Ch.367The Devil of the Volcano (6)

The black smoke that had been obscuring my vision suddenly dispersed. The heat searing my body also subsided momentarily.

It was due to the wind that had blown in from afar.

I raised my central head toward the direction the wind had come from. In the distance, at the boundary between sky and earth, I could see a mushroom-shaped pillar of fire.

The result of Star Union’s deployable weapon, a Gamma-class antimatter bomb, detonating.

‘Seems like I arrived just in time.’

After hiding in the ash-filled clouds for four hours, I ambushed the reconnaissance fleet.

My first targets were those who had landed on the volcano. They had gone down to set up bombs and could detonate them manually, making them priority targets for elimination.

Along with that, I assigned necessary roles to my companions. Isabelle and No. 26 were to distract the main force hovering in the air, while Adhigh was to destroy the communication satellites in the planet’s orbit.

No. 26, having entered combat mode, used the powerful psychic technique “Terror of the Deep” to terrify the enemies. Even those on the ground were so affected by his hallucinations that they couldn’t respond properly.

After quickly disposing of the ground forces, I checked the bombs.

And then I waited.

If it were Salman, he would have made arrangements for remote control in case of emergency. As I expected, just minutes after the fleet came under attack, the bomb’s timer activated.

When there were about 10 seconds left until the bomb’s activation, I used “Starlight Coordinates,” one of the tokens of a powerful adversary. Since the enemy could check the bomb’s location and stop it midway, I deliberately aimed for a risky timing.

My target was the location of the parasite I had entrusted to PS-111.

One hour before initiating the operation, I received a report from the parasite that Sky Mother and PS-111 had left the base. An hour was sufficient time for them to escape the antimatter bomb’s area of effect.

Once I was certain they were safe, I moved the bomb using Starlight Coordinates. The bomb, as large as Isabelle, disappeared before me in a flash of blue light.

The result is that mushroom cloud rising in the distance.

‘Everything has gone well so far.’

The truly important part begins now.

The chances of Salman surviving are fifty-fifty. In a game, he would be 100% dead, but there are several variables with him.

One is the equipment possessed by the Returnees.

In this world, which differs greatly from the game, it’s unknown what equipment those who have stayed here long might be hiding. Honestly, I don’t think there’s armor that can survive an antimatter bomb, but you never know.

If he was wearing such equipment, there’s a possibility he survived.

‘And the creatures he controls are another variable.’

He was after the Magmasaur. The specs of the creatures he controls must be quite high. They might have protected their master even from that massive explosion.

‘Even so, he couldn’t have avoided critical damage.’

Even I, as an adult, would be in danger if directly hit by a Gamma-class antimatter bomb. Even if he was lucky enough to survive, he must be severely injured.

So what should I do here?

By now, Adhigh should have seen the explosion on the ground and taken care of the communication satellites. It’s impossible for any surviving Salman to contact the outside.

But I can’t rule out the possibility that he had already requested support earlier. I need to finish my business as quickly as possible and prepare to intercept enemies.

‘So let’s strike the Magmasaur now.’

Confirming Salman’s survival status here would take time. It would be fortunate if he’s dead, but he might not be.

‘If he’s alive, he’ll try to stall for time somehow.’

Keeping me busy until external support arrives—that’s the only way he can survive.

Of course, he might have been overconfident and not called his comrades. Or he might have judged that contacting them after detonating the bomb wouldn’t be too late.

But I don’t know what he did.

So I’ll leave that issue to Sky Mother and PS-111.

By now, they should be on their way back to the temporary nest they made. Sky Mother would understand what that explosion means. And what needs to be done.

‘In the past, I would have gone to fight alongside them…’

Currently, Salman has lost his subordinates and fortress. Most of the animals he controlled would have been caught in the explosion with him.

In any case, even if Salman and some of the creatures he controlled survived, they are undoubtedly in a greatly weakened state.

‘Those two can handle it.’

Sky Mother with her new equipment and PS-111 with his diverse abilities should be able to subdue Salman.

While the two of them deal with Salman, I’ll take care of the Magmasaur as quickly as possible. Then I’ll go to where they are. That’s my plan.

I crushed the empty bomb mount with my foot.

[Zzuzz zzuzzuzz (I leave the rest to you)]

“Yes!”

A giant pink jellyfish with numerous eyes answered as it tore apart a destroyer with its tentacles.

Behind it, I could see Isabelle breaking through the outer wall of another ship. Moments later, that ship lurched violently and crashed into another nearby vessel. After instantly neutralizing two ships, she smoothly exited and targeted another ship.

Leaving them fighting fiercely with the fleet, I spread my wings and flew up to the volcano’s peak.

Upon reaching the vent, an enormous amount of volcanic ash greeted me. Ignoring it, I plunged into the volcano’s interior.

Rocks that had melted and vaporized from the heat, extremely condensed gases, and various other harmful substances blocked my path. With each step forward, I felt an impact similar to when I was attacked by the Lightning God.

But even a super-volcano with its marvelous power couldn’t impede my movement. I pushed through the obstacles and steadily advanced toward the volcano’s core.

As I got closer to the core, the temperature rose dramatically. It was such intense heat that it felt hot even with my “Hell’s Illusion” trait enhancement.

Along with that, the scenery that had seemed obscured by black equipment also changed.

Like when night ends and the sun rises over the sea, a red light blazes. A light containing fire rises from below.

