HRRRRRKKKKKKKK!

The sound was so violent the remaining glass in the shop quivered and rattled near breaking point. I grabbed my ears; the noise felt like dull hooks digging into my skull. This was like a completely different monster. Were there two of them now?

Outside, I heard fresh terror: people screaming, running, falling over each other, stampeding away from the forest line.

"What was that!?"

"It came from the forest!!"

"Run—RUN!"

Rose, utterly shocked, stammered, "What was that? Did he summon another monster or what?"

Guts, breathing raggedly and bracing himself, managed a response. "That's definitely the monster they were feeding. Rose, help with my breathing. I just need to control my oxygen intake. Amplify it, can you?"

"That's dangerous! You could die of exhaustion at this point!"

"DO IT!" he yelled, his voice raw. "We're all going to die if you don't! You're barely experienced in situations like this, and don't get me started with the kid, your brother. I need to protect you two. I owe this to someone. I promised her…"

Who was he talking about? I was completely still, unable to use mana. I couldn't cast anything until I controlled the cold fear gripping me. Calm down, Astraga. Breathe, damn it.

The beast's massive body convulsed. Thick veins blackened beneath its skin. Its muscles swelled, ripping through the matted fur. Its eyes burned with a terrible, yellow light.

This wasn't the initial creature we'd been fighting. It felt like this was its full strength and form.

This was the real threat. Its true form, finally waking up. And it had chosen Guts.

Rose's eyes glowed fiercely white as she placed her palms near Guts's torso. Immediately, his breathing sounded unnaturally regulated.

"I'm so pumped up! My heart, my breathing—it almost feels unreal," Guts gritted out.

Rose's voice was strained. "Your body is circulating air at an extremely fast rate. You need to be extremely careful—you especially need to end this quickly."

Guts had received an instantaneous power boost. He seemed to know exactly what kind of opponent he faced.

He roared, his voice like iron: "Outside! You and me, livestock! Let's finish this!"

As if the creature understood the challenge, we moved out of the shattered shop. The Goatman followed, its axe dragging deep grooves in the dirt, arguing harshly with the ground. Steam curled aggressively from its nostrils.

Guts wiped a line of blood from his mouth with his remaining, useful hand.

"How long can this spell last?" he asked Rose. She was already sweating profusely, showing the intense strain.

"Since I didn't cast a particular spell exactly, I had to use intent and continuously focus to keep the spell working," Rose said.

Rose was right; that was why mages needed spells to stabilize their casting. Without them, constant focus was required, or the spell would instantly wear off, and this usually leads to draining mana quickly. This wasn't looking good.

"Give or take six minutes," she replied.

"Good. I'll only need four." Guts dismissed Rose's next idea before she could finish.

"Astraga, go and call for help!" Rose suggested. "That's the only way out of this situation. With all this chaos, why hasn't Greyjoy arrived yet?"

Guts cut her off, "That won't happen. That monstrousity won't allow us to leave. Trust me, it's just waiting for me to make the first move. The moment you run, things get far more complicated for me."

"Can you make any attack spells?" Guts asked.

"Of course, but only once at this point," Rose replied.

"Good. Just hold onto it. I will give you the signal."

The main fight was about to begin. Guts faced the monster while Rose kept the swirling wind-tourniquet spell focused on his severed arm.

Guts yelled: "Let go, beast! I only need one hand. Bring it!"

The Goatman, now seemingly convinced Guts was ready, lunged first—a blur of massive fur and muscle. I barely registered the axe until it was already descending.

WHAM!!

The ground split where Guts's head should have been.

He'd rolled. Fast. Too fast for a man missing an arm and bleeding heavily. His movements were a bit expected, seeing how hands played important roles in how we balanced ourselves. I felt that was his major drawback in this fight.

The Goatman ripped the embedded axe free from the soil with a bellow. "MRRRRRHHHH—!"

Guts, now charging at the monster, feigned a strike with his chain toward the side of the monster's head. The feint worked, making the creature tilt its head to wave off the blow, giving Guts the perfect placement to spit at the monster's face—specifically, into its eyes.

This wasn't metaphorical. He literally spat a thick glob of fluid into its sight.

The creature recoiled instantly, snorting violently as the irritating fluid ran down its muzzle.

