"GRRRR..."
"!!!" Suddenly, a bone-chilling growl pierced through the air, sending shivers down Haru's spine.
Startled, he quickly turned toward the direction Aki had pointed with his heart racing.
"W-What?" Anticipating a terrifying high-level Zombie, he squinted through the darkness.
But instead of the red glare of Zombies which he had expected, he found two monstrously glowing yellow eyes in the distance.
Bewilderment clouded Haru's mind as he tried to grasp the sight before him.
But then, a shout rang out from behind, jolting him back to the urgent reality at hand.
"HARU! STAY ALERT! IT'S A LEVEL 5 Beast!" Orimura's urgent voice cut through the tension from behind, mindful of the fact that Haru's System wouldn't detect its existence or level.
"What!?" Haru's eyes widened in shock as he absorbed the gravity of the situation.
'Shit!!! Don't panic!!!!' Haru thought as he controlled his emotions and fear in the face of the Beast.
His heart was feeling dreadful but he refused to yield to it.
Swiftly planting his sword into the ground, he grasped a Molotov from his waist. After quickly igniting it with his burning torch, he threw it toward the obscured beast, determined to confront the threat head-on despite his anxious heart.
"Grrr"
As the burning Molotov entered the beast's eyes, it glared at it and confidently remained in its place. However, when it was just a meter away, the Beast suddenly dodged with incredible speed, shocking everyone present.
Splash! The second the explosive Molotov landed with a splash, it ignited the ground in a blaze of flames.
Even though the intended target was missed, the fiery glow illuminated the surrounding and the Beast, revealing its terrifying features to all.
"What in the world is that?!" They exclaimed in horror and fear as they gazed upon the bizarre Beast before them.
The monstrous Beast resembled a ferocious dog with sharp, snarling teeth and a menacing growl. Its terrifying yellow eyes pierced through the night, emitting an eerie glow that sent shivers down the spine of anyone who dared to look at them. Despite its canine features, it stood as tall as a lion, with a powerful, muscular frame that exuded an intimidating presence.
"GRRR!!" Seeing their fearful expressions, the Beast lunged forward with a thunderous roar, its menacing form piercing through the air.
"Damn it!" Haru, despite his beating heart and being closest to the Beast, hurriedly seized his sword from the ground and attempted to intercept the Beast.
However, the Beast had different targets in mind.
"What in the world!?"
Ignoring Haru and Yoshida aside, it charged toward the group at the rear, where Aki, Orimura, and six other students stood.
"WATCH OUT!!!" Haru's warning rang out as he and Yoshida raced after the Beast. But it outpaced them effortlessly.
"Ah!!! It's coming!!!"
"Shit!! What to do!!?"
"Sensei!!! HELP US!!!"
"I-I don't want to die!!!"
Panic and chaos erupted as the Beast raced toward them, its speed leaving them all stunned and frozen in fear.
"Get away from us!!" Reacting swiftly and knowing the danger, Orimura flung a blazing Molotov at the beast, pulling the petrified Aki, who was near her, out of harm's way.
"MOVE EVERYONE!! SCATTER AROUND!!" she then warned her other students.
"RUN!!!"
Sensing the danger of being killed, the remaining six students scattered in every direction, desperately trying to put distance between themselves and the approaching monstrosity.
They hadn't even fought against a Level 1 zombie, and confronting a Level 5 Beast was well beyond their capabilities.
But, despite their efforts to flee, the Beast swiftly closed the distance between them after effortlessly dodging the Molotov thrown by Orimura earlier.
"H-Help!!"
"N-No!!"
"Growl..." The sound reverberated through the air as the Beast's horrifying jaws seized down on one student's neck, while another was thrown to the ground by its massive paw.
Before Aki could fully process the shocking scene unfolding before her, she and Orimura were confronted with an utterly terrifying sight.
"HEL--!!!"
Crackle!
"Grrr!!" With its terrifying jaws, the Beast ripped off the head of the tear driven student in one go and threw the head away in the Aki's direction.
"!!"Aki and Orimura stood frozen in shock as their stunned eyes watched the head fly past them.
'Eh? W-Why is this happening?' Aki struggled to comprehend the sudden turn of events.
They had been making progress, killing the zombies efficiently and were almost within reach of the safety of the Auditorium. But then this monstrous Beast appeared, transforming their hopeful situation into a desperate and dire one. It was such a shock that she couldn't comprehend what was happening.
"!?" But then, the anguished cry of another student broke through Aki's shock, snapping her back to the distressing reality of the situation.
"P-Please, someone help me! I-I don't want to die! HELP ME!!!" the trapped student screamed in terror, trembling beneath the Beast's powerful paw, desperately trying to avoid the jaws closing in on him.
'M-Move... please!!!!' Aki pleaded to herself with urgency as her hands shook, the fear coursing through her veins. She couldn't bear the thought of witnessing another death.
"GRRR!!!!"
"Help!!!!"
"Don't!!"Finally with a burst of desperation of not wanting to see someone die, she steadied her trembling hands and aimed the crossbow at the monstrous Beast, letting the bolt fly with a determined resolve.
Swoosh!
The bolt found its mark, piercing the Beast's shoulder as its sight was focused on its prey. But the wound was not deep enough because of its sturdy body.
"GRRRR!!!" Nevertheless, the Beast roared in pain, turning its eyes threateningly toward Aki.
It disregarded the student who was beneath it and shifted its focus to Aki and Orimura, sending chills down their spines.
But before it could lunge at them, a Molotov arced through the air toward the Beast.
"Grrrr!!!!" Despite being caught off guard, the Beast was still quicker and easily dodged it.
"GET AWAY FROM HER, YOU MONSTER!!" Haru shouted as he and Yoshida arrived to help them.
"Haru!!"
"You all, support us while we face it!! If you find an opportunity, use it to attack its blind spot!!" He quickly instructed the others.
"Grrrr..." Now with Haru and Yoshida in its sight, the Beast let out a growl as it prepared to engage them.
"Tell me you have at least a plan, right?" Yoshida, without an ounce of taunt or dislike toward Haru, nervously asked as he stared at the monstrous being up close.
"No plan... we will just kill it with whatever we have and survive," Haru replied confidently despite feeling his heart pounding.
He then brought out his last Molotov and splashed it onto his sword, drenching it with highly concentrated alcohol.
With the blazing log, he ignited the sword on fire, which burned at a high temperature due to the alcohol.
Then he pointed it toward the Beast and said, "Come, you Beast."