Republic of Heroes by Moony1 | World Anvil Manuscripts | World Anvil

Chapter 53

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To say she was surprised was an understatement when the green-haired girl's entire body rapidly changed to that of a bizarre and horrific eldritch monster with a couple dozen pairs of arms protruding out of the back with razor-sharp appendages, appearing more of a massive arthropodic mass with many eyes and mouths all over.

Her skin texture looked smooth with a glossy and polished green shade while having mandibles with dozens of needle-like teeth on her four mouth sections, hissing with inhuman screeching noises, creating horrendous wailing echoes that are more horrifying to listen to compared to nails scratching on chalkboards.

There wasn't any semblance of humanity left in the face of this monstrosity that stood before her; even Yumi couldn't help but feel disgust at how ugly it was. However, if she was going to kill this thing or even survive the inevitable, she must get Carter out of the facility first before she can deal with his tormentors, regardless of how many she must face.

Just as Yumi was ready to lunge forward, they both disappeared out of thin air, transporting themselves, including the unconscious body of Carter, into a voluminous, empty, and decaying auditorium made of broken granite and limestone structures, laying in complete ruins just like the building itself.

Having no idea what sort of place this is or what it's for, deducing that it wasn't important as she set her eyes on the monstrous form of Nomi as her tentacles held Carter in mid-air, with each appendage tightly wrapped around his arms, legs, waist, and neck.

As if Nomi could read her mind, she explained with a low, deep, freakish voice while rapidly breathing in and out through her entire body, not out of spite or anger but rather with curiosity, "You must love this man to death for having to slaughter everyone in this entire facility and see him in this sorry state," chuckling hysterically as if it were just some kind of joke.

"But I have a question that still needs an answer," she asked, twirling one of her clawed hands in the air. "I know you're his servant, or what you humans call it, maid, but what does he mean to you in such a sense that drives you to this length in trying to rescue him from our grasp?"

However, Yumi coldly stared at her with an unflinching gaze, not having a single ounce of remorse nor regret in what she had to say in mind: "What he means to me is no business to you," speaking out in a hostile manner as she took a few steps forward before stopping, "for you know nothing about love, monster," venom in her voice of seeing this creature use her own beloved as nothing more than entertainment.

Nomi scoffed in return, "Monster?" She chuckled with malice at the insult: "Now that's rich coming from someone like you who enjoys killing and torturing people without a single shred of guilt; isn't that exactly what you are, Yumi?"

Narrowing her eyes, she said, "They weren't—"

"Innocent?" Finishing the maid's sentence, she said, "Oh, please, I am aware of that, but have you ever thought that some of those men and women you killed have wives, husbands, children, siblings, or friends waiting for them to return home?" Explaining to her the consequences of her actions while adding even more fuel to the fire as the maid's eyes widen.

"Those innocent families will never see their loved ones again because of what you've done; who are you to judge them or condemn them when you yourself are the same kind of monster who killed a lot of those people back there, so don't you pretend you're better than me."

Instead of displaying a hint of remorse, Yumi simply shrugged in response, not having any care of what this thing is saying to her: "Even if that is the case, I don't care about what their personal lives are," straight up admitting how cruel she sounds, "in the end, it doesn't change the fact that they were responsible for his torment," glaring at Nomi's black, bulbous eyes, "and you are among them."

If the once-young girl could smile, she would. "I suppose we aren't really so different," she concluded before her head split open, revealing a gaping maw. "Why don't we cut to the chase and have a fun fight between us?" Amusement is evident in her tone of wanting to see the maid's power in action.

"Or we could have a tea party instead if you'd like," she sarcastically remarked, feeling no joy whatsoever in having to be in the same company as someone who is responsible for each other's problems. But nevertheless, the two got into a stance as they prepared to clash in one final showdown against each other.

Yumi was the first one to move, gripping her knife as those dozen pairs of arms protruding from Nomi's back began their onslaught of attacks at high speeds with no delay at all. Before one of the long, blade-like extremities could even reach the maid, she had already dodged each and every one of them with difficulty, weaving through them in the most graceful manner and rolling out of harm's way from every other incoming blow.

Using her knife as a last resort, the maid used her weapon to block some of the flailing arms that attempted to pierce her and slice off a few of the remaining limbs in rapid succession with her swift and powerful attacks, the dismembered body parts landing on the ground with blood gushing out from each open wound like geysers.

"Wow!" Impressed by the sight of the pinkette skillfully managing to dodge, block, and parry each of her attacks while avoiding getting hit with deadly precision, he said, "Your skills are amazing for a human who kills for pleasure!" Even if she had lost some of her extra arms, it was still rather entertaining to watch the fight progress, like a cat playing with its prey.

On the other hand, Yumi didn't take compliments well when they came from someone who hurt Carter in the most vile ways imaginable, making her furious at how nonchalant this person is despite having no concern for human life whatsoever. "I would appreciate it if you shut up!" Shouting with rage as she continues deflecting and evading incoming attacks.

