The black smoke that was blocking my eyes disappears for an instant. The heat burning my body disappeared for a moment.
This is because of the wind blowing from afar.
The center raised its head and faced the direction from which the wind came. In the distance, a mushroom-like pillar of fire can be seen between the border of heaven and earth.
It is a nuclear cloud created by the explosion of Star Union's deployable bomb weapon, a gamma-class antimatter bomb.
'It seems I arrived just in time.'
After waiting for four hours, hiding in a cloud filled with volcanic ash, they attacked the scout fleet.
The first targets I targeted were those who landed on the volcano. Those who went down to plant the bomb were the ones who had to be eliminated first because they could be detonated manually.
With that, I gave the kids the roles they needed to play. Isabel and No. 26 were to disrupt the main unit floating in the sky, and Adhai was to destroy the communication satellite in the planet's orbit.
Entering battle mode, No. 26 used the powerful psychic technique 'Fear of the Deep' to completely capture the souls of his enemies. Even those on the ground were unable to react properly after seeing his hallucinations.
Thanks to this, I quickly cleared out the ground troops and checked the bomb.
And waited.
If it were Salman, he would have made it possible to remotely control it in case of an emergency. As I expected, the bomb's timer went off just a few minutes after the fleet was attacked.
When there were about 10 seconds left until the bomb was activated, I used 'Starlight Coordinates', one of the signs of a strong enemy. We deliberately aimed for close timing because the enemy could confirm the location of the bomb and stop it midway.
The target is the location of the parasite that was left to PS-111.
An hour before the start of the operation, Parasite reported that Heavenly Mother and PS-111 had left the base. One hour was enough time for the two to escape the area of influence of the antimatter bomb.
Convinced they were safe, I moved the bomb to starlight coordinates. A bomb as big as Isabel disappeared in front of me along with a flash of blue light.
The result is a nuclear cloud rising in the distance.
'For now, things have gone well up to this point.'
What really matters is what comes next.
There is a 50/50 chance that Salman is alive and not dead. If it were a game, he would 100% die, but there are a few variables with him.
One is the equipment possessed by the returning faction.
It is unclear what equipment those who have stayed for a long time in this world, which is very different from the game, are hiding. Honestly, I don't think there's any armor that can survive an anti-matter bomb, but you never know.
If he was wearing such equipment, there is a chance he would survive.
'Other than that, the variable is the creature it controls.'
This is the guy who was targeting Magmasaur. The specs of the creatures you dominate will also be quite high. There is no way to know whether it will protect its owner even in such a large-scale explosion.
'No matter what, fatal injuries cannot be avoided.'
Even if it were an adult, it would be quite dangerous to be hit directly by a gamma-class antimatter bomb. Even if he were lucky enough to survive, he would have been seriously injured.
So what should we do here?
By now, Aadhai would have seen the explosion on the ground and cleared out the communication satellite. It is impossible for Salman, who survives, to make contact with the outside world.
However, we cannot rule out the possibility that he may have already requested assistance before. You must finish your work as quickly as possible and prepare to intercept the enemies.
'So let's hit Magmasaur now.'
Here, it will take time to confirm whether Salman is alive or not. It would be a good thing if he died, but maybe not.
'If he's alive, he'll try to kill time somehow.'
Something that bothers me until outside help comes. That's the only way he can survive.
Of course, he may have been overconfident and did not call his colleagues. Or maybe they decided that it wouldn't be too late to contact them after the bomb exploded.
I don't know what he did.
So, leave the matter of him to Heavenly Mother and PS-111.
By now, the two of them should be on their way back to the temporary nest they made. Heavenly Mother would know what that explosion means. What else should I do?
'If it had been like before, I would have gone and fought together…'
Now Salman has lost his men and his stronghold. Most of the animals he dominated would have been caught in the explosion along with him.
In any case, even if Salman and some of the creatures he controlled survive, it is certain that they will be greatly weakened.
'Those two will do well.'
PS-111, the mother of heaven with new equipment and a variety of abilities, will be able to defeat Salman.
While the two of us deal with Salman, I take out Magmasaur as quickly as possible. Then go back to where the guys are. That's my plan.
I crushed the empty bomb rack with my foot.
[Zuzu zuzuzu (please take care of the back)] ｢Yes!｣
A giant pink jellyfish with numerous eyes answered by tearing the destroyer apart with its tentacles.
Behind him, Isabel can be seen breaking through the outer wall of another ship. A moment later, the ship stumbled violently and struck another nearby ship. After disabling two ships in an instant, he leisurely slipped out and targeted another ship.
Leaving the fleet and the guys fighting fiercely, I spread my wings and flew up to the peak of the volcano. Every time my wings flapped, volcanic ash and gas were scattered.
When I arrived at the vent, a huge amount of volcanic ash greeted me. I jumped straight into the volcano.
Rocks that had melted and vaporized in the heat, extremely condensed gases, and various other harmful substances blocked me. Every time I moved forward, I felt a shock similar to when I was under heavy fire from the Thunder Gods.
However, even a supervolcano with amazing power could not hinder my movement.
I broke through the obstacles and moved step by step towards the depths of the volcano.
As I continued to descend like that, the temperature around me suddenly rose. The heat was so intense that it felt hot even though it was enhanced with the 'Illusion of Hell' characteristic.
Along with that, there was a change in the scenery that seemed to be obscured by the black covering.
The red light burns like when the sun rises over the sea at the end of the night. A fiery light is rising from below.
As you go down, the size of the light increases. At first, it was just a thin ember, but soon it gave off a bright light like molten metal flowing from a furnace.
When the light and heat reached their limit, the space expanded significantly. It was a huge cavity that existed between a volcano and a tectonic plate.
A palace of fire decorated with molten rock and lava.
The owner of the volcano lies there.
The being resembles the sauropods that inhabited the primitive Earth. A neck and tail of enormous length in proportion to the body, and a body shape suitable for walking using all legs. These are all characteristics found in sauropods.
Of course, it is similar in all aspects, but in reality, not many people will think of a dinosaur when they see it. No, you wouldn't even recognize it as a living thing.
Just looking at the torso, the being lying in the wide cavity was more than three times the size of my current body. If you put the head and tail together, it was similar to the half-length 'Ring of Agony' that I fought with last time.
｢Kurrrrrrr｣
A huge creature at least 300 meters tall recognized my presence. He let out a deep breath and the sound of thunder echoed throughout the cavity.
Its neck, which was longer than my body, was lifted, and its six large eyes turned towards me. Despite its size, its eyes looked as pure as those of an herbivore.
But you cannot let your guard down.
The most fearsome beasts in Africa are not lions or leopards, but large herbivores such as elephants or giraffes.
The same goes for that giant monster the size of a mountain. Not only is it carnivorous, it's an Apex monster.
When he saw me flapping my wings in the air, his eyes changed. The mouth was wide enough to swallow a small patrol ship in one bite.
「Kurrrrrrrrrrrrr」
The entire cavity trembles with a thunder-like roar. In response, I also accelerated towards him.
Magmasaur, a being with the nickname of the Volcano Demon and the King of Fire and Thunder.
The battle against him has begun.
–
｢…Rain, you damn Amorph bastard!｣
Salman, who barely survived the explosion, gritted his teeth.
His base, which had been floating on a lava lake just ten minutes ago, was nowhere to be found. There was nothing but flames beneath his feet.
