Chapter 223

〈Chapter 223〉Part 1, Chapter 10, 26

A massive crater formed on the island. I landed right in the middle of it and restored my severed right arm.

“Should I have just transformed into Beast Form and used it?”

The regenerated right arm was no different from before. However, since I used an ultimate technique in human form, its destructive power was much weaker compared to when I’m in Beast Form.

“In the end, I couldn’t even break through the barrier.”

The island was almost half-obliterated, and nearly half the oxygen had disappeared. But I still couldn’t completely dispel the darkness covering the sky.

The triple-layered barrier set up by the three officers.

Even in my human form, breaking through it was quite a challenge for me.

“So, does that mean I need to transform into Beast Form…?”

“What are you mumbling about all alone over there?!”

“Oh, you’re still alive after all.”

Hydra let her broken right arm dangle as she panted heavily. Although she didn’t have many visible injuries, her entire skin was bright red from burns.

“Haaaaa…”

Penril lay sprawled out in one corner of the crater, her maid outfit completely burned away. Since she likely took twice the damage compared to the others, it would take some time for her to regain consciousness.

“Do you not feel embarrassed running away like that all by yourself?”

“Shut up!”

From within the darkness, Azidahaka emerged with only her upper body exposed and fired a magic bullet at me. I deflected the magic bullet with my regenerated right hand and sent it flying toward Penril’s unconscious stomach.

“Cough! Huff!”

“This is revenge for cutting off Azidahaka’s hair.”

“Who cut it?! Hey!”

Azidahaka looked close to tears, her eyes brimming with moisture. But apart from having her long hair chopped off, she hadn’t taken much damage.

Penril was completely out cold, Hydra was severely injured, and Azidahaka only suffered a minor injury—a haircut.

“Haa, haa… this is tough, isn’t it…”

With Hydra’s support, Penril shakily stood up, trembling legs barely holding her weight. Her tail drooped down as if she could collapse any second.

“Keep going like this? Or admit defeat?”

“Hmph, what nonsense. The battle isn’t over yet.”

A purple aura began swirling around Hydra’s body—the tainted magic power of Tera, and also the combat form of the brainwashed officers known as ‘Beast Form.’

[Don’t think we’ll let you die easily.]

Hydra, now encased in armor resembling a snake head that looks both like a viper and an anaconda, swayed her head left and right as she menacingly approached me.

“I won’t die easily—not even gracefully.”

Hydra unfurled brownish-yellow snakes from her back. With their mouths wide open, these snakes dripped venom as they lunged at me, attempting to bite.

[You’re really arrogant, acting so similar to the original.]

Penril also transformed into Beast Form to restore her strength. Just like before when she attacked me, green flames shot out between the glossy wolf-shaped helmet she wore.

[Hmph, don’t misunderstand. It’s not because I think I can’t win that I’m revealing my true form!]

Azidahaka also transformed into a dragon-like beast form. Beneath the black armor, dark magic power flickered faintly, though it wasn’t easy to distinguish due to the obscurity. Purple veins of corrupted magic power spread across her armor like capillaries.

“Thinking about it, this is the first time I’ve faced real officers.”

Seoyea’s Rusalka clashed with the raging Light Blade.

I summoned Chaos Dragon and unleashed my monster transformation to extract the Dragon.

So, facing real Dark Legion officers for the first time—and Beast Forms at that—is happening now.

“Previously, I dealt with them individually.”

Maybe my greed for defeating each one separately was too much, but already the three of them were working together to bring me down.

“Alright then. To be honest, fighting against Stage 1-2-3 bosses while transforming first felt embarrassing.”

[Kyaaa, stop your incessant chatter!]

[You fake, saying things people can’t understand. Are you just talking with your mouth?]

“…If you can’t understand, fine.”

Of the three, only Penril, who had previously fought against my Beast Form, maintained her posture without letting her guard down. I clasped my hands together in a prayer-like gesture and slightly bowed my head.

“Then let’s begin.”

[Anyway, the winner is obvious.]

Did my provocation work, or were they waiting for me to transform? Either way, the monsters drew their weapons and surrounded me from all sides.

Kaaang!

The first attack came from Penril. Unlike me, who can achieve maximum speed while flying, Penril leaped off the ground created by Hydra and charged at me with giant claws. Each claw was larger than a human head, and her claws were bigger than her own torso.

[They’re animalistic claws, aren’t they?]

[I don’t have time for idle chatter!]

Penril’s claws slashed diagonally across me. I extended my arms and caught her claws.

Kagagak!

Small gusts of wind wrapped around Penril’s claws, spiraling toward my gauntlets. The green wind flowed along my gauntlets, trying to engulf my entire arm.

