The blood freezes. My life is slipping away. The coldness that he rarely felt even in the Land of Mists made Arnold force his emotions to rise and he stared at the man in front of him.

Barrel ......?

The name sounded familiar. It's the one that Luda and the others were talking about, the one that requested the appointment of the "thousand changes".

The Barrel Thieves. They're a bandit group that's been making a lot of noise in Gladys' territory lately.

But the men surrounding the Misty Thunder Dragon are clearly not bandits.

In Arnold and the others' homeland, bandits were criminals who attacked daredevil travelers who walked around without guards, or weak people such as merchants.
Most of them were much weaker than treasure hunters, and even the bandits who were considered to be strong enemies were much weaker than hunters. In fact, Arnold had dealt with them many times before.

But the barrels in front of him were different.
The scale is different. Different in skill. Different in strength. The organizational skills to send in so many well-trained men, women, and children. The cautiousness that allowed them to strike Arnold with a blow, albeit a faint one, and even poison him.
If the target was a small farming village, the scale of the city of Sulus would be considerable. It's not a city that can be attacked lightly, though it certainly doesn't have high defense capabilities.

I'm not sure if the rays were expecting this, but they're looking around with a grim expression.



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The poison was eating away at Arnold's entire body, which was supposed to be highly resistant to it. His heart ached, and with every second that passed, he lost strength.
It was a very strong poison. It was fortunate that he didn't die instantly.

The man sniffed at Arnold, who was out of breath.

'Oh? We, the barrels, are the tough ones! Don't lump us in with those bandits. We're invincible! Perfect strategy, perfect control, the strongest leader, we can't be defeated! And if we can crush the famous "Thousand Transformations" in the Imperial City, we'll be even better!

These words were too proud for a simple bandit to utter.
However, the man's face showed no concern. He was confident of victory, as if he were an absolute strongman.

'...... Do you really think you can win?

'If you're not sure you can win, the barrel won't move! ...... Hey, you guys, what are you doing? Just keep them in custody, and you can do whatever you want with them after you've killed all the others! The people guarding this place wouldn't have mattered much anyway!

A man shouted at the back, towards the guard room near the gate.

Hostages. A useful tactic in some cases.
Treasure hunters are fundamentally righteous. It would be very effective for the Thousand Transformations, which is widely known in this imperial city. Even if he could defeat them by attacking without regard for the hostages, he would not be immune to criticism.
I'm not sure that that will shake the aloof man that he has always been.

The ray is looking at me. There's no sign, but I understand what he's saying.
Right now we have to run. There are too many of them, and if all of them have poison weapons, we're in trouble. You should pull back, check the situation, and reorient yourself.

The reason why they don't jump at you immediately is because time is on their side. The man who attacked with the poisoned knife was arrogant, but he understood Arnold's strength well. He would make sure that Arnold was unable to stand before he closed the circle in earnest.

I've been licked. I bite my tongue hard and strain my hand on the hilt.
My fingers and arms trembled. It's as if I'm not my body anymore.

But I can still swing. I can still swing the sword. I can swing it here, that's why I'm level seven.
Arnold roared in a hoarse voice and raised the greatsword he had been using to support his body.

'Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!

'What?

The man's eyes widened and he backed away with a look of astonishment on his face.
I'm not sure what to do, but I'm going to do it.

One blow. It can only fire one shot. Once it's down it can't be lifted again.
I scold my weakened and trembling body and put all my strength into it now. His golden eyes shine with a swashbuckling brilliance that belies his weakness.


And then--Arnold struck the ground with the strongest blow he could fire now.


Even in his weakened state, Arnold's blow was suitably powerful.
With a roar, the cobblestones that had been paved with stones flew apart violently, and the tremendous flash that filled the surroundings caused the man and the bandits surrounding him to retreat several steps.

By this time, Aei had slipped his arm under Arnold's armpit and was supporting his body.
Both of his hands relaxed, and the big sword rolled on the ground. At that time, a thick fog released by Arnold's fellow mages was surrounding him. The fog is so thick that you can't even see an inch ahead, making it impossible for an untrained person to move properly.

Of course, Arnold and the others are accustomed to such situations in the Land of Fog.

A top-notch treasure hunter would have at least one means of escape.
From behind the thick milky fog, a panicked voice could be heard. The stingrays are dragging me along.
We are in a desperate situation. I am desperate, but I have no choice but to abandon my beloved sword.

While being carried on the shoulder, breathless, it threatens.

'...... Now, watch me. I'll make you regret it.'

In the event that you've got a lot of money, you'll be able to use it for a lot of things.

I don't know what's going on around me, but I'm pretty sure my friends are following me. In terms of sense of direction and ability to perceive in the fog, there is no one better than the warriors of Nebula Nubes.
Arnold replied without hesitation to the dumbfounded and impressed voice of the one-armed man.

'Outside, it's bad. It's a shame, but go to that man, .......'

He just said it's his style not to leave the city. If that's the case, then he must have other people watching him besides the members who were there.
That's not just a band of thieves. I'm still angry at the Thousand Transformations, but I'm not going to misjudge the situation.



The enemy of my enemy is ...... my enemy.

'Hey. I knew you would say that, Arnold.

As usual, the ray smiled a man-eating smile, easily carried Arnold's huge body back and began to walk at a fast pace.





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The battle lines were more stalemated than he had imagined. The opponent was of a lower rank, but there were many of them. Tino was at a disadvantage, especially if his opponent tried to escape.

