Ch.185Cult Priest (4)

I looked down at the dot embedded in the white snow field.

Jason, who had quickly recovered from his leg wound thanks to the Black Gallergorn armor effect, was looking up at me.

Compared to my 6m golden formation, he might seem small, but objectively speaking, Jason’s height was hardly considered short. His 2m height was quite tall even among Cult men.

‘Meaningless before me though.’

Whether 2m or 6m, it holds no meaning before me.

Thanks to using “Organic Evolution’s” special state “King of Monsters” on top of my Bone Beast form, my body had grown enormously. My body length reached 300m, and my lower jaw easily exceeded dozens of meters.

With some exaggeration, I was no different from a moving small mountain.

‘I didn’t expect to grow this large when I’m not even an adult yet.’

Even I, who knows everything about AMorph, didn’t anticipate this, so Jason couldn’t possibly know. He didn’t notice at all that I had my mouth wide open beneath the snow.

Of course, he suspected I was hiding somewhere, which is why he attacked with the golden formation. That injured one of my combat arms severely, but I was actually relieved.

‘Originally, that would have been enough power to blow away a third of my body.’

His killing blow only managed to injure one arm. And through his attack, I could confirm one thing.

That changing the golden formation requires time.

It wasn’t a long time, but it didn’t matter. In battle like now, even that short cooldown could be a fatal weakness.

“F-fuck, what is this?! I’ve never heard of anything like this!”

Jason, who had been composed until just now, no longer appeared so. He seemed to have lost his composure at the sight of my unexpectedly enormous form.

‘Though my situation isn’t that great either.’

Maintaining King of Monsters requires massive energy. Even at this moment, the energy inside my body is being depleted at a tremendous rate.

‘If I hadn’t eaten the Ice Horror, this would have ended quickly.’

Thanks to consuming large amounts of meat containing high energy, I’ve stored an extraordinary amount of energy.

Unless I use characteristics with extremely high energy consumption rates like God’s Whip, I should be able to maintain King of Monsters for 10 minutes.

I struck down with my combat arm at the space where Jason was standing. As my combat arm, the size of a small park, came down, he hastily raised both arms.

When my hand collided with the ice, an enormous pressure wave occurred, sweeping away the snow. I couldn’t see his figure beyond the swirling snowstorm.

‘Where did he go?’

“…you damn Morph-loving bastard!”

As if answering my question, his voice was heard from afar. Then, the golden formation’s greatsword flew toward my auxiliary organs.

I raised another combat arm to shield my auxiliary organs. His greatsword cut into my forearm.

But because my arm itself was so large, the golden formation’s sword only cut through the carapace covering my wrist. Realizing his attack was shallow, he spat out a short curse.

“Damn it!”

Currently, Jason was wearing a headband I hadn’t seen before. A cross-shaped halo headband with a purplish glow. It was the “Tuner” obtained as a reward for the 9th stage quest.

‘That’s one use already.’

The extra lives that can be obtained through the Tuner total 5. He’s used one now, so 4 remain.

I stretched out my combat arms to catch him. My arms swept through the snow on the ground, moving to grab him. Just as my hand was about to grasp him, he raised his left hand.

Then my hand moved against my will. He must have used Gravity Control and Reflection in combination to push away my arm.

While Jason was blocking my attack, the golden formation surrounding him changed again.

The particles constituting the formation decomposed and transformed into streams of light, then took flight carrying his body.

‘So that’s how he escaped from underground.’

I pulled out my corrosive tentacles to catch him as he tried to flee.

My six corrosive tentacles are normally stored in a rolled-up form inside the hollow dorsal shell. Then, when I want, they quickly shoot out by tearing through the thin membrane covering six holes.

These corrosive tentacles boast the longest length among my body parts without any special characteristic effects. Since my entire body has grown more than 10 times larger, naturally the corrosive tentacles have also changed to an absurd size.

Six corrosive tentacles extend along the golden light stream in the snowstorm, as if a dragon were trying to ascend.

The golden light stream dodged like it was performing aerobatics, but how long could it avoid tentacles rushing in from all directions?

Seemingly having similar thoughts, Jason threw the “Purification” in his hand into the air. The silver rod with a blade made of black fire rotated like a windmill, attacking my tentacles.

Purification is a weapon modeled after a famous sword from classic space opera media. Whatever the original might be, Purification is characterized by its extremely powerful attack power, as if it can cut through anything.

