Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: Mod7
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Chapter 5 - Cannibal
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The celebratory carnival descended into a scene of cannibalistic frenzy.
Jenny went berserk. She lunged at her mother, a creature five or six times her size, tearing into her flesh, devouring her alive.
Newly transformed creatures often experienced an insatiable hunger. But even the hungriest rarely consumed their own parents…
“Aaaaaah- aaaaaaah-! Kyaaaaagh-!”
Jenny was different.
Even though the creature before her was her mother, she showed no hesitation, tearing into her flesh, intent on consuming her entirely.
“Kyaaagh!”
“Keeheek!”
Even Jenny’s sisters, who had been restraining me, rushed to their mother’s defense.
The flesh-lumps, who had been watching from afar, joined the fray, their excitement palpable.
I curled up in a ball, trying to avoid being trampled to death. Several Blood Beasts ran over me, but none paid me any attention.
“Kaaaagh! Agh! Kaaaaagh!”
The Leader screamed in terror, its cries fueling the Blood Beasts’ frenzy.
They had to remove Jenny to save their mother. Loyal fanatics, willing to sacrifice their own lives…
Squish-!
They were instantly transformed into a gruesome mixture of flesh and blood, splattering across the nest.
Jenny’s tail pulverized them. A single strike was enough to end their lives, their blood adding to the crimson décor.
“សង្គ្រោះខ្ញុំ! ដកវាចេញ! (Help me! Get it off!)”
The Leader, its face half-eaten, pleaded with its creations. Its desperate cries were chillingly grotesque.
I scrambled to my feet and crawled towards the exit.
Whoosh-
A chunk of flesh and blood whizzed past my face, narrowly missing my eye.
Even a graze would have been fatal. I had to escape this carnage. I still had a mission.
“Gasp… pant…”
I started running.
My feet slipped and slid on the sticky mixture of blood and gore as I ran back towards Isaac.
I had to take advantage of the chaos Jenny had created.
“Isaac! Isaac…!”
Thud thud thud-
A horde of flesh-lumps rushed towards me from outside the nest, like a stampede of wildebeest.
I dodged them, pressing myself against the wall, pushing forward.
This was my chance. An opportunity that wouldn’t come again.
“Kyaaagh!”
But from behind me,
A figure, unfazed by the panicked stampede, was pursuing me.
“Shit…”
I saw Vergo’s face.
While the other flesh-lumps were desperately trying to protect their creator, this one was focused on me.
It was the one that had met my gaze…
It seemed more concerned with my escape than with its creator’s demise.
“Kyaaaaagh!”
But navigating the narrow tunnels, filled with the panicked Blood Beasts, was incredibly dangerous. The creature pursuing me lost its footing and was swept away by the tide of bodies.
Crack-
Crunch-
“Keeeeagh!”
As the other Blood Beasts trampled it underfoot, rushing towards their creator,
I pushed forward, putting as much distance between us as possible.
A slow-motion chase scene.
Amidst the chaos and frenzy, the creature and I moved against the current of monsters, towards the human holding pen.
“Isaac…! Gasp… pant…!”
“Juho… what’s happening…?”
I reached the pen first and grabbed a rifle from beneath one of the bodies.
Dan had taught me how to use it. While I had never fired a weapon before, I knew I could handle it if I remained calm.
But the targeting display flashed a red icon, indicating an unusable magazine.
The rifle was damaged. Useless.
“Gasp… Another one… then… th-this…”
I grabbed another rifle, but it was in a similar state.
The rifles discarded near the bodies were all damaged. Each one displayed a warning message, indicating a malfunction.
The Blood Beasts had trampled them, crushing the magazines and bending the barrels.
“Juho…”
Isaac’s voice reached me in the midst of my frantic search. I would deal with him later.
“Isaac, i-it’s okay. I’ll get you out…! Just wait!”
“Juho…”
I had to think fast.
I looked at the headless corpse, its hand still clutching a rifle.
“This one’s not damaged. I’m sure of it.”
