Chapter 228
Chapter 228
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 228
Chapter Title: Clash with the Tyrant
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The Gallerons flying toward me suddenly halted and rearranged their formation. They encircled the mountain peak where I was perched, keeping their distance.
Soon, violet lights flashed from beyond the clouds. They had formed a circular perimeter around me and opened fire in unison.
'As expected.'
The psychic breaths densely filled the vast sky. Even Adhai, the fastest Galleron I'd encountered, would struggle to evade them.
'Not that I plan to dodge.'
I spread my wing arms and combat arms wide to welcome the oncoming wave of purple energy.
Before long, the breaths from these space dragons engulfed the peak.
The jewel nest, now ownerless, shattered into pieces. The trees forming a small forest were swept into the energy hail. The ground beneath my feet crumbled, and the tip of the peak was completely blasted away.
The saturation of psychic breaths triggered a massive avalanche from the mountainside. It was on a scale that could scour the entire mountain clean of snow and ice. The explosive roar of the psychic breaths was drowned out by the thunderous rumble of the avalanche.
At Odd Gradd's command, the Galleron flock stopped. Their synchronized breath attack rivaled the firepower of the Cult Empire's fleet. Thanks to it, this place was no longer worthy of being called the Twin Peaks—it was a total wreck.
One of them pierced through the blizzard to check.
Timing it perfectly, I shook vigorously the new wings etched with red streaks. The snow and ice covering me fell away, and my body surged upward sharply.
My wings whipped up a storm, blowing away the blizzard. The green Galleron panicked at the sight of me unscathed. It had no choice but to be shocked after such an immense barrage left not a single mark.
I charged at the green Galleron before it could react properly. My horn, far more vicious than when we'd last met, pierced its abdomen.
The creature writhed in excruciating pain. To end its suffering quickly, I gripped its body with my combat arms.
Then, with a surge of strength in my arms, I tore its body apart. Galleron blood soaked my cold scales. Among the scattering fragments, I didn't miss the head—I snagged it with my tail's pincer.
Intimidated by my brutality, the Gallerons wavered.
Only Odd Gradd, hovering arrogantly behind them, maintained his composure.
"Black Slaughterer."
It had attacked first as a probe, but it must have anticipated I wouldn't die from it. Of course, it probably hadn't expected zero damage.
"You've..." "...changed."
"Foolish..." "The great Odd Gradd" "shall not be defeated."
At his head gesture, the encircling Gallerons closed in from afar. Having confirmed breaths were ineffective, they aimed for close-quarters combat.
I flicked my tail to toss the green Galleron's head into my mouth. As I savored its sweet blood, I drew my most powerful weapon.
The black scales covering my body gleamed ominously in green, purple, and indescribable hues. Rainbow tar from the abyss flowed along the monster's tentacles extending from the back of my head, neck, and jaw.
Then, the abyss's essence beaded at the tentacle tips. Bubble-like psychic breaths moved to engulf the enemies.
The Gallerons scattered swiftly upon seeing the bubbles. As they did, they hurled something from their forelegs into the air.
What they threw was chunks of unidentified flesh. Against my will, the flying psychic breaths engulfed the meat first.
The melting flesh plummeted invisibly to the ground.
Though distant and hard to see clearly, the others clutched several pieces of flesh in their forelegs, hindlegs, and tails.
'...Smart bastards.'
Just as I'd analyzed them, Odd Gradd had clearly researched my traits.
Psychic breath infused with abyssal hues boasted immense firepower and chain explosion effects, making it devastating in group brawls. It autonomously sought new targets nearby after consuming organics.
Its flaws were lack of friend-foe distinction and slow projectile speed. In that brief window, Odd Gradd had identified and prepared countermeasures.
'If No. 26 were here, it wouldn't be an issue...'
He knew I was alone—that's why he'd come. Hence this tactic.
The Gallerons, nullifying my enhanced psychic breath, closed in. Now too close, I couldn't use abyssal hues anymore.
A white-scaled Galleron swung its foreleg at me. Its sharp claws scraped over my head carapace.
Feeling sparks fly above my head, I snapped my lower jaw to bite its arm. Before it could pull free, I clamped down with my combat arms.
