Ginem Bari stood staring at the decimated gang of spellcasters. The purple-robed golem wielder had been just out of range of Gol’s barrage, and his expression was stiff with fear.
At that moment, Gol seemed to realize she had missed Ginem. She scooped up the clown head she had tossed aside and chucked it with full force.
But instead of hitting Ginem, the clown’s head slammed into the busty spellcaster, who was groaning on the ground. Blood sprayed from her nose as she fainted.
Wait, her?! Why?! Why did you aim for Tits McGee, Gol? What’s your strategy here?
True, that woman had the staff mana tool, and of all the spellcasters, she was likely the most dangerous. But she was already on the verge of death, and her staff had been broken. If Gol had pitched at Ginem Bari instead, we could’ve ended the game!
No, wait… Now that I thought about it, it was possible, even likely, that Ginem Bari had a countermeasure against being targeted in just such a way. That had to be rule number one for a proper golem wielder. Maybe I was missing something, but I didn’t think that explained attacking a dying busty lady.
Ginem Bari was stuck in a daze as he stared between his obliterated gang and the remains of his jester golem. “H-how? How could this have happened…? No one’s ever suspended my golem’s basic functions—not since I was a novice.”
It seemed this man hadn’t experienced loss for a long time. I guessed he really was the kind of gamer who preyed on beginners in arcades.
“Hmph. In this case, you should thank me for showing you how much you still have to learn,” I said nonchalantly. Ginem Bari, mend your ways and enjoy training with gamers on your level. Ah, wait, before that, I need you to be judged by the law and pay for your crimes behind bars. You can return to the arcade once you’re discharged.
“Pfft, he he… You’re really an interesting fellow.” Ginem Bari put his hand to his forehead and began to laugh. “How amusing. Truly amusing! To tell you the truth, I wasn’t really interested in taking this job, but I’m glad I did. Now I get to fight a real battle!”
Ginem Bari laughed and laughed. For a moment, his narrow eyes opened wide. “No holding back. Now that it’s come to this, I can’t be lazy, either. Well, shall we finally settle this? Wielder of the Red-Eyed Golem?”
The remaining three jester golems charged Gol. As usual, the clowns’ dexterity with their daggers was thrilling to see. I had thought losing one of their own would leave a gaping hole in their formation and cripple their efficacy, but that wasn’t the case at all. How can I put it? It felt like their movements had grown immaculately sharp. In no way did their fighting strength diminish without their fourth.
However, Gol had already learned the clowns’ maneuvers. When one got too close, Gol instantly countered with a lightning-quick fist. She grazed her opponent’s shoulder, but with the force of a cannonball. A dull sound echoed as it passed by, leaving a gaping crater in the clown’s shoulder. Cracks fractured out from the wound and part of its body shattered, flinging purple fragments into the air.
Then Gol got serious. It wouldn’t take much longer for this fight to end.
Ginem’s clowns walked a tightrope as they deployed their trivial diversions while barely managing to avoid Gol’s attacks. In contrast, Gol’s monstrous punches packed such power that she only ever needed to hit any of them once. One hit, instant death.
If another clown fell, their coordination advantage would vanish. I was sure of it. Then Gol’s attacks would connect unhampered. It would mark the beginning of a massacre.
Just then, the three clowns leapt back out of range and two of them threw their stone daggers at Gol.
Four daggers flew so swiftly you could hear them slicing through the air. Gol twisted her upper body, dodging the first, second, and third shots. The final fourth shot, she slapped away with the palm of her hand. Amazing! She was just like a martial arts master.
Of the three enemies, two were now empty-handed. Nevertheless, this didn’t much impact the situation. Each clown had four daggers strapped to their backs, which meant each of them had at least two more daggers remaining.
Had they meant to launch a surprise attack, thinking we wouldn’t expect a projectile assault and we’d be caught off guard? I warily watched the clowns and noticed a strange movement in their arms. It was faint, but the joints in their forearms shifted. If I hadn’t activated my sorcery, I probably wouldn’t have seen it at all.
Moreover, something was rattling inside their limbs, almost like some kind of machine.
“What’s up with them? Their arms are moving strangely…”
Mr. Chotos heard me and was startled. “What? Their arms?! N-no good!”
Oh, yeah, you’ve been next to me this whole time, mister. You haven’t been talking and your presence is so meek that I forgot all about you. Ah, but I did tell you that if you didn’t want to die, you would need to stay still. Sorry for calling you meek, mister.
“Nemaki, that’s probably the jester golems’ trick arms at work!”
“Trick arms?” I remembered something like those being described in the illustrated guidebook. A trick arm… What exactly did that mean? Ah, right. A jester golem’s arm could detach. I had been under the impression it was a whimsical sort of weapon, but given Mr. Chotos’s terror, it seemed to be genuinely dangerous.
Well, that wasn’t good. I had to warn Gol. “Hey, Gol, be careful! Their arms—”
I realized then that I hadn’t yet called out to Gol during this long battle. I had only spoken to Ginem Bari, and I had more or less ignored my partner. Gol was working so hard all by herself, fighting to the bitter end without any support. I was sure she felt lonely, thinking I had forgotten about her.
I had been negligent in my professional duty.
When I called her name, Gol turned in delight to look at me, her long ears fluttering and her gem-like eyes glittering, as if she had been waiting for this for ages.
Ah, wait, no, not that! Face forward! Forward!
Just as I feared, the moment Gol carelessly glanced away, the mechanism in the two jester golems’ arms activated. Their forearms detached at the elbow joint and launched like a rocket punch. Each forearm flew through the air, connected to the main body by a sort of long chain.
Four arms and four chains whirled around Gol as she turned. In the blink of an eye, Gol’s entire body was entangled.
H-how could this be? Because of me, we’re suddenly in a real bind…