Bye-Bye

"Y-you lied to us! What do you mean the Slimes are weak!?"

"Shut up, just keep moving."

"Ugh…!"

Even these stupid beasts finally figured it out, it seems. But what we're doing doesn't change, and we won't let it change.

They'll serve as our shields and nothing more.

"U-UWAAAAAHHH!!"

"Wha!? Hey!"

One of the slaves suddenly broke into a sprint, only to be caught by a Slime, by a red tentacle.

Chomp. Like a chameleon's tongue, he was swallowed into a room and vanished.

Shields remaining: two.

"Damn it, damn it, you're using us as Slime bait."

"Hmph, finally figured that out? Look, while that one's being eaten, it should be a bit safer. Go."

We passed the room where the slave had been swallowed and reached the stairway to the ground floor.

… There was a hole in the door. It'd be useless for stopping Slimes. And yet, we had to open this door to get through.

The very door meant to protect us was now nothing but an obstacle.

"Open it."

"…"

The two slaves obeyed the order, bracing their hands against the door and pushing with all their strength. Fortunately, the mechanism still worked, and it opened smoothly…

But.

"…! This is… horrible…!"

Beyond was a Slime hellscape. Red Slimes littered the floor, dissolving and consuming something.

Meat, chunks of meat? I'd rather not think about what kind of meat…

If only we'd headed for the exit instead of fleeing underground from the start…!

"Come on, go! Move!"

"No, no, no!"

One of the slaves crouched down and refused to budge. After seeing a sight like that, not many souls would be brave enough to keep walking.

"Should we just kill her? Dead or alive, Slime bait works the same."

"Eek!"

"W-wait, wait. I'll… I'll convince her…"

The cat beastkin boy stepped in to shield the other one.

Well, she's going to die either way… How does he plan to convince her?

"… Sorry!"

"… Huh!? No! Z-Zord, why!? NOOOOO!!"

The cat beastkin suddenly grabbed the other remaining slave and hurled her toward the Slimes.

Impressive arm strength, typical of a savage beastkin. She sailed through the air, screaming the moment she landed. Her screams drew the Slimes, and they swarmed over her until she disappeared from sight.

"… Now's our chance, right?"

"Hah, what a despicable creature. Well, even so, you're next."

"…"

The cat beastkin hung his head. Regardless, we pressed on through the first floor corridor.

The exit was just ahead.

"… Huh?"

"Whoa…!!"

But partway through the corridor, there was a massive pitfall.

The Slime must have corroded it, weakening the structure from below.

The ground gave way. Caught in the collapse were the slave and the Disposal Team leader.

"GYAAAAHHH!!"

"GUAAAAAHHH!!!"

… A gaping hole, too wide to cross.

Looking down, we could see the basement corridor we'd just come through.

Red Slime tentacles were coiled around the Disposal Team leader. He wasn't wearing a hazmat suit. Half his face was covered, dissolving, and he screamed in agony. His Special Gear D was pinned; he'd been restrained before he could fire.

The slave was pinned beneath the leader. Also screaming.

"Oh god, wh-what do we do? What should we do!? Hey!?"

"Th-the captain, he's, he's done, hiii, hiiieeeeee!!!"

The last Disposal Team member screamed and bolted.

"Ah! Hey! The Disposal Team doesn't just run! At least leave your gear be—"

"Eeee—glrk"

Chomp. As if a giant mouth snapped shut.

A massive, massive red Slime burst out from the side. The same size as the doorframe. It crushed the last Disposal Team member, hazmat suit and all.

A body slam. Simply put, that's all it was. But that sheer mass was pure terror.

Hazmat suit or not, if that body slam knocks you out, you'd just be taken apart by the Slime…?

That massive Slime was now slowly closing the distance toward us.

Behind us: the pit.

Ahead: the giant Slime.

Trapped, with nowhere to go… Is it over? It's over? Th-that can't, that can't be!?

I-I can't die! There's no way I'd die!?

"W-wait, huh? It… stopped…?"

"What?"

But the Slime halted. As if it was afraid of something.

No. That's right. Of course! We have the red rod!

"Good, just keep buying us time like that…"

"Ahaha! Ahahaha! That's right, there's no way I'd die! Look, I can't die no matter what! Never having died is proof enough!"

My colleague swung the red rod around wildly.

Yes, yes! There's no way we'd die! This red rod is the proof. God is telling us to live!

"… Spirit-sama. Can I go now? There's only two left."

Suddenly, an out-of-place, cute voice reached us. It was a child's voice. A girl's.

Had one of the meat shields survived? I looked around but saw nothing.

"Ahh. Yeah, sure. Go ahead."

"Yaaay!"

Just as I heard that casual response in the same voice, a Slime walked right out of the Slime with a wobble.

A humanoid Slime…!? At first glance, it looked like a child, a girl. Was it imitating a beastkin girl it had eaten?

Unlike the red Slimes from before, this one had a clear, transparent body. The wall of crimson Slime behind her showed through ominously.

"Boo! Surprised? I ate a whole bunch, so I can do stuff like this now!"

"Wha, ah, s-stay back! Stay away from me!"

My colleague swung the red rod wildly. But the Slime girl approached without the slightest hesitation.

Huh? Wait? The red rod, he has the red rod?

"N-NOOOO!!"

My colleague smashed the red rod down onto the Slime girl. But she caught it in her hand, smiling all the while.

"Huh?"

"W-wait, what? Wh-why? The Slime's weakness, wasn't it—"

"That's my Mimicry! … It didn't get to shine as much as I'd hoped, though. I worked so hard on playing dead. The whole 'gyahhh' and everything."

Immediately after, my colleague spasmed and collapsed.

Mimicry? What?

"H-hey? Wh-why? P-poison?"

"Nuh-uh. I just stretched out from where it was on his hand and stabbed right through his head. Ehehe, did you enjoy yourself? I wish you'd played with the rod more, though."

"Hiii!"

My legs gave out. I tried to scramble backward, only to realize there was nothing behind my fingers but the pit.

"Y-you, you can talk?"

"Hm? Talk? Yep, I can! I'm smart!"

"Haha, y-yeah, I bet…"

She can talk, then, a deal, I could make a deal, right?

"P-please! I'll, I'll bring you way more food, so w-w-won't you spare me!?"

"Food? Hmmm. What should I do…"

"I'll buy them! Beastkin, slaves, I'll buy a ton!"

"A whole ton? Enough that I'm satisfied? Enough that I'm full?"

A transparent finger tilted my chin up.

"Y-yeah. Tons and tons, so… please, spare me…"

"Hmmmm… nope!"

No way.

The very next moment, the hand on my chin spread across my face, sealing my mouth and nose.

It hurts, h-hurts!! I can't, I can't breathe! My brain, my brilliant, brain is…

"Bye-bye."

Squelch.