Anchor Hands!

I store my hatchet away and use my now-free hands to concentrate on using theAnchor Hands.

Now that I think about it, Ive never poured so much of my power into just making tentacles. Even Im surprised by the sheer number of tentacles extending forth from my arms.

I aim at the cannon that is the Greed-Gores head. The countless tentacles entwine themselves around the object that looks like its made out of solid rock.

They wrap around the Greed-Gores head and neck firmly, like the reins of a horse. My plan is to pull on these with all of my strength to throw off its aim.

No matter what attack I use, I cant prevent it from firing, and no matter what defensive magic is used, it cant block that Breath. With that being the case, the only option left is to make the attack miss.

Give me power Force Boost.

Right now, I have the Boost that I had Nell cast on me as we charged towards the fortress. Combined with my ownForce Boost, its effectively a double-effect strengthening, but I wonder whether its enough to move the Greed-Gores enormous body.

Even so, I have no choice but to do this.

Pull, Hitsugi!

FOOOH!

I wonder if Hitsugi is serious about this; a strangely silly-sounding, yet cute war cry reverberates inside my head. At the same time, an image of a small, elementary-schooler-sized maid with her teeth clenched appears in my head Hitsugis original appearance.

I find this extremely intriguing, but right now, I have no choice but to focus on combining my strength with hers.

I pull on the tentacle-reins with brute, physical strength while Hitsugi retracts the tentacles, like pulling in a rope using a winch, adding even more force.

My reconstructed body, the double-cast strengthening effects and the assistance from my cursed item with these, I would be able to pull a semi-trailer without a problem.

However, the Greed-Gore is simply too heavy. It really feels like Im trying to move a mountain.

Even so, I cant give up. This is the only thing Im able to do right now, isnt it?!

Guh, ugh, UOOOOOOOOH!

Finally, I feel some movement.

However, at the same time, an ominous sound reaches my ears.

Fueh~ Goshujin-sama~

As Hitsugi lets out a voice that sounds like a complaint, I want to do the same. My worst fear is coming true.

Unable to bear the force with which they are being pulled, theAnchor Handshave begun to tear.

They should be as strong as steel cables, but even so, theyre not strong enough to bring down this ridiculously heavy monster.

Its not Hitsugis fault; its because Im inexperienced at using theAnchor Hands.

Even so, I dont have the time to be regretting that fact now.

I have to think of some kind of plan, any kind of plan, otherwise that Breath is going to hit Iskia Fortress, where Nell and everyone else is.

Damn it, what do I have to do to make theAnchor Handsstronger? Putting more magical power into them isnt the answer.

I need something even harder than steel wait, I have it! I have the best material right here!

Yes, the Greed-Gores iron sand armor that I blew off with myYaminagiis scattered around my feet. This place has turned into a sandbox; theres plenty of material here.

With the second Breath incoming, the Greed-Gore didnt have time to return this iron sand to its body. Since this high-quality iron sand is no longer under the Greed-Gores control, Ill gratefully accept this gift and make use of it.

Blackening!

I tread firmly in the iron sand and use my feet to invoke Blackening. Since the iron sand is black in the first place, its difficult to see the Enchantment taking place, but I can feel the sensation of my magic taking effect.

All of the iron sand spread around my feet is now under my control.

I use the stolen, Blackened iron sand to cover the surface of the tentacles. Like a swarm of countless ants, the iron sand streams over the tentacles in the blink of an eye.

For now, Ive attached the iron sand to the tentacles, but whether this works as an Enchantment depends on Hitsugi.

Please absorb it. No, this isnt a request, but acommandfrom your goshujin-sama.

Do something with this! HITSUGIIIIIIIIIII!

Yes! GOSHUJIN-SAMAAAAAAA!

Hitsugi answers my command. I can clearly hear her response. TheBlack Hair CurseCoffinbegins to absorb the iron sand.

This isnt a temporary strengthening caused by an Enchantment. Its absorbing this new material and integrating the iron sand completely.

