Hands Collector
──In the midst of that sudden assault, my cool-headed assessment was simple: I had zero chance of beating her.
Her movements were completely invisible. And worse, she was fighting like it was all just a game. I'd landed a surprise hit with my first move, but even Deadly Queen hadn't left so much as a scratch on her.
Octopus tentacles──blades attached──burst from her fluttering sleeves, suckers gaping wide as they stretched toward me to wrap me up.
Fireball
A Fireball shot from the dazzling memorize spellbook. BOOM! The flames exploded head-on, piercing and bursting the tentacles.
At the sheer power of magic no F-rank could muster, she just grinned like she was having the time of her life. The air around us heated up in an instant, the forest scorching and trees snapping──it hurt my heart to watch, but she, who had nearly taken it head-on, was laughing.
But the real heart-stopper was the fireball she hurled. I managed to cancel it with my own Fireball──no, mine overwhelmed it──yet her dragon arm showed not a single scorch mark.
She was toying with me. Anyone could see she could kill me whenever she wanted. She was sizing up my arm's abilities, its limits, like she was reading the spec sheet on merchandise she planned to claim.
Lemon Hyacinth, biting down on the reins, aimed his pistol sword and pulled the trigger. The night forest, deathly still, erupted with deafening gunfire as mana bullets flew──which she took full-on without a thought of dodging.
The rounds crumpled and ricocheted off her skin harmlessly.
Even if we went all-in here, sacrificing everything, could we win? She hopped around like a playful rabbit, but her speed was straight out of a horror flick──ghostly fast.
An arm stretched impossibly long from her sleeve, gleaming in the dark as it whipped toward us. The serpentine, unidentified hand easily slipped past me and Hyacinth, severing the neck of the horse pulling our carriage.
She snatched the flying horse head, grinning wickedly. Hyacinth screamed at the sight.
Me? I stayed calm. The hand vanished back into her sleeve again──meaning there was a delay when she swapped them.
She was showing gaps big enough for me to see. How could an S-rank serial killer afford that? Maybe she was holding back, toying around. Or she could unleash all her collected arms at once. Or perhaps one of her monster arms was exceptionally strong.
She hadn't even pulled out Circe's arm yet──just swinging it casually.
Tough customer, was my verdict on her.
I couldn't tell her abilities just by watching. Even if I glimpsed her skills, they'd probably just be something like "uses collected arms' powers." Only she knew what arms she'd gathered.
After slaying countless adventurers, the number she had must dwarf my wildest guesses.
What she's shown so far:
1. Mantis arm. Long like a sword blade──I mistook it for a cutlass from how it curved. Sharp enough to slice my Metal Mimic, but was that her best? She could just swap in a sword master's arm. Probably just her light jab equivalent. She used it underground on first sight too.
2. Dragon arm. Scales suggested dragon──clenched to hurl flames. Overpowered my Fireball in raw power. Her fireball looked flashy──
3. Bear arm. The one from the handshake grab. I caught her swing with it.
──Up to here, just her toys for fun. The snake-like extending arm that beheaded the horse? I could only chase its afterimage. It sliced silently; the horse didn't even realize its neck was gone, head and body twitching separately.
"Then shall we get a little more serious~?"
Why target me? Human? Needs my arm? Can she use constellation skills and blessings with it?
Every move so far threatened my life. The black pudding incident already put me on their radar. And surviving the impossible Magic Palace──she'd been watching since then.
Was Hands Collector alone? Or was someone else observing us?
The carriage, racing through the forest, flipped with a crash as the horse fell. Hyacinth swiftly scooped up Riko and leaped clear. I could only tuck my head and dive toward the ground.
Just before impact, grass and tree roots cushioned me. I slid smoothly to a landing and stood──but realized Hands Collector was already right in front of me faster than that.
A hand like a sticky carnivorous plant emerged from her sleeve. As she flexed, sticky protrusions spiked out like sea urchin spines.
"Hyah─!"
A casual golf swing. I crossed my arms desperately to brace.
CLANG! Metal-on-metal clash──my body launched airborne. A few spines snapped off, flinging me back.
I summoned a soft glow-in-the-dark dinosaur, using its rubbery bounce to soften the landing, then backpedaled off it like a wall to create distance.
Running like this was pointless. Recycle left me with maybe one Metal Mimic use. First guard took one, second guard two. Without its impact absorption, my guts would've burst from that hit.
Cold sweat trickled down my back.
".....Hmph, not showing your hand with that, huh?"
She pondered briefly, then drew a black shadow-like arm. Pitch-dark, blending into night──beast-clawed hand.
As claws extended from spread fingers, I thrust both hands forward.
Life-size glow-in-the-dark dinosaurs poured out, charging her. Heavy, solid rubber and massive weight──the first one flung earlier, now others shoving to pile on and crush Hands Collector.