Indeed, the sword Jason threw was easily cutting through my tentacles under his control. However, the problem was…

‘Since the tentacles are so large, the impact isn’t much.’

The thickness of just one corrosive tentacle far exceeds Jason’s height. Even with Purification’s blade length of only about 1m, it’s not easy to inflict fatal wounds.

His current attack is like an ant stabbing a human with a toothpick. Unless the ant stabs a vital point, it’s not easy for an ant to kill a human.

Even if the wounds are deep, I have the “Regeneration” characteristic. As long as the tentacles aren’t completely severed, wounds like these heal quickly.

‘Though the energy consumption isn’t small.’

Each time a corrosive tentacle was deeply cut, the time I could maintain King of Monsters decreased, but I didn’t show it.

My job is simple.

To make it appear as if I’m overwhelming him with my enormous size.

In other words, the violence of size. This is the weapon I’ve prepared.

“Kuk!”

Jason, seemingly judging that attacking with Purification was meaningless, retrieved his sword. The light stream that had been surrounding him returned to the form of a golden formation hanging on his back.

Floating in the air with Gravity Control, he swung his arm and the golden formation’s attack began.

A shining golden sword pierced one of my corrosive tentacles. It succeeded in cutting more than half, but failed to sever it completely.

It was painful enough to trigger pain reduction, but I didn’t show it. Instead, taking advantage of the moment when the formation couldn’t move, I targeted Jason’s main body with my other corrosive tentacles.

Seeing the corrosive tentacles rushing with their appendages spread wide, he quickly extended his left hand. Reflection activated, deflecting the tentacles.

But deflecting tentacles coming from six directions, each hundreds of meters long, is never an easy task. Even for someone with outstanding skills like a ranker.

“Ugh!”

The pointed appendage of a corrosive tentacle grazed his leg. It was the area that had been torn by my teeth and then healed.

“You really!”

As I kept attacking the same area, Jason shouted angrily. Along with that, a huge purple whip shot out from his left hand, deflecting my tentacles.

While he was dealing with the tentacles and expressing his anger, I quickly approached him. As my body, exceeding hundreds of meters, charged, the ice plate beneath shook and then shattered completely.

I opened my mouth wide in the snow fog that rose as I moved. My lower jaw split into two branches, exposing the teeth densely packed inside.

‘I’ll swallow you whole.’

If other humans had seen my appearance, as hideous as a maw from the abyss, they would have trembled. Jason too spat out a short curse as the giant mouth dozens of meters wide approached.

“Shit!”

As if responding to his curse, the golden formation changed into a stream of light. Jason narrowly escaped outside my mouth. Seeing the jaw closing with a bang, he screamed shrilly.

“You crazy bastard!”

As soon as I heard his scream, an invisible force struck my neck and head. Gravity Control, Binding, and several other psychic power techniques were applied to my head and neck.

‘Ugh!’

It’s an enormous power. Regardless of skill, the output of his psychic power exceeds even No. 26.

My psychic reflection armor should be reflecting it, but he was reflecting it back with his own Reflection, causing me damage.

“Die… ack?!”

As he was screaming, trying to twist my neck, suddenly his body froze like a puppet with cut strings. Invisible threads were constricting his body.

The owner of those threads, made of highly compressed energy, needs no introduction.

「Don’t bully big baby! You bad person!」

Beyond the intensifying snowstorm, a creature with a pinkish-purple hue appears.

A notorious formidable enemy in the game and someone I thought could never become an ally.

And the first friend I made after coming to this world.

Sea Demon No. 26.

While No. 26 was using all its power to bind him, a dragon flew up behind it.

「I」「cold」「endure」

With striking green wings and a long, plump tail, this small Gallergorn was Adhigh. On its back rode a humanoid with an eagle head and lion body.

「You damn bastard, thought you’d get away?」

The Sky Mother in Griffon humanoid mode growls, sending out thought waves. The two, who had worked together several times before, were preparing for a joint attack again.

Jason’s eyes widened at the sight of the Gallergorn and Volf approaching at very high speed.

“You son of a—!”

Purple flames blazed in his eyes. Then, purple energy escaped from his body and transformed into numerous spikes.

‘Morta,’ an advanced psychic power technique that nullifies the effects of other psychic powers.

「Oh? It’s released!」

When the sharp spikes touched the invisible threads, No. 26’s binding was immediately released.

Freed, Jason quickly twisted his waist to the side. This was because the Sky Mother, who had already come close enough to reach with an extended hand, thrust the Golden Spear of Shaman.

