This time, Airi did not use the same technique as before—projecting weapons and directly unleashing their abilities. In a sense, that merely copied the wielder's powers through the weapon, and was still a form of magic. If she wanted to rely entirely on pure divine power, the best method was to summon the spirit itself to fight.
"Shidunai!!"
At Airi's cry, the white-robed girl raised the short sword in her hand. The enormous white bear beside her roared and charged forward, rearing up and bringing both forepaws crashing down on the monster before it. The creature's blade was utterly useless against the bear. Though it let out a ghostly shriek and swung its longsword wildly, the sharp edge did not leave even the slightest mark on the bear's body. Instead, the bear's paws came down like massive hammers, smashing the monster to pieces.
"Graaah—!!!"
Perhaps realizing it had reached the brink of death, the monster shrieked and launched a sudden attack. The white bear, however, dodged the Shadow Monster's counterattack with an agility utterly at odds with its size. At the same time, the white-robed girl leaped onto its back, somehow now holding a bow. She drew it, aimed at the Shadow Monster, and fired.
The ice-forged arrow pierced straight through the Shadow Monster as it flailed its blade in rage and pain. Freezing air erupted outward, completely encasing it in ice. The Shadow Monster's body abruptly froze, then slowly faded into the air.
"Phew..."
At the same time, the spirit Airi had summoned vanished as well. Only then did she finally let out a breath of relief.
Not long after the monster was destroyed, the atmosphere around them seemed to return to normal. The enormous moon disappeared, and the blood-soaked, shadow-filled sight that had covered the city vanished as