Time to Escape
The void of the 4th basement floor split open, and a spider’s foreleg burst through. Soon, a massive Arachne emerged, exhaling the abyss itself. The moment she appeared, she treated the demons like mere insects, immediately spewing webs to attack them.
Watching the blackened threads, Abalam thought to himself. No matter how he looked at it, that was something one shouldn't get hit by. No, he realized, one shouldn't even let it touch them. Just then, Vival, who had been dodging the webs Kishiria spat out, failed to avoid the ones flying from all directions and was caught.
The scream of the crow caught in the spiderweb echoed. Kishiria didn't give him a moment's respite, pulling Vival toward her.
In an instant, Vival was tangled in the threads, becoming a cocoon. He struggled madly to escape, but Kishiria’s web showed no sign of tearing. She tossed the captured Vival aside carelessly. Abalam, watching the scene, couldn't find the words.
'Uh...'
Abalam’s assessment had been correct. The threads Kishiria produced were, in themselves, no different from a god’s curse. If one were to be touched by her web without any protection, they would be tangled in an instant with no way to intervene, and once the threads took hold, it was as good as being dead while still alive. Yes, once the threads of the Deep-Dwelling Spider were wrapped around a body, there was no way to survive. One could only hope for an entity of equal status to come and save them, or for Kishiria to be in a whimsical mood and spare them.
'Damn it, damn it, damn it!!!!'
Abalam screamed desperately in his mind. The appearance of this absurd monster made his throat feel like it was burning. He couldn't understand how things had gone so wrong.
'No, why is that monster here!!! Don't tell me... was there a Cultist among those humans?'
Only then did Abalam realize the presence of a Cultist. For the record, Abalam had never seen the bare faces of the people who entered the basement. From the moment they arrived at the Black Market, Jojun and his party had kept their faces covered with gas masks or masks. That was why he didn't know Jojun was among them. He hadn't realized that Jojun was one of the humans Paimon had warned him never to touch and to simply ignore.
Even the Evil God's Stigmata—the marks of the evil gods carved into Jojun’s body—were secretly hidden by the marks left by the God of Void, Botamilli, so the idiotic Abalam couldn't even detect the traces of the evil gods on Jojun. Even the eyes of a demon, said to pierce through the truths of all things, could not uncover the veil of a god. Furthermore, Vival and Abalam hadn't accurately observed their appearances. What they had seen was the light of the souls Jojun’s party possessed, not their forms. They had only perceived them faintly as flickering flames, so they hadn't accurately grasped who they were. The reason only Vival and Abalam had stupidly intruded, while other demons had identified the intruders beforehand and were holding their breath, praying for them to leave the basement quickly, was all for that reason.
It was a mistake to have brushed off Paimon’s warning that the only humans roaming the Black Market were Cultists, but... regardless, Jojun was acting as a suppressor for the demons just by existing. Just as Han Aram acted as an air purifier by devouring Magi, Jojun was faithfully fulfilling his role as a demon repellent.
'What do I do... what should I do now? Should I... run away? No, is it even possible to run?'
Abalam, who had been restricted from external activities for a long time, had thought that if humans set foot in the demon’s domain, killing them was self-defense. But what if the human he tried to kill under the guise of self-defense was something like a child of a god? What would that feel like? What kind of state of mind was Abalam in right now?
'I'm, I'm fucked... Lord Paimon...!!!'
He called out to his master desperately in his mind. But no matter how much he called, Paimon did not answer. He seemed to be very busy. Or perhaps he didn't even want to answer—it was one of the two. The latter was probably more likely.
Until a moment ago, the Slaughter Beast, which had been tangled with Vival, shuddered at the sight of the newly appeared monster. The massive spider’s body and the upper torso of a woman, beautiful enough to have been sculpted by a god himself, made the Slaughter Beast’s heart race.
'I want to... eat her...'
The Slaughter Beast licked her lips. She had felt a similar thrill and craving when the demon first appeared. Everyone thought the Slaughter Beast was trembling in fear, but the reality was different. She wasn't scared. She was just hungry. This abnormal appetite was an instinct and an inherent ability of the entity known as the Slaughter Beast. The Slaughter Beast could plunder the power of the target she devoured. It was for this reason that the moment the master-servant relationship was reversed, she had devoured Kekere and inherited the sorcery and the endless impulses she possessed. And because she had such abilities, the beast was instinctively drawn to strong beings. She unconsciously perceived them as food. She found herself drooling, thinking she wanted to eat them.