「Tch!」

By a hair’s breadth, the spear blade cut through his armor. As the armor on his abdomen broke, shattered scales of Black Gallergorn scattered in the air.

“How dare…!”

The enraged Jason roared and swung his arm toward the Sky Mother. Synchronized with him, the golden formation also changed its arm into a sword and swung wildly.

Adhigh, carrying the Sky Mother, performed amazing aerobatics to avoid his attacks. Jason watched Adhigh’s movements while blocking my corrosive tentacles with Reflection.

“Arrogant bastard!”

「Danger!」「Danger!」

When Jason extended his hand, Adhigh froze as if fixed in the air. He used binding like No. 26.

Taking advantage of this, the golden formation swung its sword in a straight line to bisect Adhigh and the Sky Mother.

‘You think I’d let that happen?’

I spread all the gliding membranes attached to my combat arms wide, then swung them vigorously toward where Jason was floating.

The result created by the mixture of size, weight, and strength was truly formidable. A strong wind carrying tremendous power struck Jason hard.

“Heuk?!”

Unable to reflect even the wind with Reflection, he had no choice but to take the natural phenomenon I created head-on.

With the air knocked out of him and snow particles hitting his face, he closed his eyes. The golden formation, which responds to visual cues, was about to cut Adhigh when it crumbled into small particles.

「Don’t hit small baby and middle baby!」

No. 26’s psychic power flowed into Adhigh from the snow field. As the powers of two mighty psychics collided, the binding on Adhigh weakened.

「Thanks!」

Having broken free from the binding, Adhigh turned its wings once, then flew at its characteristic lightning-fast speed and hid behind me.

“You Morph-loving bastard! What kind of trick did you pull to control a Sea Demon and a Gallergorn!”

Jason, opening his eyes and seeing this, yelled. He seemed more shocked by the fact that I was moving with other monsters than by falling victim to our coordinated attack.

‘Control, he says.’

He seems to think I’m controlling them with parasites, but that’s impossible. Parasites can’t control multiple beings this meticulously.

And my companions aren’t just these three.

‘There’s still one more.’

On the ice plate, now snow-white from the incessant snowfall, there isn’t just No. 26. A special friend it brought is hiding under the snow, waiting.

[Zuzu (Now!)]

Receiving my signal, the Screamer, or rather PS-111, burst out, scattering snow.

PS-111, a spider-shaped monster with four pairs of legs and a human female head. Apart from the mixture of machinery and flesh, a new part had grown on what was once an empty rear section.

It was a tail. Similar to a scorpion’s tail, curved upward over the body, but instead of a poison sting, something else was attached to the end.

Something pointed like the tip of a harpoon, reminiscent of a Demolisher.

‘You succeeded.’

I had secretly given it an order. While I was fighting and distracting Jason’s subordinates, it was to roam around and absorb Demolishers.

Having absorbed Demolishers to create a new weapon, it now activated that weapon.

A navy-colored energy bullet that evaporated falling snow as it flew. Its target was right beneath Jason’s feet.

“!”

Realizing too late, he tried to twist his body to avoid it. But once again, his paralyzed thigh caused problems.

The power of the Demolisher, which disintegrates everything, consumed the part below his left ankle.

“Ku, kuaaaak!”

Jason, whose left foot had been cleanly blown off, screamed. To inflict maximum damage while he was in panic, I struck him with my combat arm.

Though I clearly felt the sensation at my fingertips, I couldn’t see him flying after being hit.

Eventually, at a considerable distance from us, his body was reconstituted with a flash of purple light. Even his lost ankle returned to normal, but he seemed unable to forget the pain he had just felt.

“I’ll, I’ll kill you all!”

With that shout, a purple line shot out from above his head and flew into the sky. I know what this appearance means.

‘Lightning God!’

Like Muriel, he too had brought the Lightning God.

‘If he uses it here, he’ll be caught in it too.’

Even if he avoids it with the Tuner effect, the Lightning God’s impact range is very wide, making it impossible to escape completely. As a Cult ranker, Jason should know this fact better than anyone here.

‘Either he has something he believes in, or…’

His reason has been lost to anger.

Whatever the case, he seems to have judged that he can kill me with the Lightning God.

In the game, his judgment would be correct, but not here. With both King of Monsters and Bone Beast active, I won’t die even if directly hit by the Lightning God.

‘But the kids are different.’