Gamma-class antimatter bombs boast the power to easily blow up cities. I don't know what he did, but a bomb of terrifying power fell on his base. Because of this, the base, subordinates, and ships were all blown away, and most of the creatures they controlled were also lost.
'I almost died.'
Originally, it would have been normal for Salman to also die. However, there are two reasons why he was able to survive.
The first of these is thanks to that being that slowly rises from the fire.
Its identity, which resembles a rocky mountain, is a mountain crawler that has grown over thousands of years. It is one of the most powerful weapons Salman has.
Mountain crawlers, which mainly inhabit rocky planets, are creatures with very high defense. Even the weakest ones have a shell tough enough to bounce off reinforced alloy bullets.
But the real strength of mountain crawlers is that they grow continuously like plants. There is no limit to growth, so the older you get, the stronger you become.
This characteristic was reflected in the game, and there were cases where mountain crawlers that survived for a very long time appeared as raid bosses. The Mountain Crawler that Salman dominated was also a case where he became incredibly strong after spending a lot of time.
｢Marid (مارد)! Don't hesitate and move quickly! "
Of course, even for such a being, being hit directly by an anti-matter bomb was quite a bit of damage. Because it was caught in the explosion, no part of the carapace was intact, and in some parts the carapace was peeled off to the point where the bones were visible.
However, since he was caught in Salman's special privilege, the 'Beast God's Lasso', he could not disobey his master's orders.
An ancient mountain crawler named 'Marid' stood up with difficulty. Salman clicked his tongue when he saw the guy's legs shaking.
'Damn, it would be useless like that.'
His original plan was to use Marid as a tank when fighting Magmasaur or Eimorph. However, its shell was severely damaged while protecting its owner from an anti-matter bomb.
Now that we don't know when Eimoff will strike, Marid cannot help him survive.
'Should I abandon him?'
Marid boasts tremendous defense and attack power, but moves slowly. No matter how you look at it, running away from an Amorph that can fly is impossible.
'…Now that I've taken the drug, I can run away from him alone.'
Salman looked down at his body transformed into a fantasy beast.
The name of the phantom beast he transformed into is 'Simurgh'.
It is a being that takes its motif from the sacred flying beast that appears in Persian mythology.
Like the image in the myth, he was transformed into a beast with the head of a dog, the body of a peacock, and beautiful wings. In games, Simurgh was also popular due to his unique handsome appearance and strength.
However, his current appearance was very different from the Simurgh commonly seen in the game.
First of all, it was so large that it was difficult to regard it as a normal phantom beast. Originally, it should not have exceeded 3m from the head to the tip of the tail feathers, but now it has reached almost 10m.
The colors of the feathers covering the wings and tail were surprisingly colorful. The beautiful feathers that seemed to be made of emerald and lapis lazuli radiated a mysterious light. Additionally, the head, torso, and hind legs were covered with gold translucent armor.
Among these, the golden armor is because the equipment worn before transformation was modified to match the transformation, but the other parts are not. His size and colorful feathers are all changes thanks to the drugs he took.
Reinforced Psionium Ampoule.
This item was previously received from a returnee colleague and had the effect of increasing his deification level by one level for 8 minutes.
Thanks to this, I was able to transform into the river god mode that can only be used if I am the incarnation of Wolf. Without the drug, he would not have escaped fatal injury even if the ancient mountain crawler protected him.
'We don't have much time left, so we have to run away quickly…'
At that time, something resembling emeralds came into his eyes.
'What about that?'
Above the sky raining fire.
A creature with agate-colored wings was flying towards them, carrying a large spider-like creature.
-x-X-x-
On the burning battlefield beneath the volcano, I flew toward the enemy.
The Magmasaur was lying down with only its head raised, watching me with its six eyes. The tail of the creature that had been submerged in the blazing fire rose upward. And then it swung its tail at me.
The tail is lightly swung as if it's annoying, but you can't let down your guard. That tail alone is over 60m long. By his standards, it's a light check, but from my perspective, it's not like that at all.
A heavy tail, like a pillar supporting a building, flies towards me.
It was an attack that I should have naturally avoided, but I didn't dodge it.
｢Pain reduction activated!｣
The heat of the molten rock and the pain felt throughout the body. Before I knew it, I was down on the floor of the cave.
'I knew it, but it's still strong.'
Magmasaur is different from the top-tier Apexes I have faced so far.
Gallagon, who hunts in groups based on high intelligence, Sea Demon, who has a variety of psychic power abilities, and Vortex One, who tramples opponents with powerful specifications and skills. And many other apex.
Unlike them, magmasaur do not form groups or use psychic powers. There is only one attack technique that shows overwhelming destructive power.
Nevertheless, the reason why he is classified as a top tier in Apex is because of his overwhelming physical specifications. The attack coming out of the 300m-tall giant was truly powerful enough to shatter mountains and split the earth.
Is that all it is? Its hide is very hard and difficult to damage. As a result of the repeated melting and solidification of various metals mixed in the rock, the bonding method between materials has become extremely dense.
In other words, it is safe to say that it is a living, moving lump of ultra-high-strength alloy.
If the attack power and defense power are high, the speed should at least drop, but as we have seen, his attacks are quite fast. It's so hard to imagine that it's a tail swung by a 300m tall monster.
The only drawbacks that Magmasaur has are that its body is very heavy, its movement speed is slow, and flight is impossible.
'It's a strong enemy, but…'
I've caught him several times in the game. There are many enemies that have been stronger than me.
I forced my body up from the floor.
The skin on my right wing was torn significantly because of the hit I had just received. The wing arm itself was injured to the point where the bone broke through the carapace and was exposed to the outside. In addition, the biological pipes and carapace were also quite damaged.
The pain was so severe that it gave me a headache, but I could bear it. Because this injury was also my intention.
｢Kurrr｣
When he sees me not dead, he tilts his head. It's because it's the first time I've seen a creature survive after being hit by its tail. I roared loudly at that guy.
｢■■■■■■■!｣ ｢Kurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrm
As he and I cried out at the same time, the cavity shook as if there had been an earthquake. The magma at the bottom also erupted upward in response.
The volcano devil must have decided that I was not an easy opponent, so he prepared to rise. In that moment, I kicked the ground with my hind legs.
My body leaps forward strongly like a missile that has just been launched. With each step, the cavity vibrates.
The tail flew towards me again as I rushed through the fountain of gushing magma. I jumped forward with the momentum I had been running.
The tail broke the ends of the biological pipes on the stomach, but did not hit the main body. I, lying face down on the magma, lowered my posture and crawled using my wing arms and fighting arms.
After becoming an adult, it has been a long time since I crawled on the floor somewhere other than a spaceship. Using four arms and two legs, he prepared a 'variable biological weapon' while running on magma.
In the meantime, its tail bent and came back to me, but the distance had already narrowed sufficiently. I braced my arms and legs and kicked the floor, which was half-liquefied by the heat.
Its long neck bends and tries to wrap itself around me, who is floating in the air. It goes without saying, but his neck is also very strong. If he catches me, even I will be crushed into mush.
However, I did not dodge and pulled out all the erosion tentacles hidden on my back. Six tentacles were stuck in the neck of the flying creature. The pointed appendage at the end of the tentacle was bent like a hook and grabbed the bumpy leather surface.
If it were any other creature, the 'Medusa organ' would have been injected here, but unfortunately, this trait does not work on it. It is now used for a different purpose.
I gave strength to the tentacles and pulled my body forward. The head attached to the end of the flying creature's neck collided strongly with my head.
