Chapter 454

〈 Chapter 454 〉 Part 1, Episode 19-10

Just as Cheon Gaeul and Seok Harang had done, Penril eventually fell victim to the overwhelming power she used for the “first time,” like a heroine trying to prove herself. Only this time, it was directed at me.

“……”

Penril was trapped in my barrier, unable to move a single step. Confined within the hexahedral Cube-shaped barrier, Penril floated mid-air, avoiding contact with the barrier’s surface, her eyes closed.

“700 exchanges. 16 instances.”

I tapped the barrier lightly with the back of my hand to call out to Penril. Though she showed no reaction to my summoning, I continued calling her name regardless.

“You never said a word during our fight.”

Penril ground her teeth at me, unleashing her frustration. In truth, during our battle, I hadn’t uttered a single word, too preoccupied with predicting, dodging, and countering her attacks.

“Because if I spoke, I’d lose?”

“…So now that you think you can win, you’re talking?”

“That’s right.”

Penril fell silent. Both Penril and I needed time to recover our depleted Magic Power and relieve the mental and emotional stress of the battle. Penril had never managed to injure me, while I had grown exhausted from constant evasion and response.

The moment Penril was caught in my temporary barrier trap, we reached an unspoken agreement: a brief respite before continuing the fight.

“Should we keep fighting like this? Nothing will change anyway.”

“…Haha… hahaha…”

Penril laughed maniacally, almost like someone who had lost their mind. And indeed, how could she not lose it?

“You can’t kill me.”

An endless battle where my resolve never breaks, even if I die countless times. A great battle where every attack is avoided or blocked, leaving not even a scratch on me.

Even if she suddenly transformed into a monster form, the outcome would still be my victory. My sync with Aruel makes me stronger than any monster, and I’m far more accustomed to fighting in human form than as a monster.

“What are you going to do? Keep fighting?”

“I’ll show you—I won’t let you off easy anymore!”

Penril’s pupils stretched vertically. I spread my wings and distanced myself from the barrier.

Zzzziiip, Zzzziiip!!!

Green Magic Power began flowing out from inside the barrier. The SS-Rank-resistant barrier started shattering, and streams of Magic Power erupted from Penril’s body.

Tera’s corrupted influence over Penril.

Arel’s Magic Power, which allows her to use such powers on Earth.

And Jeolpung’s Magic Power, the source of strength for both officers and spirits.

These three forces converged on Penril within the barrier, and I tightly gripped the two recovered TATs.

“Phase 3 is reserved for final bosses.”

Grrrrr.

The wind howled. If this is considered the final phase against officers, Phase 3 is understandable.

Shinkirou (God-Killing Wolf), Penril.

KRAAAAOOOO—–!!

The barrier shattered instantly, and a typhoon began raging.

* * *

Unleashed Penril.

Though I’ve fought countless battles, today felt different.

‘Syncro must be affecting her.’

Approximately 70 meters tall, I watched Penril grow larger from atop Horogwan’s crumbling city wall. The mixture of three magical forces caused Penril to expand endlessly.

“It doesn’t stop…”

Gurrrl, Gurrrll!!

In no time, the quadrupedal emerald-green wolf exceeded 70 meters in length.

“Wow, she’s big.”

Even among officers, Seok Harang’s butterfly wings stretch 80 meters wide, and Hydra’s total length surpasses 100 meters. No matter how monstrous, maintaining size requires immense Magic Power; without sufficient support, the body would decay.

Still…

Despite all this…

Gurrrl, Gurrrll!!

Penril continued growing, easily surpassing 70 meters, then reaching 100 meters in no time.

“Whoa.”

I flapped my wings and soared high into the sky. As soon as I moved, five claw-like winds shot toward Horogwan’s city wall.

Sssshhh, Sssshhh!!

The walls were split into six equal parts by the wind slashes. With just a flick of her claws, Penril cleaved through the wall and earth alike.

“How much bigger will you get?”

Grrrrl.

Penril showed no signs of stopping. Already exceeding 70 meters in height, I flew higher as Penril obliterated the surrounding land with the mere airflow from her transformation.

“This is definitely strong.”

She couldn’t help but be strong. Her size had grown incomparably large compared to any monster from the original work, even surpassing the monstrous Azidahaka-Dark Legion combo I encountered here.

Drip. Drip.

Small objects began falling from Penril’s fur—large monsters roughly 10 meters tall.

#####

“Sigh… They’ve appeared.”

I clenched my teeth upon seeing the shapes of these monsters. The black creatures with bat-like wings resembled giant hornets overall, with lizard-like purple-scaled arms sprouting from their torso.

“…”

Parasitic organisms feeding on Magic Power, consuming their host. All of Tera’s corrupted Magic Power stems from these creatures, making them the primary contributors to Seongju’s conquest of Tera.

“But Penril, aren’t you a bit too big and producing too many of them?”

Though they’re parasitic organisms living on the skin, when they grow this large and fill the skies, it’s bound to make anyone nauseous.

“Anyway, we’ll probably see these things across the entire planet soon, right?”

As soon as Seongju decides on the final battle, Terasites will flood through dimensional gates uncontrollably. Even aside from now, we’ll soon face an exhausting war against countless Terasites lacking cores.

“So, let’s finish this cleanly between us. What do you say?”

