On an anchored cargo boat, Crim stared longingly at the canal bank. Surrounded by roughneck sailors, the angel’s gorgeous features stood out remarkably. Crim was preparing to set out for a journey down the Great River. That said, it was only a half-day trip.

“I’m sorry, this always happens to us in times of trouble…”

“Don’t worry about it. We really do need to fix Brooz’s nose, though.”

Stunk waved lightheartedly from the bank.

Crim’s duty was to accompany the canine beastman Brooz. At Love Bringer, Brooz’s nose was taken out of commission by a spray from a cursed potion. Because he was a dog-hybrid with a nose that was extra sensitive to begin with, his olfactory senses were severely affected by the curse’s power—to the greatest extent possible.

Curing it would require a visit to a sacred venue or the intervention of a high-level medical magician. However, Stunk and company had recently learned there was a third option.

“If you’re looking for disenchantment, there’s a magical lube that apparently works quite well.”

The blue-skinned, two-horned demon, Samtahn—whom the crew happened to run into as a familiar face in the naval town—spoke up.

He had heard about a commotion in the next town over and rushed over out of curiosity, when he stumbled upon Stunk and company, he’d said. Samtahn was even more versed in dark-elemental magic and curses than Zel.

“It’s a slimy lube that requires magic to use, but some varieties boost the efficacy of magic conductivity, I’ve heard. At any rate, Brooz has the cursed power embedded deep in his nasal cavity, right? If that’s the case, I would expect it to work. That said, using the lube at will requires a level of practice, so finding someone who can utilize it is the first hurdle.”

“Oh, in that case, I might know someone.”

“Come to think of it, the first succubus joint you ever visited had something to do with this, didn’t it, Crim?”

“…Yes. That’s right.”

After exchanging conversation, Crim and Brooz got on the boat. The succubus joint that employed magical lube was just down the Great River from here.

Their vessel raised anchor and departed.

“Brooz, stay strong, and let’s flush out your nose with the magical lube!”

“I’m sure the nasty stuff will get all stuck and matted in my fur, but I’ll persevere!”

Brooz was beyond fatigued, and his expression turned even darker. Stunk didn’t look particularly well, either, although it was nothing compared with Brooz.

“Stunk, shouldn’t you have gotten on board, too? That brutal thing between your legs could also be effectively disenchanted with magical lube as well, no?”

“It’s not like I don’t want to have my sword disenchanted by a bunch of cute magician chicks with some special lube. But really, I can’t ignore my promise to take that dude’s challenge.”

“The asura?”

“Yeah, that’s right. He’s blue, just like you.”

Stunk’s duel with Vilchana was set for dusk, on a small hill outside the town. Apparently, they’d both learned their lesson about getting arrested for shedding blood near civilians.

“Given his overly serious disposition, there’s no way he’ll break the appointment. And I refuse to let the extra prize, Gara, get away. Because of that, I’ll have to stomach his demands, for the sake of finishing this business as quickly as possible…”

“That thing between your legs is going to pose a problem, however.”

Stunk’s magic sword was still wrapped in cloth and stuck to his chest. It wasn’t impeding his ability to get from point A to point B, but he had limited upper-body motion.

“Can you take down a six-armed swordsman like that?”

“That’s the thing, isn’t it? Geez, I’m in a bind. My last ray of hope, Zel, hasn’t come back from chasing after Pyugmarie… Samtahn, you’re well versed in incantation, right?”

“More than most, yes.”

“Is there any way you can fix this?”

“What’s in it for me?”

He was a demon, after all. He was rather coldhearted, or maybe just blunt.

“I’ll buy you lunch. So please do something about this razor-sharp crotch blade of mine. Even if you can’t fully disenchant it, if I can just get by for a period of time…maybe you can make it small enough to not get in the way? It did go back to normal once, so it shouldn’t be impossible.”

“Treating it without knowing the exact proportions of the ingredients in the potion is impossible, but as for getting by in the meantime…I think we can do that. I expect a full-course lunch.”

“Full-course, eh? All right, then, let’s go. I expect your treatment immediately after you eat.”

They clarified the price and terms of their agreement and made a deal. That was how you got along with the demon Samtahn. Adding to that, it was imperative to remember the content of the conversation verbatim.

Stunk kept his eyes peeled for a quality eatery while walking through town.

“Full-course, full-course… Oh, this place looks good.”

“It’s…a food stall.”

There was a delicious scent wafting toward them from an extremely common food stall. It was serving chicken skewers brushed with a savory sauce. Stunk called out to the middle-aged lamia man with gusto.

“Hey, pops, we’ll take one of everything you got! The full-course treatment! And as a separately wrapped order, I’ll take two each of the leeks and garlic, along with an order of wings, bonjiri, hearts, gizzards, liver, skin, and cartilage…all salted!”

“You got it, bub! The full-course treatment and more, coming right up!”

The food-stall owner wrapped both orders of chicken skewers in dragon-oak leaves and handed them to Stunk.

“Whaddaya think, Samtahn? This here’s a full-course chicken-skewer lunch.”

Stunk was beaming with triumph as he handed the food to Samtahn.

This was moronic chicanery. Full-course lunch meant a gourmet spread at a luxurious restaurant. However, the stoic demon simply cocked his head briefly to the side and nodded, seemingly satisfied.

“This is definitely a full-course meal. I will dig in without hesitation.”

“That’s right, eat to your heart’s content!”

In a sense, Samtahn had a high level of integrity. Even at face value, he would absolutely follow through on an agreement, and even if someone used his words to trip him up to an extent, he wouldn’t get angry. If anything, he showed a notion of respect.

