Considering power throw was enough to shatter the vial, I'm sure Kurono's powerful shots will also cause a detonation.

The skull beast is still furiously slashing away at Aria, Kaede and the red haired girl. Being undead, it probably has no concern for fatigue. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the girls, who have mostly stopped attacking and are now just evading and distracting for dear life. Even Seria has stopped, looking fatigued from repeated spell casts.

This is going to work. It must. Retreat will kill us all, and we haven't done enough damage.

"Yuuzu! Don't strain yourself! Can you really use a full power Radiant Fetters?" Rishya cries.

Yuuzu pats Rishya's head, and then raises her hands and chants under her breath, nodding at me.

I light the fuse on Kurono's arrow. She pops it on her bowstring, glaring at me.

I take a deep breath, and then shout.

"Get back!!"

The girls in melee all retreat. The beast now has no barrier to charging right at this position where us squishies are. I suppose I have to thank it for not being too bright. A somewhat cleverer enemy would have purely focused on where the most obviously dangerous attacks, like Seria's lightning blasts, came from. But it's very much like it has a short attention span, focusing purely on destruction. When it has such power and infinite endurance, though, does it really need more than this rage?

This time, five chains of light shoot out from Yuuzu's hands. Two of them are intercepted by scythe slashes, and are destroyed in screeching shattering bursts, but the remaining three circle round the two front legs and the tail with precise control before it can pounce to jump away.

It reminds me of a scene from a certain classic space movie showing a battle on an icy planet.

The chains snap taut, and the beast falls in a cloud of dust.

Almost instantly, it smashes one of the leg restraints as it struggles against them. Yuuzu staggers as if she is physically hurting from this damage, with a line a blood dripping from her eyes as she grimaces.

But it’s long enough. Kurono aims at the tail, draws back fully, and lets the impromptu explosive arrow fly.

...

...

KRAAAAKOOOOMM!!

The tail erupts in blazing white fire, raining debris. The shockwave and flash being so close makes us all stagger back a step. My ears ring. A shard of bone or something clips my forehead, giving me quite a start from the sting.

Kurono gapes and looks incredulous, as if she is thinking "I did that!?”. I guess she was out cold when the first one saved her and Yuuzu.

I watch the beast intently. The dust clears. It is clear most of the ribcage has been disintegrated this time along with the back left leg. The tail is hung by a string and the crystal... is cracked and is dripping blue fluid.

It tries to pull itself up, the roar more of a pathetic whine this time.

It -still- wasn't enough!?

"No... your time is over. Go meet your ancestors. Kali send you!" The red haired girl shouts, and takes a big leap.

As she descends, fist first, her violent looking red hair flaps behind her. I might be hallucinating at this point, but yes... it really feels like she is accompanied the silhouette of a large fiery bird.

She smashes down amongst the flickering flames of the detonated vial, looking tremendously gallant.

The crystal finally bursts, splattering the girl's gauntlets with that blue liquid.

The beast’s skull and body jerks up like a doll with its strings cut, and its remaining bones collapse like a precarious museum sculpture.

The girl bounces away.

I let out a pent up wheeze...

It's really... we won!

All the girls let out relieved whines in the same way I did. There is no jubilant cry of victory, because it was just too close for comfort, I suppose.

Aria staggers up to me, and breaths out dramatically. She is drenched in sweat and is panting. A few cuts decorate her, dripping blood, and she even has a slight limp in her left leg. She drops her spear with a clang.

I feel the urge to immediately ruffle her head. So I do. Just briefly. She gives me a weird expression.

"I... I... was starting to think we couldn't... but..."

"Haaa... We did it. Aria. You were right."

We share a knowing wry grin.

Apparently this causes me to briefly lose touch in my surroundings, though.

I entirely miss the red haired girl running full pelt at me.

I experience a flying glomp tackle hug for the first time in my life. It hurts.

Lacking any preparation for this, I also fall on my ass.

"My destined one! My rescuer! My strong man! It must be this one for Kali!!"

She is rubbing her head intensely on my chest, just above the breastplate, like an affectionate cat. She is practically purring like one too. Her movements continually grate her soft developing bosom against my arm and an appealing musky smell enters my nostrils. It's incredibly stimulating...

But wait! What! Holy crap!

I look incredulously around. Both Aria and Rishya have developed an eye twitch. Seria's eyes have narrowed and she has a scary, happy smile. Kaede somehow looks even more stoic than usual. Kurono is gawping and even Yuuzu has raised an eyebrow to accompany her gently tolerant smile. If Kiku were conscious, she doubtlessly be shying away and chittering.

Well I thought the risk to my life was finally over.

But I was mistaken.