｢Grrr?｣ ｢Grrrr｣
The guy's eyes widen as if the shock was unexpected. Six eyes are fixed on my transformed head.
The head in the center is protected by an Ice Horror carapace that no one living in the Flame Kingdom can ever see.
While the guy flinched for a moment, the heads on both sides moved and bit the enemy's neck. And in that state, each person vomited out acidic breath and rotting mold spores.
｢Rurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
A magmasaur that cries in frustration. The neck I was holding on to shook violently, trying to shake me off. My body, clinging to him, changes according to my will. My fighting arm twists and a bone scythe protrudes from the inside of my palm.
I slashed at the part where the neck and body of the giant beast connected with the fighting arm that had turned into the weapon of the 'Hellside Hornet'.
｢Grrrrr!｣ ｢Grrrrr!｣
Because the outer shell was so hard, the blade did not penetrate even half of the way through. It's okay though. I didn't think I would fatally injure him with this anyway.
'Putting in an anchor is enough.'
The guy seems to be getting feverish from being attacked repeatedly, and is trying to wake up.
One guy doesn't know yet. The real airstrikes haven't even begun yet.
The scythe-shaped fighting arm grabbed its body, its two heads, and its eroded tentacles grabbed its neck, so the distance between me and the guy was very close.
My monster's tentacles prepare to unleash their powerful weapons. The energy spread throughout the body is converted into psychic power and gathers into the head.
｢Roaring!｣
With a short, loud roar, its front legs stick out from the magma and fire on the floor. A leg as big and thick as a pillar supporting a building hits the right side of my neck.
｢Pain reduction activated!｣ 'Ugh!'
The right side of my neck was simply torn by the guy's kick. The injury was so serious that he barely escaped being amputated.
The guy who disabled the right side of my head is trying to kick my body. I blocked the attack using my forked tail. Its thick tail wrapped around its leg, and it bit its ankle with the pincer of its right tail.
It seemed to be annoyed by my tail and stopped attacking. It raised its front legs high to crush my tail. The moment it hits the floor, my tail will be completely crushed.
I kicked the ground with both legs and pushed him hard. The guy, whose posture was unstable because he had one leg up, stumbled greatly under my weight and force. The magma in the cavity began to stir, and the submerged person's entire body was exposed to the outside.
The creature, which had been pushed back with one of its front legs lifted, began to support itself by exerting strength on its hind legs.
It would be nice to push up to the wall, but right now I am gathering energy for my breath. This is the limit.
Its long tail rushes towards me, tearing the wall and floor behind it. Since the distance is so close, it is impossible to avoid it. The force that had thrown me to the floor a moment ago struck me again.
Is it because of suffering in the fire? Memories from the past come back to life. The car that crushed me, the foul smell of oil everywhere, and the excruciating pain.
The fear and pain that I thought I had forgotten are creeping up to consume me. If it were real, my body would have frozen on the spot.
But I am moving. Because this pain, this situation, was all my intention.
An organ within my body, Tyrantroid, sensed a serious injury and began to act.
Substances that strengthen the body were secreted and spread evenly throughout the body. As Tyrantroid took effect, my body grew rapidly.
｢Kur?｣
The guy who saw my body growing in real time was embarrassed.
'It's already too early to be surprised.'
Tyrantroid enlarges your body and increases energy output depending on the severity of your injury.
'So, if you use psychic breath in this state, it will be more powerful.'
While engaging in hand-to-hand combat with the bastard, all my energy was gathered. The bundle of tentacles on the left head and the center head glow bright purple. The monster's tentacles, which flow like hair from under the occipital carapace, move forward.
There was no reason to hold on to it any longer, so it removed its eroding tentacles and fighting arms. At the same time, the enormous energy that had been charged so far was powerfully released.
The entire cavity turned purple in an instant. Two psychic heat rays shined brightly and struck the enemy.
Magmasaur was hit by the breath at close range and was quickly pushed back. No matter how hard its shell is, it cannot ignore my breath fired from close range.
The guy who was frantically retreating due to his breath collided with the wall. The wall melted because of its heated skin. Due to the pouring psychic breath, it broke the wall surrounding the cavity and was pushed inward.
'good. It's going well.'
To be honest, I don't think I can beat him with this alone.
Since the breath is strengthened with Tyrantroid, you will get hurt, but it will not be fatal. It's hard to say that even that is a serious injury because the molten rock and magma will cover the wound and form a new skin.
Even though I knew that, there was a reason why I guided the guy near the cavity wall and shot him with psychic breath.
'I need to get him out of here.'
This is his home ground. It is difficult to get him out using normal methods.
Therefore, you must make the enemy come out on his own.
'For example, destroying this place, the heart of the volcano.'
Currently, this space was in a state of great shock and instability due to the fight between him and me. Fragments of the collapsed ceiling rained down from above, and magma with tremendous power gushed out from below.
The pressure coming from all directions only makes my strength stronger. Like metal that has gone through a forging process, the power of the breath becomes stronger.
'little bit more…!'
Just when I thought there wasn't much left before this place collapsed, light flashed from the hole he was stuck in. Black lightning split into tens of thousands of branches and swept the entire cavity.
It was a shock on par with being hit by a bastard's tail. The heads on both sides were burned by lightning, and the tentacles of the center head were also greatly damaged. The breath stopped, and the body lost control and fell to the floor.
Rumbling. Rumbling.
Then, the sound of the thunder it fired was transmitted to my auxiliary organs.
The name of the attack just now is 'Ion Lightning'.
This is the only long-range attack skill that Magmasaur possesses. The name 'King of Fire and Thunder' is not an illusion.
｢Kurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
I can hear its cries above my head, which is immersed in magma. It sounds as if he is declaring victory, saying he has won.
'I'm sorry, but I'm not done yet.'
The black lightning he had just fired struck the volcano that was about to explode. The magma beneath the ground where he and I were standing was stimulated and began to erupt.
I was swept away by a wave of magma and thrown into a rock that I couldn't tell if it was a wall or a ceiling. In fact, it is meaningless to distinguish between them now. Because the cavity where Magmasaur lived is already over.
My body, thrown out by the explosion, continued to be pushed through the ground. Along with that, the flame of my life quickly went out.
｢Pain reduction activated!｣ 'Don't lose your mind!'
If you faint here, everything will be in vain. I struggled to keep my wits about me as the messages about pain relief came to mind like crazy.
'For now, I'm out of the explosion range.'
When I felt it through the auxiliary organ, it was currently pushed to a point close to the surface. I climbed upward, digging into the dirt with my central head, the only intact body part.
The first thing I saw when I arrived on the ground was a cloud made up of a huge amount of flames. A huge explosion that easily surpasses an anti-matter bomb. The supervolcano where Magmasaur was staying completely exploded.
And there he was, in the midst of a hell built of flame and ashes.
A 300m sauropod with a bright red skin is running towards us.
They couldn't help but be angry because their nest and food storehouse had been blown away. I will never stop until you kill me.
'That goes for me too.'
The reason why he was brought to the ground. This isn't just to weaken him.
Things I have. In order to utilize this properly, I needed to lead the enemy to a battlefield that was advantageous to me.
｢Big baby!｣
I have friends here to help me.
'And the characteristics.'
My physical condition reached its limit due to being attacked by enemies in succession and being caught in an explosion. Just enough for the 'Revenant Agency' to be activated.
