Chapter 136: Human-Faced
It arrived huh.
I looked at its appearance once again with half of my body out.
[……………….]
This guy also had an outrageous appearance.
It has countless legs.
Its large amount of fine hair-like legs squirm around on the ground.
I think it looks kind of close to the legs of a centipede.
And those swarms of legs were supporting that thing’s stupidly large build…
The body part looks like an upright bullet.
It was quite long.
At first glance, it looks like an eerie avant-garde art.
[That’s the Human-Faced…]
Leaning out from under my chin, Seras also looked outside.
It looks like she’s quite shocked with its peculiar appearance.
Well, it can’t be helped.
After all, it’s body was covered in several huge faces.
Humanoid faces with both of its eyelids sewn shut.
Those faces were repeatedly opening and closing their mouths, but there was still silence in the air.
It’s as if they’re goldfishes.
However, there’s a face that was different from the others.
It’s in the front of its body.
Right in the center.
Only its eyes weren’t sewn.
It also looks different from the other faces.
It’s a smiling face.
If I dare say it…
“It looks like what Ebisu-sama of the Seven Gods of Fortune would look like in reality.”
I wonder.
It was said that they don’t have a violent personality just because of their facial expressions.
But on the contrary, the smile it had is uncanny.
I can hear something…
[Muuuuu…. Muuunn… uuuunnnn…. mu! Mu! Mu! Muuuunnnn….]
They’re grumbling for some reason.
It kind of reminds me of the grumbling of a fat middle-aged man.
It sounds like it’s talking to itself…
[It’s quite eerie…]
There was some anxiousness within Eve’s voice.
She must have been bewildered.
It looks like it isn’t coming.
However, it had just taken camp below the staircase.
It isn’t even looking this way.
Right now, it was just murmuring there as it looks down on the ground.
I can’t read what it’s thinking.
However…
[I’m certain, that’s the Human-Faced.]
I’m clear about this.
Even when it hasn’t moved from that place…
Even if it hadn’t looked towards here…
We are just this guy’s prey.
Even when its line of sight weren’t directed towards us, I could feel it emitting from the Human-Faced.
Emotions far more nasty than just pure killing intent—
Its sadistic desires, overflowing with murkiness.
I was the only one who had directly encountered a Human-Faced back then.
Before we came out of this ruins, I was the only one who sensed the presence of the Human-Faced.
The reason why was…
As expected, wouldn’t it be because I could feel its murky darkness that resembles the Soul Eater?
[That unconcealed sadistic desires… At least, I don’t think that thing is on our side. I also don’t think it would ever overlook us. If we don’t kill it here, we will be the ones that would be killed. In that case—]
I understand this because I’ve already experienced fighting it.
[From now on, we will be moving in a direction where we would be killing that thing.]
Without a doubt, this is an enemy that we must eliminate.
[Are you two fine with that?]
Even when they were still confused, Seras and Eve agreed with my words.
I sent Liz and Slei a bit inside the ruins to wait.
Liz who was in the back nodded her head in agreement.
[Now then…]
I looked down at the Human-Faced below the staircase once again.
[How should we attack?]
[Touka.]
[Hmm? Did you notice something, Eve?]
[Did the Human-Face already notice us?]
The Human-Face’s line of sight weren’t turned towards our way.
It’s no wonder Eve feels like that.
However…
[Yeah, it already noticed us.]
[However, there isn’t any signs that it would attack at all. It also doesn’t look like it would climb up here. Is it possible that thing is sleeping? Then, we may be able to pass through without being noticed—]
[Funnn… That’s only if it still hasn’t noticed us…]
One side of my mouth lifted as I stared at the Human-Faced.
[Don’t you think so, you f*cking trash?]
Creaaakkk…
The Human-Faced looked up.
[Muuuunnnn! Muuunnmuu! Muuu! Muuuuuunnnn….!]
The ugly smile on the Human-Faced warped it seemed a bit gloomy.
No…
You could say it still had its smile on its face, even when it’s angered.
I may have unexpectedly shot through the bullseye.
[………………]
I began tracing the path where the Human-Faced seemed to have come from.
Next, I began checking the surroundings of this ruins.
Some parts of the ground were hollowed out.
That must be the trace left behind by the Human-Faced where it passed by.