I climbed up the wall,
Checked the scope,
And saw no warning messages.
The magazine was intact,
And there were no internal malfunctions.
“Grunt!”
Thwack-
I clung to the wall with one hand, while my other hand pounded against the substance that encased the rifle.
It wasn't easy. The hardened material resisted my efforts.
“Kyaaaaagh-!”
The creature’s roar echoed from outside.
It wouldn't give up. Even if all its brethren were slaughtered, it would fulfill the moon’s will, offering me as a sacrifice.
It and the Leader were the only ones who had seen my eyes,
And with the Leader being devoured, it was the only one left to stop me.
“J-Juho… just run… this is your chance…”
I ignored Isaac’s pleas, my bloodied fist continuing its relentless assault.
A fist that had never been used in a fight,
A fist unmarked by scars or memories.
It bruised,
The skin tore,
And finally, blood flowed, making it impossible to unclench my fingers,
But I didn’t stop.
This was my rifle,
And I would use it to kill that creature, to avenge Vergo,
And then I would save Isaac.
“Aaaaagh! Please!”
“Just run!”
Crack- crunch-
I didn't know if it was my fist shattering,
Or the substance encasing the rifle.
It didn't matter.
Alraune would heal me.
But the pain was excruciating.
Each blow sent a jolt of agony through my arm, my entire body screaming in protest.
Stop,
Stop it,
Don’t hurt yourself,
Warning signals flashed in my mind.
But,
I didn’t stop.
Crack-
“Kyaaaaagh!”
Just as the creature entered the pen,
Crunch-
The substance encasing the rifle finally gave way, and the weapon clattered to the ground.
“Juho! Get out of the way! No…!”
I heard Isaac’s cry,
But I grabbed the rifle, landed, and slipped my finger onto the trigger.
Then, I turned,
Ratatatatat-
A flash of fire erupted from the barrel.
The rifle, set to automatic, unleashed a barrage of bullets.
I hadn't anticipated the recoil. While my strength had increased, I couldn't control the unfamiliar weapon.
“Keeeagh!”
The creature stumbled backward, hit by several bullets.
But the rifle had recoiled upwards, and the creature, though injured, wasn't dead. It began running, its grotesque body leaking blood.
Crack- crack-
It was trying to avoid the bullets. It had quickly learned that this weapon was dangerous.
“Juho, calm down… calm down…! Stay near the wall…!”
I followed Isaac’s instructions, pressing myself against the wall, tracking the creature’s movements. The barrel of the rifle swerved wildly. It was difficult to aim at the frantically moving target.
“Lower the scope…! S-shoot from the hip… it’s going to charge… aim for that moment…”
Hitting a moving target was difficult. I had to wait for an opportunity, a moment when its movements were minimized.
“Calm down… breathe… breathe… don’t be afraid…”
The reason the rescue team had been defeated,
Was because these grotesque creatures preyed on human fear.
But if you could control your fear, you could defeat them.
Humans were strong,
And human weapons were even stronger.
Our history was a history of war.
Primitive humans, without claws, fangs,
Thick hides or wings, had waged war against animals and survived,
And even after developing civilizations, we continued to wage war, conquering our enemies, toppling empires, rewriting history.
The souls of countless humans, sacrificed in these wars,
Their suffering, their tragedies, their pain, their fear, their desperate struggles…
“Kyaaaaagh-!”
They were all with me now.
The distance between us closed rapidly.
My finger tightened on the trigger.
Click-
The explosion of gunpowder.
Bang-!
The bullet, spinning rapidly, propelled by the expanding gases, tore through the creature’s abdomen, shattering bone and muscle.
Thud-
And it wasn't over.
Four more bullets followed.
Two missed,
But the other two found their mark.
The force of the impact ripped through the creature’s flesh.
Its body, made from human parts, couldn't withstand the physical trauma.
“Keeeagh-”
It collapsed,
And I approached it,
Finally aiming the rifle at Vergo’s face.
“…Give my regards to Dan. Tell him I’m sorry I couldn't save him.”
Bang-!