I turned my gaze back.
A humanoid monster with the head of a bull stood there.
It reminded me of the Minotaur that appears in Greek mythology.
"Buru ruu! Fushyuuu~..."
Its eyes were golden.
Veins bulged prominently across its body.
It had a muscular physique.
Thick orange lines ran all over its form. Those were probably veins.
Its skin had a dark tone.
Its huge horns branched out like those of a reindeer.
The base image was clearly a Minotaur.
However, its overall shape felt abnormally grotesque and menacing.
What stood out the most was the liquid it kept emitting.
Several protrusions shaped like miniature Mount Fujis were visible on its body.
At the tip of each protrusion was a hole roughly the size of a 100-yen coin.
Something came out of those holes intermittently.
It was a viscous, sticky liquid.
The liquid dripped onto the ground.
Drop.
Splash.
Sizzle sizzle.
Sssshaaa...
The ground was melting.
The ground right there was dissolving.
What had happened behind me earlier must have been the same thing.
The area around the transfer point had been relatively bumpy and uneven.
That unevenness was probably caused by this liquid too.
The sight was eerie.
It was frightening.
"...Anyway."
It caught up far too quickly.
I had not heard its footsteps at all until it entered my line of sight.
There was no way I could escape.
This aberrant Minotaur.
Could the goddess defeat something like this?
Could Kirihara take it down with that unique skill of his?
They had said that even robust heroes and warriors from the past were discarded here.
No one had ever left these ruins alive.
They had all been killed.
By this creature.
There was no factor that suggested I could win.
Not as an E-class like me.
"Damn it."
This was the end.
This was the final moment of Mimori Touka.
At the very least, I wanted to say one thing.
I wanted to express my gratitude.
To my uncle and aunt.
I wanted to tell them, thank you for being kind to me.
I had planned to say it properly on the day I graduated high school.
I should have said it much sooner.
And then there was Sogo Ayaka.
I knew the feeling of indebtedness was one-sided on my part.
Still, even a single word would have been enough.
I wanted to thank her.
Thank you for trying to protect me.
Step. Step. Step.
The Minotaur slowly drew closer.
It seemed to be saying the amusement was over.
The humans who got transferred here were probably nothing more than food to it.
This thing likely made the area around the transfer point its lair.
Crunch.
My fingernails scraped against the ground.
I had no weapon.
All I carried was the leather pouch I used as a light source.
My status was a complete miss.
My skill was an utter failure.
"The only real stroke of luck in my life... was probably the fact that my uncle and aunt took me in."
I started to stand up.
But then I stopped myself.
Even if I stood and tried to run now, the Minotaur would almost certainly be faster.
At this close range, it would catch me in an instant.
Above all, I had already exhausted most of my stamina during that desperate full sprint earlier.
I was completely out of moves.
Everything was finished.
I closed my eyes.
Memories rose up in my mind.
Words echoed.
"If you're going to disappear, then disappear quickly, you E-class trash."
"Well~ but I kind of wanted to see Mimori die in a pathetic way~! That's seriously disappointing~!"
"Forget everything and rest in peace, Mimori Touka... R, I, P..."
"Thanks for the bottom-feeder tough-guy howl right at the very end."
I opened my eyes just a sliver.
Irritation surged inside me.
It was all going exactly the way they wanted.
Their way.
To end like this...
Could I really accept that kind of conclusion?
I clenched my teeth hard.
"I want power—"
The Minotaur let out a ferocious roar.
"Buru ruuu! Goa aaa aaa aaa aaa aaa aaa—!"
Was this an act of intimidation?
Or was it declaring that I was its prey?
The Minotaur extended its hand.
It reached toward my head.
I also extended my hand.
Toward the Minotaur.
Our arms crossed—human and demon—without any possibility of harmony.
I could tell clearly.
That enormous hand was closing in on my head.
"..."
I did not want to die without doing anything at all.
I knew full well that it was a failure skill.
But I still used it.
I wanted to at least land one hit in return.
The overflowing regret pushed me forward.
Perhaps it was simply raw survival instinct.
My instinct had screamed at me to struggle.
With nothing more than a single glare.
I locked eyes on the Minotaur.
Unique skill.
Status abnormality, bestow—
"[Para, lyze]"
That was my final act of resistance... and it ended there.
I lowered my gaze.
"..."
Several seconds passed.
Then I noticed something strange.
"Huh?"
Nothing... was... happening...?
By this point, my head should have been crushed already.
Or my neck should have been torn out.
Yet—
Nothing at all was happening.
Perhaps because of the tension.
Perhaps because of the fear.
My face was drenched in sweat once again.
Slowly, very slowly, I lifted my face.
My eyes opened wide in an instant.
"Huh?"
The Minotaur was frozen in place.