Tino had already thrown off his yukata. The yukata's defensive capabilities were negligible anyway, and it would be fatal if it interfered with her ability to move. If you're surrounded by enemies, there's no shame in wearing underwear.
The contrast between her white skin and the black underwear that she had bought when she went shopping with her sister was vivid. Her breasts, which were rather modest compared to the average, swayed with her violent movements, and beads of sweat slid down her snow-white skin.

'You're good!

'Yes!

Tino doesn't answer.
A woman who had also taken off her yukata and was wearing a stab-proof vest underneath took a few steps back to check the dagger. There were three men on the ground who had already challenged him to close combat, but there were still seven more.

Enough had already passed long ago. No, Tino understood that he would not be able to defeat them in enough time right from the start.

He's stalling for time. Perhaps he realized that to defeat Tino would cause too much damage and switched sides.
The opponent's fighting style was to take advantage of their numbers. They are accustomed to fighting those who are stronger than them. To be more precise, they are used to winning by any means necessary.

They bit their lips at this fact, but did not stop moving. There is no retreat.
He couldn't turn his back. Tino was already surrounded.
If he turned his back, the knife would fly at him. It may not be powerful, but it's accurate. There's a good chance it's coated with poison. I couldn't let that happen.
Tino was stronger than anyone else surrounding him, but he wasn't as fast as Zekage.

But even Tino has reinforcements. It's your sister and your sister Cicely.
The attackers in front of you are probably part of a larger organization. If you and Sis Cicely notice anything strange, you'll be the first to come to Masuata's aid. The woman in front of me said that she had captured two of the Ghosts of Sorrows, but there is no way that you and your sisters, who are far more skilled than Tino, can defeat them. Masutaa, of course.

He knocked down the knife that came from the right side with his dagger, being careful not to touch the blade, and bent down to avoid the knife that came from the left side, which was difficult to avoid.
Your sister's Spartan education extends to long-distance attacks as well. This is only done when brother Anthem is there to recover, but Tino has been torn to pieces by the knife many times. And the throwing speed of the Zekage was nothing compared to the assailant in front of him.

Compared to his hellish training, the movement in front of him was as if it had stopped.
I'm confident in my evasion skills. I am confident in my evasion skills, and that is an essential skill for a solo fighter.

'As expected from a sounding Ghost of Sorrows,' he said.

'Don't lick ......!

'You have the stamina of a monster.

I won't lose my cool. The more you're pushed, the sharper your concentration becomes.
I've been beaten to a pulp my whole life. More than once I thought I was going to die.
The woman in front of him was slowing down. Unlike Tino, she hadn't been forced to run until she collapsed every day. She must not have been forced to play a real game of tag in hell, where they say that mana material is absorbed only in critical situations, and where you are half killed if you are caught in the treasure house.

My body remembered how to move when I was wearing the mask. But not enough. Not enough power.
Tino's blows were much heavier then. If the mask's ability was to draw out potential, then Tino still had a long way to go.

The woman's expression of impatience begins to mix with the fact that Tino's movements do not slow down at all. The kick grazed her abdomen, and she wasted no time in stepping back to avoid Tino's fist thrust. Tino sensed the fear in her movements.

Everything so far--everything you've taught me, everything you've taught me, is giving Tino strength.

I can do it. I stepped in like a flowing stream and folded.
The knives from his friends are completely in Tino's blind spot, but he avoids them with just a sound of wind. A kick pierced the black vest wrapped belly, and the flashing point of the dagger made a shallow cut on the woman's shoulder.
The woman's expression momentarily wavered in pain. Reddish-black blood dripped down her white skin.

'If you all drop your weapons and surrender, I won't take your lives.

'You can't be that naive, .........'

We can win. If you call it naive, it's true, but Tino is still not as used to killing people as your sisters.
Of course, I'm not going to hesitate. Demons and humans are the same. But if it can be done without killing, so much the better.

Tino glared at her and the woman bit her lip as if she was pressured. At that moment, a voice unexpectedly came from behind her.

'Hey, you're getting away! I've caught the [Thousand Transformations]!

'?

The voice was unexpected. The panic was short-lived.
The moment I turned around, I was hit by a woman and fell to the floor.
You were stabbed, and a strong heat ran through your abdomen. But Tino didn't have time to worry about that, and raised his head.

What Tino saw was a thin man with his hands tied and a cloth bag over his head, accompanied by five men. He was gagged, or maybe he was gagged, and he tried to speak, but he couldn't make anything out.

Were there more of them than just the ones here at ......? I expected more reinforcements, but I didn't realize they were already searching inside the inn.

You'll be able to get up quickly, but the sharp pain in your abdomen will make your vision flicker. I've been stung countless times, but the pain was different than usual. Was the poison applied as expected?
I let my guard down. I can't move as fast as I used to.

The woman holding my shoulder says with a quizzical expression.



'Is it really that simple?

'I've checked all the rooms. There's no one else here. I'm sure of it!

'Well done! Sorry about that. Your leader is taken.'

The woman's eyes widen and she smiles fiercely.
The retreat was as swift as the appearance. Like a receding wave, the women exited the entrance.

Tino could only watch in dismay as they left.





'Let's make an open-air bath in the clan house as well. ...... Will Eva be angry with me? ...... Will Lucia scold me?

As I floated in the hot water, I sighed heavily and rubbed my eyes.