[Useless.]

I crushed the central claw along with the wind. Penril gripped her claw tightly and dug her talons into my shoulder.

Kaka-kak!

I crumpled Penril’s central claw and she attempted to sever my joints. A brief exchange of blows occurred within seconds. If I continued this strength contest, victory would undoubtedly be mine—but unfortunately, I wasn’t just fighting Penril one-on-one.

Pook!

A blade targeting my joints pierced into my chest from behind. A sword dark as obsidian under the night sky stabbed me completely.

[Your back was wide open!]

Azidahaka, who had stabbed me from behind, mocked me. I reached behind with my spare hand and grabbed her head.

[Intentionally leaving my back open.]

[Wh-What?! Let go of me!]

[If you thought I’d just let you stab me from a blind spot, you should’ve aimed where my arms couldn’t reach.]

I gathered magic power in both hands and released blue flames. Penril and Azidahaka were enveloped in the flames, their armor gradually charring.

Even if this continued, I’d win. But another beast was targeting me.

[Where?!]

I spun my foot and stomped hard on the ground. A dirt snake that was about to wrap around my ankle got its head crushed under my foot.

[Do you think I’d fall for the same trick twice?]

I crushed the dirt snake’s head repeatedly until it turned into soil and disappeared. Another dirt snake’s head popped up immediately.

Kwa-dek! Kwa-dek!

Before I could stomp on more heads, the remaining dirt snakes bit into my ankles. Toxic saliva oozed from their sharp fangs, slowly corroding my armor.

[Hmph! Try again like last time if you dare! This time will be different!]

[The destructive power was unexpected, but we’re pretty sturdy too, huh?]

[Are you planning to endure relying on durability?]

I couldn’t help but laugh. Despite having my arm nearly torn off, being stabbed in the chest, and bitten by poisonous fangs, I still didn’t feel particularly “in danger.”

[Then why don’t you try enduring?]

I spread my wings and rolled on the ground. After a few meters, I successfully soared into the air, pulling Hydra, who was embedded in the ground like a sweet potato vine, up with me.

[Guh?!]

[Azidahaka ran away again?]

Leaving the sword piercing my chest, Azidahaka dodged my wings and vanished into the darkness. Penril severed her own central claw and retreated a great distance.

[Now it’s just you left.]

[You’re awfully confident, aren’t you!]

I held the dirt snake between my two feet and lifted it high into the air. Hydra rose to my eye level, and I grabbed her neck while flapping my wings forcefully.

[Do you like Gyro Drops?]

[Stop spouting nonsense!]

Hydra opened the mouths of the snakes sprouting from her back and bit into my arms. Sharp teeth gleaming with brownish-yellow magic power pierced through the gaps in my armor, leaking magic power.

[Barriers ultimately always have ceilings, don’t they?]

I stopped my vertically ascending wings. Then, I hurled Hydra toward the ceiling hidden by the darkness—Azidahaka’s barrier.

[Guhk?!]

[Let’s see your back.]

I slammed Hydra’s head into the ceiling and climbed onto it. Fixing my wings to the ceiling, I pinned Hydra face-down beneath me, sitting on her hips as if she were lying flat on the ground.

Kyaaaack!!

The snake-like appendages sprouting from Hydra’s back opened their mouths toward me. I grabbed the nearest snake by its upper and lower jaws and twisted.

[Aaaack!!]

One of the snake heads sprouting from Hydra’s back was ripped off. Hydra screamed in pain as she writhed her body, but I firmly held her pelvis with my lower body to prevent her from moving.

[If you were on the ground, you’d definitely run away. Blame Azidahaka.]

[You crazy bitch!]

Now even Hydra cursed me. Penril and Azidahaka, who followed me, grabbed my arms from both sides and tried to pull me off.

[Where do you think you’re climbing, you pervert?!]

[You cheating bastard! Get down immediately!]

[What is this nonsense among beasts…]

I swung my arms to push the two beasts away. Then, I grabbed the neck of the second snake trying to bite my neck and twisted it left and right.

[Ahhk!]

The snake head choked and spat out magic power. The brownish-yellow magic power splattered onto my armor like blood, slowly corroding it.

[That makes two.]

But I paid no heed. Whether Penril was biting my shoulder and scratching with her claws or Azidahaka was swinging her obsidian sword to stab my back and wings, I continued pulling off the snake heads sprouting from Hydra’s back one by one.

The third snake wrapping around my wrist was twisted and snapped by spinning my arm.

The fourth snake that sank its teeth into my side—I guess “upward strike” would be more accurate here—I pressed down on Hydra’s back and crushed it.

The fifth snake spraying poison toward my face had its neck clawed and scorched with fire.