｢Kur?｣
The one running stops. The six eyes on its elongated snout were full of alertness.
Am I wary of my appearance that has changed from what I saw underground? Or is it because I, who looked like I was about to die at any moment, was standing there without a single wound?
Maybe it's 'both'.
｢Grrrrrrr' ｢Grrrrr!'
In my 'hunting symbol' state, I used my mouth to tear the biological membrane that had formed as both heads regenerated. The two heads that had turned into charcoal and were reborn roared vigorously as soon as the membrane was torn.
This concludes the preparation for hunting.
-x-X-x-
'Damn it!'
Salman, who was hiding in the clouds, cursed under his breath.
Every time a roar rang out from below, his insides became seared. Because I know what is happening on the ground hidden by clouds.
Two uninvited guests suddenly appear at the site where the anti-matter bomb exploded and are holding onto his ankles.
One was Wolf, who had transformed into a phantom beast, a griffon, and the other was a bizarre monster resembling a screamer.
I already heard from the Empress about the Gryphon Ranker. He's a slave taken by the shitty Moppak.
It was obvious that the Screamer monster that came along was probably Aimorph's slave.
In any case, the most dangerous enemy, Eimov himself, was not there. Instead of catching him, he probably chose to hit Magmasaur.
Currently, he is in Simurgh Goddess mode thanks to Psionium. Not only that, but the equipment worn is also of a high standard.
On the other hand, the opponent is at best a Wolff on the edge of the level of deification, a strange monster without the ability to fly. In the case of Wolff, he is a ranker like him, so it may be annoying, but it is not enough to overturn the difference in power.
That's what I thought, but he was wrong.
The slaves sent by Eimov were by no means easy enemies.
'I don't have time to be like this…'
At that time, black light flashed between the dark clouds.
Salman, who knew what that light meant, was very nervous. His wings, shining in emerald and lapis lazuli colors, scattered light and accumulated energy.
Originally, Simurgh was a phantom beast specializing in energy manipulation. Like the Apex creature Skywhale, it can absorb and accumulate energy existing around it and use it for attacks. In particular, the mixed energy cannon fired while in a strong state boasts high power.
Even though I had a powerful weapon in my hands, I couldn't relax. His eyes, shining like jewels, moved ceaselessly, watching all directions.
｢!｣
Black light flashes again. Salman's wings responded quickly.
The energy gathered in the wings was released in the form of a sphere and flew in the direction where the light was shining. There was a sound similar to thunder and the clouds parted.
'What?!'
But there was nothing there. Salman, aware of this fact, quickly moved on.
As soon as he moved, black lightning flew to where he was. Intense sparks flew from the tips of the tail feathers. I thought I had avoided it in advance, but it was a little too late. Sharp claws wielded by lightning clawed at his shield.
'shit!'
He is protected by a shield made with energy manipulation abilities and armor with excellent defense, but he cannot feel completely at ease.
Because the opponent has already gone far beyond his expectations.
'Where did it go?'
The guy disappeared before we knew it. I looked around but couldn't see anything but clouds.
Gritting his teeth, Salman used the hind legs of a bird of prey to pull out a silver sphere contained in his armor.
The identity of the sphere is a holographic drone. It is a weapon that creates a specific image using an electromagnetic field to deceive the enemy.
The activated holographic drone soon changed into an appearance identical to Salman's. It seemed as if there were two of them in the clouds.
After creating the bait, he accumulated energy in his wings and took out other drones one after another.
It is generally accepted that small drones have significantly reduced combat power, but this is not the case with the ones he brought out. This is because threatening weapons are hidden inside the drone.
After activating all of the drones, he finally took out an object of a very strange shape.
It was a manual-action pistol made of jewels. It was more of an ornament than a weapon, but he handled it with care, as if he were handling a dangerous bomb.
The moment I tried to hide my hind leg holding the pistol, the enemy swooped down on the bait. The Simurgh's neck, embodied in an electromagnetic field, was torn by black claws.
The enemy took the bait. Salman's wings spread wide, emitting charged energy. Due to the energy, the clouds were colored with white light, and the appearance of a black beast was also revealed.
It was a flying beast as large as Salman, who had gone into strongman mode.
The body and wings are covered with hard, sharp feathers that look like they are made of metal, and the appearance of the neck and head resembles a pterosaur. The feathers covering its entire body were all black, but its eyes were bright amber, making it look like a flower lamp shining in the darkness.
Anyone could tell that the entity that destroyed the holographic drone was not a griffon.
The name of that monster, which looks like a mixture of a pterosaur and a bird of prey, is 'Thunderbird.' The guy who was a griffon just before the fight has now become another phantom beast and is targeting Salman.
'The power to transform into another phantom beast!'
Although its appearance was slightly different from the normal thunderbird, that was probably because it was transformed while wearing armor.
What you need to pay attention to is the speed of the thunderbird. It's fast enough to be in the top five phantom beasts that Wolf can transform into.
Salman widened the distance by firing counterattacks with the energy cannon. The opponent who destroyed the holographic drone followed him.
The Thunderbird is a beast optimized for dogfighting in the air. It overwhelms the Simurgh from the basic speed, and can also use super-light sailing at the level of a metallic gremlin.
However, the reason he can move on par with that guy is thanks to the power he gained from psionium. When you enter a strong state, your physical abilities increase dramatically, allowing you to catch up with the speed of a thunderbird.
What that means is that it needs to be sorted out before the psionium effect wears off.
'There's still more left, but…'
There are a few more reinforced psionium ampoules on the chest, but those are really a last resort.
Each time Psionium is used, its duration decreases. I can't use it here because I need to save it for when I run away from Eimoff.
'One shot! Just one hit and it's over.'
Thunderbirds have no special abilities other than being as fast as lightning. The Simurgh's energy cannon can cause fatal damage to a monster with just one hit.
Moreover, he has a secret weapon.
A pistol held by the hind legs. This is a weapon made by the Cold Blood player under a contract with Vortex One. A colleague from the Returning Sect once gave it to him.
According to my colleague, this item has been modified so that even non-Coldbloods can use it. Weapons received from Vortex One cannot be modified. Perhaps someone he didn't know changed the weapon with a special privilege.
Anyway, the important thing is that the pistol can be used if a large amount of energy is sacrificed.
And the enemy does not know that fact.
Salman glanced at his enemy who was following him. The black thunderbird flying through the air was quickly approaching him.
'It's our policy not to kill fellow players, but in this situation, there's nothing we can do.'
Having to kill 'a fellow human being' was a bit daunting, but the opponent was Aimorph's slave anyway. They are the same as the ruling faction, full of trash.
For the sake of the faction and his survival, risk factors must be eliminated in advance.
Thinking like that, Salman put energy into his pistol.
–
The first place Seo-ah Choi encountered when she opened her eyes was a wild world.
Extraterrestrial beasts that cannot be found on Earth, harsh environments. Many other factors threaten survival.
The world of space survival was such a harsh place that even she, who had a body stronger than that of a human, felt harsh.
Still, she liked it here.
Here, you don't have to carry an asthma inhaler or medicine cabinet every time you go out.
There is no need to be hurt by others' bullying and ridicule.
A new body, a new family, and a new name.
The life of 'Mother of Heaven', not Choi Seo-ah, was happy.
Until I lost my entire family due to a past relationship.
After that day, she decided. I will make sure something like this never happens again.
Light flashed in the dark sky. The vibration of the air that follows later. It was a similar phenomenon to when lightning struck.
