"You're a little late."
"…Are you serious? That's rich coming from someone who just left after dropping a few words."
"It was an urgent situation."
"Yeah, I bet it was."
Even with the significant distance between me and Isabel, our conversation flowed as though we were speaking face-to-face.
"You already know, I'm sure—we can't let any fragments of the Bone Lord escape this domain."
"So, you call me in… just to clean up your mess. Wonderful. Truly admirable."
"I did say I was late."
I could tell, even without being next to her, that Isabel shot me a sidelong glance.
"But honestly… I didn't expect you'd really take down the Bone Lord."
"A lot happened."
"Fine, I'll hear about it later. Looks like we've got work to do."
As she rightly pointed out, there was no time for idle chatter.
Even now, the Bone Lord's fragments were wildly rampaging, completely out of control.
"Let's get to it."
An ether storm swirled around Isabel, enveloping the entire domain of the Bone Lord in an instant.
Even for someone like her, it wouldn't be possible to maintain a storm of that scale for long.
"I won't be able to hold this forever."
"I know."
The ether storm Isabel conjured didn't just block the Bone Lord's fragments from escaping—it also whipped the remnants into a frenzy, forcing them toward the center.
With a setup like this, not devouring them would be plain stupidity.
"Move in."
Following the pull of the tightening ether storm, the Turncoats and Horus moved to drive the Bone Lord's fragments into the center—like a coordinated hunt.
["…Even this was prepared ahead of time. Truly impressive."]
The Turncoat King spoke in genuine awe, and the Turncoat Queen beside him nodded in agreement.
"…Utterly devious. If I had known he was this type, I wouldn't have invited him into the Great Battle…"
["It's too late for that. And with this level of preparation, our will probably didn't matter much to begin with."]
"True enough…"
They bickered, but neither paused in their duty.
RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE!
Tendrils surged from the Turncoat King and Queen, hunting the Bone Lord's fragments one by one.
[KRRRGIGIGIK!──]
[KAGK, GRK!]
Even in their berserk state, the fragments recognized their enemies. Twisting into grotesque shapes beyond description, they lunged at the Turncoats.
"Soulless refuse… Perhaps this is our true form after all."
With a tone of bitter resignation, the Turncoat Queen unleashed her blooming bone petals once again.
The rampaging remnants of the Bone Lord were formidable—but their foes were the Turncoat King and his kind.
From the start, they had no chance.
CRACK, CRUNCH...
CRACKLE-CRACK!
Caught in the tightening ether storm, the fragments were devoured one after another.
There were moments where counterattacks could have been fatal—but only just.
Wild, uncoordinated power had no hope of breaching the poised and prepared Turncoats.
"Phew… That one was close. Thanks for the save, Commander."
"…If I knew it would be this dangerous, I wouldn't have sent you, Rook."
"You're here too, so what's the difference?"
"..."
Isabel said nothing—just shook her head and stirred the ether storm into an even more furious gale.
Given how ether reacts to its wielder's emotional state, it was clear Isabel's mood had shifted.
Maybe it was thanks to this brief reprieve that I found a moment to glance toward where the Church of Morte of Morte and the Immortal had been.
'So, the Church of Morte withdrew.'
There were still quite a few priests remaining, still fighting the Immortal—but none of the higher-ranking bishops were present.
They had clearly been abandoned—left behind as pawns.
As I already knew, Archbishop Amos Aster of the Gaishara branch was a man of cold calculus.
Compared to other bishops of the Church of Morte—many of whom were devout to the point of fanaticism—it made sense that the Gaishara branch was entrusted with one of the three Holy Relics.
'It couldn't be helped.'
I would have liked to finish off the Gaishara branch here and now—but the circumstances didn't allow it.
'Besides… taking out a major branch like Gaishara isn't a simple matter.'
Considering the complex power dynamics outside of Ark, eradicating the Church of Morte without care would be foolish.
The right moment to act would be when their elimination served Ark's interests.
That's the path to survival in this accursed world.
'Then...'
I turned my gaze again.
Though the Church of Morte had retreated, the Bone Lord's remnants still ran rampant through the domain.
["…This is getting old."]
Even as the Turncoats, Horus, Isabel, and I continued to eliminate and absorb the Bone Lord's fragments without rest, bone tendrils still slithered across the land.
But what choice did we have?
This too… was something that had to be done.
"Keep going."
[Gigit!]
Tendrils erupted from Janus's entire body, launching outward in all directions.
* * *
Kill. Consume. Consume again.
What seemed like an endless hunt finally came to an end, the dying ether storm signaling the Bone Lord's demise.
"Seriously… I've had enough."
["Same. Tired."]
Even the usually quiet Turncoat Knight muttered tiredly alongside Rook.
["That's the last of them."]
As the Turncoat King skewered one final bone tendril, not a single fragment remained in sight.
A long and brutal battle—finally over.
And as proof, a cascade of system notifications appeared before me.
[You have defeated the Beyond-Grade Colossal Entity, 'Bone Lord'!]
[BOSS Monster has been slain!]
[Damage against all boss-class monsters and beasts has increased by 5%!]
[You have triumphed in the Battle for the Throne—the seat of the Great King among all Bone Parasite Monsters!]
[You have acquired the Title: 'Right of the Sovereign'.]
[All Bone Parasite Monsters will now fear and revere you.]
[Control over all Bone Parasite Monsters has increased by 100%!]
[Understanding of all Bone Parasite Monsters has increased by 100%!]
[Damage dealt to all Bone Parasite Monsters has increased by 100%!]
[Damage received from all Bone Parasite Monsters has decreased by 75%!]
