Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!
This wasn’t supposed to happen yet!
As I ran, I desperately tried to come up with a plan even though I barely had the time to think.
If I hesitated for even a few seconds, that thing might tear us apart before I could do anything.
From what I remembered of the novel, most customers only remained inside the store for three to five minutes before leaving.
If I could keep Nica and myself alive until then, we might have a chance.
But that meant I had to survive for at least a few minutes. And with that thing chasing us, how the hell was I supposed to do that?
Should I just keep running and hope it left on its own?
Unfortunately, I couldn’t even be sure that would work. The rules governing this place didn’t seem to apply to me in the same way they applied to ordinary customers.
For all I knew, this thing might not follow them either.
Just because the other customers had left after a few minutes didn’t mean this thing would do the same.
And judging by the way it had attacked us without hesitation, I had a terrible feeling that we would both be dead before those few minutes were up!
Motherfucker! I should’ve prepared for this possibility!
Well, technically, I had.
Fortunately, I had come here with a few preparations of my own.
While running, I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small piece of yellowish talisman paper.
It was something I had specifically asked Harley to prepare for me before entering this place.
The paper was covered in intricate markings drawn with dark red ink.
At first glance, someone might have mistaken the substance for ordinary ink, but there was no mistaking its origin.
It was my blood.
At the center of the talisman was a strange character that didn’t exist in the language of my original world. Its shape was simple enough to memorize, yet something about its structure made it feel fundamentally different from any ordinary letter.
It was a symbol representing one concept.
Destruction.
In the universe of [Arcana], this ancient language was known as [Ossyrian].
Of course, that discovery had not happened yet in this place...
According to the timeline of [Arcana], the events of [As Above, So Below] were taking place several years before the religion’s discovery of [Ossyrian].
In other words, at this point in history, nobody should have known that this language existed.
...Nobody except me.
Thanks to my obsession with [Cult of the Moon], I was familiar with Ossyrian’s twenty-five characters and their corresponding meanings.
I could even reproduce all of them without needing to consult a reference. More importantly, I knew how to use them.
These characters were not merely letters used to write words. Under the right conditions, they could be incorporated into talismans to produce supernatural effects.
The one in my hand was designed to invoke destruction.
There was just one frustrating limitation, I could only create two of these talismans per day.
If that restriction didn’t exist, I would’ve prepared a whole stack before coming here!
I tightened my grip on the talisman as another crash sounded out through the convenience store.
Whatever that thing was, I had no intention of letting it kill me today.
"Ah! Get away from me!"
A terrified scream rang out from behind me.
I immediately turned my head and saw Nica backed into a corner between the shelves, with nowhere left to run.
The customer slowly spread open its coat once again.
Countless pillars of flesh covered in rows of sharp teeth burst out from beneath the fabric, surging toward Nica like a swarm of monstrous serpents.
’Dammit! I’m too late!’
My heart sank as I watched the malformed appendages rush toward her.
However, before they could reach her, Nica suddenly yanked open one of the refrigerator doors and swung it in front of herself like a shield.
CRASH!
The fleshy appendages slammed into the refrigerator door, their teeth scraping violently against the metal surface. The impact nearly knocked Nica off her feet, but she managed to hold her ground.
Then, without the slightest hesitation, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a pair of scissors, and began stabbing!
Again and again, she plunged the scissors into the exposed flesh, attacking the writhing appendages with a desperation that bordered on madness.
’Ah, right! I nearly forgot she’s one of the main characters!’
Relief washed over me.
Of course! This was Nica, one of the protagonists of [As Above, So Below]. She wasn’t going to die so easily!
More importantly, she’d managed to create an opening.
I immediately dashed toward the customer from behind, clutching the talisman tightly between my fingers. Before it could turn around, I slapped the paper against its soaked coat.
Then, I spoke.
"Destruction."
The word left my mouth through the language of [Ossyrian].
Unlike ordinary human languages, [Ossyrian] had a peculiar pronunciation, with sounds that seemed to resonate in the throat and vibrate through the flesh.
The moment I finished speaking, the talisman ignited into flames.
A rosey glow spread across the paper, and the strange character at its center seemed to distort as though the very space surrounding it were being twisted.
The customer froze as its entire body began to swell.
The coat bulged outward as though something enormous were expanding beneath it. The flesh and teeth protruding from its body writhed violently, thrashing against the surrounding shelves as its frame grew larger and larger.
A deep, rumbling sound rose from within the creature, growing louder by the second.
I didn’t wait to see what would happen next.
"Get down!"
I threw myself toward the floor and grabbed Nica, pulling her away from the creature just as its body reached its breaking point.
BOOOOOOM!
The customer exploded.
A violent blast tore through the convenience store, sending chunks of flesh and bone flying in every direction.
The shelves rattled, products scattered across the floor, and the refrigerator door Nica had used as a shield was knocked sideways by the force.
I lay on the floor, my ears ringing as I struggled to process what had just happened.
’Holy shit... It actually worked.’