Thanks to Samtahn being so agreeable, my wallet got by with minimal damage, too.

If Stunk was going to splurge, he wanted to do it at a succu-joint. Chicken skewers required many individual orders, so it wasn’t the cheapest thing in the world, but it was nothing like indulging at a gourmet restaurant.

The pair sat down at the edge of a fountain in the city and ate their chicken skewers.

“Mmm, not bad. The meat is okay, but this sauce is delicious. I could drink it by itself.”

“By the way, what were you doing in this town anyway?”

“I heard there was an interesting succu-joint here. One that has living-weapon girls.”

“It was an absolute scam, and you might consider it now out of business.”

“What the—? I came here for nothing, it seems. How unfortunate.”

Samtahn’s eyes bulged nervously and wriggled back and forth. Because he was honest, when his objective went out the door, he didn’t know what to do with himself.

“Don’t sweat it; you currently have the duty of helping my crotch get back to normal. That’s all you need to think about right now. So come on, hurry up and eat. I already finished mine.”

“H-hmm, fine then. But…this is a lot of food.”

“Yeah, well, it’s one of everything they had, and two kinds of sauces…”

Samtahn belched, and having finished half of his skewers, his expression darkened. He started rubbing his stomach repeatedly. He was relatively slender, so he probably wasn’t the biggest eater.

“If you can’t finish, should I help you out?”

“What are you saying? Our agreement is that I will eat lunch and then mend your manhood. If I let you eat my food, we’ll need a new pact.”

“Ohhh…I see. Yeah, you’re right. In that case, eat up.”

Samtahn’s blue skin turned an ashen gray, and he oozed globules of oily sweat. His horns even seemed to droop downward.

When he finally managed to finish everything, the young demon looked like he was on the edge of his deathbed.

“Ohhh, oof…urp…gehhh.”

“Oh, don’t puke here. We’re on a main street, and it’s the middle of the day.”

Stunk couldn’t have fathomed this disastrous debacle. He thought it would be unfair to choose an establishment that only served a few dishes, leading him to choose chicken skewers, but it completely backfired.

However, Samtahn had finished everything in the end. He pointed his face toward the sky as he belched in succession and managed to withstand the torment of his gluttony.

“Oof…urp…hahh…hahh, okay, should we get to your treatment?”

“Shouldn’t you maybe take a breather first…?”

“We agreed I would treat you soon after lunch. Here goes—”

“What, here?”

“Soon. After. Lunch.”

Stunk was pretty sure there were other ways to interpret soon, but at any rate, it didn’t matter. He was now assaulted with the humiliation of having his junk—a steel shadow of its former fleshy form—exposed to the public.

The agreed-upon hillside outside town was tinged a deep red.

The two swordsmen faced against each other. The six-armed, Buddha-faced asura held three different blades, waiting patiently.

The other looked grim and only had two arms. He rested his double-edged longsword against his handheld blade and growled listlessly.

“So what are the terms of victory?”

“There are no terms in a battle to the death. It’s simply kill or be killed.”

“Ugh, you guys are the worst. That leaves a bad taste in my mouth, win or lose.”

“That is unavoidable in a true case of victory or defeat.”

“Your worldview is seriously warped, man…”

Slaying monsters was Stunk’s bread and butter. But dueling an intelligent species to the death would be beyond awkward. Stunk was far more into the idea of activities that could potentially create life rather than take it. If he actually felt enmity toward Vilchana, that would’ve been one thing, but a duel would be little more than a pain in the ass.

“I’ve agreed to meet you here, so you’ll have to stomach my conditions. Whoever takes the other’s head off, or forces them to surrender, is the victor.”

“…There’s no way you’re considering surrender the moment our battle begins, are you, Stunk?”

“I wouldn’t be able to claim my prize then, would I?”

Stunk looked toward Gara, who was behind Vilchana.

Her eyes were narrowed, and she was clearly unnerved. And of course, she was tied to a tree with some rope, her range of motion completely restricted.

“Vilchana, you’re actually pretty handsome, but my god, your personality is incredibly annoying.”

“I’m aware. But you really should stick with me.”

“As for the seedy-looking guy with the beard, I can only see ill intent behind his eyes.”

“That’s not entirely true! There should only be around seventy percent ill intent!”

“Ugh, just get it over with! I don’t care who wins—just untie me already! How long do you think I’ve been stuck like this, you morons?!”

Turning their backs to the disgruntled golem, who was howling like a banshee, the atmosphere on the hillside completely changed. Vilchana took a half step forward.

“I don’t like having to tie up a woman, but…there was no other choice.”

“I’ve been curious for a while now, but…it looks something scratched the hell outta your face. What happened there?”

“She was throwing a fit, so I had to tie her up…”

Vilchana’s Buddha face was covered in gashes, and he looked worn out. However, any exhaustion in his expression swiftly subsided.

Whoosh—

Vilchana closed the distance between them with another half step, and the air around them went icy, like a frozen highland in the dead of winter.

“When a leaf falls from the tree, the second it hits the ground, we shall embrace death.”

“Umm, the tree’s behind you. How are you gonna see the leaf?”

“I can feel its presence. My singular face is a failure in and of itself. But though I may have only one face, I have trained to feel and understand all creation through my ears, eyes, nose, and skin.”

“But you were easily apprehended by the predatory-bird guard who flew in just the other day, weren’t you?”

“That was negligence. I have since learned my lesson. That will not happen again.”

