Neo Chicken: Skull Angel Vanquished by Manifestation Marino
The Skull Angel, originating from the heavenly realm, was defeated and dissolved by the Neo Chicken manifestation of Marino. The heavenly beings all agreed upon seeing it—they had a god back home that looked just like that one. It was another confirmation that this space was modeled after the heavens.
"Explorer, what now? I think the chickens crossed over and made this their new home. Should we scout around a bit before heading back?"
Art Pega Unicorn asked Iris while glancing her way. I nodded in response.
"Yeah. Don't go too deep—just poke around a little and come back. We'll form a proper scouting team for a full exploration tomorrow."
"Understood."
If she were still S-grade, I'd have told her to return immediately due to the risks, but Art Pega was now SS-grade, so I figured she could linger a bit longer in that space safely.
"Before we scout, I should generate a few more manifestations in advance. Any specific drawings you'd like?"
"Specific drawings, huh..."
"Draw me too, yang! I'm the strongest yang!"
A few helpers and Merino Ulla were clamoring to have themselves manifested. Since Merino had just made one, we skipped her.
"Art Pega, can you draw the helpers?"
"The helpers? Yes, of course I can manifest them."
"You remember their faces?"
"I do. I've seen the codex countless times."
Art Pega replied, then activated her Instant Painting ability. Paint spread from her fingertips, rapidly sketching the helpers into existence in midair.
"I'll dispose of any weak manifestations right away. They have no souls or sense of self, unlike Necro's puppets."
"No sense of self?"
"Correct. Instant Painting manifestations lack ego. Only those carefully painted over long periods develop one. And with luck, a soul might even inhabit them."
"News to me."
"I discovered it this morning during practice. Note that even meticulous manifestations don't always turn out strong—their power level is random, just like with Instant Painting. That's why I avoid making them. If I end up with more beings to protect, it could burden everyone else."
Now I understood why Art Pega stuck to Instant Painting. A carefully made ego-bearing manifestation—or one lucky enough to gain a soul—could still be weak, making disposal a hassle. It'd just add useless baggage. So she preferred the disposable Instant Painting versions. For all her poise, Art Pega had a soft heart.
"There, all done."
In the brief time I'd been chatting with her, seven helper manifestations had formed.
"I'll dispose of any that won't help in combat. If none do, I'll have to fight myself."
I eyed each helper manifestation, gauging their threat levels. Ppururu: F-grade. Mysticism: D-grade. Yumi: C-grade. RiseNova: F-grade. BokkeulBokkeul: D-grade. Mirstun: S-grade. Luna-chan: A-grade.
Art Pega seemed to know their levels precisely, being their creator.
"Ppururu, Mysticism, Yumi, RiseNova, BokkeulBokkeul... disposed. Farewell."
Without a hint of hesitation, Art Pega swung her arm, and five manifestations melted back into paint.
Two remained: Luna-chan and Mirstun. Art Pega scrutinized Luna-chan, let out a hum, then swung her hand with a regretful look.
"Hm. Shame, but Luna-chan's out too."
"And Mirstun... she's strong enough to bring along. Lucky."
In the end, Mirstun's manifestation was selected.
"Alright, time to head out, Manifestation Mirstun."
"Mirrmirr!"
Art Pega set off to scout the chickens, manifestation Mirstun in tow.
Twenty minutes into searching the labyrinth's heavenly realm, they encountered a new monster not far off.
"That's..."
Art Pega faced a chicken-shaped monster—but nothing like the ones we'd hunted and eaten before.
"Cock-a-dooooodle-oooo!!!"
"Looks like the habitat shift triggered a species transformation."
I agreed. It was definitely one of our chickens, altered by the new space's emergence. What other reason would chickens have for popping up in a heavenly realm? Not evolution, though—threat level unchanged at S-grade. I named it Neo Chicken.
"Mirstun, capture it."
"Mirrmirr!"
At Art Pega's command, Mirstun's body stretched like rubber and charged the Neo Chicken.
"Cock?! Cock-cockcock!!!"
The Neo Chicken spread its wings, whipping up wind into a swirling typhoon that slammed into Mirstun. But it had no effect—Mirstun turned paint-like, letting the attack slide off.
The Neo Chicken then gaped its beak, spewing massive flames. Wind manipulation followed by fire control—new abilities from the species shift. Our old chickens couldn't handle fire.
"Mirrmirr...!"