But if tree roots hadn't wrapped my waist and yanked me back──protecting me against my will──what then?
A black pillar slammed from the sky, carving through the dinosaurs. Like painting a black circle over a picture, erasing space itself.
"Nyang."
Flicking her finger like a knuckle-shot──black line shot straight. Visible even in dark, alien blackness──trees it passed bore perfect gouges, branches unmoved despite the slash. No physics applied.
"Nyang nyang."
She stowed the shadow left arm, pulling a new one. Severed hand floated like star-mist, sucked into a black portal below.
Time Stop
I chanted the spell immediately. Already three pages wasted. World turned gray, swallowed by magic──defying reason with near-instant cast, halting time.
I turned──and saw the hand emerging from the portal in midair.
True Word · Mantra didn't even trigger. To her, squashing a hamster took no effort.
Black Cat Rune was active──our luck swapped.
Here, it was a gamble.....
No Status Window, so I didn't know stats, but my luck was hers now. Did it consume her stats too? The biggest one? Unspecified.
Had to try. I'd already handed off items to Hyacinth for emergencies──I charged Hands Collector in the frozen world.
Tick─ In the stopped world, her finger twitched.
From her sleeves, both hands──a pair of arms emerged. Intricate runes etched, delicate jade-like fingers. As they appeared, color returned to her body via arms; she moved in stopped time.
"Ah, that's your power?"
Time Stop
I burned the fourth spellbook page. Time flowed again──star-mist hand swung where I'd stood.
Hands Collector showed no surprise at time restarting──she'd realized she needed to move in frozen time.
She turned toward Hyacinth, hiding between trees. Some scheme──? she muttered low, raising Circe's arm.
Just that──forest warped around the arm. Landscape rippled, solid ground sloshed like water.
This is Master...! And above that, even higher?!
──Still, no choice. Even facing space-twisting, world-beating miracle magic, I stayed calm.
I'd known her level "roughly." Riko told me──her arms were that strong. Riko said witch combat was rune magic; she'd win against anyone without men.
Couldn't confirm if alone, but no choice. She was probing my reactions, peeking my cards──what weird powers, limits.
Now, playtime over──getting serious. Grinning like testing new arm, her smile almost infectious.
As she smirked curiously──Riko emerged, one with forest scenery.
──Hands Collector only used arm powers. No deep magic knowledge.
Outer God Fear
You permanently pay 10 ability points.
Luck stat consumes 10.
No strength drain──hers was shaved instead! Constellation's outer god fear drew her gaze to me.
Reflexive killing intent──vivid vision of my body shredded──faded. Clear Mind forced me to endure the aura.
Couldn't twitch a finger, barely breathe──yet Hands Collector stared back, face twisted in unprecedented terror.
World held only me──she couldn't even look away.
Hyacinth gripped his pistol sword two-handed. Loaded: coiled severed hair──Recycled Metal Mimic bullet.
BANG!──Bullet pierced her eye.
Even hit, her eye fixed on me. Without Clear Mind, heart attack wouldn't surprise.
In the intent, Riko carved runes midair, blasting.
Her knees buckled──as gaze loosened──Time Stop cast.
Weak legs frozen. Seconds till Circe's arm broke it?
I shoved with glow-dinos, launching airborne, gripping Bopal Weapon in both hands──sword and I plummeted.
SHUNK!──Bopal Weapon stabbed color-returning arm. Released──huge sword froze midair with time.
I tumbled into grass, clutching severed arm.
Time Stop
Time flowed──Bopal Weapon vanished. Seeing severed shoulder behind blade──her reaction? Hm? Subtle, not shock.
Mundane even with me holding Circe's arm. Not what I expected.
Then──fingers pushed from her severed shoulder. Countless arms bloomed like flowers.
Human arms gripping swords, staffs, weapons. Grotesque monster arms. Bizarre unknowns.
Pierced bullet popped out. Priestess hand touched ruined eye──healed instantly.
Sealing Rune
Rune in air bound her, forcing knees down. First grimace at unmoving magic chains.
Riko flew by on broom──I opened memorize spellbook.
"Set all remaining pages."
"──See you later, Hero."
She grinned at radiant book.
"Fireball!!"
Point-blank on bound, unresisting her──Fireball exploded.
Blast flung me──Hyacinth foot-catched. Riko soared high on broom──over 20 fireballs' apocalyptic blaze.
Forest now inferno hellscape.
Center──girl rose, dusting dirt, one sleeve gone. Slight soot on clothes──waved up at me, ash-smeared face.
"See ya next time~! That was fun! Who's donating Hero arm?"
To me holding Circe's arm──not anger or pity, but sympathetic cheer, waving bye.