The unfolded bone petals shook as they crushed the beasts and monsters beneath them.
Dozens, hundreds of massive bone tendrils stretched out, trampling and devouring the surrounding beasts and monsters.
It was, quite literally, the form of a living carnivorous plant.
KUGUGUGUGUGU───!
And it did not end there.
The true worth of the ability obtained from the Turncoat Queen appeared when these blossomed petals began to unfold.
Full Bloom (滿開).
The dozens, hundreds of bone tendrils that had bloomed high into the sky unfurled all at once, sweeping the surroundings.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM────!
No beast could escape that devastating attack.
[You have slain Grade-8 Monster-Type, Mutated Scale Snake.]
[Damage against Grade-8 Mutated Scale Snake increases by 0.05%.]
[You have slain Grade-7 Monster-Type, Giant Lizard.]
[Damage against Grade-7 Giant Lizard increases by 0.05%.]
[You have slain Grade-8 Beast-Type, Starving Saber-Tooth.]
[Damage against Grade-8 Starving Saber-Tooth increases by 0.05%.]
.
.
.
[You have slain Grade-8 Beast-Type, Longfang Saber-Tooth.]
[Damage against Grade-8 Longfang Saber-Tooth increases by 0.05%.]
The stacks accumulated in an instant.
And to prove those accumulated stacks, all the beasts and monsters in the vicinity were swept away.
Of course, compared to when the Turncoat Queen had used it earlier, the range and power were somewhat lacking, but the overwhelming strength remained the same.
["Wow..."]
Esther's mouth dropped open.
It was that overwhelming.
["Did Bonehead use that?"]
"Yeah."
["...This is just ridiculous."]
But just as light brings darkness, the moment Blossom and Full Bloom ended, Janus's body began to tremble.
Despite having super-regeneration, he could hardly recover his strength.
[Giiiit....]
["Bonehead, what's wrong? Are you hurt?"]
[Gigik....]
["Master! Bonehead's not looking good!"]
"He's just tired."
["Huh?"]
It was just as I said.
Even though he had only used one technique, Janus's condition looked much worse than expected.
'The energy cost is higher than Needle Spike.'
As expected.
Since Blossom and Full Bloom boasted tremendous power, Janus's energy consumption was correspondingly immense.
If not for the super-regeneration gained from the Immortal, using it twice would have been impossible.
'At present... about twice seems to be the limit.'
Judging by Janus's condition, if he fired it a second time, he would likely become combat-incapable for a while.
Meaning it was better not to use it unless absolutely necessary.
'And yet the Turncoat Queen used it twice in a row and walked away like it was nothing.'
Moreover, the Blossom and Full Bloom used by the Turncoat Queen were far more powerful and massive than Janus's.
It gave me a rough sense of just how powerful the Turncoat Queen truly was.
'We'll cross paths again someday.'
When that time comes, it will be different.
Both I and Janus.
And Horus, as well as the Turncoat Rook and Turncoat Knight.
'Well then...'
I turned my gaze back to the beast horde surging in once more.
Even though the beasts had been massacred thanks to Blossom and Full Bloom, it didn't take long for the empty spaces to be filled.
As expected, it was a disgusting number.
'Then... let's do it again.'
Thanks to Janus overexerting himself, my weapons had gotten enough rest.
Enough to unleash devastating firepower immediately.
The only thing left was to deal with the wave rushing toward us.
I pulled out the BLT-47 Plasma Launcher and ICE-54 Plasma Cooler from my coat.
Meanwhile, the Turncoat Rook and Turncoat Knight regrouped at my side.
Judging by their appearance, they had fought quite a fierce battle in the skies.
"...You took so long; I thought you were dead somewhere."
"I had something to handle."
"Hmph."
The Turncoat Rook spoke bluntly but didn't openly complain.
His subconscious was still under Janus's control.
'It would be nice to pass Janus's power to the Turncoat Rook and Turncoat Knight right now... but given Janus's exhaustion, it'll have to wait.'
Even if I passed it on now, they wouldn't be able to handle it properly anyway.
Or at best, they could use a degraded version.
That wouldn't be bad either, but for now, it wasn't urgent.
The urgent task was to deal with the wave approaching right before us.
"Let's go."
As I took the lead, the Turncoat Rook, Turncoat Knight, and Horus naturally followed behind me.
It was time to end this wretched war.
* * *
Light and thunderous roars echoed.
Even amidst the explosions spreading in all directions, I didn't stop pulling the trigger.
How long had we been doing this?
The taste of blood filled my mouth, and my constantly pulling finger felt almost paralyzed.
Thanks to that, the seemingly endless number of beasts was finally dwindling.
Even though I'd been through this countless times, I couldn't suppress a sense of relief when this moment arrived.
"Fuuuuuh...."
Of course, that didn't mean I let my guard down.
Most major injuries occur during moments of carelessness.
KWAANG────
Another massive explosion erupted.
Shells I had launched diagonally rained down simultaneously, causing widespread devastation.
Although plasma weapons, heavy arms, and the A-985 Explosive Shells had made using grenades less common lately, they were still more than useful depending on the situation.
