Chapter 8 - Upheaval (3)
"Hoo."
Gripping the fire extinguisher, I cautiously descended to the first floor. Crunch, crunch. Something twisted, flesh being chewed and swallowed. There was only one living thing in this academy with flesh like that, so I gritted my teeth and steeled my resolve.
Pressing flat against the wall, I crouched and set foot on the first floor. To the left was the glass door leading into the academy, and to the right, the one entering this building. The right glass door was covered in desperate handprints from people trying to escape. But maybe that's why everyone had fled to the rooftop. The transparent glass, which should have shown the outside world clearly, was shrouded in pitch-black darkness, as if the outside had never existed. Probably the barrier's doing.
I slowly opened the left glass door and headed toward the academy's reception desk. The first floor's layout ended with the central desk and a corridor stretching to the right. So as soon as I entered, I spotted Miho talking—and something else—on the right.
"Hng...!"
It had a vaguely human shape, but its head was just a yellow eyeball and massive teeth. The monster, with twisted scissors and hammer instead of fingers on its hands, was gnashing a person between its huge teeth. Blood and entrails sprayed everywhere. The grotesque sight made bile rise in my throat.
But I forced down a breath, stayed calm, rolled, and hid behind the wall where it couldn't see me.
"Kik...! Kik...! Kik!"
The monster let out a bizarre laugh. Miho clicked her tongue in disgust as she watched it.
"A lowly Shadow Demon dares to set up a barrier right where I am."
So that thing was called a Shadow Demon. Swallowing hard, I peeked out and looked down the corridor. Miho was now facing off against it, three blue flames hovering over her tails, while far down the hall, the monster had puffed up its body, ready to pounce. A tense standoff, one wrong move away from explosion.
Clutching the fire extinguisher to my chest, I held my breath and blinked once.
In that instant, the Shadow Demon kicked off the floor and appeared right in front of Miho. She spat the blue flames from her three tails at it, but couldn't dodge the hammer it swung.
Splat—!
A chilling thud echoed as Miho flew through the air and slammed into the left wall where I was. I reflexively hugged the extinguisher and ducked behind the desk.
"Kik...! Kik...! Kik...!"
Thump. Thump. Thump. My heart felt like it would burst. The monster lumbered right past the desk beside me. Every muscle tensed, my lungs crushed by tension, breath ragged. But now—if I didn't act now, Miho was dead.
Gripping the extinguisher, I prepared to move. Knees up, I crept to my feet and saw the Shadow Demon's back, the one that had just passed me. Massive back, bulging red muscles. Hideous and enormous just to look at, but blue flames from Miho's attack flickered here and there on its body. The Shadow Demon was frantically snipping them off with its scissor hand.
"..."
It sliced the flames clinging to its thigh. It staggered, body tilting sideways.
Now.
I gripped the extinguisher tight. Instinct told me—if I missed this chance, there'd be no other.
I kicked off the ground. Stepped on the desk, leaped. Pinning the extinguisher behind my shoulder with one hand, I swung with all my might. Aiming for its huge eyeball—the weak spot for any flesh-and-bone creature. The extinguisher stabbed right in.
Clang—!
A sharp ring, and its body slumped to the floor. My shoulder nearly dislocated from the force, but I didn't stop. I rushed over its head...
Clang—! Clang—! Clang—!
I smashed the extinguisher into the eye again and again. The eyeball burst. Goo splattered my face, but I kept swinging until the extinguisher was too mangled to lift.
"Hahk... hahk... D-did I... get it?"
My muscles trembled uncontrollably. The extinguisher slipped from my right hand and clattered down. It was so dented, it was a miracle the contents hadn't burst out.
They say people unleash several times their normal strength in crises. Seemed true.
"...Fuck..."
Straddling the motionless monster, I spat a sigh of relief. Suddenly, I felt grateful to Charyeok, who'd dragged me to the gym over break. Three months of hell until I could bench 500 didn't sound fun, but without it, I couldn't have mustered this power. I pictured him grinning with his teeth bared. Gotta buy him a protein bar later as thanks, I thought—
"Ha... Hanjun!"
Miho's urgent cry. I turned toward her, but sensed movement from the monster beneath me and twisted reflexively. Too late—a massive hammer was already buried in my gut.
Splat—!
My vision spun. Agonizing pain exploded from my abdomen.
"Gahk...!"
When I came to, I was crumpled in the corridor corner. Coughing up blood and spit, I looked up. The Shadow Demon I'd just pummeled was staggering to its feet. One eye crushed, black blood dripping from the socket, it lurched toward me.
"Kiiik...! Kiiik...! Kik!"
Shrieking high and chilling, furious.
"Urp... blegh...!"
Get up. Run. Thoughts raced, but my body wouldn't obey. My gut throbbed from the hit, squeezing out my breath with every twitch of my legs.
"Hng... hng...!"
I tried sucking in tiny breaths through my nose to move, but blood and vomit kept interfering. All I could do was twitch like a dying ant, staring as it approached.
"Kiiik...! Kiiiik...!"
The Shadow Demon wobbled closer, raising its scissor hand high, crouching low.
"Kiiik...!"
Its intact yellow eye curved. A grotesque mimicry of human laughter from its teeth. It clacked the scissors mockingly before my eyes, slowly pressing toward them—like payback for what I'd done.
"Ugh...!"
I couldn't go down like this. I clenched my jaw, forcing air into my lungs. They rebelled, spewing blood, but I swallowed it, gritted my teeth, and pushed off the floor with my arms.
Whoosh—!
The scissor hand slashed at my eyes. At the same instant, my push sent it grazing past—just barely missing downward.
Snip—!
Something sliced my neck, snapped.
"Cough...!"
Spitting blood, sprawled a few steps away, I saw what broke: Grandmother's necklace, the one she swore I'd never take off.
Regret flickered, but who cared at death's door?
"...?"
Then, suddenly, breathing eased. The ragged gasps spewing blood stabilized. The throbbing pain in my gut faded.
"Wh-what...?"
Dazed, I rose. The Shadow Demon looked equally baffled, mouth agape, staring.
Its eyes rolled in shock—or joy?—then it crouched low.
"Kiiiik!"
Injured and unsteady, it still coiled like a frantic dog about to lunge at Miho. I stepped back instinctively, and it screamed madly, charging.
"Ki... kiiiik!!!"
The Shadow Demon launched into the air. I stared blankly. Time slowed—for some reason. Mid-air, it slowly thrust its scissor hand at me, but oddly, I wasn't afraid.
I blinked slowly, and a memory surfaced. Naturally, like it had always been there: childhood with Grandmother in the countryside. Her kind smiles... but in this memory, her face was stern.
"Child, follow me."
Grandmother extended her hand. Hypnotized, I mirrored her, reaching forward.
"Begone, you filthy vermin."
She inhaled deeply for the next words. Seeing it, the phrase rose in my mind. Without hesitation, I spoke.
"Jin Gang Ri Ling"
Golden light rippled over my body. Slowed time rushed forward; the Shadow Demon hurtled at me. But it never reached.
The golden light surged outward, repelling everything.