Ias’s dagger, which was piercing it, seemed to be holding the Monster Fox’s power in check.
Speaking of which, I wonder where Kalm went. I desperately strained my eyes and found her huddled in a corner of the room. But I wasn’t the only one who noticed her.
“So, you were here!”
This is bad, there’s no escape. The Monster Fox opened its mouth to burn her. I ran from behind the counter and thrust my sword into its hind leg. A crackling electricity ran through it, and I felt its massive muscles spasm.
“Gaaaaaah!!”
Its purple eyes, burning with anger, turned towards me. My reflection appeared in them. Oh…
I couldn’t utter a sound. My vision was filled with flames. I could feel the heatwave burning the surface of my eyes, my cheeks. Instinctively, I covered my face with both hands. I knew it was futile, but I couldn’t resist the reflex.
However, what followed was not heat, but suffocation. My collar was yanked by some strong force. Through the gap in my arms, I saw a vortex of flame pass before my eyes. Then, with momentum, I was sent tumbling backward.
“Ouch! Wh-Veronica!”
When I opened my eyes, she was looking down at me with an exasperated expression.
“Yo, sorry I’m so late. I heard a noise downstairs and went to check, but the path was like a maze and I couldn’t get through.”
A sigh escaped my lungs. Finally, she’s here. Good. Well, it doesn’t mean we’re saved yet, but the more companions we have, the better.
“Did you see Lauren?”
In the direction she pointed, Lauren was also there. She was standing, as if hiding, near the hallway.
“Thank goodness, Lauren’s okay too.”
“So, what is this monster? Is it the one that brought the corpses back to life?”
I nodded as I got up. The Monster Fox groaned in frustration. Veronica immediately moved to engage the enemy.
“Aaaah! Wait, wait, just a minute!”
I frantically grabbed her tail. “What is it!” Veronica turned back, looking grumpy.
“Going at it head-on won’t work. Do you see the sword stuck in its back? That’s its weak point. I think we need to stab it in deeper.”
“Huh? A sword? What good will stabbing it with that tiny thing do? Well, I guess we can try.”
With that, Veronica glanced towards Kalm.
“Can she wield a sword?”
“She can. She doesn’t have wings, but she can attack like she’s flying.”
“Then you guys handle it. The Spider Woman and I will draw its attention.”
This time, Veronica really went for it. As she approached, she shot a fireball from her hand at the enemy. She quickly dodged to the side and continued her attacks without pause.
“Tsk! I finally managed to trap it, and now this, and it’s all that snake woman’s fault!!”
The Monster Fox ignited its five tails with flames of anger and bared its fangs at Veronica. From the side, a corpse rushed towards it and latched onto the fox’s neck. This must be Lauren’s technique. Taking advantage of this opening, I ran towards Kalm.
“Hey, are you alright? Can you still fight?”
“Y-yes. Haa, I was so scared…”
Kalm stood up shakily. I didn’t want to involve her, but right now, I needed help, even if it was just one person.
“You see that short sword stuck in its back? I want to stab it deeper. Can you climb up there? I’ll distract it with everyone else.”
“I-I’m scared, but I’ll try my best.”
She grabbed her sword and started running. I approached the enemy from the opposite side. The Monster Fox was raging, thrashing around the cramped waiting room with all its might. It swept the ground with its claws, scattering flames, desperately trying to catch Veronica.
“H-hiee~ H-how are we supposed to do this~? Hiroaki, what do we do~?”
Lauren shrieked and ran towards me. The corpse she had been controlling earlier had fallen apart and lay scattered. I’ll have to gather them later and give them a proper send-off.
“Wait, don’t cling to me like that. Veronica can’t do this alone. Are there any other corpses?”
“No~, by chance, that was the only one I could control. The others are already being controlled~!”
She clung to my arm, whimpering. What could I do if she said that? Then I, at least, must go. Speaking of which, she controls corpses, but can she control living beings?
“Hey, can your controlling technique only work on corpses?”
“N-no, it can work on them, but…”
