"H-Hey...! W-What the hell is this?!"
"What's happening?! Was this supposed to happen?!"
"Is Oishi dead?! Hey, what do we do?!"
"Dammit... nobody said anything about this...!!"
Oishi-san had been suddenly impaled by a dull-colored Metasla(?) that dropped from the ceiling, sending his party members into a frantic panic.
It was clearly not part of their plan... but on my end, so much had happened in such a short window—Oishi-san’s betrayal, the sneak attack, Hinata being taken hostage—that my head was spinning.
The confusion was likely universal for everyone there.
However, our bewilderment didn't last long.
Or rather, while we remained in shock, the situation began to spiral in an even more incomprehensible direction.
"—?!"
"Oishi?! You're alive?!"
"Oishi?! Answer me if that's you!!"
The Metasla(?)—which had swallowed Oishi-san whole and grown larger by his exact volume—wobbled unsteadily as it rose to stand on two legs.
Seeing this, Oishi-san's companions called out to check on him, and then—
"Yes, everyone... I am okay. It is me. Me, me... Huh? Me, m-e... M... e................ Yes, that is correct. My name is Arnold Oishi. How are you? I am fine."
The misshapen, humanoid Metasla turned toward us. As its entire body shifted into a perfect likeness of Oishi-san, it opened its mouth and spoke.
However, its skin was a dull, metallic gray, and its voice was a monotone drone, devoid of any emotion. It looked less like a Metasla and more like a T-1000. I wanted to point out that Arnie was a T-800 and the roles were reversed, but I realized that such a critique would be meaningless right now.
The speech was also bizarre. It sounded like a clunky Japanese translation from an English textbook, and besides, Oishi-san's real name wasn't actually Arnold Oishi.
"Oishi...?"
One of his companions stammered, but it was obvious this wasn't Oishi-san anymore.
I could understand wanting to believe, but you have to face reality.
Look at him.
"Am I very hungry? Yes, I am very angry. May I eat you?"
He was spouting lines like a tragic monster that didn't understand human ethics.
And "angry"...? Was he in a bad mood because he was hungry?
"Oishi...!!"
"Dammit!!"
"It's no use! Run!"
"Ah, hey?!"
Oishi-san's companions scrambled to flee. The man holding Hinata hostage cried out in confusion.
At that moment.
"Then, shall I eat without hesitation? Yes, let us eat."
Oishi-san’s form collapsed. His upper body distorted into a fluid mass, lashing out as several tentacles.
The tentacles whipped through the air with nearly invisible speed.
Their targets were the companions standing near Oishi-san—and Hinata, who was still in their grasp.
Wait,
"Hrah!"
Like I’ll let you!!
I wasn't caught off guard this time, so I managed to react. I swung my sword, unleashing a Flying Blade. The shockwave knocked away the tentacle that was about to pierce Hinata.
But—
"Guh?!"
"Bleurgh?!"
"—Gah?!...S-Stop..."
Except for the one man holding Hinata, all of Oishi-san's companions were pierced by the dull gray tentacles.
They were hoisted into the air and dragged toward Oishi-san with overwhelming force—
Chomp.
They were "predated" as Oishi-san’s body opened wide to receive them.
Crunch, crackle, snap, squelch, gulp.
I had no idea where or how he was incorporating them, but Oishi-san—who had abandoned his human shape—thoroughly masticated his former allies and swallowed them down.
Once the meal was finished, his body writhed again as he reformed into a humanoid shape. However, his size was vastly different; having consumed three grown men, he was visibly much larger than before.
"Hii... n-no, stooooooop!!!"
His mind apparently snapping at the sight of his friends' deaths, the last man—the one who had been restraining Hinata—screamed.
"Kyah?!"
He shoved Hinata away, sending her tumbling toward me, and turned his back on Oishi-san to sprint toward the boss room entrance.
"—!!"
I cloaked my body in Fighting Spirit and dashed forward.
I quickly interposed myself between Hinata and Oishi-san. Almost simultaneously, I used my sword, now wrapped in Sword Aura, to parry the tentacles that lashed out at her again.
However, he had released two tentacles.
One targeted Hinata. The other—
"Agyahhh?!"
—went after the companion fleeing with his back turned.
Having carelessly exposed his rear, he couldn't react in time. He was pierced by the metallic tentacle and dragged back by an irresistible force, just like the others.
Oishi-san consumed his final companion in the exact same manner.
Crunch, crackle, snap, squelch, gulp—
"—Thank you for the meal. They were very juicy. It was delicious."
Oishi-san quickly returned to a humanoid shape. His height now appeared to be roughly double that of the original man. He was massive. Giant Oishi had been born.
While keeping a wary eye on him, I called out to Hinata behind me.
"Are you okay, Hinata?! Are you hurt?!"
"Y-Yeah! I'm fine! The scratches aren't a big deal!"
Hmm, Hinata was safe. Thank goodness.
It was a complete mess of a situation, but at least she was free.
Now, if I could just deal with Giant Oishi here, all our problems would be solved...
"I want to eat more. Are you seconds?"
Apparently, Oishi-san had no intention of letting us go. What an appetite...!!
Still, since he was capable of speech, I decided to try and engage in a dialogue. Who knows, maybe we’d hit it off?
"No, we are not seconds."
"...Is that so? May I eat you?"
"No, you may not. We are not food."
"I see. However, do not worry. I am not a picky eater."
That’s not the point! Let’s change the subject.
"More importantly, I have a question for you."
"What is it?"
"Can you take in slimes, divide, and increase the number of Metaslas?"
"Of course. I love slimes. I can increase myself."
