38. XXX Intrusion in Yuri, Uwooeong
38. XXX Intrusion in Yuri, Uwooeong
"Aha~ Look at those eyes~ So pretty~"
With a grin, the Hero who was eyeing her seized the Clown's chin.
There wasn't a shred of consideration in that touch.
Unlike that man, whose concern for her had been obvious even at the very end, when he threw himself forward.
"H-Hold on. This is no time to be dawdling!"
But even that action must have felt frustrating to those who had barely survived.
Soon, the caravan master leading the group spoke urgently to the guards blocking the Hero's path.
"I understand there were circumstances for leaving the garrison, but we don't have time to loiter here! W-We have to get out of here, now!"
"My apologies, but the Hero is currently occupied. I advise against leaving until the Hero decides to move."
"Are you serious right now!?"
"Considering what we just escaped from, the Demon Lord's army could be here any minute!"
"Wouldn't staying by the Hero's side be the best way to ensure your safety as well?"
The guards tried to persuade the protesting adventurers with cold voices.
The adventurers stiffened at their hardline stance, but none dared to open their mouths rashly.
Of course. A being called a Hero was enough to quell any sense of crisis they felt.
"Yeah~ Demon Lord's army or whatever, if you value your lives, just stay by my side and don't go anywhere else~ I need people to attend to me in various ways to return to the Empire, you know~"
In the tense atmosphere, the Hero let out a greasy laugh and casually slung an arm over the Clown's shoulder.
It wasn't just a statement meant to toy with them.
Having rushed out without properly packing a single necessity, meeting a merchant on a supply run was, frankly, a welcome sight from the Hero's perspective.
"Sis understands what I mean perfectly, right?"
And on top of that, if there was a woman who fit his taste, there was even less reason to refuse.
The Clown's gaze, upon realizing those fingers dripping with greed were reaching for her body, began to fixate precisely on their tips.
"Of course, it might be a little scary at first, but don't worry too much~ If I play along a bit, you'll get used to it soon...."
-Smack!
"...Huh?"
"Hands off."
The Hero's hand was pushed away by the rough slap.
Even the Clown herself hadn't realized it.
Before she could even think that she had to reject this touch, her hand had moved first.
"Don't touch my body."
Yes, because it made her skin crawl.
Unlike when she held that man's hand, a touch that even now rose in her mind.
Because a terrible revulsion surged within her at the thought of accepting another's desire aimed at her.
"Wow, look at that murderous glare~"
Yet the Hero felt no sense of crisis even under that venomous gaze.
Soon, a greasy smile spread across his face as he channeled power into his left eye.
"But so what?"
Bzzzt, a strange light flickered with a vibrating hum.
As her body froze as if petrified under that glare, the Hero burst into cackling laughter and began to clap.
"Ahaha~ How's that, amazing? This is called the Petrifying Evil Eye~ Anyone I stare at with this eye gets their body stiffened right on the spot, you see~"
It wasn't a physical solidification.
To be precise, it was a power that affected the mind, not the body—specifically, the 'unconscious' that one isn't even aware of.
Regardless of the target's strength, if they are a sentient being with consciousness, it is an ability that could be called an 'absolute authority' applicable to anyone.
"Resistance is useless, so don't tire yourself out and just stay still. From now on, I'll make you feel really good, sis~♥"
Of course, she didn't feel troubled.
Even if her physical movements were restrained, it wasn't as if she had no method to kill.
But....
'But, what meaning would that have?'
She still felt a chill at the desire trying to violate her body, but now even that physical terror didn't seem to matter.
Because shaking off this loathsome insect didn't guarantee that her mission would ever be fulfilled.
Because she had lived her life regarding pointless resistance as just another part of the journey, not bothering to fight it.
Yes, that was why she had abandoned the man who tried to save her...
'...Hyosung.'
As he had said, it was only a one-day encounter.
No matter how much she felt drawn to him, it was strange to think there was something special about a meeting that lasted only a day.
'You must be dead, right?'
The hesitation born from such prejudice had led to an irreversible outcome, and now it had become regret.
Even though, if it bothered her, she should have been able to simply forget it as she always had, shrug it off, and move on.
'I can't see him again, can I?'
Why was her heart.
So violently unsettled by the fact that she could no longer meet him?
-Kugung, Thud!
The moment the feeling of despair, soaked in that sentiment, was severed by a sudden shudder that swept over her.
Immediately, everyone's eyes, including hers, began to slowly shift toward the source of the sound.
