Chapter 187
Chapter 187
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 187
Chapter Title: The Decisive Strike
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"Kuh!"
I tried to shred Jason with the bone blades attached to the arms on my back.
But the Harmonizer effect activated, rendering my attack futile.
The golden spear of the high priest that the bastard was holding plunged deep into the snow right in front of my eyes.
I'd already anticipated the enemy would use the Harmonizer. The blade bones encasing my auxiliary organs twitched busily.
I predicted the direction Jason would appear from and charged toward it without a moment's hesitation.
"Revenant Organ... kuh!"
Jason, who had reconstructed dozens of meters away, shouted but clamped his mouth shut upon seeing me rapidly closing in.
The golden silhouette on his back hurriedly tried to transform its arms into blades.
'As expected, it doesn't pair well with the Harmonizer.'
From what I'd observed so far, after teleportation ended, it always fixed into a form resembling that human. In other words, every time he teleported, the golden silhouette's weakness was fully exposed.
The weakness being a fixed delay whenever it changed forms.
Before the golden silhouette could turn its arms into blades, my combat arms raked across it.
"Gaaaargh!"
The bastard screamed as my claws tore into its face. Blood spurted from the eye split in half by my talons.
The golden silhouette that had steadfastly guarded its summoner from his back trembled unstably before vanishing entirely. The silhouette heavily relied on the controller's vision. With the bastard temporarily blinded, it had no choice but to disappear.
"You filthy mutt...!"
The moment he swung Purification, I activated Reflection. But I had already retreated backward. His attack sliced through empty air in vain.
"You rat bastard! A single hit would have ended you...!"
A new eye sprouted on the forehead of the man bleeding from both eyes.
That eye was called the Third Eye. A technique that granted its user an effect similar to my auxiliary organs.
It was a fine detection skill for sensing invisible foes or movements, but there was one thing he didn't know.
While the kids held him down, I prepared both Clever Weakling and Emblem of the Hunt simultaneously.
As the King of Beasts effect ended and my shed carapace served as cover, I was reborn as a 5-meter-tall small monster.
My body shape, with four combat arms lowered toward the lower body, resembled a centaur more than a snake. Powerful fur with protective properties sprouted over my carapace and scales.
And that wasn't all—my body was equipped with numerous lethal weapons. Two new arms with bone scythes were attached amid the fur on my back, and below my jaw, auxiliary organs covered in blade bones lay in wait.
Clever Weakling, which weaponized agility, and Emblem of the Hunt, which dramatically boosted combat power.
These were the final cards I'd prepared to cap off this showdown.
Normally, having already used King of Beasts, transforming into Clever Weakling would be impossible. Organic Evolution had a one-month cooldown per use.
But the Revenant Organ nullified that restriction.
As long as the small organ attached to my heart was active, I could use all my traits without limits.
Why choose shrinking over gigantification again? Two reasons.
I had little energy left. Even if I used something like King of Beasts for gigantification, it wouldn't last long.
And gigantification made dodging enemy attacks harder. Blood was still pouring from my neck, soaking the fur pelt. Any more damage wouldn't be good.
'Instead, I'll end it quickly.'
With this shaggy fur pelt covering my body, he had no way to detect me. Not until he saw me with his own eyes, anyway.
Transformed into Clever Weakling with a centaur-like physique, I raced across the snow on all four legs.
The bastard, pinpointing my location by sound, unleashed psychic power techniques like Pain Spear at me. I dodged his attacks by a hair's breadth while closing in again.
Even without restored vision, he read my assault and immediately cast Reflection. As my arm halted mid-air from the intangible energy field, he smirked triumphantly.
'Hilarious.'
Was it because his sight hadn't recovered yet? If he could actually see me, he never would've smirked like that.
Because the five man-faced beasts attached to my head carapace were glaring at him, weeping bloody tears.
"?!"
The man-faced beasts under my control chorused in unison. The demonic melody shredded his semicircular canals, paralyzing his movements.
While his body stiffened rigidly, the bone blades beneath my jaw moved swiftly.
The paralysis from the man-faced beasts varied in effect depending on the opponent's strength. Jason's wore off in an instant.
Not figuratively—he barely twisted his neck to evade the blade right at his throat. Instead of severing his neck, my blade sank deep into his collarbone.
"Gaaaargh!"
Not as vital as the neck, but the collarbone was still a critical spot. With it shattered to pieces, it must hurt like hell.
I twisted the bone blade to finish him, but felt nothing at the tip.
He'd used the Harmonizer to escape, unable to endure the pain.
'That's the fourth time.'
Only one use of the Harmonizer left now. Jason reappeared dozens of meters away, his body pristine.