KRAAAAAAA!!

Penril roared fiercely at me, having grown to 300 meters tall. Simultaneously, the Terasites began flying towards me, riding Penril’s winds with chilling wing beats. The stingers on her tail injected long-term-corrupted Magic Power, instantly mutating targets into monsters or beasts.

“Guess words don’t work, huh?”

I lowered the TATs in both hands. Thanks to Chang-yeom, I now use firearms, but there’s no better weapon than guns for dealing with large numbers of enemies. Besides, guns are already familiar to me, being the standard equipment of the original protagonist.

“Then I’ll have to make you listen!”

□□□□□□□!!

Blue Flames descended and exploded. The Terasites caught fire and tumbled to the ground. However, unaffected by attributes, they continued flying towards me despite burning, like moths drawn to death.

Flap!!

The Terasites that crashed to the ground fired venomous stingers from their insides. These weren’t stingers so much as massive lances fit for medieval cavalry charges, gleaming with corrupted Magic Power as they aimed to contaminate me.

And those were only the ones I intercepted and brought down. The real threat was still coming straight at me, evading the explosions.

Swishswishswishswish!!

Dozens of Terasites approached with a sound resembling a mix of mosquito and bee wings. I ascended further, firing Magic Bullets downward.

Bang! Bang!!

Blue Flames rained down like rain. I ascended higher with each recoil, and though the Terasites took hits, they relentlessly pursued me.

“Phase 3 has some dirty patterns, huh!”

How could one-on-one battles escalate into mass spawns? Technically, they’re parasites emerging from Penril’s body, but whether parasite or Penril, they’re all trying to kill me.

‘And the main game hasn’t even started yet.’

While firing Magic Bullets, I noticed Penril, clearly visible even hundreds of meters below, shedding black Magic Power from her emerald-green fur. That power solidified into Terasites heading towards me, but at least the pure green fur looked better than the tainted emerald hue.

“I’m really doing everything to awaken your spirit. Seriously!”

Later, if Penril awakens as a Spirit, she’ll owe me big time. I instinctively sensed my cooldown had reset and aligned the barrels of the TATs towards the ground. Though the Terasites chased after me, they couldn’t match my vertical speed.

“All of you need to die to avoid trouble later. Consider this extra service for your hard work. There’s no landlord like me who takes care of employees this well, right?”

Pouring enough Magic Power to slightly melt the outer casing of the TATs, I ascended beyond the eye-level of the typhoon, where the sky was clear and the earth serene.

“Hmm.”

I channeled all the Magic Power from my winged flight into the TATs. The amount concentrated in the barrels would likely overwhelm even materials from SS-Rank monsters, and adding more would risk overheating and exploding in my hands.

“Kefri, Atum.”

After retaining just enough Magic Power to stay airborne,

“Nova Explosion.”

Simultaneously creating and squeezing out two Magic Bullets, I pulled the trigger. Two miniature suns descended from the aligned barrels, spiraling downwards and releasing massive flames as they became unstable.

Fwoooosh!!

The twin suns began scattering fiery waves in all directions. The Terasites disintegrated into ash upon contact with the flames, unable to launch their stingers. As the sun-like Magic Bullets accelerated towards the ground, they incinerated every Terasite ejected from Penril’s body.

And then…

KRAOOOO!!

At the moment Penril, glowing entirely green, roared at me,

Click.

The two Magic Bullets collided above Penril’s wide-open mouth.

“BOOM!”

Even from my position 200km up, the vivid mushroom cloud formed beautifully.

“Haa…”

Exhaustion overwhelmed me. I hadn’t used this much Magic Power even against Carna, and this was likely the first time since arriving here that I’ve expended my Full Strength without reserve.

“I’m seriously doing everything to awaken your spirit.”

Always fighting at full power isn’t enough; I also assist in breaking free from shackles. Tears welled up in my eyes, but I firmly believed this path ultimately saves Chang-yeom. Folding my mini-Phoenix-sized wings behind me,

Squeeeeek—-!!

I plummeted into the mushroom cloud. Colliding with the residual flames restored a bit of my Magic Power, while brushing against remnants of Terasites drained it. I found myself descending into the eye of the typhoon I created, with significantly less Magic Power remaining.

Thud.

My descent slowed as I neared the ground, gently floating down like an angel descending from heaven at 1km altitude. Green winds supported me from below.

“So, you at least maintain this level of courtesy, huh?”

The Penril on the ground had shrunk considerably. Her 500-meter frame reduced to just over 3 meters, seemingly using her size to withstand my ultimate attack. Her fur shimmered green, with embers of Chang-yeom’s flames still licking her coat.

“Hey, Penril. Do you know why you lost to me even after awakening the power of a Spirit and achieving near-syncro?”

Grrrr.

I gripped the melted TAT tightly. Its barrel completely liquefied, preventing further Magic Bullet shots, but it could still function for one last round.

Slither.

The Core I kept as my last resort embedded itself in the gun barrel. Its silvery exterior turned gray, repairing the melted parts somewhat and restoring its original shape. I aimed the repaired TAT at Penril.

“You have one flaw, Penril.”

I pointed the barrel at Penril.

“You didn’t cherish strawberries.”

Penril unleashed a gale at me with a wide-open mouth, and I fired a Magic Bullet at her.