TheAnchor Handsthat are already deployed change their composition to include this iron sand. They become stronger, harder. They are cursed tentacles that will never let go of their target.

The wire-like tentacles made of black hair have transformed no, evolved into a new shape.

Well done, Hitsugi, now you are

They have become chains. Pitch-black chains, made of steel links strengthened by black magic, with the iron sand as their base.

theBlack Chain CurseIron Cage!

Indeed, the tentacles as strong as steel have now become chain reins that are strong enough to move the Greed-Gores body. They wont break like before.

UOOOOOOOOOOH!

YAAAAAAAAAH!

I use the last of my strength and the evolved Hitsugi lends me her assistance as well, pulling in the tentacles with even more force.

Finally, the fixed cannon made of black steel begins to lurch sideways and immediately afterwards, it fires.

The second shining, purple Plasma Breath only brushes against Iskia Fortress slightly.

As a result of the Greed-Gores aim being forcibly altered, this second beam misses by even more than the first one and buries itself into the earth of the Iskia Hills.

The sound and tremors make me think that the hills themselves are collapsing. Along with the thunderous ringing, I can see the Breath causing the dirt to erupt into the air and dance in the sky.

The particles and dust expand, threatening to swallow the whole of Iskia Fortress.

The rising pillar of smoke spreads out to form a thick layer in the sky, even blocking out this heavy rain.

I once again realize just how powerful the Breath is; its a terrifying wave of pure destruction.

Even so, I stopped it. What do you think of that? Nobody died; everyone survived the second Breath.

Now that Ive stopped it twice, even the Greed-Gore cant ignore me. It swings its head around violently, as if to shake itself free of the chains wrapped around it.

I would be easily sent flying by the force of the Greed-Gore pulling on the end of the chains. I quickly return the chains to my hands, undoing the Greed-Gores bindings.

You finally turned around, huh. Thats right, your opponent is me!

The ominous, shining purple gaze pierces me. Honestly, being glared at by this enormous Rank 5 monster sends a chill down my spine; theres no life in its eyes at all.

But now Ive finally figured a way to deal with this guy.

In my two hands Im holding theAbsolute Malice HatchetNeck CutterandHungering Wolf SwordEvil Eater.As well as the key tool I need to win this battle, the evolvedBlack Chain CurseIron Cage.

Lets go!

Here we go! Nata-senpai! Wan-chan!

I have a feeling that Histugi is using some outrageous nicknames, but I dont pay it any attention for now.

TLN: In Japanese, /nata is hatchet and /Wan-chan is a common cute way to refer to puppies these nicknames are referring to the two weapons that Kurono is using, Nata-senpai for the hatchet and Wan-chan for the Hungering Wolf Sword.

Double Kuronagi.

First, I attack the tree-like leg before my eyes.

Evil Eater deals the initial blow.

The Greed-Gores iron sand armor is being manipulated by the magnetic control of its lightning-element ability and the direct control of its earth-element ability in other words, its maintained by both of those abilities.

Its a powerful Characteristic Ability, but magic is still magic. If its magical power, whether its in the form of a magnetic field or direct control like telekinesis, Evil Eater will devour it.

The fang-blade is repelled by the Reactive Armor, but the Evil Eaters ability cuts out a large amount of the iron sand.

In the next moment, my second attack explodes the cursed hatchet that surpasses the Evil Eater in sheer offensive power.

The damage dealt by the double Kuronagi is zero. However, Ive succeeded in blowing away a portion of the iron sand covering one leg.

If I leave it now, the Greed-Gore will manipulate the iron sand again and its armor will be back to normal before I know it. But I already have a way to prevent that from happening.

Blackening.

Thats right, I just have to steal all of this iron sand.

Since Im holding weapons in both my hands, I leave Hitsugi to take up the fallen iron sand with her tentacles. Now that I think about it, this is the first time Im using Blackening through the tentacles, but this should be easy enough for the evolved Hitsugi.

