A massive dark figure arched its body as it burst out of the crater. Its body, cleanly severed by a single slash, split apart midair, and its grotesque lower half, covered in writhing tentacles, slammed heavily onto the ground.
After flying some distance, the creature finally registered the fact that it had been cut in two. The mismatched wings on its back spread wide, allowing it to hover in place, while the missing lower half regenerated at an astonishing speed.
Its eagle-like beak opened, gathering a massive fireball in front of it. As it descended, the scorching heat it radiated caused the temperature across all of Itogami Island to rise.
A streak of white light cut through the center of the fireball. In the next instant, the fireball split in two, and Cid shot out from within.
He rose to a position above the monster, then… swung the pitch-black blade in his hand.
"Boom!"
The massive creature crashed to the ground at a speed even faster than its ascent. As it fell, a sword aura clung to its body, constantly tearing it apart.
"Sigh…"
Landing on the ground, Cid looked at the buildings destroyed during the creature's fall and let out a sigh as dust filled the sky before him.
"Boom! Boom!"
Only then did the split fireballs hit the ground, triggering a chain of explosions…
Even though Cid had already cut away most of their power with a single strike, and despite the explosions occurring some distance away, he still felt a fierce gust of wind sweep past him.
"Seriously…"
With explosions ringing in his ears and the gale blowing against him, Cid spoke in an exasperated tone.
"Is it some kind of trend now for you monsters, the kind so disgusting I don't even want to touch you, to go and grow gigantic…"
"Clang…"
He raised his sword and swung. The black blade severed the tentacles emerging from the smoke.
"And then stack regeneration and immortality on top of that. So even if you can't beat me, you at least want to gross me out, is that it?"
His voice filled with irritation, Cid unleashed another wave of sword aura, shredding the grotesque creature before him into pulp.
Looking at the black sword now smeared with some unknown liquid, Cid grimaced in disgust and tossed it into the nearby flames.
Without Cid's Magical Power sustaining it, the blade that could easily pierce the Beast God's defenses melted into a puddle of slime and vanished in the fire.
Farewell, my 3,642nd Black Blade. I'll miss you.
As Cid silently mourned his beloved weapon, a tentacle lined with sharp, jagged fangs lunged at him.
"Boom!"
A substance resembling purple crystal coated Cid's arm. Extending several meters from his left hand, it formed a massive purple hand that firmly grabbed the attacking tentacle.
"Just as I thought…"
He shifted his footing, turning his body to the right, spinning his arm along with the tentacle caught in the purple hand.
"When you fight monsters, you've got to…"
The purple hand released its grip. The Hundred-Like monster, spun several times, was hurled away and slammed into the ground, crashing through multiple buildings and warehouses before finally coming to a stop.
"…bring in Ultraman!"
Blue-purple Magical Power surged from Cid's body, spreading outward and forming a thick layer of purple armor over him. As the energy continued to pour out, the armor expanded, growing larger and taller.
Blotting out the sky, a massive, fully armored mechanical form enveloped his entire body. A translucent purple substance formed its core, and a colossal giant hundreds of meters tall stood upon the earth.
Cid, clad in a black coat, stood on the giant's chest, looking down from above at the Hundred-Like monster that called itself the Beast God, yet stood at less than fifty meters tall.
Before the Giant War God, the massive creature looked no more than a kitten, something that could be crushed with a single hand.
"Ah… ah…"
As if stunned by the towering figure before it, the Hundred-Like monster could only gape upward.
Standing on the giant's chest, Cid clenched his fist. The enormous purple giant mirrored his movement.
Feeling the body respond as naturally as his own limbs, a faint smile curved on Cid's lips.
Maybe the enemies he'd been facing lately were just problematic. Either they were grotesque creatures that would completely ruin the Eminence in Shadow's image even if defeated, or they were mindless monsters that relied purely on brute size and destruction, offering no chance to showcase refined combat techniques. Some even had both traits.