Vilchana used one of his hands to throw a small knife behind him. It embedded itself into a tree, and a single leaf fell from its branches. It lilted slowly and gently, as if the atmosphere were playing with it. As it approached the ground, it started to fall even more slowly.

But it was only because of Stunk’s bodily functions. His honed nerves were slowing down the sensation of time. He thought the falling leaf would drift, dancing along the air current, when it neared its final resting place—

“Achoo—!”

Gara’s sneeze propelled the leaf upward, causing its landing to be delayed by a single beat.

In that moment, Vilchana slashed forward without hesitation.

“Hyaaa—!”

“Not so fast.”

Stunk took a large step back as all three of Vilchana’s blades whiffed in front of his nose by a hair’s breadth.

“You evaded my first blow, as expected. Excellent!”

“Now you’ll have to deal with me.”

As Stunk dashed backward, he drew his longsword out diagonally in an arc that avoided all three of Vilchana’s blades. He was aiming for Vilchana’s neck but blocked the slash with his shoulder epaulet. Feeling the weight of Stunk’s slash, Vilchana cried out in wonder. His expression remained indifferent, but a euphoric smile crept onto his face.

Thunk.

An acorn hit Vilchana on the head, and his smile twisted bitterly.

“No matter how careful you are, that’s the face you should make when your enemy exposes your weakness!”

Stunk had launched the acorn with his thumb in the same instant that the falling leaf was pushed up by Gara’s sneeze. The opening that Vilchana revealed was extremely small. But Stunk stepped in confidently, fully reading his opponent, and moved to close the gap.

Stunk dropped his body low and put his hands on the ground, going in for a sweep kick.

“Oof!”

Vilchana raised one of his legs to evade the sweep, but in the same moment, Stunk slashed sideways, aiming for his knee.

“Gehhh…”

Vilchana blocked the blow with the curved sword in his middle right hand and disengaged. Then Stunk righted his footing and faced Vilchana again.

There was a moderate distance between them once more. They were a step too far for any fatal blows and took a moment to poise themselves again.

“Intriguing. Very intriguing.”

“Is intriguing your favorite word or something?”

“Stunk, your swordsmanship lacks beauty. It is like a snake slithering through mud. You ask me to observe your prestigious blade, but you’ve already cast it aside. The one you wield now reeks of filth. For this reason, surely you will concede that my swordsmanship is superior!”

Vilchana dropped his center of gravity and shot at Stunk like an arrow. Using his middle arms, he thrust a razor-sharp katana toward Stunk.

Damn, he’s way faster than I thought!

Yet no matter how quick the thrust was, Stunk could not afford to be mesmerized by a single sword. His enemy was an asura, which meant Stunk had three blades and six hands to worry about.

Vilchana’s thick dagger in his middle right hand came down diagonally, aiming for Stunk’s neck. His curved sword in his middle left hand swept close to the ground, on track to slice Stunk’s shins… Or rather, it plunged into the dirt and scattered sand into Stunk’s eyes.

“You cheat—!”

Stunk immediately shut his eyes to shield them from the sand, performing a blind backflip to evade the additional threats headed his way.

Dirt pelted his face as Vilchana’s katana and dagger collided with a thunderous clash. Afterward, Stunk could hear an abnormal rush of wind. It was Vilchana’s katana carving an irregular path through the air.

“Secret Blade Technique: Throat of Ananta!”

Whoa…! Fear shot up Stunk’s spine.

“Nrgh!”

“Hrk!”

Stunk immediately dropped his hips to the ground and managed to repel Vilchana’s thrust with his powerful blade. By the skin of his teeth, he was able to deflect both additional weapons rushing toward him.

His eyes now open, Stunk was able to meet Vilchana’s joyful gaze.

“You’ll chip your swords using them like that, y’know.”

“You saw through my secret skill without even using your eyes… Incredible!”

Vilchana refused to give up the offensive and instead threw out more secret techniques. This time, all three of his blades danced on different trajectories and collided in midair. The cataclysmal rush of all three weapons colliding became a fearsome attack that traveled in new directions Stunk couldn’t predict. This was the true nature of Vilchana’s hidden abilities.

Even though Stunk understood the essence of the attacks, avoiding them was another story. On top of Vilchana’s katana taking on a drastically different form, his technique made it seem as though there were far more than three blades present.

“Oof, ugh, lay off, will ya?”

“Yet you still evade! Incredible!”

There was nothing incredible about this for Stunk. He was just barely surviving by dodging and deflecting, but he was being forced to spend all his time in the defensive.

Vilchana was stronger than he thought, which was a serious pain. To make matters worse, in contrast with Stunk’s initial impression, Vilchana didn’t even fight with honor.

“I didn’t peg you for the kind of cheap bastard to throw sand in my eyes!”

“I have escaped death countless times. There will come a time when I must resort to dirty tricks, just as you must.”

“All I wanna do is get this over with as quickly as possible, dumbass.”

Stunk realized he should have asked Samtahn to step in for a surprise attack but quickly reconsidered.

This guy wouldn’t be satisfied by that. He’d just end up coming after me again soon after.

It turned out that this huge pain in the ass had a thing for Stunk. Stunk really would have preferred not to be hounded like this, even if it were a cute girl chasing him instead. Girls were the best when they were hot and bothered, squealing hard, and getting drilled like champions.

Stunk wanted nothing more than to enjoy the company of a woman like that right at that very moment.

“Ugh, I want to go home…”

“Why would you say such a thing in the middle of our duel?”

“I just wanna have some hot, steamy sex right now…”

“There is no greater joy than our battle, Stunk.”

