Suddenly, a thunderous roar echoed through the street. It seemed the ground beneath the giant’s feet had finally given way. Ren-kun must have done something.
The sinkhole was deep enough to swallow the giant’s right leg completely. Because of the sudden drop, the left foot he’d intended to crush me with missed its mark, and I narrowly avoided being trampled into the pavement.
『The Malice Barrier weakened just enough for me to intervene at the last second. Honestly, Ruto, you shouldn't be so reckless.』
He wasn't a hologram, exactly, but Ren-kun appeared before me with a faint, transparent shimmer that gave off that impression. It seemed he’d seized the moment when the barrier—the one that had been repelling his interference—faltered to save my life.
The barrier had likely weakened because Godfee had poured everything into his offensive. Between the swarm of Special Individuals and the sheer volume of high-density malice required to form that giant, I suspected he’d sacrificed his defenses to finish me off. In a way, his gamble was both a success and a failure. He had cornered me, certainly, but in doing so, he had left a gap for Ren-kun to slip through.
『I’ll have to be brief; there’s no time. Even with the barrier down, this is likely the only time I can help. No matter who the opponent is, I’m not permitted to exert a major influence on this world. Besides, the barrier is already starting to mend itself.』
Ren-kun spoke with a deeply apologetic expression. Being a god seemed like a constant struggle with celestial red tape. I knew he was helping me to the absolute limit of his power, so I couldn't possibly have any complaints.
A sudden cheer erupted from the distance. I looked over to see thorns of ice coiling around the giant, binding him with a grinding force. A pale blue light radiated from Spira and Lowell, the clear source of the spell’s power.
『Good. It looks like the Spirit God is playing his part too, just as we discussed. He’s using his Apostles to restrain the giant. But it won't last long—he’s also forbidden from excessive interference. You have to find a way to take the giant down while you have this chance, Ruto.』
"Yeah, I'll do it!"
『Thank you. I'm sorry for putting so much on your shoulders.』
With those final words, Ren-kun's figure vanished.
He sounded so guilty, but I’d accepted the role of Apostle knowing full well what I was getting into. There was no need for him to worry. Ren-kun was here, as were Halfa and the others. Whether I was up against an Evil God or a Trial God, I wasn't about to let someone like that do as he pleased.
"Having said that... what's the plan?"
Based on how it felt earlier, hitting the giant with one or two more uses of Clean would barely leave a scratch. He was draped in such high-density malice that it was staggering. My Mana pool was supposedly quite large for my level, so I doubted any of the other adventurers had enough to purify him either.
"A frontal breakthrough is also out of the question."
With the giant restrained, it was the perfect time to strike. The adventurers were throwing everything they had at him, but their attacks didn't seem to be doing much damage. The giant looked annoyed, so the hits weren't completely useless, but there was no way they’d land a fatal blow before the ice melted.
Thinking about efficiency, purification was still the best route—if only I could find a massive source of Mana. I needed something big... Wait, hold on.
I didn't know exactly how much Mana he possessed, but I was staring at a massive source right in front of me. If he was this huge, he had to be packed with it. Even if he wasn't, depleting a creature's Mana usually rendered it immobile. If I could draw Mana from him to purify him, the battle would end as soon as he either turned white or ran dry. It was the perfect feedback loop.
As for an item that could pull off such a feat... I actually had one. The Special Toothpicks. Since the Muscle-yaki stall had been forced to close so abruptly, I had a massive stockpile of them in my inventory. It was finally time for them to shine!
"Rache-san, Zahha-san! I need your help!"
"Oh? What is it, what is it-nya?"
"You've got a plan, haven't you?"
I quickly explained the effect of the Special Toothpicks to them and the other nearby adventurers, asking for their cooperation.
"Nyahaha! That’s our Tort-nya! Just as unpredictable as ever-nya!"
"Toothpicks this time...? Are toothpicks really going to save the city...?"
Rache-san was all for it, while Zahha-san looked like he was suffering through a deep existential crisis at the idea of dental hygiene saving the world. Still, they both promised to help. They weren't the only ones; Masso-san and his Warrior Group joined in, stabbing the giant with toothpicks as if they were personally avenging the loss of their favorite Muscle-yaki.
"What? What... are you... doing?"
The giant noticed and shouted something, but the Spirit God’s restraint held firm. There was nothing he could do.
"Raymond-san, could you fire your strongest fire magic right at his face?"
"Oh? I get to be the finisher? Leave it to me!"
The condition for Self-Clean to activate via the Special Toothpick was for the user to think "It's hot" while in contact with it. Since even a giant would feel the heat of an attack, it should trigger the spell. He still possessed Godfee's consciousness; if flames rushed his face, he’d reflexively think Hot! without even trying.
Raymond-san unleashed a strike with everything he had, the flames roaring toward the giant's eyes. The raw damage might have been minor for a creature of that scale, but the effect was instantaneous.
"Wh-What?! M-My body... my body is disappearing?! Stop it! Stop iiiiiit!"
A brilliance so intense that it was impossible to look at directly burst from the giant's body. An earth-shattering scream followed, echoing through the streets.
It was tough on us—the light and noise were overwhelming—but the giant, Godfee, was having a much worse time. As if in inverse proportion to the intensity of the light, his screams gradually lost their strength until, finally, they faded into a heavy silence.
When the radiance finally vanished, the giant was gone as if he’d been a mere hallucination. In his place lay a single man, collapsed and motionless on the ground. It was Godfee, back in his original human form.
It looked like the matter was finally settled.