To avoid getting even a speck of filth on himself while dealing with these unknown creatures, and to properly display the Eminence in Shadow's supreme combat skills, Cid had spent some time developing this ultra-cool ability.
Mobile Ultraman Transformation.
Originally, he had planned to copy Ultraman's appearance exactly, but those egg-like eyes and the red-and-white color scheme didn't quite match the Eminence in Shadow's aesthetic, so he modified it.
"Clap!"
"Come on. Let's fight."
Bringing his fists together in front of his chest, Cid looked down at the Hundred-Like monster, which now resembled a small child facing off against a heavyweight champion, and issued his challenge.
...
"Clang!"
"Where… do you think you're going?"
The Golden Wheel tore through the air, grazing Sayaka Kirasaka's cheek before slamming hard into the wall.
Zeta appeared along with the sound, blocking Petos at the only exit of the underground space.
Facing the killing intent radiating from Zeta, Petos swallowed. Instinctively, he wanted to persuade her to cooperate.
But remembering how Zeta had mercilessly slaughtered him even after hearing his proposal, he fully understood that between them, only one could walk away alive. Any hesitation vanished as he assumed a stance to fight to the death.
"Um… well…"
Just as the tension between them reached its peak, a timid voice broke the silence.
Both turned to look. Asagi Aiba was hiding behind Sayaka Kirasaka and Yukina Himeragi, forcing an awkward smile as she pointed toward the exit behind Zeta.
"You two can fight all you want, but could you let us leave first? We promise we won't interfere…"
Zeta and Petos exchanged a glance. After a brief silence, they came to the same conclusion and attacked Sayaka Kirasaka and the others at the same time.
"Wha—"
Before she could even react, the Golden Wheel and chains shot toward Asagi Aiba, both aimed to kill.
At the critical moment, Yukina Himeragi knocked the chains aside, while Sayaka Kirasaka blocked the Golden Wheel, barely saving Asagi Aiba's life.
Coming back to her senses, Asagi Aiba stared blankly at the two of them, completely confused.
She didn't understand. She really didn't.
From their earlier conversation, it was clear Zeta and Petos had an irreconcilable, life-or-death grudge. That was exactly why she dared to step forward and ask to leave.
She knew they had learned far too much. If either side were alone, they would definitely silence them.
Only by speaking up during their standoff, when neither dared risk pushing them toward the other side, should they have agreed to let them go.
But why?
They were supposed to be the ones holding leverage.
Why, when these two enemies should be focused solely on killing each other, did they both choose to attack them the moment they asked to leave?
Asagi Aiba couldn't make sense of it at all.
Zeta swung the Golden Wheel in her hand, striking directly at Sayaka Kirasaka's vital points while simultaneously releasing a Magical Power wheel that severed Petos's arm.
Her reason for targeting Sayaka Kirasaka and the others was simple.
Things had escalated too far.
At first, she was confident she could handle everything alone. Everything had been under her control. But after Gardos's death, she let her guard down, never expecting him to revive as the Beast God. That completely invalidated her trump card for dealing with the Ascension Ceremony.
Once Gardos revived, the situation spiraled beyond her control. A top fifteen powerhouse had emerged, and her master, Shadow, had appeared. There was no way this could be concealed anymore.
Sayaka Kirasaka and the other two would inevitably be investigated.
The only way to keep the secret was to eliminate them.
Compared to her master's reputation, Petos escaping meant nothing. She could always hunt him down later. It wouldn't be the first time he got away.
With that thought, Zeta continued attacking, using one hand to blast apart parts of Petos's body with Magical Power while striking at Sayaka Kirasaka with the other.
Under Zeta's relentless assault, Sayaka Kirasaka was completely overwhelmed. Her speed and power were outclassed, and every attack targeted her vital points. Even with Asagi Aiba providing support from behind, she couldn't block everything. From time to time, she was forced to take hits head-on, trading injuries to survive.
Compared to that, Yukina Himeragi was faring much better.
