〖Royal Authority Skill〗—The ultimate secret technique of a 〖King Beast〗, requiring an immense charge time in exchange for tremendous power, and because concentration is needed during that time, combat is virtually impossible, making it unsuitable for practical use.
However, if Chaos is the one wielding it, the situation is different.
” (Shape definition! 〖Compact Slash〗! Damn it, it won’t stop…!)”
I’m making progress in felling Chaos with a flurry of Lightning Strikes and Slashes, but I can’t interrupt the 〖Mana〗 refinement even for a moment.
He didn’t seem to have any sense of pain to begin with, so it’s no wonder he’s not flinching.
I tried throwing empty Mana Crystals with 〖Solar Lord〗 to absorb 〖Mana〗, but it still has no effect.
No matter how high-grade the Mana Crystal is, it’s not much of an obstruction in the face of Chaos’s 〖Mana〗 reserves.
After that, I steadily inflicted damage while trying various things, but I couldn’t achieve any results.
『It’s time to retreat, no choice.』
“Got it, 〖Area Hole〗.”
As I conveyed it through 〖Telepathy〗, one of the silver peaks approached and a hole opened.
The other side of the hole is much further back, inside the 〖Sunflare Furnace〗. I keep a close watch on the situation, keeping a sufficient distance from the enemy.
“(Alright, let’s see it, your 〖Royal Authority Skill〗.)”
If it’s a straight-line attack like the “Polar King,” it might reach this far, so I focus on Zone Control for defense while waiting for it to activate.
Having continued to cut down the Great Forest Sea until the very last moment, the time came without much delay.
“…………”
In the space between the sky and the earth, a black pillar of water rose. At least, that’s how it looked to me.
The extraordinary pillar of water, visible even from this distance, spread out in several strands, drawing a parabola as it came towards us.
“(Is that… a trunk?)”
I try to discern the identity of the thing that’s extending.
What looked like a pillar of water was actually a collection of countless trunks. However, even a single one of those trunks after branching out was unrealistically thick.
The trees that make up Chaos were also out of the ordinary, but these easily surpassed them.
“(It seems like it’s a 〖Skill〗 that grows trunks to an extreme degree to attack…)”
While predicting the effect, I unleash Sun Lasers and molten iron from Zone Control.
If it’s extending the main trunk of Chaos, then normal attacks would be meaningless, and it was just a way to observe the situation, but… the lasers easily pierced through the trunks.
This means… those trunks were created by a 〖Skill〗 and are separate from Chaos’s chaotic body.
Even so, they’re too fragile. Is the inside hollow as a trade-off for the super growth?
“(No, a 〖Royal Authority Skill〗 shouldn’t be that weak.)”
I immediately discard the optimism that surfaced. There must be another reason.
I observe while firing lasers in rapid succession, searching for the cause.
“(Huh? It fell but it’s moving…)”
At that moment, I notice that the trunk I shot down is wriggling and crawling on the ground.
Until now, severed parts had never moved on their own.
It’s undoubtedly due to the influence of the 〖Skill〗.
So, what kind of effect is it, I continue to observe… and then I realize one of my misconceptions.
The trunk I shot down earlier split into two as it fell, and they started moving separately.
It’s not like it broke from the impact of the fall. Originally, two trunks were intertwined.
“(So that’s the structure here too!)”
Looking closely, the other trunks are the same.
What I had thought was a single trunk was actually made up of several plants twisted together.
The original pillar of water (tentatively) was a collection of trunks, but the trunks were also a collection of ordinary plants.
And then I finally realize. The true nature of Chaos’s 〖Royal Authority Skill〗 is—,
“(—The creation of subordinates!?)”
I unleash a Lightning Strike from my 【Unique Skill】.
As if to confirm my speculation, the Lightning Strikes stole the 〔Souls (Arche)〕 of the subordinates.
However, that only defeated a few of them.
More than ten subordinates are combined into each of the countless spreading trunks, and the trunks keep growing one after another.
Even 〖S(Sparkle) U(Aproot)〗 can’t stop them at all.
Once the trunks have grown to a certain extent, the subordinate Demon Beasts fall to the ground with a thud.
Some crawl like snakes, others move their roots rapidly, and still others rotate their branches like a helicopter at high speed to advance.
They were heading towards the sea while avoiding entering the 〖Sunflare Furnace〗.
“(This is bad, then his aim is…!)”
“…………”
If I were to express Chaos’s emotions, “impatient” would be appropriate.
He’s being held back by annoying units that can’t be damaged, and just when he thinks he’s made some progress, he’s thrown back to square one by a meteor attack.
It’s a secondary measure because he judged that he couldn’t reach the human continent if he continued to advance as he was. The sending of subordinates.
According to what the god said, when Chaos’s subordinates die, he seems to get the 〖Experience Points〗 they accumulated returned to him.
That’s how he continued to absorb 〖Experience Points〗 even after reaching 〖Level 999〗, and that’s how he became so bloated.
Even so, it would have been better if Chaos had continued to send out seeds as he had before.
It takes time for those to parasitize living things and accumulate power.
But this time, they are beings created by a 〖Royal Authority Skill〗. I can feel that they have power somewhere between a 〖Feral Beast〗 and an 〖Calamity Beast〗.
If they land and start devouring the Demon Beasts around them, in the worst case, the increase in his 〖Life〗 due to his bloating might become faster than the damage I can inflict.
『”Demon Lord,” things have gotten bad!』
The distance is too great for 〖Challenge〗 to be in range, and 〖Scorching Supreme Treasure〗 has no effect because he’s not looking at me.
To deal with it, I need to strike him directly.
『I am aware of the situation! I won’t allow them to run rampant within my 〖Political Territory〗… or so I would like to say, but those scoundrels seem to be clad in 〖Zone Control〗. At this rate, I can only defend one side.』
This is bad, bad, bad!
We don’t have enough hands!
Chaos is also starting to advance again. I can’t retreat from here.
That said, it’s impossible for anyone other than me and the “Demon Lord” to face an infinitely spawning 〖Feral Beast〗-class enemy.
I can’t call the Border Count or the Archduke right away, and even Paula can’t win against the sheer number of them.
Should I use teleportation to make the “Demon Lord” jump back and forth between the north and south?
No, if I do that against this quality and quantity, I might miss some.
But there’s no other way…
『Oh, the other side is okay now too.』
What broke through my swirling, confused thoughts was Paula’s carefree voice.
『What do you mean by that…?』
『A helper who was training until the very last minute has arrived.』
My vision, having gained a different-dimensional sight after becoming a 〖King Beast〗. On the hazy horizon, a single human was standing.