episode_0172

171.

Whether it malfunctioned suddenly, or because the facility was so old it finally gave out, is unknown. All that happened was a loud alarm blared, accompanied by a series of clanging, metallic *clang* sounds.

“Warning. Unauthorized personnel, leave immediately.”

“Warning. Unauthorized personnel, evacuate now.”

“Warning. Intruder detected.”

Clang. Clunk. Clunk.

Metal barriers began descending, sealing off each corridor with a grating, screeching sound. Even with their ears covered, the incessant cacophony assaulted their senses, driving them mad.

“Seriously!! This is unbelievably noisy!!!!!!!”

Aries’ complaint was half-drowned out by the alarm.

As an elf, Asti, whose senses were already exceptionally acute, felt as though her nerves were being shredded. She desperately covered her long ears, but to no avail.

“Warning. Elevating security level.”

“Warning. Unauthorized—per—son—”

The harsh, mechanical voice, now distorted and overlapping, became completely unintelligible. Levi covered one ear, using his other hand to direct the group’s movement. Their objective was the passageway they’d briefly used before the exploration.

However, the descending barriers blocked their path.

Complete silence only fell once they were completely isolated by the barriers.

It took about a minute for the ringing in their ears to subside.

“Phew… I thought my eardrums were going to burst.”

“Whew… That was incredibly loud.”

Everyone could only offer a complaint.

“Should we break this one too?”

Levi, having a history of smashing walls on the lower floor, confidently flexed his hands, loosening them up.

“Is that alright, Hanna-ssi?”

“I-I don’t know. I think Levi-ssi could break it, but… it’s probably made of pretty strong material… Ah, a-anyway, b-break it! I really don’t want to stay here any longer…”

Levi readily nodded at Hanna’s hesitant request. Normally, he would have explored every nook and cranny, but he was starting to get bored. He wanted a comfortable environment, at least in mind or body, for his adventure. Smashing their way out was the best option. Levi skillfully gathered his strength and brought his fist down on the barrier in one swift motion. It wasn’t a simple blow; he used a technique that could be called martial arts, a powerful skill capable of shattering not only stone but also iron.

Crash…! A tremendous sound reverberated through the building.

“Ouch. Uh, it’s tougher than I thought?”

Levi rubbed his stinging fist, preparing for a follow-up blow. He concentrated his energy to ensure he could break it.

Thwack… Bang!! Crash!! The sound of his punches resonated so powerfully that it felt like the building was trembling. Despite hitting with considerable force, the barrier remained intact, only bearing a slight indentation from Levi’s fist.

“Wow, what is this thing? It’s not even rusted, and it’s disgustingly durable.”

“Don’t stupidly try to break it with your fists, use a tool.”

“I didn’t bring a knife. I don’t like carrying weapons. I have to act like a whore to be a woman, you know? Even if I’m a hero.”

“That’s true, but…”

Aside from that reason, he’d been told there were no monsters, and the opponent was described as a girl around their age, meaning he would school her with his cock, making weapons unnecessary. The unpredictable nature of life was its charm; he didn’t intend to complain, even if it was difficult.

“I have a dagger.”

Asti cautiously stepped forward, slowly holding out the dagger, before shaking her head.

“…It would get dull.”

“Ugh! No, seriously, give us time to leave before closing it!!”

“There’s nothing we can do, Aries-ssi. You know?”

“It’ll be hot. Stay back.”

If physical attacks didn’t work, magic was the next step. Erina wanted to escape badly, so they asked Aries for help.

Aries conjured flames in her hand. She rapidly shaped the intensely hot flames into thin lines, like lasers. She concentrated heat at her fingertips, the flames growing stronger until the initial reddish hue turned blue. As she brought the flame toward the jagged metal barrier, sparks flew everywhere.

Aries carefully adjusted the magical output as she began to cut through the wall.

“Whew….”

Even with enhancement magic, the heat from the flames was considerable. Sweat beaded on her forehead as she finally created an opening.

