"But I really didn't expect to run into an old friend this time. I just saw that one Corrupted Overlord - Pompey, so I thought the boss would be a suped-up version of it."
Andrew couldn't help but mutter to himself, scratching his head.
But this was undoubtedly a good thing. After all, Andrew had come equipped with a pair of arm guards this time.
And when facing a familiar monster, Andrew was confident he could go for a quick kill. The fact that it wasn't a Corrupted Overlord - Pompey was purely good news. That thing was a pain in the ass for anyone to fight.
One thing puzzled him, though. This Hollow had only just appeared in the Outer Ring, but its boss, the Dullahan, was already a 'Tempered' individual?
How could it have grown so much in such a short time? After all, growth should take time.
Or was it that the Hollows were just that malicious toward anything with a soul, capable of spawning an "Infamous Dullahan" right off the bat? Could they really do that?
Most small, secondary Hollows were basically filled with Tier 1 or 2 Ethereals. Tier 3 was usually the absolute limit.
Then again, for a place of pure malice like a Hollow, spontaneously generating one wasn't entirely out of the question.
According to what he'd heard from Sulina and Susanna's parents, the only thing to be wary of was that there seemed to be traces of other monsters around the "Infamous Dullahan."
With a route to follow, Andrew and Caesar moved out swiftly.
Guided by the Scoutflies, the two followed the tracks, heading in the opposite direction from where they'd come.
The volatile nature of the Hollow was on full display. In less than ten minutes, the path they had just taken had already shifted slightly.
But if nothing else, Andrew's skill at tracking as a Hunter was no joke. Coupled with the guidance of the Scoutflies, he didn't lose the trail.
As they drew closer, Andrew noticed not only the tracks of the Dullahan, but also the footprints and signs of activity left by another Ethereal.
Judging by the location and freshness of the tracks, besides the "Infamous Dullahan," the other one was... a Corrupted Overlord - Pompey?!!
After identifying the second Ethereal's tracks, Andrew couldn't help but curse internally.
A super-heavy tank paired with a space-hopping assassin... wasn't that a bit too nightmarish of a combo? If it hadn't been Andrew, anyone who stumbled in here without prior warning would have been in for a world of pain.
Without breaking stride, Andrew led Caesar to the core area of the Hollow.
It was a chaotic scene, the area covered in slash marks left by the Dullahan's arm blades. Beyond that were the impact craters from numerous Ether energy blasts and the clash marks left by a crescent scythe crossing with the arm blades. The original buildings and machinery were sliced to pieces, with fragments of walls and equipment scattered everywhere.
And in the center of the area stood the very target Andrew had been searching for: the "Infamous Dullahan." Beside it was a Corrupted Overlord - Pompey-type Ethereal.
Unlike the red-lined Corrupted Overlord - Pompey - Charged Type from before, this Ethereal looked similar to a regular Corrupted Overlord - Pompey in appearance. But the similarity was only skin-deep.
It was several sizes larger, and its white cloak and scythe were more than half-stained a deep gray. The wide, collar-like carapace had grown even broader and longer, and the Hollow at its core now pulsed with a blue glow.
This was a Corrupted Overlord - Pompey that was halfway through its evolution. While still a ways off from its final form, the "Infamous Corrupted Overlord - Pompey," the Ether energy waves it emitted indicated it was already on the verge of Tier 4.
But there was no doubt that, before the fully evolved "Infamous Dullahan," it was relegated to the role of a subordinate. In this Hollow, the Dullahan was unquestionably the largest source of Ether.
This combination... anyone who saw it would have cursed out loud.
But a simple Ethereal shouldn't have caused this much destruction, right? It's not like they're a demolition crew who gets paid for tearing down buildings.
Just then, a massive claw mark, which Andrew had initially assumed was the result of multiple overlapping strikes, caught his attention, making him let out a soft sound of surprise. This mark felt incredibly familiar to him.
But before he could get a closer look, the Corrupted Overlord - Pompey beside the Dullahan retreated and vanished from its spot. The next instant, it emerged from a spatial rift right behind Caesar.
Its overall stats completely crushed the previous Corrupted Overlord - Pompey - Charged Type. Both its attack speed and power were far superior to the other Ethereal, which had just barely reached Tier 3.
But before its blade could even swing, Caesar, with her superb reflexes, had already spun her shield around to block the space between herself and the Ethereal.
Say what you will, Caesar's combat prowess was the real deal. A perfect parry from her shield completely deflected the Corrupted Overlord - Pompey's slash.
With a crisp clang as the blade struck the shield, the Corrupted Overlord - Pompey's weapon was knocked aside.
With the clash between "I Saw" and the crescent scythe, that familiar energy once again enveloped Andrew.
As for the Corrupted Overlord - Pompey, while its spatial jumps were terrifying, it was as if the world didn't allow for perfection; its slender body and massive blade made it extremely unstable. In other words, it was easy to knock off balance.
But Caesar had no chance to press the advantage during this brief moment of imbalance. The Dullahan might not be able to teleport, but it was certainly fast.
In the mere two or three seconds between the Ethereal's appearance and the parry, the "Infamous Dullahan" had already charged right in front of them. It had closed the hundred-meter distance in an instant, raising its shield and charging at Andrew like a wyvern's charge, sending everything in its path flying.
As the Dullahan came to a halt before him, Andrew met its gaze for a brief moment, the tachi in his hand glowing with fluorescent patterns.
As Andrew drew his tachi from his back, the Dullahan facing him clearly hesitated for a second. Its shape was remarkably similar to a normal Dullahan's arm blade, its Ether energy fluctuations were the same, and on top of that, the blade looked like it had been cast from the very same mold.
For a moment, the Dullahan didn't even react, its shallow intelligence making it subconsciously wonder if it was about to attack its own kind.
But the scent of life made it cast aside such pointless thoughts. Without any hesitation, it followed up with a powerful, heavy diagonal slash aimed at Andrew.
However, the slash didn't have its intended effect; it was blocked by a well-prepared Andrew's horizontal guard.
Feeling the force transmitted through the blade, Andrew couldn't help but reveal a smirk.
"This much strength? You're even weaker than a Great Jagras."
_____
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