(Attendances… plz…)
….
Ram's eyes darted left and right, trying to see a way out, but there was none. The clear area was no longer a safe space; it was a cage.
She, Gojo, and the unconscious child were trapped in the very center. The Mabeasts were everywhere.
They stood shoulder to shoulder, a living wall of black fur, sharp teeth, and hungry, glowing eyes.
More of them kept emerging from the deep shadows between the trees, filling every tiny gap until the forest itself seemed to be made of monsters.
A low, continuous growl filled the air, a deep rumble that she could feel in her bones.
Fighting them was not an option. It was somewhat of an impossible thing at the moment for her. From what she could see and smell, their numbers were not in the dozens, but in the hundreds. It was like a whole army.
To even try to fight would be like trying to stop a tidal wave with a single bucket. It was hopeless.
Her mind raced, trying to make sense of the situation. This was the exact kind of thing she had feared, the very reason she had told Gojo not to enter the forest.
This had to be a trap. It was too perfect, too well-prepared to be a coincidence.
But who was it for?
Her first thought was that it was a trap for her. But that didn't make any sense. No one outside the mansion knew she would be in the village today.
And even if they did, anyone who knew her even a little would know her standard procedure.
She would have found the broken barrier, understood the danger, and immediately returned to the mansion to report to Master Roswaal.
She never would have walked into the forest alone.
An enemy who knew her would have known that. So, the trap wouldn't have worked. Unless… unless the enemy knew she wouldn't be alone.
Unless they knew she would be with him.
Could the trap be for Gojo? This man with white hair. But that seemed even less likely.
Who were his enemies? How could they have possibly known he would be here, in this specific place, at this specific time? It was too complicated, too unlikely.
Her thoughts spun in circles, but one terrible fact remained. It didn't matter who the trap was for. They were the ones who had walked into it. The result was the same. They were here, and they were surrounded.
With a cold, hard focus, her mind shifted from why to how. She quickly calculated her own abilities.
Could she use her wind magic to blast a path open?
She imagined casting her strongest wide-area spell, a powerful gust of wind that could tear through the first few ranks of the Mabeasts. But the mana it would cost would be huge.
She would be exhausted after just one or two casts. And what about them? She looked at Gojo, who was standing there looking weirdly calm, and the unconscious girl in his arms.
Could she protect them while she fought? Could she create an opening and then run, carrying or shielding them both?
The answer came back sharp and painful: impossible. The Mabeasts were too many, and they were fast. They would be swarmed and torn apart before they made it ten steps.
And even if, by some miracle, they did escape the clearing and run from the forest, what would happen then?
The entire horde of Mabeasts would be right behind them.
They would lead the monsters straight to Irlam village. The broken barrier meant the village had no protection. It would be a slaughter. Every man, woman, and child would die because of them.
She gritted her teeth so hard her jaw ached. The sound was a harsh grinding in the tense silence.
They were trapped. There was no escape. They were going to die here, no matter what she did.
They would die if she fought, and they would die if she did nothing. And if both choices led to the same end… then she would choose to die on her feet.
She would go down fighting.
Just as she was gathering all of her magic and resolve for one final, hopeless attack, a hand rested gently on top of her head.
It was a light, warm weight that felt completely out of place in the middle of this deadly situation, like it wasn't even a dangerous situation at all. It patted her head slowly, as if calming a scared animal.
"I can hear your teeth grinding against each other, Ram," Gojo's voice was calm, almost lazy, right beside her ear.
"Sometimes, it's just better not to think at all." He paused, and she could feel his smile even without seeing it. "Don't worry, pink-haired maid. There won't be any fighting. At least not in the usual way"
His hand left her head. Before Ram could even process his words or the strange gesture, he did something even more unbelievable.
He reached around with his free arm, grabbed her by the back of her black and white maid uniform, and lifted her off the ground as easily as if she were a bag of groceries.
"Hey… what…!" was all she could manage before he swung her around.
He placed her onto his back, right next to the still-unconscious girl.
For a moment, she was just awkwardly perched there, ready to fall. But then, a strange, invisible force pressed against her, holding her firmly in place against his back. It wasn't a rope, and he wasn't holding her.
It felt like a gentle but unmovable pressure sticking her to him. Gojo had used his blue, turning her and the little girl into little no more than two backpacks he was now carrying, ready for a walk.
….
Ram felt like a doll, a accessory slung over a giant's shoulder which she was technically at the moment.
One moment she was preparing for her final stand, and the next, she was helpless cargo.
