…No, wait a second.
Why is there nothing on the horizon?
I clearly saw a ship out there last night, or at least the light from it. But now, apart from the moonlight reflecting on the sea, there was no light visible on the horizon.
As I pondered whether I should categorize this as some sort of phenomenon, a sudden splash of water appeared in the distance.
From here, it looked about the size of a finger. If seen up close, it would be like a water column shooting towards the sky.
“Hey, Rina.”
“Yeah?”
In the few seconds since I called Rina, there was a loud boom from afar.
The window leading to the terrace rattled violently. If it had fallen to the ground instead of the sea, the ground would likely have shaken too.
“What’s that?”
Rina frowned and tried to look at the spot where the splash occurred when another similar-sized splash erupted.
No, it wasn’t just once.
Twice, three times. The number of splashes kept increasing, and the places where they were falling began to widen. It felt like watching a fountain in a riverside park, where the water starts from the inside and spreads outwards, shooting up like fountains.
Krrr, krrr, a sound like thunder rolled across the air. The window rattled again.
And at that moment, I think I understood what was happening.
The way to deal with the beasts and demons approaching from the battlefield was to unleash overwhelming firepower that they could never hope to block with their bodies.
…So right now, the situation indicated that the government forces confirmed the existence of beasts in the sea and were furiously shelling the ocean to obliterate everything below. Or both.
…It was absurd.
Of course, I couldn’t know the type of shells being fired. There’s no way to cleanse the sea with regular shells. But looking at the towering water columns, it seemed more plausible that they were using bombers rather than just regular shells. I didn’t know if there were military bases around, but at least, I hadn’t heard the sound of gunfire.
But looking up at the sky, I couldn’t see anything.
Understanding all this, I quickly turned to wake Seo-A—
But I couldn’t. Before I could even say anything, Seo-A had already woken up and was staring sharply at the erupting water columns beside us.
“It seems they’ve decided to move like that after all.”
Seo-A muttered.
“Is that the work of the government forces?”
“Probably. If the demons knew how to cause such explosions, but they’re not the ones who’re blowing things up in the sea…”
“Do you think that would even be effective? Even if regular bombs exploded in the ocean…”
“Well, there are plenty of anti-submarine missiles and bombs, depth charges, and so on. Most of them have probably been left unattended for decades, but judging by the explosions, it seems they’re at least maintained enough to work when needed. And—”
Seo-A turned to face me. Even after confirming that the government forces had moved, her expression was very serious.
“They probably don’t plan to wipe out whatever’s in the sea. Unlike land, where you have to stand on solid ground, the underwater environment can be very diverse, from the ocean floor to close to the surface.”
“If that’s the case…”
“They’re probably planning to funnel the beasts towards us. Even if the beasts can’t come out to the surface, it’s easier to deal with them if they’re close to the surface. If they come out of the water, they can just shoot them down.”
“But then…”
Aren’t all those beasts coming pouring toward us?
My thought didn’t get to finish when Seo-A’s phone rang with a beep beep.
Unlike the image of a trendy song being set as the ringtone, Seo-A’s ringtone was an utterly plain, almost retro-sounding ringtone that somehow felt more unique these days.
Whether she had it while sleeping or picked it up after waking up, Seo-A quickly took the phone out from her back pocket.
…Wasn’t all communication cut off except for walkie-talkies?
“Yes, this is Seo-A.”
As I watched Seo-A answer the phone as if it were the most natural thing in the world, I could only give a blank expression. She just shot me a smile in return.
All I could hear were short replies like “Yes, yes, understood,” but still, I could make out some sounds from the phone speaker. Seo-A was indeed on a call.
After a brief conversation, Seo-A hung up and raised her hand to check her wristwatch.
“It’s 10:25.”
Seo-A checked the time and immediately got up to turn on the living room light.
“Wake up, wake up!”
She clapped her hands and started to wake all the kids who had been sleeping in the living room.
