Toasteful: Chapter 61, Part 2

Revision : bee shikigami => hummingbird shikigami

　'Kikiki......'

　And the spider that had just tried to escape gathers around the wounded deformity and the motionless Kochou. The sneaky spiders youkai monster clucked their chelicerae in mockery. The deformity snarls ferociously in annoyance at the threats made by these spiders. He snarls, showing his fangs as he braces himself. As a result, the wound opened further and blood poured out, creating a red pool at his feet in the blink of an eye. A reddish-black pool of blood...

　"...!!? No! If you move now, you'll bleed...!?"

　Kochou's face turned pale from his excessive blood loss and she dragged herself under him. She tries to come close to him to stop the wound, but the deformity checks her with a threatening look. There was not a shred of reason in his eyes. Only the eyes of a starved beast.

　"Eeek!? No, no... please... Please don't hurt me... if any more blood spills, you'll be..!"

　Kochou was frightened by the killing intent, but she pleaded in a sad voice. The only thing that mattered to her now was to save the life of the man in front of her.

　But her pleas do not reach him. The deformity ignores her outstretched hand as if it were not there. Or he dares to avert his eyes...

　'Roarrrrrr!!!!'

　Its roar was one of frustration and anger. However, as if still aching from his wounds, in the next moment his body shakes, and the deformity coughs and coughs while spitting blood. Seeing such a terrible scene, the spiders further provoked him, snapping their chelicerae in a taunting manner, and closing in on him. But then, the spiders were burnt to a crisp in a moment.

　'Kikki!?'

　'Kiki...!?'

　The deformity suddenly raised his head and coughed it out. The spiders were startled by the surprise attack, which had not shown any sign of such an attack before, but at the same time, they could not escape. They were burned to death before they had time to escape. The spiders were too densely packed in front of the pale fire that the deformity spewed out with a roar, and they were swallowed up in no time before they had time to flee.

　This new pale firepower was obtained in the short time after the belly was pierced... It was clearly no ordinary fire as he opened his jaws to the limit and spewed it out. The fire, which is a mixture of spiritual and divine energy, burns away most of the spiders surrounding it by shaking its head as if to calm them down, and the souls of the spiders are all burned away.

　'Gigigi...'

　'Gig... gigi...'

　Thousands of spiders, desperately trying to escape, were reduced to ashes in a matter of seconds. As a result of their desperate attempts to escape, countless spider corpses are charred, curled up in a heap. The few that are still breathing scream feebly in the face of inescapable death, but they gradually fade away into the fire... And then, as if to mock such an atrocious sight, a low cry is heard from the deformity. In a sea of pale fire, the deformity stands triumphant. Spitting out a great amount of blood.

　"B*stard, what a useless lowlife!"

　Tsuchigumo, who had been climbing up to the ceiling, attacked the deformity from directly above. The deformity quickly turns his body to avoid the thrust of the spider's legs that came right above him.

　"You, you b*stard! You've got to be kidding! How dare you destroy my army! You destroyed my plan!"

　It was a cry of anger because she had waited and waited for 500 years since the great war, and finally her plan, which she had risked even her own life for, had been destroyed without a second thought. Although she maintained the appearance of a young girl, her expression was distorted with anger and hatred to the extent that it was almost unrecognizable. Now, tsuchigumo, whose blood had been rushing to her head, attacked the black creature, driven by such passion.

　However, if she could overturn the difference in power with her emotions, no one would have any trouble.

　"What!?"

　Two of her spider legs are ripped off in a moment. As if a child was playing with insects.

　"You... Ggh!!?"

　The spider swings a blow with her middle leg from the side in a hurry, but the deformity catches it with one hand this time and crushes it in his grip. Then, he twists and crushes it.

　"What!? N-not yet...!"

　The back four legs, which had been used as legs, come at the deformity from multiple directions. The mass and speed of the legs are such that the impact would blow up the deformity's body, but the deformity leaps like an ape and evades them one after another, cutting them all off with a kick of his legs. It was like an acrobatic trick.

