“Th-this isn't what they told us! They said the slimes were weak!”
“Shut up. Just keep moving.”
“Ugh...!”
Even these stupid beasts seemed to have finally realized the truth. Still, my plan remained the same, and I wasn't about to let anything change it. At the very least, they would serve as our shields.
“U-uwaaaaaah!!”
“Ah?! Hey!”
One of the slaves suddenly bolted, but a slime—a red tentacle—snatched him instantly.
Gulp. It moved with the speed of a chameleon’s tongue. He vanished, seemingly swallowed by the room itself.
There were only two meat shields left.
“Dammit... dammit! You’re really just going to use us as slime bait to get through?”
“Hmph, finally figured it out? Look, while that one’s being eaten, it’s relatively safe. Move.”
We hurried past the room where the slave had been dragged inside and reached the stairs leading back to the surface.
The door was riddled with holes. It was useless for keeping slimes out, yet we couldn't move forward unless we opened it. The very doors that were supposed to protect us had become nothing more than obstacles.
“Open it.”
“...”
Following the order, the two slaves placed their hands on the door and heaved. Fortunately, the mechanism was still functional, and it swung open easily.
However...
“—! This is... horrible...!”
The area had been transformed into a Slime Hell. Red slimes were rolling everywhere, dissolving and devouring something.
Meat... or fragments of it? I didn't want to think about what kind of meat it was. If I’d known it would be like this, we should have made a run for the exit from the very beginning instead of fleeing to the basement.
“Hey, go! I said move it!”
“No, no, nooooo!”
One of the slaves collapsed, paralyzed with fear. After witnessing such a scene, few would have the courage to keep walking.
“Should I just kill him? It doesn't matter if they’re alive or dead as long as they serve as bait, right?”
“Hie!”
“W-wait, wait. I’ll... I’ll talk to him...”
“Oh?”
The male cat beastman stepped in, shielding the other slave.
Well, it didn't change the fact that they were both going to die. I wondered how he intended to persuade him.
“...I'm sorry!”
“...Eh?! No! Zold, why?! Noooooooo!!”
Suddenly, the cat beastman hurled the remaining slave toward the slimes.
His physical strength was incredible—a typical savage beastman. The slave went sailing through the air, letting out a piercing scream. That cry drew the slimes like a beacon; they swarmed over him, and he vanished from sight in an instant.
“...Now’s our chance, isn't it?”
“Hah, what a wretched fellow. Well, even after that stunt, you're still next.”
“...”
The cat beastman looked down, his face hidden. Regardless, we pushed forward into the first-floor hallway.
The exit was almost within reach.
“...Eh?”
“Uwah...!!”
But halfway down the hall, a massive pitfall blocked our path.
Perhaps the floor had been eroded by the slimes, or maybe it had simply become brittle. The footing gave way entirely. Caught in the collapse were the slave and the Disposal Squad Captain.
“Gyaaaaaaaaaaa!!”
“Gugh-aaaaaaaaaaaa!!!”
A massive hole had opened up, leaving no ledge to cross. Peering down into the depths, I could see the basement hallway we had navigated earlier.
Red slime tentacles were already coiling around the Disposal Squad Captain. He wasn't wearing a protective suit. Half of his face was already covered and beginning to dissolve; he let out a harrowing scream of agony. He hadn't even had a moment to fire his Equipment D before he was restrained.
The slave appeared to be pinned beneath the Captain. He was screaming just as loudly.
“Ah, wh-what should I do? What should I do?! Hey!”
“The... the Captain... he was g-gotten... hie, hieeeeeeeee!!”
The last member of the disposal squad let out a shriek and turned to flee.
“Ah! Hey! You’re disposal squad, don’t you dare run!! At least leave your equipment—”
“Eeeeee—ga-ack!”
Chomp. It was as if a giant mouth had snapped shut.
A massive, towering red slime had lunged from the side. The last disposal squad member, despite his protective suit, was crushed by the creature, which was as wide as the room’s double doors.
A body slam. In simple terms, that was all it was. But the sheer mass made it a lethal threat. Even with a protective suit, if that impact knocked you unconscious, the slimes would simply dismantle you at their leisure.
That giant slime was now slowly turning toward us, closing the distance.
Behind us was the pit.
In front of us was the giant slime.
Trapped, with no way to move. Is this it? Is it over? That’s... that’s impossible! There’s no way I could die here!
“A-A-Are? That thing... it stopped...?”
“Eh?”
Strangely, the slime halted its advance. It looked almost as if it were afraid of something.
No. That was it! Of course! We still had the red rod!
“Good, keep it back! Just buy us some time...”
“Aha! Ahaha! That's right, yeah! There’s no way I’m going to die! Look at this! No matter what happens, I don't die! The proof is that I've never died before!”
My colleague began wildly brandishing the red rod.
That's right! There’s no way we could die! This red rod was the proof; God was telling us we had to live!
“...Lord Spirit. Is it okay now? There are only two left.”
Suddenly, an out-of-place, high-pitched voice echoed through the hall. it was the voice of a young girl.
Had one of the meat shields survived? I scanned the area, but I saw no one.
“Ah—yeah, I suppose that’s fine. Go ahead.”
A casual reply in a similar voice followed, and then, something wiggled out from the center of the giant slime.
A humanoid slime...? At a glance, it looked like a young girl. Was it mimicking a beastman child it had devoured?
Unlike the red slimes we had seen so far, its body was completely transparent. The wall of crimson slimes behind it was visible through its torso, distorted and ominous.
“Peek-a-boo! Surprised? I ate so much that I can do this now!”
“E-Eh, ah, stay back! Get away from us!”
My colleague swung the red rod frantically. However, the slime girl approached without a hint of fear.
Wait. Why? He had the red rod!
“Hyaaah!!”
He slammed the rod down on the slime girl. But she simply caught it with her hand, her playful smile never wavering.
“Eh.”
“Ah, eh? Wait? Why? Isn't this... the slime's weakness?”
“This? It’s just my mimicry! It didn't work as well as I’d hoped, though. Even after I worked so hard pretending to die. All that 'Gyah!' and 'Ugh!' for nothing.”
Immediately after she spoke, my colleague gave a violent, convulsive twitch and collapsed.
Mimicry? What?
“H-hey? What happened? P-poison?”
“Nope. I just sprouted a little something from the part near your hand and pierced your brain. Ehehe, did you enjoy it? I wanted you to play with this rod a little longer, though.”
“Hie!”
My strength vanished, and I collapsed. As I tried to scramble backward, I realized my hand was touching nothing but empty air at the edge of the pit.
“C-C-Can you... can you understand me?”
“Hmm? Talk? I can talk! I’m very smart!”
“Haha, th-that's good...”
If it could talk, then I could strike a deal. I could negotiate!
“Listen! I-I can get you so much more food! If you let me go, I-I-I’ll provide everything you want!”
“Food? Hmm. What should I do?”
“Yes! I’ll buy them for you! Beastmen, slaves, I’ll buy as many as you want!”
“You'll buy lots for me? Enough to make me full? Enough to satisfy me?”
A transparent finger hooked under my chin, tilting my head up to meet her gaze.
“Y-yes! I’ll buy so many... so please, just let me go...”
“Hmmmmmm... No way! ♪”
My heart sank.
In an instant, the hand that had been on my chin spread across my entire face, sealing my mouth and nose.
It hurts... I can't...! I can't breathe! My brain... my brilliant brain is...
“Bye-bye.”
Squish.