I Became an Evolving Lizard in a Martial Arts Novel – Chapter 88

Chapter 87 I Had Returned.

Megatherium.

Think of it as a very large ground sloth.

A ground sloth is like a tree sloth that lives on the ground.

In other words, it was a very large tree sloth that lived on the ground.

With a touch of violence.

“Skreeaaargh!”

Listen to that roar.

It might sound ridiculous at first, but hearing it in person was utterly terrifying.

And look at that size.

It was comparable to my true form, no.

It was larger than my true form.

Especially in weight, it was easily more than twice that of my true form.

Even up to four times as much.

Why would such a large creature attack a place filled with lizards?

Even if it ate all the lizards here, it wouldn’t make a difference to it.

For one thing, it was herbivorous.

Of course, just because it was herbivorous didn’t mean it couldn’t eat meat.

This was no ordinary attack.

I focused my gaze sharply.

【Megatherium LV40】

【Traits】

「Poison Resistance」「Petrification Resistance」

【Status】

「Brainwashed」

Poison resistance and petrification resistance.

Just from that, I could guess a lot.

Plus, the brainwashed status.

My guess became a certainty.

This attack was related to the Bird King.

Did they just grab a random Megatherium passing by and brainwash it?

No, that didn’t seem right.

It didn’t look like it was under that strong of a brainwash.

It was a light brainwash that left some degree of consciousness intact.

That Megatherium was probably in cooperation with the Bird King from the start.

Like the Black Dragon around the Snake Queen’s temple.

It was probably a hired hand to handle what the birds couldn’t.

It would indeed be hard to find a bird with such a physique.

What was that thing’s intention in coming here?

Why did it attack just when I came here?

I was curious, but it wasn’t important.

“Kekekek!”

I made a loud noise to get its attention.

“Gwaaaar!”

The Megatherium immediately turned its head to look at me.

It didn’t seem like the brainwashing was very strong.

“Gwaaar!”

With a roar, it charged towards me.

Boom.

Boom.

Falling for the taunt of this little lizard.

Though this was the result I wanted, it was unsettling.

I felt a bit of unease, but I put it aside for later.

Here it comes!

Boom!

The ground shook with each step it took.

Maybe I felt the tremors more because my body had shrunk.

Could I defeat that huge creature with this body?

No matter how I thought about it, a frontal attack was impossible.

Yes.

A frontal attack was difficult.

Whoosh!

I dashed to the right, kicking off the ground at high speed.

I needed to create a variable.

And that variable was the water where I had trained with Hunhwi.

Boom.

Boom.

Luckily, it was completely focused on me.

Splash!

It saw me fall into the water and followed without hesitation.

Splash!

As the Megatherium entered the stream, the water naturally overflowed.

The Megatherium and I were both in the same stream.

“Kekeke!”

And that meant there was a variable.

The shallow water might hinder its movement.

Meanwhile, the water was a very familiar place for me.

Whoosh!

Using the essence of Soaring Dragon’s Ascension Step, I kicked off the water’s surface and leapt up.

“Gwaar!”

I could see its surprise.

It must have wondered how this small lizard could leap to eye level with it.

Dragon Scale Transformation.

Schwing!

I sharpened my scales to the extreme.

Focusing on speed and attack power.

At that moment, I was like a living sword.

Swish!

I slashed at its right leg with fierce momentum.

Slash!

But the sensation of cutting wasn’t good.

As big as it was, its hide was thick.

Had it been my original body, no matter how thick the hide, I would have severed its waist.

Expecting too much from a body the size of its finger?

“Gwaargh!”

It roared, enraged that a small lizard had wounded it.

Boom!

Boom!

The Megatherium attacked furiously, as if to crush the earth with its gorilla-like arms.

Splash!

The water surged from its strikes, creating massive splashes.

If one strike wasn’t enough, it kept attacking.

Splash!

Consider my moves.

Poison would be ineffective.

The poison quantity had decreased with my smaller body, and it had resistance.

Using Dragon Claws and Nine Yin White Bone Claws was also difficult.

Even if I used Nine Yin White Bone Claws a hundred times with these tiny feet, it wouldn’t cause significant damage.

