Chapter 128
Chapter 128
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 128
Chapter Title: Bishops and the Infection Monarch
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"This way!!"
Whether Jang had been affected by the contamination or not, the assault had to continue.
I kept guiding Jang, who was showing intense aggression.
'Is this really okay?!'
The fact that he had grown suddenly stronger, as if buffed, was a positive factor, but in proportion, he was struggling to maintain his reason.
Still, he hadn't forgotten his role. Even in the midst of battle, whenever he heard my voice, he would follow.
"That bastard or this one...!"
Irritation surged for no reason.
The deeper we pushed inside, the more aliens tried to drag us down.
Dread Knights appeared sporadically, and Flesh Guardians were spotted here and there.
That wasn't all.
Just as I thought the core was right around the corner, a chilling presence blocked the passageway.
"Bishop...!"
An alien with the lower body of a horse resembling a centaur from mythology and the upper body of a human.
Its entire form was clad in thick armor like plate mail, and it held a long spear with its tip glowing in dark flames.
A Grade-6 threat.
It had gained notoriety early on by killing three superhumans who had charged into the hatchery.
But afterward, with the superhumans exhausted and the surrounding environment heavily against them, its fame naturally faded.
Moreover, from that point, it began appearing occasionally in Grade-6 hatcheries, leading to the conclusion that it wasn't a named entity.
Anyway, the important thing was this.
Like the Dread Knights, Bishops were small, high-risk entities created to counter superhumans.
It possessed combat power on par with most elite superhumans.
Considering it had likely been enhanced by the Infection Monarch, it was best to treat it as at least one grade higher.
The Bishop reflexively thrust its spear toward me as I halted.
The distance was just beyond the spear's reach.
But I didn't let my guard down and shifted my body from the path the spear tip indicated.
Whoosh-!!
Right then, a black aura pierced through the spot where I'd been.
Due to the height difference, the downward-angled black aura struck part of the mucus-covered floor with a small 'thud' and vanished.
'...Can't let that hit me.'
A hole so deep it wasn't visible at a glance had been drilled into the ground.
I drew the Blade Claw from my left hand and focused on the Bishop's spear.
At that moment, two more Bishops appeared from the far end of the passageway.
"Three of them...?"
I'd anticipated something like this, but three Bishops was overkill.
Even if it were just them to deal with, I'd shake my head; on top of that, we had to handle the endless swarms of other aliens.
'We have to break through this passageway.' Circling around wasn't an option.
The burden would only grow the longer we stalled.
The Bishops wouldn't just sit idly by either.
The Bishops didn't move from blocking the passageway as I pondered and fended off the charging aliens.
"...Screw it, whatever!"
-Beep! Beep bleep!!
I impulsively fully released the seal on my left arm.
The arm swelled rapidly, and R3D3's panicked voice rang out, but I ignored it.
I had to vent this frustration right now.
My left arm, returned to its true form after so long, burned hot.
The heat spreading from my left arm coursed through my entire body, heightening my senses.
An unprecedented exhilaration.
Caught up in it, I made a choice I wouldn't normally.
"Die!!"
As I charged straight ahead, the Bishops reacted instantly.
Spears shot out in perfect unison, each aiming for vital points.
I dropped low, almost lying on the ground while running, and the black aura grazed past my head.
But the attack didn't end there.
As if anticipating my dodge, a gracefully curved spear came stabbing down at my head.
Clang!!!
The Blade Claw clashed against the spear.
The penetrating energy infused in the Blade Claw violently clashed with the black aura, flashing with light.
I spotted the lead Bishop's stance breaking.
'...My strength has the edge!' Unfortunately, no time for a finishing blow.
As I swung the Blade Claw at its raised front leg, the two rear Bishops struck again.
Using the lead Bishop as a shield, I dodged their attacks and kept up the exchange.
On the surface, my power matched the three Bishops evenly.
'...If it were just one, no. What the hell am I doing right now?'
Sanity snapped back.
Thanks to fighting at full throttle and pacing myself, my immersed mind cleared.
Charging alone against three Bishops.
No reason for that.
Just call Jang and fight together.
Was I the crazy one for rushing in without thinking of that?
Then I realized the contamination was affecting me too.
'No way... because of the crimson arm?'
Entirely possible.
No need to debate; the result was already in.
Just as Jang Werewolf and the aliens had their combat power boosted by the contamination, so had I.
I confirmed it through the bizarre vitality surging in my body.
'This is poison....'
I examined my internals.
Contrary to the overflowing power, my body's condition wasn't normal.
I just hadn't felt it due to the vitality, but normal human cells affected by the contamination were causing side effects.
The contamination progression was minor enough to purge with my ability right now, but no spare moment for that.
'I'll bear it.'
I withstood the Bishops' attacks and leaped back.
Before they could press again, I turned and sprinted at full speed.
The Bishops hesitated at my sudden move, then returned to guarding the passageway.
"Jang!!"
After moving a short distance following the noise, I spotted him.
Fully transformed, he was rampaging with dozens of tangled aliens clinging to him.
"Prepare to cool down!"
-Roger!
Too late for that.
Getting too close risked me getting attacked too.
Energy extended from the horn, flowing down my skull and spine into my left arm.