[That Human-Faced, it has been going around this ruins for weeks…]
[Touka-dono? Are you worried about those footprints on the ground?]
[Yeah. A bit…]
This Human-Faced was roaming around this ruins.
That is to say, that thing didn’t appear just now.
It means that thing has been waiting there for a while.
…….Hmm?
Perhaps…
[This thing… Don’t tell me it can’t move unless it’s on a leveled surface?]
[?]
[What I mean is that this thing may not be able to climb to high places.]
That’s why it was waiting for us below there.
The reason why it was going around the ruins, was it because it was looking for other entrances?
Or perhaps, it was just killing some time…
Eve puts her hand on her chin.
[I see. If that’s the case, that would explain why it doesn’t climb up here…]
[Well, we also can’t disregard the possibility that making us think like that was just a trap.]
Though I say that, there’s no use talking about such possibilities.
We now have to think about an attack on the assumption of that hypothesis.
Now then, what we could do next would be—
[Seras.]
[What is it?]
[Can you attack it with an arrow within our distance?]
Seras began preparing her bow and arrows.
Her quick movements show that those actions were seeped into her body.
The preparation to shoot was immediately over.
Making Eve fall back a bit, I told Seras who was prepared with her bow.
[If it looks like the Human-Faced would attack after you fired an arrow, immediately retreat back here… I’m quite confident in my reflexes.]
[—-I’ll be relying on you.]
[On my signal.]
[Yes.]
I looked towards the Human-Faced.
[………………….]
It doesn’t have any response even when Seras were in an offensive posture huh.
I spoke my signal.
[Shoot.]
A sharp whoosh flew.
With the bow that was drawn to the limit, she released the arrow—
Swooooosssshhhh!
[———!?]
Eve took a step back.
……………Flutter……………
A dry sound resounded as the shattered arrow fell on the staircase and miserably scattered on the ground.
Almost right in front of us.
What the heck happened?
At the moment the arrow was released, the Human-Faced knocked it down.
How the heck did it knock the arrow down?
Several tentacles protruded out from the mouth of the faces with sewn eyes.
The arrow that vigorously flew was shattered about 2 meters away from her.
Needless to say, there’s no fault with Seras’ archery.
The speed of the arrow was also fast enough.
[…That arrow with such a speed is instantly knocked down and with such destructive power…]
The speed of those tentacles wasn’t normal at all.
I remembered that reflexive laser the Soul Eater used.
It was that laser that was fired at ultra-high speed that moment that it sensed my attack.
[Tsk… This monster is going to be troublesome.]
The tentacles returned back to the mouths of the faces with sewn eyes.
Gulp!
The mouths of the faces with sewn eyes swallowed the tentacles.
Those tentacles will be stored back into their mouth after their every attack huh.
[…….Touka-dono.]
[Hmm?]
[It— It’s already alright now so…]
So said Seras as she was held on my chest.
Seras’s body was glued towards mine as she was held within my embrace.
I’ve just realized it.
I immediately pulled her out as soon as I noticed that it was about to attack…
I released Seras out of my hold.
[I told you, right? I’m quite confident in my reflexes… Well, it still ended up slapping down the arrow—]
Hmm?
[What’s wrong, Touka-dono?]
[……The distance of its range.]
[Eh?]
[Its attack just now… It just struck the arrow that she released, not Seras who fired the arrow herself.]
Calming herself down, Eve asked.
[What’s the matter with that?]
[It doesn’t just have a single tentacle.]
There were “several” of those tentacles.
And yet, “all of them” headed towards that arrow.
However, it shouldn’t be strange for that thing to attack us with the rest of its tentacles.
No, it should have been the natural thing to do.
[Muuoooo…. Oooommmmuuu… Fuuunnn….]
At that moment, the large mouths of the faces with sewn eyes of the Human-Faced opened all at once.
Splooossshhh!
A large amount of tentacles shot out from its well-toothed mouth.
The tentacles meandered about as it moved in mid-air.
Just like a large amount of earthworms wriggling about.
Or perhaps, you could even compare them to pasta that was filthily vomited out.
Seras shuddered as she went a bit closer towards me.
[Wha— What in the world is that?]
The fear of things that can’t be understood.
Right now, you could read that from Seras’ face.
The smiling face.
It doesn’t mean that it couldn’t openly express its anger.