Continuing body slams like now would be more efficient.

Gecko Death Beam might have some effect.

The range had decreased, but the power remained unchanged.

However, using all my MP for a Gecko Death Beam wouldn’t deal enough damage to finish it off.

Let’s admit it.

My current combat methods couldn’t defeat this creature.

Recall.

How did I hunt when my body was small?

‘Sprint.’

The wind’s energy enveloped my entire body.

And how Hunhwi dealt with the Komodo-Lania.

Whoosh!

I kicked off the water’s surface and leapt into the air at high speed.

A massive hand of the Megatherium swung, as if waiting for this.

A very sharp strike, predicting my trajectory.

Of course, it was too obvious.

Whoosh!

I leapt higher in the air again.

“Gwaar!”

Voom!

Its thick arm hit nothing.

Moving like this in the air was impossible.

It couldn’t predict this.

I had stepped on the water droplets I had scattered.

Normally, it wouldn’t have been possible.

But with my extremely small body now, my feet were small enough to step on those droplets.

I successfully got behind it.

Having seized the opportunity with Soaring Dragon’s Ascension Step, I attacked with the same.

Schwsh!

The scattered water droplets converged at one point.

A dragon-like figure overlapped with my body.

Continuously stepping on water droplets, I pushed my speed to the limit.

I had overwhelming speed.

And the sharpness of my entire body becoming a blade.

Boom!

Soaring Dragon’s Ascension Strike hit its waist.

“Gwaargh!”

It screamed, and its thick body staggered backward.

A second strike might not work.

Naturally occurring water droplets were inevitable, but it wouldn’t create splashes like before.

“Graagh!”

From now on, each of its attacks would be precise and swift.

Its claws swung swiftly and heavily.

It minimized splashing to prevent erratic movements like before.

So, I couldn’t make unpredictable movements as I had.

Even if I dodged for now, eventually I would be hit by those claws.

Whoosh!

It seemed to be harboring such a futile illusion.

I leapt again, stepping on the water droplets.

It didn’t create splashes due to its controlled movements.

The small amount of droplets wasn’t enough for me to use.

So how could I leap?

The answer was simple.

Whoosh.

It had been raining for a while during this battle.

The first time was hard, the second was easy.

Whoosh!

Moreover, the raindrops were hitting the stream all at once.

The entire stream was effectively my domain.

Whoosh.

Whoosh!

The Megatherium’s dumbfounded eyes darted rapidly.

To find my movements on the raindrops.

Voom!

Its claws swung again.

I didn’t miss the gap.

Thud!

Clang!

Soaring Dragon’s Ascension Strike.

Clang!

Two Consecutive Strikes.

Its massive body wobbled.

Of course, the damage I inflicted wasn’t significant.

Though speed and sharpness were enough to cause damage, the size was still an issue.

No matter how much I attacked, I couldn’t defeat it in this state.

But that was okay.

My goal wasn’t to defeat it.

It was to buy time for the lizards to escape by diverting its attention.

“Grooo….”

It growled low, then leapt forcefully.

Whoosh!

What was that movement?

A useless move in this battle.

“Ghehehe….”

…No.

I made a mistake.

Determining it couldn’t catch me jumping on raindrops, it had given up on catching me.

Perhaps it was a natural choice.

Boom.

Boom.

It quickly ran toward the other lizards.

But there was rain outside the stream as well.

I could still use it like before.

Whoosh!

I sprinted across the ground, charging at it.

To irritate it as much as possible and draw its attention.

The Megatherium seemed determined to ignore me entirely, moving steadfastly in one direction despite its wobbling.

This wouldn’t do.

At this rate, the escaping lizards would be caught.

I needed to draw more attention.

Even if it meant performing dangerous stunts.

“Kekeke!”

I continued attacking it with a fierce cry.

“Kek!”

I aimed for its ear.

No matter how it tried to ignore me, it couldn’t help but notice if I buzzed in its ear.

It might even get angry and decide to kill me first.

Of course, attacking near its head posed risks for me.

But without this method, I couldn’t draw its attention.