“No, this is just terrifying. What’s fun about this to you?”

“There is no reason for an accomplished swordsman such as yourself to be shaken by cowardice. Is this some elaborate strategy to get me to drop my guard?”

“Yep, ya caught me…”

The maelstrom of battle and conversation raged on. Both warriors had exceptional levels of skill.

“…You have six fucking arms, after all.”

“You speak the truth. Not only that, but I have honed my skills in order to fight with these six arms for quite some time.”

“Don’t you feel like you have too many sometimes? Don’t they just get in the way?”

“Some of us cannot wield them adeptly, depending on the number.”

“Having six arms has to be much more of a challenge compared with having only two.”

Stunk narrowed his eyes silently. He’d had enough time to size Vilchana up. As the pair of warriors continued to trade blows, Stunk suddenly surged forward with the sword dangling betwixt his thighs.

“Guhhh…”

Vilchana had a cut on his cheek, but he refused to let something so trivial bother him as his blades continued dancing toward Stunk. To his surprise, however, Stunk remained completely unharmed.

With each of Stunk’s guttural groans, his longsword flew forward and made shallow cuts on Vilchana’s skin and clothing. They were nothing close to mortal wounds, but they were landing soundly and in rapid succession.

“The interference caused from battling you shoulder to shoulder definitely limits any real openings.”

“And fighting with two arms leaves a great distance between us—incredible.”

Due to their difference in anatomy, the two-armed human and six-armed asura had inherent differences in their distancing. Even though Stunk had fewer blades, taking advantage of the distance between him and his opponent meant he still had means to fall back on.

Everything had merits and demerits. The same was true for having a massive cock—something most men longed to possess.

That said, I can’t be out of options. Not yet.

Both warriors retreated, creating a huge amount of space between them. They stopped in their tracks to catch their ragged breath. Sweat poured from them in globes, and their heartbeats raged against their sternums. Both of their bodies grew sluggish.

They had crossed swords while flying around each other with ease, but every one of their attacks was dripping with killing intent. Each blow they traded was taking a toll on their nervous systems. And the mental fatigue was now draining their stamina.

Both warriors could see the other’s breaking point nearing.

“I think we should call this a draw before long.”

“Agreed. Let’s decide this with the next clash.”

Vilchana raised all three of his blades in varying directions and positions. His torso was completely exposed.

He took the bait.

Vilchana may have had an advantage in the number of weapons he possessed, but he was not as good at distancing. It was difficult to get him to go on the defensive. Because he had three swords, he was naturally inclined to be over three times as efficient in a defensive stance.

He would block his opponent’s strikes and step in when their stance faltered in order to deliver an attack of his own. What could Stunk do to stave off this fighting style?

“…Allow me to end this immediately. I won’t even give you a chance to defend.”

Stunk raised his longsword low along his hips, with his right hand simply held against it. He secured the pommel of his sword with the pointer finger and thumb of his left hand. This position was intended to make his sword feel longer, thus easier to perform a quick strike.

“Stunk of great pride! Come at me!”

“Rrrwaaa—!”

Stunk kicked the ground heavily with his rear leg and turned into a bolt of lightning. His sword flashed purple with electricity as he slashed forward, aiming at Vilchana’s windpipe. Vilchana gathered his three blades in an instant to refuse to let the fatal blow through.

In less than the blink of an eye, they converged. Blood danced through the air.

“Spectacular…”

Vilchana’s Buddha face had been grazed by Stunk’s lightning-fast blade.

It wasn’t a direct hit. Vilchana’s katana and dagger barely managed to collide with Stunk’s longsword and lock it in place. Thanks to their momentum, the two were almost forced directly against each other. This was not longsword-striking distance.

“I felt the fear of death…brave warrior Stunk.”

Vilchana’s only free blade, his curved sword, arced through the air. It was a perfectly shaped blade to use at this distance.

“Not a chance.”

Stunk produced a knife with his right hand. He had only used his left hand in his attack moments ago, slipping his right hand into his chest pocket to prepare.

Getting within comfortable striking distance of his opponent and pulling out his favorite dagger for a surprise attack was Stunk’s ploy all along. His knife was shorter than the curved sword, and quicker besides. It would reach Vilchana’s neck first, and the rest would be history.

At least, it should have been. Instead, Vilchana took the knife and pushed his own face toward it.

Was this suicide? No, it couldn’t be.

The knife froze in midair. Stunk tried to urge it forward, but it wouldn’t move.

Vilchana had chomped down on the blade with tremendous force, holding it in place with his teeth, like a lion, and refusing to let go.

“This is my victory!”

Vilchana swung his curved blade toward Stunk, preparing to take his head off.

I was one step behind…!

Stunk felt time slow to a crawl, and it condensed further the closer Vilchana’s blade got to his neck. All his memories rushed to flood his mind’s eye in a single moment. He saw his entire life flash before his eyes.

He saw the first time he had ever visited a succubus joint.

Back then, he had visited an incredible joint and had thrust so hard, he thought his hips would fall right off.

There was his first time being drained dry at a succubus joint.

There was the time he shed bitter tears after his first experience at a terrible joint.

Infinite memories of succubus joints—of all shapes, sizes, and dispositions—flooded his mind.

They were such precious memories. He had led a truly amazing life.

In his final moment, a surge of energy welled up in his crotch. It must have been his preservation instincts telling him to leave his seed behind in this world.

No, that wasn’t it.

Stunk felt like a voice had called out to him. A powerful force defying death welled up from within… From his crotch.

