Save Me (2): Overwhelmed by Unknown Terror
"Save me..."
An incomprehensible fear crashed over him. Up until now, the Tentacle Monster had moved with such clear principles that Chokgoe could vividly sense its thoughts and intentions.
...But right now, he felt nothing.
The sweltering heat of the hatchery, which had boiled as fiercely as the blood sprayed everywhere, had vanished without a trace... replaced by a bone-chilling cold that made his skin crawl.
Glova realized he was terrified—terrified enough that he wanted to turn tail and run right that instant.
'Did Vice Captain Siroko fight something like this?'
Just facing it filled him with despair. Was this the Demon King that Saintess Esilla had prophesied about?
No... it felt even more ominous than that.
"Who the hell are you?"
A being more sinister than the Demon King. The mere knowledge of its existence would shatter everyone's hope. Glova could feel that nightmare-like evil radiating from it.
That was when it happened.
Twitch, twitch.
The corpse of his comrade—who'd had his skull crushed during the snail showdown—suddenly jerked upright.
"G-Gah!!"
Glova nearly toppled backward in shock. He instinctively glanced at his comrade's face, but there was still no sign of consciousness. It was his subordinate knight, dead with eyes still wide open.
'How is it moving?'
He'd barely grasped that question when Glova noticed his comrade's feet dangling in the air, as if suspended from something.
The Tentacle Monster. No—that ominous something had connected a tentacle to the back of the corpse's head and hoisted it up.
'When the hell did that happen?'
Glova had never once failed to read an enemy's movements with his Insight. But he had no idea when that tentacle had grabbed his comrade's head and lifted it...
"Ah, uh. Ah. Ah."
The corpse let out a grotesque voice, like a radio tuning through static frequencies. Its eyeballs rolled wildly, and a bundle of tentacles writhed from its gaping mouth. The tentacle attached to the back of its head was directly interfering with the brain, manipulating the language centers.
Chokgoe had never used his tentacles like that before. If he could control people that way, he would've done it ages ago.
Yeah, it was control. That was the only explanation in this situation.
"Ah, ah, this? Ah? Ah?"
The black mass fiddled with the brain, fine-tuning the voice's tone and pitch, and Glova could neither stop it nor resist. He just sweated bullets, praying this fucked-up nightmare would end soon.
"I... I'm... I'm..."
A bizarre voice, utterly detached from the original timbre, echoed through the room. The black thing was directly twisting the brain to force out words.
"I... I... I... want... to live... to live..."
It was so grating he wanted to plug his ears.
"Live, live, ah, ah, live, live, I, live, want to live..., ah, live, live, live, want to."
Suddenly, Glova realized.
"...You?"
He didn't know why those words tumbled out. But once he said them, it clicked. There couldn't be two such abominations in the world.
"You didn't die, did you... Tentacle Monster..!"
Snip.
The grating noise cut off. Everything fell silent, as if frozen in place.
If the Tentacle Monster he'd thought dead eight years ago was still alive... that was truly bizarre.
White Flame was the Dragon King's fire that burned life force itself. Getting doused head-first in that meant even breathing was agony. Weakly resilient beings would burn their own life as kindling, their souls aflame in torment until death.
Only death could heal White Flame....
Glova gave up trying to define the thing before him.
'Can I escape?'
It was an opponent even Vice Captain Siroko couldn't beat. Glova had long abandoned any thought of winning.
The one-shot nature of the fight hadn't changed. It had just shifted from "Can I kill it in one hit?" to "Can I dodge the next attack?"
'If possible, I need to get out with Syr.'
Glova poured all his energy into Insight. Dodge the next attack, break through head-on, carry Syr and escape.
Thwack!
"Gahk!"
By the time Glova came to, his throat was already gripped.
'Wha?'
Grabbed? He only realized his predicament when his feet dangled in the air, being dragged toward the black mass.
"Ghk! Urk! Guh!!"
He's dead. No surer death than this. Escape? Save Syr? Glova saw the speed of the extending tentacle and knew: he'd never had a chance from the start.
"Guh.... Urghhh......"
Why not kill him? Planning to torture first? Glova's mind raced in chaos.
The black thing dragged him up high and just watched silently.
"Cough, hack......"
A black tentacle approached. Sensing his end, Glova glanced at Syr slumped in the corner.
'Not me. I can't beat it. But...'
Syr and Lyr... they had potential. The rising stars of the White Flame Knights. Saving them kept that hope alive.
'I won't give up...!'
Whoosh.
As Glova swung his White Reaper with one arm, the black tentacle snatched it like it was its own.
'Gonna kill me with my own weapon, huh......'
Glova laughed hollowly.
'Even a monster knows a good weapon when it sees one.'
The black tentacle gripping the White Reaper tensed.
'In moments, my body'll be erased without a trace.'
I've done enough. He was about to accept his cool end when—
Glova strained every muscle, veins bulging in his eyes. That stubborn grit others called worthless—something knights were taught to shed first—surged within him.
