I flipped my grimoire open with a flick of my wrist and turned straight to the Card of Heavenly Vow.
The page unfurled in front of me in all its glory. But right now wasn’t the time for flair.
I quickly cut into my palm as thick red blood started dripping down. And then, without hesitating, I wrote—each letter burning itself into the page.
"For the next two minutes, I renounce all defense. I will become as brittle as glass. Even a pebble thrown at me will pass through me like a glass.
In exchange, grant my chains the power to pierce anything equal to the defense I’ve given up."
My hand didn’t even shake as I wrote those words. The vow looked raw and crude on the page, but there’s power in blunt honesty, not in pretty words.
As the final drop of blood touched the parchment, the vow sealed itself with a faint hiss. I felt it at once: an invisible chain tightening around my heart.
A sharp sting ran down my spine, like invisible glass shards scraping across my nerves. I felt it instantly as my body hollowed out. Every muscle and tendon turned brittle, as if the wind itself could snap me in half.
At the same time, the chains at my back coiled and twisted with a sudden surge of ruthless sharpness. Each link felt alive and hungry as if it were an extension of my own intent to kill.
Normally, I could summon five chains at once. But the five that emerged now were different: each tipped with a spear-like head.
I clenched my bleeding hand into a fist as I observed them.
"Two minutes. That’s all I have. There is no room for mistakes."
And then my eyes went to the armadillo, who had noticed my presence and was staring at me with bloodshot eyes.
"Alright then... let’s see how thick your shell really is."
The armadillo let out a hoarse voice as it caught the murderous shimmer of my chains.
Its iron-grey plates shifted, grinding together with a sound like millstones scraping stone. A low rumble vibrated through its chest—a warning, or maybe amusement.
"Easy there, big guy," I muttered, rolling my shoulders. "I’m fragile enough to die if you sneeze at me... so do us both a favor and hold still, yeah?"
With a guttural snort, the beast lunged forward. Dirt and broken roots exploded under its bulk as it charged like a bull.
My heart slammed against brittle ribs. I felt every vibration in the ground as a threat, every quiver in my muscles as a hairline crack.
"God damn it—just my luck to fight an oversized dinner plate now," I hissed.
I willed my chains forward. They shot out in a golden blur with spear-tipped heads gleaming. One struck the armadillo dead-center in its plated forehead—
The recoil jolted up the chain, nearly shattering my arm from the shock. Pain blossomed across my shoulder like firecrackers.
"Oh, come on! Even your face is armored?!" I spat, ducking sideways as the beast’s tail scythed past me, missing my skull by inches. A single brush would’ve shattered me.
Sweat dripped down my temple. My breath felt too loud. It was too risky. Every step had to be perfect.
I circled the armadillo with another chain lashing out—this time targeting the gap behind its front leg.
The tip stabbed in as the beast roared, twisting to slam me with its tail again.
"Careful!" I barked at it, voice high with mock outrage. "One tap, and I’ll be Loki-stained jam on the grass!"
It spun with shell plates rattling, trying to catch me in its blind rush.
I dove aside with ribs screaming at the impact of landing on the hard ground.
"Two minutes," I reminded myself through gritted teeth. "Don’t waste them."
I launched two chains at once. They curved mid-air, weaving past each other like golden vipers.
One ricocheted off a plate. The other plunged into a softer spot near its flank, sinking deep.
Blood spurted out as the armadillo started shrieking before stumbling sideways.
My brittle body felt like a vase dancing on a marble floor. every movement felt like a gamble. One misstep, one wrong move, or a single attack was all it took to end me right now.
But on the other hand, great offensive power surged through me. I could feel it coursing through my veins, hungry for blood.
"Don’t look at me like that," I sneered at the armadillo while panting. "You started it. I’m just finishing it."
It lunged forward again, its plates shivering with rage.
My chains retracted at my command, coiling tight at my back, every spear tip trembling with pent-up force.
I locked eyes with the beast’s bloodshot glare. For a heartbeat, all sound seemed to fade—the distant booms, the rustling leaves, and even my own ragged breathing.
"Alright, dinner plate..." I whispered in a low voice.
As I said those words, all five chains shot forward in perfect unison, spearheads glowing faintly with stolen power. They struck together at the same scar in its flank.
Its shell split open like a shattered boulder. Hot blood gushed across the grass, painting it red.
The armadillo jerked repeatedly while roaring in agony before collapsing sideways. It twitched once, then fell still.
I finally exhaled shakily with my knees buckling. The adrenaline kept me upright for half a heartbeat longer.
My vision blurred at the edges, colors smearing like wet paint.
"Told you..." I rasped with a crooked grin. "Even the toughest shell breaks... if you throw enough insanity at it."
And then, before the last echo of my chains had died away, darkness slammed into me.
I toppled face-first into moss and dirt, the shattered glass cannon finally cracking.
The last thing I saw before blacking out was my grimoire’s page still faintly smoldering with my vow—and the dead armadillo sprawled beside me, shell split wide open.
Loki slept peacefully on the grass as the trial of dominion came to an end.
But beyond the sight of mortal eyes, a ripple spread across the heavens of Aetherwyn.
Clouds parted, and from the vault of the endless sky, a voice unlike any mortal tongue resounded: vast, resonant, and edged with something older than time itself.
"The Holy Grail War has begun."