TN: Thank Llama for the chapter. I can’t remember if I’m repeating instead of alternating, but the count is still going well.
TL/PR: Ruminas; ED: novicelily
It was truly by chance that Riana discovered Iria.
The back alley streets weren’t as wide as one might think, and Iria had been lying in the same place for three days.
“Iria! Iria! Wake up! What happened to you?!”
A significant amount of time had passed since Iria left Riana at the lodging and vanished.
At that time, Riana wasn’t comfortable either. Although she managed to live without stealing, thanks to the money Iria had given her, unease gnawed at her.
She was still frightened of Iria, yet at the same time, she was deeply worried about her.
Despite the accident, Iria was her friend, after all.
Moreover, Iria had saved her several times. Without her, Riana would likely have died in the back alleys.
Seeing the friend who had once saved her now collapsed in such a terrible state made Riana’s heart ache.
The image of Iria from their last conversation wouldn’t leave her mind.
Thinking back, Riana realized she had never seen Iria smile genuinely. Even before the accident, Iria always wore a sad or bitter expression.
The current Iria was broken. She was so thoroughly shattered that it was hard to believe she was the same person who had been moving normally until recently.
There was no life in her faintly open eyes. Riana couldn’t help but wonder what kind of torment she had endured to become like this.
“Iria, just get up for a moment……”
Riana called her name softly.
Iria showed a faint response.
Her cloudy eyes turned toward Riana.
“Mm, uh…… Eh……”
Iria moved her mouth.
The words were incomprehensible.
What came out was closer to groans of pain than coherent speech. Her condition was far from normal.
At Riana’s continued calls, Iria moved her body.
It was a movement driven more by instinct than reason, prompted by the faint but unmistakable scent of blood from Riana.
Given the poor public safety in Dusty Lane, it was not uncommon for people to suffer injuries, both minor and severe. But the timing was unfortunate, to say the least.
The smell of blood wafting in front of the extremely starved Iria triggered something deep within her.
With that, Iria’s consciousness faded from this world.
“Iria? Are you okay?”
“……”
“……Iria?”
There was no response to her calls.
Iria stood up and fixed her gaze on Riana.
“Eek?!”
Iria’s red eyes now appeared more empty and dangerous than ever, causing Riana to instinctively step back.
What stood before her was no longer human. It was more accurate to see it as a separate being, entirely different from the Iria she once knew.
Could conversation be possible if she spoke to her? Did Iria retain any semblance of reason?
Riana didn’t know.
The current Iria looked far too dangerous. Every instinct in Riana screamed that she should keep her distance. For some reason, it felt as though she shouldn’t approach her now.
“S-sorry. Maybe next time……”
Sensing the danger, Riana tried to step back, but it was too late.
Iria was faster, grabbing her wrist with a grip devoid of control. The force she applied was inhuman, driven by instinct.
“Wai-t! It hurts!!”
Riana screamed, but Iria didn’t hear her. The only thing that mattered was the prey caught in her grasp, and she yanked on it.
There was a sharp crack as Riana’s wrist bone snapped.
The girl’s scream echoed through the dark alley, where crimson eyes glowed faintly.
“Sob, hic?!”
Riana was trapped, trapped by a monster.
A monster with silver hair and blood-red eyes.
Looking at Iria, she realized it was the same terrifying figure she had seen when Iria had slaughtered that criminal organization. Her worst nightmare had come to life again.
Riana had watched Iria tear apart humans before. If she didn’t escape, she would soon meet the same fate.
But she couldn’t escape.
The monster’s grip was too strong, her hand held tight, unyielding.
“Kyaaaa!! Iria! Stop! Stop it!!”
Riana wailed, but the monster didn’t stop.
Fallen to the ground, Riana looked up at the silver-haired creature looming over her. Those chilling red eyes roamed over her body like a predator examining its prey.
Iria moved closer, closing the distance until their breaths mingled.
Riana’s heart pounded harder than ever. Her pupils trembled, and she instinctively curled up in fear.
She couldn’t run now. Cornered, all she could feel was a small, final regret.
