Implying, this injured Goma was made bait to lure in prey.
Not letting live or die, cutting the limbs to forbid movement. Moreover, leaving it some narcotics, it would become a lively bait that lets out a boisterous shout. The individual itself would use the drug to ease its pain. The right arm left untouched only for it to apply said drug.
Maybe this way of cruelly making bait of its own comrades is a tradition of Goma, or it could be that the students kept hunting the Monsters of this floor so well, it became an emergency situation that required such drastic measures, but anyway, at the current time, theyâve gone and done it.
And there happened to exist an idiot that would fall for this blatantly obvious trap.
Right, that would be me. Goddammit, I should have suspected something the moment I saw that fallen Goma. Encountering a conveniently weakened prey like that stray Red Dog twice, that kind of coincidence never happens.
âWh, wh, w-w-w-what do we do now, Momokawa-kun!?â
Thatâs what I wanna say, I canât say. No time to say.
At this time, we were at a T-junction like area, and Goma were piling in from all three of those directions. Taking to account the time we took killing that Goma, taking a break from the shock, and then inspecting the corpse till just now, itâd be ample time to block our path.
Each path is crowded with around 10 of them. I can see ones carrying worn out bows scattered among them, but they arenât shooting. I guess they donât feel the need to.
As if excited by the fact that theyâve successfully surrounded us, the Goma were increasingly excited, going Gaee Ghae in their hoarse cries, having quite a blast as if their game was already in the bag.
âG-gotta⌠just, break through somehowâŚâ
Canât think of anything better, donât think itâll go well either. My voice as I made the suggestion is literally shaking right now.
Still, we have to do it.
The path going straight had dead trees spread on both sides, itâs the way we came in. This path is wider that the two going left and right, but the twisted, crazy overgrown trees will make escape harsh.
Having said that, the other two paths are even more impossible. Their widths narrow, the way is totally blockaded by a fence of Goma. I canât see a single gap to sneak past from.
âWeâll go straight. Right down the mid⌠no, a little to the left, the one with the bone club. Iâll stop it with âBlackhair Bindâ, so weâll push it aside and break through.â
âG-got it!â
Pretty good for an instant plan Iâd say. If we had an Attack Skill right now, breaching through wouldnât even be an issue⌠no, nowâs not the time for that.
âNow, go! Entwine its escape, with weaving hairââ
Getting the aria done first, I run at once. Futaba-sanâs following right behind.
Thinking in terms of physical charging power, sheâd be way over me, but itâd be a problem if she froze up right before contact. Canât say Iâm overly confident in my own tackle strength, but right now, I have to run up front.
Okay, distance to Goma, less than 20 meters~65feet. The bloodstained spear in my hands feel unnecessarily heavy. Ah, that reminds me, Futaba-san had thrown hers away.
We couldâve rushed in, both a spear in hand, and maybe the enemy would even falter a bit⌠but canât really do that anymore.
The Goma in front of us werenât particularly showing any fear or worry at us charging in, they werenât looking panicked at all. In fact, when they only pointed their weapons towards us saying Gue Guae, it felt as if they said, look at that fatty and pipsqueak pointlessly resisting, sneering at us.
I fucking get it already. This is just a struggle in vain, I know. But we canât help it. This is our all, itâs also our only.
ââBlackhair Bind!â
The Curse I unleashed with a shout wringing out all my breath manifested itself right as I aimed.
The target being the club-wielding Goma was grabbed by the legs with the tentacles of hair suddenly sprouting from the ground, and fell forward. It seems that one was particularly stupid, without doing any actions to ease its fall, it bashed face first into the hard stone floor.
âGugEe!â
âNow!â
Not letting the opening from that pathetic fall pass by, we went full die hard and aimed for the home stretch.
But yet, faster than I could slide my body through, the Goma next to it came in to cover. Theyâre stupid, but maybe they understand weâre aiming there. Could also be that theyâre simply chasing me like a newbie soccer player only chasing the ball.
In any case, weâre quickly approaching collision. That in mind, Iâll just have to give them another one.\nâYaAAAAAAAAA!â
Taking the spear in my hands, I thrust towards the Goma with a knife blocking in path.
I donât have the power to sparingly take down a Goma 1v1, and in fact, thereâs a higher risk of me losing, but this time, Iâll have to win.