The dozens of tentacles are coming not from the gloves, but from my shadow. Its as if theyre coming from the inside of myShadow Gate.

Im sure I look creepy with tentacles coming from my feet, but I dont care about something like that. Do as you want, Hitsugi.

Foooh~ Gather up!

Tentacles rise up and extend in every direction from my shadow, touching and absorbing the iron sand thats still in the air as well as the stuff thats fallen onto the ground.

As if answering Hitsugis call, the scattered iron sand immediately collects itself together to be absorbed by the tentacles.

Alright, the Blackening is quicker than Id expected, and works in a wide area. This will work; with this method, its not impossible to chip off all of this guys armor.

I suppose Ill pick up the pace.

Bullet Arts Grenade Burst.

As I summon theWrath-Puns Right Armand control it to make it float in the air, I fire.

Even though I invented theGrenade Burstrecently, since I used it plenty before arriving here, Ive become accustomed to using it. Nothing beats real battle experience.

The magical high-explosive projectiles strike the Greed-Gores side, high above my head where my blade cant reach.

Monsters with a shell or carapace generally have thinner protection on their bellies than on their backs, but the Greed-Gore has its own belly well-covered with its versatile iron sand.

Black flames erupt from the iron wall that is the Greed-Gores abdomen.

Even though the Greed-Gores body is dozens of meters above me, Im still within the blast radius. However, the majority of the heat is blocked by theNanablast Amuletthat I received from Fiona, so I have no hesitation in firing grenades even at short ranges as long as there arent any allies nearby.

The explosion blows away a considerable amount of the iron sand armor. At the same time, the Greed-Gores body tilts to one side significantly.

Were my attacks that powerful? No, thats not possible. This guy normally wouldnt even blink at this kind of explosion.

That means that it moved of its own accord. To be more specific, it is lashing out with its tail in an attempt to crush me.

UOH?!

Its like a tower has just collapsed. In fact, the destructive power of the Greed-Gores tail is equivalent or even greater than such an event.

I managed to avoid it by the width of a hair with a back-step, but the earth before my eyes rises up to form a wall.

If I get caught up in this, even though Im wearing the demons coat and blackened armor on my arms and legs, Ill be turned into a pancake by one hit. Each and every movement of a monster this size is a lethal attack.

Sword Arts Nameless Nine.

As I land on the ground, I summon the cursed weapons. Im sure these guys can shave off more of the iron sand armor with their cutting and stabbing attacks.

Including theWrath-Puns Right Arm, Im controlling every weapon I have at my disposal, a total of ten weapons. At the same time, Hitsugis tentacles are still twisting around, collecting the iron sand. My brain is on the verge of overheating from managing all of the magical formulas.

Even though Ive received theConcentration Boostfrom Nell, this is my limit.

Dual-wielding the cursed hatchet and the Evil Eater, Blackening, managing the tentacles, magic bullets and magic weapons If it werent for the semi-independent nature of Hitsugi and the Nameless weapons, I wouldnt be able to use all of these simultaneously. Im thankful for the will of the curses.

Pierce it!

Go, newcomers!

Hitsugis shouting in a senpai-like tone is loud, but the Nameless weapons are following their own cursed, bloodthirsty instincts and dashing through the air.

And as if directly opposing me now, the Greed-Gores enormous jaws are closing in on me.

Only a moment has passed since the curtain of dirt kicked up by its tail disappeared. It has transitioned from a tail swing into a biting attack with incredible speed. It attacks far faster than I would expect of a monster of this size.

The nine blades are scratching at the Greed-Gores face, but that kind of attack wont stop it. I have no choice but to dodge this attack after all.

As the jaws large enough to devour both me and the ground Im standing on whole close in with a fearsome biting attack, I dodge sideways no, I have to jump straight up.

My legs want to retreat, but I harden my resolve, take a firm step forward and leap into the air. With my reconstructed, strengthened body and the effects of the Boost, a large leap impossible for a normal human is possible for me, but even so, the Greed-Gores bared fangs pass below just a few dozen centimeters beneath my toes its a close call.