However, the Mother of Heaven knows well that that light is much more dangerous than real lightning.
The identity of the halo of light is an energy bullet. An enemy hidden in the clouds is firing energy bullets.
She quickly folded one of her wings. The body, shining with black luster, was tilted to one side.
Enemy fire continued behind her as she moved quickly through the air and wind. Only a small portion of the pouring energy bullets barely reached the tips of her feathers, and all the rest missed.
｢Tch!｣
You can feel the waves of thought left behind by the enemy you are fighting, Wolf Ranker Salman.
I don't know if the other person knows, but the Mother of Sky was also famous as an excellent pilot in the game. If you were to rank them based solely on their fighter piloting skills, they would be in the top three. There was a reason why Amov asked her to teach Adhaj the art of flying.
In the meantime, I didn't have many opportunities to show my skills, so I ended up just assisting Adhaya or Eimov, but not today.
The third phantom beast, 'Thunder Bird', which can transform into the 'Hunt God's Converted Shell', is a beast specialized in speed combat in the air. Thanks to this, I was able to demonstrate flying skills worthy of the name 'Mother of the Sky.'
She flew as if in a storm of mixed embers and light.
Her flight is not as graceful as Adhaj or Gallagon, nor as awe-inspiring in size as Aimorph.
Her specialty was moving as efficiently as possible, taking advantageous positions, and quickly putting pressure on her opponents. Even now, he was narrowly avoiding the incoming energy bullets and gradually narrowing the distance to the enemy.
The opponent must have decided that a barrage of energy bullets alone would not work, so he brought out another means of attack. Objects smaller than a halo of light flew toward her through the dark clouds.
It is small in size, not exceeding 1m, and moves as fast as a fired bullet. It is a small combat drone. Its combat power is much lower than that of anti-ship drones, but that doesn't mean you should let down your guard.
He already tried to trick her once with a holographic drone. They must have done something wrong with that drone.
As expected, one of the drones sprayed a bunch of powder made up of small particles. The powder, which looked like luminous sand, moved as if it were alive.
In reality, that is not sand, but a group of creatures as small as a grain of sand. The name is 'Mossfly'. It is a biological weapon created by genetic manipulation at Megacorp.
When a swarm of moss flies attaches to a target, it creates a fungus that slows down the opponent's movement. In addition, moss flies have the property of emitting light themselves, making them excellent targets for enemies attacked by them.
Drones followed the flying luminous clouds, or rather, the swarms of moss flies, and approached the Mother of Heaven.
The enemy must have been playing a game in order to reach a conclusion here.
'After all, we don't have time, right?'
I already knew that Salman, who had transformed into Simurgh, was nervous.
His specifications were much higher than I had guessed based on the information I heard from Isabel. Being able to enter the state of a strong god means that you are close to the ending.
Energy bullets fired by the River God Simurgh can cause fatal damage to Aimorph. If she were to be hit once, she would be in a dying state.
Has an enemy with those specs moved passively so far? There is only one reason.
'I guess they used improved psionium.'
He is the one who manages the equipment of the returning faction. It was clear that the psionium had been stolen from the ruling faction, or had been obtained through some kind of method.
'He won't have much time left.'
More than five minutes have already passed since the fight started. If the effect ends and Amorph comes, you'll want to get out quickly because it's a big problem.
'good.'
Currently on the ground, PS-111 is biding its time against the huge Mountain Crawler. I told him to back off if it was dangerous, but he would never do that.
'Let's see the end here.'
As she ran away, she quickly folded one wing. Due to air resistance and acceleration, her body was tilted in the direction where her wings were folded. With a sharp turn, the pointed tip of her beak pointed towards the drone and the swarm of moss flies.
In that state, she accelerated towards her enemies. As the distance got closer, several drones spit out small spider-shaped machines. It was Star Union's only class weapon, 'Blood River'.
Light twinkles in the clouds behind them. This phenomenon occurs when the Simurgh's wings recharge energy. The plan is to weaken it with Moss Fly or Blood Reaver and then snipe it.
The remaining distance from the flying moss flies and blood rivers was only a few meters. After just a few seconds, she becomes completely helpless.
But no threat could shake her concentration.
Everything flows slowly, as if time has stopped. Just before touching the moss fly, her body dives. This is because air resistance was minimized by folding the wings and straightening the neck and legs.
As she descends and overcomes the swarm of moss flies, the mechanical vampire, Blood Reaver, intercepts her.
Just before Blood Reaver's metal claws grabbed her feathers and body, she adjusted the angle of both wings. Then, the body riding on the wind made a big rotation. Because of the wind pressure that occurred at this time, the mechanical vampires failed to capture her.
Not only that, when it turned its body, it used its hind legs to catch the Blood River upside down. And then he threw it at another flying drone. Along with the explosion, various harmful substances and weapons contained within the drone flew out.
The Mother of Heaven half-opened her black wings and powerfully pushed out the air. Her body accelerated like lightning and quickly moved away from the explosion.
She quickly broke through the enemy's barrage and jumped into the black cloud.
｢What?!｣
Salman, who was hiding and accumulating energy, was staring at her blankly with his mouth open. This was because her movements clearly deviated from his common sense.
"Rain, damn it! "This is a scam!"
Light bullets are fired from the enemy's wings. In front of the rain of light, she pointed her wingtips backwards and straightened her body. She minimized the area hit and narrowly avoided the barrage of energy bullets.
Now the distance has become close enough to clearly see the other person's face.
A man wearing golden armor with the head of a canine beast widens his eyes. There were two types of emotions in those eyes.
One was the fear of an incomprehensible situation. The other one…
"I'm dying!"
The guy who hasn't given up yet takes out something with his back foot.
The object grasped by the pointed toes was a pistol made of jewels.
There is still quite a distance between him and her. And she has no means of ranged attack at all.
'I guess you think so.'
The original color of the thunderbird's feathers is silver.
Nevertheless, the reason her body is black is not because of special privileges, but because she is wearing some type of armor. This is Vortex One, an armor made using 'Ring of Agony' as a material.
A black arm reminiscent of Vortex One's arm rose above her wings. The arm was holding a golden-colored spear.
The black arm threw a javelin at the enemy.
Salman's pistol was later aimed at her head.
The priest's golden spear flies through the air like a fired arrow.
The moment the spear entered the target's chest, the claw pulled the trigger of the pistol.
｢Kk?!｣ ｢Kk!｣
A thought wave filled with pain stayed in the air and disappeared. One of the owners of the thought fell into a cloud as dark as an abyss.
The being floating above the cloud of fluttering cinders was a bird as black as pitch black.
-x-X-x-
'It was dangerous.'
Blood flows down from the corners of the eyes. At the same time, you feel strong pain and dizziness.
Salman kept his moves hidden until the end. The attack he made grazed the top of my head, causing a wound.
'If I had thrown the spear a little later, we would have been hit.'
I'm not sure because it was an intangible attack, but looking at the amount of blood loss and pain, it seemed like I narrowly avoided it.
Although it was a serious injury, Heavenly Mother was not overly worried.
Like the 'Ice Demon' of 'Wendigo' or the 'Great Flame' of 'Chimera', the Thunderbird also has its own unique characteristics.
This is the characteristic of being the 'fountain of life'.
The blood and body fluids of thunderbirds contain ingredients that promote wound healing, allowing them to recover quickly even from serious injuries. If you have blood left in your body, you can recover at any time. This can be said to be a characteristic suitable for a thunderbird that must engage in close combat based on speed.
