"Damn it, get out of the way!"
Sensing danger, the Turncoat Rook shouted in a near scream—but the petals had already fully bloomed and were ready to erupt.
"Janus."
[Gigit!]
The Bone Lord's Bloom and Full Bloom filled my vision.
But there was no need to panic.
Perhaps in the past, but not now. Having absorbed not only part of the Bone Lord but also the essence of the Turncoat King, I could easily withstand such attacks.
Crunch, crackle...
Countless bone tendrils surged forth from Janus.
In the blink of an eye, they stretched outward, interweaving with such precision it was as if they were following a carefully drawn blueprint—soon forming a massive spherical barrier.
["Hooh."]
Before the Turncoat King's short murmur of admiration could even fade, the Bone Lord's petals exploded and collided with Janus's barrier.
BOOM! KA-BOOM!────
KRAAAASH!
As expected from the Bone Lord.
Even the barrier, deployed at full power by Janus—who had absorbed the Turncoat King—shattered mercilessly.
Crack! Crunch!
The expressions of the Turncoat Rook and Turncoat Knight turned pale at the sight.
"Carl! This doesn't look good!"
["Same… tribe… danger…"]
Though the Turncoat Rook and Turncoat Knight began to panic, there was no need.
The true value of Janus's barrier wasn't in its defense, but in its restoration.
[Gigit!]
Crunch, crackle...
Like waves rising and falling, Janus's bone tendrils pulsated, and the shattered barrier was swiftly restored.
The recovery was far faster than the rate at which it had been destroyed by the Bone Lord.
["This regenerative power… Yes, it must be from the Immortal."]
Having once fought the Immortal; the Turncoat King instantly recognized the source of this unnatural regeneration.
No surprise, given he was now part of Janus.
"Then let's keep going."
The onslaught of petals, which moments ago looked ready to engulf everything here, finally came to an end.
Now it was our turn to strike.
Shhh...
"This is…"
The bone sphere surrounding us began to shift.
It was transforming—for attack.
Crunch...
The front of the sphere started to protrude, soon reshaping into a massive drill.
Instead of recalling the bone tendrils and launching them again, Janus repurposed the already-deployed ones.
Such precise control was now possible only because Janus's dominion over his bone parasite form had become incomparable to before.
KRAAAASH!───
The relentless bone drill clashed with the Bone Lord's petal shield.
With an ear-splitting roar, bone fragments scattered.
And through the haze of shattered bone, new tendrils shot forward, lunging at us.
"They're coming!"
Though the mass of the drill left the rear and flanks exposed, there was no reason to worry.
After all, it wasn't just Janus and me here.
["Go forth. Every soldier has their role."]
The Turncoat King, momentarily split from Janus, unfurled the Wings of Ankelenth.
He couldn't stay separated forever—but the power granted by Janus allowed him to endure for several hours.
"…Your Majesty."
The Turncoat Queen, watching from nearby, trembled at the sight.
["No need to look at me like that. Refusing to accept my state would only bring more misery."]
"…Understood. If that's your command, then I too will follow without hesitation."
After their brief exchange, the Turncoat King and Turncoat Queen moved to intercept the Bone Lord's attack.
"…Indeed, it's time we bring this fight to an end."
The Turncoat Rook spread his wings and followed the King.
["Same kin, don't die."]
For once, the Turncoat Knight spoke clearly, then spread his wings as well.
["Hmm…"]
Esther, intrigued, glanced at the Turncoat Knight before looking back at me with a sly grin.
"What is it?"
["Oh, nothing."]
Though her expression was curious, I didn't press.
Click—
Gripping the Zeus-444 Railgun, I focused on the front of the drill that was still grappling with the Bone Lord.
"Janus."
[Gigit!]
A small gap began to form at the drill's tip, revealing a hole about the size of a human head.
Sensing this gap, the Bone Lord immediately tried to channel bone tendrils through it—but there was no way I'd let that happen.
[Lv.8]
With current energy reserves, I could only fire one Level 10 shot from the Zeus-444 Railgun.
While it would recharge over time, I had to pace myself.
Tsst, Tsstsstsst...!
Fierce sparks danced around the muzzle of the Zeus-444 Railgun.
No hesitation.
As I pulled the trigger, a blinding flash shot through the hole created by Janus, firing straight at the Bone Lord.
KA-KA-KA-KA-KAAAAAM!────
The 120mm shape-memory shatter shell tore into the Bone Lord's petal barrier, disrupting its regeneration.
