Chapter 164: Southern Calamity Beast
Flying at supersonic speed, as if tearing through the clouds.
After heading south for a while using a long-distance flight Artifact, the Great Southern Demon Realm came into view.
In stark contrast to the Arctic, it was a vast forest teeming with life.
Plants grew all the way to the edge of the continent, and there were hardly any exposed patches of soil.
Given its low latitude and high temperature and humidity, it could be called a tropical rainforest.
The vegetation mainly consisted of ferns and palm-like trees. The inland areas were covered with foliage, obscuring the ground.
The trees that grew lushly were all ridiculously huge, the kind that would be revered as sacred trees if they were in a shrine.
The forest was strengthened by the influence of 〖Mana〗, but this continent was not a Great Demon Realm of plant Demon Beasts.
The figures of the species that dominated the Southern Continent came into view after a while.
“────っ!”
“────ッ!!”
Far below, the ones fighting while knocking down trees were multi-headed 〖Feral Beasts〗.
Both had different biological species for each part, such as their heads, legs, and tails, giving them a patchwork-like impression.
Their 〖Species〗 was Chimera.
Unlike the Chimera of myths, the species that made up their bodies were not limited to lions and goats.
By eating dead flesh, they absorbed the physical characteristics of that species; that was the Chimera of this world.
According to the Star God, they were the most prosperous species on this continent, and the “Ancient Kings” were also among them.
“(If I had time, I’d like to watch how the Chimeras fight, but this continent is ridiculously vast… I don’t have time to dawdle, and if there’s an 〖Calamity Beast〗, I’ll just fight it a little.)”
While thinking about that, a huge shadow came into view.
Judging by its size, it was an 〖Calamity Beast〗, and it looked like a Chimera.
I immediately began to descend.
“(Zone Control… I don’t need it. 〖Replicant Form〗!)”
As I was imitating the latest and strongest weapon, the 〖Calamity Beast〗 looked up at me.
I had fully activated my Stealth 〖Skill〗, but it had a good sense of perception, as expected.
“Muerorororo…”
“Muerorororo…”
The Chimera had one head in the front and one in the back.
The front was a mammoth-like head with large fangs, and the back was a long, slender neck similar to a giraffe.
However, what was most striking about its appearance was not its heads, but what was below them.
An enormous number of arms extended in all directions like octopus tentacles.
The arms were all unusually long, some with hairy monkey-like hands, and others with suction cups like octopus legs; they were a motley collection.
And just as all the hands faced the ground, metal spheres, equal in number to the arms, floated up while lifting the roots of trees.
“Kirurururu!”
“Kirurururu!”
Just as the Chimera grasped the metal spheres, which were just the right size to fit in its hands, it threw them all at once.
The speed of the spheres was far greater than my 〖Throwing〗 when I was an 〖Calamity Beast〗, and moreover—,
“(A magic ball, huh?)”
—It was drawing a very complex trajectory.
It was so intricate that my 〖Trajectory Prediction〗 was about to bug out.
If someone could throw a ball like that in baseball, it would be extremely troublesome.
“(But I see, its 〖Zone Control〗 is about twisting and curveballs, or something like that.)”
I analyzed while looking at the plants around the Chimera.
Around it, the trees were warped into swirling, distorted shapes. If those were the effects of its 〖Zone Control〗, then my guess was probably not too far off.
“(And, it’s about time.)”
The fastest magic ball was approaching right in front of me.
It feinted left and right, and then suddenly went straight, trying to pierce my body.
I calmly deflected it with my new weapon.
“(Yeah, it’s still too slow.)”
I continued to accurately deflect the magic balls.
Even if the magic balls drew complex trajectories, if they lacked speed, they were just a one-trick pony.
Well, it should be fast enough against an 〖Calamity Beast〗, but I am a 〖King Beast〗, and I also have many 〖Skills〗 that assist with processing power, such as 〖Trajectory Prediction〗 and 〖Clear Mirror Still Water〗.
Since I 〖Transcend〗ed with 【Thunderous Cycle of Rise and Fall】, the amount of Electrification enhancement has also increased.
It would be more difficult to receive it without any defense.
“Mera!?”
“(Alrighty then.)”
The Chimera was more astonished than when it first noticed my presence.
I accelerated further and pierced its shoulder with my new weapon.
It pierced through the curly fur without any resistance, but no blood splattered. Considering the nature of the new weapon, that was to be expected.
“Kyooh!?”
The Chimera shrieked in pain from being pierced and from the strange chill.
It must be experiencing a sensation like having ice inserted into its blood vessels. In fact, the blood near its shoulder was frozen.
“(As expected, the power of the Extreme Thorn is amazing; this is what it does to an 〖Calamity Beast〗 in one shot.)”
Extreme Thorn. This was a weapon made from the “Polar King’s” feeding organ (buccal cone).
Its shape was similar to a UFO catcher.
At the end of a translucent arm, there were six wire-like feeding devices.
Since the “Polar King” was a rear-guard type Demon Beast, I couldn’t transfer most of its abilities to the weapon, but this was an exception.
It had the convenient property of rapidly stealing heat from anything it touched, slowing its movement and allowing it to be captured, so I used it as is.
“(And, I’ve only stabbed it with two so far.)”
As I watched the swarm of arms come to peel me off, I wrapped the remaining thorns around the Chimera.
The Chimera shuddered.
Once it got to this point, the Chimera would die soon even if I did nothing.
“(Sorry, but I’ll have you accompany me a little longer, 【Thunderous Cycle of Rise and Fall】.)”
I thrust the 【Unique Skill】’s Thunder into the depths of the Chimera, into its 〔Soul (Arche)〕.
Not with the care of harvesting crops, but with the ferocity of burning a field.
~Unidentified Information Recording Area~
…
The White Spot (Byakugou) presents a translucent amber glow (?), Fue Toukouya’s 〖Soul Accumulation Value (Level)〗 has increased to 764.
…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Success on the second try.
Even after subtracting the damage from the Extreme Thorn, it could be said that I had made great progress.
“(But it’s still not enough.)”
Ultimately, I have to defeat Chaos.
Since the strength of my opponent is unknown, I need to further increase the proficiency of my 【Unique Skill】.
“(Killing an unscathed 〖Calamity Beast〗 instantly with one blow. That’s the first step.)”
With that intermediate goal in mind, I flew into the sky of the Great Demon Realm.
—And then, forty-two hours and seventeen minutes later.
I would encounter the supreme life form that bore the name of “Ancient King.”