"Gujuh, juh, gujuru..."
The Flowermons prowled through the hospital, the foul sound of slurping saliva echoing from its mouth—though whether it actually possessed an organ that deserved such a name was debatable.
Swaying with slow, lethargic movements, it appeared to be searching for any patients who had failed to escape in time.
The objective of this Magic Armor Beast was simple and clear: to capture humans and bring them back as fodder for its mother, the Gigantrose. Though it was a newly born species of Magic Armor Beast, it was already a formidable threat, acting purely on its predatory instincts.
"Jubi, jugu, guju..."
Spawned from the Gigantrose blooming on the rooftop, the Flowermons was inspecting the hospital floor by floor, starting from the top.
However, since Yugo and his companions had already defeated the initial wave of monsters and completed the evacuation of the patients, the creature found no humans to claim as prey.
Unfortunately for the beast—and fortunately for humanity—its intelligence was meager. Since its only role was to capture and transport food, perhaps its lack of wit was only natural.
Regardless of its low intelligence, it remained a terrifying existence. It possessed the impact-absorbing body of a Kraken and the explosive fruit of an Explose. This nature was remarkably troublesome; one could not easily strike it without risking a catastrophic explosion that would level the surroundings. The Flowermons continued its swaying walk through the vacant hallways, searching for a meal.
It groaned as it advanced, scanning every corner for a suitable target. As it continued its rhythmic, swaying gait, it suddenly sensed a presence nearby and came to a halt.
"Guju...?"
It hadn't heard a footstep or seen a figure. Yet, an undeniable sensation told it that something was close by.
The Flowermons intended to capture whatever it was as an offering for its mother, but an indescribable feeling began to spread through its body. The sensation crept up slowly, growing more intense with every second, screaming a warning to the Magic Armor Beast’s instincts.
However, given only dull senses and limited intellect, the Flowermons could not comprehend what the feeling was.
"Gu, jugu, gu, jyu...?!"
Something was wrong. Something felt strange. It simply couldn't understand why it was experiencing such a sensation.
The bewildered Flowermons only found its answer when it laid eyes on the black shadow that had closed the distance in an instant.
"Hah!"
"Gujuru...?!"
By the time it realized someone was there, it was already too late.
The black shadow, having approached unnoticed, swung its arm in a razor-sharp strike that sheared both of the Flowermons' arms away.
"Juh, juruh...?!"
Robbed of its means of resistance, its head was seized from behind. As it felt a blade draw near its throat, the Magic Armor Beast finally understood the true nature of the sensation it had been feeling.
That sense of wrongness was Fear. It was the terror of being hunted as prey.
It had spent its short life as the hunter, only to realize too late that it had become the hunted. By the time it grasped this reality, its fate was sealed. Its head was already being harvested.
"GREAT! SEVERANCE!!"
Without even a death rattle, the Flowermons' head was sliced clean off. It collapsed into a heap, green bodily fluids erupting from the stump of its neck.
Yugo watched as the Magic Armor Beast—its arms, torso, and what had been a living thing just moments ago—scattered across the floor and ceased all movement. Still holding the severed head, he spoke into his communication device.
"This is Yugo. I've eliminated the roaming Magic Armor Beast. The bomb has been successfully recovered."
"Nice! You did it! We're making good progress with the recovery on our end, too!"
Verda’s voice came through the Shikigami, sounding somewhat exhilarated as he received the report.
"Man, this is easier than I thought! We might finish the recovery sooner than expected and get out of here in no time!"
"Don't get overconfident, Verda," Peewee’s voice cut in, sharp with a scold. "It only feels easy because Yugo is handling the most dangerous variables. It doesn't change the fact that we're still in a high-risk situation, got it?"
Yugo let out a wry smile at their exchange as he canceled his transformation. He handed the Flowermons' head, still carrying the volatile Bomb Fruit, to a student accompanying him before establishing a link with Raiha.
"Raiha, what’s the status? Any changes?"
"No, everything is stable for now. There are no signs of the mother plant producing new Bomb Fruits or Flowermons."
"Good," Yugo murmured, letting out a small sigh of relief.
It seemed the Gigantrose had exhausted the majority of its Magic Power to facilitate its rapid growth, leaving it stagnant for the moment.
Yugo briefly considered that the plant might simply wither on its own if they prevented it from replenishing its energy, but he shook the thought away. There was no need to remain on the defensive.
The recovery of the remaining bombs would be finished shortly, after which the Security Force would begin the Freezing Operation on the massive flower. Once the Gigantrose’s activity was halted, the rescue of those trapped inside would proceed without any further complications.
"The real problem is the culprit outside," Raiha said, her voice tinged with concern. "If he realizes we're about to escape, he might try something else..."
"Maybe. But you don't need to worry about that. Our friends on the outside will handle it."
Jinba and the others were already moving to apprehend the man suspected of starting this incident. Yugo had full confidence that they would secure the suspect before he could make another move.
"So, let's focus on doing everything we can. We’re going to get out of here—every single one of us. Believe in that."
"Right. Let's all get out of here together!"
Yugo nodded, a small smile forming at Raiha’s resolute response.
As the team inside the hospital united their efforts toward their escape, the situation outside the building was finally beginning to shift.