-Kwahahahng!!
Yes, part of the forest was overturned.
As something sprayed out from between the exploding wooden fragments, those who registered it began to have terror etched onto their faces, one by one.
"Wh-What is this...?"
What fell among them were dismembered corpses.
They were the comrades who had been stationed at the rear to scout and protect the group.
"R-Run away, everyone...!!"
And then, as if following those corpses, the last survivor joined them, bleeding profusely.
"R-Run away from here. A d-dangerous bastard is...."
"Dangerous bastard? Is it the Demon Lord's army or something?"
"Not demons. Beastkin, beastkin...!!"
Beastkin.
A race with human bodies augmented by animal traits, beings that were a separate threat to humanity from the Demon Lord's army.
Why were they showing up in the garrison zone targeted by the Demon Lord's army?
"...Grrrrrrrrr."
A faint growl echoed from the dark forest, rendering that question irrelevant.
As everyone cowered under the intimidating pressure emanating from it, a being swatted aside the trees blocking its path with its hands and finally revealed itself before them.
Its sheer size was so great it could be compared to a house.
A being born with a physique that refused comparison to any human.
"...Huh, well, this is something. Why do beastkin have to show up when I was about to have a good time?"
As if his mood had soured, the Hero who had stepped away from the Clown began to squint at the shadow looming over him menacingly.
"Hey, bear-boy, stay right there."
A red light flared in his opened eyes.
The target of that light was swallowed by the command not to move, freezing on the spot without realizing it.
Strength and size had nothing to do with it.
He was confident that even a Dragon, a creature of legend if it truly existed, could not defy this gaze.
"Just because you're big, do you think you're something? My ability doesn't give a damn about size or strength. If you've got the brains to understand me, then stay quiet...."
"Grrrrrrrrr!!!!"
But the unconscious was a realm of instinct, not reason.
No sentient being could control its unconscious with will, but if one's innate instincts were already rampaging wildly from the start, any interference with the unconscious could be blocked.
Yes, the vicious front paw that soared upward at that moment was made possible because it was accompanied by such extreme hatred that even the Hero's absolute authority could be pushed aside...
"Huh, what? Why is this bastard moving...."
-Booom!!!
With that, his upper body was mercilessly torn off by the ensuing swipe of the front paw.
As the blood that burst out with it splattered in all directions, the beastkin, seemingly bothered by the smell, began to sniff with its black nose.
"......Disgusting."
And then, a voice flowed from its open mouth.
By the time the survivors felt their blood run cold just hearing it, the beastkin's gaze had begun to shift toward them.
"A disgusting smell is seething here."
"A po-polar bear...?"
The moment the faces of those who belatedly recognized its identity turned pale blue,
what soon spilled from their mouths was an emotion that could only be called utter despair.
"A polar bear beastkin, then.... No, no way?"
"Ah, uhh.... There's only one polar bear beastkin we know of."
"He's definitely the shock troop captain of the Anti-Human Alliance...."
The Anti-Human Alliance.
A military force of beastkin united under the ideology that they were the truly advanced humanity, superior to humans, destined to tear down everything the savage humans had built and reign over it.
And among them, the most brutal beastkin, said to have no equal in sheer force, was the polar bear beastkin standing before them now.
"You lot, you must be comrades of that disgusting wench I just killed."
Name, Pobia Homer.
Special note, a vicious hatred toward homosexuality.
"Kill all homosexuals!!!! Uwoooooaaahhhhh!!!!"
The moment that being's hatred erupted,
the survivors, terrified by his fighting spirit, hurriedly turned their backs and began to flee.
"Uwaaaaaah! Everyone run!!!"
"Th-The Hero's been defeated! He was beaten without even being able to fight back!!!"
There was no option other than to flee.
In a situation where the being guaranteeing their survival had been horribly murdered, how could they possibly oppose a beastkin whose notoriety was so infamous in the Empire that even wanted posters had been drawn up?
"Kekeke, that crazy bear-boy's gone nuts and is rampaging again."
But the more serious issue was that Pobia wasn't the only one here.
Soon, from behind the rampaging Pobia, who was sweeping through the surroundings in excitement, figures with beastly forms began to reveal themselves one by one.
"Kihihi! Who cares!? We came to wipe out every single one of these bastards anyway, so if that unmotivated loser goes nuts and wrecks the place, it's all the better for us!"
"Tremble in fear, humans! We, the new humanity, have come here to subjugate you savage barbarians!!"
