Happy Furry Theme Park (3)

"Hold."

The agents advancing toward the Reptile Zone stopped at Alpha's signal. She shut her eyes, sensing, then snapped them open again — sharp, alert — abandoning even the cheerful act the Happy Furry Theme Park demanded of anyone who wanted to survive inside it.

—Chirp?

—Skree?

The bird-shaped abominations nearby tilted their heads at the sudden shift in their leader's aura.

"Come out."

Alpha's voice was low, the kind that said she was half a second from drawing steel. The agents who had been on guard with her swung their attention to the same point in the dark.

"Heeheehee! Knew we'd get spotted!"

"Haa… That's because you were leaking yin energy all over the place."

"But but! A chance to violate Management Bureau agents?!"

Two hooded men stepped into view. Their flippant tone put an edge in every agent's eyes.

"Association radicals."

Alpha knew them. The type who materialized out of nowhere the moment the Management Bureau tried to get anything done, sticking their noses into every operation just to sabotage it.

"Sorry, but the Association's in the middle of a deal with a big client right now."

"A big client? What are you scheming this time?"

"Heeheehee! Like I'd tell you, you bitch!"

The whole point ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of this operation was to find out what the Association was really doing inside the theme park. That meant reaching the Reptile Zone. And the two men in front of them had every intention of making sure the agents never arrived.

"HQ. Requesting combat authorization."

Then there was only one option left: put them down and push through.

"Split into two groups. Half hold the abominations. The rest find out what the Association is after."

"Yes, ma'am!"

These were agents who had already cleared abomination after abomination together. The moment the order dropped, they divided and scattered.

"Hyahahaha!! You think we'll just let you walk?!"

"Stop them! If this deal falls apart, a slap on the wrist won't cover it!"

The two men lunged after the dispersing agents — but the other half of the team was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠already in their faces.

The intel fed straight into the agents' ears. The Management Bureau had been trading blows with the Association long enough to keep files on every one of them.

Two B-rank abominations. Twelve agents was a tall order for a clean win — but the real objective was never to wipe them out. Just buy time until the rest of the team uncovered whatever the Association was planning.

Of course, that calculation didn't include their leader.

—KRRRROOOOM!!

Alpha drove a fist packed with condensed yin energy into the ground. Cracks spiderwebbed out across the pavement, and a quake-like shockwave rolled through the area. The two men staggered, lost their footing — then recovered almost at once. A lifetime of fighting would do that.

"Brought a real one with you, huh."

"Kyahaha!! Wonder what sound that bitch's womb makes when it blows!?"

The vulgar one — Womb Bomber — yanked a handful of slick, dripping wombs from his coat and hurled them at the agents.

"Scatter!"

The veterans read the arcs and dove clear on instinct. The rookies were a step too slow.

"Kyaa!?"

They avoided the blasts themselves, but the shockwaves sent them tumbling across the ground. Other agents scrambled to haul them up — and by then the two men had already locked onto the downed women as targets.

"I'll take that one."

"Kihit? Handing over the main course?"

"The Association's deal comes first. Clean this up fast so we can handle the rest."

"Khihihi…! Just this once!"

The muscular one — the Yin Absorber — closed in on Alpha.

Per the files, he was B-rank. The usual scale ran S for nation, A for city, B for district, C for building. Meaning the man in front of her could level an entire city district on his own.

"Hoo… Looks like I'm rolling around in the dirt again."

"You talk like you're walking out of this alive."

"I've put down a truckload of B-ranks. Worry about yourself."

Granted, she'd had a team for those. But still.

"Confident woman. Fine. Let's see how sweet your yin energy tastes."

"Says the ugly one."

He converted condensed yin energy into raw muscle. Power stockpiled from violating dozens of women came screaming toward Alpha.

"Revolting yin energy… How many women have you defiled?"

"You count the bread you've ea—"

"Die."

Yin energy flooded Alpha's blade. She swept the sword sideways, cold as ice, and a razor-sharp sword wind shot straight at him.

"Hmph!"

He smashed the wind apart with a fist and kept coming. Alpha answered with footwork so precise she held him at a razor's edge of distance the entire time.

Ordinarily, support fire from the other agents would have cut in by now. Right now, they were too busy with the other abomination.

"For all that swagger, you're not much."

"Ha! You're the one who hasn't landed a scratch!"

"I only need to buy time. Who knows? Maybe your precious deal's already ruined."

Time was on the agents' side. All she had to do was wait for the ones who'd gone after the Association's objective to come back.

"Hwahaha! You really don't know a damn thing! You actually think your little underlings are coming back?"

"Bluffing won't work. Those women have scouted this park dozens of times. They're elites."

Every agent on this op was already bone-deep familiar with Happy Furry Theme Park reconnaissance. As long as they didn't get careless, the park itself wouldn't kill them.

Which meant whatever this man was hinting at had nothing to do with the park's usual hazards.

"Well, no need to spell it out. Just assume your underlings aren't making it back."

"Like I said. Bluffing is useless."

"Is it? You're sharing their vision feeds, aren't you? I can't wait to see those bitches of yours fall."

Cold sweat slid down Alpha's back.

