18
Ch. 18 Caught
The Mirage seen by the heroes is a monster that instantly recovers no matter how injured it gets.
It flies through the sky, delivers fatal blows of unknown origin, closes vast distances in an instant, and escapes with supernatural abilities.
Though that isn’t its true nature, I, who had thought its abilities were quite useful, followed the Mirage’s tentacles with my gaze and spotted a man collapsed on the side of the road, coughing violently.
The bracelet on his wrist stood out—it was identical to the one worn by the woman who had told me about District 2.
Should I help him? I hesitated briefly, but before I could even decide, Yoo Anna flew over and hoisted the man onto her back.
It seemed she was momentarily assisting the incapacitated heroes in retreating. But at that very moment—
Perhaps the Mirage also recognized that Yoo Anna was the most threatening among the heroes present.
Anyone exposed to that deadly heat even once would understand, getting hit wrong could mean instant fatal damage.
But the other fallen heroes were just bait.
Left alive intentionally to lure Yoo Anna in, not killed outright.
Seizing the opportunity while Yoo Anna was protecting the other heroes, the Mirage swung its tentacle toward her.
"Guh…!"
I expected her to block it, but Yoo Anna, having just set down the hero she was carrying, took the full brunt of the strike and was sent flying.
The sheer force sent her crashing through four buildings before she finally stopped.
The sight was baffling, I was stunned that Yoo Anna had even been hit by that attack.
Could it be that, like the other heroes, she couldn’t see the Mirage’s attacks at all?
Earlier, the swinging tentacle had been a feint, the real attack had come in a straight line.
It made me think that this monster, the Mirage, might truly be a terrifying entity for humans.
While its presence was clearly perceptible to a monster’s senses, making it seem trivial, humans rely on their five senses.
Fighting a monster that disrupts those senses would naturally be difficult.
"Piiiiiiii!"
With an eerie, mocking cry, the Mirage stretched its entire body and released a gas into the surroundings.
Yoo Anna, frantic upon seeing the heroes collapse, burst out of the building and charged—but the Mirage was no longer there.
Just one hit from that fist would have taken it down, yet the Mirage, true to its name, was evading her like an illusion.
"Kuh, huff…!"
Having taken down all the other heroes, the Mirage focused solely on Yoo Anna, toying with her as she barely dodged its attacks using only her heightened senses.
Strikes from all directions, distorting sight and sound, battered her like a cat playing with a trapped mouse.
Seeing even Yoo Anna being toyed with like this was shocking… But the Mirage’s abilities were simply that specialized for hunting humans.
"You… Little bastard!"
"Piiit?!"
But Yoo Anna was no ordinary superpower human either.
A fist carrying enough force to generate a high-pressure storm, a flash of light shot like a beam, grazing the Mirage’s main body and exploding, made the monster flinch and curl up in fear.
But only for a moment. Whether angered by its own fear, the Mirage’s abilities began to densely saturate the surroundings.
The game was over—it intended to kill all the heroes before hunting Yoo Anna.
"Wait… Ev-evacuate! All remaining heroes, evacuate…! Ugh!"
The moment Yoo Anna urgently sent out the communication, the Mirage’s ability struck her again.
The heroes collapsed on the ground and began strangling themselves under the Mirage’s influence.
Yoo Anna seemed unharmed, likely having burned away the ability’s effect, but if this continued, the other heroes would all die.
"Where are you… Where?! I already figured out your true form is different! Stop being a coward and show yourself!"
Yoo Anna had already realized that the Mirage was a monster whose true form differed from what was visible.
If things continued like this, Yoo Anna would win in the end, but for W-City as a whole, it would be a devastating loss.
That couldn’t be allowed.
"Huh… Black… Cat…? Since when did you get here? The alarms shouldn’t have gone off…"
I leapt down from atop a building, landing between the Mirage and Yoo Anna.
If the Mirage killed the heroes, my beef would disappear too.
For the sake of my beef, I suppose I’ll intervene.
I glared silently at the Mirage, blocking its path to prevent it from reaching Yoo Anna or the other heroes.
"Piii…?"
"Grrrr…"
A probing standoff—I watched how the Mirage would move, while it scrutinized me.
A bewildering presence—it seemed unable to comprehend where I had come from.
As a monster, my skill in concealing my presence surpassed the Mirage’s, and our methods differed.
The Mirage temporarily disrupted the perception of its location, while I erased my presence entirely.
What stood before it was another monster—yet it didn’t register as one. Mistaking me for a hero who could transform into a monster, the Mirage fired a mental attack at me.
I see… So this is what it feels like. A bit unpleasant, but for a human lacking resistance to abilities, it would be fatal.
Sorry, but what’s in front of you is a monster.
This level of mental attack? Not even as effective as a single sedative shot.
"Ugh…! So in the end… It really is like that…"
As I stood unfazed, facing the Mirage, Yoo Anna let out a despondent voice and aimed both hands at me and the monster.
A new technique she had developed while chasing me, an ability that fired high-heat bullets from a distance.
I couldn’t dodge that in my presence-erased state, so I prepared to evade while gradually activating my monster core.
Then, the Mirage’s presence rapidly shifted.
Terror-class, confused as to why such a weak monster was blocking its attacks.
Crush-class, still baffled, growing angry that mere prey would resist.
Disaster-class, starting to sense something was wrong.
And then… Despair-class.
"Piiiiiiit!"
"Grrrrrr…"
Yeah, I’m stronger than you.
A monster’s instinct when faced with a stronger foe is to flee for survival.