No wounds there, while blood gushed from my neck here—but our momentum had completely reversed.
He glared at me with bulging eyes, but the emotion in them wasn't rage.
Fear.
He was afraid of me.
"...Tch."
Instead of attacking, he wrapped the golden silhouette around his body. It resembled the light stream form he'd used for movement or attacks, but with one difference.
'Blue light?'
As he tried to ascend into the sky, shrouded in a mix of gold and blue, a drill of rock and ice suddenly flew in from somewhere and smashed into him.
"You goddamn seed demon bastard...!"
It was No. 26, about a third of its body shattered. It had attacked Jason with the Demon Crush technique used to break the Ice Horror carapace.
This hit dealt substantial damage—the golden light enveloping Jason flickered. The light stream silhouette reverted to humanoid form, transforming both arms into shields.
Even amid that, blue particles were steadily expanding across his body. What started at his feet and fingertips now covered his arms and legs.
'I've definitely seen that form somewhere before.'
Whatever it was, he was clearly preparing a trump card. He wasn't using Reflection or any other techniques, fully committing the golden silhouette to defense.
'Something to pierce that defense... ah.'
I rushed to PS-111, sprawled on the ground with its body smashed to pieces.
"You okay?"
"Damage status critical. Destruction rate: 92%."
As it said, its body was little more than rags. Legs completely severed, facial skin peeled away to expose muscle.
"...Sorry, but I need a favor."
"No need for apologies. Rather, I request your aid. Please help protect the main controller."
I nodded and glanced at its tail section.
"Can you fire?"
"Possible with energy supply."
At that, I immediately extended my arm to its mouth. Reading my intent instantly, it bit down without hesitation.
For a moment, strength drained from my body. As my condition worsened, blood poured anew from the wound on my neck.
If this were a game, my HP would be around 5% now.
Still, I didn't waver.
'One wrong judgment here, and we're all dead.'
No—even death would be fortunate. Falling captive to Jason? Who knows what horrors await.
"Sufficient energy acquired to use Demolisher on hostile lifeform."
It's not just me thinking that. Everyone here shared one goal.
To survive together.
With replenished energy, PS-111 barely aimed its tail at Jason. Seeing him defend with shields, his upper body was already tinged blue.
I left PS-111 and charged at the bastard.
Distance to him: under 50 meters. As my four legs kicked off the snow, my auxiliary organs detected another movement.
Something was plummeting rapidly from high above. The lightning-straight descent was Adhai. Ignoring the pain of its broken wings, it pressed on.
We were all exerting ourselves to the utmost to win this fight.
Jason sensed Adhai incoming and tried adjusting his shield angle.
The moment his attention diverted.
Demolisher's decomposed energy shot fired from PS-111's tail. The indigo energy mass flew unimpeded, shattering the golden shield.
Jason's face came into view, blue light climbing to his shoulders.
He seemed somewhat startled by the attack but not greatly shaken. A faint smile even played on his lips.
Seeing that, I knew his thoughts. No matter what we did, he believed it was already over.
'Bullshit.'
It's not over until I say it is.
Before the shattered shield could regenerate, Adhai collided with the golden silhouette's shield. The impact from acceleration rocked Jason and the silhouette violently.
The current impact fully snapped Adhai's wings and front legs, but astonishingly, its attack didn't end there.
The Mother of the Sky rode on its back.
With her beak broken, she thrust the high priest's golden spear gripped in both hands with all her might. Jason's eyes widened at the spear piercing the gap.
Only his head remained above the neck as he hastily jerked it aside. The spear smashed one antler on his temple, wounding his forehead and ear.
Relief flickered in his eyes.
But that was his final blunder.
Distracted by No. 26, PS-111, Adhai, and the Mother of the Sky, he'd forgotten the most important enemy.
The arms on my back moved as I reached his side.
The bone scythe at the arm's end slipped through a tiny gap amid the regenerating golden particles. The sharpest weapon of an Aimorph's body precisely carved out its target.
The moment I felt the desired result at the scythe's tip.
The golden silhouette before me vanished along with Jason's body. Right after he disappeared, my auxiliary organs caught a faint sound.
It was the sound of something hitting the snow.
More precisely, the sound of something head-sized thudding down.
I picked up what had fallen to the ground.
'Success.'
The warm liquid soaking my hand, the familiar, fragrant scent wafting from it.
It was Jason's head.
Never anticipating such an end, his face remained frozen in that faint smile.
He died because he was careless from start to finish.
'What an idiot.'
I unhesitatingly shoved the spoils left by the foolish enemy into my mouth.