Another green Galleron lunged onto my back. I whipped my dangling tail toward the ground. A heavy impact reverberated through the pincer at its tip.
I ignored the green Galleron plummeting with a broken neck and yanked back the white one's head in my jaws. Its arm tore free with it, its agonized psychic wave echoing in the air.
"Together..." "Pin it down!"
At Odd Gradd's command, the Gallerons charged en masse.
I tore into the screaming white Galleron's head while swinging my tail. The approaching one ducked in surprise at my tail. In that gap, I hurled its headless corpse and leaped into the oncoming horde.
Green and white scales flashed chaotically as their claws raked my carapace and scales. One white Galleron gored my flank with its horn. The sharp horn pierced my scales and burrowed inside.
I ignored the text box's warning. I'd deliberately let this happen to sweep them all at once.
Sharp claws and horns poured down to kill me. Unfazed, I extended my four combat arms to seize them.
Gripping their bodies firmly with my long four fingers, I activated the trait gained from devouring Blood River.
'Leech Predator's Grasp.'
The states of the Gallerons in my hands changed drastically.
Their smooth scales shriveled rapidly, skin and muscles turning mushy. Sturdy horns on their heads crumbled, moist tentacle clusters withered.
In mere seconds, the four Gallerons mummified. Simultaneously, the wound on my flank healed at breakneck speed.
I had regeneration traits, but this was on another level. By the time I'd seized and drained the one that stabbed me, even my scales had fully restored.
Like God's Lash, Leech Predator's Grasp was simple: drain enemy energy to heal myself. Just insanely effective.
"Fall back!" "That thing's" "arms!" "Beware!"
The clever Odd Gradd instantly grasped the effect. The Gallerons clawing me retreated swiftly.
'Where do you think you're going?'
The moment I reached for a fleeing white Galleron's tail, an immense breath blast struck me.
'Odd Gradd.'
He'd finally entered the fray.
I checked the hit area. The direct impact had stripped scales and skin, exposing muscle; surroundings burned hot.
Even with Mimic Scales active, this damage. Truly beyond specs. But energy from Leech Predator's Grasp healed it in seconds.
'Hm?'
A familiar hue flickered momentarily on my heated carapace before vanishing. Green and purple intertwined—eerie light akin to activating abyssal hues...
'Ugh!'
My thoughts cut off. Odd Gradd had slammed into me.
Added acceleration? His horn shredded my combat arm and wing membrane effortlessly. I tried to grab him, but he'd already super-accelerated away.
'...Beyond specs, huh?'
Adhai's staple tactic, but on another level. Size and output made the destructive power incomparable.
As I plummeted from wing holes, he wheeled around toward me. I used 'Dread Gazer' enhanced with abyssal hues.
Ominous light poured from my head carapace, colorful bubbles forming.
The instant I activated it, another Galleron blasted psychic breath at the bubbles. They exploded midair, falling short to the ground.
Regenerating wing membrane with absorbed energy, I tried gaining altitude, but Odd Gradd blocked me.
Lightning-fast—befitting a black bolt. His horn aimed to impale my abdomen.
This time, I was ready. His horn grazed my flank narrowly; I hurled erosion tentacles to ensnare him. One nearly caught his hindleg, but he kicked it away.
As we traded blows, other Gallerons targeted my rear. Like him, they used super-acceleration, clawing and retreating.
'...Draining my strength like this?'
Dozens of them. Even one hit each would accumulate serious damage.
True to his cunning, he'd chosen a sly approach—arrogance aside.
But I was no slouch in melee either.
I endured their attacks, biding my time.
A green Galleron flew in to strike. Immature, it entered super-acceleration early compared to others.
'Trajectory shifts are tough in super-acceleration.'
Predicting its path, I dodged while extending erosion tentacles. Its attack missed; my tentacle snagged its wing.
The panicking green Galleron. I reached with combat arms to drain its energy fully.
"You won't" "use that ability."
But Odd Gradd wouldn't let me heal. Black dragon breath incinerated the green Galleron—not me.
True to his savagely aberrant nature among Gallerons, he sacrificed kin.
'Good. Keep it up.'
I wasn't discouraged. Ultimately, this benefited me.
