Buoooooo――――――!
Even as the sounds of slaughter echoed through the Dungeon, Kamase Aneki couldn’t believe it was real.
She had heard that there were no Monsters in the Dungeon behind the school.
They had only come to talk with their friends.
But what was that Creature?
What was happening…?
In that moment of delayed reaction, the armored Creature slashed at another man.
“H-Higiyaaaaaah!?”
With a pathetic scream, the senior’s knees were severed as if they were butter.
All wounds received within the Dungeon are converted into Magical Power.
Therefore, even if severed, there would be no bleeding, and even if an arm were to come off, it could be restored with a healing Skill.
As long as one’s Magical Power isn’t completely depleted, they won’t die.
Even so, there was no escaping the intense pain of being slashed.
Just as Kamase Aneki had once been burned and suffocated—
“Hiii! M-My legs, my legs!”
Seeing the man scream in pain, rolling around on the ground, and eventually foaming at the mouth.
Aneki finally understood that the Creature before her was real.
“A-Eh, eh…?”
Even so, her body wouldn’t move.
She could only blankly witness the Creature kick the man away, sending him rolling like a rag.
…Why is this happening?
Is this a dream? Why?
Her thoughts muddled, her throat constricted without understanding why, and her vision blurred. At that moment,
“…!”
Their eyes met.
She definitely felt a gaze.
From deep within the armor covered with a full face.
The Creature, breathing heavily like a beast, slowly swayed its back and raised the Chainsaw, recognizing her as prey.
A chill ran down her spine.
Being silently declared that she was next, Aneki understood the situation, and finally—
Detected that her life was in danger.
“W-What, what is this Monstrosity!”
“H-Help me, Onee-chan…!”
“Eh? Eh?”
Her Imouto clung to her Aneki, while Shirogasaki remained stunned, unable to grasp the situation.
The Chainsaw was raised before her eyes.
The sound of metal scraping, buooooo. No good. This is bad. Her throat constricted. Her body stiffened.
This isn’t the time to be standing around blankly. She had to do something. She’ll be killed. Carved up by that crazy Creature. She didn’t want to die. But her body wouldn’t move. She didn’t want to die…!
Reflexively stepping back, along with her clinging Imouto, unconsciously.
Thud.
Together with her Imouto, she kicked the buttocks of the dazed Shirogasaki towards the Monstrosity.
“…Eh?”
Shirogasaki was pushed forward, staggering, in front of the armored woman.
Eh, she looked up, stiffened, and the Creature, like a murderer from a movie, slowly raised the Chainsaw,
“Ah.”
Stopped the rotation for a moment, and swung the guide bar—the part of the blade’s belly—horizontally.
Shirogasaki’s body flew away, rolling to the edge of the room.
The armored Creature didn’t even bother to check on her, reactivating the Chainsaw and setting its sights on the Kamase Sisters once again.
“W-Why only us…!”
“J-Just carve up that woman, y-you’ll have more fun with her!”
As her Imouto screamed irrationally, Aneki finally opened her Inventory.
A weapon. A weapon. Something to at least resist with.
Toner. No.
Mini pouch. No.
Dungeon compass. That’s not it either! Where’s the weapon, where’s the spear!?
“N-No…!”
Why, why can’t I find it, the weapon my damn parents bought me—ah.
She remembered. When she had ventured into the Dungeon with the Class Representative before spring break, she had been playing around with the spear with her Imouto—it was burned, and they had fled screaming at that time…
She had dropped it.
After that…after receiving treatment at the hospital, she didn’t want to remember anything about the Dungeon.
She hadn’t organized her Inventory.
“A-Ah…”
Her throat constricted, and her molars chattered.
She had to escape. She looked around the room. No, there was nowhere to escape.
There was only one door in the hall, and the armored Creature was in front of it.
The seniors who had been carved up were already unconscious, and Ojou was still rolling in the corner of the room.
Why.
Why was she experiencing this?
Kamase Aneki had only come to meet her friends. Was this a dream? No, it wasn’t. Aneki was now being attacked by a real Creature, and was about to be killed—
“U-Uuu…!”
How could she be saved?
How could she—beg for her life? Should she prostrate herself? That wouldn’t work against a Monster. No good. This was the end. Kamase Aneki’s life would end here.
She felt dizzy, her throat constricted, and tears overflowed…and to such Aneki.
The devil in her heart whispered.
If there was a sacrifice to buy time for her to escape…there was one more person, wasn’t there?
Aneki unconsciously grabbed Imoutoya’s back, who was clinging to her waist.
Push this one.
