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Chapter 143

When I was inside the cave, I worried about what could be happening outside. I wondered if there was a threat from the Hond Gigrants or players. So, after completing my evolution, instead of going upward, I dug straight into the ground and moved. It was because moving on the surface could be dangerous if players were really coming.

As I moved, I realized that the things I feared didn’t happen. There were no traces of children among the scent of blood detected by the auxiliary device.

Nevertheless, just to be sure, I continued following the scent without slowing down.

“Thanks to that, I’m not late.”

While moving, I sensed Adhai’s mental waves. His thoughts were mixed with pain. If I had relaxed and slowed down my pace, I might have missed Adhai’s mental waves.

I immediately changed direction towards Adhai. Thanks to that, I was able to rescue her at the last moment.

“Krurururur….”

“Kr, krurur….”

The Hond Gigrants that saw me growled. The sound clearly contained hostility, but their bodies did not reflect that.

Shaking legs and trembling eyes. One of the most powerful predators on this continent seemed to fear me.

‘That’s to be expected.’

I couldn’t check the hastily arrived messages and the changed text boxes. However, I couldn’t ignore the changes in my own body.

Although I completed the Transcendence Stage 2, my body length did not undergo as radical growth as during evolution. It grew a bit more, from 27m to around 28m, but not doubling like before.

However, there were significant changes in my physique.

Firstly, my head became overall larger compared to before. It wasn’t just the exoskeleton that grew; horns, jaws, and other parts increased, making the head occupy a higher proportion of the body. Especially the jaw transformed into a more formidable shape, reminiscent of when I am in the state of the Symbol of Hunt.

‘I can use it much more actively in battles.’

With the enlarged jaw, I could chew on tougher enemies, and even against smaller foes, a simple strike with my head could deliver a significant blow.

And the horns. The number of horns increased from 2 to 6. The four new horns, unlike the existing ones, lined up from the center of the head to the rear exoskeleton.

‘It’s a reinforcement of the horns.’

It was a welcome addition for me, as I often used tactics of piercing with horns when fighting powerful or large enemies.

‘With the increased size, they will be much more lethal.’

As the head became larger and heavier, the neck also naturally changed. It became thicker and longer, and the tendrils that grew like a mane of a lion were wrapped around my neck.

The next area that underwent significant changes was my arms.

The small arms near the chest became much longer, and thin exoskeletons grew. The weakness in my body, which was the combat arms adorned with a symbol of hunting, was compensated with this evolution.

The combat arms, my frequently used weapons, became thicker and longer, similar to the head’s exoskeleton. It grew by about 2m, with the same thick outer covering as the head. It significantly reduced the anxiety about the arms being cut off.

These changes, along with my previous abilities, made me much more formidable in battles. The thought of facing any challenges with this evolved form filled me with confidence.

‘It might actually be good to use as a weapon.’

I, who used the tough head exoskeleton as a kind of shield, could not only slash enemies with claws but also strike with my arms themselves. Thanks to these changes, all three pairs of combat arms could now function both as arms and simultaneously as legs, much like when I moved with six legs during my Hatchling stage.

The current posture I assumed was similar to the Hatchling stage, supporting my body with six combat arms and a tail. The difference was that during the Hatchling stage, I used to move with the tail raised like a scorpion, and now I dragged the massive lower body and tail on the ground. Of course, if needed, I could still move by raising only the upper body and dragging the lower body and tail on the ground.

‘Finally, the tail.’

The pincers that should have been at the bottom pair of arms moved to the tail. The tail end, where the thorn-firing mechanism was originally located, was now split into two branches. Large pincers, exceeding the height of an adult male, were taking the place.

Until now, the tail didn’t play a significant role when facing enemies immune to paralysis or those with thick skin. It was used selectively when entwining and suppressing enemies or striking them with the tail.

But now, the tail had acquired pincers, making it more versatile.

However, the thorn-firing mechanism hadn’t disappeared. When the pincers opened, numerous thorns were densely embedded inside. These thorns could be fired at distant enemies or, when the pincers grabbed an enemy, released in a concentrated manner.

‘An interesting change.’

Overall, weaknesses were offset, and my strengths were reinforced to match my fighting style. I wanted to check the text boxes and new messages immediately, but now was not the time.

There was an enemy in front of me.

“Grooo.”

A heavy roar emanated from my throat, matching the changed body. Even to me, it was imposing; what would it be like for the enemy?

Two Hond Gigrants trembled.

“Kr, krur, krururur.”

They seemed hesitant about whether to attack me or not, growling at each other.

“Krururur!”

“Kraaaa!”

And then, as if they had decided to attack me, they roared towards me.

