Mob Yandere

[Part 2/4]

Then came a roar that shook the air. It sounded like a mix of animal cries, almost like a monster's thunder. It was terrifying and beyond what they could understand. The villagers couldn't hear anything else; all they could think about was escaping to save their lives.

And then, a rain of tentacles came toward the villagers...

"...!!"

Suddenly, a shadow moved. Tentacles from its twisted body stretched out in all directions, getting squeezed, bundled, and cut away one by one. Then came a close attack—a flying knee strike aimed at one of its petal-like jaws. You could hear the air slicing through as a dry shockwave followed.

''''◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️ッ!!!??''''

"Shut up already!!"

With the monster's angry roar, a wave of tentacles was thrown out. The shadows pulled back. The fire pillars, jumping back, burned away the incoming wave of tentacle flesh.

"Damn it!! What the heck is this, huh!? The reward better be double or it's not worth it, got it!?"

After a moment, the outlaw exorcist spat out curses while keeping his distance from the reality surrounding him.

The monster in front of him had stopped moving, but even after taking a kick that could shatter jaws and losing countless tentacles from its mouth, it showed no sign of being hurt. In fact, it was clearly regenerating. Its durability and ability to heal were definitely beyond a intermediate-level youkai. A great youkai, or even more...!!

"What a terrible luck I've got...!!"

The outlaw exorcist shouted while shaking off the blood stuck to his weapon. He swung the iron chain, with a sickle attached to it, around wildly, letting out his overflowing frustration.

'''◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️!!!!'''

"Damn it!! I don't think it's a boar!!"

Suddenly, a loud roar shook the ground. The monster charged at him, fearless and relentless. Even with its tentacles torn and its jaw broken, it didn't hold back. The exorcist quickly dodged the wild attack as the creature rushed past him.

...In the process, tentacles were coming at him, breaking through the skin.

"Gross! I don't want it to be a parasite!!?"

Suddenly, a flash occurred. The tentacles were torn away by a swinging chain scythe. The scythe then wrapped around the monster's thick leg. When the outlaw exorcist pulled it back, the leg was easily ripped off, and blood sprayed everywhere, mixed with countless screams.

...But new legs quickly grew, blocking the wound.

"Cutting off a part won't fix this, huh? So then!!"

He swung the chain scythe to fight off the tentacles while chanting a curse softly with his other hand. The seed of his curse was already planted.

'''◼️◼️◼️!!?'''

Multiple pillars of fire shoot up from the ground. It's the release of the seal on the fire technique. It could be called ground flames, not land mines. The rough crimson flames burn the monster's skin until it dries out... If the skin and muscles harden like this, it should stop moving, even if it doesn't die. That's what common sense would suggest.

"Hey, are you serious? Don't joke around!"

With a loud scream, the monster's jaw opens wide like flower petals. It's a terrifying sight. It pushes its face out from deep within its throat. This monster is new and untouched, as if it has shed its old skin. It howls at the sky like a wolf.

...And from the discarded skin, tentacles approach.

"What!?"

A bunch of severed tentacles, wriggling like a lizard's tail, moves eagerly toward the outlaw exorcist, even without a master. They spread out like a sea serpent gliding on snow before they launch an attack. The slight gap from the main body shedding its skin allows the tentacles to close in.

With the distance so short, there aren't many options.

"This is...!?"

The exorcist releases a fire technique, and crimson flames swirl around his chain scythe, burning everything in his path. Taking advantage of the opening, he charges forward, kicking up snow!

"Don't underestimate me, boar head...!!"

The outlaw exorcist pulls out a special curse-tool borrowed from his family. He unleashes the spell, and two shikigami beasts dart to the sides.

''''◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️!!!!''''

The monster ignores the shikigami and charges at the exorcist, screaming loudly. It keeps charging until its legs are cut off, crashing face-first into the snow!

''''◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️!!??''''

"Of course, it's (special curse-tool) filled with divine energy!!"

The monster writhes in pain. Its front legs, along with the dozens of legs growing from its body, have been severed. It loses its balance and collapses. Moreover, its regeneration is much slower than before.

This happens because the cuts were so clean that the monster's body doesn't fully realize it's been injured, and the divine energy in the cuts is making it worse.

The silk of the special curse-tool from the earth god is notorious. The youkais hunters collected it during past battles and kept it as a special weapon. An outlaw exorcist took some of this silk as they escaped. This silk can injure most youkai, making it a powerful tool when used well. The thread laid at their feet skillfully cut off the monster's front legs. And...

"Now, jump!!"

''''◼️◼️◼️◼️!!?''''

As the shikigamis holding the thread leaps, an unprecedented scream from the monster echoes. The thread, which had been embedded in the monster's belly while it was hunched over, slices the monster in half. Red splatters rise up to the sky. It crumbles and hangs its head.

"And finish it!!!!"

Youkais are dangerous creatures, even if you try to cut them in half. So, he uses the chain sickle, which wraps around its neck and tightens, decapitating it. The head is thrown away and rolls off. Then, they are burned completely with fire techniques, down to the very core.

"Doesn't smell nice, huh? Right?"

The outlaw exorcist grimaces at the stench of burnt flesh.

"Hah. Hah... Is this all there is?"

The outlaw exorcist breathes heavily and wipes sweat from his forehead, trying to calm down. He takes a talisman from his pocket.

That regeneration ability is really strong. He has to stay alert. Just to be safe, he throws a few sealing talismans onto the fallen body. If anything strange happens, the talismans will warn him by hurting the evil spirit. This way, it can't sneak up on him and say, "Surprise! I'm still alive!"

"Well then... what a beautiful parent-child relationship, huh!?"

"Ugh!!?"

"Shirona!!?"

He swings the chain sickle while turning around. The chain tightens around the neck of the white fox trying to escape with her mother. It pulls and drags him.

"Shirona!!?"

"Don't move, you damn woman!! I'll cut off the fox's head!!?"

"Ah!?"

The outlaw exorcist shouts at Inari, who tries to cling to her daughter as she gets pulled away. Inari stops, fearing for her daughter's safety. The outlaw exorcist smirks.

"Haah, haah... You really never learn, do you? Huh? You should have left the brat behind and started a new life, right? Is that really the kind of head that suits a fox possesion? Ah, I guess you two are a perfect match as foxes?"

It's understandable that the villagers ran away. He can see why they would want to escape in that moment. But after tearing their relationship apart like that, trying to run away with the daughter... it seems there's no hope for improvement.

"Ugh, this is such a hassle... I'm starting to not care anymore. At this point, it just doesn't seem worth it, does it?"

Stop worrying about lost souls. This monster is not the main threat. I won't dig deeper and will end up dead. I should just take the reward and leave. Others will step in and handle the leftovers. He thought so.