Chapter 228: Catachan Devil

Mikel activated his Spirit Vision to observe the "Hunter."

After confirming that the toxins within his body had been resolved, he ordered the squad to continue forward.

The Order Shadows became increasingly cautious; they constantly observed their surroundings, their attention highly focused, ready at any moment to respond to a sneak attack.

He sensed that the humidity in the air was very high; they were like people moving through thick, viscous mud.

The ground was very soft, and their boots sank in from time to time, making walking much more strenuous than usual.

The Order Shadows moved forward amidst the buzzing of insects; every one of their movements was slow, and every step was finely measured and controlled.

They tried their best not to disturb the vegetation to avoid making even the slightest noise.

The squad moved forward in silence, learning the Catachan-style of movement in silence.

When the jungle began to thin out, "Vampire" made a gesture with his palm facing down, signaling that they needed to be even slower.

Although they were already making almost no sound, they needed to be even more stealthy.

The Order Shadows moved forward in a crouching posture; they saw behemoths as large as trains ahead, which looked like multi-limbed scorpions.

The Order Shadows matched the scorpion-shaped gargantuan creatures with the Catachan Devils from the data issued by the Gene-Father in their memories.

"Vampire's" senses were even sharper; he smelled four other creatures and thirty-seven smaller creatures with a blood scent as thick as the Catachan Devil before them.

He knew that Catachan Devils lived together in nests, composed of a few large devils and dozens of devil larvae.

Mikel pulled out his Archaeotech Pistol and pressed a yellow bullet-shaped vial into the magazine.

His Archaeotech Pistol came from Necromunda; this creation from the Dark Age of Technology could fire all types of bullets.

Mikel raised the Archaeotech Pistol and aimed at the Catachan Devil's head.

With a loud bang, the bullet accurately struck the centipede-like head.

The bullet casing shattered, and the yellow reagent spread rapidly.

The Catachan Devil let out an angry roar, and as it jerked its head, several towering trees were snapped in half.

The Order Shadows moved their feet, moving quickly in the way of Catachan movement.

The Catachan Devil was massive and moved slowly, so the Order Shadows easily avoided its swinging head.

They knew they had to avoid the Catachan Devil's sharp blade-like claws and scorpion-like poisonous tail.

Even if they were wearing power armor, they would be torn to pieces, and they currently lacked the protection provided by power armor.

The Catachan Devil's massive body turned, causing towering trees to fall in swathes, with broken trunks and snapped branches flying everywhere.

Mikel fired two more vials at its head.

The Catachan Devil's movements gradually slowed down; it seemed drunk, and its body became increasingly heavy.

The Order Shadows saw, heard, and felt the ground rumbling and vibrating from the left, right, and front—from different directions—as behemoths were moving in this direction.

"Vampire" knew he had to hurry to tame the Catachan Devil, so he immediately spread his "Dark Wings."

Thick black mist rose up behind "Vampire," and a pair of illusory bat wings formed behind his back.

"Vampire's" speed surged; he strode forward and flew temporarily.

"Vampire's" figure was like lightning, instantly flying to the Catachan Devil's head.

He pulled an amber vial from the pouch on the right side of his backpack and smashed it onto the Catachan Devil's head.

The mist drifted, enveloping the "Beastmaster" and the Catachan Devil's head within it.

The Catachan Devil let out an angry roar, but its cry was much smaller than before; the "Beastmasters" could all hear the weakness and powerlessness within it.

The Catachan Devil struggled to lift its head, waving its blade-like claws and attacking wildly.

"Vampire's" "Dark Wings" flapped, avoiding the blade-like claws that had luckily swept toward him.

Mikel's Spirituality condensed into a whip, lashing out at the Catachan Devil's body.

The "Beastmaster" dodged the Catachan Devil's attacks while using "Animal Domestication" to tame the behemoth before him.

The amber reagent prepared by the "Apothecary" made his whip of Spirituality even more lively, as if it were a physical object, repeatedly whipping the Catachan Devil's head.

The "Dark Wings" behind "Vampire" slowly dissipated, and he landed on the Catachan Devil's head.