Itâs a crude weapon made simply by sharpening a branch, but it does indeed have the length to deem it a âspearâ. Thereâs that saying about needing 3 times a Kendo dan, so this reach that I possess will become my absolute advantage.[1]
Letting myself go with the momentum, I stab at the Goma, brandishing only a short knife, from a safe distance. Maybe the Power Seed was still in effect, but again, with a feeling softer than I imagined, the tip pierces through its black flesh.
But no matter how delicate it may be, it became a resistance enough to stop my feet.
ââkuu!â
The shock from going at it with all my power causes my feet to stumble. If I fall here, I die. With that desperate cause, I reclaim my footing.
At some point, Iâd let go of my spear. The knife-wielding Goma was fallen over with the Fairy Walnut branch stuck in its gut, spouting noisy groans along with blood from its mouth. It wasnât instant death, but itâs only a matter of time.
And with it having blocked my advance, a small but definitive lost time was created. This lost time proved enough for another, a different Goma from the one I stabbed, to jump in.
Weaving through the branches of the white, dead trees, a new Goma made its appearance. With around half the blade chipped off, it held it its hands, a hatchet. One hit from that and Iâd be writhing on the floor, crying out much louder than the Goma.
No wait, having stopped and let go of the spear, I donât have a single way to blockâ
âWaAAAAAAAA!â
Just then, charging in while screaming, came a giant shadow. Naturally, itâs Futaba-san. She was running behind me, but as Iâd stopped, sheâd caught up, and now passed me.
âGii!?â
And as she was cutting through, she hit the Goma that had jumped in. The goma of around same size and stature as me is flicked away by Futaba-sanâs titanic mass, and flies beyond the branches of the dead trees. On the other side, having not even realized sheâd bumped into a Goma, Futaba-san only keeps running ahead.
This difference in weight, such thing being overwhelming to a level that high was made painfully clear to me.
No, forget that; having inadvertently avoided that crisis, nowâs my chance to get away.
Iâll just quickly make a turn, follow behind Futaba-san and get outâ
âWah!?â
Just as I took a step, my body fell forward from the momentum.
Something caught my legâ as I thrust my hands forward to break my fall, and felt the prickling sensation of pain on my palms, I realized.
âSh-shidd this fucker!â
It caught my leg, as in, that Goma I had tripped over using Blackhair Bind, it grabbed my leg with its hand.
Both legs were bound, but it had skillfully maneuvered itself, and reached for my leg. Luckily, it had let go of its club as it fell, and Iâd avoided that counter attack, but what it did achieve was more than enough to cost my life.
âShit, god fucking dammiiiiiiiiit!
Jamming my right hand into my gakuranuniform pocket, in less than a second I take out the boxcutter Iâd meant to lend to Futaba-san for dismantling work. With itâs characteristic clicking sounds, the blade was now completely out, at which point, a total of 2 seconds must have passed.
And by the 3rd second, Iâd slashed at the Gomaâs hand in all my rage.
âUgeEEe!â
Seems it didnât have the guts to keep holding after having deeply cut with the fresh blade. Spilling its filthy blood, it moves its hand away from my ankle as if withdrawing.
âHaa⌠haa⌠G-gotta, runââ
I stood up in a panic, but it was too late.\nâGrrRRrâŚâ
âGekgeGuGEâ
In front of me stands two Goma. From the right, from the left, every single Goma on this passage were creeping in to surround me.
To call it a matter of course, well, thatâd only be right. Stabbing with a spear, falling over, slashing. With that many distractions, there was more than ample time to completely encircle me.
âAa, aaaâŚâ
I stand with my knees almost giving out, swing around my measly, unreliable, blood-stuck boxcutter.
It wasnât thin enough to somehow charge through anymore. Front, back, left, right, the Goma savagely laughing at me from all sides, had doubled, no, tripled in number.
The ones in front of me, as in, the Goma occupying the direction we were running towards; beyond them, I catch sight of Futaba-sanâs back running away at full speed without the slightest hint of turning around.
Sheâs still screaming out, single-mindedly escaping at full force. Even if I shouted out for help, it wouldnât reach her ears.
No well, even if she heard, itâs simply impossible for Futaba-san to save me.
No Betrayal or abandonment, strangely, I didnât even feel any resent. That being said, neither was there a gallant feeling of, at least let her be safe or something like that.
What occupied my heart was an empty resignation. Give it up. Ah, well, canât be helped. This was only natural.
I accepted reality as is.
I mean, itâs obvious. I havenât done anything for her. No, I guess I saved her life, but thatâs it. I still havenât built her up with the strength and mind to bravely take on Monsters.