Hitsugi!

Yes, Goshujin-sama!

Hitsugi immediately understands what I intend to do and extends tentacles towards the Greed-Gores body. The tentacles for Blackening and absorbing the iron sand are wire-like in shape, but these are the strong chain-shaped ones.

Ive managed to leap into the air without having my legs torn off, and now Im high enough to be able to look down on the Greed-Gores back. One of Hitsugis chains has wrapped itself around one of the rugged projections on the back of the Greed-Gores body.

She pulls the chain in, causing my body to accelerate downwards rapidly, beyond the speed of free fall. A moment later, Im standing on this huge monsters back.

Its like a pathway on top of a castles wall. The width of the surface Im standing on and the height from the ground make it difficult for me to believe that Im standing on a living creature. I might feel the same thing if I were standing on a blue whale no, I dont have time to be thinking such carefree thoughts.

Standing on this black, mountain-road-like back, I quickly grab onto it with both hands.

Blackening!

Now I forget about everything else and concentrate all of my focus and magical power into Blackening Shit, as I thought, since Im trying to use Blackening directly, its being resisted!

Covering it in black magical power works well, but right afterwards, purple lightning repels it and blows it away.

It seems that I cant steal iron sand thats still attached to its body.

Were going to be shaken off, Goshujin-sama!

I know, Hitsugi. This guy isnt going to let me ride on its back gently forever.

As if doing a sideways tackle on an invisible enemy, the Greed-Gore shakes its body violently. For me, standing on its back, its like experiencing a huge earthquake from the roof of a three-story building.

Unable to withstand this, Im thrown off the Greed-Gores back.

Even as I spin through the air two or three times, I call the Nameless Nine back towards me and then order them to attack once more. As long as you shave off that iron sand, attack wherever you want, guys.

I give that command and land on the ground. Ive been sent flying really far, so I end up rolling across the grassy meadows of the hills to minimize the damage.Diablos Embracecan handle this level of impact.

I have no choice but to steadily shave off the rest of the iron sand, huh...

The Greed-Gore and I face each other once more. Its body is still pitch-black; there are no visible gaps in its iron sand protection.

I think its armor has grown thinner, but if I dont get rid of it all, my attacks wont get through.

My opponent can kill me in a single blow, while I have to land hundreds and thousands of attacks just to get rid of one layer of its defense. A single mistake will be fatal; Im constantly walking a dangerous tightrope.

I wonder how long itll take for me to erase all of that iron sand armor. Will my ability to concentrate hold out for that long? And even if I manage to do it, I dont know if Ill be able to land an attack to finish it off afterwards... Even so, having that small chance at victory is better than nothing.

Theres no simple way to tear off all of that iron sand in one go

... What?

As if it has read my nave thoughts, the Greed-Gore suddenly undoes its iron sand armor.

Starting from its snout, then the rest of its head, the back of its neck the iron sand is released progressively downwards, finally stopping at its waist. The carapace of the upper half of its body is reddish-brown, while the lower half is still covered in black. I wonder what the Greed-Gore is planning to do, changing into this strange two-color combination.

Well, theres no need to wonder of course, its planning to attack.

Its different from the Breath from before?!

The iron sand thats fallen off gathers into a single mass at the Greed-Gores mouth, from which purple lightning is surging out.

A moment later, as the ferocious mouth lined with sharp fangs opens, the mass of iron sand changes shape. It has turned into a sword. Its an orthodox double-edged sword, the kind you would see at any weapon store in Spada. Its pitch-black as if Id used my Blackening on it, from the point down to the hilt, and it can be described as monster-sized.

And from this distance of several dozen meters, I can tell that its blade is filled with the fearsome power of a lightning strike.

This isnt a Breath; its firing a black sword of lightning this is the Greed-Gores Sword Art.

STOP IT WITH EVERYTHING YOU HAVE! HITSUGIIIIIIIIIIII!