　"You monster!"

　Now, viscous spider silk and dissolving liquid were released. But the deformity avoided them at the ultra-close range, showing even a margin of comfort, with a single margin of the paper. It was a minimal movement. Then, he breaks both of her spider arms with his hand knives, breaking their thin bones and rendering them useless.

　"Ggh? ...Ugh!!?"

　The deformity then grabs the spider roughly by the neck and lifts her into the air. The spider, which was flailing the body of a child, could not resist any longer. There was nothing Tsuchigumo could do. There was nothing but to accept her defeat... and she understood this. The deformity that caught her opened his jaws, which were lined with hideous fangs. It seemed that he intended to swallow her in one bite.

　"What will you do...!? No, how dare you... how dare you...!"

　While letting out a vindictive voice, but despairing of her helplessness, Tsuchigumo prepares herself for her last moment. She is prepared, but she closes her eyes and tears up in frustration at her own helplessness. But then...

　"Wh-What? What the hell are you doing...!?"

　The end, which never comes, confounds Tsuchigumo, which slowly opens her eyes. It was natural that the deformity, which had ripped off most of her legs and grabbed her by the neck, had been trying to devour her, but had stopped moving as if it was lost.

　"What the...!? You fool, I've got a chance... Ggh!?"

　Stunned, but seeing this as an opportunity, Tsuchigumo forcibly produced a spider leg from her back and attacked the deformed creature, but the next moment, as if coming back to himself, she was kicked in the leg by the deformed creature and slammed into the wall of the cave.

　'Roarrrr...!!!!'

　Ignoring the spider that was stuck in the wall, the deformity held his head, and groaned in agony. His body was shaking slightly, and his head was moving from side to side as if he was trying to shake something off. His expression seems to be distressed.

　"Wh-What's wrong...? Where's the pain... Eek!?"

　But the next moment, Kochou screams. Of course. What she saw was the sight of the flesh lumps swelling and bloating one after another from the wounds on the side of his deformed belly.

　'Roarrrrrrrrr!!!!'

　It was a roar like a scream of agony. At the same time, the growing mass of flesh quickly engulfed a third of the deformed body. Tentacle-like tentacles and limbs of beasts and insects began to protrude from various parts of the body, and the eyeballs of the creature opened and gawked around it.

　It was a human being, and he howled. Over and over again he howls as if he has lost his mind. As if trying to release some impulse... but it is only a stall to fool himself.

　The next moment, the deformity was sprinting. And he was on it as if to pounce on it. The head of the Hasuka (Renge) family, who had been brought here as a detonator for the 'Spirit Exhaust Detonation', was devoured by him and the deformity eats the corpse with a desperate look on his face. The way he chewed and chewed, biting and chewing the flesh from the hard bones, truly showed a rabid carnivorous beast... the youkai itself.

　"Ah... ah..."

　At the horrifying sight, Kochou is struck with fear for the umpteenth time. But at the same time, she sees him. She sees a glimpse of despair and grief in his maddened eyes. She sees that he is desperately biting the human flesh, but at the same time, she sees the indescribable self-loathing he feels for what he has done. He is completely transformed into a monster, but there is still a trace of humanity in his heart.

　...And she has become convinced that even this small amount of reason will not last very long.

　He has devoured most of the dead body of the exorcist, but he continues to grumble and growl under his breath as if to say that he is still not satisfied.

　No, in fact, it is not enough. It is too little. For a man who is rapidly transforming his body, the corpse of a single exorcist in the middle of nowhere is far from enough to satisfy his sense of lack. He needed more nourishment, better quality flesh and blood, to overcome this physical transformation.

　Yes, for example, the flesh of a living woman from a family of renowned exorcists...

　'Grrrr....'

　A moment later, the ghastly creature stared at Kochou from the side. His bloodshot eyes were like those of a predator. They were the eyes of a starving beast.

