[Part 4/4]
...Life is the root of all things.
Even if I leave the items behind, I felt uneasy about escaping from here with just this.
Is there sothing else?
"I'll ask just in case—any other leads?"
'(￣3￣)... (o^▽^o)o Do your best, Papa!'
"If you don't know, just admit it, alright?"
I imdiately see through the obvious trick of the stupid spider and discipline it.
No, it's not Papa.
"Tch. Am I sharp or dull?.. Looks like there's no ti to search other shelves."
The purpose of the shelf before was likely to store the belongings of the imprisoned opponent.
If I can test it a bit more, I might recover everything, including the remaining curse-tools.
But there was no ti left for that.
For a little while, I had faintly sensed a presence approaching from the depths of the room, across the entrance door, and now it was evident.
I hurriedly entered the empty cell and hid in the blind spot, watching the opponent.
I finished hiding just as the hinge began to turn.
The heavy door opened.
The intruder revealed themselves.
It's this guy....
"Is it... a shiki made of grass?"
'(´: ω: ) Hydra?'
"Hey, it's not that."
'(>ω
To silence the various overly close spiders, I gave a flick while murmuring the na of the closest existence I knew.
I recalled the appearance of that object, which could also be seen at the Onitsuki family yashiki estate.
...Its outer skin resembled a cactus.
A green, tough, and aty trunk.
It had similar limbs and legs growing, with countless needle-like antennae sprouting from the top that resembled a head.
Up to that point, it was the sa.
If that was a poor farr quietly working in the garden of Onitsuki, then this would be a Kongōrikishi.
Its limbs were thicker, and it was more robust.
It even seed to have a rough temperant.
Steam evaporated from its head.
It made sounds that raised goosebumps, rubbing the spines on its head together.
Grass puppet... a shiki of plant modified for servitude.
Or could it be youkai grass?
In any case, from its similar appearance, it seed the source was the sa.
(Connected to Onitsuki...? No, it's possible this is an imported item of that caliber.)
For a mont, that possibility crossed my mind.
But I was skeptical.
The connection was too thin.
They say those things from Onitsuki were items imported by the forr head.
If it's a branch of Yakushiji, it could have imported similarly.
This alone can't determine anything.
But it doesn't provide grounds for denial either.
'Tick tick tick...'
(It's recognizing its surroundings through vibrations; it's the sa.)
Is it the head?
A grass doll that makes sounds by rubbing its needle-like, hard leaves together.
The moving plant with no eyes, ears, or nose seed to sense the echoes of sound with its skin and recognize its surroundings.
It was similar to those used by Onitsuki.
It moved deeper into the prison while avoiding obstacles.
It passed by without noticing .
Reaching the innermost cell, the grass doll stopped.
It was silent, as if frozen.
And then... it turned on its heel and headed for the door!
"...!!"
'(≧▽≦) AMBUS!'
I leapt from the shadows of the cell and severed one of the grass doll's arms in an instant.
Its thick limb, however, was sliced cleanly as if it were re tofu.
A thick juice, tinged with fruit and a strangely sweet scent, gushed forth.
'Tsu...!!'
"Not happening!!"
'(ง •̀ω•́)ง Nooo!'
I knew it was about to rub the leaves on its head together to sound an alarm.
So I jumped imdiately, slicing through the neck to stop it.
I moved behind it.
Severed its ankle.
It toppled over.
Lopped off the remaining arm.
It felt like cutting fruit.
This was only possible because of Aoi-hi's Tantō.
With an ordinary blade or spear, I would have had to stab and slash it into a pincushion just to bring it down.
"Now, ti to finish the job properly."
'(´･ω･) Nature holds no rcy...'
Straddling the writhing, limbless trunk, I drove my blade into it over and over again.
Only after a dozen strikes did it finally go silent.
Just to be sure, I carved away at it two or three more tis.
I wasn't about to let it suddenly rise and attack from behind.
