Return of the Fallen Volume 13 Chapter 33
After peeking his head around the corner, Kazuki’s blood ran cold.
Dread filled his soul as he saw hundreds of shriekers moving around inside the cave. These shriekers had obviously come from the vents spread all throughout the mountain, with even more still crawling out from the underground.
The green flame was burning deep within this large chamber, filling it with immense and intense heat.
Keeping absolutely silent, Kazuki moved away from the turn in the cave and headed back toward the entrance of the cave, where Monsuta stood in absolute stillness and silence.
Kazuki kept his cool as best he could, but Monsuta could see the lack of color on his face.
Kazuki, that noise…Please don’t say what I think you’re going to say.)
The situation was too perilous to sugarcoat shit. Lying to give comfort was nowhere in Kazuki’s mind at the moment.
(Monsuta…The cave is full of them. The shriekers unfortunately have somehow found their way into the cave. It’s only a matter of time before they come this way and discover us. We cannot stay in here with them and have to leave.)
(But if we just stay perfectly still and we don’t make any noise. Surely
(Stop! That is unreasonable. Those things are still flooding out of the open vents. The space within the cave is not infinite and there is but one way out of this place. They will make there way here shortly so we can only leave. We have no choice.)
(Is…Is there no way you can guide me again? Maybe we can fight them and…win.)
Kazuki found this doubtful.
(We can’t not here and not now. It’s one thing when we are out in the open where you can maneuver and I can see further ahead and plan according to the terrain but the cave is different. it is closed off. It would only take one of them grabbing you one time and slowing you down for a split second before they surround us and pounce on us in an instant. After witnessing their strength, you could take several blows before you finally succumb but you would eventually succumb nonetheless. I on the other hand am even more worse off. If one grabs hold of me, they would not even need to rip me apart or crush me in their grasp. I know the power of my own soul in this world. They would destroy my soul with those yellow-glowing eyes in an instant.)
Monsuta knew Kazuki was speaking the truth. He understood his cave even more so than Kazuki as he had lived here for countless years. He knew every nook and cranny. It was already not easy to walk around without stepping on something or misplacing one’s foot. Fighting inside such a place, against the shriekers would be suicide.
Monsuta softly lowered his head in worry.
(Kazuki…what do we do now?)
Before Kazuki could even come up with anything loud echos rang out as the entrance door was being pounded by the shriekers outside.
*SHHHHRRREEEEEEE!*
This caused Kazukia dn Monsuta to freeze for a moment. The sound of the shriekers outside was already drawing the attention of the shriekers within the cave. The only reason they hadn’t already rushed toward the entrance was due to the entrance being slightly hidden by natural covering and the odd turn around the corner. That along with the sound echoing throughout the cave it would be difficult for the shriekers to pinpoint the exact location right away.
Still, the outside noise was causing a commotion within the depths of the cave. The time they might have had was now drastically cut short.
(KAZUKI!?)
All the earlier confidence Monsuta had gained was flushed down the drain and he was starting to panic. The gears in Kauzki’s mind began to turn rapidly as an idea began to form. The sound of the banging outside grew louder and louder, whilst the scramble inside the cave rose and matched its counterpart.
(Monsuta, I have a rough plan. We’re gonna bust out of here. I want you to gather some speed and ram your door with all of your strength.)
Monsuta didn’t understand. Kazuki actually wanted to go outside in the middle of the green-burning night. Not only that he also told him to ram into his own door.
(Kazuki…I
(Monsuta do you trust me?)
Monsuta’s mind became clear. In this world, Kauzki was the only one he trusted. Though their time together was short, he had never met someone that would talk to him, treat him with kindness, and be friendly. Kazuki helped him unlock his newfound strength and even taught him funny things. He showed Monsuta how to make better statues and even showed him interesting stories using the statues to act them out.
Kazuki had all of his trust and then some.
(I trust you Kazuki. I trust my friend.)
Monsuta gave a thumbs up with the end of his tail and Kazuki responded in kind.
(Good, then let’s do this. We’ll show these fucks that we are not so easy to eat and if they want us so damn badly, they’ll have to choke on us before we go down without a fight.)
Monsuta felt a fire light in his stomach hearing this. Kazuki told him his rough plan and his eyes lit up with determination. Just as Kazuki jumped on Monsuta’s back the shriekers began to come around the corner. Seeing Monsuta and Kazuki they erupted with their howling call.
*SHHHRRRRRREEEEEEEEE!*
The shriekers outside grew restless hearing their comrade’s calls and began hammering away at the cave entrance with even more fierceness. They slammed their bodies into the entrance and clawed away at it but left no marks. At the same time, the shriekers started rushing at Monsuta and Kazuki right away but Monsuta had already kicked off the ground and raced toward the entrance as fast as possible.
From the corner of the cave where the cave opened up, to the entrance of the cave was a distance Monsuta could cover within three steps. Launching forward, he made every step count as he placed an overbearing power into each step. His speed was already near 60% of what he could do but the room ran out as he and Kazuki appeared in front of his special rock.
(DO IT NOW MONSUTA!)
*RAAHHHHHHH!*
Monsuta released a low roar before his large head slammed directly into his homemade door. As soon as he did this, he willed his power forth and the Monsuta rock quickly changed shape. Using his aura, he made the Monsuta rock wrap around both him and Kazuki to a certain degree. His body continued moving forward and the front of the rock suddenly exploded forth as he burst through it.
With his size and his current momentum, the few shriekers at the entrance were knocked back by several hundred feet.
Monsuta’s eyes shined as he ran ahead. Behind him, he left a shape in the rock that looked roughly like an outline of his body. Through this hole, many shriekers began to rush out like a never-ending flood of death.
Because of the roughness of Monsuta’s control over aura, and the weight of the hill-sized rock itself, he could not take all of it nor could he perfectly cover both his and Kazuki’s body.
Though the two were covered in Monsuta stone, there were many bald patches where this armor was none existent. Parts of his back, side, legs, and feet were clearly exposed. Kazuki as well was under something akin to an umbrella of this special rock rather than wearing it like actual armor.
This though was enough, or at least Kazuki hoped it was enough as he and Monsuta headed for a certain place.
Along the way, more and more enemies appeared before them. They were attracted to the call of their friends back at the cave. Because of this, there was no stopping in the increase of enemies showing up and closing in on them. In this open space though, Kazuki’s concern was low for now.
Several shriekers arrived in front of the pair and Kazuki called out.
“Ram these ugly fucks!”
Monsuta’s head lowered slightly and he let his momentum and armor do the majority of the work.
*BOOOOOOM!*
This armor made from Mosnuta stone was something even he had difficulty breaking. The shriekers stood not a chance and were blasted away.
From the bodies left behind, many were mangled and had greenish-yellow blood leaking from their grievous wounds. Kauzki thought this would mean they would stay down. After all, the creatures in this world seem to take longer to regenerate than in other worlds but this was not the sight Kauzki witnessed.
The ones that were badly hurt, they would simply turn on others that were injured. After eating their fellow weakened friends, their wounds would regenerate nearly as quickly as Kauzki could. It was a cannibalistic dog-eat-dog type of situation.
If it were only this, Kazuki would not be too worried but something was different. After one or two ate a full shrieker, after regenerating, they would grow slightly. They would then begin to chase again, but Kazuki noticed something about the ones that ate a large number of their friends.
(Those things…They’re getting faster!)
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