Expressions would often show your emotion.
However, it was difficult to understand this Human-Faced.
It wouldn’t be strange for us to feel eerie.
I started observing the Human-Faced.
[……Kukaka.]
Hearing me burst into laughter, Seras and Eve looked at me strangely.
However, I can’t help laughing.
[The b*stard got irritated.]
[I- It got irritated? How did you know?]
[You may understand that if you properly observed it.]
Eve’s eyebrow rose.
[What do you mean?]
[Its irritation could mean that the range of its tentacles were probably not enough to reach us.]
Despite the presence of several tentacles, their attacks only concentrated on Seras’ arrow.
Yes— that’s a matter of course.
It’s because it can’t reach us here.
The distance of a person’s range.
I would usually be conscious of the ranges of my skills, especially at times where I needed to combine with Pigimaru.
I am quite sensitive with the distance of a person’s range.
Therefore, that may be the reason why I could immediately judge its range.
Seras looks like she understood.
[In other words, the reason why the Human-Faced couldn’t attack us and just stands idly there…]
[Yeah… It couldn’t get up here, nor could its tentacle, which prides itself of speed and power, reach us. That guy could only look on to us with its fingers on its mouth. Funnnn…. Well, rather than a finger, is calling it a tentacle more appropriate in this case?]
We were lucky that the ruins itself weren’t attacked by this thing.
Or is it that it doesn’t dare destroy this ruins?
Or perhaps, it doesn’t even have enough power to destroy this ruins?
Anyway, I don’t know which ever it is but I could only say we got lucky this time.
Eve looks down at the shattered remains of the arrow.
[If I had carelessly gone out, that might have happened to me instead…]
[Cowardice isn’t as bad as it seems, right?]
[Mhmm… In your case, you should call it cautiousness rather than cowardice.]
[Fuunnn… You could praise me more than that, you know? Well then…]
I crouched down and looked towards the Human-Faced who was looking up towards us.
[Whether it really couldn’t climb up here or its range really couldn’t reach us, there’s still a possibility of them being fake. It may all just be to make us negligent… However, it doesn’t seem to be the case with this guy.]
I declared.
[You’re just the same as the b*stard of a Soul Eater, all you Human-Faced seems to be bad at hiding your emotions. You may have been trying to hide it, but I know… So that I could avoid trouble… So that I could become a perfect mob, I’ve always been looking at the expressions of human faces…]
Human-Faced.
Even its attempt to pretend that it didn’t notice us at first was too lame.
If you want to deceive others, you need to do it more skillfully.
If you want to lie, you need to do better than that.
However… This clumsy sh*t would still give me a large amount of experience points.
[In that sense, you may have just been a really good duck.]
[Muu? Muuuuuuunnnnn… Muuu… muuu… muuu…]
The smile on the Human-Faced changed as it bared all of its teeth.
Its gums were sticking out way too much.
I don’t know if it could understand what I said.
However, it seems I’ve succeeded in offending it.
Come on…
[Let me break that composure in your face.]
Their lack of composure makes it easier to find openings in their movements.
That’s right.
We don’t really have to decently fight others up front.
Behaviours and Counter-measures.
No matter what situation it may be, you could seize victory depending on how you fight.
It’s also the same way back when I fought against Civit.
That’s why I’m sure, it would be the same even against that f*cking goddess.
If I make sure to prepare enough “counter-measures” such as the forbidden curse, we should be able to win as well.
[What a frightening man you are…]
Eve said.
[Hmm?]
[Even before that Human-Faced, you can still remain composed like that… It might be embarrassing, but I’m intensely shaking even when I’m just confronting it even with the distance between us. It became worse especially after that attack. To tell you the truth, I am still unable to regain my composure right now.]
Composure huh…
[……It might be a bit different from composure.]
Saying that, I stood up.
[I have concluded that the Human-Faced would just treat us like playthings until it kills us. They just think of humans as toys that give them amusing responses.]
My lips curved into a smile.
I can’t restrain the smile that’s forming on my face.
In that case, even I am the same as the Human-Faced.
It’s because— I could feel “enjoyment” from killing something.
[For this reason, I would crush this conceited prejudice and what I have been denying all these times—]
Kakaka.
An evil laugh shortly leaked out of my mouth.
[It’s so fun that I can’t really help it.]
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