Flames engulfed Mirstun, melting her body. Art Pega, watching from afar, sprayed paint from her fingertips to replenish her.
Restored, Mirstun reformed and ballooned to giant size. Rainbow paint cascaded from her body like a waterfall, engulfing the Neo Chicken in seconds.
"Cock-a-dooooodle-oooo!!!"
The paint-soaked chicken screeched in agony. Flames roared from its beak, powerful wings battering gusts everywhere. But its desperate thrashing didn't last. Mirstun's paint absorbed every assault, tightening its embrace.
"C-cock...ii..."
Crunch! The Neo Chicken's neck snapped, and it went limp.
After Art Pega returned with the Neo Chicken, dinner prep was in full swing at Kang Geon's hideout.
"Yang yang yang~"
Merino Ulla meticulously cooked the Neo Chicken Art Pega had hunted. Her every motion brimmed with a newfound freedom and joy.
Time passed, and...
"Yang yang! Dinner's ready yang! Everyone, eat up yang!"
With the meal complete, Merino served Kang Geon and the monsters.
"Good work, Merino."
"Duumba! Good work yot!"
Kang Geon and Hedgehog Summoner God praised her.
"Ooh! Dinner's amazing again today!"
"Zapan! Sweet! Sweet!"
Art Pega and Zapan tore into the chicken, exclaiming nonstop.
"Merino's cooking never disappoints. Delicious."
"Ppii! Merino's food never gets old, even daily! Can't eat anything else now!"
Arachne and the Princess offered sincere compliments.
"Yang yang... eat well yang...!"
Merino's face flushed. Praise still felt awkward. What she'd once seen as obligatory was now met with gratitude, filling her with happiness.
As the meal kicked off amid laughter and chatter, Merino glanced around.
Everyone's so happy yang.
A warm feeling bloomed in her chest.
I'm happy too yang...
Gathered meals like this—even casual playtime—just being here brought joy.
So this is true happiness yang...
Her current life was worlds apart from before. No beatings, no exploitation. Treated as a cherished comrade, it felt surreal.
All that 'happiness' before was fake yang.
Merino was slowly realizing. Endless exploitation from her special ability. Violence as "natural" punishment. "Freedom" that was just a gilded cage. Life in her old world only seemed normal until true freedom showed her how abnormal it was.
She hadn't been here long, but this life was precious now. No desire to return. She wanted eternity with her first friends in this strange world. Her old kin existed, but they'd never treated her as equal.
Can't be a burden yang. Gotta make even tastier food yang. Then they won't abandon me yang. And...
Merino pondered inwardly. She had latent power—could help in battle too.
Like Master, my power's sealed yang. Hehe.
Finishing her thoughts, she turned to Melody Fox eating beside her.
"Melody yang."
"Kyuu?"
"You saw my power earlier yang? One punch dropped that bad monster yang."
"Kyuaa!"
"From now on, trust only me yang. I'll protect you yang! One Ulla Punch and we win everything yang!"
"Kyuuu..."
Melody stared, flustered. Kang Geon sidled over and laid out the truth.
"...Merino. You have no power. What you saw was Art Pega's, so don't misunderstand."
"Yang yang?"
Harsh, but necessary. Survival demanded knowing one's place. If she believed herself strong and acted recklessly, accidents could happen. Better to be cold with facts.
"The summoned Merino Ulla was a paint human. No relation to you beyond looks, so powers differ too."
"...So I'm just weak yang? No hidden power yang?"
"Yeah. None at all."
"Yang yang..."
Merino reeled in shock—mild, but shock nonetheless. After eating, she shuffled off and grabbed a codex.
"Gotta draw to shake this gloom yang...! I'll handle today's codex work yang!"
Doodling to cheer up—her first try. Time passed.
"Done yang! Everyone, look yang!"
Merino's drawing was complete. Model: the yet-unlogged Neo Chicken.
The monsters forced awkward smiles and clapped, praising her "skill." Kang Geon decided to join in. No need to crush innocent dreams. A white lie wouldn't hurt.
Uncomfortable lying, he stammered like reading a textbook.
"...Y-yeah, well drawn. You've got talent, Merino."
"Yang yang! Finally found my talent yang!"
Later, when she wasn't looking, Kang Geon secretly worked on the real codex. No one noticed.
◈ Abilities: Wind Manipulation, Fire Manipulation
After finishing the codex, Kang Geon tucked Merino's drawing safely among the others instead of tossing it.