Whoosh!

“Kekeke!”

Using Soaring Dragon’s Ascension Strike, I struck its ear hard.

Clang!

Normally, I would have withdrawn immediately, but I lingered a bit.

Yet, it still ignored me.

The Megatherium moved on, disregarding me.

It might seem like I had won, but it was the worst situation for me.

I

needed to draw its attention.

“Kekeke!”

In desperation, I used Dragon Claws for an additional attack.

A little more.

Using White Bone Claws.

A little more.

Employing Poison Fang.

A little more.

Using Dragon’s Reverse Scale, I struck with Nine Yin White Bone Claws.

Boom!

That moment.

The Megatherium’s mouth twisted into a grotesque shape.

Before I could react to the repulsive sight, our eyes met.

And its eyes gleamed once.

Clang!

It was the Petrifying Gaze.

Had it been any other attack, I could have dodged without issue.

Though I attacked out of desperation, I maintained a minimum distance.

But I hadn’t anticipated it using petrification, and I was taken aback.

How could a Megatherium use this skill?

Did it forcibly implant the eyes of a dead Cockatrice?

Its petrification was far weaker than that of a Cockatrice or the Snake Queen.

It couldn’t kill an enemy with it.

Moreover, it couldn’t harm someone as resistant as me.

But it was enough to momentarily paralyze me.

And that moment was enough for its claws to strike.

Boom!

My body was thrown helplessly.

Crash!

I hit a nearby tree and fell to the ground.

My head spun.

Its sharp claws were enough to tear through my smaller scales.

Blood flowed from all over my body.

My vision was blurred.

“Gaaagh….”

One strike caused this much damage.

An absurd size difference.

Boom.

Boom!

It quickly ran towards me.

And only then did I realize.

Its goal wasn’t to kill other lizards.

Its goal was me from the start.

Attacking the other lizards was a ruse to catch me off guard.

It laughed so widely its mouth seemed to tear.

“Gahahaha!”

How satisfying it must be to see the pesky little creature staggering like this.

With trembling hands, I forced myself up, supporting myself on the ground.

It wasn’t over yet.

I still had the strength to move.

Now that I knew I was the target, I could retreat.

My leg bones were shattered, but I could still escape.

“Kekeke!”

I heard a familiar cry.

A few geckos were blocking the path between me and the Megatherium.

…Why were they here?

They had plenty of time to escape.

“Kek….”

A small gecko looked at me with a worried expression and supported me.

Right.

These creatures didn’t run away.

They must have been watching from afar, concerned about me.

They all rushed over to save me from the Megatherium’s attack.

Even if I let them support my injured leg and tried to escape.

What would happen to those geckos blocking it?

“Keeek….”

I pushed away the gecko supporting me.

How could geckos possibly block that monster?

Holding out for even ten seconds would be a miracle.

They must know they’d die.

“Keeek.”

A gecko gripped my hand tightly.

Even without words, I could understand its meaning.

So, you.

Why did you try to sacrifice yourself for them?

That must be its question.

Who knows.

To pursue righteousness?

I wouldn’t say such lofty things.

My body staggered.

I put strength into my legs.

Even so, it felt like I would collapse.

I planted my hands on the ground.

Even then, I couldn’t hold on.

I supported myself with my tail.

The geckos looked at me anxiously.

There was no need to look at me like that.

I just coveted your faith.

If these lizards died, who would worship me?

I had to steal that annoying old man’s divinity.

Yes, it was a purely selfish desire.

“Grrr….”

So, step aside.

I had to deal with it.

[Your divine power stirs greatly.]

Twitch.

[“State: Miniaturization” is released.]

Crack.

[The effect of “Miniaturization lv1” is replaced with “State: Gigantification.”]

The Megatherium stood dumbfounded, looking up at me, unable to even think of attacking the geckos in front of it.

[The effect of “Dragon Blood lv1” activates.]

[Your blood is imbued with strong fire energy.]

[Your blood is imbued with strong ice energy.]

Blood flowed between my torn scales.

Dragon blood mixed with the conflicting energies of fire and ice.

“Grrr….”

Yes.

I had returned.