The Girl and the Plunderer (11)"Cough! Cough-cough! Cough-cough-cough-cough!!"
"Reni?"
The blue light emanating from her body vanished, and Reni slumped. She coughed violently, trying to cover her mouth but failing miserably. A look of utter defeat spread across her face.
"Kuh... kuhk... I thought I'd recovered..."
Something was clearly wrong with Reni. Her complexion had turned deathly pale.
Garuda seemed to notice Reni's weakened state. It lowered its guard and began flapping its massive black wings-four times larger than its body-toward her. At first, only pebbles and twigs spun around, but as the wingbeats accelerated, a whirlwind formed and shot toward Reni.
"Kieeeeeeeek!!"
"No! Reni!!"
Reni flew backward like a ragdoll, unable to resist the whirlwind. Startled, I lunged toward her.
She would've never been blown away by something like this moments ago. Something was definitely wrong with her.
In the direction she was flying, I spotted exposed rebar jutting from concrete. An unprotected collision would be fatal.
I maxed out my booster output, trying to reach her.
"Reni!! Grab my hand!!"
Reni hesitated briefly upon seeing my outstretched hand, then reluctantly reached out. The distance was close enough.
But the moment I tried to grasp her hand, her arm shrank back as if mocking me, leaving me swiping at empty air.
What the hell!?
The futile motion threw me off balance, widening the gap between us. I quickly drew my minigun and unleashed a barrage at Garuda.
"Kieeeeeeeeeek-!!"
The whirlwind weakened as Garuda shrieked. My 12.7mm rounds must've pierced its wings. The minigun's recoil propelled me rapidly back toward Reni.
Just before the rebar impaled her, I stretched my hand out again. My fingertips brushed her clothes.
"Reni!!"
With every ounce of strength, I managed to snatch her. Clutching her shrunken form tightly, I rolled across the ground.
Crash! Bang-bang-bang! Smash! Thud-thud!
Even while tumbling wildly, I carefully shielded her from injury.
Thud!
"Keugh... kh... kehk... huff... puff..."
We finally stopped after slamming into a thick tree trunk. Thanks to my X suit, I sustained no major damage.
"Reni, you okay?"
I hastily slid my hands under her armpits and lifted her to eye level.
Reni had reverted to the cute girl I'd first seen in the maze-identical to that time except for her cat ears and crimson eyes.
"So you really are Reni?"
"Kweeeeeeeeeek-!!"
Garuda's furious cry echoed. Having wounded it, I'd apparently become its next target.
Brrrrrrrrt!!!
I fired my minigun toward the monster while flying with Reni toward Firenti Village.
My lucky shot earlier had pierced its wings, preventing flight. It chased us on foot, roaring furiously. Flying was naturally faster than running, so the distance between us steadily grew.
Firenti Village was only minutes away. I'd drop Reni off there first before dealing with Garuda.
Once Garuda vanished from sight, my tension eased, replaced by curiosity about Reni.
For some reason, she'd reverted to her small form-her transcendent combat abilities seemingly gone. In this state, she'd only hinder the fight. I needed to hide her somewhere safe before confronting Garuda.
"What exactly are you?"
"Dunno."
Reni had returned to her bratty mode. Though tempted to flick her forehead, the memory of her mature appearance made me hesitate.
"I'll take you to Firenti Village. I'll handle that monster, then we'll talk."
"I hate Firenti Village people..."
Her voice darkened. Though unclear on details, she likely had few good memories there. If her story was true-the place where her adoptive parents abandoned her before being brutally killed by Oist-she wouldn't want to stay even a second.
My heart ached for her. Holding her close, I whispered warmly in her ear.
"Just wait till big sis defeats the monster. I'll be right back."
"Mm..."
She acquiesced softly. During our brief exchange, we reached Firenti Village. Strangely, smoke billowed from multiple locations.
As we neared, the village's state became clearer. I quickly covered Reni's eyes. Firenti Village had descended into chaos from intruders.
"Ah...!"
I recalled the Oist gang members who'd tried to turn me into a milk cow slave. They'd descended to gather food for Garuda.
They seemed intent on wiping Firenti Village off the map. No living men remained in the streets-only women being raped by Oist gangsters beside their husbands' and fathers' corpses. Children were being dragged away bound by ropes.
"X, locate all Oist gang members in Firenti Village."
A map appeared on my monitor, dotted with red markers. I landed Reni on a building roof untouched by flames and free of gangsters.
"Stay quiet and hide here. It's dangerous."
Reni stared silently at the burning village. With dangerous creatures and gangs outside, this was the safest spot despite Oist's absence.
"I'll be right back."
Leaving the unresponsive girl behind, I tracked the red dots-about twenty in total.
Those bastards couldn't regenerate if I completely crushed their heads.
From the air, I precisely aimed at their heads. Distracted by raping women, they hadn't noticed me yet.
Brrrrt!
Splatter!!!
A few 12.7mm rounds turned an Oist member's ugly head into watermelon pulp. His headless body collapsed sideways, penis still buried in a woman's genitals. The victim screamed as a red dot vanished from the map.
Good. I'll slaughter every last one of you human-scum bastards like the vermin you are.
Grinding my teeth, I pursued the remaining markers. In this compact village, I eliminated them instantly. They'd been worthless trash even before I got X.
"H-hic! S-spare me!"
The last survivor was the gang leader who'd humiliated me. Blowing his head off with the minigun would be too merciful for what he'd done.
Lowering my face guard, I addressed the kneeling bastard begging for his life.
"Hey. You recognize me?"
Trembling in terror, he slowly looked up.
"H-hic! Hiiiiik!! You're-!!"
"The milk cow slave. Yeah, that's what you called me."
"N-no! I'm sorry! I didn't recognize you! Just spare my life!!"
"Haa~, begging alone after your men died? You don't deserve a quick death."
How could I inflict maximum agony on this bastard?
While pondering, a rattling sound came from my pouch. Pulling it out, I found-surprisingly-an Uncommon Capsule.
Uncommon Capsule? When did I get this?
Recalling, I'd once received it as a reward and casually stored it away. I'd forgotten about it until now.
Without expectations, I opened it. Being low-grade, it produced an item with relatively mild effects-what looked like ointment in a green tube.
[Congratulations! Acquired Beast Aphrodisiac.]
[Beast Aphrodisiac]
A vaseline-type aphrodisiac for monsters. Caution: Applying to skin makes user a monster's target. Consumable for hypersexuals seeking monster intercourse.
Ugh, the description alone made me nauseous. What's this even for? To create an opening by using it on Garuda? But where would I find a hypersexual willing to mate with Garuda?
As I pondered deeply, the Oist gang leader clung to my ankle, sniveling.
"Sniff! P-please! Just spare my life! I'll do anything!"
Ah. You.
I snapped my fingers, then spoke in a deadly serious tone.
"Anything, you say."
His eyes lit up as he desperately clung tighter.
"Yes!! Anything if you spare me!!"
"Good. Let's make a deal."
"Yes!! I'll do anything!!"
I handed him the Beast Aphrodisiac and ordered him to thoroughly apply it around his anus. Though curious, fear of sharing his men's fate kept him obedient.
Next, I told him to enter a wooden crate with a small hole-just large enough to fit him snugly, preventing movement once inside.
I lied that during our "long journey," he'd need to press his anus against the hole to relieve himself. Though suspicious, he complied without protest.
"Pfft!"
Laughter escaped me when lifting the crate containing him.
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