The state of the kids waking up less than thirty minutes after falling asleep was almost comical. Since they had moved furniture in the living room earlier that day, the insufficient sleeping period was far from enough to recover their tiredness.
Of course, among them, Lee Ji-An looked completely fine. I could believe he had been awake since Rina and I were talking earlier. …Though the direction of that belief might be a bit skewed, but anyway.
“Are you all awake? Good.”
Looking at the kids, Seo-A nodded.
“I just received a call from the military. The communication failure was due to equipment malfunctioning at the nearby base station.”
So that’s how it is.
“They haven’t identified the cause of the malfunction yet, but I hear they completely replaced the broken parts with new ones. After that, they immediately deployed security personnel to monitor in real time, so communication shouldn’t be cut off again. And—”
Before Seo-A could continue, there was a thud and the window trembled again.
The kids turned their heads sharply toward the source of the sound. Outside the living room window, which covered an entire wall, another finger-sized column of water arose on the horizon.
No, I couldn’t help but feel that it looked about half a finger joint larger than before. They said they were funneling the beasts, so it wouldn’t be surprising if they were getting closer.
“Look over there; the military is shelling the sea. The range of the bombardment will gradually narrow. They plan to draw all the beasts from the sea out and deal with them all at once.”
“…Then what about us?”
Ramihi asked, looking quite annoyed. Yet despite his expression, he had neatly rolled up his sleeping bag and gotten ready. He looked poised to head into battle at any moment.
“They said they’d send a helicopter to rescue us. It’ll take about 20 minutes from takeoff to landing, so we need to get ready for escape in the meantime. Everyone, get up quickly and gather your things! Get ready to escape in five minutes! Bring all your weapons with you!”
“Okay!”
As Seo-A gave her orders, the members of our Duel Club, including me, sprang into action and rushed to their rooms.
*
We didn’t have that much stuff to gather, so it didn’t even take us five minutes to regroup. Especially me, Linea, and Aurora had been so well-organized during our convent life that our clothes and underwear from last night were already packed away in our bags.
“Alright.”
Seeing everyone gathered, Seo-A checked her wristwatch again and nodded.
The kids all held their weapons, and the sleepy expressions from just a moment ago had completely vanished.
“There’s no way a helicopter can land here at the cliff. A helicopter that can carry ten people is definitely not small, and flying beside the cliff, its rotors might get hit. From now on, we’re going to move up the cliff. There’s a flat area up there suitable for camping. With only about 15 minutes left, just making that climb will be tight.”
Seo-A slung her pack on her back and glanced around at the kids’ faces.
“But I believe none of you will fall behind.”
“Sure!”
Once again, the kids responded with determined voices that echoed in the living room.
*
The order of march was that Erica was at the front, and Seo-A was at the back following us. They were the only two who knew the way up to the cliff, and since Erica’s stamina wasn’t as good as Seo-A’s, it made sense. Leaving from the back and falling behind would spell disaster.
Though Seo-A had said it would take 15 minutes to get there—
if that 15 minutes was essentially sprinting uphill, that made it a completely different story.
Huff, huff,
Haa… Haa…
As the whole club hiked up the mountain trail, it’s common to hear voices, but everyone was too busy sprinting uphill to even utter a word, barely managing to breathe at all. Carrying large packs while running up a mountain made me wonder how merciless this was of the demons’ forces.
Fortunately, the mountain path wasn’t rough and uneven, just made of stone and dirt. Rather than a place for serious hiking, it was more like a path designed for a leisurely stroll—albeit a bit old, covered with leaves and sand, it was still well-maintained cement steps.
…Not an ideal situation for those trying to sprint uphill, but still, I understood that if those steps weren’t there, it would have been several times harder, so I silently followed behind the person in front of me.
“Ah, over there!”
Celena, who was running behind me, shouted, and I heard a twang like a taut string snapping.
Then, something that had been sitting on a tree suddenly fell with a thud.
