Ch.173Ice Horror (3)

“Ssss?”

The enemy seemed confused by the sudden intrusion. It must be wondering why it had missed this.

The reason was simple.

‘Because I scattered its focus.’

After realizing I was no pushover, it had devoted all its senses to me.

If I had been cautious or fought from a distance, it would have had room to breathe. Then it would have quickly noticed the others approaching.

The Ice Horror possessed exceptional physical abilities, but at its core, it was a hunter that relied on ambush. If it judged that it couldn’t control the environmental conditions, it would retreat immediately.

‘I can’t let that happen.’

We need it. I need its head, and the Sky Mother needs its heart.

And there’s the flesh for the others too.

‘I’ll catch it right here.’

“Grrrrrrrr”

When I growled, it looked back and forth between me and No. 26.

Among the enemies here, I pose the greatest threat to it. After all, I’ve already shattered its abdominal carapace.

But its instincts are telling it something else. Perhaps it senses the presence of a Sea Demon, a predator higher in the food chain than an Ice Horror.

No. 26 typically prevents psychic power from flowing out of his body. It’s to be considerate of Adhigh, who is sensitive to psychic power.

If I hadn’t been injured, he would still be hiding it now.

‘He’s really angry, isn’t he?’

Countless eyes flowed like water over No. 26’s body. The eyeballs manifested through the “Deep Sea Horror” trait were glaring at the Ice Horror.

Intense psychic power was pouring from his body, which had turned a pinkish color close to purple, filling the cavity.

Fortunately, the psychic power wasn’t flowing outside the cavity. He must be controlling it, thinking that Gallergorn would notice if it leaked out.

In other words, No. 26’s current state could be summarized as cold fury.

‘That’s even scarier though.’

“Ssssssss”

The Ice Horror seemed confused about where to focus due to the psychic power. Its antennae wandered aimlessly, reflecting its owner’s confusion.

I can’t let its attention shift elsewhere. I raised myself up with my unbroken combat arms.

And let out a mighty roar.

“■■■■■■■!”

My cry echoed throughout the cavity and beyond. Ice fragments and stone pieces around me scattered into the air from the pressure. The Ice Horror’s antennae twitched as it felt the spirit in my roar.

“Saaaaa!”

“■■■■!”

The Ice Horror howled loudly like me. It ignored No. 26 and charged at me. I also pushed off the ground and rushed toward it.

As we both charged at each other, leaving footprints on the collapsed ice floor, the cavity shook violently again when we collided.

‘Ugh!’

My combat arms and back arms are broken, and my head carapace is shattered. I’m not as powerful as before because energy is being consumed to heal my broken bones.

Meanwhile, it’s showing no signs of fatigue and continues to display tremendous strength. As expected of an apex monster with impressive raw specs.

‘This is actually better.’

It’s a cunning predator. It won’t think of fleeing when faced with an opponent it believes it can handle. While the enemy is distracted, we can steadily entangle it.

While I held it down, the others made their move.

The Sky Mother, transformed into a griffon humanoid form, mounted Adhigh while holding the “Golden Spear of Shaman.” Carrying her, Adhigh flew to the Ice Horror’s back in the blink of an eye, despite the thick darkness.

As Adhigh flew close enough to almost touch the Ice Horror’s back carapace, the Sky Mother extended her spear and slashed its back. Perhaps due to the momentum from the high-speed flight, a thin wound appeared on its back carapace.

“Ssssss”

The Ice Horror hissed irritably after being attacked while struggling with me. Its tail began to move to get rid of the annoying interference.

Despite the complete darkness in this underground space, I could tell thanks to my highly developed auxiliary organs. The Ice Horror’s tail, rising to strike Adhigh, looked like a massive wall.

Like heroes in myths fighting monsters while riding celestial horses, Adhigh and the Sky Mother skillfully avoided its tail. Thanks to Adhigh’s improved flying skills, he navigated the relatively narrow underground space without difficulty.

The Sky Mother focused solely on thrusting her spear, while Adhigh dodged the incoming tail and body.

While they coordinated their joint attack, No. 26 also prepared his assault.

No. 26 waved the tentacles sprouting from his body like a conductor’s baton. The debris scattered on the cavity floor rose simultaneously.

The Sea Demon’s unique skill “Demon Crash” had activated. Those fragments infused with psychic power would now become ammunition for a psychic cannon.

Some of the debris floating in the air shot like shells and hit the Ice Horror’s body.

“Sssss!”

The Ice Horror seemed unsure where to focus. As its attention scattered, the pressure from its jaws gripping me slightly weakened.

‘Good!’

I didn’t miss that opening and applied force to the corrosive tentacles holding its jaw and head. For the first time since we started fighting, it was pushed back.

“Sss?!”

It seemed surprised and couldn’t respond properly. I continued pushing it forcefully. Thanks to the uneven floor from the collapsed ground, its body tilted significantly.

This exposed the broken abdominal carapace I had created earlier.

As the startled creature tried to quickly regain its posture, its body froze in place. It didn’t know, but hundreds of meters of psychic nets were entangling its massive body.

No. 26 had cast “Bind” again.

[Now!]

Hearing my cry, Adhigh flew in at a terrifying speed. The Sky Mother on his back thrust her spear with all her might.

The sharp spearhead pierced the flesh inside the broken carapace. The spear sank deep into its body without resistance.

“Saaaaa!”