As I readied the Crimson Cannon, I noticed the area above my horned forehead burning hot too.
'...It's grown? The horn's affected as well.'
The horn had grown a bit larger.
At least 10cm now.
The energy activity inside the horn felt stronger too.
Still weak compared to the core weapon's nucleus, but not far behind.
-Bleep! Concerned for comrade's safety.
"I'm fine. It won't budge otherwise right now."
The biggest monster here was Jang.
Even as swarms of aliens lunged and tore at him, they barely left scratches.
Any wounds that did form healed instantly via his healing factor.
"Here goes!"
The Crimson Cannon fired.
Drawing from past experience, I fine-tuned the output precisely. The blast engulfed the passageway's packed aliens and Jang, exploding.
Boom boom boom!!!
"Urk...!"
Light flashed, then the shockwave hit.
Destructive energy swept away hordes of aliens.
Fortunately, the passageway held.
Already expanded to suit a Grade-6 hatchery, it was practically a vast cavern; only some mucus was blasted off.
But no time to worry about the passageway now.
Amid the thick dust, a guttural roar echoed, and something approached rapidly.
"Jang!! Snap out of it!"
My body was already flying backward.
I kept shouting and moving, luring Jang toward the Bishops.
"Whoa...!"
Then, Jang caught up and swung his arm at me.
I rolled aside to dodge and yelled.
"Now!"
-Bleep!
R3D3 unleashed a barrage of energy rounds.
Target: the Bishops.
They'd been ordered to guard the passageway, but they couldn't stomach such attacks passively and burst out swinging their spears.
Jang, ahead of me, became the first target.
"Graaah...!?"
His side pierced by a Bishop's spear, Jang spun violently.
He bared his teeth reflexively in pain, but the three incoming spears weren't easy to shrug off.
Holes riddled his body in an instant. Smoking from head to toe, he snatched one Bishop's spear.
Intending to yank it in for a counter.
But Bishops weren't simple foes like Dread Knights.
Black aura surged fiercely along the spear shaft, burning Jang's hand.
Ignoring the pain, Jang gripped harder, but the burning flesh at the contact point weakened his hold, forcing him to release.
The Bishops unleashed a barrage on him.
Their four-legged mobility was swift, and when their usual attacks failed, Jang faltered briefly.
But only briefly.
No matter how skilled the Bishops, they couldn't match Jang's speed.
Each clash damaged him via black aura, but he ignored it, slamming harder to inflict shock.
The tide turned in a flash.
The three Bishops flailed to block Jang's charges.
Seizing the moment both sides were distracted, I used Camouflage to hide.
When one Bishop, pushed back by Jang, stumbled toward me, I swung the Blade Claw.
"Got you!"
The Bishop, spotting me late, leaped back.
Even without properly bending its knees, it vaulted over 10 meters—insane leg strength.
Unfortunately, both its hind legs were severed above the knees.
I stuck to it as it landed.
Afflicted by penetrating energy, it swung its spear to block me, but one parry shattered its defense effortlessly.
'One down!'
I severed the Bishop's neck and claimed the trophy.
With their numbers reduced, the remaining Bishops couldn't effectively check Jang and took wounds.
Soon, the last two fell to our combined assault.
"Grrrr..."
"Whoa whoa, snap out of it, Jang."
With the Bishops down, Jang panted raggedly, glaring at me.
"We have to protect Paradiso. Forgot the others' sacrifices?"
Jang still showed hostility toward me.
But he didn't attack.
'Jang's not unscathed either.'
Like how my mind cleared after expending energy.
Jang, far more affected, struggled more but seemed recovered enough to distinguish friend from foe.
I pressed ahead again.
Past the passageway the Bishops had guarded lay the innermost chamber.
The path into the hatchery room was unobstructed.
Newly hatched aliens, barely able to stand, charged and were pulped under Jang's limbs.
"That's the Infection Monarch..."
Entering the hatchery revealed a vast space with a massive pillar of congealed mucus at center, and the Infection Monarch fused to it.
The Infection Monarch was enormous.
At least 30 meters tall, its toad-like glossy skin sprouted countless tentacles in place of limbs.
Four eyes on each side, cloudy without pupils—hard to believe it saw with them.
Its head had translucent jellyfish-like skin, internals glowing like neurons firing in a human brain.
Our eyes met.
No pupils, yet it clearly focused on me.
It didn't just look—it tried to 'interfere' with me.
My left arm tingled briefly.
My whole body heated up; the air felt scorching.
I knew why.
"Want to control me too?"
The Infection Monarch was a kind of hive mind.
Unlike typical ones directing swarms, it exerted indirect influence via the fused hatchery, not direct domination over individuals.
But this close, it could attempt direct interference.
That explained my body's odd reaction.
Yet my body quickly normalized after the brief anomaly.
"Grrrr!!"
Jang, however, couldn't shake it easily.
Clutching his head, he let out agonized howls.
The Infection Monarch ignored me—the one it couldn't affect—and focused on Jang.
'Can't just let that happen.'
I raised my left hand.
Jang wouldn't fall easily, but no reason to leave it.
"Raaagh!!!"
But then, Jang—curled on the ground groaning—sprang up and charged the Infection Monarch.