Mob Yandere

[Part 3/4]

'◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️!!!!'

"Ah!!?"

One extra huge worm ripped open the canopy.

And then,

Like it was puking them out,

A flood of worms poured down onto the floor.

The worms turned to face me.

"Hey, hey, are you serious? Don't look at me...!!?"

'◼️◼️◼️◼️!!'

My plea fell on deaf ears.

A giant earthworm, capable of swallowing a person whole, charged forward.

Its mouth gaped wide.

It lunged with greed.

Just as I was about to be swallowed, I turned aside.

As expected, striking with a tantō, it opened itself up.

Taking down one meant nothing.

""◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️!!!!""

I turned toward the sickening energy I felt, a vortex of earthworms, both large and small, rushed straight towards us.

They clearly aimed to attack us.

"......Ah!!"

'(ＴДＴ) I'm not even tasty!! Don't eat me!!!'

I thought I was about to be eaten, and in that instant, it moved.

Instantly, the long rope (enchanted rope with a spirit) snapped into action, striking the earthworms that were closing in on me.

It was a futile struggle.

I managed to strike down a few in the lead... but even more earthworms swarmed the rope.

A mere rope strike couldn't possibly hold them back!!?

"Please, spare me...!!"

I shouted.

But the worm tsunami didn't care.

It crashed over me,

With no mercy at all.

* * *

The Juuyaku Ichishen gasped at the sight.

Witnessing the man being submerged by the divine minions, they were disturbed.

"Household Member Coordinator-dono!"

Several of the Juuyaku Ichishen rushed forward.

With their enhanced bodies, they wielded their respective weapons and headed to the rescue.

But their actions were thwarted by the earthworms.

"Guh...!?"

"There is no end to this...!!"

The body, fundamentally enhanced and improved during cultivation, furthermore strengthened by spiritual power, is no easy prey to be easily torn asunder.

Yet, even that pales against sheer numbers.

One beast bites down, and even if pushed away, the second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth lunge in an instant, consuming one after another.

They burrow into the faint scars on the surface and seek to devour flesh from within.

"Tch!?"

In the blink of an eye, one of Juuyaku Ichishen, whose arm was invaded by the worms, severed his own limb.

The skin of the rolling elderly man's arm was punctured from within, as the worms crawled and feasted with reckless abandon.

Ultimately, a giant worm swallowed that arm along with its brethren.

"Greedy and gluttonous... truly a child of the Earth Mother!"

"It seems not just an exaggeration that the land left in their wake bears not a single blade of grass."

"Stop the bleeding. Regardless, we must retreat for the time being...!"

And so, the Juuyaku Ichishen began to spread salt.

This salt, mixed with the specially enhanced spiritual herbs of the Juuyaku family, served to repel the worms as it was scattered.

Naturally, it was merely a stalling tactic.

And then... the Juuyaku Ichishen faced a dire choice.

"What shall we do?"

"At this point, we have no other options."

"Yet, is it not still too early?"

"We cannot afford to be too late."

"It seems we have no choice."

Even as more and more giant worms overflowed into the place.

One of them glanced toward the corner where the worms were gathering.

He let out a small sigh.

Like he was disappointed.

Like he was giving up on something.

Maybe he had hoped for a miracle.

Or maybe... they'd been tricked?

"If so, then at the very least, we must do something about the leader of these monsters...?"

But then—

A feeling.

Something was different.

A change.

Hope...?

And then... in the next moment, the worms were sent flying high into the air.

And a figure leapt forth.

...entwined with a spinning long rope around its entire body.

"Oh... he has thought it through, hasn't he?"

Juuyaku Ichishen gasped in awe.

The rope, stretched to its limit, enveloped almost the entirety of the young man's body.

It spun rapidly while encasing him.

The worms, upon making contact, were caught in the spinning ropes and ground to a pulp.

The melting of the ropes from bodily fluids seemed not only to sap the essence of the crushed worms but also to rejuvenate continuously.

It was probably something he came up with on the spot.

The idea was kinda rough and wild.

But these were just worms,

Low-level creatures.

Against enemies like this,

That trick was more than enough to protect him.

...As long as he was only trying to protect himself.

"...Impressive indeed, Household Member Coordinator."

"Juuyaku Ichishen...! So, this is what it all means!!?"

When one of them called out, the Household Member Coordinator glared back through a gap in his rope armor

Frustration and disquiet were plainly visible.

His eyes were full of frustration and panic.

It was obvious.

Way too obvious.

Weakness.

He was showing weakness.

How crucial was this matter?

Ichishen thought that they were not alike.

He himself wasn't like that.

Maybe he was a little jealous.

But he kept those feelings hidden and explained the situation calmly.

"It appears the Sealing Curse has been broken. Not surprising. That curse was probably only strong enough to hold the evil goddess for a while, anyway."

Rather, Juuyaku Ichishen understood that the reason for its emergence lay in the entity before him.

Though skeptical, he had "known" it beforehand.

He had hoped to reach this very situation.

"...!! What do you intend to do!?"

"Naturally, we must deal with it responsibly. We cannot allow that wicked goddess to rampage through the land of Fusou, can we? The fortress is already under lockdown."

He was already aware of the situation before the numerous henchmen poured in, and Ichishen had taken measures against it.

All paths leading out of the mountain had been carefully sealed.

Originally, this was to counter an assault from the outside, but depending on its usage, it could also become a prison.

"So then...!!"

"Half an hour should be sufficient. At some point, they will break through. Then, calamities will pour forth."

"...!!"

Just as the young man looked like he was going to relax, Ichishen hit him with the truth.

Even he didn’t like it.

This showed just how weak his family really was.

A shallow bloodline, with only a short history.

All their tricks could only buy a little time.

It was pathetic.

"...Is there any way to handle this? After all, you had sealed that evil goddessdess in your hometown. It's irresponsible to think you have no backup plans... right?"

The young man's question, as he cut down the approaching worms with his Tantō, however, appeared to be lacking confidence in its latter half.

He likely recalled having faced such irresponsible situations before.

Unfortunately, Ichishen knew that both the exorcists and the imperial court were not as cautious as they used to be during stable times.

One even felt sympathy for the young man's plight.

And for the fate that awaited him.

Thus....

"We'll hold the line here."

"Household Member Coordinator-dono, head that way."

"Quickly. Time is of the essence."

One of the Juuyaku Ichishen pointed towards a shed.

The remaining Juuyaku Ichishen moved forward.

They welcomed the minions of the evil goddess that were spilling from the gaping wound caused by the vines.

They struck back.

The remaining Juuyaku Ichishen in this location had dwindled to 64... or perhaps, 63.

Well, that's fine.

They will manage to hold their ground somehow.

"What on earth... are you thinking?"

This action.

This attitude left the young man utterly perplexed.

The Juuyaku Ichishen were slightly exasperated with the young man's sluggish response and decided to give him a push.

"This is quite unusual."

"Our thoughts remain consistently aligned."

"Everything is for the sake of Fusou, for humanity."

"Doubts are unnecessary. You have something you wish to protect too, don't you? Then there's no need for hesitation or reservation."

"...!!"

It seems those last words were the final straw.

He turned on his heel and darted off.

Truly naive.

Such naïve mentality.

Yet... it is precisely for this reason that he is worthy of their trust.

"Shall we proceed then?"

Just like the others, he ran straight into the flood of giant earthworms.

He slashed through them.

He smashed them down.

He purified them with his spells.

Explosions shook the air.

But the flood of worms only grew stronger by the second.