“Good work.”

“Yeah. But the necessary firepower is excessive.”

“Maybe it also has a fire prevention purpose.”

“Considering that, I can only cut through it a couple more times.”

She added a touch of bravado. With this output, she could manage at most one more time. She couldn’t guess what material it was made from to have such durability. She decided to take a little piece to study later.

“Hey, only you can fit through that gap, right?”

Levi folded her arms, striking a confident pose that accentuated her bosom. As she said, only Aries, with her small chest, could barely squeeze through. Aries gritted her teeth, looking at the others, but none could match her in chest size. Hanna was relatively small, but she was still just outside the “ample bosom” category.

The even sadder truth was that her current breast size was thanks to Erina’s help. She’d always considered breasts to be heavy fat lumps… but the size and the resulting softness and comfort were undeniably proof of her superiority as a female. The other Futanari followers didn’t seem to mind her smaller size, but she couldn’t help but feel insecure.

Especially seeing Erina, with her breasts as large as her cock, made her feel awestruck.

“A-and what am I supposed to do?!”

“Hmm. It might repair itself given time.”

Asti said calmly. It was a somewhat optimistic prediction, but it wasn’t impossible.

“Th…”

Erina was about to speak when a distinct tremor shook the ground and the building, throwing everyone off balance. Fortunately, they didn’t fall, but they exchanged dumbfounded glances. Before anyone could speak, an ear-splitting scream, a shriek, tore through the air. The shriek, lasting nearly a minute, resonated through the building, shaking the very ground.

The sound far surpassed even the previous alarms, leaving them numb. Once it subsided, everyone spoke at once.

“What was that?”

“Could that be the intruder?”

“No. It could be something meant to intercept the intruder.”

“I-I’m sorry. I have absolutely no idea…”

The only fact everyone agreed upon was that whatever it was, living or otherwise, was definitely their enemy.

“The entire building shook. I don’t know which floor it’s on! Did any of you see anything?”

“There wasn’t anything much to see on the upper floor, just private rooms… and stuff like that. Frankly, it felt like something might be on the lower floor.”

“While we weren’t that thorough, I would have noticed something. Moreover, it seems it wasn’t a demon.”

If it had been a demon or monster, it would have radiated evil energy, and Erina would have felt it.

“…It’s coming! Whatever it is, it’s definitely heading toward us!”

Feeling the vibrations underfoot, Asti swiftly cut off their discussion.

“Wh-what do we do….”

“……!! Let’s go down, down below!!”

Suddenly looking up, they saw a dark purple, jelly-like substance, thick with spots, about to fall from the ceiling. Whatever it was could not be identified; something was above.

Following Erina’s order, Levi quickly concentrated her strength and smashed the floor. Unlike the fire retardant walls, the regular wall shattered easily. She made a clear path down, and then jumped.

“I’ll catch you!”

“I’ll catch you too.”

Asti also nimbly jumped down first. Erina, Hanna, and Aries had no time to hesitate and also descended to the lower floor.

“Oh? The walls aren’t fully sealed here.”

“…Good. I guess some parts malfunctioned due to age. Let’s go towards where we landed and climb up from there.”

The barriers were in place, but much more sparsely than on the upper floor. While not entirely free, they could navigate this.

“I memorized the route. It’s fortunate that the structure of each floor is almost identical.”

“Let’s go.”

A chilling sensation chased them from behind. Stopping meant being caught. Everyone felt it; they had to run.

They kept running. The thought of what would happen if they fought crossed their minds, but it required that they be fully prepared.

“Hick!!”

Feeling the icy breath on her neck, Hanna instinctively turned her head, letting out a horrible, breath-catching cry.

It was an animal; a liquid; an insect. Two words repeatedly filled her mind.

Monster.

“Don’t look back! Escaping is our priority!”

The screeching cries pushed her nerves into an abyss of fear. It was a warning; to be caught meant certain death.