Hoshino was already extremely familiar with crystal giants.
They were constructs of witchcraft, Leithanien Originium Arts born from the Tower Nobles' year-after-year research. Severely infected people crossed the line and were transformed into exceptionally dangerous war machines.
Their bodies should have been covered in Originium crystals, but necromancers were people with highly refined tastes. Those crystalline layers were in fact intensely personal artistic expressions. Every necromancer's creations bore a distinct individual style that could be recognized at a glance.
This was Hoshino's first time facing so many Leithanien witches, so she had little experience with them.
"Sever!"
Chaotic cherry blossoms scattered through the air.
The giant before her moved on all fours, crystal wings formed upon its back. With a casual sweep, a wild gale mixed with crystal fragments rushed toward her, like blades capable of tearing apart everything in their path.
"Such wildly overgrown, naturalistic aesthetics... and it even has an Originium Arts conversion circuit painted on it. Before being modified, this person must have been a caster who controlled storms. Extravagant."
Hoshino appraised the attack and gave it a fairly positive review. Then, with one slash against the wind, she cleanly and decisively cut it down.
This couldn't go on.
No matter how many of these things she cut down, they were only weapons wielded by the enemies. The necromancer hiding behind them had yet to show himself and had suffered no harm at all.
Hoshino looked at the endless ranks ahead of her and felt even less inclined to put in any effort.
A finishing blow, then.
She set Leoni down and assumed the stance for an iaijutsu strike. Taking a light step forward, she flashed in pale pink light and teleported from one end of the street to the other. Crystal corpses collapsed one after another,