She should never have approached Iria when she found her collapsed.
She should never have felt pity for a monster that had killed humans.
She wept as she was held tight by Iria’s arms.
Regardless, the monster opened her small mouth.
-Crunch
The monster opened her small mouth.
The alley filled with the smell of blood.
***
The unconscious monster moved her body purely on instinct, having completely lost her mind.
Her only goal was to fill her starving belly. She bit into Riana’s neck and licked the blood as it flowed.
Her actions were violent, like a predator feasting without regard for its prey.
When the blood flow slowed, she bit another part of Riana’s flesh, causing more bleeding. If the blood didn’t flow fast enough, she returned to the previous wound and bit down again.
Needless to say, Riana, the person involved, was in pain. It was a terrible pain she had never felt in her life.
Her eyes were filled with tears.
“It hurts! It hurts, Iria!! Please, please stop!!”
She shouted loudly, but Riana’s voice never reached her. She just continued eating according to her instincts.
Riana resisted with everything she had, but it was hopeless. The monster’s strength was overwhelming, and Riana was far too weak to push Iria away.
As the bleeding continued and the wounds deepened, Riana’s desperate screams began to fade. Her voice, once loud and full of pain, grew weaker with each passing second.
It was evident that her life was slipping away.
“I-ria… Save… me…” she whispered, her voice barely audible.
“……”
“Ha, ugh……”
The monster didn’t stop eating until Riana’s life was finally exhausted.
Her outstretched hand fell limply to the ground, and the light drained from her eyes.
And,
She no longer breathed.
That’s how Iria devoured her friend. The alley was soaked in blood and laced with a red, pulsating magical energy.
“……”
Even after killing her closest friend, Iria’s consciousness didn’t return.
She remained unaware, her body moving purely on instinct.
The part of her that had been human was buried deep beneath the primal hunger driving her.
With hazy eyes, Iria walks the streets of the back alley.
The current back alley had a quite different atmosphere from usual.
Because the unconscious Iria lost control of her magical energy, the back alley was already covered in black mud.
Her magic was vast, far beyond that of any other monster.
It was enough to cover the entire back alley area and more. The residents of the back alley who couldn’t escape in time were eroded by the magical energy.
The widely spread magical energy was like Iria’s eyes.
For humans without immunity to mental attacks, touching her magical energy would completely rob them of their memories.
Without conscious thought, Iria put all the humans within her range to sleep, her magic seeping into their bodies.
The black tendrils of magical energy wrapped around them, slowly draining their life force.
It was more efficient than using her teeth; she could absorb many at once.
The back alley monster wandered the streets, seeking more humans to devour.
The streets were divided into humans who had fallen asleep and humans resisting the magical energy.
“What… what is this?” one person muttered in disbelief.
“Run away! Something dangerous is coming!” another screamed.
The descent of Iria’s magical energy over this area happened instantly.
Even humans with strong resistance couldn’t do anything. They were paralyzed in confusion and unable to move from their spots.
Iria moved among them like a specter, her ragged figure soaked in the scent of blood.
“Ugh, help! My feet are stuck in the black mud!!”
“Sorry, but I have my own problems too! I don’t have the luxury to help others!”
Two humans, still resisting.
Iria reaches out her hand towards them.
And,
“Argh!!”
“Kuugh!!”
Black needles of magical energy shot up from the ground, piercing their bodies.
They didn’t die instantly as it didn’t hit vital organs, but it won’t be long for them either.
The black needles sucked even those with strong willpower into dreams. Just a slight touch will make them dream eternally.
The current Iria was intent on eating all the humans in the back alley.
She needed to regenerate her body, torn apart by endless suicide attempts. And this was the only way.
The thick concentration of magical energy affects not only human bodies but even objects.
Buildings crumbled, swallowed by the spreading darkness, and the air filled with the screams of those who tried to escape.
But they couldn’t.
The moment they stepped out of the collapsing structures, they were engulfed by Iria’s magic, drawn into her unending nightmare.
It didn’t take before one street turned into a wasteland.
That day, Iria killed every last human in the back alley.