280

Episode 280 – The Beast and the Beast (1)

Pure white clouds are settling in a space that should be pitch black.

This is what they usually look like when a large number of silver-skinned metallic gremlins gather together.

'There are a lot.'

Looking at the size of the cloud, it is more than twice as large as the group of metallic gremlins I encountered before it became a subadult. It was a medium-sized group at the time, but if you look at the ones flying now, it's an even larger group.

'Now that I look at it, it looks like it's over 20,000.'

Maybe there are more. Because if it is a large group, the number is never small.

And unlike medium-sized flocks led by a single 'warp boy', large flocks contain several types of higher-level species. 'Wolfram Goblin', a higher species specialized in warpboy combat, etc.

A large group moves systematically as its members are segmented. Could it be said that the majority feels like army ants who form a camp and move around? Don't think about fighting a medium-sized group.

The infamous legions of space marauders are closing in to devour Kesha Arma.

In response, the space fortress also began intercepting the enemy.

The huge fortress guns placed behind me spewed fire one by one.

Psychic heat rays that are as thick as the psychic breath I fire cut through the sea of stars. The group of metallic gremlins quickly disperses. Some slow-moving guys were hit by the heat rays and disappeared without a trace.

Unfortunately, the first shot was a failure. The super-large fortress guns went on standby, and in their place, hundreds of anti-aircraft guns for intercepting ship-based aircraft prepared for battle.

Meanwhile, the wide spread metallic gremlins quickly gathered together and rushed towards the fortress.

Now it's my turn to step forward.

The color bomb he received while fighting Cynthia weakened not only his vision, but also the fungal glands inside his neck and one of his fighting arms, but there were no major problems.

What you need when fighting against a large number of people in space is agile maneuvering ability and…

'long-distance shooting ability.'

Psychic Breath with a spoonful of 'Color of the Abyss' would fully meet the requirements.

I advanced toward the approaching enemy forces, keeping my wings spread out to their limits horizontally. At the same time, the color of the black carapace that protects my body changed.

Purple, green and all kinds of colors are mixed together. Chaotic colors dance and move on the stage called the carapace.

At the end is a monster's tentacle. The mane-like tentacles on the neck and occipital carapace glow in strange colors and flutter. An ominous and indescribable force escaping from the tentacles condenses in front of my snout.

The metallic gremlins, whose distance from me is gradually narrowing, have not yet sensed the crisis. What used to be like small dust that makes up clouds is now starting to look as big as the fingernail of your little finger.

Tens of thousands of monsters open their hideous maws wide and rush towards me.

I threw a ball of foam at them, filled with chaos and malice. Bubbles that are ridiculously small compared to this universe or even me. The metallic gremlins were not alert.

And then the sphere collided with an unlucky marauder. Like a glass sphere breaking, the bubble burst and covered the looter's body.

That was the beginning.

｢■■?!｣

The psychic breath strengthened by the color of the abyss is a greedier predator than I am. Those bubbles, driven by an unknown force, never stop until they eat up all the organic matter nearby.

｢■■■■■!｣

｢■■■!｣

The first metallic gremlin hit was already eaten by the psychic breath without leaving a single finger. The life-consuming bubbles also clung to his companions.

They were embarrassed and tried to shake off the foam, but that was foolish. If you shake it off with your finger, the foam will grab your finger and tear it off, and if you try to remove it with your teeth, it will go inside your body and eat away at your internal organs.

The number of victims that started with one animal soon increased to dozens or hundreds. Then, the bodies of those suffering from the bubbles began to glow blue.

'It's Warp Boy.'

Warp Boy is trying to send his bubble-covered compatriots to another space with his unique technology, 'War Guide'. My auxiliary organs detected strong energy flowing from the bodies of two warp boys in the distance.

I immediately fired a regular psychic breath in that direction. A huge purple flame filled the empty, weightless world.

One warp boy who was preparing for faster-than-light sailing canceled his warguide and quickly dodged to the side. Thanks to his quick judgment of the situation, he was able to survive. The other one could not escape and was oxidized along with the rest of his compatriots in the dragon's breath.

However, thanks to his sacrifice, the metallic gremlins that were hit by the bubbles disappeared somewhere far away so that I couldn't detect them.

｢■■■■｣

｢■■■｣

Their camp changed quickly as if they were avoiding the fortress guns. This time, it was similar to a net laid to catch fish. By widening the gap between entities, we have built a network that can surround the fortress at the same time.

'This is why large groups are so annoying.'

Just as the leader of a medium group is a warp boy, a large group also has an individual in charge of command.

'Taitabos.'

Taitabos specializes in supporting the group as it continuously secretes special substances that strengthen its allies. Also, since it is an individual that commands tens of thousands of animals, its intelligence is quite high.

'We have to find him as quickly as possible.'

You never know when Cynthia inside the fortress might escape. They destroyed the silo to prevent the transport ship from launching, so they should be looking for another way by now.

It is not only impossible to catch and kill tens of thousands of metallic gremlins one by one, but it also takes a long time. The only way is to hit the enemy's head and disintegrate it.

I fired an enhanced psychic breath at the scattered guys. Those who saw the breath flying in the form of bubbles quickly dispersed.

'Whenever the camp changes drastically, he will show up too.'

In the game, Taitabos hides among his compatriots to protect himself during battle. To take him out, we have to break up the group like we are doing now.

While the auxiliary agency was looking for the titarbos that emits fine substances, they also prepared a counterattack. Individuals that were three times larger than regular metallic gremlins and had both arms dyed black appeared in front.

