The monster approached step by step.
After catching the scent of living humans, it abruptly accelerated, charging forward like a sprinter in a hundred-ter dash.
Minamoto no Raikou stood frozen in place, her throat as if bolted shut, preventing any scream from escaping.
"Thud!"
As fear drained all strength from her body, the monster reached her and swung its claw.
In that instant, despite her legs feeling weak from terror, an inexplicable surge of strength erged. Instinctively, Raikou raised the plastic bag in her hand.
"Ahh!"
With a sharp cry, she fell to the ground.
The plastic bag was instantly torn apart, scattering the desserts inside everywhere.
"Roar!"
The monster let out a thirsty, dry roar.
Only a ter apart, its charred skin filled her vision, and its roar echoed like an alarm bell in her heart.
It was only then that she jolted back to awareness, scrambling to her feet.
"What's happening to this city?"
Holding back the urge to scream, she ran into the nearby abandoned park.
She suppressed her desire to shriek.
If she scread, it might attract other passersby, needlessly increasing the number of victims!
For so reason, even though she was in a life-or-death crisis where the monster could kill her at any mont, and even though she had been paralyzed with fear just monts ago, her mind had beco exceptionally calm upon regaining her senses.
She dashed into the park, glanced around, and luckily found a rusty iron rod.
"Roar!"
The monster relentlessly charged in.
It paid no attention to its prey's resistance, acting solely like a thirsty beast focused on biting through its victim's throat and drinking their blood. Nothing else mattered to it.
"Thud!"
Strangely enough.
Although it was Raikou's first ti swinging an iron rod, it felt remarkably natural. With a single strike, she hit the monster squarely on the head.
The force wasn't particularly strong, but the full-powered blow still sent the monster tumbling to the ground!
Following that, a series of thuds echoed as she pressed her advantage, beating the monster until it scrambled wildly across the ground.
For a mont, even she found it hard to believe.
She, an ordinary housewife, was actually gaining the upper hand in a fight against a monster?
"Roar!"
But suddenly, another roar sounded.
The next mont, she felt a violent impact on her back, sending her stumbling and tumbling forward.
"Damn!"
Raikou's expression turned grim.
Following her gaze, a second monster had appeared in the park unnoticed.
While she was solely focused on suppressing the first monster, she had completely failed to notice the second one's ambush!
A searing, intense pain spread across her back, as if chunks of flesh had been gouged out.
"Roar!"
Then, a third, distinctly different roar ca from the park's entrance.
Looking over, she saw a third monster, slightly shorter than the previous two.
"Heh..."
A dry, strained laugh escaped her lips.
If there were only one monster, she could still fight while maintaining the initiative. But against three at once, victory was impossible.
Her mind instantly assessed the situation, leaving only despair in her heart.
The three monsters converged, charging at her head-on.
"Ari, Souji..."
Resigned to death.
mories flashed through her mind one after another.
Growing up carefree in the mansion, eting her destined one like in a fairy tale, giving birth before turning twenty, raising two children alone, and persevering until now... A lifeti of mories passed by like a revolving lantern.
The monster's ferocious face was suddenly right before her eyes.
In just one second, it would crush her throat!
But in that instant—
"Boom!"
Suddenly, like a teor falling from the sky!
Sothing imnsely heavy descended from above, crashing down like a missile, precisely inserting itself between them.
A trendous roar echoed as the concrete ground shattered like leaf veins, howling winds whipped up clouds of dust.
"..."
The tall figure's back entered her field of vision, leaving Minamoto no Raikou montarily speechless.
As if ti and space had gone awry, that night over ten years ago seed to synchronize with this present mont on the tiline, that silhouette perfectly rging with this one.
"Darling?"
Minamoto no Raikou unconsciously murmured.
"It's alright now."
The person with his back to her declared firmly.
His voice was slightly strained, likely from sustained tension.
"Whoosh—!"
Wind swept out like a tornado.
Silver flashes resembling neon lights—by the ti she noticed, the radiance had already pierced into her vision.
In re monts, three monsters lay on the ground, reduced to scattered remains, blood pooling everywhere.
Only after eliminating all the monsters did Eiji slowly let out a relieved breath.
The anxiety in his heart finally faded, the tension in his mind easing sowhat.
Above in the sky, gray starlings circled back and forth.
Fortunately, he had always kept his familiars following his family mbers, allowing him to detect the ergency imdiately and rush over the mont Minamoto no Raikou was in danger—otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable.
If anything had truly happened to Minamoto no Raikou, it would have beco a lifelong pain for him.
"A-Li?"
Minamoto no Raikou suddenly ca back to her senses.
Though the silhouettes matched perfectly, their auras weren't completely identical.
His father had been far more flamboyant than A-Li, possessing an unrivaled dominance that made her feel like he owned the world. She had been captivated by that arrogant deanor at first sight, falling irrevocably for him.
A-Li lacked his father's flamboyance, instead carrying a maturity that didn't match his age.
Although Souji often complained that her brother was too unreliable or usually seed unserious, only Minamoto no Raikou truly understood how deeply he cared about his family.
"I know you have many questions, but let's leave this place first before we talk."
Eiji glanced at the monster corpses on the ground, then sheathed the sword in his hand.
Minamoto no Raikou nodded obediently and stood up from the ground.
"Mm!"
A sudden sharp pain in her back made her grunt softly.
"You're injured?"
Eiji's expression tightened, his gaze falling on her back.
Three neat cuts appeared on her sweater, blood continuously seeping from the torn wounds, gradually dyeing the fabric red.
"I'll carry you on my back!"
Eiji took off his school uniform and placed it over her shoulders, covering the wounds on her back.
Then he lifted Minamoto no Raikou onto his back and quickly left the park.
...
One hour later.
Minamoto Residence.
A black starling descended from the sky, landing in Eiji's palm.
With a single thought, he dissolved the contract with his familiar. The gray starling quickly lost its spiritual essence, transforming into a black carving.
Clutching the gray starling carving, Eiji arrived at Minamoto no Raikou's room.
"I'm coming in."
"Mm."
Eiji opened the door and entered the room.
Reviews
All reviews (0)