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In my previous life, when I was small, I had sharp hearing. Sharp enough to sense spaces through echoes, like dolphins or bats do.

But as I grew older and passed the age of ten, that gift dulled to merely “really good hearing,” and by the end of my previous life, it had settled at “above average.”

With this body now, though, I feel like I can use that keen hearing again—maybe even better than before.

Focus. Focus…

“…?”
“You’re serious about this, huh? Apologies won’t get you out of a beating.”
“Heh, bring it on, nya.”
“I won’t let you lay a hand on my sister!”

That’s when I noticed a strange sound approaching. A presence that made almost no noise—only enough to faintly disturb the flow of air—creeping toward us with terrifying stealth.

It wasn’t a rat. Rats weren’t this big, nor this silent.

I narrowed my eyes, peering beyond the glow of their torches. The light actually made it harder to see into the darkness beyond, but I caught sight of a massive black shadow shifting there.

Even this close, that thing was eerily quiet. Without my focus, its presence would have been completely drowned out by the back-and-forth between Noche and the men.

But it was there. Approaching.

At the very edge of the illumination, behind the men blocking the passage, a head slid into view.

“Gangin’ up on a bunch of kids! Pathetic, nya…”

Noche’s taunt trailed off.

It was a massive weasel. Its fur was pitch-black, swallowing all light, and only its eyes and mouth glimmered an unnatural, vivid red.

It wasn’t cute in the slightest—not like the weasels I’d seen in photos. Its face was wrinkled and grotesque, its mouth split all the way to its ears. Its glowing eyes gleamed, and its mouth twisted in a grin, as if mocking the men it was staring down.

“Huh? What’s wrong? Don’t tell me you’re scared now?”

Noche and Sufi both bristled, their tails puffing up. I was probably the same.

No, not this one. This one is *bad*.

In my previous life, because of the facility I was kept in, I had heard the sounds of many kinds of people. Brilliant elites, hopeless fools. Some of the most powerful figures in the world, and others who, for various reasons, were sent to the execution grounds.

Among them, there were, every so often, those whose sounds carried pitch-black malice. The kind of people who took supreme delight in hurting others, degrading their dignity, and trampling on their lives.

That weasel gave off a sound very much like theirs.

It was as if that malice and hostility had been extracted, concentrated, solidified, and wrapped in the skin of a beast—an aberration.

I’m scared. Terror shakes my whole body.

I’m used to “dangerous things,” thanks to the Unknowns.

There were even some who had directed their hostility at me without hesitation. What I feel from this creature is exactly the same as that.

This is a monster—a pure, unadulterated monstrosity.

Once, I might’ve been able to stay calm in this situation, but now, I have no bodyguards or allies to come to my rescue.

I never knew that being defenseless in the face of malice could be this terrifying.

“…Well, so long as the job’s easy. Grab them.”

The men blocking the path began to walk forward, oblivious to what loomed behind them.

From the massive body of the monster, two devilish arms shot out and seized the upper arms of a man who was a moment slow to react.

“Wha—!? What the hell…!?”

The man’s cry of surprise froze the moment he turned around. That was the trigger; finally, everyone there became aware of the creature’s presence.

“U-Uwaaaaaaaah!?”
“What the hell is this monster!?”
“G-Gedo! What the hell are you doing!?”

I couldn’t see the whole thing, but judging from the position of its head, it stood at least a head taller than the men.

In the swaying light, I could see the black beast’s claws digging into the arms of the screaming captive.

“Ghh… OW!! Somebody, please, somebody help me!”

A creaking, crunching sound echoed. The weasel monster’s already twisted face distorted even further with barely contained delight.

It didn’t take long before everyone there was thrown into a state of total panic.

“Eeeeek!”
“Gedo! Dammit, let him go!”
“M-Move it, all of you!”

The boy screamed, trying to flee as the light flickered, while the other men swung clubs at the monster in an attempt to save him. But the creature didn’t even flinch.

“Die, ‘Slash’!”

The man’s sword, wreathed in a faint red glow, came down on the monster’s body—only to stop with a heavy thunk on its surface.

“Ghh… F̲u̲c̲k̲!”

The creature glanced sideways at the man who stumbled back, clutching his wrist. As if studying his frustration, new arms emerged from the darkness.

One, two, three, four—six arms in total.

Two of them grabbed hold of the captured man’s jaw. Slowly, agonizingly slowly, the creature tilted the man’s head upward.

Its gaze was locked on the man with the sword.

“Filia… Filia! Noche, Sufi too! While it’s distracted, run past it to the side!”
“Wha—b-but…”
“We can make it! We can do this! Noche! Sufi!”

I called out to trembling Filia, patting her shoulder to spur her on.

Stopping and freezing here will only spell our doom. I can tell by its behavior—its goal is to toy with us.

With a body that can’t even be scratched by a sword, there’s no reason for it to fear anyone here. And yet, as if amused by the fleeing humans, it had chosen one of us to capture and torture.

Right now, at this moment, there’s a high chance we’ll be overlooked.

“Noche! Sufi!”
“…Nnya.”
“A-Alice…”
“Run! Past it! Now’s your chance! Cough—”

I didn’t care about coughing as I shouted at the top of my lungs. It seemed to steady their nerves a little.

Honestly, it’s a gamble. But this is the best shot we have.

Don’t hesitate, don’t think, there’s no time.

“Cough—gghh—Run…!”
“Damn you! ‘Power Slash’!”

The man gripped his short sword with both hands and swung it down, the blade glowing with a stronger red light than before.

The blow was visibly faster and heavier than the last. The blade sank into the monster’s body, and with a creaking sound, the weapon’s edge split apart.

Before the stunned swordsman, the monster thrust forward the man it had captured, as if to show him off—its face plastered with a grotesque grin.

“Goren, p-please, save meee!”
“S-sure…”

The swordsman staggered back as the creature’s arm moved. From the man’s neck came a sickening crunching sound.

“Ghhbbh—no, no, no no no no… I don’t… wanna d—”

Behind the monster flaunting its victim’s death, Filia darted past at incredible speed. From the sound of it, Noche and Sufi followed close behind.

As expected of beastfolk legs—plus the dry ground—they were quickly putting distance between themselves and the scene.

“Wh-what was that!? What the heck was that thing!?”
“S-so… so scary!”
“Hurry… get as much distance as…”

Though I couldn’t see them, I was relieved to hear Noche and Sufi’s voices behind me, confirming they were keeping up. I spoke again, urging them to widen the gap while we had the chance.

“We know! Just be quiet!”

But Filia, completely losing her composure, snapped at me. I fell silent, focusing all my senses on the sounds behind us.

The screams and death rattles reached my ears—one by one, growing duller, then fading away.

A troublesome enemy had disappeared, only for an even more terrifying one to appear. The situation remained as dire as ever.