The Catachan Devil shook its head defiantly, trying to throw Mikel off.

But "Vampire's" agility far exceeded that of an ordinary person; he stepped lightly on the top of the Catachan Devil's head and was never thrown off.

The Catachan Devil's resistance grew weaker and weaker, and it finally stopped struggling as the "Beastmaster's" hand patted its forehead.

Mikel used "Animal Senses," and his Spirituality spread toward the Catachan Devil.

With a thought from Mikel, the Catachan Devil's body slowly crouched down.

Mikel said to the other Order Shadows, "Get on."

The Order Shadows immediately climbed onto the train-long body of the Catachan Devil.

The "Beastmaster" felt the Catachan Devil's struggle, so he immediately increased his output of Spirituality.

The Catachan Devil stopped struggling and allowed the Order Shadows to climb onto its massive body.

The "Beastmaster" moved his mind again, and the body of the Catachan Devil he had tamed straightened up, its arthropod-like legs moving in unison.

The "Beastmaster" drove the Catachan Devil to walk out of the forest.

Mikel looked back from the head of the Catachan Devil.

He saw the large and small Catachan Devils crawling over; he pulled a red vial from his backpack and inserted it into the Archaeotech Pistol.

The red bullet shot out, hitting a tree three kilometers away.

Red mist permeated the air, and the Catachan Devils smelled the pungent odor and rushed madly toward the large tree.

They attacked each other on the way; a large Catachan Devil swung its blade-like claws at a small Catachan Devil, slicing it in two.

Scorpion tails spread along the ground, piercing through the bodies of the small Catachan Devils.

After Mikel used the reagent to lure the Catachan Devil swarm away, he moved his mind and drove the new animal he had tamed to leave.

The Catachan Devil crashed through countless trees along the way, and after traveling three kilometers, the "Beastmaster" controlled it to a stop.

Standing atop the Catachan Devil, Mikel gazed into the distance, where more than a dozen toad-like creatures of varying sizes lay prone on the ground four kilometers ahead.

Mikel frowned as he saw them.

【According to the data issued by the Gene-Father, the Greater Catachan Barking Toad and the Lesser Catachan Barking Toad are the most and second-most dangerous creatures on Catachan, respectively, and they are considered the most toxic creatures in the galaxy.

Although they appear gentle and harmless, once they are startled or feel threatened, they erupt in a cloud of toxins.

The toxins kill and liquefy everything within a one-kilometer radius, including the barking toads themselves.

This toxin is highly potent, and even sealed protective suits such as respirators and power armor cannot provide protection.】

Mikel knew that if a large group of Catachan Barking Toads self-detonated, it would turn all the Order Shadows except for himself into a pool of liquid.

The "Beastmaster" raised his hand, signaling the Order Shadows not to move.

They and the Catachan Devil beneath them were like statues.

They remained motionless, staring at the group of Catachan Barking Toads.

The Catachan Barking Toads let out "croak-croak" sounds, but they simply would not leave.

Mikel's brain spun rapidly, conceiving a route to bypass them.

A moment later, he helplessly gave up.

Avoiding the Catachan Barking Toad group would require a detour that was too long.

Furthermore, the Catachan Devil made too much noise when moving; once the Catachan Barking Toads were startled, it would be even more dangerous.

Mikel waited for two hours before the Catachan Barking Toads finally felt bored, let out "croak-croak" sounds, and hopped away.

The "Beastmaster" urged the Catachan Devil to walk out of the forest.

The Catachans in the camp were shocked to see the Catachan Devil.

Just as they were about to launch an attack, the Order Shadows walked out from the side, and one of them spoke in the broken Catachan language they had just learned.

"It... is... our... pet."

The Catachans' minds went blank; they had worked together to kill Catachan Devils before, but they had never heard of anyone being able to tame such a terrifying creature.

Lucas came running over in a hurry, carrying his weapon.

He was also stunned for a moment when he saw Mikel standing on top of the Catachan Devil.

The news that the Order Shadows had tamed a Catachan Devil spread rapidly among the various tribes.

The Order Shadows all felt that the way the Catachans looked at them had changed.

(End of this chapter)