His blade was calling out to him. It was infuriated. It was telling him not to roll over and die, having easily been swayed by the touching memories from his life.

Some would even say this was the erection of a lifetime.

“Rrrrraaaaaaaaaaggggghhh!”

The bind that Samtahn had affixed to Stunk’s crotch was torn asunder. His pants were ripped in half, and the magic sword between his legs cleaved the air itself, blasting Vilchana’s curved sword back with overwhelming force.

“What the—?!”

Stunk’s below-the-belt blade surged up and utterly shattered Vilchana’s defenses. His tower of black and red throbbed heavily at a distance that could slit Vilchana’s carotid artery in an instant.

“This is my victory… No, it’s a victory for me and my boy.”

Vilchana’s remaining two swords slipped from his hands and clattered onto the ground, alongside Vilchana himself, who fell to his knees in the dirt, staring in awe at Stunk’s groin.

“Utterly ridiculous… Where in the world were you concealing such a massive weapon?”

“It’s my cock.”

“What did you say?”

“This is my cock. My male sexual organ. My penis, and nothing more.”

“A h-human penis will become a destructive weapon of that level if honed enough…?!”

“Not exactly, but you’re not entirely wrong!”

Stunk swung his lower sword around in a circle, beaming with pride.

“You might have poured everything into techniques that use your three swords—but I have something other than my steel sword, and I’ve spent years whetting my blade against beautiful women far and wide! Do you get it now? They say that the number of sperm in a single ejaculation isn’t in the hundreds or thousands, but in the hundreds of millions!”

“The hundreds…of millions…?!”

Vilchana’s eyes were bulging out of his head. This was a far greater number than wielding three blades or having six arms. His head fell down in dejection.

“I admit total defeat. I only knew how to wield a sword and thought nothing of training my penis.”

“Oh, so my suspicions were correct? You’re a virgin?”

“I felt it inexcusable to be tempted by women and falter on the path of my blade…”

“Well, you should let me introduce you to a quality joint sometime.”

Stunk slapped Vilchana kindly on the shoulder.

Vilchana slowly looked up to him with a face that was filled with adolescent surprise and ignorance of the world around him.

“Would you…?”

“Sure. We’re blade brothers now, after all.”

What Stunk really wanted to say was, So don’t even think about challenging me to another duel.

For starters, the pair clasped hands in a show of mutual trust. Stunk wondered how many hands the asura would put forth for a handshake, but it was just the standard one.

“Okay, it’s time to take care of this little detail, too.”

Stunk turned his gaze toward Gara. She was just about to slip from the ropes and escape.

“…Oh, you caught me, ha-ha…”

Gara snorted, trying to laugh off her escape attempt. Her serpentine lower body had branched into countless tendrils, which were moving at her command to undo the rope knots. They were not of lamia origin, no matter which way you looked at it. They didn’t have scales, but instead, suction cups.

“Hey, you… Are those legs…tentacles?”

“It’s like, I wanted to get out of these ropes, and I was wondering if my tail would move more skillfully, and then this just happened!”

It looked like Gara didn’t really know what occurred, either.

“Oh, fantastic, the core I made is incredible after all. Her body can indeed change its physical makeup at will—very nice, very nice.”

A rapid-fire string of words could be heard from above. Looking up, Stunk saw a winged airship floating in the air.

Whoosh, whoosh—the wings flapped to keep the airship afloat. The mad witch Pyugmarie, exhaustion lining her eyes, dropped a rope down toward Gara.

“Gara, oh, Gara, come up here, hurry, hurry! Let’s run away! Let’s escape! Come now, I’ll throw a smoke screen, so watch your eyes, okay? Hey, you bastards! Eat this!”

Pyugmarie threw a number of spherical projectiles from the ship, which exploded into plumes of smoke. Stunk was absolutely dogged from his duel to the death, making it difficult to quickly secure his target. By the time the smoke cleared, Gara was aboard the airship, far in the distance.

Tough though Stunk’s crotch was, it could not reach the heavens. And he could just barely hear their conversation.

“Hey, Pyugly, do you even have anywhere to run to?”

“No matter where we go, my desire to create will birth a new masterpiece unto this world, ke-ke-ke.”

“Enough with the inventions already! Can you do something about basic food, clothing, and shelter? Also, this airship’s rocking is making me queasy. Are you sure we won’t crash?”

“Oh, that sounds nice. Yes, we may crash. Failure is the mother of progress, after all. And next time, I’ll build an absolutely flawless airship! To be honest, this one is unsteady as all hell, and I didn’t even want to use it, but what can you do?”

“Let me off! Let me off this thing right now!”

“Ke-ke-ke-ke-ke-ke-ke—!”

The pair receded into the distance until all that was left was Pyugmarie’s ominous, screeching laugh.

Stunk sighed and switched up his attitude. If there was nothing else he could do, then that was that.

“I’m sorry, Stunk, I should have cut her arms and legs off.”

Vilchana looked terribly apologetic as he made the disturbing comment.

This guy really needs to get laid.

Stunk needed to show him the way. His sense of duty as a man was tugging on his heartstrings.

Stunk met up again with Zel in the town of waterways. The elf looked like he was contemplating something but wasn’t shy about it as he shrugged and started clowning around.

“That crazy woman is so-so with magic, but she really had made a lot of insane inventions. Not to mention, she uses them all the wrong way. How could you let her go?”

“We didn’t just let her go, okay?”

“I put a tag on her. It’s like a tiny little bug that emits a magic signal. It will tell us the approximate direction she’s headed, so we don’t need to worry.”