[Ah, haa, khaa…!]

Hydra howled in agony as she tore at the barrier. The other two beasts tried harder to pull me off Hydra, but I endured the pain to the limits of my body and continued ripping off the snake heads sprouting from Hydra’s back.

At the moment I pulled out the sixth snake head by the roots, Azidahaka finally cut off my wing.

When I decapitated the seventh snake head with a clean slash, Penril condensed her wind blade and severed my wrist.

As I gripped the eighth snake head with both hands, Hydra flipped her body 180 degrees and hugged me.

[Kyaahh!]

Kwa-dek.

The moment I crushed the eighth snake head in my grip, Hydra bit into my neck. The final ninth snake head, actually Hydra’s real head, started dripping venom down my body.

[Hehehe, hehehehe!]

Hydra chewed my neck thoroughly. Having no strength left to endure, I fell helplessly toward the ground with half my neck torn off.

Kung!

I collapsed face-up on the ground, completely limp. My full-body armor was tattered, my wrists and ankles severed, and blue magic power leaked from the broken, melted, and severed parts of my armor.

Tat.

The two beasts who fell from the barrier supported Hydra and landed gently. Once her feet touched the ground, Hydra’s harsh breathing began to stabilize.

[Due to endurance, she recovers as soon as she touches the ground.]

“Haa, haa… *snicker*.”

Hydra reverted from Beast Form and focused solely on recovery. Seeing my condition, the other two beasts also returned to their human forms, confident they had secured victory.

“There really is no crazier woman out there.”

“Fighting like this is exhausting…”

Azidahaka combed her regrown hair while trembling all over, and Penril stroked Hydra’s back soothingly.

“Haa, haa… What did I do to deserve this?! Why are you tormenting only me?!”

Hydra cried, her eyes tearing up, as she shouted provocatively at me. From the moment the three officers transformed into beasts, I persistently targeted Hydra.

[Hmm, it’s not because you have a grudge. You were just unlucky.]

I raised my remaining hand. Coincidentally, three fingers remained on it.

[First, I decided to start messing with one of you. Congratulations, Hydra—you got picked as 1/3.]

“Really, what an idiotic woman, haa, huuu…!”

Even while spitting blood, Hydra curled her lips and mocked me.

“Hmph, but this is the end! No matter how you’re called Phoenix, those wounds make it impossible for you to fight us three—”

[What wounds?]

Blue flames erupted from my body. Enormous flames large enough to turn the surroundings into a wasteland filled the space around me, and I stood up on two legs, supporting myself on the ‘regenerated arm.’

[You should’ve noticed from when I willingly blew off my right arm with an ultimate move at the start.]

“It’s… impossible!”

My body was as pristine as it was at the beginning of the fight, without a single scratch.

[If you thought I’d take damage carelessly, you underestimated me too much.]

I calmly walked toward the three officers. Penril and Azidahaka bit their lips and stepped back, while Hydra trembled in fear.

[Since the nine-headed snake wants a break, what should we do with the two of you? Shall I give you a chance?]

I pointed alternately at Penril and Azidahaka with my finger.

[Should I file down the wolf’s claws entirely, or pluck all the dragon’s scales? Well.]

My finger pointed at Hydra.

[You choose, Hydra. Then I’ll spare your life.]

“……Huh, hahaha.”

Hydra lowered her head and sobbed. Penril and Azidahaka subtly distanced themselves from Hydra.

“Seriously, I want to kill you so badly just from your constant chatter…!”

[Didn’t we already start fighting with the intention to kill?]

“Shut up!”

Hydra, her eyes bloodshot, screamed at me and hid her body in the ground.

[Ah.]

Could she be attempting ‘that’? I clapped my hands in anticipation.

[If you’re bringing out your main body, I welcome it wholeheartedly—]

“Penril! Azidahaka! You two too!”

[Not that!]

I spread my wings and lunged forward. Before anything major happened, I needed to knock one of them out first.

“Hmph! Useless, cat!”

“Looks like they’re scared! Ho ho ho ho!”

The two beasts escaped into the air and the darkness. I chased after the traces of magic power they left behind before disappearing, intending to deal with the closest one first.

The officer’s trace.

It was first felt from the ‘ground’ I was standing on.

[Damn.]

Kiaaaah!

The entire ground surged upward toward the ceiling. Before I could spread my wings to ascend vertically, I was utterly stunned by the massive body coiling around me like a sushi roll.

[Don’t you think we should fight more like humans?]

Kyaahhhh!!!

Monsters were baring their venomous fangs at me.

[Three SS-Rank Monsters…]

Looking at the enormous Black Dragon and Green Wolf appearing in the sky, I felt defeated.

[Screwed.]