Chapter 371: Episode 28

It was definitely a hit. Every single bullet must have pierced that bound runaway. Some might have been parried, but the damage received was negligible.

The red armor was leveled, drilled with holes, and the head and abdomen were blown away. If it were a human, it would be strange not to die immediately. That is, if the thing inside the armor was human.

We fled. With our final move broken, there was no room left for a counterattack. When I saw the contents of that armor, I might have already prepared myself for failure.

"Nothing."

Quinn was not there. I had assumed that Quinn, who was severely injured, could not maintain the activation of 'Idolatry' and had vanished, but I intuitively realized that was not the case.

This was a suit of armor that no one had been wearing from the start. A humanoid, empty suit of armor. Armor damaged by bullets would soon be repaired; it moved on its own, with nothing inside.

There is a monster in the West called a living armor. Just as the name "living armor" implies, the armor itself possesses a soul and wanders about without a master.

At a glance, it seemed like a specter. But it was not a ghost that moved it, but the captured subject. It is reasonable to think so.

However, there are some mysterious things that cannot be explained by this alone. I don't know what it is, but I can feel it. We could never compete. I feel that this is an opponent I should not have opposed, not because of a difference in ability or power, but because of something more fundamental.

One by one, my friends were eaten. The enemy became stronger each time. But if you think the goal is to eat us all, that is not the case.

Clearly, those remaining here are no longer opponents that cannot be handled. If the enemy wished, they could easily take us in. In short, the gap in ability is too great.

However, the enemy's attacks remain sporadic, and there is no intention of immediate annihilation. I don't think he underestimates me, or is acting like a tough guy.

In any case, it is the only good thing in this misfortune that the enemy is not going all out. Despite our many sacrifices, we were able to escape annihilation and withdraw. It might look like a group of small animals running away in fear and desperately begging for life. I hope it looks like that.

No matter how miserable we are, not one of us is overwhelmed by a sense of resignation. The enemy is strong, and I don't even know if I can survive. This is normal. In the Dark Continent, the opponents I have engaged and defeated are only a few. Even that victory was a narrow one, ultimately caught at the brink of life and death.

If you give up here, your friends fighting the squid monster will be in even more trouble. We cannot face two threats at once. To survive, we must defeat both. No matter how arduous the mission, it must be completed.

We drew the enemy's attention, buying ourselves a little time. To gain that second of time, the number of victims increased like a joke. In the brief respite gained at the risk of countless lives, he led several companions.

That is, to tell the strategy to other comrades not in this place. Radio communication carries the risk of being intercepted. It must be communicated verbally.

The next moment, I might fall into the impending end. But even if you cannot overcome your fear, you will not deviate from your path. In that time that clings to us like mud, we continue to guide the monster toward a lukewarm death.

We underestimated the Kraken that landed on the island. It is not just a giant creature with powerful regenerative abilities.

This change first appeared in Quinn, who attacked the Kraken. The skin became soft, viscous, and moist. He engaged the Kraken at close range and secreted a large amount of mucus all over his body; it was discovered late, but Quinn's body had definitely changed.

At the same time, the Aura consumption required to maintain the activation of 'Idolatry' began to increase sharply. This is because Aura is used to repair the abnormalities appearing on Quinn's body. Moreover, there is no sign of any repair being completed, and the consumed Aura increases as time passes.

Injury, detoxification, and treating illness might cause consumption to rise temporarily, but it would soon return to normal. Now, the abnormality occurring in Quinn is bringing about continuous change. I don't feel any pain or other stimulation, but I can feel Quinn's body turning into something else.

The Nen Ability of 'Idolatry' has a restriction of "cannot change appearance." That is why it has barely maintained the same appearance as before. This is also a bit embarrassing. I cannot stop the cultivation at will, and even if I try to suppress it, my Aura is constantly being consumed.

Also, in other words, the fact that the appearance cannot be changed can be interpreted as "it can change as long as it does not affect the appearance." The changes in Quinn's body are obvious on the inside. Body tissues are softening, and especially the bones are becoming as soft as rubber. If the symptoms persist, it will become difficult to stand.

And these symptoms are not unique to Quinn. The main body is also affected. Instead, the damage to the main body is more severe than that of Quinn, who is using Aura recovery to suppress the symptoms.

First, the armor serving as an exoskeleton softens. The strength is significantly reduced. Moreover, the eyes have become larger, and even the shape of the legs has changed greatly. The shape of the six legs is like squid tentacles, and four new tentacles have begun to grow.