A large aquatic creature, 20 meters in length and 9 meters in height to the pelvis, rushed towards me. The creature pounded the ground as it ran, keeping its head and back straight.

The posture, reminiscent of a bull during a charge, was the basic combat stance of the Hond Gigrants. Rushing and smashing the opponent with the two sturdy horns on its head.

What’s interesting is that I often used a similar tactic against them. I confronted them in the same way. Six log-like arms were firmly planted in the ground, and the tail swept across the ground, creating a trench.

As the two beasts charged at me, the earth trembled. At the moment they were about to collide with my head, I quickly lowered my body.

“Krek?”

The creature’s horns grazed my rear head exoskeleton and back, sparking sharp flames. I thought they would collide directly, but the creature seemed confused. Its sturdy hind legs collided with my body, and its posture collapsed.

“Kraaaa!”

Still, in a predator-like manner, the creature tried to bite my back in that posture.

To such a creature, my true attack was unleashed. It was my newly acquired pincer-tail.

My tail twists upward towards my upper back. The pincer at the end of my tail grabs the neck of the creature attempting to attack my back.

“!”

The creature, unable to make a sound with its groin grabbed, hurriedly tried to pull its head out but was too late.

The size of my pincers is slightly smaller than the Swamp King’s, both in terms of defense and gripping strength, almost identical.

‘He can’t withstand pincers that can cut through battleship armor like butter.’

I exerted strength in the muscles at the end of my tail. The Hornd Gigantra’s neck snapped like a broken branch. The creature collapsed with its tongue hanging out, instantly dead.

“Kr, kruaaaaa!”

Witnessing this, the remaining Hornd Gigantra let out a roar resembling a scream. Its skin turned red, and its muscles swelled.

Even though it goes into a frenzy, it won’t defeat me, who has reached Transcendence Stage 2. However, there’s an unconscious Adhai in this place.

‘I have to kill it before the frenzy is complete.’

This moment, when it briefly paused its movement due to the frenzy, was an opportunity. I threw the dead Hornd Gigantra’s body away and rushed towards the remaining one.

Unlike before, this time, while running, I exerted force to my tail, lifting the upper body. In that state, I pounced on the creature.

“Kruaaaa!”

During the frenzy, the creature managed to dodge my body press by moving backward. In that position, it attempted to bite into my rear head exoskeleton.

‘Where!’

I exerted strength to the combat arm that touched the ground, bouncing my body to the side. The creature’s large jaw made a threatening sound as it closed in the air.

From there, I grabbed the creature’s head with my combat arm. Though it attempted to open its mouth again, my arms prevented it from doing so.

Taking advantage of a momentary exchange, the creature, now finishing its frenzy, swung its tail forcefully.

The creature’s tail, in a state of frenzy, was like a well-crafted sword, capable of cutting through even thick redwood.

However, despite knowing this fact, I didn’t dodge the creature’s tail. Instead, I opened my mouth wide and bit into the incoming tail.

“!”

The creature, which didn’t suspect that its tail would be shattered by my teeth and jaw, was taken aback. Both my teeth and jaw were intact.

‘It’s too early to be surprised.’

It’s too early to be surprised. I began to swallow the creature’s tail in its bitten state, inside my throat.

With originally wide-open jaws, I could fit prey larger than my head. Now, the jaws themselves were reinforced, and the throat had changed to easily swallow even larger prey.

I swallowed the creature’s tail like a snake without chewing. The creature, realizing that it was entering my stomach while still alive, glowed, but it was futile.

The creature tried to pierce me with its horns, but the horns, without gaining enough acceleration, were nothing more than slightly hardened bludgeons. It’s insufficient to break through the armor and exoskeleton covering my body.

My jaw and throat worked without a break. First, it was the tail, then the creature’s pelvis and hind legs. The sounds of bones breaking and muscles tearing echoed, but the creature couldn’t scream. My arms were holding its mouth shut.

In the end, the creature, with its lower body completely twisted, vomited its internal organs from its mouth and died. Though it knew the creature had died, I didn’t stop swallowing.

When Number 26 and the Mother of the Sky appeared from behind the bushes, I could already swallow all of the creature’s horns.

｢Big one! You’re awake!｣

[ZZZ (Yeah.)]

｢Hey? Why is the little one still asleep?｣

Number 26 expressed doubt as it looked at the unconscious Adhai. Mother of the Sky, who was beside it, stared blankly at me, then looked surprised when she saw Adhai’s condition.

｢Wait a moment!｣

Passing by Number 26, I approached Mother of the Sky and grabbed her with my combat arms. She avoided my arms, but the corrosion tendrils protruding from my back were unavoidable.

