The sensation of Gluttony’s head beneath my feet conveys a hardness and elasticity akin to thick rubber tires. Taking advantage of this unexpectedly easy-to-run-on fleshy terrain, I sprint at full speed.
“Damn, this is tougher than I expected—Blast!”
Dodging the sweeping colossal tentacles like jump ropes, I unleash a blast of severing blades onto the giant octopus’s head.
“Gale Flash.”
The moment Sariel unleashes her wind-based martial art, I glance back just in time to see a rain of spear-like tentacles descending from above—each tipped with razor-sharp points. Their sheer number covers every possible escape route. “Spears raining from the sky” is no exaggeration.
“—Too close!”
The only reason I barely avoided them was because Sariel had already sliced one tentacle apart with Gale Flash, creating just enough of a gap for me to slip through.
Still, this bastard seems to predict my movements, targeting the perfect spots with its tentacles.
This isn’t coincidence. It’s happened three times already.
Yes, ever since we landed on Gluttony’s head, this has been happening during our brief skirmish with the endless waves of octopi.
“Thirteen meters ahead, I’ll suppress the large one on the left.”
Before I can even process which one she means, a series of small explosions and crimson-black flashes erupt exactly where she indicated.
Did she throw multiple Ignited Daggers at once? Despite being completely turned away, she hit her mark flawlessly—her precision is beyond mere skill.
Impressed, I brace myself against the oncoming mass of tentacles.
“Oraaaah!”
There are too many to count. Intertwined like braided ropes, they close in from all sides, forming a spherical cage around me.
At the last possible moment, I slash forward with my right-hand Zweihander, then burn through with my left-hand Flamberge to carve an opening.
But even with two consecutive strikes, I can’t handle the tentacles coming from the sides and rear.
The rest are dealt with by Sariel—who has drawn her rapier again—and the two magic swords I deployed for close-range defense. Wind blades slice through the hardened spears, while my dual-wielded Blackened Zweihander barely manages to fend off the flanking attacks.
Barely surviving the onslaught, I roll into the space Sariel had forced open by suppressing the giant octopus.
Seriously, can this thing see three seconds into the future?
Sariel’s reliability is sky-high, but even she can’t be the decisive force against such overwhelming numbers.
“Maybe I underestimated this… There’s no room to search for weak points.”
The enemy’s numbers are absurd. Every direction is filled with a sickly, slimy green sheen—less like a swarm of octopi and more like a forest of carnivorous plants.
At this point, I’m not running to find a weakness—I’m purely focused on survival. I thought about heading toward the center of the head, but instead of getting closer, I’m being pushed outward.
At this rate, I’ll be forced to skydive off Gluttony’s head sooner rather than later.
“Within my visible range, no apparent weak points are detectable—”
The flesh covering the head is terrifyingly thick, leaving no obvious vulnerabilities. That’s why the giant octopi can mercilessly stab their spear-tentacles into it without hesitation. Even if I slash or pierce a few meters deep, it won’t do any real damage to this colossal body. At least, not with the weapons and magic I have on hand.
But then again, with something this massive, attacking anywhere would probably hit equally thick flesh.
“—No, I’ve found it.”
“Seriously?!”
Sariel’s sudden report shocks me more than it delights me.
Where? More importantly, what part could she possibly identify as a definitive weak point at a glance?
“I detected faint inhalation sounds from the underside. Likely a respiratory organ, similar to gills.”
Gills are meant for extracting oxygen from water—standard for aquatic life like fish. But for Gluttony, an airborne creature far removed from water, true gills shouldn’t exist.
So, it must be either a unique respiratory organ evolved from gills or just a remnant. Either way, it means there’s an opening leading inside, separate from the mouth.
Yeah, that’s definitely a weak point.
If we can bypass the Great Wall of Galahad-level flesh and strike from within, we might just pull this off.
“Alright, let’s bet on that!”
No hesitation. Sticking around here won’t get us anywhere.
I sprint toward the edge of Gluttony’s head, dodging the swarming octopi that obscure my vision. A few times, I nearly lose my bearings, but Sariel’s impeccable support keeps me on track.
“I see the edge. Can I just jump?”
“I sense a clear airflow. There’s undoubtedly a hollow space directly below.”
I don’t have her level of perception, so all I see is an abrupt drop like a sheer cliff.
The blue sky stretches before me, surrounded by walls of white clouds. Sprinting full speed toward the void, I must look like an aggressive suicide case. Well, with Sariel on my back, it’s more of a double suicide.
But I have no doubts. I don’t trust Sariel as a person—but I do trust her abilities.
“Oraaaah—Magic Hand!”
As Sariel and the magic swords fend off the pursuing tentacles, I launch black chain lifelines from both arms and leap.
The tips of my conjured Magic Hands form sharp, barbed claws—just like Hitsugi’s—digging into the fleshy ground to anchor me. Then, I let the chains rattle out as I freefall.
If nothing’s there, we’ll just be left dangling in midair, looking ridiculous—
“Whoa, there it is!”
After descending what must be a twenty-meter drop from the head’s edge, I spot what looks like gills on the underside. The opening is more like a cave—about ten meters wide and three meters tall, easily large enough to walk into.
“Perfect, we can get in—let’s go!”
Forming more Magic Hands, I extend them toward the gill entrance. With enough focus, I can swing across safely even without Hitsugi’s help.
As the white ground looms far below, I swing forward like a trapeze artist and successfully roll into the gills.
“…No pursuit from the octopi.”
“Perhaps they can’t follow us this far.”
Standing at the entrance, where warm air flows, I confirm no green tentacles are chasing us. Despite their overwhelming numbers earlier, not a single one seems to have pursued.