The body is approaching the squid itself. This is the secret of the Kraken's insane regenerative ability.

An organism's body is composed of countless cells. Each tiny cell is fragile and will not live long. It will soon be damaged, and its lifespan will be long. However, the damage is repaired according to the blueprint of the genes contained within, and cells divide to try to maintain their number. Even if there is a temporary increase or decrease from a microscopic perspective, it can be kept constant from the perspective of the body as a whole, without any problems.

This regeneration mechanism is abnormally enhanced in the Kraken. Not only for itself, but it even sells the power of regeneration to the bodies of other creatures.

In other words, my body has now been "healed" to "normal." Or perhaps this giant squid was not even a squid to begin with. Whatever happens, it will "heal" it by making it look like a squid.

The small squids we have fought so far have never had this ability. They might have, but it might not have been as powerful as the Kraken. So I realized it too late. I touched it with the feeling of dealing with an ordinary squid.

As for Quinn, in the worst case, you can reset the change by activating 'Idolatry' again. However, I can do nothing for the main body. I didn't think I could reassemble it later. I have no choice but to accept this situation and endure it.

The problem is how far the change will go. Even if it completely changes from an ant to a squid, if it can survive, that's fine. However, if the self and spirit are lost, this is unacceptable. Then it's dead. There is no guarantee that you will be able to maintain your current spirit.

Even the regenerative power that can deform the armor of the Almesa machine is a higher threat level as a Disaster if you look at its dominance alone. Thinking that you have a chance to win if you start a long game is a big mistake. The longer the battle lasts, the greater the pollution of regeneration.

However, in fact, there is no way to move this massive enemy off the island. The blows of the slowly moving tentacles are easy to dodge, but every time the tentacles twist, a large amount of secretion splashes out. Just touching the mucus and it comes out. The play will begin.

The continuous secretions pour down like rain, wetting the earth. There is no way to avoid it other than keeping a distance. And this island is not big enough to run away forever. All I can do is stop the Kraken's invasion while preparing for the development of the symptoms.

This is the worst-case scenario. But it brings more bad news. An unknown, abnormally out-of-control individual has appeared among the companions.

Information received directly from the relevant unit. This is not a credible story, but the tragic behavior of those runaway comrades is very real. And when I saw the runaway individual that actually appeared, I immediately understood the meaning of the fear that those who were attacked wanted to convey.

Having absorbed many corpses, the doll has grown to over three meters. There is no trace of Quinn left.

When I encounter an unknown threat, my intuition is used to measure the difference in ability between us. This is not a special ability, but a skill naturally acquired by people living in the wild. Of course, I don't know the enemy's detailed strength, and my intuition might be wrong. But somehow, I understood.

Never become the enemy. I have no basis, but my intuition tells me. This is a warning sufficient to set the Kraken aside and consider it dangerous. I desperately restrained my legs so as not to subconsciously want to run away.

With that monster in front of them, the rear units have led the enemy here, disregarding their lives. I cannot run away from here.

To destroy that monster, a maximum-power attack must be carried out. "Erosion Bud Bullet (System Burst)". The bullet's power exceeds Mach 15 at its initial velocity, annihilating the impact point with pure energy according to the laws of physics. Faced with its destructive power, any defense is meaningless.

The muzzles are all in this place. Originally deployed against the Kraken, it targets the alien that appeared in the family. One shot is enough. The plan is to surround it with a ball of fire.

If you hit it, you will die. Killing the runaway is a matter of course, and his companions are also within its destruction range. The rear units brought the enemy here. If you wait for them to evacuate to a safe place, you will miss the chance to attack.

I had to bury those friends who ran away with desperate thoughts. My Quinn is trembling. What kind of thoughts do you ask to involve your allies? There is a feeling that I want to do something to help the friends who have helped each other so far.

However, I also know that hesitating to strike with that feeling is the greatest insult to them. From the beginning of the operation, casualties were assumed. From the beginning, the decoy comrades were prepared to sacrifice themselves and stand in that place.

If I were in their position, I could understand what I would do.

The enemy will soon reach the combat point. The decoy units that had been running around in a panic stopped their actions and rushed toward the enemy. No matter what happens to you, be prepared to care. Can you really understand the feelings of an enemy lured out by a Hunter? Does it look like this poor mouse, which has desperately jumped at you?

I don't understand. That courage, that integrity. Can you understand the taste of a monster that has lost its mind? I was seized by a strong anger, which made me want to scream. I cannot remain calm.

