Raising My Trash Ability into a Broken SSS+ Rank Skill Chapter 637 First Tragedy

Shock seized Vritra and his companions as they beheld Butcher slicing open the woman's throat before flinging her corpse onto the bridge.

His maniacal laughter echoed through the air while the carriage raced away at high speed.

"That bastard!" Vritra swore under his breath, then bellowed, "RUN!"

Disregarding the enveloping shadows or any other concerns, the entire group bolted ahead with utmost haste.

Halting near the fallen woman, Diana attempted to mend her wounds as Vritra hastily cleared the pooling blood and stanched the flow.

"S-She... she's gone already," Diana whispered, even in this end-of-days chaos, how could a person's life hold so little value?

From afar, Butcher, still observing them, was stunned to spot so many stunning women among the group.

'Such a pity, damn it, I should've just finished him off, sigh,' Butcher regretted deeply, pained by the sight of all those lovely figures facing imminent doom.

Fury toward that scoundrel burned even hotter within them, yet at this instant, escape was their sole priority or else—

'Hold on, has the mutant's snoring stopped?' Vritra's pulse raced as the realization hit him.

Not daring to look behind, he conjured a rope of blood that swiftly bound everyone's wrists together.

"Let's hurry—"

ROAARRRRRRR

A fearsome bellow thundered across the expanse, accompanied by the crackling of shattering ice—the mutant had stirred!

Seething with anger, Vritra yanked the blood rope and charged forward at breakneck pace.

Yet the mutant had already caught the scent of blood and hunger gnawed at it fiercely.

Twisting around for a glimpse, Vritra at last laid eyes on the enormous mutant. Its frame was gaunt, but those elongated claws on its limbs defied any resemblance to known beasts.

Perhaps some ocean dweller twisted by mutation had crawled ashore; its form resembled nothing more than a massive slab of flesh encased in ragged, patchwork hide.

BANG BANG

The mutant lashed out wildly with its limbs, roused from prolonged slumber and driven insane by gnawing famine.

One by one, the steel cables suspending the bridge gave way, while its razor-sharp talons sheared off a huge section of the structure.

This beast was utterly horrifying; no matter Vritra's desperate efforts, he couldn't distance himself much before the bridge started to sway wildly.

Going solo wouldn't have been an issue, but hauling the others along while ensuring their protection hampered his speed tremendously.

BOOOM

At last, the bridge could bear no more, fracturing near the towering mutant, hurling Vritra and the rest straight into the river below.

They crashed hard onto the icy layer, which turned out thicker than anticipated.

Fissures spiderwebbed across it, yet it endured.

"Don't stop—keep going!" Vritra leaped up, but right then the colossal creature along with a chunk of bridge plummeted down heavily.

BAANNNGGGG

The ice at last gave out, plunging all ten into the icy depths in an instant.

Numerous twisted fish mutants and water-dwelling horrors surged toward them, assailing both the humans and the giant mutant.

Choking and sputtering, the chill flooded their lungs.

Every one of them struggled upward to the surface, fortunately the blood rope maintained their proximity.

[Evomorph Activated!]

A surge of warmth suddenly coursed through Vritra, his form mutating in a flash.

In mere seconds, underwater breathing became possible, and agility filled his movements.

His vision sharpened too, and the biting cold lost its edge.

Driven by desperate worry, he tugged the blood rope to drag everyone along.

SNAP

Yet inexplicably, the rope broke, and Vritra sensed a perilous mutant lurking nearby.

His heart pounded furiously as he propelled himself through the water at top speed.

Seizing those nearest to him first, he burst the skulls of countless mutant fish in the process.

Yennefer, leveraging her water and air affinities, adapted swiftly; assessing the peril, she started aiding the others.

Teresa formed a protective bubble around herself and conserved her air, peering about but spotting nothing.

Darting with speed, Vritra clasped Fiona and Diana's hands, hauling them upward.

He shaped a platform from blood and boosted them onto it.

Then he plunged back down.

Yennefer drew Vanessa and Teresa to safety, shoving them onto the identical raft.

"Haa haa," gasping for air, she dove back into the depths.

Onest had somehow surfaced on his own, untouched by any aquatic fiends.

Vritra streaked toward Yasmine and Shitless as Yennefer headed for Maeve.

Suddenly, a lengthy appendage like a tentacle erupted from the murky abyss, hurtling straight at Yasmine.

'No!!' Vritra thrashed powerfully, speeding her way while launching blood-forged blades.

But the monster's hide proved impenetrable; the projectiles barely scratched its surface.

Shitless clung to his fading breath, flailing limbs desperately to ascend.

He caught sight of the tentacle too. With a mighty twist, he shoved Yasmine clear.

The tendril coiled around his ankles, yanking him into the void.

Vritra's eyes bulged in horror; he snatched Yasmine fast, then fired a blood rope ahead.

Alas, it lagged behind— in a blink, Shitless vanished from view.

Surfacing, he lifted the dragoness to air just as Yennefer emerged.

He scanned them quickly and noted that, save for Shitless, all had reached safety.

"Get higher up; I'll return shortly." Vritra declared before diving once more at full tilt.

"Hold on, husband—" Yennefer cried, but he had already vanished.

She scaled the blood raft and assisted the rest.

Vritra slaughtered scores of mutant fish, though gaining sin points barely registered in his thoughts.

He delved further, scouring the gloom, but Shitless left no sign.

As depths increased, so did the mutant hordes, and the intensifying chill along with pressure began to wear on him.

Still, Vritra pressed on with the search, yet Shitless was truly lost.

Enduring no longer, Vritra ascended.

HUFF HUFF

Gasping deeply, he hauled himself onto the platform, his thoughts in utter turmoil.

"W-Where's Monk Shitless?" Yasmine inquired, aware it was he who had rescued her in the nick of time.

"...Couldn't locate him." Vritra replied, his brow deeply creased, a grim dread coiling in his chest.

Though Shitless brought endless headaches, he and Onest stood as Vritra's closest allies, akin to siblings.

He had led them here for their advancement, to avoid falling behind, but now...

The massive mutant had sunk into the river and faded from sight, likely surviving still.

"We... must press on." Vritra stated, yearning to continue the hunt but knowing it endangered all.

Besides, Shitless could well be perished.

The group's spirits plummeted; Yasmine bore the heaviest guilt, as he vanished shielding her.

For a brief spell, they merely huddled there, minds blank and hollow.

Yennefer employed her air power to propel the blood platform onward, carrying them from the site.

Silence cloaked the brief remainder of their trek.

In so little time, a comrade lost—this stark truth of a doomsday world struck deep.

Along with humanity's deceitful nature, sorrow and wrath gripped them all.

Soon they washed ashore; the chatty Shitless, vital spark of the team, was absent, leaving a profound void.

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