She was stuck fast to Gojo's back, held in place by blie that felt both gentle and as strong as steel. Next to her, the small, warm body of child was held in the same strange way.
They looked ridiculous, like two mismatched backpacks, one pink-haired and furious, the other small and sleeping. Ram didn't even have time to shout a proper protest before she was locked in place.
Gojo, meanwhile, seemed to be having the time of his life. He brought his hands together in front of him and made a loud, sharp click with his fingers, the kind of sound an actor makes right before the start of a show.
A wide, carefree chuckle escaped his lips, echoing unnaturally in the tense clearing. "Hope you all are ready for the exclusive Gojo Ride!" he announced to his two captive passengers.
"These are premium, first-class seats you won't get anywhere else. I just didn't want you guys running off somewhere scary." His voice was full of laughter.
"So just stick tight to my back and enjoy the show from the best seats in the house. And don't forget to leave a five-star review when we're done."
As if his words were a signal, the horde of Mabeasts responded.
A single, hungry growl started from one of the largest creatures, and then another joined in, and then another, until the air was filled with a terrible wave of sound coming from every direction.
It was a deep, hateful noise that promised pain and death. Thick ropes of drool dripped from their black-fanged jaws, splattering onto the forest floor.
They began to move, not in a rush, but with a slow, terrifying creep, their heavy claws digging into the soft ground and churning it into mud.
Gojo watched them get closer, his expression completely calm. "Have to say," he commented loudly to Ram, "they must be eating some really good dog food to get this big."
Ram, still trying to understand what was happening, struggled against the invisible force holding her. It was like pushing glued to a solid wall. Frustration and confusion boiled inside her. "What are you doing?!" she demanded, her voice tight with anger.
"Oh, you know," Gojo replied cheerfully. "Just stretching a little before the big play starts."
"What?!" she cried, her mind unable to grasp his casual attitude.
"Nothing, Ram, nothing," he said, his voice soothing and playful. "Just enjoy the ride, will you!"
And then, the Mabeasts charged.
The ground shook as the entire horde of monsters rushed forward at once, a wave of black fur and snapping teeth.
Their mouths were wide open, ready to tear into their prey. Gojo, however, just stood there. He was still doing his casual stretches, rolling his neck and shoulders as if he had all the time in the world.
He waited. He watched the wall of death get closer… and closer… until the hot, foul breath of the lead monsters was just few meters away from his skin.
Ram's heart hammered against her ribs. This was it. She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the feeling of teeth sinking into her.
She could see it all behind her eyelids: the huge, open jaws, the yellowed fangs, the hungry red eyes.
CLAP!
A sound, as sharp and clean as a clap, cut through the noise of the growling horde.
In less than a blink, everything changed. One instant, Ram was facing certain death, the snarling faces of the Mabeasts filling her entire vision.
The next instant, the world snapped into a new picture. The pressure, the noise, the feeling of impending doom, it all vanished. She was now looking down at a scene of complete chaos.
The Mabeasts, unable to stop their charge, had crashed headfirst into each other right where Gojo had been standing.
There was a terrible sound of snapping bones and yelps of pain as the huge creatures tumbled into a confused, tangled pile of fur and claws.
The Mabeasts that weren't caught in the crash skidded to a halt, their glowing eyes darting around the clearing.
Their simple hunter minds could not understand what had just happened. Their prey, which had been right there, had simply disappeared into thin air.
They sniffed at the ground, growling in frustration, bumping into each other in their confusion.
"Yo! Looking for me?"
Mabeasts head snapped up. Gojo's voice was coming from above them.
He was floating in the air, maybe twenty feet off the ground, sitting casually with his legs crossed as if he were resting on an invisible chair.
Ram and Meili were still stuck to his back, completely unharmed, now with a perfect bird's-eye view of the confused monsters below.
"I appreciate all the attention, really," Gojo called down to the snarling beasts, his voice full of amusement.
"But I get a little overwhelmed when so many people are looking at me at once. So, I hope you don't mind that I stepped out for a bit of fresh air."
….
A/N: Well how was it?! First of all of you want to read the next chapter you can read it on my discord for free.
So i was gonna finish the whole thing with one blue, but then my mind went stray feom that and thought lets just use this to glaze gojo more. But i will finish the fight in the next chapter.
It was a long chapter hoped you liked it. And again if you want to read the mext chapter it is on my discord just join it and read it.
&
you can join my discord server: https://discord.gg/5Y7uZ2kN2Y
Or in short just click in join via invite link in your discord and enter this code: 5Y7uZ2kN2Y