Inherit the legacy. We move on. You must live up to the sacrifice of your comrades. Such a beautiful thing crawled out from under the belly. The will to shoot and the will not to shoot still conflict and intertwine, pushing your consciousness into a blank area where you cannot decide.

"Bloom (Fire)!"

The order was given. This one sentence broke the empty balance.

The enemy was originally our friend. It went on a rampage, devoured its friends, and caused great destruction.

However, there are things that are not understood. Its fighting style is based on logical martial arts, not using power like a beast.

However, despite having the reason to combine powerful force with martial arts that multiply it many times, the enemy entered the line of fire of the "Erosion Bud" (Sistburst). The enemy should not be unaware of its power.

My body remembers how to fight like Kite's evasion technique, and my head might not have thought of anything. That's what we thought.

But what if it wasn't?

The "Erosion Bud Bullet" was released. The epicenter altered its terrain, turning into a massive crater. There was nothing there. Not a single armored enemy or his many companions remained.

In that emptiness, a speck of red appeared.

I thought I had seen wrong. I checked it with my eyes like a Plate. Something was about to be born from a place where everything should have vanished.

Someone had fired the "Erosion Bud Bullet." Firing multiple times in the same spot. But, there is no use in thinking about where it is.

No matter how many times it is destroyed, it is reborn again and again. Red metal grows into a human shape. Quinn and the main body are nowhere to be found. It is from nothing to something.

What is this? What are we fighting?

Until then, the anger and sadness in my heart had vanished, and an overwhelming pressure began to weigh on me. I felt an inorganic aura from that armor. At first, I thought he had no emotions, but no. It was so different that I couldn't see anything, feeling Transparent. Hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of Transparent layers were stacked, like water filling the sea, the attack like water pressure in the deep sea.

Crushed by the water pressure of the Aura. Just as I was thinking of drowning, a huge Shadow fell from overhead.

This is a tentacle of a Fugura. There is more than one monster rampaging on this island. Just as we are fighting like this, he is slowly invading the island.

A completely unconscious attack. It was flung down near the crater. Without avoiding that red armor, it became the base for the huge tentacle.

But I don't think this made things any better. In fact, the aura radiating from the armor did not waver in the slightest, developing to a point beyond our expectations.

The tentacles that collided with the armor began to be covered in Red Crystal.

I thought the Fugura had infected the Almeiza Machine and caused it to erupt. But if you look closely, that is not the case. The Fugura's regenerative ability is still alive and well. No matter how much virus is sent into the body, it instantly regenerates and expels it from the body.

So it wasn't that dramatic. However, the "red armor" spread and covered the epidermis.

He was not using the power of the virus to change the Fugura's body. But where did the Aura that created the red metal come from? How could such a massive aura capable of eroding the giant body of a Fugura be created? An anomaly unimaginable by the common sense of Nen is occurring.

The Fugura twisted violently in a rage, trying to tear off the armor. Although part of the armor fell off due to the Collision, the erosion did not stop. Finally, the whole body was clad in armor.

The kraken can disable the Almeiza Machine. With its regenerative ability, it can remove the affected area from the body before explosive spread. But this is the result of regeneration, not a lack of infection.

What happens if you wrap the body in armor to cover the epidermis and restrict the affected area to prevent it from escaping the body?

Gradually, the appearance of the Fugura changed. It made a sound like breaking a living tree, then transformed into a huge body, like an island. It was a scene that made me doubt my own sanity, like a child kneading mud.

The tentacles twisted, and several twisted Together to form four. The body shrank from the middle, and a protrusion appeared at the top. It stood up like a quadruped, then stood upright on two legs.

It had a head, torso, arms, and legs. A red colossus that was barely humanoid.

I ate an entire Fugura. Perhaps, he also gained the regenerative ability.

The colossus slowly extended a hand. A flower bud grew on his palm. A flower as large as a castle began to emit a blue light as it rotated.

I was dazed as if watching a movie or something, but I was pulled back to reality. My body was attracted to me. It was Magnetic. It was attracted to that flower by a powerful Magnetic force.

I grabbed a nearby rock tightly. However, not all comrades could cope in the same way. Friends on the beach soared into the air. A large number of points "fell" toward the flower. In reality, it was flying into the sky, but it was being pulled by such a powerful force that it lost the sense of up and down.

From the beginning, I realized I was going to do this. The enemy didn't need to fight seriously. No, we didn't even have to fight. No matter how the situation developed, in the end, it intended to suck us away like this.