"I need to move faster," Guts said, flicking out his Manriki Chain. The weights at both ends glowed with dull, green mana—that was his special grade weapon! I remember him saying that earlier. Shio was indeed afraid. What could it possibly do, a small chain like that?

Then—

SHUNK—!

He whipped the chain downward, and the weighted end sank into the ground like a metal root sliding through soft soil. Wait, that small chain can extend? What the hell? The chain already displaying extending abilities, and now it's gone underground.

"What—?" Rose whispered.

The chain stretched… and stretched…

The weighted side of the chain extended it underground, almost like an anchor of a ship would in water—it acted that way to the ground we stood. Unbelievable. He let it slide like a burrowing serpent.

The goat-man roared and charged carelessly, just relying on strength alone.

Guts yanked the chain back.

CRRRRSH—!!

The chain burst up from the ground behind the goat-man like a metal vine, wrapping around one leg.

The beast stumbled—caught, off-balance, confused.

Guts ran forward, using the slack to swing the second weight in a brutal overhead arc.

CRACK!!

The iron weight smashed into the goat-man's jaw.

Teeth flew.

Blood sprayed.

The creature staggered but didn't fall.

It slammed its axe sideways.

Guts ducked—barely—felt the wind of it scrape his scalp.

Guts retaliated instantly by kicking a massive spray of grit and sand directly into the beast's already irritated eyes.

The Goatman recoiled, howling in fresh, agonizing pain.

"You like that?" Guts hissed, dodging a wild swipe of the axe. "Good. Got something else for you."

The other end of the weighted chain burrowed down again into the ground, as the first end remained in Guts's hand, still rotating. The chain's reach seemed impossibly long.

"Let's see how you handle… more."

Blinded repeatedly, and almost as if it had grown tired of Guts's dirty tricks, the Goatman ceased its thrashing and stood still, seemingly analyzing the battlefield.

"So you can think for once, huh?"

Guts's chain was fully back in his hands, the weighted ends resting at his side.

"Have you ever heard of the Two Bear Couple?" he muttered. "They say each bear had a role to play as a family. When they decided to bring a child into this world, they had to have a secret move." He gestured to the weighted end that faced the ground—it had grown thick, sharp spikes. "You must have heard of it. I mean, you're supposed to, don't the animal kingdom have lores as well?"

"…Mother Bear," Guts commanded, his voice hardening. "Begin."

The spiky end, "Mother Bear," dug deep into the earth again, like a massive anchor dropping into water. It felt uncanny how the chain extended, sinking fast and deep.

"Father Bear," Guts continued, his attention now on the other, smooth weighted end. "Time to kill."

He began rotating this end, spinning it rapidly on its axis. The speed kept increasing, and the deeper "Mother Bear" went, the stronger and faster his spinning became. No wonder his hands were so thick; controlling a weapon like this was insane.

The monster, seemingly sensing the imminent, hidden danger, gripped its axe tighter. It walked slowly, trying to assess the battlefield—one could say it was attempting to aura farm, gathering itself for the next blow.

The Goatman paused, confused at first, snorting as it tried to sense the other weighted end that had sneaked up on it earlier. Nothing had come out to attack it yet.

But Father Bear was still—spinning.

The force generated by the whirling circle of the chain was terrifying; Rose's hair scattered wildly, and dirt and dust kicked up by the wind created a vortex around Guts.

The Goatman, tired of playing it safe, suddenly charged.

Guts snapped his arm forward. In the blink of an eye, Father Bear shot straight toward the monster.

WHUNK—!!!

The heavy weight of Father Bear smashed directly into the center of the monster's chest. The blow sent the Goatman staggering far back, genuinely surprised by the force. It snorted, glared at Guts, and charged again.

Guts kept rotating, the circle of the chain wider now—faster—Mother Bear sinking deeper, deeper, deeper, anchoring him to the earth.

He hurled Father Bear a second time.

WHUNK—!!

The Goatman grunted, driving the head of its own axe into the ground like a massive anchor to brace itself against the impact. Its hooves dug deep into the dirt, and this time, it managed to hold its ground.

It sneered—a mocking, defiant gesture.

Guts only smiled in return. It was a tired, bloody, vicious smile. Time was running out, both for his spell and his life.

"Oh… so you think you can tank it."

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