The chaotic, distorted whispers of the followers grew louder, mocking Kawashima Toya's perceived madness and futility.
There's no point in arguing with the dead, he thought.
He swung his blade, cleaving through the nearest flame giant.
The Star-Holy Sword sliced through the creature's torso as if it were air, parting the flames with ease.
However, the severed halves didn't dissipate.
Instead, each piece began to reform into a distinct, smaller entity.
The two new giants lacked the overwhelming presence of the original, but they were no less aggressive.
They're functionally immortal?
Realizing their nature, Toya prepared to invoke his Mystic Eyes of Death Perception.
"Forbidden!"
The grand voice of the Great Old One, Cthugha, boomed across the sky.
Toya paused. Though it was a single word, the message was clear.
Cthugha was forbidding him from using the Mystic Eyes.
"Fine. Since you're a Great Old One, I'll play by your rules for now."
Toya lowered his gaze and charged back into the endless sea of fire.
If he couldn't kill them conceptually, he would simply slaughter them until they couldn't maintain their physical forms.
It was a war of attrition.
Every time a giant fell, it split into two new monsters.
The cycle repeated endlessly, and though the giants grew smaller with each division, they remained tireless.
They threw themselves at him with suicidal fervor, seeking only to draw a single drop of blood.
Fortunately, the white tailcoat Nyaruko had provided proved its worth.
It remained pristine, shielding him from the intense thermal damage.
Without the suit, he would have been forced to fight in his most vulnerable state.
Still, the battle felt like a marathon with no finish line in sight.
Only Toya's iron will kept his movements fluid and precise.
What a tedious trial, he sighed, his expression remaining neutral.
He slaughtered the giants over and over, losing track of how many thousands of times he had swung his blade.
The monsters that once stood three stories tall were now reduced to the size of children.
At the start, killing one required a full-body cleave.
Now, he could crush them under his heel with a casual step.
His movements had become mechanical, his muscles moving by pure instinct to find the most efficient path.
Toya looked at the swarming masses of tiny flame creatures with dull eyes.
"The offer still stands... please, grant me your deaths."
The golden radiance of the Star-Holy Sword swept through the crowd, clearing a wide path.
The area surrounding Toya became a sanctuary of silence amidst the chaotic fire.
Anything that stepped within his reach was instantly erased.
The battle raged on for seven full days.
.....
Edge of the Flame World
Nyaruko, still dressed in her checkered skirt, watched the scene as her silver ahoge twitched with pride.
"See, Kuuko? I told you Darling was strong."
"He just fought through your entire legion single-handedly."
"It's not enough," a voice replied.
Unlike the divine voice Toya heard, the one speaking to Nyaruko was a clear, slightly haughty female voice.
"He passed the trial, but he's still far from the standard I require."
"Mastery of martial arts alone won't get him where he needs to be."
"He needs to reach that state through his own struggle, refining himself in the process."
Nyaruko's ahoge slumped slightly, her expression turning dejected.
"But I'm not good at teaching martial arts," she muttered.
"Your skills wouldn't help him anyway. No one's would. He has to realize it on his own."
Toya, of course, was unaware of the conversation between the two Old Ones.
He had reached the final moment of the trial.
The flame giants had been sliced and diced until they were no bigger than action figures.
They were no longer a threat, but their numbers covered every inch of the flame world.
"It's time to bring this to a close."
Toya gripped the hilt of the Star-Holy Sword with both hands.
He took a deep breath and prepared to release its True Name.
"Let's settle this!"
"Excalibur!"
A pillar of brilliant golden light erupted from the blade, drowning out the crimson hue of the fire world.
The monotonous red was shattered by a second sun.
This was the holy light of the planet, a judgment meant to purge everything in the Savior's path.
The tiny flame dolls rushed toward him, undeterred by the impending doom.
Toya stood tall, his white tailcoat fluttering in the divine wind.
"It's over."
He swung the sword down, and the golden pillar swept across the horizon.
In an instant, the blinding radiance incinerated every last remnant of the flame legion.
The world of fire began to dissolve, the red walls of heat crumbling away.
The scorched desert returned to its original state.
Flecks of golden light lingered in the air, celebrating his victory.
One trial down, Toya murmured, exhaling slowly to recover his stamina.
If his guess was right, there were more to go before he faced Cthugha's avatar.
"Thou has completed the trial."
Cthugha's grand voice returned, echoing through the empty wasteland.
"Now, the final battle thou has yearned for begins."
"If thou art victorious, the world shall return to its original state."
"If thou art defeated, thou shalt perish here."
"Dost thou accept this challenge?"
"Don't do it, Darling!"
Before Toya could answer, Nyaruko's voice cut in urgently.
"You can't win this fight right now!"
"Kuuko is a total cheater!"
"She's currently in an 'Invincibility' state, and she's banned you from using the Mystic Eyes."
Invincibility? Toya blinked.
"A Great Old One like Cthugha is actually resorting to that?"
"She's an Outer Deity. Why would she care about something as petty as cheating?"
Nyaruko sounded like she was nodding in agreement.
"I know, right? It's completely shameless."
"But Kuuko doesn't care about honor. She just doesn't want you to win."
"Besides her invincibility, she's also using a 'Robot Summoning' cheat."
"If you agree to this fight, she's going to fill the sky with Strike Freedom Gundams."
"And every single one of them will be aiming their beam cannons directly at you!"