The Turncoat Rook and Turncoat Knight continued to fight by devouring the corpses of beasts.
The resilience, the greatest strength of the Skull Turncoats, was being fully demonstrated in this battle.
Naturally, if they had faced the wave head-on without backup, even Skull Turncoats couldn't have withstood it.
But thanks to my timely support from the rear, they held on.
No matter how small the force, the power of maintaining formation was evident.
'Not that the firepower I unleashed could even be called small.'
The biggest hindrance in pouring out firepower was usually bullets and supplies.
But I had no such restrictions, so I could unleash firepower relentlessly as long as the equipment's durability allowed it.
The battle continued.
Explosions, blasts, smokescreens...
Everything with "explosion" in its name roared across the battlefield.
"UWAAAAA!"
["Protect... everything..."]
The Turncoat Rook and Turncoat Knight, too, gritted their teeth and extended their bone tendrils.
Though exhausted, and no longer capable of fancy techniques, they fought with raw ferocity.
As monsters themselves.
'Well, they are monsters after all.'
Regardless, thanks to their efforts, the beast horde was finally nearing its end.
It seemed like this nightmarish wave would end soon—
Until.
[KROOOOOOOOO───!]
A tremendous roar echoed from afar.
A roar carrying a primal fear that shook every living creature's survival instincts.
'...Of course. It's about time.'
At my signal, the Turncoat Rook and Turncoat Knight cautiously took a step back.
And I saw it.
The noble form of a predator cutting through the corpses of beasts.
Grade-1 Named Beast-Type: Mountain Lord.
At first glance, it appeared to be a gigantic tiger, but one must not be deceived.
The Mountain Lord possessed power and speed far beyond any normal tiger.
It was a born hunter.
And to prove that, the Mountain Lord didn't recklessly charge despite seeing us.
It merely stepped back and silently waited for an opening.
'Show even the slightest gap, and it'll pounce.'
The Mountain Lord hid quietly among the beasts, retreating.
And the moment another explosion distracted the battlefield, it vanished.
'Esther, find it!'
["I'm on it!"]
The Mountain Lord's hunting abilities were beyond ordinary.
If we failed to track it now, we would inevitably be ambushed.
'Where is it?'
I sharpened my senses and scanned the beasts and monsters.
But the Mountain Lord, true to its nature, didn't reveal itself easily.
'So that's your game.'
I deliberately withdrew the bone tendrils wrapping my bone armor.
A bait.
But the Mountain Lord was too smart to fall for it.
Instead, it targeted the Turncoat Knight, who was still engaged in battle.
[KYAAAAOOO!]
The Mountain Lord roared and charged at the Turncoat Knight.
["Protect... everything…!"]
While the Turncoat Knight's innate strength far surpassed the Mountain Lord's, the Knight was exhausted after prolonged combat.
Moreover, an ambush amidst the chaos of other beasts made the Mountain Lord's approach all the more deadly.
[GRRRRR....]
The Mountain Lord weaved through the beasts, hiding and striking persistently at the Knight.
It seemed to have judged the Knight as the weakest among us, excluding the flying Horus.
'An accurate judgment, but still pointless.'
One of the most common mistakes when hunting the Mountain Lord is trying to track it within the crowd of beasts.
But that's inefficient.
The easiest way is to burn down the whole "forest" it hides in.
I drew out the BLT-47 Plasma Launcher and ICE-54 Plasma Cooler.
Weapons perfect for flushing out the reckless Mountain Lord.
JIIIIIIING────!
A red flare erupted.
Already wide in attack range, the BLT-47 Plasma Launcher aggressively scattered energy.
No beast could withstand that.
Today, I ignored thermal management completely.
KABOOM-KABOOM-KABOOM-KABOOM────!
Waves of destruction tore through the horde.
The unleashed firepower of the BLT-47 Plasma Launcher, with heat management disregarded, was enough to burn down the forest-like mass of monsters.
Soon enough, the teeming horde was reduced to ashes.
'Found you.'
The Mountain Lord's form was finally exposed.
And the waiting Turncoat Rook and Turncoat Knight pounced.
"Thought you could hide, huh?"
If the Mountain Lord was a hunter, I was the commander of soldiers.
With capable soldiers at my side, there was no need for me to waste my strength.
[KYAAAAOOO!]
The Mountain Lord struggled, but its opponents were Turncoats—monsters classified as beyond grades.
Even a Grade-1 Named Beast-Type could not last long against their combined assault.
[KYAAAAOOO────!]
Bone tendrils pierced through the Mountain Lord's skin and flesh.
Though the Mountain Lord screamed and fought back, it couldn't withstand the Turncoats' attack.
Soon enough, the hunter had become the prey.
POK!
POK-POK-POK───!
Bone tendrils writhed like dancers, tearing apart the Mountain Lord's body.
The Mountain Lord resisted.
Of course, it was meaningless.
[GROOOOO....]
The Mountain Lord's movements gradually slowed.
That could mean only one thing.
KUUUUUNG──!
At last, the final monster fell.