“Either way, with no distractions, now’s our chance. Let’s move deeper—Torch.”
To illuminate the pitch-black path ahead, I conjure a fireball mimicking flame-attribute Torch magic and toss it in. The last time I used this was when infiltrating Last Rose’s main body. Normally, Lily or Fiona handle lighting, so I rarely need to.
Though seldom used, the black flames illuminate the gills perfectly—just as something sharp glints in the darkness.
Silently, it flies toward the gap in my armor—my throat—but I intercept it with my Zweihander.
“You’re the same one that stabbed Reki, huh?”
In the black fire’s glow, a thin tentacle splatters bright blue blood. Its owner—more squid than octopus—writhes on the ground, letting out a shrill shriek. About the size of a medium octopus, its elongated triangular head and six tentacles (two abnormally long) mark it as distinct. Its vivid cyan color would stand out even amidst the octopi.
Maybe it’s a different species altogether. A creature this massive could host symbiotic monsters.
This squid’s reach is about ten meters—enough to strike unseen in deep fog. Even if I’d run ahead without talking to Reki, her fate would’ve been the same. Without facing her directly, I might not have noticed her disappearance until it was too late.
But now that I know these assassins exist, I can stay alert.
“Think the same trick’ll work twice, squid bastard?”
Rage fuels me as I blast it with an explosive spell before it can move.
This might not be the exact one that stabbed Reki, but it’s the same type. Even knowing that, I can’t stay calm enough to hold back insults.
“More are likely hiding here. Stay wary of ambushes.”
“I know—actually, they’re already here.”
Emerging from the darkness, two squids charge at me—one crawling on the ceiling, the other on the ground. The ground one is twice as large, but both share the same six-tentacle structure. Maybe just size variants.
With their long attack tentacles poised like striking snakes, they glide forward unnervingly fast. But not fast enough to lose me.
I take out the smaller ceiling-dweller first with a severing blade. The explosive impact pins it to the fleshy wall before it’s engulfed in crimson-black flames, becoming a makeshift torch.
The larger ground squid seems better handled with my sword.
It strikes first with its reach, but I’ve dealt with sneak attacks before.
I cleave both spear-tentacles simultaneously with my Zweihander—easy, given its length.
Now disarmed, the squid charges head-on—
“Wait!”
Sariel’s warning reaches me, but I’ve already halted my counter.
Forced into a desperate dodge, I roll sideways as the squid barrels past.
In that split second, I catch a glimpse of indigo fabric.
“Hey, Sariel… don’t tell me this thing—”
Quickly standing, I face the squid again.
Even without its two long tentacles, it turns aggressively, showing no fear—just like the other octopi. But one critical difference stands out.
I hadn’t noticed before, but now it’s unmistakable.
“No doubt. It has Reki.”
Beneath its bulk, glimpses of slender limbs clad in a navy-blue habit peek through. The girl’s pale fingers don’t twitch.
Her face is obscured by writhing tentacles, but like Sariel said—I know it’s her.
“Damn you—!”
I instinctively raise my hand to blast it, but no magic activates.
“…Hey, Sariel. Reki’s… probably not alive, right?”
“Yes.”
Even though I already know, I ask anyway.
I saw it happen—Reki’s chest being pierced. No question, it was fatal.
Even if she’d been taken unharmed, it’s been nearly a week. Her body looks intact, but there’s no way she’s alive. For all I know, her back could be hollowed out.
Meaning, what’s left is just a corpse.
And I can’t bring myself to harm it.
I could easily obliterate the squid with a spell or bisect it with my sword. But sparing Reki’s body makes it infinitely harder.
Damn it. Even in death, hostages work.
“You’re hesitating to kill it?”
“Shut up. I’m thinking.”
I don’t expect Sariel to understand my sentimentality—nor do I want her to. I know it’s irrational.
Wanting to recover her body intact is natural, but it shouldn’t be a priority.
I’m here carrying the weight of thousands of lives. One dead girl’s body shouldn’t tip the scales.
Hesitating, agonizing—this one moment is already too much.
Give up. Accept it. Reki’s dead. I killed her.
“Magic Sword, Sever—”
“Gyaaaaaaah!!”
As I summon a blade, the squid shrieks—a threat display? Spreading its tentacles and rearing up, it reveals—
Ah. There she is.
Pale, eyes closed—Reki’s face.
My sword hangs frozen in the air. I can’t do it.
“—I’ll handle it.”
With those words, Sariel steps forward.
Suddenly, my back feels lighter—she’s undone the straps binding her to me in an instant.
Kneeling, she already has her rapier in hand, swirling with wind.
“Wait! Sariel—!”
My outstretched hand grabs empty air.
With a flick of her rapier, she launches herself like an arrow—riding the wind she conjured.
A white whirlwind, she plunges straight into the squid holding Reki’s corpse.
“I’ll retrieve Reki. The rest is yours—Cyclone Slash.”
The mid-range wind spell activates upon impact, unleashing a gale-force storm within the cramped cavern. The sheer pressure nearly knocks me over.
Sariel, still embedded in the squid, is carried by the winds—straight out of the gill opening.
A suicidal move? No—she’s forcibly removing Reki as a liability from my path.
“Y-you idiot…!”
My sword hand trembles—from anger?
At Sariel for acting recklessly? At the squid for using Reki’s body?
No.
I’m furious at myself—for being so weak that Sariel, who’s lost her emotions, limbs, and blessings, had to protect me.
Pathetic.
“Damn it… Fine. I’ll just crush this oversized monster and be done with it!”
August 14, 2015
Next update on Monday.