The Ice Horror screamed and thrashed with the Golden Spear of Shaman embedded in it. As its massive body, easily over 100 meters long, went berserk, not just the cavity but the entire underground space seemed to shake.

“Be careful!”

“Understood”

As the Ice Horror’s body and tail flailed like a roller coaster track in the air, Adhigh performed acrobatic flying, weaving between them.

‘Not enough yet.’

Given its enormous size, even driving the Golden Spear of Shaman all the way to the handle wasn’t fatal.

I climbed onto the creature as it thrashed on the collapsed floor. Then I split my lower jaw into two parts to bite the broken carapace area.

“Ssssss!”

Writhing in pain like an earthworm sprinkled with salt, it somehow sensed my intention and quickly flipped its body.

My attack missed. Instead of biting into soft flesh, I bit into the very hard carapace on its side.

‘Tsk.’

My teeth, capable of chewing through ship hulls, were helplessly damaged upon hitting the Ice Horror’s carapace. For the first time since coming to this world, I experienced having my fangs broken and inwardly clicked my tongue.

“Sss”

Moreover, the creature now realized what I was targeting. Knowing that we were continuously aiming for its wounded area, it twisted its body to hide the weakness.

Adhigh, the fastest among us, flew around spraying Purple Lightning, but it was useless.

This creature had only been scratched after taking a Psychic Breath head-on. The weaker Purple Lightning couldn’t harm it.

“Hard!”

“Little one! Move aside!”

Seeing this, No. 26 exerted his power again. The psychic power emanating from his body materialized and glowed.

Then the debris floating in the air gathered in front of No. 26 and slowly began to rotate.

Understanding what he was planning, I firmly grabbed the Ice Horror with all my corrosive tentacles and combat arms.

“Sssssss”

“Grrr”

The creature also seemed to think it needed to finish me quickly and escape. Its thick, long body coiled around me. Sparks flew as its carapace collided with my synthetic scales.

It’s much stronger than me. If it decides to squeeze me in earnest, I won’t last long.

As evidence, messages about “Pain Reduction” activating kept appearing before my eyes.

Barely enduring the pain through my trait effect, I grabbed one of my broken back arms with a corrosive tentacle. Then I tore it off.

‘Urgh!’

Pain incomparable to when it broke pierced the inside of my head.

I’m not crazy for tearing off my own arm. The mantis-like back arm has the sharpest bone blade on my body.

The back arm with completely broken bones that can’t move—I plan to use it as a weapon.

‘This should work!’

I received the torn back arm with my combat arm. Then I swung it like an axe and struck the enemy’s weak point.

“Sssssss!”

The creature screamed as my bone blade pierced the same spot where the Golden Spear of Shaman was already embedded.

Strong predators are used to trampling others but tend to be intolerant of their own pain. This one was no different.

The body squeezing me lost strength. The Ice Horror tried to move away from me to protect its weak point. Against such a creature, I pulled out one more hidden weapon.

The five faces on my head carapace all opened their mouths at once.

And from the mouths of these humanoid faces, paralyzing sound waves capable of immobilizing any enemy poured toward it.

“—–!” “—–!” “—–!” “—–!” “—–!”

“Ss?!”

The creature stopped moving after taking the paralyzing waves directly to its head. Almost simultaneously, No. 26’s weapon completed its preparation.

[Now’s the time]

“Yes!”

The psychic drill, made by mixing psychic power with large chunks of ice, tore through the air as it flew.

The drill’s tip was aimed at the Ice Horror’s broken carapace area—the weakness we had created.

And the pure essence of psychic power along with ice fragments began to tear its exposed flesh to shreds.

“Saaaak!”

The destructive power of the psychic drill created by the Sea Demon—no, by No. 26—was tremendous. The bones and flesh inside the carapace were ground into pulp, and the internal organs were nearly pulled out by the rotation.

The creature howled in unbearable pain as its internal organs were severed.

But that was as far as it went.

Although the psychic drill was rotating with enough force to potentially cut the creature’s body in half, destroying its carapace was too much. After greatly expanding the wounded area, the psychic power composing the drill dispersed into the air.

“I’m drained…”

“Little elder” “Danger”

No. 26’s body shrank after consuming too much psychic power. Adhigh carried the now 50cm-sized No. 26—the same size as when he usually rides on my head—on his back.

“Sssss…”

The Ice Horror’s antennae trembled anxiously. How many times had a predator like this suffered such a fatal injury? Probably none since it was a cub.

Realizing it couldn’t continue, it tried to dig into the floor to hide.

‘Where do you think you’re going?’

You may come as you please, but leaving isn’t so simple. I grabbed the fleeing creature from behind and pulled it back.

“Grrr”

“Sss?!”

Then I shoved my head into its wound. Warm blood seeped into my closed mouth.

I used my combat arms and corrosive tentacles to widen its wound, then pushed my head in deeper, using the horns on my head and the bone blades under my jaw to tear through its insides.

It bit my tail with its jaws and pulled to remove me. The more it did so, the stronger I gripped its open wound.

The pincer part at the end of my tail, the carapace and legs attached to my tail were torn off in its jaws, but I didn’t give up.

After some time, when I pushed through something hard like a wall, cold air enveloped my head carapace.

The moment I realized I had completely penetrated its body, I heard its death cry.

“Sssss…sss…s…”

The Ice Horror, which might have lived for hundreds or even thousands of years.

It collapsed with a low cry, as if feeling wronged.