From the Bone Lord's perspective, it must've felt like a grotesque pollutant had invaded its own flesh.
Crunch, crackle...
In its desperate attempt to push out the shell, openings were exposed.
Which meant the Turncoat King and the others now had a chance to devour the Bone Lord.
I can't just sit here.
Stowing the Zeus-444 Railgun into the [Rift Space], I spoke.
"Janus."
[Gigit!]
"Sever all of it."
At my command, Janus immediately severed every connection with the drill.
With that, my body was freed.
It was time for me to move.
[Activating 'Rift Shift'.]
In an instant, I passed through a surreal and unnamable space, and my view changed.
In the blink of an eye, I was face to face with the Bone Lord.
[Summoning 'Spear of Ankelenth'.]
Twin Spears of Ankelenth materialized in my hands.
If there existed a weapon capable of piercing anything, it would be these.
Yet, against a colossal monster like the Bone Lord, their limited reach was an issue.
If range is the problem, then just extend it.
Bone tendrils gathered around the spears in my hands.
Crunch...
The weapons soon morphed into something far larger—capable of skewering even colossal behemoths.
[Acquired 'Great Spear of Ankelenth'.]
A new manifestation of power.
With Janus having fully absorbed the Turncoat King and devoured part of the Bone Lord, such feats were now possible.
['Ether Imbuement' has been activated.]
['Overdrive' has been activated.]
Ether began to condense around the Great Spear of Ankelenth.
["Heheh..."]
[Gathering?]
[Come here. Come here. Come here. Come here. Come here. Come here. Come here. Come here. Come here. Come here. Come here.]
[Gather…]
["This way, now."]
The target was the Bone Lord.
Its heart.
* * *
Amos Aster, High Bishop of the Gaishara Division, stared grimly at the figure standing in Gaishara's path.
"..."
Logically, one should crush any obstacle standing in the way and punish the blasphemers who dared threaten the Apostle of the Great Will.
And yet—why?
The moment that being blocked Gaishara's path, Amos Aster had no choice but to halt his followers.
"Why do you hesitate?"
"…Let's observe for a moment."
At a glance, it looked like an ordinary human—like one you might find in the Arc.
But the strange presence it emanated could never be called human.
"High Bishop, if we wait too long, the Apostle may not be able to endure."
The assistant bishop was right. The energy surging from the heretics facing the Bone Lord was no joke.
It shouldn't be possible—but if anything were to happen to the Apostle...
"..."
Amos's hesitation didn't last long.
He spoke.
"Whatever that is, if it blocks Gaishara's path, there's only one conclusion."
No sooner had he lowered his hand than divine blessings erupted from the priests' fingertips.
Thunder's Blessing.
Wind's Blessing.
Earth's Blessing.
Countless other blessings poured down upon the figure blocking Gaishara.
KRRAAAACKLE!
Even if that being were a veteran soldier of the Arc, no living creature could survive this barrage.
At least… it shouldn't be possible.
"..."
And yet, a strange sense of dread weighed down Amos Aster's gaze.
As the smoke and dust gradually cleared, a silhouette began to emerge.
And when that shadow began to move, unscathed—
Amos knew his premonition had become reality.
"Summon the Bishops."
A short command.
Met without resistance.
"Understood."
At his order, the five bishops of Gaishara stepped forward.
The blessings they wielded were unlike anything the priests had cast.
RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE!───
A massive disaster surged toward the heretic.
No way it could survive.
Everyone watching believed that—until they saw what happened.
"What the..."
Despite the combined blessings of five bishops and an army of priests—
The heretic stood, utterly unharmed, unfazed, even after taking the attack head-on.
A scene so unreal, no one could believe it even as they saw it.
"..."
Amos Aster stared in silence.
And then, he finally understood the unease that had haunted him moments before.
"…The Immortal Apostle."
Master of the Cracked Desert.
And Apostle of the Great Will.
That was the being now standing in Gaishara's way.
"…It's coming!"
A shout.
And still, the Immortal did not halt.
"The heretic!"
Another cry—
But it didn't last.
"Gah!"
As countless blessings bombarded the Immortal, calamities erupted around it.
Yet, not once did its step falter.
No weapon.
No blessing.
No calamity—
Could stop the Immortal's relentless advance.
"Monster…"
Immortal.
Now the name was proving exactly what it meant.
===BREAK===
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