And letâs say in the million to 1, the billion to 1 chance that Futaba-san does come back to help. Even say she gains the courage to valiantly fight to save me⌠there would still be no miracle. With that Skill set of hers, she canât a do a thing against this many Goma.
To conclude, I canât rely on being saved at all.
And what I canât rely on even more, that would my own strength. Not a thing for offence, defence, or retreat; with a shit Skill set that constitutes the Shaman, I canât do a thing being thus greatly outnumbered.
Ah, yeah. Iâll accept it. Right now, Iâm checked⌠and mated.
âU-uaaAAAA!â
But, no dammit. I donât wanna die.
Even realizing the futility of my resistance, I couldnât stop swinging the only weapon I had on hand.
My boxcutter, with its reach going only as far a that of a knife, only cut the vacant air.
âGugee, gekGEKgeeâ
âGugeGE!â
The Goma laugh at my fruitless resistance. These Monsters with their neanderthalic minds, they are sneering at man.
Shit, shit⌠fucking shitâŚ
âOw!?â
âGiyAu!?â
My side was pricked. Likely with something long like a spear. I didnât see it coming, but in my state of absolute fear and despair, my field of view had greatly constricted. Everywhere aside from straight ahead, I was simply blind.
Even this wide open target got away with only a flesh wound because of âPain Returnâ.
I see a Goma groaning, holding its right side exactly where it hit me.
âT-that right⌠you cut me⌠you get cut, right back!â
Ahaha, howâs that, awesome thatâs what, thatâs my Curse. Kill me and you die. Any of you bastards, feel like dyingâ
\nRight now I must have the ugliest face Iâve ever had. Itâs much worse than when Masaru beat me up.
My spirit isnât much better either. I mean, Iâve alreadyâ
âUu, Aa⌠sto⌠StopâŚâ
Next, a kick to the guts which I withstoodâ only to vomit. Yet right after, a different Goma delivered a Yakuza Kick as the same spot.[2]
There was no use in enduring. At this point I was writhing out with Guee guee sounds not all too indistinguishable from the Gomasâ own vulgar cries.
The nasal sanguine and bile spread around and smeared my face. Awful. It came from me, but itâs nonetheless gross.
Not just my face, even my heart felt filthy. It was a corrosion to the depths of my heart which crumbled my spirit.
As if my heart was a pillar, and its base became black and corroded, finally toppling over, that kind of feeling. No, just now, Iâve certainly⌠heard the sound of my heart getting crushed.
âPlease⌠StopâŚâ
I begged for dear life.
Quite miserable, foolish words. But I said them the same. Someone weak as me, simply, canât help but say them. Even if theyâre facing Monsters who would never understand.
âGugEee!â
With a Gomaâs energetic, fun-filled cry, the lynching carries on. Feet, feet, filthy feet. They intently keep bashing with their feet.
Because of âPain Returnâ, a Goma canât kick in repeatedly. Since the damage goes back and cause them to stagger. It must hurt to a degree. Thanks to which, the rate Iâm getting knocked about was, in itself, gentle.
âStoâŚstaâŚaaâŚâ
But this kicking marathon wasnât stopping anytime soon. Is it really that fun? Does their entertainment only consist of harassing weak prey? I keep waiting, but none of them take a weapon to let it end.
Thatâs goodâ I end up thinking, wonder why?
Help isnât coming. Canât do a thing myself. Even though after this, my body would eventually reach its limit, even though Iâd just be tortured, kicked to death like this. Even though the only thing remaining in my life was pain and violence.
âI donât wanna die.
A feeling spurting from the bits collecting into a mountain of trash, bits that were once my heart and my pride.
âI donât wanna die.
Embers of survival instinct.
No⌠never⌠donât wanna⌠dieâ
ââooOOOOOâ
A voice, I think I heard. Within my hazy conscience, the roar that beat into my eardrums, was unmistakably not one of the Gyaagyaas of the Gomasâ jolly making.
I could say that with a conviction, this voice was of that different a nature.
To say it another way, a voice that caused a tremor in the very depths of the soul. Like a wind that returns the once embers into a blazeâ a powerful voice.
[1]So 3x Kendo dan, itâs apparently something that originated from the manga Karate Master, where it says that you need at least a 3 times higher degree of mastery in hand to hand combat to match up against Kendo, which uses a sword. So Momo-kunâs saying his spear > Goma knife.