous snakes. White steam rose from the powerful Half-Orc’s body.

CLANG!

Sword and Axe slammed into the Giant Skeleton’s spine at the exact same moment.

With a sharp CRACK, shattered bone fragments exploded outward. The massive skull rolled to the ground, and the azure light in its empty eye sockets faded into motes of light that scattered on the wind.

’Why does Radiant Sword feel so much more powerful this time?’

A flicker of confusion passed through Colin’s mind.

He looked at the Hand Half Sword in his grasp. Its Panel was the same as before, but the hilt was now vibrating slightly. ’Is it my hand shaking, or the sword?’

"We have to go. Now," Kase said, turning his head quickly.

Just as Colin was about to respond, he saw it clearly: faint ripples spreading across the distant snow-covered slope.

The tiny ripples quickly grew into surging waves, which in turn became a raging tide that swept over everything.

Just like the disaster before, thousands of tons of snow came crashing down with a roar. A churning fog of snow blotted out the sky, carrying with it the power of utter destruction as it swept downward, like a great beast baring its fangs.