join p atreon.com/KeyofStars for advance chapters | Every 100 powerstones = 1 extra chapter | Every 500 powerstones = free membership | Report issues @discord.com/GVBdncd9Wr
A few minutes ago—
"Seriously, I already said I had something to do today…"
Gokou Ruri was running down the street, muttering to herself.
Two days ago, she had told her mother in advance that she would be going out with friends on the weekend and asked her mother to look after Tamaki and Hinata.
But today, her mother was still busy rushing to the supermarket to snatch discounted goods, and only returned home just now, allowing the girl to temporarily escape from the hell of her two mischievous younger sisters.
"It's already so late…"
She pulled out her phone to check the time, then hardened her heart and simply turned into a small alley by the roadside, avoiding the gaze of passersby.
After rushing into the alley, the girl's figure suddenly vanished, as if dissolving into the air. The next moment, a nimble little Kuroneko gracefully leaped onto the wall, skillfully walking along the narrow edge.
It ignored the complex terrain, cutting straight through the courtyards of various houses, as if following some invisible guidance, and sped towards the train station in the shortest possible straight line.
This is so much more convenient than a human body!
The girl, now a cat, thought to herself.
However, as she passed a dilapidated courtyard that clearly seemed uninhabited, the girl, transformed into a Kuroneko, suddenly stopped.
Animals possess a 'sixth sense' that humans lost long ago in evolution, much like how rats can sense earthquakes in advance or certain birds can predict storms.
At this moment, the girl, having transformed into a small Kuroneko, had, to some extent, reawakened this almost instinctive "sixth sense."
Although far less profound and unpredictable than the Spider-Sense of the Four Hundred Aunties, she could still keenly sense the approaching danger, whether it was subtle changes in the air or hidden threats in the surroundings. She could perceive a hint of abnormality in advance, as if her body had an invisible antenna, constantly receiving warning signals from the outside world.
Suddenly, something fell from the sky.
The little Kuroneko instinctively dodged.
Then she realized it was a white snake broken into two pieces.
The cat's golden-yellow pupils sharply contracted into a line.
She vigilantly looked around—although Asakura hadn't explicitly mentioned it, the girl somewhat knew that he had arranged for small snakes to act as early warning measures in the shadows.
A cold gust of wind swept past the back of her neck without warning, bringing with it a biting chill. Her heart rate suddenly quickened, and the cat's fur instinctively bristled.
A low hum echoed in her ears, like a sound not belonging to this world, surging from all directions, pressing against her eardrums. Her normally upright ears instantly flattened into airplane ears.
The next moment, a spine-chilling sensation crawled up the girl's back.
—An incredibly tall figure stood not far behind her. It was so gaunt it was almost inhuman, its limbs like elongated shadows, and its pale face had no features, only a suffocating blankness. Its body leaned slightly forward, as if silently watching her, even though it had no eyes.
Gokou Ruri tried to retreat, but found her body stiff from extreme tension and fear. Her feet seemed nailed to the ground, unable to move.
The terrifying figure began to twist, and the surrounding air seemed to tear, emitting a grating, tearing sound.
The next second, its arm suddenly elongated, striking at her like a black tentacle, moving too fast to be caught by the naked eye.
The cat's reaction ability, far superior to a human's, finally came into play. Even though the girl's heart was still clenched by fear, her body instinctively reacted, leaping high to avoid the opponent's attack.
However, new tentacles inexplicably sprouted from the Slender Man's back, sweeping towards the little Kuroneko, who was in mid-air with nowhere to gain leverage.
The little Kuroneko transformed back into her human form with a thump, using the force generated during the transformation to push herself away from her original spot, narrowly avoiding the opponent's tentacles once again.
[Cat]!"
After rolling on the ground, Gokou Ruri gritted her teeth, forced herself to calm down, and directly unleashed Curse on the Slender Man.
But the Curse was not fully successful; the lower half of the slender figure transformed into a bizarre cat-like creature covered in eyes, while the upper half simply gained a pair of cat ears, making it look even more distorted and terrifying than before.
Fortunately, a distorted cat is still a cat, and as long as it's a cat, it falls within the influence range of Gokou Ruri's Curse.
Thus, the Slender Man's lower body began to twitch as if its motor nerves were in disarray, preventing it from moving normally. Even the tentacles that had regrown transformed into cat tails, no longer able to harm Gokou Ruri.
However, the Slender Man did not give up, or rather, this kind of monster simply had no concept of 'giving up.' It began to crawl on the ground, moving towards the girl in a spider-like manner, causing goosebumps to rise on Gokou Ruri's skin.
Should I use the Curse [Cat] on it again?
The intuition from the Curse blared, telling her not to.
Never mind, at least it bought me a chance to escape. The girl thought to herself.
However, just as she was about to transform back into a kitten and turn to flee, an indescribably heavy malice, almost solidifying, made her body go cold, as if the blood flowing through her veins had frozen, and she simply froze in place.
Behind her, another Slender Man had appeared at some unknown point.
No, it wasn't another 'one.'
The air around her seemed to solidify, so heavy it was suffocating.
The girl stood in the center of the abandoned courtyard, surrounded by rampant weeds underfoot and a gloomy sky overhead. The sunlight was obscured by thick clouds, leaving only a suffocating dimness.
Her breathing became rapid, her chest heaving violently, and her eyes frantically scanned her surroundings—at some point, those tall, slender figures had silently surrounded her.
One by one, they emerged from the shadows, their forms so elongated they almost defied natural laws. Their pale faces had no features, only a chilling blankness. Their limbs were like stretched shadows, distorted and eerie, as if they could strike her from any angle at any moment. They moved silently, their steps so light they seemed to float above the ground, yet they carried an indescribable sense of oppression, as if even the air was distorted by their presence.
Despair surged like a tide, and she knew there was nowhere to escape.
Those pale faces flickered before her eyes, as if silently mocking her helplessness.
Her consciousness gradually blurred, and all that remained in her ears was that maddening hum and the silent gaze of the Slender Men.
In her final moments of lucidity, she seemed to see their figures twist and merge in the air, transforming into an endless darkness that completely devoured her.
The next moment, a figure enveloped in raging flames descended from the sky, landing in the courtyard.
Like a god.
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars for advance chapters | Every 100 powerstones = 1 extra chapter | Every 500 powerstones = free membership | Report issues @discord.com/GVBdncd9Wr