Though I didn’t catch a good look while running, I knew from Seo-A’s reaction that it was most likely a monster.
…That means there are not only fish-shaped beasts but also something that could slither up from beneath the water.
It’s not like Cthulhu’s mythos or something.
Then again, if the demons are studying human life and culture, it’s not unimaginable that they might have been influenced by Cthulhu’s mythos. Whatever its practicality, it was certainly designed to induce fear in others.
Suddenly, the sound of a sword being drawn was heard, followed by a slicing sound. Then a thud as something fell.
Thanks to hearing the noise first, I was able to see more clearly what tumbled down from the side of the stairs.
Skin glistening in the pale moonlight, dark green with an unsettlingly long webbed hand. Slimy gills at the throat.
Its nostrils just holes, a pair of split yellow eyes with cat-like pupils, and a mouth with shark-like teeth growing chaotically.
…If I had seen this in a tabletop RPG, I would have expected the master to roll dice.
Seeing a figure that could have been inspired by Lovecraft himself made me grimace and grip my morningstar tighter.
“KYEEEEK!”
Eventually, it seemed the hidden monsters felt it was useless to stay concealed, and started to leap down from the trees. Not a lot, but enough that we were definitely outnumbered.
Most of them fell by our hands, at least.
One leaped toward me, and swinging my morningstar, I sent it flying sideways. I didn’t see exactly what happened, but there was no time to double-check each one.
“Faster!”
Seeing more monsters emerging, Seo-A shouted.
“EEEEK…!”
My thighs and calves were already starting to ache, but I pushed myself harder to surge ahead.
What’s with these amphibious demons? Their skills seem way too good. I can’t help but feel that the beast I admired for being similar to piranhas a while ago seemed utterly silly now.
…Did they just hold back during the day? Were they waiting for us to come out at night?
…How many of those monsters can they spawn? Or how many have they already made? Could they produce enough to attack other coastlines?
…Perhaps right now, I’m witnessing the moment when a massive hole is torn in the defenses of human society.
Various thoughts filled my head.
I pen down the foundational settings of this world, but I know nothing beyond that. I needed to get the scoop from these beings instead.
Ramihi had mentioned the beasts and demons crawling up from the ocean depths. It was me who hadn’t paid attention to that story. Even though demons had attempted it in the past and failed, if there was a possibility, I should have seriously considered all of it.
Thinking about it now, merely looking at the visible parts inside the villa wouldn’t solve everything. The villa was built on a cliff, so it wouldn’t allow me to see the monsters climbing up from the depths of the sea below or the cliffs on the opposite shore.
No, no.
It’s already too late to have such regrets. I should focus on the immediate problem at hand. First, let’s figure out how to get out of this place. I know at least one of the upper-tier demons hidden down here.
Far away, I could see the moonlight filtering through the trees. Following the line of our march, I entered a spacious area. It was enough clear ground for a helicopter to land.
“KYEEEEK!”
While I processed the monsters charging in with those annoying sounds, it was honestly a beautiful view—something I’d gladly take a group picture of under different circumstances.
“Form up as we agreed earlier. We hold out here until the helicopter arrives! We’re almost there!”
Upon hearing Seo-A’s shout, we quickly rearranged ourselves. Erica was in the back, and in front stood Celena, me, and Aurora. The other members took positions around Jian to guard us.
We formed ranks to ensure those skilled in close combat were in front, allowing others to heal in case anyone got injured. That was considered, too, to see if anyone could make ranged attacks.
I strapped my morningstar to my waist, collecting holy power in both hands. Earlier, I was worried that if someone fell in front of me on the stairs, the situation would escalate drastically. In the dim light provided by the trees, I couldn’t afford to block my own visibility.
But here, in the open under bright moonlight, I felt much safer.
I unleashed the gathered holy power like lasers from my hands. Naturally, beasts and demons were obliterated without a chance to withstand it. In particular, if I could see something on the trees above, I would shoot light at it immediately. In doing so, I aimed to incinerate that creature straight from the Cthulhu mythos while clearing our line of sight.