The deeper I descended, the larger the light grew. What was initially just a thin spark now emitted a bright light like molten iron flowing from a furnace.

When the light and heat reached their limit, the space suddenly widened. It was a super-massive cavity existing between the volcano and the tectonic plate.

A palace of fire decorated with molten rock and lava.

There, the master of the volcano lay.

With a neck and tail of enormous length proportional to its body, this being resembled the sauropods that inhabited primitive Earth.

Of course, it only resembled them in general terms; in reality, not many people would associate it with dinosaurs upon seeing it. They might not even recognize it as a living creature.

The being lying in the spacious cavity was more than three times the size of my current body just in its torso. Including its head and tail, it was comparable to the half-formed “Ring of Agony” I fought previously.

“Grrrrrr”

The colossal creature, at least 300 meters long, sensed my presence. When it exhaled deeply, a thunderous sound echoed throughout the cavity.

Its neck, longer than my body, rose, and six large eyes turned toward me. Disproportionate to its size, its eyes looked as pure as those of a herbivore.

But I mustn’t let my guard down.

In Africa, the most fearsome predators aren’t lions or leopards, but large herbivores like elephants or giraffes.

The same applies to this mountain-sized colossal monster. Though not carnivorous, it is the apex monster of the ecosystem.

The look in its eyes changed as it saw me flapping my wings in mid-air. Its mouth, large enough to swallow a small patrol ship in one bite, opened wide.

“Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr”

With a thunderous roar, the entire cavity resonated. In response, I accelerated toward it.

The demon of the volcano, known as the King of Fire and Thunder—the Magmasaur.

The battle with it had begun.

–

“…D-damn that AMorph!”

Salman, who had barely survived the explosion, gritted his teeth.

Just ten minutes ago, his base floating above the lava lake had vanished without a trace. Beneath his feet now existed only flames.

A Gamma-class antimatter bomb boasts enough power to easily obliterate a city. Whatever that creature did, a bomb of terrifying power had fallen on his base. As a result, his base, subordinates, ships, and most of the creatures he controlled were all gone.

‘I almost died.’

Normally, Salman too should have died. The reason he could survive was twofold.

The first was thanks to that being slowly rising from the flames.

The identity of that rock mountain-like entity was a Mountain Crawler that had grown for thousands of years—Salman’s most powerful weapon.

Mountain Crawlers, which mainly inhabit rocky planets, are creatures with extremely high defense. Even their weak offspring have outer shells hard enough to deflect reinforced alloy bullets.

But the real strength of Mountain Crawlers is that they grow continuously like plants. With no limit to their growth, they become more powerful as they age.

This characteristic was reflected in the game as well, with extremely old Mountain Crawlers appearing as raid bosses. The Mountain Crawler that Salman controlled was one that had grown immensely powerful over countless years.

“Marid (مارد)! Stop dawdling and move quickly!”

“Grrrrrrrr”

Of course, even such a being suffered significant damage from a direct hit by an antimatter bomb. Caught in the explosion, none of its carapace remained intact, and in some areas, the carapace was stripped away to the bone.

But as long as it was bound by Salman’s perk, “Beast God’s Noose,” disobeying its master’s orders was impossible.

The ancient Mountain Crawler named “Marid” struggled to its feet. Seeing its legs wobble, Salman clicked his tongue.

‘Damn, it’s useless like that.’

Originally, his plan was to use Marid as a tank when fighting the Magmasaur or AMorph. But its carapace was severely damaged from protecting its master from the antimatter bomb.

With AMorph potentially attacking at any moment, Marid was no longer helpful for his survival.

‘Should I abandon it?’

Marid boasts tremendous defense and attack power but moves slowly. Escaping from the flying AMorph seems impossible no matter how you look at it.

‘…With the drug I’ve taken, I could escape from him alone.’

Salman looked down at his body, transformed into a mythical beast.

The name of the phantom beast (幻獸) he had transformed into was “Simurgh.”

It was based on a sacred flying creature from Persian mythology.

As in the myth, he had transformed into a beast with a dog’s head, a peacock’s body, and beautiful wings. In the game, the Simurgh was popular due to its uniquely elegant appearance and power.

However, his current appearance differed greatly from the Simurgh commonly seen in the game.

First, its size was so large it could hardly be considered a normal phantom beast. Originally, it shouldn’t exceed 3 meters from head to tail feather tip, but now it was almost 10 meters.

The color of the feathers covering its wings and tail was astonishingly vibrant. The beautiful feathers, seemingly crafted from emerald and lapis lazuli, emitted their own mysterious light. Additionally, its head, body, and hind legs were covered with golden translucent armor.

While the golden armor was his pre-transformation equipment modified to fit his transformed state, the other aspects were different. His size and brilliant feathers were all changes due to the drug he had taken.

Enhanced Psyonium Ampoule.

An item he had received from a fellow Returnee in the past, it had the effect of raising his incarnate level one stage higher than his current level for 8 minutes.

Thanks to that, he could transform into the divine mode that should only be available to Volf avatars. Without the drug, he would have suffered fatal wounds even with the ancient Mountain Crawler’s protection.

‘Not much time left, I need to escape quickly…’

Just then, something caught his emerald-like eyes.

‘What’s that?’

Above the sky where fire rained down.

A creature with carnelian-colored wings was flying toward them, carrying a large spider-like being.