However, poison and viral attacks cannot be recovered. And since it is a characteristic that improves natural healing power, the recovery speed varies depending on the level of injury.
'First, let's stop the bleeding.'
The more blood leaks out, the slower the injury heals.
She focused her attention on the injured area. Then a small hand appeared around his neck and covered the wound on his head.
This isn't Thunderbird or her abilities. This is the effect of the 'full body suit' she wore.
Among Wolff's exclusive equipment, the highest level equipment basically has the ability to change shape. These devices are transformed accordingly even when the body changes from a beast to a beast. The reason her whole body now looks like it is made of black metal is because she is wearing Yuil-class equipment.
The name of the only armor she wears is 'Obsidian Arms'.
This full body suit, made using Vortex One's 'Ring of Agony' as a material, can be used to create multiple black arms as the name suggests. A total of 5 arms can be created.
It doesn't look particularly good up to this point, but the real value of the suit lies in the black arms.
If you hold a tool in that arm, it will automatically be stored inside the suit. The stored tools cannot be detected by any means until they are taken out again, and anyone other than the suit owner cannot take them out.
When storing bulky or unusually shaped items, the chute changes its shape accordingly. If it is too large to accommodate even that, storage is impossible.
Thanks to this, if you have Obsidian Arms, you can use various weapons even when transformed into a phantom beast. It's like he hid the priest's golden spear in his wings and threw it at Salman.
'furthermore….'
Unlike the game, she could control the black arm herself. Thanks to this, I was able to create a hand and stop the bleeding from the wound. Since it is capable of complex and detailed movements, it can be used for many purposes other than combat.
'I feel like my arms have gotten longer.'
Is this what Amov and Isabelle feel?
With that in mind, she went down to the place where Salman crashed.
The first thing she saw as she descended through the clouds was a mountain. A huge mountain crawler the size of a mountain was lying on its side, crouching down.
In front of him, PS-111, a mutant screamer who looked like a mixture of a spider and a scorpion, stood still.
The atmosphere was somehow different from what she expected.
'Why aren't you fighting?'
Salman fell with the priest's golden spear stuck in his chest. He, like her, was wearing high-level armor, so he would not have died instantly. Of course, fatal injuries cannot be avoided.
Therefore, the order given to that mountain crawler would also be valid.
'Now that I think about it, where did he go?' "Middle baby. "An abnormal reaction is detected in the body of the 'Mountain Crawler' administrator."
PS-111 spoke and pointed down at the Mountain Crawler with his claw.
There was Salman with a golden spear stuck in it.
"That's right!" "Uggggggiggigeek?!"
A trembling body with broken wings. The condition was strange, considering that he was dying.
"Presumed to be a symptom of taking a Psionium-type stimulant. Cell collapse and mutation are occurring simultaneously. Loss of control over your body…." "■■■■■■■■■■■■!"
At that time, Salman let out a scream. An ear-splitting noise echoed across the land filled with residual fire.
At the same time, energy bullets poured out of Salman's body. The mountain crawler, which was lying down protecting its owner, suddenly became a complete wreck.
"It is dangerous. "It must be ruled out." "…Holy shit."
Salman, or rather the grotesquely mutated Simurgh, rose in the air next to the fallen Mountain Crawler.
It seems that the fight is not over yet.
–
｢Kurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
The Magmasaur growls with its six eyes wide open.
He also recognized that I was an unusual opponent. He is the king of a volcanic planet. You've never met an enemy as strong as me before.
I've dealt with it moderately so far, but now I'm going to fight with all my might.
'It's the same here too.'
Thanks to the 'superior improvement', my body recovered completely. Moreover, he even uses the symbol of hunting, so his whole body is full of strength.
Moreover, No. 26, Isabel, is in battle mode, floating above my head and facing the guy.
He wasn't the only one who wanted to compete here.
｢Rurrrrrrrrr!｣ ｢■■■■!｣ ｢■■■■!｣ ｢■■■■!｣
The one who had been motionless roared. I and the heads on both sides did not back down and howled loudly against him.
To the roar of the guy and me, the volcano erupted again in the distance. Clouds of flame and ash covered the sky, and debris from the explosion crashed to the ground.
Under the pouring rain of flames, the volcanic demon began to move. Every time the hundreds of meters tall monster stretched out its four legs, a thunderous sound rang out.
I also stretched out my wings and arms to face the guy running towards me. The flaps of its wings were spread wide like the hem of clothes blowing in the wind. In that state, he kicked the ground and launched himself into the air.
Because it is a symbol of hunting, it moves much faster than before, even though it is twice its size.
Me gliding low and the Magmasaur racing towards us. The distance between us narrows in an instant.
The moment I collided with it, an enormous shock hit my entire body. The ground on which it stood and the air surrounding my wings trembled violently due to the shock wave.
There was quite a bit of damage on this side due to the collision, but not as much as on the other side. Because I was gliding and hit the guy's head with both legs.
｢Kurrrrr!｣
The guy let out a low groan, feeling quite stung from being hit on the leg. Meanwhile, the heads on either side of me moved quickly and bit the guy's back.
The double chin hidden inside the mouth popped out and became lodged in the enemy's lava shell. Because it was so thick, blood did not splatter.
Still, he seemed to be in quite a bit of pain, so his body trembled violently. The powerful tail moved fiercely to hit me.
The enemy's tail flies, making an ugly sound as it cuts through the air. What moved to stop this were the six eroding tentacles hidden on my back. Each tentacle spread out its pointed appendages and caught the flying tail.
｢Kurrr?｣
A strong force was pressing against the tentacles, but it was bearable. The guy is embarrassed by the different results from before.
But this is not the end. I pulled the neck and tentacles on both sides and got close to its back.
When you become the symbol of hunting, two arms with sharp bone scythes are added to your body. The bone scythe is as hard as my carapace and sharper than any other weapon.
I slashed at its back armor with the new weapon growing from my lower back. Even its incredibly thick shell couldn't withstand it this time. Not only the long bone sickle, but also the tip of the arm was embedded so deeply that it was not visible.
｢Kuh, kurrrrrrrr!｣
He screams in pain that he hasn't felt for a long time. Magmasaur, full of anger, twists his body and tries to fall down, hanging me. The intention is to crush me.
Of course, I have no intention of accepting it as is. I spread my wings and flew upward. The bone sickle arm was pulled out, blood resembling magma spurted out, and the rock skin my mouth was holding was torn off.
But as if it had been waiting, it stretched out its long neck and bit my ankle.
My body plummeted straight to the floor without any time to feel the pain rising from my feet. The guy who slammed me down with enormous force tried to stomp on my chest with his front paws.
At that moment, his legs stopped. Countless purple threads were sticking out of the air, entangling the guy's legs. The same Apex creature, Sea Demon No. 26, bound him with psychic power.
I felt a chrome snake approaching behind the man who was bound by an intangible force and unable to move. Isabel walked up quietly and landed on his back so as not to be noticed by the enemy. There was a wound in front of it that I had made earlier. The guy used his many arms to open the wound and stuck his head inside.
｢Rurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
Suddenly something digs into the wound and the Magmasaur lets out a short scream.
Legs bound by psychic power tremble. Immediately, there was a sound of air being torn apart, and the net of supernatural power was torn. Because the opponent's physical ability was so outstanding, even No. 26 could not maintain restraint for long.