She can't keep continuing like this; it's ridiculous how that bitch is capable of matching her speed alone. She becomes more tired and exhausted, gradually slowing down in her movements as sweat starts to drip down her face, trailing down to the corner of her chin, hanging precariously from the tip of her chin before splattering onto the hard, dusty, barren, and filthy ground.

Suddenly, something sharp grazed her cheek, a small scratch that quickly healed without her even noticing; if Yumi hadn't reacted in time, she would've been dead by now. Rolling sideways at the very last minute, she threw the knife straight at one of the many eyes she has, aiming for it with her well-trained accuracy.

Unfortunately, she managed to catch it with her tendrils, halting it inches away from its intended shot. "A gift? How sweet of you," Nomi grabbed the weapon in between her claws, "here, have it back," throwing it straight back at the maid, who barely managed to duck under it as the knife whizzed above her head, missing its target entirely as it flew over the top of her hair, embedding itself deeply into the rocky surface of the nearby wall.

"Hm?"

Yumi disappeared from her sight after being distracted a bit by focusing the knife, making Nomi rather confused as the first second she removed her focus on the maid, the next second she disappeared. Looking in every direction, the likely radical choice of hiding would be in those crowded pairs of chipped seats or the dimly lit corners of this place where no light can reach.

Displaying her surprise, she tried to predict the maid's possible route of attack based on the routes available to her, eliminating the paths that were either too risky for Yumi to reach or would expose her due to being wide open and leaving herself vulnerable in the open.

Either way, she is thrilled to play this game of hide and seek; this time, she is the predator and the human is her prey; all the pinkette can do is run, hide, or do whatever she can to prolong this game of survival, prolonging the inevitable. But regardless of how much effort she puts into beating her, the ending would be the same for that of human.

Dying and being devoured by her alone, a fitting happy ending to reunite with the maid's lover after she kill Randolph Carter, that is, glancing at the sleeping, nude man being tightly wrapped around by her numerous tentacles.

Seconds became minutes from teleporting to one end at another; in this form, she can't walk, only teleport to what she sees or places she knows,an ability that would be beyond helpful if she were in any normal shape. However, it's inconvenient when she is immobile and has to rely on this teleportation thing.

So far, she couldn't find that stupid maid in this very auditorium after having to look in every nook and cranny of this place in order to get rid of the pinkette. With every second passing by, the possibility of that maid escaping becomes more and more higher by the second. If that is the case, then she will threaten this man to lure her out of her hiding spot.

Before the eldritch abomination could do such a thing, her attention quickly shifted when she felt a crossbow piercing through their behind, surprising her a little as she turned around to see no other than the pink-haired girl standing on top of the stage with black liquid scattered around the floor.

Yumi gritted her teeth after forgetting the part that this monster could regenerate missing limbs or organs without much trouble, cursing to herself for making such a stupid mistake in bringing herself out in front of a creature that can teleport.

Amused, Nomi simply teleported in front of her before non-lethally using her tentacles to push the maid across the air in this stage, slamming against the hard, rough surface of the wall behind the red curtain and slightly tearing it a bit in the process from impact.

Falling to the floor, Yumi groaned from the pain in her back and head as she watched it reappear ten meters away from each other, forcing her to make a last-ditch effort in surviving this battle by pulling out a handheld pistol from her pockets.

Blood drips down from her forehead as she feels slight dizziness from the collision. She points the weapon directly at the eldritch creature in front of her, trying to take careful aim as her finger rests on the trigger, making Nomi ever more comfortable in this situation.

"Guns are useless," stating a fact when she herself regenerates from the inflicted wound, "it's useless, give it up and let me play with your corpse, okay?" She cheerfully teased, enjoying the terrified, frightened, and frustrated looks the maid gave her.

But unfortunately for Nomi, the pinkette never showed any hint of fear when her once unsettled look turned into manically laughter, confusing the eldritch creature, "What are you laughing at?" Not seeing what the joke is about or what this human found so amusing.

"I wasn't aiming at you," she said, bringing her gun upwards. "I am aiming at that." Without hesitation, she shot the chain on the wall that prevented the chandelier from falling, causing it to collide down in slow motion, moving towards the ground and towards Nomi with no time to react or even defend.

Having mistakenly stepped on gasoline, the fire immediately began starting below her as she screamed from the pain of the sudden heat and brightness, causing her tentacles to move frantically to the point of throwing Carter where the seats were.

Getting up quickly, she ran out of the stage as the fire quickly spread throughout the stage, heading straight to where Nomi threw Carter as she reached to him before lovingly staring at his naked, skeleton-like face, leaning her head towards his, touching each other as she softly whispered.

"I am here, my darling," she said, tears in her eyes, crying at the sight of Carter's miserable condition. Closing her own eyes as tears stream down her face while the diabolical screams of being burned alive reverberated behind them, she said, "Let's go home," picking him up in bridal style.

"My sweet prince."

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