"That's wonderful! In that case, I have a proposal!"
"What is it?"
"You shall eat only slimes and increase the Metaslas. In exchange, I will negotiate with the Association so that you are not hunted."
"...I see. That is a wonderful proposal. I want safety."
"—!!"
I did it! As expected, as long as both sides can speak, we can reach an understanding!!
"—However."
"Eh?"
"If I eat strong and delicious things, I can become even stronger. Therefore, after I eat you and become strong, I will try negotiating with the Association."
"...I cannot allow that. If you eat us, the Association will be angry with you."
"I see. In that case, when the negotiation fails, I will also eat the people from the Association."
"...I cannot allow that either. If you eat the Association people, you will be hunted down by super strong people."
"I see. I see. In that case, I will run around, eat a lot, become stronger than the super strong people, and then eat those people too."
"...I cannot allow that. Please reconsider."
"I refuse."
"..."
Yeah, it was no use. There was no reasoning with a monster.
"I know. You are very strong. Strong is delicious. I want you. Let us become one. Is this love?"
"!!?"
What a passionate confession!!
To think my first-ever confession would be from a muscle-bound old man with a metal body... I wanted a beautiful older sister type!!
"No! That is not love! It is appetite!"
"Please count the stains on the ceiling. It will be over soon. I have premature ejaculation."
That’s probably wrong on so many levels!!
Oishi-san was nothing if not driven. Without waiting for my answer, he transformed both his arms, extending them toward me like tentacles.
I prepared to parry them with my sword—
"—!?"
Clang!!
The tentacles were repelled by something transparent right in front of my face.
"Leveling Junkie Bro-kun!! Are you okay?!"
"Hinata-san, Takeo-kun, are you safe?!"
Mayurin-san and the others, who had been waiting at the boss room entrance, came running over.
Which meant that transparent wall was Mayurin-san's Barrier Magic!!
That’s right—Mayurin-san was actually a user of the extremely rare magic skill, Barrier Magic.
"Thank you, Mayurin-san! I'm fine!"
"Th-Thank you! I'm okay too!"
"Good, I'm glad you're both safe... but..."
Clang, clang, clang, clang!!
Even after we regrouped, Oishi-san's attacks didn't let up.
However, Mayurin-san was impressive. Her barrier didn't budge even under Giant Oishi's heavy tentacle strikes.
That said...
"Kh... this guy...!! His hits are incredibly heavy...!!"
Judging by Mayurin-san's strained expression, she wasn't having an easy time.
"Mayuri, can you hold him back?"
"I can... but staying right here is my limit! I can only hold it for a few minutes! I can't do it while moving!! And my MP won't last much longer!"
"Which means running away is going to be difficult..."
Once Mayurin-san's barrier was set, it could stay active for a while even if she left. However, to block attacks that exceeded the barrier's capacity, she had to constantly channel MP to maintain, reinforce, and repair it. In that state, she couldn't move far from the barrier.
Conversely, it meant that as long as she had a surplus of MP, she could even block attacks from a superior opponent...
Judging by her comment about her MP, she was already in the process of reinforcing and repairing it. A simple stationary barrier would be broken immediately, and he would chase us down.
Therefore, escape was a gamble we couldn't take.
As the death of Oishi-san's companion proved, the moment of flight was the most dangerous time.
That left us with only one option.
Ikegami-san looked at me.
"Takeo-kun, can you take him down? I'm sorry, but our attacks probably won't get through."
"That is..."
I couldn't answer immediately.
Even with Oishi-san as he was now, I believed I could kill him if I had to. But...
(The problem is, Oishi-san doesn't seem to be a slime...)
I had parried the tentacle attacks targeting Hinata twice. During those clashes, I realized something: Slime Killer hadn't activated.
I suppose it was obvious when I thought about it... but he looked so much like a Metasla that it was an easy mistake to make.
The issue wasn't that Slime Killer failing would leave me with insufficient damage.
(If Oishi-san is still judged as a "human" by the status... I can't kill him.)
It wasn't a matter of basic ethics like "killing people is wrong." It was because the Lust Murder seal would be broken.
On the other hand, he wasn't an opponent I could simply neutralize without killing, like the Dungeon Terrorism old man.
(No, but I have insurance now, so it should be fine. In the worst-case scenario, if I put the points I got from the level-up into Spirit, it'll exceed 200. If my Spirit is over 200, I should be able to withstand the murderous impulse... I hope. I have to believe the Headshot Yakuza's words.)
Since we couldn't run anyway, I had to steel my resolve.
I nodded.
"Leave it to me. I'll take Oishi-san down."
"...I see. Sorry, but we're counting on you, Takeo-kun."
Ikegami-san spoke with a heavy voice—and then, it happened.
"Hm? Is... something shaking?"
Ashitaba-san was the first to notice the anomaly.
A vibration rose from beneath our feet.
It started as a faint tremor—and then it grew steadily stronger.
Something was approaching.
"Behind us!!"
Prompted by Hondo-san's shout, I spun around.
In the long passage leading to the boss room entrance—
"Metaslas?! Look at that number?!"
Just as Tamaki-san said, a massive swarm of Metaslas was flooding the wide corridor.
As I squinted into the depths of the passage, the line of Metaslas seemed to stretch far into the darkness. There were clearly more than the group we had fought at the Staircase Plaza earlier.
It wasn't a hundred. There had to be several hundred of them.
And they were all rushing toward the boss room.
"—I have,"
Oishi-san stopped striking the barrier and looked at us.
"Called all of myself. The probability of your escape is zero. Cease your resistance immediately and become my delicious meal."