Arato’s back pops out of the gray cloud. I had already noticed who was waiting for her.

A moment later, Arato reacts by swinging her hypha arms behind her back. Giran dodges it, and a sword slashes deeply from her back to her waist.

“Guuu!” (Arato)

Her face contorts in pain, and I pursue and attempt to take advantage of the gap, but Arato jumps back wide to the side just in front of me. The tip of my [Katana] sliced through her thigh, but it was shallow. Still—it reached. It finally reached.

“I finally got something good.” (Shuu)

“Oh.. but..” (Giran)

Giran, standing on his side, swayed unsteadily, stabbing his sword into the ground and enduring. A pained groan escapes from the back of his throat.

“Mr. Giran!” (Shuu)

“..that black blade.. has poison.. even though I have [Poison Resistance]..” (Giran)

When he said that, even I felt a sharp pain in my wounds. It’s not like I can’t move.

“[Detoxification].” (Shuu)

“Thank you.” (Giran)

A green ball of mycelium is released from my finger, and Giran catches it with his mouth. It was somewhat like I am feeding him.

Meanwhile, Arato is prioritizing checking her own wounds. She can afford it.

“Oh my God.. it’s been years since I’ve been wounded. I feel like it’s that time with that giant snake.” (Arato)

Aside from my stab, Giran’s swing going in pretty deep. The blood is dripping, but she doesn’t seem to be in pain or concerned about it.

“..The demon has the ability to regenerate with [Self-Regeneration], or even better [Immortality]. A little damage is meaningless.” (Giran)

“What’s with that? Isn’t she already immortal?” (Shuu)

“Well, she has a weak point. It’s her head.” (Giran)

“Oh, I see..” (Shuu)

Most creatures do. I’ve never tried to see what would happen to me if I got hit in the head.

“To be precise, there is a small stone in the back of her brain, the [Fungus Stone]..if you can destroy it, you can completely kill Demons. If you cut off her head, she won’t be able to move her body. I tried to do it earlier, but she dodged my attempt.” (Giran)

Fungal Rock? A Fungus Stone, maybe? Is it like monster cores?

“No one is immortal. Every living thing will eventually die, and they can always be killed. There is no such thing as perfect immortality.” (Giran)

“So, I guess that means break time is over, right?” (Shuu)

Arato, who was stretching and twisting her body, placed a hand on her waist and nodded.

“Even so, virgin boy. You’re so versatile that you are probably not any normal hunter. It seems that the [Ruin Blade]’s poison doesn’t work either.. I’m starting to get curious. You know?” (Arato)

Seeing a beautiful woman who was licking her lips, I thought it was a waste, that she wasn’t human. So, I held up my [Katana].

~3rd?Person Perspective~

Noa is laid out in the shadows, and from there while Kure look out into the square, which has turned into a fierce battlefield.

Shuu and Giran are desperately fighting back. If anything, Shuu is in the front and Giran is compensating for what he lacks. It is a feat of their excellent sense of stability and broad vision, and it is a sign that they have not been through a lot of rough patches.

However, Arato the witch completely surmounted the onslaught that would have made it impossible for any beast to even stand in front of her, and on the contrary, she was steadily inflicting damage on Shuu and Giran.

Moreover, from what Kure sees, she has not yet turned serious. Or should to be exact, she has not yet decided to become serious? She is standing there as if she is having fun, without any sense of danger to her life.

“Noa.. Noa..” (Tamiko)

Tamiko continues to call out to Noa, who does not wake up. Tears were welling up in her eyes.

“It’s going to be all right, Little Tamiko. The bleeding has stopped. She will wake up eventually.” (Kure)

The truth is, Kure doesn’t know what will happen. Even if the visible wounds are healed, how much damage and how much influence remains deep in the flesh? As neither a doctor nor a [Healer], Kure has no way of knowing for sure. All he can do now is say that to Tamiko, who looks worried.

“What about Abeshuu..?” (Tamiko)

“He is fighting, desperately.. But the opponent is so strong that I can’t see the bottom of their power.” (Kure)

Watching the dizzying battle and exchange between the three from behind, Tamiko burst into tears.

“..I..I can’t do anything.. Abeshuu and Noa.. even though they’re like this..” (Tamiko)

Kure gently stroked her back as she sniffed.

—Kure bites his lip and nods toward himself.

“There’s something you can do, Little Tamiko.” (Kure)

When Tamiko turned around, Kure handed her an item he had taken out of his pocket.

It was the [Fireball] charged with [Accumulation] that Noa had.

“..can you take her out with this, squeak?” (Tamiko)

“No, it’s not. The person who will use it is different.” (Kure)

Tamiko, who had confusion written on her face, Kure took off his jacket and showed off his bulging pectoral muscles and six pack abs.

“Little Tamiko, throw it at me. Little Shuu’s ball against my body.” (Kure)

Tamiko’s eyes go wide as she holds the [Fireball] in both hands. The eyes of someone asking, “What is this human talking about?”

“..I can’t do this by myself. Strangely enough, self-injury doesn’t trigger my skill. It’s my true hidden skill [Adversity].” (Kure)

“Adversity?” (Tamiko)

“The more damage my body takes, the stronger I become. Like a candle before it burns out, a spark that gives a brief glimmer of light in the void. It won’t last long, but just for a little bit—I will gain enough strength to fight next to Little Shuu. For that to happen, Tamiko, I need you to bust Little Shuu’s ball against me.” (Kure)

“Me?” (Tamiko)

“I’m not sure why. If done by my hands my Fungal Skill won’t activate. However, on the other hand, even if there is no hostility or harmful intent, damage done by another person’s hands can trigger it. I’ve done it.” (Kure)

Kure flexed his chest muscles to make his words more convincing as he explained.

Tamiko finally seems to understand, but she is still hesitant.

“But.. that sounds amazing, squeak. But what if you die, squeak?” (Tamiko)

“..Fufu, thank you for your concern. I’m sure you’re right, it’s powerful enough to blow away even a minotaur with a single shot.? I could lose my life as it is..” (Kure)

“Then—” (Kure)

“But that’s why. That’s why it has to be. It has to be Little Shuu’s ball. Or rather, that’s the only thing, it has to be his ball!”

Kure’s handsome face and beautiful body turned pink with heat.

“My muscles have been trained for this moment! Only after I have received his massive balls with all my might, will I be able to open up a future standing next to him! Conversely, I don’t care if I burn to the ashes under the Metro if I cannot accept his balls! If I’m going to die with his balls, then so be it! You know, I think the word ‘cherished wish’ is in an apt des–wait a minute, Little Tamiko. If I say go, throw it, okay? You were just about to aim at my face, but don’t do that, okay?” (Kure)

Each of the Shishikaba sisters is dragged by the Xolotl tribe and taken care of. They wake up at the same time at a distance.

The right arm/left arm has lost everything from the elbow onward and has had the bleeding stopped. Broken ribs and injured internal organs.

Recognizing them, Nai expels a deep sigh, then bites his lips so hard that blood oozes.

And then, with a mau-mau and an anxious cry, Nai gives them an order at exactly the same time as the twins.

“—Take me to Aoi (Big Sis)!!” (Midori & Aoi)