Even while deflecting the attacks of Vival, the bird-like demon, the Slaughter Beast had thought about wanting to eat him. She had also intended to eat Abalam, who was watching the situation while floating in the air after Vival was killed and his bird head was devoured. She had even been delusional enough to think about chewing up her master, Jojun, and stealing his power. But the moment she witnessed the Deep-Dwelling Spider, all her plans flew to the back of her subconscious. The Slaughter Beast now desperately wanted Kishiria’s flesh. She drooled, feeling a ravenous hunger.
'If I eat that... I will surely be able to obtain power beyond reason... Waaa...'
The Slaughter Beast lunged at Kishiria without fear.
[GET OUT.]
-THWACK-KWA-GANG!!!!!
But she couldn't even reach her. The Slaughter Beast couldn't even grasp what she had been hit by. Just by brushing against Kishiria’s swinging foreleg, she was sent flying dozens of meters and slammed into the ground. And as luck would have it, that location was right in front of where Jojun was standing.
"Uh... uh...?"
The Slaughter Beast made eye contact with Jojun, who was looking down at her.
"N-nice to see you..."
Immediately, Jojun drew the Ghost-Crying Blade of the Swamp.
Kishiria began to hunt the demons in earnest. The demons were unable to get a grip due to Kishiria’s attacks, and the Upper King that Cheshire had mentioned hadn't even appeared yet.
'Right now, Kishiria isn't using her full power because she's afraid I might get caught in the crossfire... It would actually be helpful if I disappeared from the area quickly.'
Kishiria, my summon, and I were bound by our souls. As a result, I could feel some of the emotions she felt, and right now, Kishiria found us quite bothersome. Because we were so weak, she was holding back her power, thinking we might get killed if she made even a slight mistake. So, it would be best to get out of here quickly so Kishiria could tear the demons apart more comfortably.
"Aila. Let’s use this opportunity to quickly break the barrier and find Cheshire’s soul."
"Uh...? Oh. Y-yeah. Uh. Wow. Uh."
Aila couldn't take her eyes off Kishiria, who was toying with the demons. Aila was a doll and couldn't make expressions, but... for some reason, it felt like she had a dazed look on her face.
"Haa..."
Aram had become very calm, perhaps overwhelmed by the predator’s pressure Kishiria was exuding. Until a moment ago, she had been showing a crazed, short-tempered side, saying she had to kill all the demons and purge all the evil ones, but now, she was completely cowed by the appearance of a true powerhouse. I patted Aram on the shoulder, who looked somewhat dejected.
"It’s okay, Aram. You’re doing your part well enough. So don't be too discouraged, and let’s find Cheshire’s soul fragments and get out of here quickly."
"Mm... yeah. Let’s do that. Let’s get out of here quickly. I, I’m a bit scared now."
Aram nodded with a slightly dazed expression and followed behind me. Meanwhile, Kesia had completely lost her mind and started giggling, and Cheshire, too, was blooming with laughter, saying she could finally breathe a sigh of relief. We, who had thought we would die in despair, were able to search for the soul fragments again thanks to the appearance of the great Spider Queen.
"Found it!!!"
"Ohhh!!"
Cheshire’s soul fragment was inside a crystal ball that emitted a soft glow. I took the soul extractor out of my large-capacity bag and jammed it into the crystal ball. Then, the crystal ball shattered, and Cheshire’s soul fragment inside was sucked into the extractor.
"But you said the Upper King would appear earlier."
"Yeah. That’s right?"
"Then... when is that guy coming out?"
"Exactly. That’s my question too... The fact that those two came out... means the Upper King Paimon should be showing himself... why isn't he appearing?"
Cheshire didn't seem to know that either. I just hope he stays away since he hasn't shown up.
"Then we can go back to the 3rd floor now, right?"
"Right. If we retrace the path we came..."
Just then, something flew toward my feet.
-BANG!!!
"Yikes!! What is it this time!!"
"Huh? Jojun... this is..."
The thing that slammed down right in front of me was the Slaughter Beast, lying in a heap of blood. She was trembling and looking up at me.
"N-nice to see you..."
She then offered an awkward greeting. What is this? Is she appealing to be spared?
"What? Nice to see me? You little bastard..."
The moment I saw the Slaughter Beast covered in blood, my anger surged. It was because I remembered my 200,000 coins that had vanished because of her.
'My precious coins... I can never give them up...'
There was still no sign of the Upper King appearing. Kishiria was fighting the two demons with ease, and the warehouse keepers had all fled. If so... couldn't I take a moment to subdue this frog bastard and make her a slave? I drew the sword from my waist.
"Did you miss me that much? I missed you too. You fucking piece of shit."
And I drove the sword straight into the Slaughter Beast’s chest.
"Kuaaaaa!!!!"
A sweet scream rang out. The screams of the demons and the scream of the Slaughter Beast blended strangely to form a harmony. It was time to take back what I had lost.