Inside the dark forest, the moment the beasts with the instincts of predators and bodies surpassing humans began to rampage.
The armed adventurers hurriedly faced them, but the beasts' claws and teeth tore through even their armaments, ruthlessly digging into their vitals.
"Th-This is insane!! The Demon Lord's army alone is overwhelming, why the hell are these animal bastards suddenly popping out!?"
"R-Run away for now! With the Hero dead, an opponent we can handle is... Keheok!"
In that desperate situation, the moment a fleeing guard's body was mercilessly cut down,
what stepped forward, trampling the dismembered corpse, were beings that could be called monsters given form by unsightly desire.
"Ohh, and here there are humans conveniently gathered?"
"We were bored stiff, sick of sitting behind the defensive wall, so if you come outside like this, we're grateful!"
The Demon Lord's army.
The moment the demons, who had surrounded the area to capture the garrison, happened to hear the commotion here and blocked their front.
"But what's this? There are beastkin over there too?"
"What does it matter, we can just kill them all!"
"Kyhahahaha! Humans alone were getting boring, this is perfect! Let's go wild and have some fun!!"
Their purpose was solely invasion, destruction, and slaughter—a concept irreconcilable with the Anti-Human Alliance's values, which dictated conquering the inferior human race and placing them under their dominion.
"Filthy demons dare to target our prey!?"
"This actually turned out well! We had to prove someday that demon scum are beneath us too anyway!"
"Devour their flesh! Use their blood and flesh as thirst to prove our superiority!"
For different reasons, their fighting spirit flared, and the moment they reached the same conclusion and clashed, all the weak humans caught in this newly formed battlefield could do was suppress their terror and desperately search for a way out.
"Ah, aah. It's all over."
"D-Don't give up. We can escape by exploiting the gaps while those bastards fight each other!"
"We h-have a chance. A chance to survive...."
Beasts steeped in instinct and demons driven by desire.
And a scene where the fear of frail humans swirled together in one place.
Standing alone in everyone's blind spot, the Clown placed her hand on the lute she held and whispered, forlorn.
"......Truly."
Beginning with plucking a string, she turned her amber eyes away from the scene.
And in the darkness that followed, she took some time alone to slowly reflect on the story unfolding here.
"Truly a cliché story."
A story of a hero drunk on power and victory, ignorant of defeat, who, blinded by arrogance, shoves his head into a beast's maw.
She recalled the images of hideous demons drawn by that scent, and the humans caught in the fight with the beasts, dying like garbage as they yearned for life.
"But how can this be called a tragedy?"
She would weave all those tales into her performance and sublimate them into a single story.
In an era where even despair mixed with screams, even grief filled with agony, becomes a tale less significant than a crude joke.
"It is simply that you were never the main characters, though this world is far too cruel for those who are not the leads."
Deciding there was no more need to watch, deeming that story insignificant, she moved her hands within this feast of madness—not out of a sense of mission, nor hope for the future.
Just as if habitually repeating something she had done countless times before.
"So even if you exit the stage so desolately, do not worry too much...."
As she continued her performance, reciting words she had repeated countless times, the desires of all beings within the reach of her melody began to sharpen, slowly rising to a frenzy.
"So that your final moment, at least, is not lonely, this lowly Clown will be with you until the very, very end."
The lingering echoes of a festival so violent it would whip the river of blood into waves,
with a force that would travel beyond this forest to the distant valley beyond.
***
-Tiriring, tiring~♪
Yes, a performance....
At this moment, I could faintly hear the sound of a performance coming from beyond the valley.
It was a tone I had heard somewhere before.
I couldn't quite remember when, but the familiarity I felt in this moment was more than enough to awaken my sunken consciousness....
-Crrrack, crick!
As my body reflexively moved to that awakened consciousness, the creaking of every joint in my body scraped along my nerves and burrowed into my brain.
Just one hit.
With one punch from a monster surpassing humans, the body I had desperately kept alive was ruined this miserably.
It wouldn't have been strange if I had died right there without the armor Tachia had made for me.
-Crrrack, crrrackle.
But even in such a hopeless situation, my body was straining desperately to move from this spot.
It happened before my brain even caught up.
Because I couldn't say there was no hope if I could just move even a little bit.
Yes, just a little is enough. Just a very little bit.
-Wooong. Wooong.
If only I could grasp that spear vibrating in the distance, responding to my will,
in this hand once more.