Saeko desperately covered her mouth.
She had always prided herself on her self-control, yet even so, she feared that if she relaxed for a single second, a sound might escape her throat.
What kind of monster… was that?
The corridor was dim, and the shadows distorted its outline, but when its feet stepped onto the stone floor, the shape became unmistakable. If she had to describe it in one word, it would be anthropomorphic.
And that was precisely what made it horrifying.
If it had simply been a beast, no matter how grotesque, it wouldn't have triggered such instinctive terror. But this thing… it resembled a human.
It stood at least three meters tall. Its entire body was pitch-black, from head to toe, with limbs disturbingly close to human proportions. Its hands and feet ended in claws over twenty centimeters long, curved and sharp. There was no visible skin, no facial muscles, its surface looked as though it had been coated in thick black oil. Only its face was different: a mask-like structure of bone-white material covered it, shaped like a demonic visage frozen in an eternal grin.
It was as if some alien existence had crawled out of primordial darkness and stepped into reality.
The mere sight of it was enough to seed nightmares.
And the most dreadful thought of all crept into her mind...
Was this orphanage run by creatures like this?
What purpose could such a being possibly have in raising children?
The answer hovered at the edge of her thoughts, too horrifying to fully articulate.
Under the cover of the truck, Arthur and Saeko crouched low and moved closer. Before entering, Arthur had already divided their roles. He would handle the monster. Saeko would incapacitate Mom without causing fatal harm and ensure Nina's safety.
Without needing further instruction, Saeko circled around the far side of the truck, keeping low. She moved carefully through Mother's blind spot, using the deep shadows as cover.
Nina was still asleep in Mother's arms. The monster stood close, too close. If their timing was off by even a fraction, Nina could be injured.
They had to strike simultaneously.
"Why are the recent goods all such low quality?" The demon's voice carried a trace of irritation as it glanced at the report Mother handed over. The numbers on it, Nina's scores, clearly dissatisfied him. "Even if these defective products are sold, they won't fetch much."
Though for a demon like him, merely a subordinate, it was already a rare treat. After all, these were edible children cultivated on one of the few elite farms, delicacies reserved for the upper echelons of demon society.
He let out a low sigh. "Even just a finger… would that really be forbidden?"
Mom watched him with icy indifference as he extended a long, grotesque tongue to lick the surface of his mask-like face.
"The children of this farm are luxuries prepared for the nobility," she said coldly. "Even if a single hair is missing, you cannot afford the cost. If you're not afraid of being slaughtered by them, you're welcome to try."
The demon's posture stiffened slightly, displeased by her tone, but he did not step forward.
"Hmph! As expected of a 'Mom' from an Elite Farm... you certainly have confidence."
Though humans were nothing more than livestock to them, a woman bearing the title of Mom held a status even higher than that of an ordinary demon like him. After all, she possessed the knowledge and techniques to cultivate food worthy of the nobility. Offending her would bring no good outcome.
Forget it.
Next time, he could simply purchase a mass-produced edible child from another facility to satisfy his cravings.
"Well then, it's about time. Let the ritual begin."
From within his garments, the demon produced what appeared to be an unremarkable flower bud. This was a ritual unique to their kind, a traditional method of preparation before consumption. By inserting the flower's stem into the prey's chest, it would absorb all the blood from the body, causing the bud to bloom. When the flower fully opened, it signified that the "food" was ready.
Mom gently laid the sleeping Nina flat on the cold ground. The girl frowned faintly in her sleep at the chill seeping into her back.
What a pity, the demon thought. He wouldn't get to see the fear in her eyes, or hear desperate screams before death. The ritual felt almost dull without that element of panic.
Perhaps he should visit Goldy Pond someday and participate in a proper hunt.
"Hm? Who's there!"
A demon's senses were far sharper than a human's. He instantly snapped out of his idle fantasy. Something was nearby.
Unfortunately, his race did not possess true night vision. In the pitch-dark corridor, he couldn't pinpoint the exact position of the intruder.
Not good.
Above!
His head jerked upward—
—and what he saw froze him for a fraction of a second.
A small human figure, one he would have instinctively labeled as weak prey, was descending from above, blade raised high.
"How is this possible…?"
For a demon accustomed to absolute dominance, the sight of prey wielding a weapon and rising to kill the hunter was almost incomprehensible.
Arthur didn't spare a single thought for what the demon was thinking.
He had already climbed silently onto the roof of the truck, crawling forward inch by inch without making a sound, waiting for the decisive moment—the instant the demon bent down and prepared to drive that grotesque flower into Nina's chest.
And then... Arthur lunged.
He no longer cared about the noise. Subtlety was meaningless now. The only thing that mattered was the name of the blade in his hand:
One-hit kill.
He could not allow the demon even the slightest chance to retaliate. If the first strike failed, the situation would spiral into uncontrollable variables.
Fortunately... The moment the demon sensed the disturbance overhead and looked up, Murasame flashed downward in a merciless arc, carving straight into its neck. Arthur poured every ounce of force into that strike, combining the momentum of his leap with the acceleration of gravity from his fall.
His small frame slammed down onto the demon's massive body.
Crack!
The sharp sound of bone splitting rang out.
By the time the demon's towering body crashed to the ground, its head had already separated from its shoulders.
A clean decapitation.
Arthur knew demons were not supernatural entities in the mystical sense; they were deformed, evolved organisms. Structurally, their bodies were not so different from humans. Sever the head, destroy the central nervous system, death would follow.
At least, for most of them.
That said, given Arthur's current suppressed strength and child-sized body, such a clean beheading should have been impossible. The demon was enormous, its muscles dense, its bones thick and reinforced to support that towering frame. An ordinary blade shouldn't have been able to cut so cleanly through flesh and vertebrae.
But Murasame was no ordinary weapon.
And Arthur's strike had been delivered at the perfect angle, with perfect timing, and absolute intent.
But the true reason Arthur had been able to kill the demon in a single strike lay in one of the only three skills he currently possessed: [Giant Killer].
Giant Killer: When facing enemies larger than oneself, damage dealt increases proportionally; for every doubling in size, damage increases by 10%, with no upper limit.
Against towering creatures whose advantage lay primarily in size and brute strength, this ability was practically a cheat. In that instant, after the skill's damage correction was applied, Arthur's effective combat output nearly returned to his former peak—close to a full 100 in strength.
If he could maintain this state consistently, then even a direct confrontation with such beings wouldn't necessarily put him at a disadvantage.
Behind him, Saeko Busujima had also executed her task flawlessly. Using the back of her blade, she struck Mom precisely at the neck, rendering her unconscious without causing fatal harm. After confirming that Arthur didn't require assistance, she immediately moved to Nina's side and lifted the still-sleeping girl into her arms.
Everything had gone perfectly.
The demon lay decapitated. Mom was unconscious. Nina was safe.
And then—
A small figure appeared at the entrance of the corridor.
Under the dim light filtering in from outside, that petite silhouette stood still, gaze fixed on them.
"What… are you doing?"