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Last Embryo Volume 1 Chapter 2 Part 5

Translator: DarkHeartedAlchemist

Editor: Weasalopes

「W-Why? And more importantly, what in the nine hells do you think you’re doing?!」

「Right… right back at you… what… what are you doing here, senpai?!!!」

「I came running after you of course! Did you honestly thought I was going to leave you after you ran off like that?! And besides, I told you that Suzuka will be fine even if she was on her own!」

Ayato wanted to talk back at him, but a violent coughing fit prevented her from doing so.

「How… how pathetic of me…. *Cough* … who would have thought… that mu battle senses would grow so dull… *cough* *cough* … that handling a mere ten blows… would be impossible for me…」

Writhing and grunting in pain, Ayato finally lost consciousness after barely finishing that sentence. Examining her more closely, Homura saw a huge wound on the side of her waist. Judging by the depth and severity of the injury, she must have passed out from the shock caused by the rapid blood loss. If the wound was deep enough to reach all the way to her internal organs, then she would be in need of immediate medical attention. Luckily for them, the monster’s legs were also severely injured, so if there was ever a time for them to escape to safety, it had to be now.

「Come on, Lady Ayato. Just hang in there until we get to the laboratory! I’ll be able to give you an emergency treatment there!」

He called out to her, even though he knew perfectly well that in her current condition she most likely didn’t hear him at all, but the fact that there was no reaction from her at all really drove across in how much danger she was in right now. Carefully placing Ayato on his back, Homura ran towards the main school building as fast as he could.

But the monster would never miss a chance to attack the prey that carelessly turned its back on it, leaving itself totally defenseless.

「G E E E E Y A A A A A A A A…………..!!!!!!!!!!!!!」

The entire neighborhood was rocked by a roar that no human could ever hope to understand. With how loud it was, it could easily rival, no, dwarf any kind of sound-based weaponry created by modern-day technology. The already damaged pens and cabins have been blown away by the shockwave it created, cracks covered the school building like a spider’s web and the fragments of the glass from the shattered windows were flying everywhere like miniature shrapnels. Even though he kept increasing the distance between them went flying forward from the sheer force of the impact as well along with the disrupted droplets of rain, but fortunately his ears have been spared from any major damage thanks to the falling rain and the thick hood of his tightly worn raincoat. If he was even a bit closer to the monster, then his eardrums would have been destroyed in an instant without a shadow of a doubt. As he hit the ground, Ayato grunted in pain.

「Ugh…!」

「I am sorry, but, please Lady Ayato, hang in there for just a bit longer!」

Despite being covered in mud and hurting all over, Homura stood back up and continued to carry Ayato. He tried to be as delicate about picking her up as possible to prevent the mud from getting into her open wound, but delicacy and time were the two things that the beast they were running away from would not allow them to have. Although it was heavily limping, it took the chance given to it by Homura’s fall and it rushed towards him madly. With each and every of its steps, the ground around its hooves caved in, creating a trail of rainwater-filled craters. This is bad. If it still has that much power left in its legs even after they were crippled, then he absolutely cannot allow it to get close to them or else they are going to be turned into minced meat in a matter of seconds. But how was that even possible?! With injuries like that it shouldn’t be able to move at all, and yet there it was, dashing around like a tank made of muscles and rage instead of steel. Approaching the nearest doors to the main building, Homura smashed the window with his fist to open the lock. That beast might be big and packing one hell of a punch, but in this case its enormous stature should work against it, preventing it from entering the building after them.

As soon as he got inside, Homura leaned against the wall to catch his breath. Even though Ayato was pretty light, even for a girl, he still ran like hell while carrying another person with him, so it was only natural for him to feel exhausted after such an ordeal, especially since it was something that he was by no means used to. Considering the distance he travelled: from the animal pens at the side of the school to one of the main entrances in such a short amount of time, he himself was surprised that his breaths weren’t much more ragged and exhausted.

But in the end, he was just too naïve.

Suddenly, the two of them were assaulted by a sensation similar to that of the tremors during an earthquake.

「G E E E E E Y A A A A A A A A a a a a a a a………!!!!!!!!」

Another violent roar shook everything that was around them. Pieces of broken furniture and equipment were flying through the air, making it look as if the entrance to the school has been crushed by an avalanche of falling rocks and debris. But the biggest shock yet hit him when he saw that the monster stuck its gigantic head through all the rubble, looking around with its bloodshot eyes as if he was trying to assess its surroundings. Even when he got stuck due to the size of sis enormous body, all it took for it to continue its destructive crawl was one swing of its bulky arm that broke through the reinforced pillars that supported the building as if they were nothing more but dry twigs. Just that one swing of its bulldozer-like arm was enough to smash all the shelves and cupboards in the hallways and send them flying right over Homura’s head.

「Fuck, what the hell is wrong with this thing?!」

He turned around to protect Ayato from being hit by the flying rubble. On of its chunks, which was about the size of a clenched fist hit him in the forehead, causing it to bleed, but other than that he didn’t sustain any serious injuries. Besides, considering the alternatives, that was the best thing he could do right now. However, he had no time to feel relieved. If this guy continues to move forward, he might just end up turning the entire school into a smoldering ruin. He didn’t know why he didn’t do so already, but at the very least, Homura had a certain hypothesis about it.

「Its behavior goes beyond the stupidity of any average beast. It behaves as if catching and killing all living things were its only goals which it wants to fulfill while disregarding anything else around it… and that humanoid shape… it’s like the picture-perfect example of that mythological bull, Minotaur.」

Wiping the sweat off his forehead, he gazed at the bull in front of him.

Minotaur – a half-human, half-beast of Greek Mythology. Homura wasn’t sure if he remembered the details correctly, but it was supposed to be a monster that ate the people who were getting thrown into the Labyrinth he was imprisoned in as sacrifices to appease its wrath.

This was by no means a Labyrinth, but they were still getting chased around the school by a rampaging Minotaur. If that was supposed to be Fate’s idea of an escape room, but on a much bigger scale… it was a very poor one. Even if someone were to propose it as a joke, it would be guaranteed that no ne would laugh at it. As for their odds of getting out of this “escape room” alive, they were not looking all that hot, especially if the Minotaur was to be left to its own devices. Confirming their situation, Homura started inspecting the equipment for emergency situations installed on the walls in regular intervals. They were all the necessary tools meant to be used in face of a fire or an earthquake, locked in the special cabinets protected with special codes dependent on the situation. When inputted correctly, the lever next to the cabinets could be pulled, activating the protective measure appropriate for the calamity that was ensuing at a given time.

「Emergency equipment, huh? Fire extinguishers only shoot anti-fire foam harmless to living beings, so using would be as good as useless… but no, wait! If the ones in here are the same as the ones we’re using in the laboratory, then…!」

There was actually a code for another natural disaster other than fires, earthquakes or floods. If the equipment meant for dealing with it was in the school, then it might just be possible for them to get out of this mess alive!