It was my third time hearing that outcry.
Crap.
Crap, crap.
Crap, crap, crap, crap.
“Momo!”
“Woof!”
As I shouted towards him, Momo immediately took refuge in the ‘shadow’.
And at that very moment, I ran out at full speed.
Run.
Run.
Run!
As far as I can.
I need to get as far as I can, even if it’s just a step.
“Hahh, hahh, hahh, haa……!”
I ran with all my strength.
Probably the most frantically I have ever ran in my whole life.
<<Extent of skill increased>>
<<Flight LVL has increased from 1 to 2>>
<<Extent of skill increased>>
<<Flight LVL has increased from 2 to 3>>
<<Extent of skill increased>>
<<Flight LVL has increased from 3 to 4>>
<<Extent of skill increased>>
<<Fear Tolerance LVL has increased from 5 to 6>>
The heavenly voice resounded within my head.
I would normally be happy if my skills leveled up but, at the moment, I am not happy at all.
But maybe because my ‘Flight’ LVL increased, I felt like I was able to run even faster than before.
As I thought, this skill seems to be a skill to adjust the speed while running.
I could increase my speed more and more.
And increase the distance between us more and more.
But, it still didn’t disappear.
‘Bad feeling’ did not disappear.
‘Sense of danger’ had always been ringing.
‘Enemy detection’ was also reacting all the time.
“Haaa, haa, hahh……”
I looked at it with a back glance while running.
The high orc still hadn’t moved from the mansion’s roof.
I wonder if it won’t just stay like that?
I ended up wishing that.
However, such a faint expectation was also betrayed.
Suddenly, the high orc bent its knees.
What–what is that posture?
As if it was storing energy before jumping—-.
*Shivers*
I felt an intense chill.
[OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO—!!!]
Outcry. Thunderous roar. Impact.
Destroying the roof of the mansion, the high orc leaped.
It’s huge body shot out like a bullet.
Its speed was tremendous.
Even before the debris hit the ground, the high orc landed on the ground.
*Thud*!!!!
The impact was like that of a meteor hitting the ground.
And when I looked back to see, he was at the place where I had been standing just a while ago.
And with him on the center, a crater formed.
………You’re kidding me, right?
It closed that gap with one leap?
Exactly what kind of muscles does it have?!
Don’t bullshit me!
“There’s a limit to being absurd……!”
I am no match. I felt that instantly.
But even then, I ran.
To increase the distance, even if just a bit.
“Goaa……”
The high orc snapped its neck and looked my way.
Stop it, don’t look.
Don’t come here.
You let me go last time, right?
Let me go this time too.
Come on.
But, such a prayer did not reach.
The high orc came straight at me with a beheading knife.
I will die if it catches up.
A hellish game of tag had begun.
If I devote myself to escaping, I have the advantageous position.
I had been thinking that, someday.
When it had been just 3 days since monsters filled this world.
Compared to the monsters which suddenly appeared in this world, I, who had been here for many years, am more familiar and adapted to the land.
And so, I had thought that if I devoted myself to just running, something will work out.
But, I was naive.
It’s because such logic don’t work that monsters are monsters.
“Uuuooooooooohhh!”
While dashing through a narrow road, I was feeling terrified of the nearing threat behind me.
I had thought of running about absurdly, taking small narrow roads over and over to move ahead of him but I couldn’t increase the distance between us at all.
Why?
It’s simple.
It’s because he comes charging straight ahead with just my scent as his only lead.
It just keeps charging in, straight through walls, jumping over houses, trampling over cars–crossing any and every kind of obstacle.
Obstacles are not working as obstacles.
I really want to say to his face, don’t screw around with me.
Now, the distance between us wasn’t even 10 meters.
No matter how I struggled, I wasn’t able to get rid of his tail.
Damn it, damn it, damn it all!
“It will……… catch up……!”
Going through a complicated back street, I came out to an open space.
“.., Momo!”
Responding to my call, Momo extended his ‘shadow’ to the high orc while staying in the ‘shadow’.
“Goaa……?”
The high orc curiously looked at the ‘shadow’ restraining him.
The ‘shadow’ twisted around its whole body and tried to bind it but—bching!–it was torn apart.
Easily, extremely easily.
…………so we can’t stop it, even for a moment?
But now, I have no other choice but to gamble!
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!!”
While screaming, I unleashed my heavy equipment, aiming towards the high orc’s head.
The high orc was surprised to see the things suddenly appear on top of its head.
And like that, the heavy equipment—-didn’t kill the high orc.
“You…… gotta be… kidding me……”
Reflexively, I muttered.
Without getting flattened, the high orc just shielded itself with one hand.
Because of the impact from the landing, its feets made the land beneath cave in.
But it wasn’t used to this.
With just one hand, it stopped the heavy equipment.
It just sneered smugly.
“—-!!”
‘Sense of danger’ and ‘enemy detection’ were ringing at maximum.
“—–OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!”
And with that scream, the orc grabbed the heavy equipment and threw it at me.
With ease, as if it just threw a ball.
And with terrific speed.
Overwhelming mass came closing in.
It had filled up my line of sight.
—I can’t dodge.
“~~~~~~~~!! (shake-shake-shake)”
And the very next moment, there were hollow sounds.
Aka expanded the mimicked body to its fullest.
It covered up my body and transformed like a ball.
And the moment the heavy equipment clashed with Aka’s body, which was covering me, their momentum was cancelled out.
And like that, we flew backwards, bouncing like a ball.
While colliding with the ground and walls, Aka leaped three dimensionally.
My brain kept shaking.
I wonder how much I bounced?
At last, the momentum died out.
Aka mimicked back to the previous cloth.
“……Uuugh………”
Holding my mouth, I desperately tried to resist the dizziness and the feeling to throw up.
“Th-thank you, Aka……”
But, that was nice.
Even ‘Evade’ or ‘Item Box’ didn’t make it in time.
If Aka didn’t transform, I would have been crushed by now.
“Haaa……… haa………”
I looked up front with my swaying vision.
The high orc was there.
It slowly approached this way.
I looked around the place.
A parking lot.
Which one?
When I shifted my gaze around a bit, I spotted a crushed helicopter behind the high orc.
I see…… so this is the shopping mall.
What is this karma?
After desperately running around, the place I finally come to is the place where I met it to begin with.
“Haa……… haa………”
There were no other orcs.
There were cracks in several places around the parking lot and parts of the buildings around were also collapsing.
The high orc had a daunting stance with the beheading knife.
As if it was saying that it won’t let me escape anymore.