　"Ah... Ugh...!?"

　The distance between Kochou and the deformity, which must have been fifty paces, was lost in an instant. When she realized it, she was grabbed by the neck and lifted into the air. Kochou, who looked at him with sad eyes, letting out a cry of anguish, and the beast, who caught her, stared at her in annoyance. The beast snarls and begins to drool incessantly through his fangs. Then the deformity opens his big mouth but he drops Kochou to the ground.

　"What!? Huh...!?"

　Kochou, expecting to be devoured at this moment, is puzzled by the strange behavior of the creature, which throws her down and angrily gouges the ground, shatters the wall, and howls, but after a few moments, she understands his intention. Yes, she understands.

　It was resistance. What little reason he had left was holding youkai's instincts under control. That is why the deformity in the front of her was lashing out to vent his frustration. Otherwise, he would have devoured her.

　Probably for the same reason he did not try to eat Tsuchigumo. Because it was the remnants of human reason that stopped him from devouring Tsuchigumo. Tsuchigumo, who had lost most of her legs, was almost indistinguishable from a human child at a glance, and that is why he did so... And the reason he ate the corpses of the Hasuka (Renge) family was probably to distract himself from his uncontrollable instincts. After all, it was better than eating a living person.

　"With a figure like that... you still look like that. No, it can't be...!!!"

　Kochou understands the meaning of his action and is saddened. What a kind and gentle boy. Such a sweet boy. How... how pitiful he!

　"No, stop... don't hurt yourself anymore, don't force yourself...!"

　Kochou pleads as she watches the deformity thrashing about, chewing rocks, and banging his head against the wall over and over again, probably to suppress his own instincts. Because of the wound in his abdomen, the balance between his spiritual energy, youkai energy, and divine energy, which had barely been in harmony within him, was rapidly tilting in the direction of youkai energy. And his body itself could no longer endure the physical transformation that accompanied the change. Naturally, the cause was a lack of nutrition. Therefore, the bloated flesh decomposes each time, and the deformity's body gradually crumbles away.

　And... perhaps that was his goal. Kochou's face is even more distorted at the prospect. She contorts her face as if she's about to cry.

　"Please, no more, you'll die! Please stop!"

　She screams as she hugs the foot that is turning into a lump of meat. She screams to bring his attention back to her. After all, she cannot let him die like this. Like that time. Like that person. Who did it for her. So, Kochou couldn't allow that. She couldn't have that kind of sorrow again.

　Therefore, she clung to him. To turn his attention to her. And then she made a decision. She chooses the only way to save him. Just as that person gave his life that day.

　"Quickly, quickly eat me...! And run! If you stay here, you'll be dead soon! So, come on. Eat me and run away...!"

　Kochou was not happy either. No one wants to die. No one wants to leave him a monster. But at the same time, she couldn't forgive his death more than anything. Because of her, she made "that man" throw away his life, so now she has to save him even if she has to throw away her own life. Even if it's just for his life...

　She knew this was a foolish act of sacrifice. That man in front of her is not the same person. She knew that, but she couldn't stop herself from seeing him as the same person. That's how much they were alike to Kochou. That's why she acted in a kind of crazy way. Still, it was a relief for her. At least, she would rather see him not dead.

　Finally, the monster turned his attention to Kochou's somewhat hysterical cry. The eyes of the bloodthirsty monster were submerged in the instincts of a beast. But that is exactly what Kochou wants, and she smiles with relief and pleasure.

　"Hehe... hehehe, that's right? This way? Look, you can't look away, okay? Don't be afraid to look at me?"

　As if she is desperately trying to seduce him, she undresses her kimono, exposing her white shoulders, and hugs his legs so that their bodies are even closer to each other. She tilts her head as she embraces him. To make him more conscious of her. To stimulate his instincts. And perhaps to this effect, the monster's trembling gaze is fixed on her, and her face is flushed with satisfaction at his reaction. At the same time, there was madness in her laughter. A maniacal delight.