The name of that big monster is Wolfram Goblin. When they raised their black arms, a rock-like object was launched from the end. The breath I fired exploded after being hit by a chunk of rock that flew in the middle.

'…Tsk.'

Wolfram Goblin is a superior species of Metallic Gremlin and is responsible for long-distance control during war. That chunk of rock that was just launched is the excrement they digested after eating the ship.

The rocks they shoot are made of metal that has hardened through a special chemical reaction, so they are very hard and contain many microorganisms that corrode the metal.

'It doesn't matter to me, but it's still annoying.'

As Taitabos responded smartly, the strengthened psychic breath was neutralized. They seemed to be planning to win the game in close combat, so they increased their flying speed as much as possible.

As a monster that eats ships, the Metallic Gremlin also has hard and sharp teeth. Even if you get bitten by just one or two, it will only cause a scratch, but if you get bitten by tens of thousands, it's a different story. Even if they stick to me and chew me just once, I'm bound to get quite a few injuries.

'And you also have to take care of the fort behind you.'

Currently, they have set up a siege camp targeting me and the fortress. Those who returned to the rear also began fighting against the fortress's defenses.

'I need to use that.'

The trait 'Bone Beast' transforms my body into a huge monster.

It was a card I had been saving in case something unexpected happened while conquering the fortress.

'Now is the time to write.'

A horde of metallic gremlins attacks me.

It had no eyes or nose and its ugly mouth, reminiscent of a lamprey, stuck to the carapace like a sucker. They clung to me like hungry mosquitoes with their teeth sunk into my body.

I caught some of them hanging on their backs with my fighting arms. When the 'Predatory Leech's Hand' effect was activated, its body shrunk like a mummy. As I repeated the same action over and over again, the wounds on my carapace increased.

Even after seeing their compatriot turned into a mummy right next to them, they continued to chew on me relentlessly. If I do that, I guess they believe that one day I will die.

But that's wrong.

'good.'

Absorbing a large amount of energy made me feel like my stomach was full without me even realizing it. Feeling that feeling, I activated the Bone Beast.

｢ ?!｣

｢■■!｣

｢ !｣

It is said that if you apply force to the area where the mosquito is sucking blood, the blood will rush out at once and the mosquito will explode. I've never actually tried it, so I don't know what the sight was like, but I felt like I knew the feeling.

Because that's what the metallic gremlins that were clinging to my body were like right now.

My body, which was about 25 meters tall, grows rapidly. Carapace thickness Tail length Wings and arms Head carapace Tentacles. All elements that make up Aimorph are magnified several times.

｢■■■■!｣

Seeing me changing, they try to retreat. I completed the change in an instant and caught those who were trying to run away.

No, the expression "caught" is not appropriate. The erosion tentacles sticking out from my back just struck the air like I was waving my palm at a flying insect.

However, the destructive power created by the erosion tentacle, which was 3 meters thick, was truly enormous. Because where the tentacle passed, only an unrecognizable piece of flesh remained.

The group of metallic gremlins hastily retreated at the gruesome death of their compatriot. Tens of thousands of space marauders were tensed at the sight of me.

Of course, if a 25m tall creature were to turn into an 80m tall monster in an instant, anyone would react that way.

'It's been a while since I wrote this.'

When I fought Jason before, it was over 300m, but now it's not that big. At that time, it was because 'King of Monsters' and Bone Beast were used together, and now this state is the normal transformation state of Bone Beast.

Seeing that I had suddenly become so large, Taitabos seemed to have decided that I had to move cautiously. Except for those attacking the fortress, the rest changed positions. The metallic gremlins kept their distance from me. Instead, the Wolfram goblins came out in front to shoot me.

'Did you think you would win if you fought at a wide distance?'

Now that I have become gigantic, it would be a big mistake to judge that the firepower of my breath is the same as before.

I was also preparing my psychic breath, but the heads of the Wolfram Goblins in front were crushed. It wasn't just him. Those around them also began to have their heads and bodies crushed as if they had been put in a transparent press.

｢■■■!｣

｢■■■■■!｣

'This?'

While the confused Wolfram Goblins were shouting and retreating, something small flew next to me.

"You look like you're having a hard time. Would you like me to help you?"

The owner of the amber eyes, with conflicting emotions of playfulness and warlike intent, sent a wave of thought to me.

Why does it sound so welcoming even though I've only seen it for a few hours? I answered her briefly.

[Zuzu zuzuzu zuzuzu (Does this look difficult?)]

"Didn't you use Bone Beast because it was difficult?"

Since it wasn't a mistake, I changed the topic.

[Zuzuzuz zuzuzuz zuz zu zuz zuzuzu zuzuzuzu (Are you sure you'll be okay? You've just finished moving up the level)]

｢Don't worry. "Because it is so strong that it can fly."

The Gryphon Sky Mother said so and spread out her brilliant agate-colored wings. The sight of the jewel light gently swaying along the feathers reminded me of desert sand being shaken by the wind.

Those wings with a mysterious atmosphere that had never existed before were proof that one had reached the advanced level of deification.

'I'm glad.'

If you have her by your side, you will never lose. I'm a little worried about whether she'll be able to use her newly acquired powers well, but I'm sure she'll adapt quickly.

I flicked my giant head carapace and turned my attention to the metallic gremlins.

They were perplexed when they saw their new enemy, but they did not retreat.

'It's a good attitude, but…'

A leader who is responsible for the lives of many people must also know how to step down when necessary.

The monster's tentacles spewed flames again at those who made a foolish decision.

Now it's the second round.