[Zuzu zuzu (everyone gather)]

I stretched out my combat arms to pick up No. 26 and PS-111. Trying to retreat while embracing the entire party with the small arms near my chest, Jason rushed at me.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

Dozens of psychic techniques he unleashed bound my lower body.

“Morph-loving bastard! You die here!”

Jason’s face, distorted like a demon. The golden formation’s blade behind him flew onto my carapace.

–

‘…As expected of a Morph-lover. Annoyingly strong.’

Jason inwardly clicked his tongue.

He knew well that the bastard was notorious for his devilish skills. But he didn’t know he would fight this well in reality too.

Among the rankers he had killed, none were as troublesome as this Morph-lover.

‘Damn. I should have just waited for the Gallergorn.’

The Coldblood ranker was also formidable in terms of strength, but at that time, he had helpers. Thanks to Cloe and Cynthia being there, he was able to win without much difficulty.

In fact, if Black Gallergorn had been here for this fight too, the Morph-lover would already be dead.

‘Tsk, I didn’t expect him to have companions.’

Even Akira, who knows the Morph-lover best among his group members, asserted that he would be alone. Jason too, having fought him several times, knows what kind of personality he has.

In the game, he was thoroughly a loner. Far from cooperation, he didn’t communicate with anyone.

Like an AMorph that desires to devour all life, to him, every being was an enemy.

No wonder there were even rumors in the community that he might be an AI created by the developers.

That’s why Jason was shocked to see him leading NPCs. Whether they were slaves dominated by parasites, or if this was an effect of a perk he possessed, was unclear.

‘If I can’t finish him with this attack, I’ll have to retreat.’

A very humiliating conclusion, but unavoidable. Today, he’ll have to be satisfied with gaining information about him.

“Die! Die!”

Unlike his coldly settled inner thoughts, outwardly he screamed as if possessed by anger. His appearance, raging as if he had lost his mind, was an act.

It was necessary to hold onto the enormously enlarged target.

‘I can escape anyway.’

With his third perk, the ability obtained by catching the Metallic Gremlin ranker, he could easily escape from this place.

While the battle between the monsters and Jason continued, the Lightning God completed all preparations.

‘Kill him!’

“Die!”

As Jason’s outer and inner selves united in their cry, yellow flames fell from the sky.

The transcendental power created by the orbital weapon named Lightning God.

Before this sacred fire, which could be called the manifestation of divine will, the AMorph tries to rebel. Like a demon imitating and desecrating the power of a god, yellow flames also spewed from its mouth.

The powers of the two Lightning Gods harmonized and shook the sky. Psychic power manifested in the form of snow, ice, and thunder. The dance of the Lightning Gods, created by matter and force, was truly majestic.

It was an awe-inspiring sight that even Jason, who had anticipated this, admired. After being momentarily entranced, he quickly regained his composure.

‘It’s weaker indeed!’

Compared to what was fired when fighting the Imperial Mothership, the attack the bastard was firing now was definitely weaker. As if lacking energy output.

‘Right. Double gigantification plus the power of Lightning God. It must be difficult to use both.’

When the bastard gigantified to the size of a small mountain, Jason thought: if it grows consecutively like that, the amount of energy consumed from its body would be extreme.

His prediction was correct. Cracks were visible in the armor of the bastard as it poured out the power of the Lightning God.

As a result of the double gigantification, its armor had become terrifyingly thick, but now it had reached its limit.

‘The opportunity is now!’

As Jason concentrated, the golden formation began to shrink. Instead, the sword part only grew larger.

After a moment, the golden formation disappeared, and only a huge mass of light covered Jason’s body.

Having changed the golden formation into the light stream form that he had been using for evasion until now, Jason reset his target.

Using it only for evasion was a kind of deception. The light stream form of the golden formation is one of his most powerful offensive weapons.

‘My body itself becomes the bullet.’

The AMorph’s carapace was breaking and its size was starting to decrease. The lightning fired by the Lightning God was also rapidly diminishing in power.

‘Just a little more… now!’

The moment the light of the Lightning God went out, Jason gave an order to the golden formation.

To fly forward and crush its head.

The moment he thought that, his body was no longer on the snow field. The black blood smeared all over the golden formation was instantly absorbed by the particles.

He turned his head to look back.

There was the giant monster with a large hole in its neck. Even in the midst of that, it had dodged his attack, resulting in the neck being pierced instead of the head.

Of course, that doesn’t change the fact that the wound it received is fatal.

Like a kite with its string cut, the monster’s body slowly collapsed.