This repeated several times. Whenever I tried Leech Predator's Grasp, he'd preempt with breath, eliminating recovery sources—his own kind.
I tried closing for counterattacks, but chasing super-accelerating foes was tough. Grabbing one for recovery always drew his strikes.
Here, he'd killed more than I had, yet the Gallerons followed him. Discontent brewed, but no betrayal or new king allegiance.
The tide tilted their way. Absorbed energy from Leech Predator's Grasp depleted; my wounds mounted.
Just now, Odd Gradd swooped in and ripped off one combat arm. He even drank the blood inside without discarding it.
Blatant provocation. My response: psychic breath. Lacking abyssal hues, he countered with psionic flames without dodging.
Like the sun rising over dawn seas, purple light blanketed the black sky.
A majestic scene crafted by a black Galleron and an Aimorph bearing Galleron genes.
But not ideal for me. I was at full power; he wasn't.
Mid-power struggle, he amped output to end it. Our tug-of-war held taut, then psychic power surged toward me as if one side slackened.
His breath, plus backlash from mine, hammered my body. Mimic Scales prevented disintegration, but pain and injury were inevitable.
Some membrane burned away, sending me crashing onto the ruined peak.
During fall, my red-hot carapace flickered with eerie light again before fading.
Before checking why, massive impact shook my mind. My body slammed into the wrecked peak.
Boredom hit before pain. Ignoring the text box, I gazed skyward.
'How much time has passed?'
Quite a while since the fight began. The sky remained choked with storm clouds, pitch black.
Except one spot.
Our power clash had torn a white streak through the clouds. White light shone through the rift.
Then black wings eclipsed it. Odd Gradd had landed before me.
I thrust my buried combat arm swiftly, but he dodged as if forewarned. Using foresight to evade my ambush, he smashed my arm with his tail.
After breaking it, he batted away incoming erosion tentacles with a foreleg. Meanwhile, I'd prepared abyssal hues and aimed psychic breath at him.
"Useless."
Having foreseen it, he slashed my monster tentacles into chunks with a foreleg swing.
"Grrrrr!"
My mind blanked; an involuntary scream escaped. Pain mitigation messages flooded, but I barely registered them.
Such agony since last facing abyssal Dread Gazer. I couldn't move or think.
"Black Slaughterer..." "Your weakness..." "Exposed."
"Grrr..."
"The great Odd Gradd's" "power" "You didn't know?" "Fool."
He dragged me from the ground. I needed to grab him with combat arms now, but strength failed.
Pinning me with hindlegs and tail, he ranted.
"Once more..." "The great Odd Gradd" "claims victory."
He raised his ringed foreleg high. Sunlight poured through the split sky, illuminating his back.
The familiar glow after so long. Spotting tiny dots moving within it.
I played my final card.
"Die."
His foreleg slashed, tearing flesh from my neck. Blood gushed; consciousness blurred.
Gazing at my mortal wound, he smugly drank the flowing blood.
Clear belief in his victory.
His attitude signaled one truth.
"?"
Odd Gradd flinched at my survival. Seizing the gap, I slashed him with the 'Bone Scythe Arm' sprouting from my back.
Specifically, his ringed foreleg.
"You!"
Losing his foreleg instantly, he retreated hastily. I scooped and absorbed the severed part.
"Why won't you die?!"
Seeing my neck wound heal, Odd Gradd roared.
The one thing his foresight missed: Aimorph weakness itself.
To kill an Aimorph instantly, destroy head and heart. Not neck or elsewhere.
"Kin!" "Kill the" "Black Slaughterer!"
He spread wings to rise, broadcasting psychic waves. Charge or breath— just kill me now.
But the Galleron flock didn't move.
"Odd Gradd" "commands!" "Kill the Black Slaughterer!"
He ordered again, but they ignored him. Here, all Gallerons except the black dragon fixed gazes on one spot.
"You!"
Instead of replying, I pointed skyward with a finger.
The first bright light since arriving on this planet. Six Gallerons backlit by it.
Odd Gradd recognized them and recoiled.
I gazed at the red dragon among them, broadcasting waves widely.
The abandoned and the rebels.
Beings of the past had come to assassinate the future tyrant.