Zel turned his gaze to the six-armed companion accompanying Stunk, as if to say, And you are…?

“So what’s the story with this guy?”

“He’s the new Crim, pretty much.”

“Oh, so we’re taking some fresh meat to their first succu-joint? Got it.”

Introducing someone who didn’t know anything about sex to a succubus joint was a unique experience. Watching their fresh reactions to everything caused a warm, fuzzy feeling to swell up in Stunk’s well-worn consciousness.

It was partially sheer amusement, too.

“I am a bit hesitant. I have little to no experience with women.”

As usual, Vilchana was serious to a fault, but he also seemed nervous.

“We better make sure not to throw him to the lions right away.”

“Yeah, and we need to fix that crotch of yours, too, Stunk.”

Stunk’s crotch blade had been temporarily disenchanted by Zel, but they didn’t know when it would revert to its steel form again, so they needed a permanent fix as soon as possible.

“Okay, I know just the place.”

“Yep, that’ll be perfect.”

The two playboys turned their smiling faces to the straitlaced swordsman.

“We’ll need to go down the river a bit, but we have an incredible joint we can take you to.”

“You have my thanks! If you need a boat, I happen to know someone.”

The three men had dinner before heading toward the port.

The boat that Vilchana knew of was an overnight cargo ship. All the passengers belonged to species with excellent night vision, and the captain was a dog hybrid. Vilchana had once saved his life.

Samtahn joined them around then, and all four men boarded the ship for free as it began to make its way along the current from the waterway to the Great River.

Vilchana stood at the helm and looked out over the vast water’s surface, which was easily mistakable for an ocean.

“There is an unseen world out there, isn’t there—?”

Vilchana’s mouth was pursed shut in awe, and he looked a bit stiff.

“Are you nervous?”

Slack-jawed and slovenly, Stunk posed a question to Vilchana.

“I was proud of the fact that I lived only for my blade until today—but now I feel helpless.”

“No reason to freak out. You’re still going to be using your sword.”

“My…sword…”

“Yeah, your lifelong partner. The one that’s been dangling between your legs since the day you were born.”

Stunk chuckled like a mischievous young boy. Vilchana smiled briefly.

“I lost to your loyal partner, and I must recognize…the value of the penis.”

“Oh, and how about asuras? Do you have more than one sprouting down there, just like your arms?”

“I only have one. And it’s nowhere near as large as your loyal partner.”

“Wow, if you were bigger than this thing in magic-sword mode, I’d be floored.”

The two men laughed in tandem. Judging by the easygoing atmosphere, one would never guess they had nearly killed each other in a duel.

Then again, maybe they were getting along precisely because they had traded blows, although one of their swords was a literal crotch blade.

“You guys sure look like you’re having fun.”

Zel seemed exhausted as he walked up from the stern.

“Hey, Zel, what’s up with Samtahn?”

“Seasickness. He’s thrown up everything in his stomach, and now he’s even dry heaving.”

Gorging himself to the point of nausea had not combined well with nautical travel. The chicken skewers Stunk had treated Samtahn to were now all fish food.

“Will magical lube work for seasickness?”

“You’re gonna drink it…? I can’t, in good faith, recommend that.”

“I recognize the health risk. And I am nervous, but dealing with this unsettling sense of self is also a form of training.”

“Blaaargh… Bleeegh…”

The ship arrived just before dark.

THE ONE-OF-A-KIND JIGGLY MAGICAL MUCUS! MAGICAL LUBE!

The shop sign was glittering in the morning sun. It opened early, too. The group was able to enter just after having breakfast.

Using magical lube had a prerequisite of understanding magic, and all the girls who worked there were sorceresses.

“I need a girl who can disenchant me.”

“Wait, Stunk. If you’re after disenchantment, shouldn’t you head to a holy place or a treatment center?”

Stunk wagged his finger and clicked his tongue at the inexperienced asura.

“If it’s possible, why wouldn’t I want to get disenchanted and get my rocks off at the same time?”

Stunk was actually just waiting for a chance to fool around at a succubus joint.

“I think I understand… You’re ensuring there is no wasted time along your destined path.”

“No, I’m going to enjoy the hell out of my wasted time. Receptionist, bring this weirdo your most experienced girl!”

“Stunk, are you sure such a seasoned veteran is the right match for me?”

“This is the most important point for your first experience. Cherish it.”

“If you are willing to show me such kindness, then my cowardice will not do. I have prepared myself. Off I go.”

The remaining three men all quickly selected their partners and split up. In order to enjoy themselves to the fullest, they had to walk down their individual paths.

The room Stunk ended up in didn’t have a bed or carpet. There was just tile. The only other thing present in the room was a bathtub filled to the brim with water.

A girl wearing a mage’s hat and a black outfit with a miniskirt bowed in greeting.

“My name is Nulaala… It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Her long hair covered her eyes, but she had a slender chin and fine facial features. Her dress was the perfect size to cling to her body, and it showed off her defined abdomen. Her bust wasn’t as large as Gara’s, but she was still a G-cup, and it had a nice shape. Her delightfully thick thighs rounded out her features nicely.

She didn’t have pointed ears, fur, or horns. She looked to be the same species as Stunk. In other words, she was human.

Stunk was an interspecies connoisseur, but it wasn’t as if he had no taste for his own species.

A strong wave of desire spread throughout his crotch, and his temporarily disenchanted sword broke its seal, causing the rock-hard blade to tower skyward.

“Oh—oh my, wow… This must be what you want to disenchant…?”

“Yes, this is my boy.”

