I Will Eventually Embark On The Path Of No Return Called A Hero

[Arc4] - 11. The Hammer that Forges the World

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[Reforged Pandora]

This is the magical box she created for him, a vessel for storing hope.

It holds forms corresponding to the blessings of the gods he received, each form designed to fully unleash the power of the divine blessings, with unique abilities tied to them.

The blessing from Apollo allows him to grow stronger under sunlight, with the intensity increasing based on the strength of the sunlight, time of day, and surface area. The only time he loses the boost is when the sun completely sets.

Thus, [Reforged Pandora] produced a heavy bow that could focus and gather all this strength into a single point.

The blessing from Artemis doubles his power under moonlight and grants him the ability to spread plagues.

For this, [Reforged Pandora] produced a scatter bow that could unleash large-scale attacks and spread plagues over a wider area.

Ares, the god of war and violence, blessed him with the ability to grow stronger based on his battle lust.

To harness this, [Reforged Pandora] produced a massive sword designed purely for destruction, capable of converting surrounding elements into blades.

Hephaestus, the god of blacksmithing, granted him the power to seize anything defined as "equipment" and take control of it.

So, what power would [Reforged Pandora] create to fully utilize this gift?

With a slight smirk, Cyd lowered his right hand as the muscle-bound magical girl charged at him.

He defined "equipment" and created a heavy hammer capable of forging anything in this world into "equipment."

"The forging is complete."

"Boom—"

The ground roared. Shattered earth and uprooted trees gathered around Cyd as if summoned.

The soil transformed into flesh, massive stones filled gaps to form sturdy armor, and plant roots served as nerves, spreading throughout the compressed earth, connecting every part.

A massive figure slowly rose from the forest, casting a shadow over Luvia and Rin Tohsaka. Lord El-Melloi II's jaw dropped, his cigar slipping from his lips, while Gray stood there in shock, her hood blown off by the wind, revealing her gray braided hair whipping in the breeze.

"What... what is that thing?!" Rin Tohsaka shouted without hesitation.

"This is way too much," even the usually tough-nerved Luvia raised her head with a twitching mouth.

"Armor," Cyd's calm voice echoed from above them.

"Earth's armor."

"Isn't this a bit over the top?!" The red jewel in Rin Tohsaka's hand shook uneasily.

"Is this even something a human can achieve?" Sapphire's rational voice carried a hint of doubt.

"In battle, nothing is ever normal, especially when facing a former hero," the giant slowly raised its massive hand.

Though the giant's movements were slow, it felt like the sky was falling on them, the enormous hand pressing down on them with terrifying pressure.

"Blast it with magic!" Luvia shouted, raising her wand as several gems shot up, blocking the path of the magic cannon.

"Boom—"

The deep blue magic beam refracted as it hit the gems, slicing through the giant's massive hand like sharp blades, leaving deep scars on the sturdy rock armor.

"This is such a loss!" Rin Tohsaka cried as she threw several gems into the air. The gems collided and then quickly bounced apart, forming a circle in the air, filling the circle with a faint halo of light.

"Hurry up!" Luvia's forehead beaded with sweat.

"I know, I know!" Rin shouted, aiming her wand at the circle. As the deep red magic cannon passed through the ring, it magnified, its color shifting completely to black.

"Boom—"

The weakened giant hand, already damaged by Luvia's attacks, was pierced by the black magic cannon, crumbling as chunks of earth rained down like a storm.

"Oh, you're quite capable, aren't you?" Cyd, standing on the giant's head, raised an eyebrow.

Cough cough!

"If you've got the guts, come down here and fight us hand-to-hand!" Rin, choking on smoke, waved her fist tearfully at the giant.

Today had been a huge loss for her.

If this were a firearms comparison, Luvia would be a Gatling gun, with an endless supply of bullets—she could keep firing gems until she collapsed. But Rin? She wasn't that wealthy. Ideally, she'd use gems only in critical situations, but who would've thought today's fight would cost her so many!

Just thinking about how many gems she used to enhance her magic cannons made her heart bleed.

Her only chance now was to somehow drag that annoying man off the giant's head for a close-range brawl to stand a chance of winning!

"We're flying up!" Luvia bit her nails. "We'll fight him directly on the giant's head!"

Rin nodded firmly.

Lord El-Melloi II shook his head, even though he hadn't given a detailed explanation, he had mentioned it in passing.

Before Cyd obtained all those flashy blessings and equipment, he relied on the martial arts of a centaur sage to defend himself.

Don't think he's weak in close combat!

Though they might not realize it, they were about to find out the hard way.

Lord El-Melloi II sighed. "Gray, remember to buy some medicine on the way back."

Though puzzled, Gray nodded.

"It may look exaggerated, but he's holding back. If he wanted to, he could have ended this long ago. The grand display is just to teach those two a lesson," Lord El-Melloi II brushed the dust off his coat. "With their A-rank physical defense, they'll just get dirty at worst if they take that slap, but if they rush in now..."

They'll be lucky not to get blown apart!

"It'd be better to just let themselves be buried in the ground," Cyd mused, finding the two overly bold girls quite troublesome.

While the magical girl concept was embarrassing and overly dramatic, it was effective—their physical defense in particular made things tricky. If he held back, he wouldn't break through; but if he seriously tried to pierce their defense, he'd likely cause real harm.

So, he settled on a compromise: something to humble them without hurting them.

"I am Luviagelita Edelfelt! I will not lose again with this name on the line!" Luvia clenched her fists.

There's no way she could lose with the power of a magical girl on her side!

"There's no way I'll just give up at this point!" Rin shouted defiantly.

If she lost, all the gems she used wouldn't be worth it! That whole box of gems—gone!

Well... If they were still determined to fight up close, then there was no other choice.

Scratching his head, Cyd spoke seriously.

"You both know healing magic, right?"