'Of course, that's enough.'
Its front leg gets stuck in the right side of my neck. Looking at the vibrations on the floor, I realized that if I had been hit by that attack, my neck would have been cut off.
｢Kureung?｣
But the right side of my neck wasn't where he stepped.
While No. 26 was buying time, it had already fallen from my body.
The 'right head' split from me and hit him with his fighting arms.
｢Grrrrr!｣ ｢?!｣
Another guy who got hit on the head by me stumbles greatly. Taking advantage of that opportunity, the third 'I', the 'left head', jumps at the guy.
The guy kicked the ground with his thick legs and pushed the opponent hard with his wing arms and fighting arms. Even the large figure, hundreds of meters tall, could not hold on any longer and collapsed.
｢Krrrrrrrrrrr?｣
The pain was painful for him, but he seemed to be even more shocked by my colleagues who suddenly appeared.
｢Grrrrrrr' ｢Grrrrrrr!'
My two heads gained new bodies thanks to the 'Hydra Split'. They growl at him.
I admit that Magmasaur is strong. Also, their physical specifications are superior to this one.
So we decided to increase the number.
'It must be embarrassing because the number of enemies has increased.'
Just me and No. 26 are too much, but there are two more enemies of a similar level to me.
But, like Apex, he seems determined to fight. The thing stands up and tries to open its mouth wide.
｢Currrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr?
The right head and the left head rushed towards him, aiming for the moment when he would roar. The right head climbed onto its back and grabbed its upper jaw with its fighting arms. The left head pressed down on the creature's front legs and clenched its lower jaw at the same time to prevent it from getting up.
In that state, the two guys started exerting their strength to rip the enemy's mouth open.
｢Grrrrr!｣ ｢Grrrrr!｣ ｢Grrrr!｣
The guy who was crushed by the two 'me' struggles. I stabbed it in the abdomen with my bone sickle arm and shook it wildly. The rock skin that protected the stomach area fell off, and internal fragments and blood leaked out.
｢Kuggu!｣ ｢Ugh!｣
A magmasaur howling in pain. It kicked the left abdomen of the head with all its might with its front leg. The guy fell with his back bent in a strange direction.
'Where!'
I immediately removed the bone sickle arm and let the left head do the work. It wrapped its encroaching tentacles around the enemy's two front legs and grabbed its lower jaw with its fighting arms.
The guy whose entire body was tied up by me in an instant, the only remaining means of attack was his tail. Its tail flew out to tear me apart.
I was about to sacrifice my clawed tail, but the enemy's tail stopped in midair. No. 26 stopped the tail with psychic power.
｢Kuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuur!
The mouth of the one held in my hand slowly opens. The rock skin between the jaws was torn, and blood resembling magma flowed out from inside.
A sweet smell flowing down the wing arms. It is a signal that the enemy's life is short.
At that moment, the guy who was struggling to get away from me stopped moving. At the same time, a thick film covered all six eyes. It was the signal that the fire and thunder demon's powerful attack technique, 'Ion Lightning', was about to be launched.
Just before black lightning was fired from its forcibly opened maw, its body trembled. Instead of lightning, all that came out of the mouth was poisonous smoke.
｢Kuruuuu?!｣ 'Isabel!'
The guy earlier broke into the enemy's body through the wound I made. It was all aimed at attacking the electricity generating organ.
Of course, even for him, it would be impossible to destroy the Magmasaur's electricity generating organ. Even though it is not as hard as leather, the interior is also very strong.
However, it is enough to buy just a moment of time. I thrust my wing arm into its wide open maw.
｢?!｣ ｢Grrrr!｣ ｢Grrrr!｣
A wing arm stuck to the enemy's snout, two fighting arms holding the lower jaw, and even the right head holding the upper jaw. A total of five arms are exerting all their might.
Only to rip out the jaws of the Apex monster.
After a while, an eerie sound was heard from the guy's mouth. In addition to the broken bone connecting the jaw, the head is being torn from the top and bottom.
Blood pours from above like a waterfall. I licked the hot, sweet blood with my tongue and gave strength to my arms one last time.
Then my body was thrown backwards. You can feel the enemy's bones and flesh at the tips of your wing arms and fighting arms. The right head, which was at the top, also fell backwards.
Afterwards, the ground shook violently. The Magmasaur, which had lost its head, finally fell to the ground.
I took a big bite of the man's lower jaw that I had ripped off.
What my tongue detected was the taste of victory.
-x-X-x-
｢Won!｣ ｢Grrrr!｣
Number 26 glowed on top of the Magmasaur's corpse. The 'right head' next to him also let out a cry of joy as if in agreement.
｢Grrrrr｣
'Left Head', who broke his back after being kicked by the enemy's front foot, also participated in the ceremony. It was a serious injury that could have resulted in amputation, but the guy was still fine. Wounds are treated with 'superior homeostasis', a characteristic of internal organs.
'It's okay to split up and fight.'
Using 'Hydra Split', I can separate my two heads and have them fight together for 60 minutes. Perhaps because it inherited my habits and fighting style, it moved well on its own without me having to give any commands.
'Some of the characteristics can also be used.'
Each head that gains a new body can use the characteristics related to the body, special defense, internal organs, and environmental adaptation. Clones can also become stronger as I grow. In fact, hasn't their survival ability increased significantly thanks to acquiring superior homeostasis?
'It would be nice if I could share all of my abilities, but that would still be greed.'
I looked at the guys enjoying the joy of victory.
Although they were divided in the representation state of hunting, the reinforcement effect was not reflected in them. It looked like an adult Eimorph with only one head. It would be nice to have synergy if the effect of the symbol of hunting was applied, but it is disappointing.
'Well, this much is strong enough.'
Magmasaur is notorious for its excellent defense and physical specifications among Apex creatures. If it were game, it would have taken more than a few days to hunt it.
At that time, the corpse of the Magmasaur that had fallen wriggled.
It does not have the resurrection ability to come back from the dead. The part of the neck that was lying on the floor started shaking, and something elongated came out from where the head had blown off.
"If you win, will you let me out?"
The being that escaped the corpse was Isabelle. The guy, whose entire body was stained with dark red blood, stretched out his arm near his head and wiped his face.
[Zuzuzuzu (Thank you for your hard work)] "Here, I play the role that 'Blood River' plays in the game."
As the guy said, one of the ways to attack Magmasaur is to use the Blood Reaver. By somehow inserting the Blood Reaver into the enemy's body, it continuously drains their life force. Aside from the disadvantage of taking a long time, this method is the most effective.
[Zuzuzu Zuzuzuzu Zuzuzuzu Zuzu (It's better because it's more efficient than Blood Reaver)] "I hope that just because your body has become like this, you won't treat it like a real machine."
Isabelle grumbled briefly and sucked the blood from her finger. Just by looking at it, it looked like something out of a human, but I don't think there's any need to point it out.
'For now, the guy has been sorted out.'
Now it's time to check Salman's side.
After the antimatter bomb exploded, Heavenly Mother and PS-111 would have headed there. If he survived the explosion, he would be fighting right now.
'I think it's okay to send these guys away now.'
The two clones enjoyed the joy of victory with No. 26. The guys were now gorging themselves on the loot.
The reason I haven't used Hydra fission before is simple. This was because they were concerned about being caught in the enemy's surveillance network.
Duplicates cannot use traits that can nullify enemy detection, such as 'Dark Shroud'. In a situation where the enemy's base remained intact, I couldn't expose my secret weapon, so I deliberately didn't use it.