Nulaala’s tone was hushed as she whispered, but it was her natural speaking volume. There was no fear in her voice. She was smirking slightly as she brought her face closer to the magic sword.

“Can you disenchant it? This blade is starting to be a real thorn in my side.”

“This would only be able to fit inside a slime… You poor thing.”

Nulaala’s soft voice was tickling Stunk’s ear, which only caused his magic sword to grow larger. She blew on the tip of it, and the direct ticklish sensation combined with an inexplicable heat, running from top to bottom.

In the next moment, Stunk’s member began emitting light.

“This boy is on fire!”

“Not to worry. I’m only running an analysis to see what sort of disenchantment is needed.”

A vast number of light fibers flickered in and out of existence. Inexplicably, Stunk felt like his psyche was being tickled by a childlike innocence. A thought occurred to him. If you could miniaturize this magic sword and mass-produce it, it would probably be a popular toy.

Deluxe Stunk Sword, now on sale!

“Fuu—”

Nulaala blew on it one more time, which elicited a rhythmic sound from the blade.

Shaka—shaka—shaka!

Doot—do—doot!

Shakkin—!

“My boy has spoken!”

“That means he’s doing well… Aside from the change to shape and hardness, he’s completely healthy.”

Stunk didn’t really understand, but he knew this would be a hit with the kids. If he were a child, he would definitely want one.

Super Deluxe Stunk Sword, now on sale!

Nulaala must not have understood the kinds of items that stirred the souls of men. She was quietly continuing with the disenchantment.

“…This enchantment… Where was it performed, and by whom?”

“I drank a potion given to me by some crazy chick named Pyugmarie, and then this happened.”

“…I had a feeling that might be the case, and it appears I was correct.”

“Do you know her?!”

Nulaala laughed bitterly and started to talk about Pyugmarie. It was the story of an eccentric witch. One described as a peerless nuisance to others, a parasite who had spent half her life obsessed with her own self-satisfaction.

When Stunk had finished listening to the entire story, he screwed up his face profusely.

“…Are you serious?”

“Yes… She is quite famous among our community.”

And likely for the wrong reasons, Stunk was sure. From Nulaala’s story, he knew he should have never gotten involved with her.

“At any rate, I’m counting on you to fix this curse that was put on me by that evil woman.”

“I am at your service.”

After responding in her delicate voice, Nulaala produced a small staff no bigger than a conductor’s wand. When she held it between her fingertips and waved it slightly, the bathtub full of water transformed into a vat of writhing gel.

“Oh, that wasn’t water. It was magical lube, right?”

“Magical lube can be freely modified in terms of property as well as movement through the power of magic.”

As Nulaala continued to wave her wand, the magical lube crawled out of the bathtub like an octopus. It stretched to reach Stunk’s feet and began to remove his clothes.

“It moves so expertly. My clothes aren’t even getting wet or sticky. This is amazing.”

“I am still very unskilled… True professionals can make the magical lube pick up a single grain of flour.”

“The lube to end all lube… Incredible.”

Stunk’s reaction sounded as if it had been influenced by a certain someone.

“I’m always working hard to continue progressing along my individual path…”

All of Stunk’s clothing had been removed.

“Okay, please sit here.”

“Sit? There isn’t even a chair—Whoa!”

The magical lube behind him transformed into a recessed chair. Stunk sat down apprehensively, only to discover that the chair wasn’t slimy or wet. It was a normal, hard chair.

Or so he thought.

“Okay, plop!”

The chair broke down into a flexible lump that wrapped around Stunk’s rear.

“Wh-whoa, what the—?”

Stunk’s rear end sank down into the magical lube but didn’t reach the floor. The lube was flopping around and unstable, but it welcomed him gently, just like another one of Stunk’s favorite things.

“It feels like I’m being received by a soft pair of tits…”

“Men really do love breasts, don’t they…?”

Nulaala waved her wand in a circle, and the feeling of skin against breasts enveloped Stunk’s arms, legs, and neck.

“Oh wow, I’m drowning… I’m drowning in boobs…!”

“Please relax your body… With this, that disaster between your legs will be a thing of the past.”

Nulaala spoke like she was comforting a child and waved her wand again. The magical lube surrounded Stunk’s magic sword and adhered to it.

“Oh god, my magic sword is getting it from all sides, just like a great titty-fuck.”

“Your sensations are returning to normal slowly but surely, aren’t they?”

“Yeah, you’re right. Hearing you say it, it’s true.”

Stunk couldn’t even feel pain or pleasure with his magic sword at first, but now he could sense the softness enveloping him.

“I’ll start the disenchanting process with the nerves closest to its surface. If it feels good, you’re totally welcome to struggle and squirm against it.”

“Whoa, a man struggling and squirming? That sounds kinda sad…”

“You men feel the pressure to act so strong all the time… But there’s no one else here, so please writhe against it if you wish.”

Nulaala whispered in a motherly tone. Stunk’s pride melted away. No matter how old they got, all men were soft at heart.

While drowning in the sensation of breasts nestled against him, Stunk gently tried to put energy into his hips.

Shaka—shaka—shaka!

Doot—do—doot!

Shakkin—!

“Down, boy!”

“It seems he’s getting excited… He likely has impulses to attack now that he’s taken on the form of a sword. Come on now, writhe alongside your wild boy.”

“Unnngh… Unf…okay…mmm…”

Stunk still had the ability to move his hips, even in his unstable position. With each writhing motion, he gradually picked up speed. His magic sword pierced the magical lube. It cut through, shred it in half, and repeatedly pierced it. But no matter how many times he tried, the magical lube quickly returned to its previous location. He slashed it as many times as he wanted.