The tendrils grabbed the four legs and neck of the griffin.

“Anything else to say?”

The voices of survivors captured at the research base flowed out of my mouth. Thanks to the loosening of the suppression in the mimicry organ, I could now mimic human voices accurately.

｢St…stop! Th…this is…｣

Even though her throat was sleepy, Mother of the Sky tried to make excuses. Her actions felt more disappointing.

I had asked her about them before going to sleep. I didn’t completely trust her, but I didn’t see any reason for her to betray me.

Moreover, she seemed to get along well with Adhai. I thought she was suitable for assisting the still inexperienced Adhai.

But I was wrong.

If I had been even a little late, Adhai would have died.

She is the only gateway to Gellagon’s tomb. If he dies, I will suffer tremendous losses.

‘…And.’

Actually, it wasn’t solely for that reason, but there was no need to mention it.

Did she feel that I was going to kill her? Mother of the Sky tightly closed her eyes.

I paid no attention and opened my mouth wide to swallow her.

｢Big one｣ ｢Wait｣ ｢Please.｣

Just as my jaws were about to close, Adhai’s thoughts reached me.

｢Big one｣ ｢Friend｣ ｢No mistake｣ ｢Nothing wrong｣

[ZZZZ ZZ ZZZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZ (That’s not true. She was supposed to protect you, but she failed.)]

｢Denial｣ ｢Me｣ ｢Friend｣ ｢Words｣ ｢Ignore｣ ｢Me｣ ｢Mistake｣

Despite bleeding profusely, Adhai did not stop the telepathy.

‘A mistake?’

[ZZZ ZZ ZZZ (A mistake?)]

｢Me｣ ｢Ball｣ ｢Many｣ ｢Stand｣ ｢Big one｣ ｢Attention｣ ｢Need｣ ｢Hunt｣ ｢Many｣ ｢Success｣ ｢Big one｣ ｢Joy｣ ｢Friend｣ ｢Be careful｣ ｢Advice｣ ｢Me｣ ｢Ignore｣

I pondered over the telepathy sent by Adhai.

‘Wanted to stand out with the ball?’

To sum it up, it seemed that Adhai wanted to hunt several cultists in this forest to get my attention.

‘Oh.’

Come to think of it, the time I spent with Adhai recently had significantly decreased compared to before. Other than when we were together before going to save Number 26, we were mostly apart.

Being together with Number 26, who excels even on her own, for a long time made me think that Adhai wouldn’t need much attention.

‘I was wrong.’

I didn’t know exactly how he perceived me, but at least he considered me as a being similar to the adult Gellagon. Feeling lonely when such a being roamed outside, it was probably what he thought.

As I thought about it, the anger that had surged moments ago subsided.

I closed my wide-open jaw and looked at Mother of the Sky quietly. In her regained sanity, seeing her eyes gave me a rough idea of what had happened.

To gain my attention, Adhai forcefully moved, and she probably was busy chasing after Adhai. Griffins also had flying capabilities, but they weren’t as fast as Adhai.

She did her best in her own way.

I released the griffin I had held. She, whose throat was cleared, coughed awkwardly.

Adhai, who had tried to explain the situation to me, was again in a state of unconsciousness. I approached her and implanted symbiotic spores.

‘I need to take her to the nest immediately.’

I could sense her injuries through auxiliary organs. Not only were her wings torn, but her ribs were also broken. If time passed, the injuries might worsen, so I needed to treat them quickly.

Feeling the uneasy atmosphere, Number 26 lifted Adhai onto my back using its tentacles. After confirming that Adhai was securely on board, it climbed onto my head.

While carrying them towards the nest, Mother of the Sky followed behind.

‘I should apologize to her.’

Just as I was about to say sorry to her, she called out to me first.

｢Wait a moment!｣

“…What is it?”

｢Now is not the time for this! There’s something you need to check right away!｣

“What?”

｢The cultists we captured are affiliated with the Imperial Fleet! Muriel’s comrades sent the Imperial Fleet here!｣

Hearing those words, the tendrils hanging from my neck felt tense.

Among the powerful weapons possessed by the cult, the Imperial Fleet ranked high. Not only was its own armament top-notch, but the most potent weapon of the Imperial Fleet was something else.

The cosmic bolt embedded in the ship. One of the planet-cleansing weapons possessed by the cult.

“…Guide me.”

｢Follow me!｣

‘Sorry, Adhai, but this is more urgent.’

If the Imperial Fleet bombards this planet, we will all die. Even if I dig deep into the ground, it’s impossible to escape the range of the cosmic bolt.

‘At least I need to know when it will be fired.’

I quickly followed Mother of the Sky.