Devouring the Darkness: Saiba

(Babaluno)

Although Mono was no longer as sharp as she used to be, at least she could communicate.

She could even offer suggestions that were simple, crude, and presumptuous... but might actually work.

"Eat all the 'Guardians'...?"

Those things looked filthy and unsanitary. Surely eating them would upset her stomach. I certainly couldn't bring myself to take a bite.

Sirius, however, said:

"It should be fine. They're constructs that crawled out of the Black Pool, made entirely of darkness, just like me... My body is made of magic, too."

As she spoke, she raised an arm and gave her firm, lean biceps a proud squeeze. The lasers behind her also turned into muscular arms, punching away a four-legged beast that lunged at us.

"Mono, do you really want to eat them?"

"Want. Eat."

Mono said this with her fists tucked in.

The "Guardians" were closing in again, leaving us little time to think.

"Well, don't give yourself a stomachache, okay?"

At my warning, Mono leaned over and rubbed her cheek against mine again before turning around...

Then she vanished on the spot.

She had gotten even faster.

So fast that my eyes couldn't keep up anymore. I couldn't even see an afterimage.

I didn't even see Mono strike before the foremost "Guardian" was smashed into the wall by a tremendous force. Its limbs twitched, and it was clearly done for.

But just as it was about to turn into black mud and flow back to the Black Pool, Mono suddenly reappeared and sucked the enormous mass into her mouth in one gulp. She didn't even chew, just swallowed it whole...

I wondered what it tasted like.

Although these Guardians didn't look human, they seemed to possess some intelligence. They understood what being eaten meant. For a moment, Mono's devouring act