“Wow, this is pretty fun…! Sliding around in here is incredible!”

“I changed the magical lube’s properties to be more fleshlike, and it seems you liked that… Please continue sliding around and slashing… I will begin disenchanting in earnest now.”

Nulaala began reciting an unintelligible incantation. The clear magical lube took on a light blue-green sheen. The sparkle interfered with the glow emitting from the Super Deluxe Stunk Sword and counteracted against it.

“Oh…my fire is subsiding…”

“I will remove the curse bit by bit… Please continue struggling and writhing, allowing your wild boy’s impulses to do as they please.”

“Okay, I’ll writhe away.”

Stunk’s ecstasy increased with each movement, and his sword’s glow dwindled proportionately. It was very gradual, but its size was also diminishing.

The thrumming sound it emitted, as well its larger-than-life visual effects, started to become disrupted and disappear.

Shaka—shaka—shaka—do—doot—kin.

“My boy! My son… He’s disappearing…!”

Finally, the time had come. However, a piercing hopelessness ravaged Stunk’s chest like a glacial northern wind.

His loyal partner had been there for him since he was born. It had only been a few days since he’d turned into a sword. His boy’s current form was the result of an accident. Once he returned to his former self, it would be great cause for celebration.

But… Thinking about the fact that I’ll have to part with this giant blade, which is so much bigger than Crim’s…

Stunk’s massive member, which would probably get him banned from succubus joints, continued to shrink.

But Stunk’s ecstasy was only skyrocketing. A strange sense of malaise cried out with grief in Stunk’s heart.

“My boy… My wild boy…”

“What is it, boy? What do you want to say, you magnificent bastard?”

The voice had gone frail, like he was really saying good-bye. All that remained in the whirlpool of magical lube was his member, completely back to normal.

The magic sword had disappeared forever right before Stunk’s very eyes.

“My boy… My boyyyyyyyyy! I’ll never forget how you saved my life during the duel! Farewell, Super Deluxe Stunk Sword! Arrrrggggggh—!”

Stunk thrust his hips like a madman. He was sobbing as he thrashed about in the sloshing, sticky mess of magical lube. Before long, Stunk had approached climax.

“Unnnghhhh… Here it comes! One last parting shot!”

Pshuuuuu! Stunk’s load pierced the magical lube. He released every last drop within the magical lube, and when he was done, he was forcibly expelled from the tub. He hit the tile floor, and an unnerving black vapor was emanating from his crotch.

“The disenchantment is now complete…”

Nulaala wiped the sweat from her neck with a towel.

“Now then, it’s time for the actual magical lube play.”

“Wait, it’s gonna get better than this?”

“Oh yes. Much better.”

“Hell yeah! I’m so ready!”

Stunk wiped the tears from his eyes, bursting with joy before giving himself over to magical-lube playtime. His heart was replete with gratitude.

Thank you, Super Deluxe Stunk Sword…! My wild boy’s true form will take it from here!

The crew finished writing their reviews at a pub close to the succu-joint and raised their glasses in a toast.

“To Stunk’s crotch recovery!”

“To Vilchana’s first succubus-joint experience!”

“Cheers!”

Stunk, Zel, and Samtahn clashed their mugs together. The asura being celebrated simply stared at the table with a strained face.

“Matters of the groin are to be feared… Magical lube is to be feared… Succubus establishments are to be feared… Women are to be feared… Making myself any more vulnerable would have put me in grave danger… I’ll never be able to pull myself out… This cannot stand…”

“Umm, you really don’t need to overthink it…”

Crim had now met up with the crew and spoke to Vilchana gently.

“I also regularly get swept up in their momentum, which has landed me in more than a few…interesting…situations. If you refuse, they’ll only get more animated, so it’s better to just act completely normal.”

“So then…during your first time, you must have let loose an aberrant voice?”

“Yes… Yes, I did.”

“Like Ahhh, ohhh… Please forgive me? You begged for mercy while wearing an unsightly expression?”

“I did say Please forgive me, I think…but I wasn’t huffing and panting…I hope…”

“When I ejaculated, I cried… The shame of it still haunts me.”

Indeed, the six-armed swordsman had gnashed his teeth, fallen to the ground, and shuddered like a leaf. Having graduated from virginity, he wasn’t in high spirits, but instead, terrified. Everyone thought it was pretty endearing.

“Oh, by the way, since my crotch is back in tip-top shape, I wanna put serious effort into finding Gara again.”

“Yeah, well, speaking of that, it turns out she wasn’t as naive as she seemed.”

Zel spread out a map and looked at the group.

“When we reached this location after leaving the naval town and crossing the Great River, all signs of magic detection disappeared. We should definitely hurry if we’re chasing her. It’s upriver, so we can’t use a boat. We could use a centaur delivery herd on land.”

“Can we get a lift through our expense fees? I mean, really, we’ve already used some, right?”

Crim stopped attending to Vilchana and entered the conversation.

“Any necessary fees will be covered by the thief upon apprehension, as agreed upon by The Sex Marionette.”

“Good. And we’ll make sure to collect every last coin from that sneaky little con artist.”

Stunk laughed bitterly and heaved a sigh, his breath reeking of booze.

Stunk wasn’t just talking due to his experience with the Super Deluxe Stunk Sword. He made his decision based on some vague information gleaned from Nulaala.

“No room for hesitation. We go after her full force.”

A vestige of the combat impulses felt by Stunk’s magic sword remained and quietly spurred him to action.