"So that's it. ... Shit, this is a ti attack."
Regardless of Kaya and Hana, if the Grass Puppet doesn't co back, they will definitely be searching for them soon.
There is no ti to leisurely search for treasure anymore.
I had to get away quickly.
I head for the door.
...Of course, avoid the camouflaged rotating floor trap 3 steps before the door.
"..."
Standing in front of the door, I search again for signs of sothing.
I don't sense anything lurking.
No sign of movent.
I haven't noticed yet that I've killed the grass doll...?
"You can't catch a tiger cub unless you enter the tiger's cave."
As the ti passed, the chances of being found increased, so I had no choice but to act.
I make up my mind and open the door.
"...and in front of the countless flesh eggs that seed to be set up waiting, my thoughts stopped."
"...Huh?"
I unintentionally muttered foolishly.
At the sa ti, the eggs began to wriggle as if awakening.
The flesh eggs split open from the top like blooming flowers.
Extending slimy threads, they blood proudly, then sothing rustled and peeked out.
...The eggs in my view were hatching one after another.
I knew this scene was similar to a situation before.
Specifically, I knew it from an event in the original story.
It was the bad ending of one of the subheroines, Onitsuki Ayaka....
...Well, yeah.
For now, that's it.
"Wow. The baby room is full!"
With half-hearted resignation and idle mutterings, I cut down the oncoming demonic hands one after another.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
I slashed desperately.
The acidic bodily fluids weren't as strong as expected.
It was nothing more than a mild burn.
That wasn't the problem.
The problem was…
"Shit!? Too many—"
'(ﾟДﾟ≡ﾟДﾟ) Papa! Side—!!'
"...!?"
After cutting down the eighth one, I finally noticed—thanks to the idiot spider's warning—that a dozen fleshy eggs were clinging to the wall of the side passage, like clusters of barnacles. ℝἈNO͍ᛒÊ𝙨
As if responding to my realization, two of them burst forth.
I sliced through the ninth one as it lunged through the air like it was flying.
But I failed to finish the tenth.
Though I sheared off one of its legs, it still managed to snag , latching onto my face.
I hurriedly tore it off—
—but that mont of distraction cost .
The eleventh one, freshly born, slamd directly into my face.
Now, I held tightly by 8 creepy legs.
A tail wrapped around my neck.
The mories of the horrible past ca to my mind.
The terrible scene when I escaped with the pink young princess...!!
"!? Shit, get away...!!? "
'(°ロ°) Ahhh!?'
Before I could say anything more, sothing was thrust into my mouth, my body beca paralyzed, and all feeling in my whole body faded.
It was no use thinking it tasted bad.
Feels like a needle has been stuck in .
My consciousness is quickly fading away.
I saw it at the edge of my fading consciousness.
The two girls appear to have broken through the cage.
Or sothing similar.
Weakened and exhausted, but clearly conscious, the two looked at each other with pity...
"...so you should have just made the contract."
I wonder who murmured it?
Such words resonate, shaking my eardrums.
A voice, sorrowful and sympathetic.
(Ah... damn. They saw through it.)
My futile struggle was expected by them.
I mock my own foolishness deep down... and then, I will make my final desperate move.
"I won't be caught easily...!!"
'(ノ｀Д´)ノ Papa's gonna fight!'
The pain of biting at my neck causes my consciousness to begin clearing slightly.
Holding onto my sanity, I think.
About the way the Juuyaku family is, about the purpose of this prison, thinking of these things, I take a gamble.
One step, 2 steps, and just barely, I step back 3 steps.
"Nya-ha!?"
"No way...!!"
The two must have noticed my aim.
They co rushing at with anxious expressions.
That act proved my choice was right.
I'm confident of winning the gamble.
On my third step, my foot touches the floor.
The floor rotates energetically, following the axis.
The chanism sends tumbling toward the pit.
Into the dim, bottomless darkness.
Just as I expected.
And my consciousness as well....
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