'Fuck that. Fuck that. Fuck it all! You think I'm just gonna roll over?!'
That hideous monster was throwing a tantrum just to stay alive! Accept death coolly? Glova clenched his jaw, teeth grinding to the brink of cracking. With desperate effort, he hurled a throwing dagger at—
The tattered hind leg of the Great Red Lotus, barely held by the black mass!
Instantly, the black thing's body tilted back, and the spear stabbed the ceiling.
Glova's act was pure desperation. If the ceiling collapsed, it'd at least annoy the monster. That was the plan.
But...
'...The sky?'
The White Reaper thrust by the black thing didn't just pierce the ceiling—it blasted away the ground above. Debris didn't fall; it scattered into the air, followed by a massive explosion and tremors.
"Kyaaah!"
"What was that? What exploded?!"
The city erupted in chaos from the earth-shaking rumble, but miraculously, no civilians were hurt despite the ground exploding wholesale. The airborne remnants disintegrated into dust-like powder before raining down.
That was the White Reaper's true power.
The spear trembled in resonance with the black tentacle. Glova lost consciousness.
"Cough...!! Cough!"
Grateful to be spared, but this survival instinct...!
You're wrecking my entire nest—what the hell?!
I wouldn't die from sunlight exposure, but I had way too many dirty secrets to be out in the open. I was freaking out.
'Gotta get outta here first.'
People would swarm soon after that racket. Right now, I was prime for a finishing blow.
Eat both Syr and Lyr, then get killed by some scrub? Talk about infuriating.
'Ughhhhh.'
I'd burned through too much. The lingering White Flame was tormenting me like crazy.
This shitty white fire had stayed quiet until now, but the moment I weakened, it tried to finish me off—like it was avenging Glova or something.
'The bastard's not even dead yet.'
I tossed the unconscious Glova aside. The Great Red Lotus melted like jelly onto the floor, immobile.
My tentacles trembled too.
'More damage... than I thought.... Ngh......'
Am I dying here? If I'd had time to recover while sucking on Syr...
Footsteps echoed from the sewers.
"Over there!"
The backup outside? Damn.
I had to escape somehow. Syr and Lyr would be fine—people would take care of them.
Save my own hide first.
I launched toward the gaping hole in the ceiling—my only escape route from the hatchery.
Won for once, and I get nothing out of it. Not Glova's cheat weapon, not the big-titted pretty twin sisters.
Bitter taste in my mouth.
'Gotta... live... for it to mean anything...'
I climbed the walls with tentacles. Smaller and lighter than my embedded form, I could scale sheer vertical cliffs. Primitive tentacles into cracks... secure with primitive tentacles.... Ngh.
Tentacle muscles were shredded like rags—pure agony.
Exhausted. About to die from exhaustion.
'Just a bit more...'
"Lord Glova!"
"What happened here..."
"Guards! Find the monster! It's still nearby."
I can do this. Hide in the city. Slip into an alley, camouflage...
Then... head to Diana's place. Still got some reliable backup.
Clinging to thoughts of strength-giving things, I crawled up.
But topside was worse than I thought.
"What the hell happened?"
"There was a massive explosion here, I swear!"
Crowds. No smartphones, but gawkers surrounded the hole, murmuring. Guards scanned around looking for me.
Screwed. If spotted now... public execution! Exposed under warm sunlight....
Slither, slither—belly-crawl forward.
Under the people... hide.... It'll be fine... I can do it!
Don't bitch about cheats—I won. Glova... you used a busted weapon too.... It's a tie...!
'Good. Hidden...'
Slip the net, and it's total☆victory for the ero-creature Tentacle Monster!!
"Ah. Found it."
Chills. Praying it wasn't about me, I slowly looked up.
Filling my view was, unexpectedly, an enormous ass.
'O, oooh...'
If this is what I see before dying, not bad at all.
But this ass carried a familiar scent of salvation. Like the one that saved me once before!
The crouched woman was Tia!
"As expected."
Tia spotted me crawling pathetically and smiled the prettiest smile in the world.
"Only I can save a Tentacle Monster in crisis like this."
Tia....... Tia!! Like a goddess come to rescue me....
"Why...! Why'd you take so long!!"
"Hmm...... I've waited eight years..."
"Gasp"
"...and yet Tentacle Monster scolds me for being late.... I see..."
"N-No, not at all..."
"Shall I save you?"
"Please save me!"
"Hehe, more desperately."
"Please save me!"
Tia teased me relentlessly, even flashing her panties.
"...Save you, or not?"
"Ultimate beauty priestess Tia-sama! Please save me!"
As someone approached, Tia tucked me into her cleavage and hid me.
So soft......♡ Nearly teary, then melting away.
"Lady Tia! Did you find something?"
"No."
Tia straightened her back, stood tall, and told the guard,
"Nothing here. At all."
Suckling her breast, I regained my peace.
Slurp.... Slurp....
Nutrients off the charts.... What level is she...? These tits... might be the best ever....
Recovering, I dozed off in her embrace.
"Sleep well, my lord."