'But not now.'
Salman's base was destroyed, and the communications satellite went to Adhaj for clearance. Since all means of communicating with the outside world have been blocked, there is no need to move cautiously anymore.
'Should I send those two away first?'
While I'm here eating the corpse, I'll send some guys to check on the condition of the Heavenly Mother and her group.
'Do you know where Salman's base is? 'Go and help.'
The eyes of the two adult Eimorphs who read my will turn to me.
｢Grrrrr.' ｢Grrr….'
The guys kept licking the corners of their mouths with their tongues, as if they were disappointed that they couldn't eat meat. Of course, since they were under my control, they never refused my orders or anything.
The head on the right handed me a magmasaur head cut in two. Then it spread its wings wide and flew upward with the left side of its head. They soon disappeared into a black cloud.
｢Where are you going if you don't eat the babies?｣ [Zuzuz zuzuzu zuzu zuzuzu zuzuzu zuzuzu (It's because I have work to do. They'll eat later.)] ｢Later?｣ [Zuzuzzu zuzu zuzuzu (So they eat first))] [Yes.]
Not at all.
'Where then…'
When eating an enemy in a game, taste was not a consideration. The sense of taste cannot be realized with a VR device.
But not here. Every time I try a new food, I always look forward to what it will taste like this time.
I gathered the magmasaur's head, which had been split in two, and took a bite.
The first sensation I felt was hardness. It felt like I was putting an unshelled walnut in my mouth. Its skull was so hard that its teeth couldn't even sink into it.
'I should eat it like I ate Ice Horror.'
Having given up on chewing on the skull, I decided to target the lower jaw area first.
They chewed the tongue and the flesh inside the mouth, avoiding the thick jawbone. The tough leather was torn, and moderately cooled blood flowed out along with the flesh.
'hmm.'
The outer leather is hard, and the inner leather is tough. Of course, I thought the flesh would be equally tough, but it wasn't.
'It's an interesting texture, isn't it?'
The flesh close to the leather had a chewy taste, and the further inside it became, the softer and oilier it became. It had a very interesting taste, especially because it was layered with warm blood.
How should I explain it? It feels like eating a meat stew with rich flavor and scooping up the broth and a piece of meat together. The sweet juice that comes out every time you chew the meat, and the deep taste of blood. I like it all.
And lava fragments stuck to the leather. Every time you chew this, the herbal-like scent spreads out, which is another delicacy.
'Do you like it.'
It's been a while since I've had food with multiple layers of flavor like this. I had a similar feeling when I tried 'Pale Mask' before.
'As expected, it doesn't disappoint this time either.'
After eating the entire lower jaw, leaving only the bones, I started eating the rest. The thin bones were broken and the brain and flesh inside were scraped out.
At that time, number 26 approached me. Looking at the color of its body, it seemed like it was curious about what the food it had just caught tasted like.
｢Big baby, is it delicious?｣ [Zuzuzu (try it)]
Hearing my wavelength, it transformed its tentacles into a shape similar to a shovel. Isabel then inserted the deformed tentacle into the wound and dug out the flesh.
"and! it's good! it's good!"
The guy who tasted the meat rose into the air and spun around in place.
[Zuzuzu zuzu (Do you like it?)] ｢Yes! It's delicious!｣ [Zuzuzuzu (Thank goodness)] ｢Let's eat it together with the small baby, the middle baby, friends, and the babies!' [Zu (yes)]
The size of the magmasaur is about 300m. Even if you exclude inedible parts such as bones, it is an enormous amount of food. Eating just one front leg is enough to easily replenish the energy used to divide Hydra. If everyone eats together, they will be able to eat well for at least two days.
"Little friend, you eat too." "I already ate a lot, so it's okay." "You have to eat more to grow bigger." "You want me to grow bigger here?" "Only then can I punish bad people!" "I can't deny that."
While No. 26 and Isabelle were chatting, I finished the remaining lower jaw.
The upper jaw was eaten in the same way as the lower jaw. Avoiding thick bones, breaking thin bones and scraping out the brain and flesh inside.
At that moment, when I had emptied every last drop of brain fluid, a text box appeared in front of me.
"Predation effect activated! Successfully acquired the 'Destroyer Carapace' genetic essence.｣ ｢Take over 'Destroyer Carapace' among the creature characteristics of 'Magmasaur'.｣ ｢Do you want to apply 'Destroyer Carapace'?｣ 'Good!'
I was nervous that I would fail to acquire the characteristics like last time, but I am glad. Plus, it just so happened to have the trait I was aiming for.
'Destroyer Carapace.'
Among the characteristics that Magmasaur possesses, there are a total of two that are helpful to Aimorph.
One is Destroyer Carapace, a physical attribute, and the other is a unique attribute that allows it to emit ion lightning. Neither can be obtained from other creatures.
The reason I aimed for Magmasaur was to create unique characteristics through the transcendence system. Since the unique characteristic cannot be used as a fusion material, I wanted Destroyer Carapace to come out instead.
'Then learn it….'
Just as I was about to apply the trait, I felt a strange sensation in the auxiliary organ under my chin.
'what?'
Currently, I am in a state of hunting, so all of my auxiliary organs are protected by a bone shell. It is not normal to receive such stimulation in such a state.
I left the text box alone and focused on the auxiliary organs. This weak tingling feeling was somehow familiar.
'Definitely not long ago…ah.'
I remembered.
It feels similar to when I first used Hydra Divide and linked my senses to the clone. At that time, when I thought that I wanted to control the split left side of my head, my auxiliary organs throbbed and rang like they do now.
'I don't want to do that now, so what happened?'
Is there something they want to tell me? I focused my attention on the signals picked up by the auxiliary organs.
Consciousness leaves my body like when I link with the nest. Is it because of the distance? It used to be linked quickly, but now it takes quite some time.
'I'll have to remember that.'
After a few tens of seconds, I felt a strange floating sensation throughout my body. Coolness sweeping over the shell, volcanic ash and embers flying. The senses are connected to the two heads flying above the clouds.
'Why did you call me?'
I checked the surroundings to see if I had encountered an enemy ship that had avoided the explosion, but there was nothing special. I couldn't feel anything above, so I focused my consciousness below.
'huh?'
Now I know why they called me.
On the ground, various creatures such as Vulkarox, Lavalaptor, and Stoner are running in one direction. It was a strange situation where they were predator and prey, but they just ran without fighting.
'no way?'
The movements of the animals in that group were clearly abnormal. It was as if his reason had been taken away by someone.
And there is only one being on this planet who can control wild animals at will.
The equipment manager of the returning faction.
'I was wondering how you knew I was here.'
I guessed that was the case after seeing the anti-matter bomb being moved, but now I'm sure. All of those animals you see below are under its control. It was probably laid out everywhere to prevent intruders.
Moreover, the direction in which the strange combination of swarms was heading now matched the direction in which my clone was flying.
That means Salman is inviting them to come near him.
'This is not the time to be like this.'
If the opponent calls for reinforcements, Heavenly Mother and PS-111 will inevitably be at a disadvantage. I instructed both heads to keep flying and then cut off the link.
'Before leaving….'
The text box has been waiting for my answer since a while ago.
When I selected OK, Apex's genetic essence began to permeate my entire body.
Mutations occurred in various parts such as the carapace, outer shell, and intestines, but the goal was the same.
Becoming a better being.
-x-X-x-