Is time really on our side? What is he hiding? HQ still hasn't issued a retreat order. It should be fine.

Noise crowded her head. The man gave her no room to think it through. She shoved the doubts down and locked back onto the fight.

"This is not a simple shop. This is a location for conducting regular transactions with you going forward."

"He says that if you pay a fair price, he will lend you his power."

"That is not a simple affirmation. That is an answer the Association desperately needs."

I walked through the deserted shopping district trading words with a man whose speech set my teeth on edge.

Well — Yu-mi walked. I was just stuck to her body.

Even after we left the shops, the man kept trailing after us. Seemed he meant to see us all the way back to where we'd come from. Not that it mattered. I'd already memorized the coordinates. Any hole would get me home.

So we were cutting through the Reptile Zone — currently reptile-free — when a group of women in formal suits came toward us.

"Those are not simple women. Those are agents of the Management Bureau."

"Eeh!? Th-the Management Bureau? Why are they here…?"

"They did ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠not come for simple reconnaissance. Association intelligence has leaked. This is the Association's failure. We will provide compensation afterward."

Compensation. That settled my nerves a little.

That aside — the Management Bureau's intel network really was terrifying. So why hadn't they found my nest yet?

The man pulled a phone from his pocket, opened an app stamped with an eye motif, and a pink backdrop with a white spiral bloomed across the screen.

"B-rank abomination — the Hypnotist! Full yin output, now!"

"To defend against my hypnosis app with mere yin techniques… as expected of Management Bureau agents."

Yin energy poured from the women's wombs. It collided with the energy pouring from his phone — and slowly, steadily, the phone's output started to lose ground.

"Mm. In truth, I possess only a simple hypnotic ability. Ordinarily, physical types handle agents like these."

"Master says he understands. From here on, Master will handle it himself."

"I will not end this with simple repayment. I shall prepare compensation that fully satisfies you."

Even I could tell he wasn't a frontliner. His usual job was hanging back and dropping hypnosis on people.

He was offering serious Association compensation if I subdued these agents for him, but…

Could I even take Management Bureau agents…?

"Th-that's… a phallic-mimic slime!?"

"Th-the Association has made contact with the Calamity-class abomination — [Tentacle]!"

"Y-yes! We're pulling back immediately!"

The second I stepped forward to engage, the agents spotted the Penislimes around me and clocked exactly who I was.

They edged backward, weapons up, eyes locked on me. Something about just letting them walk away felt like a waste.

Yu-mi. Let's leave them a little gift.

"A g-gift…?"

Open the carrier.

"Aah…!"

I'd brought two carriers out of the house. One was for me to ride in. The other was for…

"A n-new specimen!"

"I-it looks like some kind of sea anemone…"

"Wait—! Massive yin energy spike! Everyone scatter!"

—Fwoom!

A lower-tier unit that fired compressed yin energy as lasers: the Anemone.

I'd packed one just in case. Never expected it to shine here.

"Kyahing♥!?"

—Psshaaat!

"Psi!"

"Leave her! It's too late!"

The laser ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠punched into one agent's abdomen. She collapsed in a spray of squirting fluid, and her teammates abandoned her to fall back.

"W-waaait…! I'm still— kkieet♥!?"

True to Management Bureau training, the hit agent clawed her way back to clarity almost at once and tried to call for help — which was exactly when a jellyfish drove a tentacle into her ear.

And the Anemone wasn't done after one shot.

"D-dodge! More incoming!"

"I-it punched straight through the barrier…! W-wait, kyahng♥!?"

A few more agents went down. I wanted to keep shelling the ones still running, but they were already too far. So while the jellyfish crawled toward the ones I'd already dropped, I kept the lasers trained on the fallen women to pin them in place.

"Kyahit♥!? Akkit♥!?"

"Uuheh♥!? Kyahht♥!?"

Every time a laser landed, their hips jerked and love juices sprayed in every direction. Eventually the jellyfish tentacles slid into the ears of the unconscious agents.

Three Management Bureau agents total. Fresh spoils of war.

"Th-this is not a simple battle. This is a slaughter."

"He says thank you for the compliment."

Honestly, I hadn't been sure the lasers would punch through their barriers. I'd tried it on a hunch — and it worked beautifully.

From what I could tell, their barriers were rock-solid against mental-wave-type yin energy like the man's attacks, but they were soft against compressed, projectile-style fire like the Anemone's.

"Most abomination mental attacks take the form of simple waves. Attempts at compression have been made, but most have failed."

While Yu-mi gathered up the agents, the man kept chattering at my side. Praise can make even a whale dance, sure — but his speech pattern was so grating it was starting to get under my skin.

"This cooperation will not end as a simple transaction. Between the Association and your grand—"

His babbling cut off mid-sentence.

A wet, gurgling choke of blood rose in his throat. A thin red line etched itself across his neck.

—FWOOK!

The man's head hit the ground and rolled. A second later his body toppled into the spreading pool of blood with a heavy slap.

"Fufu. Hello there. We meet again."

A tall woman in a red dress.

S-rank abomination. The Red Woman.

Medeia.

She had found us.