GalaxyTL
* * *
Munch, munch, munch…
The sound that echoes through the heart of the forest, filled with deep blue fog.
In other words, it’s the sound of Emi devouring the flesh of the giant octopus.
The giant octopus’s remains… five out of its eight arms were already devoured.
But Emi is still hungry.
No matter how much she eats, she can’t be satisfied.
After tearing off the flesh, she continued to shove the giant octopus into her stomach, almost swallowing it whole.
There are no other animals around, except for Emi.
A carcass of this size is lying around.
It would be normal for small fish to gather and start pecking at it.
But at this particular time, there are no other predators here except for Emi.
Because Emi, while devouring the giant octopus, continues to unleash her 【Intimidation】, driving away any octopus meat thieves.
In other words…
“…………”
The group that Emi sensed at this moment…
…The group that’s heading straight towards her, disregarding her 【Intimidation】…
…Must be either very strong…
…Or a very determined group.
“…………”
Emi, just as she was about to bite into the sixth octopus leg, wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, glared at the foggy forest, and slowly clenched her fists.
She doesn’t know who they are… the group approaching her.
But they’re defying her 【Intimidation】 and coming towards her.
They’re enemies.
In other words… they are enemies.
She’ll kill them all.
Emi’s mind switched back to combat mode, her soul filled with killing intent.
Punch them.
Tear them apart.
Crush them.
…Kill them!
But… Emi…
Despite having her body and mind fully prepared for battle…
…Seeing the group emerging from the fog…
…She was… quite shaken.
Why?
The group that reached Emi…
…Was countless…
…Small octopuses.
They looked very similar to the giant octopus she just killed…
…They were baby octopuses…
* * *
That’s ridiculous!
Even though octopuses are intelligent creatures!
Sensing their mother’s death, coming to avenge her!?
Such a thing… is impossible!
…You might think that.
Actually, Emi and Extra-sama thought about that for a moment too.
But the reality is, the baby octopuses are here.
Their eyes, burning with rage… are perfect proof that you shouldn’t underestimate the intelligence of octopuses!
If you’re still not convinced, I can only say, “Octopuses don’t normally operate on land or fly in the sky”… but that aside.
Anyway, Emi was certainly shaken for a moment.
She was taken aback, pierced by the baby octopuses’ angry eyes.
But…
Extra-sama spoke to Emi.
<Do you think you haven’t killed any… ‘parents’… or ‘children’… before?>
…Yes… in most cases, living beings are ‘children’ of something, and in some cases, they are already ‘parents’.
Emi has broken up and eaten many families so far.
There was even a time when she fought back and killed a bear that came to avenge its kin.
It’s too late for her to hesitate now.
Crushing and consuming others, the world, for her own sake.
That’s how Emi has lived until now, and that’s how she’ll continue to live.
This time, it’s just… more obvious.
It’s really… too late now.
Emi’s killing intent reignited, burning brightly.
Her soul… transformed into that of a monster again!
However.
The remaining humanity in Emi’s heart…
The small opening it created…
At this moment…
Helped the baby octopuses!
Whizz!!
One of the baby octopuses, concealing its presence with its mother’s 【Presence Concealment】, circled behind Emi… and then, rammed into her!
It’s a baby octopus… but a baby octopus of a giant octopus.
It’s already the size of a human head, and its speed, when swimming through the air at full speed, is quite fast.
It’s the body slam… of such a baby octopus.
Emi, whose guard was down due to being shaken, couldn’t avoid it, and staggered from the impact.
Emi is tough.
Even with a body slam that would shatter the bones of an ordinary person, she only staggered.
Because of this… the baby octopuses should have no chance of winning.
But.
But!
To get straight to the point.
These baby octopuses…
…Indeed…
…‘Pulled it off’!
“Guh… !?”
Emi, staggering, exposed another opening.
The baby octopuses didn’t miss it!
They all charged at Emi, this time from the front!
Thump, thump, thump!
The unexpected consecutive attacks, even through her 【Black Armor】, sent shockwaves through Emi’s body!
To be honest, as I mentioned earlier, even this desperate attack by the baby octopuses didn’t actually damage Emi.
But… from the impact of their relentless body slams…
Lightly…
Emi’s body… floated into the air.
“Dam… !?”
Emi, a land creature, can’t fight at her full potential without her feet on the ground!
She panicked, but it was too late.
She was lifted into the air by the baby octopuses’ continuous body slams, and they started toying with her, unable to counterattack.
She tried to shake off the baby octopuses with her 【Black Tentacles】.
But the baby octopuses’ continuous body slams, born from their perfect coordination, didn’t even give her the chance to do that!
“DON’T UNDERESTIMATE MEEEーーー!!”
Emi screamed, spinning in the air, and unleashed her full 【Intimidation】!
A few of the baby octopuses, at close range, died from the shock of her mana’s ferocity, but there are so many of them!
The gaps were quickly filled, and the continuous attacks resumed!
A few seconds after Emi was lifted into the air.
As if to finish her off, one particularly large baby octopus rammed into Emi, slamming her towards the ground.
Emi, unable to resist, took the hit and fell headfirst towards the ground.
And what was at her landing point…
Whether the baby octopuses were aiming for it, or it was just a coincidence… that, we don’t know.
Anyway, what was there…
…Was the teleportation magic circle… left in the ruin!
“AAAAAAAAAAAHーーー!?”
The moment Emi was slammed into the teleportation magic circle with tremendous force!
Her body was enveloped in a burst of purple light!
And a few seconds later!
Emi’s body… completely disappeared from the foggy forest.
And… she never returned.
The jet-black monster… that had painted the silent, blue, foggy forest with death…
…Thus disappeared.