The timing of the Fugura's attack and the runaway individual development were no Coincidence. Perhaps the enemy had been waiting for a long time. Lurking within us until the time was ripe. I think if the person who ate it wasn't a giant squid, it would have been fine. I just showed up because the custom development came. Or perhaps he wanted to retrieve it before the main body was killed by the squid.

This is an inevitable Fate.

"Oh oh oh oh oh!!"

Everything was in vain. The thread was broken. The Wind stopped. The sand fell.

A vortex.

"Gragg Mcmiyah! Cher! De!"

This is the expansion of the Collision magnetic field. The bud-like engine that generates this magnetic force is not just a powerful magnet. It not only attracts ferromagnetic metals like iron, but also indiscriminately attracts other metals. The influence of the complex combination and vortex magnetic field, and the resulting electromagnetic induction.

The flashback has arrived. The line of sight was elongated. The beach, the sea, the sky, myself, my friends, the colossus, all lost their original forms like stirred paint. They began to rotate around the blue flower. Swallowing a scream, they disappeared into the center point.

I have seen this vortex many times. Perhaps he is. His true identity is...

I lost my mind. This is the limit. Let go. Fall. Swallow. This is no different from a small piece of trash rushing into a sewer. While spinning in circles, heading toward the end.

However, my body was not sucked into the vortex, but fell to the ground. The hallucination disappeared, like waking up from a dream. What happened. I looked around in horror.

The flower had stopped rotating. Several tentacles were wrapped around the red colossus, as if to restrain it. It was the tentacles of the giant squid.

This is a new Fugura invasion. And, it was clearly larger than the individual I saw before. Its appearance was also strange. Its huge body was roughly the shape of a squid, but its whole body had unnatural bulges. Looking closely, countless squids were swimming in the skin.

The regenerative squids filling the sea merged together to form a whole. This is not a good structure. Several eyeballs were groaning, beaks usually hidden at the base of the legs grew from the whole body, and more than ten tentacles extended at will.

This is truly a grotesque monster. The red colossus twisted its body to shake off the tentacles, but there was no resistance. The colossus's power was superior, and it didn't look like it was being bound. However, the tentacles clinging to it refused to let go, as if they were ghosts or holograms.

Its replayability makes you think so. As before, the colossus tried to eat the Fugura with its armor-eroding hand, but this time it didn't succeed. The armor was completely peeled off along with the skin, and the erosion did not progress at all. Instead, the colossus was about to be taken away.

He used the power of regeneration to restore the colossus to its ideal state. The colossus slowly deformed and returned to the squid form, as if time were flowing backward.

Strong. After all, the ability level as a Disaster exceeds the Almeiza Machine. This is one of the most powerful enemies I have ever encountered. This is why it is so reliable.

The red armor misjudged the enemy's strength. Initially, it was born from within us. No matter how extraordinary your power is, the information you can know is limited. In our view, even if he is an Absolute powerhouse, there are many Disasters that surpass him. This is the common sense of this land and this sea.

If the squid monster defeats the colossus, we will be the next attackers. I have never received help, and I am not an ally. But anyway, for now, I must prioritize defeating the colossus. That should not exist. If you can kill that, then you can worship countless squids as gods.

The shape of the colossus collapsed. I raised my hand to ask for help. A pillar of light rose from there, piercing the firmament.

This is the "Sacrificial Cradle". This is not a technique applicable to regenerative squids. Moreover, its direction of Shoot is completely unpredictable. Are you in trouble and unable to make a normal decision?

The pillar of light that cut through the clouds and pierced the sky in a straight line was "dyed red".

The "Sacrificial Cradle" is a Nen Bullet. Since its beam is composed of Aura, it can theoretically be metalized with the Almeiza Machine. However, the scale is so ridiculous that it is almost impossible.

It was a tower, a long spear, towering into the clouds. The spear fell in such a way that it also involved itself.

However, no matter how large a spear you pierce, you cannot kill the fused regenerative squid. It is indeed an order of magnitude attack, but if so, it might end in being overwhelmed.

When I saw the tip of the spear, I realized the true purpose of the attack. The falling tip of the spear turned into a flower bud.

This is not a spear. A caliber like a Sun wheel. An endless barrel. A huge bud, emitting a blue light. A deep red weapon blooming with the flower of destruction.

"Rail... gun..."

The muzzle pierced the ground, filled only with light.