Shinji Matou at Your Service

Luvia's scream was a hundred times more pleasant than the beast's, but it was still a scream, especially when it was so loud. So Shinji gave another tap on the back of her head and coughed.

"Could you keep it down? That thing behind us is noisy enough. Or actually, feel free to scream louder - it'd be great if everyone woke up to see this unusual side of Miss Edelfelt."

This kind of "blame the victim first" behavior nearly brought Luvia to tears of frustration.

"You... you... just wait! I'll kill you for sure, won't even leave ashes behind!"

The vicious-sounding words took on a different flavor due to her embarrassed anger.

Shinji laughed and replied, "Alright, alright, I got it. But if you want to kill me, you'll have to deal with that thing behind us first— Ah, we're here."

Since their original path was blocked by the beast, Shinji had to take a big detour, circling another spiral staircase to return to the great hall.

At the bottom of the staircase, beneath the angel statue, Gray had been waiting for some time. She had placed the unconscious Heine in a corner behind the staircase.

It was clear she had thought it through carefully. The beast's mobility was much stronger than humans, so they needed cover for protection. The corner behind the staircase was the best choice.

"Good job, well done," Shinji said, giving Gray a thumbs up while setting down Luvia he had been carrying on his shoulder.

"Miss Luvia, please look after Mr. Heine and try to wake him up if you can."

Luvia snorted in displeasure but turned and walked into the corner. Despite her dissatisfaction, she knew what needed to be done. She unzipped the back of her stuffed dog toy and took out a gemstone—a qualified magus never lets their guard down, and the toy wasn't just a hobby but also a self-defense tool.

"You've got that trick up your sleeve too, not bad at all," Shinji gave Luvia a thumbs up as well, then said to Gray:

"You stay here and protect them. Do not let them be hit directly by the roar."

"Yes, instructor," Gray agreed.

"Let me borrow your weapon."

"Don't dream. Only Gray can bring out my power, no one else can," Add interjected with his usual tone.

Shinji wasn't bothered. "I don't need any special effects, just maintain the scythe form."

"That's no problem. What are you planning to do?"

"On-site teaching, of course. Didn't Waver tell you? I'm an expert with scythes. Just to be sure, you're not afraid of going head-to-head with that thing, are you?"

"Tch, that monster? Not worthy. Gray, lend me to him. I want to see what he's capable of."

Gray nodded and handed Death Scythe to Shinji.

"Instructor, please be careful."

"Thanks for your concern. But I have to say, it's not me who should be careful, it's that beast."

Before he finished speaking, a roar came from above. The beast had finally arrived.

Shinji calmly snapped his fingers. In an instant, darkness retreated and light enveloped everything.

Everything was under his control, from the beast's movement speed to the upcoming tactics. This snap of his fingers was the first step—turning on the lights.

That's right, turning on the lights. Humans are visual creatures. If they can't see their enemy clearly, their fighting ability is affected. Shinji was no exception. Although he wasn't afraid of the dark, he still preferred to fight in well-lit places.

The bright lights changed the environment and allowed everyone to see the beast's true form.

"I wonder if Ashborn is a fan of D&D (Dungeons & Dragons). This thing looks just like a drider."

A drider, a monster with the lower body of a spider and the upper body of a drow elf. Its fur, covered in blood and mud, looked like metal armor, and its whole body exuded a twisted ferocity.

"—I ask in the name of the angel."

"The Angel of Death, Samael."

"—If you cannot answer, then let me reap."

"With the evening bell, no, with Death Scythe, I'll harvest your soul!"

The monster began to move, its multiple legs and massive bulk giving it an impact force rivaling a battle tank.

Shinji charged forward simultaneously, though compared to the monster's terrifying momentum, his movement was much quieter, making one worry if he might be crushed into meat paste.

However, everyone soon realized this worry was unnecessary. Not only was Shinji unharmed, but he also managed to leave a wound on the monster at the moment of contact.

"Gray, remember this: the scythe is a niche weapon without a specific mastery. You can only figure it out through your exploration. But one thing remains constant, and that's the weapon's inherent characteristics. Your Death Scythe is a long weapon, so you should take advantage of its reach."

The previous exchange demonstrated this principle. The scythe's blade was longer than the beast's claws, so Shinji was able to strike the monster's body first and use the recoil to change direction, successfully avoiding the beast's charge.

Now, Shinji was demonstrating the scythe's second characteristic. He leaped high, using the tip of the scythe blade to stab the humanoid part of the monster's shoulder. The monster swiped at him in retaliation but missed because—

"The blade of Death Scythe is also quite long, almost as long as a one-handed sword. At this length, short claws can't compare."

"The end of the long handle has a spike, which can also be utilized. Like this—block, then counter with an upward strike, a graze, or a pull. It might only cause a superficial wound, but that's how battles are fought. You accumulate small advantages bit by bit until you achieve victory."

"Don't think only the sharp parts can cause damage. Sometimes blunt force can be very effective too. All polearms evolved from sticks, so techniques like sweeping and thrusting are universal."

Shinji demonstrated with his actions, giving Gray a vivid lesson. The monster that had been so intimidating earlier, chasing everyone away, had now become a sturdy moving target. After being beaten by Shinji in various ways for over ten minutes, it hadn't managed to cause Shinji any harm, and its once terrifying appearance had taken on a somewhat pitiful quality.

"That's about it for the basic use of the scythe blade. The next step is to integrate these techniques further and develop your moves. I'm still working on that myself. As for the higher-level transcendent techniques that pursue the essence of 'seeking the way,' I don't understand those yet. Rather than specializing in one weapon, I prefer to utilize the advantages of different weapons for specific situations—for a monster like this, the most suitable weapon would be a hammer. A big hammer, the bigger the better."

"You mean something like this?"

Along with Add's voice, the scythe's form changed. It became an even larger weapon than the scythe blade—a long handle with a massive conical structure at the top.

This was a heavy weapon among heavy weapons, with a limited armament typically requiring multiple people to use—a battering ram.

"...You're impressive."

With Add being so cooperative, Shinji couldn't slack off either.

The beast sensed the danger and let out a massive roar, but its roar was nothing compared to the battering ram. After being shattered head-on, the ram then mercilessly fell upon its body.

First the scythe, then the hammer, plus the red blood flowing from its wounds.