That instinct, driven by fear and the will to live, is something even monsters feel.
Shocked by the absurd phenomenon of a seemingly weak monster suddenly surpassing it, the Mirage flailed as it revealed its true form.
"What…?! This is…!"
A giant clamshell with a cracked section, this was the Mirage’s true body.
A nightmare of a monster wielding two abilities, powerful telekinesis and illusions.
I grew in size before the fleeing nightmare, pinning the clamshell under my front paw.
For weaker monsters and humans, this thing must have been pure terror.
As long as it's true body remained hidden, it was nearly invincible.
But… For a monster of the same tier capable of perceiving its true form? There was no easier prey.
Among Despair-class monsters, there probably wasn’t a single one that couldn’t hunt this thing.
Maybe even some Disaster-class could take it down depending on compatibility.
"Squeeeeek! Piiiiiiik!"
Crunch, crunch. As I applied weight to my paw, the clamshell shattered, and the illusion-manipulating crystal inside burst into powdery mist.
The shell contained illusions, while the clam flesh inside harbored the power to unleash telekinetic force.
I tore into the flesh—springy and bursting in my mouth with a peculiar flavor.
Residual telekinetic resistance from its will to survive? For a monster, it’s pretty tasty.
"Huh…?"
As I began devouring the Mirage, Yoo Anna, standing nearby, let out a dumbfounded sound.
Just before I could pluck out and consume the core nestled like a pearl inside, Yoo Anna snapped back to her senses and punched me.
"H-hey! Wait! What are you doing?! Don’t eat that!"
"Mroowwr!"
Not hitting me today since I helped the other heroes?
I thought, caught off guard as Yoo Anna’s punch sent chunks of my flesh flying.
Monsters grow stronger by consuming another monster’s core.
From Yoo Anna’s perspective as a hero protecting W-City, she couldn’t just stand by as I swallowed a Despair-class monster’s core right in front of her.
Unlike other monsters, I had no obsession with growing stronger, so I released the core and backed away.
Getting hit by Yoo Anna and having to heal each time was exhausting—and swallowing that tasteless core wouldn’t even fill me up.
"Piiiii! Piiiiit!"
As I let go of the paw holding the Mirage down after Yoo Anna’s punch, the monster desperately scrambled across the ground.
Then, lifted by telekinetic force, it took the form of a giant bird, cloaked in illusions, attempting to flee W-City.
But Yoo Anna was already in pursuit.
"Where do you think you’re going, you damn clam bastard!"
"Squeeeek!"
As Yoo Anna unleashed a heatwave engulfing the entire illusion, the Mirage snapped its broken shell shut.
But the high-durability shell, which had withstood countless attacks, had already been crushed under my paw.
Letting out a pained shriek, the Mirage transformed into dozens of snakes slithering across the ground.
This time, bullets fired from Yoo Anna’s fingertips blasted the snakes apart one by one.
When even relentless shooting didn’t eliminate them, Yoo Anna closed her eyes and stomped hard.
A heatwave spread like a tidal wave—and aiming for the most turbulent current within it, Yoo Anna shot forward.
"Piiik!!"
"Got you."
Crunch. With the sound of thick plates breaking, the Mirage’s shell was torn apart.
Grabbing the main body, Yoo Anna held it firmly with one hand and began pummeling it with the other.
Thud, thud. The sound of a massive iron ball slamming down accompanied the shattering of the Mirage’s core.
"Kiiiiiiiiiiii!"
Trapped in Yoo Anna’s grip and relentlessly beaten, the Mirage’s core finally burst with a pop, scattering blue blood everywhere.
Ugh… Brutal… Her sheer offensive power was monstrous.
Yoo Anna, having expended considerable energy destroying the core, gasped for breath.
"Huff… Huff… Huff…"
Well, time to make my escape.
Having watched Yoo Anna finish off the Mirage, I silently stepped back, preparing to take flight.
Then, Yoo Anna unleashed a wave of scorching pressure toward me.
"Where do you think you’re going, Black Cat…?"
"M-mroow…?"
Instinctively sensing danger, I grew wary of Yoo Anna.
Somehow… She seemed stronger than before.
Looking closely, the thick monster blood from the shattered core was burning away under her ability.
…Does she absorb power by burning abilities?
I, too, had an ability that consumed other abilities, so it wasn’t entirely surprising.
But the murderous aura Yoo Anna was radiating now was far too intense for someone who had just fought a Despair-class.
She took slow steps toward me, then noticed the unconscious hero behind me.
"...Damn it."
At that moment, the sharpness in Yoo Anna’s glare wavered.
Clenching her fists, she dispersed the rising energy and stared at me with disbelief.
"That’s my comrade. Did you really think I’d attack a hero? I’m the one who protects them, not you, you damn monster."
I blinked, then stepped aside from the unconscious hero behind me.
In response, Yoo Anna’s expression twisted further in displeasure before throwing another punch at me.
Failing to fully dodge this stronger strike, I felt chunks of my flesh tear away again, but Yoo Anna didn’t press further. Instead, she pointed into the distance.
"Grrrr…"
"Get lost already, you damn monster…"
With those final words, she turned to tend to the other heroes.
Erasing my presence, I slowly backed away while keeping an eye on Yoo Anna as she dug through the rubble.
Is she really letting me go? She’s not chasing me, right?
Maybe she’s busy with the unconscious heroes. Figuring today might be safe, I took off at a slow pace—only for Yoo Anna to look up at me.
Better flee before she changes her mind.