　"Yes, it's me, okay? Look, see for yourself. If you eat me, you'll be saved. I promise to save you this time. So, come on?”

　She whispers to him desperately, flirtatiously, yet gently, as if she were telling a child, as if she were sweet-talking a lover. The human deformity is silent for a moment, but slowly but surely, as if conflicted, he opens his mouth.

　'Grrr...'

　A thick, reddish-black tongue reaches out, and after a moment of silence, it touches her cheek. It licks the white flesh of her cheek as if examining it as if tasting it. She smiled at the rough texture of his tongue, the saliva that dripped onto her cheek, fell on her collarbone, and flowed down to her breast, all of them enchanted her.

　"Yes. That's it, that's it. Don't be shy. Don't worry about it. Just... Keep going, okay?"

　Kochoy mutters something in response to the fangs that are closing in on her as if she's mumbling. With a tight smile in her dark eyes, she accepts her death. She accepts her destiny to be eaten. But it doesn't matter. She would much rather die than lose any more of the things she cares about.

　Yes. For her, the time after that day was just living out of duty. Even if it was hard and painful and full, she was still living because it was the time that person had given her. Otherwise, she would have killed herself long ago.

　So this is better. It doesn't matter that someone is swallowing her head off and chewing her bones to bits right this very second. If she could save him, even at this end, then she wouldn't have to make the same mistakes she made the first time. She would sacrifice herself. If she could do that, it would be bliss for her, and that's why...

　"Oh, my, it's a shame. You see, I can't accept anything but a happy ending to my story. The prince must come for the princess, right?"

　...A moment later, a haughty girl's voice echoes through the cave.

　'Roarrrr..!!!??'

　The fangs of the monster that tried to devour Kochou were stopped. It was stopped by a fan hardened by spiritual power. The creature looks at the new intruder with a murderous gaze, as if annoyed. There, he sees a bewitching fox woman with silver hair and peach-colored eyes... no, he gazes at the soul that controls the body within. He looks into the soul, through it.

　"Hehehe... It's so mean to peep into a lady's soul without her permission, you know? But if you're usually that aggressive, I'd love you too... However, too bad, I can't let you go home in that state."

　The spirit within the fox lightly dismisses the murderous intent, and declares. Then she glances behind her.

　"I'm concerned about a lot of things, but let's put it behind us for now, shall we? Old hag, could you at least help me?"

　And Aoi throws the boy whom she had caught with her fox tail in front of Kochou. The hummingbird shikigami follows her, flapping its wings and stopping on the boy's head.

　"Whoaaa!? Ouch... hey, you're roughing people up...... Eek!?"

　"I'll try to stop him. It will be difficult with your legs, but you can at least, can't you?"

　Aoi's soul asks Kochou, ignoring the frightened former child in front of the deformity that has transformed like a monster. At the same time, Kochou, who had been stunned for a while, finally understood the situation.

　"You, Aoi? Why, this is... no, wait. You don't mean...?"

　"Yes. I'm out of medicine. Luckily, I'm still not as busy with youkai as I was the last time. So, it's not impossible. Now, I'll set the scene. The Hasuka (Renge) style Fuso dance... the soothing kagura, to bring him back. I'm counting on you, you know?"

　Aoi declared unilaterally to Kochou and turned to the front. She looks at him with her fan ready.

　"The stage is not very elegant, but it can't be helped. Will you dance with me, you?"

　Aoi's words were answered with a roar. It was an angry and terrible roar that could hardly be described as a language. Aoi's face broke into a smile, though she would have swooned with fear if she were the only one. She smiles happily and joyfully.

　"Oh, my, you are so cheerful. But it's good. I'll play with you as much as you want if it's okay with me. Come on, admire my dance to your heart's content."

　Aoi whispered this with a loving smile to her beloved who came rushing into her, and soon after, the Kizuki Aoi's soul was waving the fan in her hand, not caring about the time left to her...

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