These were the overwhelming effects of claiming the throne that both the Turncoat King and Bone Lord had longed for.
And the notifications didn't stop there.
This battle had rewarded more than just dominion.
[You are the victor of the Great Battle to determine the True King!]
[Strength has been increased.]
[22 → 25]
[Endurance has been increased.]
[23 → 26]
[Tenacity has been increased.]
[12 → 15]
[Leadership has been increased.]
[7 → 15]
[Ether Sensitivity has been increased.]
[42 → 45]
[Honor has been increased.]
[13 → 18]
Massive stat growth.
Considering I had relied on the firepower of weapons like the Zeus-444 Railgun recently, it was clear just how intense this fight had been.
Hmph.
Even with these grand rewards, the real goal remained.
To devour the Bone Lord and fully absorb its power.
[Gigit!]
Janus, who had not stopped consuming this entire time, began to tremble.
At last—it had finished digesting the Bone Lord's essence.
[You have absorbed all fragments of the Beyond-Grade Colossal Entity, 'Bone Lord'!]
[You have fully absorbed the Bone Lord's powers.]
[Bone Armor (Lv.5) [Janus]'s performance has increased by 200%!]
[Efficiency with all Bone Parasite Equipment has increased by 100%!]
[Bone Armor (Lv.5) [Janus]'s rank has increased.]
[15★→ 16★]
[Absorption rate of 'Ankelenth's Fang' has significantly increased.]
[84% → 96.4%]
Watching all of these changes, I checked the armor's status for the first time in a while.
───────────────
[Bone Armor (Lv.5)] [Janus] [★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★(16★)]
— A Level 5 standard-issue officer-grade protective suit of Ark, integrated with a domesticated Bone
Parasite entity on its power source.
— It has been named Janus.
— Has ascended to the apex of all Bone Parasite Monsters.
— Current absorption rate of Ankelenth's Fang: 96.4%
— Absorbed the Beyond-Grade Behemoth-class entity, 'Bone Lord'.
— Can now use the Bone Lord's abilities.
— Absorbed the Beyond-Grade Skull Turncoat, 'Turncoat King'.
— Can now use the Turncoat King's abilities.
"View Details"
───────────────
'…Incredible.'
With both the Turncoat King and the Bone Lord absorbed, the Fang of Ankelenth's absorption rate had soared by nearly 20%.
Just a little more—and I would have fully drawn out its power.
["It's over. I'll return now."]
With that, the Turncoat King's body began merging back into Janus.
Though he had gained temporary autonomy, he was ultimately part of Janus.
It was only natural that he return once his task was done.
"Your Majesty…"
["No need for that face. We'll meet again soon enough."]
"…Understood."
With a nod from the Turncoat Queen, the Turncoat King vanished fully into Janus.
"Gods… I'm dying. I need to sleep for like… three days straight."
Turncoat Rook collapsed to the ground.
Even if he had been healing and recovering power throughout the battle, exhaustion was unavoidable for a living being.
"Well done."
"Is that all I get?"
"You already got your reward."
"Hmm. Fair point."
Rook grinned.
The power he gained from this battle was beyond simple description.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he could now handle the likes of The Rotting Body, Opacum—Red Stage's boss—alone.
A beast in his own right now.
Still...
Despite the Bone Lord's death, the aftermath was surprisingly subdued.
Unlike typical boss monsters, the Bone Lord was not tied to the stages.
Its death wouldn't trigger a wave or event.
Still, it would shake the ecosystem—and by extension, the surrounding factions.
I wanted to ponder it further, but too much cleanup remained.
["Carl Marcus."]
"…What now?"
Just when I thought he had vanished, the Turncoat King's face peeked out from Janus.
["There's something you need to find here. I suspect you'll recognize its value."]
"Something to find?"
["Search the Bone Lord's heart chamber. It should be there."]
A cryptic hint.
Even I had never heard of any item being hidden in the Bone Lord's heart.
"Oh—by the way. I don't see the Commander. You seen her?"
"You mean Isabel?"
True enough—Isabel, a key player in cleaning up the Bone Lord's remains, was nowhere to be seen.
Just then—
["Carl Marcus..."]
Ether whispered in my ear.
Esther spoke.
["Master, the Commander's calling for you."]
'Isabel?'
["Yes. She's alone."]
'Got it. I'm heading there now.'
With an odd sense of foreboding, I quickened my steps.
* * *
Following Isabel's trail of ether, I arrived at what had once been the core of the Bone Lord.
The Heart Chamber.
The very place the Turncoat King had told me to find.
What exactly was here—what made both him and Isabel direct me there—I still didn't know.
["There's a space inside."]
A hidden passage leading underground, beneath the Bone Lord's massive frame.
I hadn't known it was here.
Had the Bone Lord grown over it?
Or had someone built it under the Bone Lord on purpose?
Chicken or egg—the answer likely lay below.
"..."
At the bottom of a secret subterranean cavern, Isabel stood motionless, her expression frozen.
And I saw it.
What she was staring at, deep inside the cavern—
"What the…"
I knew what it was.
How could I not?
"…Why is that here?"
A fragment of the Sail.
Why it had been hidden inside the Bone Lord's heart was unknown—but what mattered now was that Isabel had found it.
Or perhaps…
She had always known.
"…So, it really was here. I suppose the time has finally come."
Isabel nodded to herself—and then turned her gaze to me.
"We can't delay any longer."
She looked at me, her face set in firm resolve.
"It's time you learned… what the Sail truly is. And the vile truth the White Line has fought so hard to bury."
===BREAK===
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