Chapter 113
Chapter 113
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Translator: Mod7
Chapter: 113
Chapter Title: Chapter 11 - Smell
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We forced our eyes open against the stinging sand, facing a new threat. As the figure drew closer, we could finally see its face.
“Step back!”
Nefer assumed a combat stance, her grip tightening on her daggers. But her opponent simply smiled, her expression a mask of elegant disdain.
She reminded me of the succubus. But her hair was cut in a short, neat bob, and she was a head taller.
And the most striking difference was her aura, a palpable presence that commanded respect. She was an imposing figure, her very appearance a deterrent.
“I will not waste words.”
Even in this tense standoff, her voice was calm, measured. We couldn't move until she had finished speaking.
“You will die here. Not by my hand, of course. But by the hands of these children. The guardians of the desert, the ancient worm family.”
Because,
A massive body, a second sandworm, was emerging from the sand beneath her feet.
We instinctively recoiled.
Even without considering her individual strength, we were no match for these massive creatures.
Would it have made a difference if Jenny had been here?
I wasn't sure.
Fighting this woman was pointless.
Or rather, I couldn't even imagine defeating her. Her power, her presence, seemed insurmountable.
“This is not an act of murder. You disturbed these poor, sleeping children with your foul stench, and you will die as a consequence. That is all. There is no deeper meaning.”
The sandworm she stood upon continued to rise, a cascade of sand flowing from its massive body.
“In other words, suicide.”
The woman who called herself Death didn't bother to introduce herself. The desert women usually exchanged names upon their first meeting.
Her silence, her disregard for custom, was a testament to her disdain. To her, we were already corpses.
“There is no will, no divine intervention in this. An outsider’s foolish decision, a pointless death, will be buried beneath the sand, and slowly forgotten.”
As she spoke, Nefer and I exchanged glances, our shared fear and tension palpable.
The succubus’s sister,
This ominous woman, was like a cold, emotionless police officer, reciting a formal indictment before an execution.
Her words, a justification of her actions, couldn't conceal the underlying boredom, the emotional detachment.
“That is all. Now, die.”
Grrrrr-
The woman gently caressed the sandworm’s hide,
And it writhed in response, its body swaying, a low growl rumbling in its throat. Or perhaps, it was a cry of pain.
No!
It was a cry of pain.
That wasn't a normal reaction. The walking corpses, their rotting eyes leaking pus and tears, had reacted similarly.
“Be good, child. I will be waiting for you at home.”
“Hey! D-don’t be a coward! Come down here and fight me yourself!”
I screamed, my voice a desperate plea. I wouldn't die so easily, not at the hands of some overgrown worm.
But my outburst required a considerable amount of courage. My legs were already trembling, and my pathetic display seemed to have aroused the woman’s maternal instincts.
“…What an annoying child. Truly.”
Her gaze, a strange mixture of curiosity and contempt, was fixed on me. It was so intense, I had to slap my cheeks to regain my composure.
I didn't know what her species ate, how they had developed such an intimidating presence, such a strange, inexplicable power…
Was she brainwashing me? Or was she physically controlling me? I had to find a way to level the playing field, to increase my chances of survival.
“What…?! Afraid you’ll lose if we fight one-on-one? I have companions! This woman, Nefer, she’s the greatest warrior in the desert!”
“What?”
Nefer, startled, stared at me, but I just had to buy some time. I could play the fool all day.
But the cynical woman wouldn't be swayed. She dusted off the sand from her clothes and stood up.
“I have no desire to continue this conversation. My cute little sister is quite upset because of you.”
She blamed me for the succubus’s distress, and then, without another word, she disappeared behind the sandworm.
I remembered my brief conversation with the succubus. I didn't know what had happened between them.
I couldn't understand the flow of events. The missing pieces of the puzzle made it impossible to see the whole picture.
“So, just die.”
And then,
There was no more time to think.
She vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving only a faint, seductive fragrance in the air. Now, only the sandworm, Nefer, and I remained.
“Are you serious, really…?”
She had appeared out of nowhere,
And now, she was blaming me for her sister’s distress?
What kind of ridiculous logic was that? I hadn't done anything. The succubus had tormented me, then left in a huff.
But in the end, I was the one who had to take responsibility.
Grrrr-
As soon as the succubus’s sister left, the sandworm began to tremble, its movements becoming more and more erratic.
As if a wild beast had been unleashed. It stopped trembling, and its gaze, its attention, was now fixed on us.
“…Nefer, you’ll lose if you fight that thing, won’t you?”
“Yes…”
It was different.
Slightly smaller than the one Jenny was fighting, but far more aggressive.
“It’s okay. I was just asking. We just have to buy some time.”
“Do you have a plan…?”
Nefer prepared to fight the massive sandworm. She was armed with only two daggers, but she was willing to risk her life to protect me.
“We just have to hold on for three minutes. Jenny will come.”
My time estimate was based on the ongoing battle between Jenny and the other sandworm.
“…As you wish.”
The sand was settling.
Which meant,
The sandworm’s speed was decreasing.
Its roars were also fading. I didn't know what Jenny was doing inside it, but the massive creature was dying.
In a one-on-one fight, Jenny would have been no match for the sandworm,
But if Jenny was a parasite, a virus, that had invaded its body,
…Then she could definitely kill it.
Even the largest, strongest creatures could be brought down by a single, tiny disease.
That was the wild,
Nature.
***
Nefer fought desperately.
The sandworm’s attacks were simple. But its size and weight made each blow devastating.
It would leap into the air, then crash down,
Then burrow into the sand and erupt from beneath, trying to snatch its prey.
BOOM-!
With each eruption, the sand exploded outwards, the sound of the blast echoing through the desert.
“This way! This way!”
Nefer used the tent, now reeking of the zombies’ stench, as a lure, and I scrambled up a nearby rock formation, trying to get a better view.
I could see the other sandworm now, its movements noticeably slower.
It was dying. Jenny must have reached its vital organs.
BOOM-
“Agh!”
But Nefer was struggling. Even with her enhanced strength, she couldn't hold off the sandworm for long.
She was thrown into the air, its massive head striking her with incredible force.
You could dodge its attacks from above,
But an attack from beneath was almost impossible to avoid.
“Nefer!”
Nefer, who had been trying so desperately to fulfill my unreasonable demands, was swallowed by the sandworm. No. It couldn't end like this.
“Ugh…”
I scrambled down the rocks, preparing to flee,
But the sandworm, its grotesque maw inches from my feet, waited patiently.
It seemed escape was impossible.
But,
Strangely,
It didn't swallow me. It simply sniffed me, its strange, gaping mouth inches from my face.
Grrrr-