"WAAAAAH!!!!"
The bus plunged through the spatial rift, dropping two meters from the sky. Most passengers screamed, Ruby's shrieks especially sharp and grating.
Already drained, Phaga twitched at the sound. Sitting next to her was torture enough.
But worse was the seatbelt, pressing so tightly against his chest that he could hardly breathe. Suffocation clawed at him with every second.
Just as he thought he'd pass out, the corner of his eye caught sight of a strong tail pressing against him. It had that unique softness of thick muscle padded with fat, yet firm and steady at the same time.
It felt... oddly comforting.
Phaga cracked his eyes open just a sliver, dazedly noticing Ellen's tail braced against his chest.
Suddenly, the tail tensed, holding him down against the seat with all its strength.
What the—?
That was his last thought before the bus hit the ground.
...
Screech!!!
The impact shattered the windshield instantly. The bumper snapped clean off under the crushing force, and both front tires exploded the moment they hit the asphalt.
Several tons of weight pressed down on the bare rims, inertia driving the vehicle forward uncontrollably.
The bus tried to stop, but without tires, it could no longer slow as it once had.
Steel meeting asphalt—unyielding against unyielding. Sparks burst forth like writhing silver snakes, leaping higher than the bus itself.
The sudden heat seared the ground, leaving two black scorch marks carved deep into the road.
Sssshhhhhh!
After sliding a dozen meters, the deafening screech finally ended. Ellen exhaled sharply, wiping the sweat from her brow.
Her gaze drifted to the rearview mirror—only to see Phaga still clutching her tail.
Hmph!
Ellen gave a sharp snort and flicked her tail free from his grip.
Phaga finally drew in a full breath. The pressure from her tail had been no more pleasant than the seatbelt, but without it, his condition would've been far worse.
He coughed twice, then muttered a strained, "Thanks."
"Hmph!"
Ellen snorted again. But Phaga's gratitude made her cheeks flush faintly. She quickly patted her face twice to hide it, then turned back.
"Just as I thought—sun allergy. Comes quick, goes quick."
Arms crossed, Ellen bent down to look him over. Paired with her icy expression, the pose gave her the aura of a domineering older sister.
Phaga's recovery was indeed fast. Within minutes, his face had regained enough color to look almost normal.
If someone saw him now, they'd joke he overdid his whitening routine—rather than, like Ruby earlier, think he'd gone paler than a corpse three days dead.
"This isn't a skin allergy. And whoever told you allergies come and go that fast..."
Phaga muttered under his breath. Then his eyes widened as he caught sight of black smoke rising from the front of the bus.
He yanked off his seatbelt, shot to his feet, and shouted to the classmates in the back:
"Run! This bus might blow!"
Faces went white at once. Seatbelts unbuckled, the students bolted for the exit.
...
Five minutes later.
Ruby glanced back at the smoking bus and mumbled, "So... it didn't blow."
"Sound disappointed, do you? Tsk—ahh!"
The Class President grimaced, arms crossed, pain from the crash etched across his face.
Ruby stuck her tongue out in reply—only to yelp when a hand chopped her lightly on the head. She turned, teary-eyed, and pouted pitifully. "Ellen..."
Ellen withdrew her hand, folding her arms across her chest. "Don't look at me. Lead the way, Proxy."
"Oh..."
Ruby pouted again, but quickly recomposed herself. Surrounded by the others, she carefully scanned their surroundings.
At last, ten minutes later, she looked up with delight, pointing toward a building a hundred meters away.
"The entrance to that building—that's the last spatial rift! If I'm right, it connects straight out of the Hollow!"
"Really?"
A student stepped forward, eyes trembling with excitement, lips quivering as hope surged in his chest.
Ruby nodded firmly. "Mm."
Cheers erupted.
"Wuhuuu!!"
"NICEEEEEEEE!!!!"
The fear and despair that had bound them until now shattered in an instant. Suppression, tension, disappointment—all gone. Every face lit with unrestrained joy.
Even Phaga and Ellen, normally stone-faced, couldn't help but smile faintly.
The Class President pointed toward the building, eyes bright with delight. Ignoring his injuries, he shouted:
"Charge!"
He dashed out first.
His cry jolted the others into motion. Students scrambled, racing after him with renewed strength.
"Hey, wait up!"
"Don't block me—I'm gonna be the first out!"
"Bullshit, I'll be first!"
"..."
"Boys and their weird need to compete..."
Ruby, realizing she couldn't keep up, slowed with a grumble.
Ellen glanced sideways at her. "You look like you wanted to be first too."
"No way!"
Ruby yelped like a cat with its tail stepped on, her voice pitching high. "That's just dumb boy stuff!"
But her eyes flicked around, as if seeking evidence. And there, she spotted Phaga strolling behind them, umbrella in hand, utterly unhurried.
Curious, Ruby asked, "Phaga, aren't you gonna run and fight for first?"
In her mind, Ellen had no interest in such vanity, which meant Phaga was the most likely candidate.
Phaga gave her a strange look. "And what exactly does being first get you?"
Ruby's eyes sparkled. "If you're first out, that's huge bragging rights! I could show off forever!"
"Sounds to me like you're the one acting like a 'boy,'" Phaga replied with a smirk.
"Mm."
Ellen nodded, adding, "Besides, Ruby—you could just brag about being an Apprentice Proxy. Leading an entire class out of the Hollow on your first mission? That's worth more than being first through the door."
"Hey! I don't wanna rot in prison!"
Ruby puffed her cheeks, pouting as she spun to walk backwards, ready to argue further—
But froze.
Ellen noticed first. "Hey, Ruby, what is it?"
Phaga, leaning on his umbrella, turned as well. Just as he was about to speak, a massive shadow engulfed him.
He looked up—and froze, eyes widening threefold.
"The... bus? Flying?" he muttered.
Whoosh!
The air split with a deafening roar.
Before anyone could react, the bus soared overhead, sweeping past Phaga and hurtling straight for the building in the distance.
BOOOOM!!!
Just as the Class President neared the entrance, the shadow crashed down before him. Dust and smoke exploded outward, forcing him to stumble back coughing.
"What... the hell?!"
Confused, he spun to look.
And there—about a hundred meters away—a colossal Ethereal slowly straightened its body. From afar, it looked like a mountain come to life.
Everyone's hearts clenched. Pupils shrank in terror.
They recognized it. Their teacher had drilled this into them.
Danger.
Extreme danger.
If you see one—run. Don't fight. Don't hesitate.
To normal people, it was an impassable wall.
"Damn... pulled the jackpot. We really ran into one of these."
Phaga sighed, lowering his parasol. He drew his blade, then flicked his wrist and tossed it to Ellen.
She caught it easily, then calmly pushed Ruby back. "Take them somewhere safe."
Ruby shrank back, trembling, then mustered her courage to shout, "What about you two?!"
Phaga and Ellen turned their heads together, staring at her strangely.
Retreat? Was that even an option?
If fate had thrown this in their path—then there was only one choice.
Fight.
Dead End Butcher.