“Ah, look over there!”
Satsuki, who was slashing through enemies with her quick elven dagger skills, pointed to the sky. In the distance, a tiny light blinked. And a thud thud thud, the unique sound of helicopter rotors began to fill the air.
“Great, we just need to hold out a few more minutes! Let’s do our best, everyone!”
Seo-A, who was leading at the front, shouted and swung her longsword to take down three beasts at once.
…Well, given the group’s composition, including several who could be aptly termed “Munchkins,” ordinary beasts stood no chance against us. Especially the ones rushing towards Jian—
When I thought that, Jian suddenly pivoted. He swiftly swung his sword toward our direction.
Whoosh, I felt the blade’s rush just above my head. My heart froze as I touched the spot where the cutting wind passed. A few strands of hair had been sliced off.
And when I turned to look back at where the attack had passed—
“…What the hell is that?”
Upon the towering cliff, something with thick tentacles was reaching down.
Though Jian’s sword had cut off one of those thick tentacles, the others were slowly creeping up over the cliff’s edge.
To say the least, the slick, red, vein-like thing looked grotesquely slimy.
This cliff must be at least 20 meters high. In that case, what it’s clinging onto would be longer. It resembled the Kraken’s limbs turned into an unsightly form—a sight I wished to never see again even in my dreams.
“Erica!”
I shouted and dashed toward Erica.
Tentacles were slowly descending toward her.
Seeing the circumstances, a pale-faced Erica began to dart toward us but it was too late. She was too slow to escape the swinging tentacle’s influence.
But fortunately, I managed to reach Erica.
Grabbing her extended hand, I pulled her back and hurled her toward the direction I had just come from.
“Ah, Clara—!”
As Erica flew through the air, Celena caught her.
As I unleashed holy power toward the biting tentacle aimed at Erica, it turned to liquid, splattering on the ground.
For a moment, Jian sliced through a few more tentacles with his sword.
“Ugh!”
I struggled to halt my sliding body and tried to flee back toward my group when I suddenly stumbled forward.
Looking down, I saw several thin tentacles sprouting from the severed one had clamped around my right ankle.
“Yikes!”
The grotesque sensation of a dozen worms the size of my forearm writhing together spurred me to unleash holy power, dissolving the tentacles entirely as I stood up again, only to see a thick tentacle hurling toward my face.
“Clara!”
I heard Jian’s voice calling out while a wave of sword energy shot toward me. Still, other thick tentacles filled the space between me and my party. I heard something get cut, but my sight was lost.
“No! Clara!”
“Clara, sister!”
Linnea and Aurora screamed in panic.
Damn it.
Cursing as I unleashed holy power with everything I had, it seemed the tentacles I faced were designed to be a pain in the neck, as I was only able to dissolve two at once.
“Those bastards…”
Thinking back, the monster’s attack on Erica had been a ruse.
From the start, they had been targeting me. Maybe the entire reason we were brought here was to toy with us.
Did they think I’d be an easy catch?
Radiating sacred light from both hands, it was different from my usual holy power. This was my ultimate means of attack, the miracle.
The magic circle on the gloves began to shine white, and—
In that instant, as I obliterated every tentacle in front of me with a burst of light—
At the very moment when my group relaxed for a brief second to meet my eyes—
A tentacle next to me fell with a thud and suddenly swept the ground like a scythe, knocking me off the cliff.
Ah.
Right, I was standing on the edge of a cliff.
So, it didn’t matter how many tentacles I melted before my eyes—if one tentacle remained outside my view, they had already accomplished their objective.
With a thud, my body soared high into the sky and began to fall headfirst down.
In that moment, all I saw was the horizon, glistening under the reflected moonlight. Beyond that horizon, water columns were still shooting up like fountains.
Ah, I can’t swim.
In that moment that felt immensely slow, that was the only thought that crossed my mind.
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