Push this Imouto towards it, and escape in the meantime…
“N-Na, n-“
But Aneki’s body wouldn’t move. No, she couldn’t move.
It wasn’t because of love for her Imouto, or because of a merciful heart that she refused.
Quite the opposite.
Upon closer inspection—Imoutoya, who was firmly holding onto Aneki’s body, had a glint in her eyes, and before she knew it, she was positioning herself as if to use her Aneki as a shield. That’s why, she couldn’t move…!
“I-Imoutoya? What’s with your hand?”
“Onee-chan, you’re the one grabbing my back. What’s up?”
“T-This, this girl—!”
What an Imouto, don’t screw with me.
Was she really trying to escape by using her own Aneki as a shield, that damn brat?
You’ve got to be kidding me. How much do you think I’ve taken care of you as your Aneki?
Don’t mess with me.
Don’t mess with me—don’t mess with meee—!
“Imoutoya, can’t you listen to what your Onee-chan says!?”
“D-Don’t screw with me, I’ve always been annoyed by you acting like my Onee-chan just because you were born first, even though we’re twins!”
“W-What, this, this girl…!”
“I’ll tell Mom while crying, that Onee-chan died protecting me! Then Mom will be moved and cry too, isn’t that great, you can do something for our parents!”
“You should do something for them, you’re loved by Dad, so it’s okay if you do a little bit, right!?”
“Haaah!? I don’t care about that creepy old man, and I didn’t ask to be born!”
“It’s because you’re here that I’m going through this, don’t mess with me, don’t mess with me—s-stop it…!”
Imoutoya pushed her body forward and forcibly headbutted her.
Her consciousness blurred, and she staggered, and then the impact.
Like when Shirogasaki was pushed away, Aneki was thrust forward.
“Hii.”
Buoooooo――――. The Chainsaw bared its fangs.
The armored woman approached. The blade rotated sharply. It made a noise as if it was about to carve up Aneki’s body and tear it to pieces, ah, no good, help me, help me, I don’t want to, I don’t want to—!
“W-Wait, help me! Please! I was wrong, I’ll apologize, I’ll apologize! Please, please…!”
While crying, Aneki didn’t even know what she was saying, and knowing that it was meaningless against a Monster, she knelt down and begged.
I’m going to be killed, I’m going to be killed, I’m going to be killed. Why. I, I haven’t done anything wrong. Why am I going through this.
I don’t want to. Someone. Someone help me—
“Hey, is anyone there!? I told you that entering the Dungeon is prohibited!”
That voice echoed from the Dungeon entrance.
Aneki, who had sharpened her senses to the limit, realized that the owner of the voice was the usually annoying gym teacher.
—The voice came out surprisingly honestly.
“Sensei! Help me! Please help me, please!”
While crying, Aneki curled up like a turtle and crouched down.
She couldn’t take it anymore. She hated Dungeons. In the first place, since a Dungeon had appeared in the school, the adults should have taken responsibility and sealed it off properly.
Why, why was this happening.
Help me. Someone, help me—
…
…
“Hey, what’s wrong? What happened!?”
“Hii…!”
How much time had passed?
When she was shaken and raised her face, a musty middle-aged man in a jersey was peering at Aneki with concern.
…Eh. Ah, really?
“S-Sensei!? That Creature?”
“What, a Creature? Hey, why are you injured? Explain!”
Pressed by the Sensei, no, until just now the Chainsaw Creature was there…Aneki looked around the room.
It wasn’t there.
It wasn’t there.
That Creature had disappeared like a real ghost—nowhere to be found.
“…No way…”
“Was there an unidentified Monster? I’ll call for backup right away, stay still!”
The Sensei contacted someone with his Smartphone in hand and made an emergency call.
Eventually, other teachers rushed over, and while witnessing the commotion in the Dungeon, Aneki vaguely wondered if the earlier scene had really happened.
She didn’t know.
But certainly, beside Aneki were her seniors with their legs and arms severed, and Shirogasaki, who had lost consciousness.
Only Imoutoya was missing, having escaped at some point…
“Hic, ah, ah…”
Suddenly, the terror resurfaced, and she trembled.
Just now, I was certainly on the verge of death.
I was almost killed, and dying, really, I hate it, this, this is…
“Hey, get a grip! Is it Magical Power damage!?”
She collapsed weakly, shedding tears as she sat down heavily.
Feeling a warm sensation spreading through her lower abdomen, she was placed on a stretcher by the finally appearing Dungeon Rescue Team—why did I have to go through this?
Kamase Aneki trembled as she endlessly pondered and hugged her own body tightly.
I am.
I am not at fault—.