Petos had already been brutalized by both Zeta and Gardos in succession. His immortal body was nearing its limit. With weakened combat ability and the constant need to watch out for Zeta's attacks, he was completely suppressed by Yukina Himeragi.
"Whoosh!"
A beam of fire shot toward Yukina Himeragi. Caught off guard, she barely had time to raise her Spear to block, yet the impact still slammed her into the wall.
This sudden change drew everyone's attention.
With a strange Magical Art forming in his hand, Petos stepped beside the Nalakuvera sub-unit and pointed toward Zeta and the others, speaking coldly.
"Kill them. Beast God's servant legion."
The earlier attack had come from the Nalakuvera sub-unit. Having absorbed artificial lifeforms, Nalakuvera had changed form, sprouting various animal traits.
Petos commanded the legion to attack the four before him, focusing especially on Sayaka Kirasaka and her group.
They were his true targets.
The reason was simple.
To prevent himself from being executed by the Cult of Diablos for leaking information.
If he had time to fully control the Beast God, none of this would matter. With a top fifteen powerhouse under his command, not only would he have no fear of exposure, he could even claim the position of First Seat within the Cult of Diablos.
But he didn't have that luxury.
The moment Shadow appeared, Petos knew the mission was as good as failed. The Beast God would almost certainly be lost.
In that situation, if he also leaked the Cult's secrets, he would truly be handed a cup of royal wine.
Killing Zeta didn't matter.
Escaping her pursuit was enough.
After all, neither side would expose the other. In fact, killing Zeta would be the worst possible outcome.
Shadow was right there.
...
An amethyst-like fist drove upward into the Hundred-Like monster, launching it into the air.
The overwhelming force traveled straight through its head, leaving it stunned and unable to flap its wings as it fell under gravity.
The next instant, as it dropped to the level of the giant's chest, two massive purple hands slammed together.
Caught between them, the Hundred-Like monster was crushed instantly into pulp.
Cid opened his hands, and the mangled flesh slipped through his fingers, falling to the ground.
He didn't move to attack again.
He simply stared at the pile of flesh in silence.
Before long, the pile of flesh on the ground began to gather, reforming into the Hundred-Form Monster.
"???"
Cid stared at it in confusion, briefly wondering if he should reduce the density of his attacks down to the molecular level. The creature's regenerative ability felt comparable to that of the First Primogenitor.
While he was still thinking, the Hundred-Form Monster didn't leap back into the air to attack like before. Instead, as if some condition had been met, its body began to tremble violently, its aura surging and dipping erratically.
Did the boss just enter phase two?
That was the first thought that crossed Cid's mind.
"AAAAAH!!!"
With a furious roar, the Hundred-Form Monster's aura exploded. Its body swelled to roughly three times its previous size, reaching about one-third the height of the purple giant.
It wasn't just bigger. Its appearance had changed drastically as well. A layer of armor resembling hardened diamond plates now covered its body.
Beneath the cluster of tentacles, a massive serpentine tail grew out. Compared to it, the original tentacles were only about a third as long. Together, they resembled a bizarre, multicolored skirt wrapped around the tail.
Another pair of beetle-like wings sprouted beneath its already mismatched wings. From its neck, a tiger's head with sharp horns emerged. Even the original head, which once had gills, now grew a pair of bull horns.
Ugh… that's disgusting. Seriously hard to look at.
The thing in front of him looked like it had crawled straight out of some Cthulhu nightmare. Cid felt both nauseated and assaulted just looking at it.
Still…
Why did these new parts feel so familiar?
Even as he grimaced, Cid kept his eyes on the newly grown features, a strange sense of recognition tugging at him.
"Whoosh!"
Something was coming from above.
Hearing the rush of wind, Cid instinctively looked up. A massive black greatsword, nearly as long as one of his arms in this form, was crashing down with overwhelming force.
"Kojou?"
The sight stirred his memory, but it also drew his attention away. In that brief lapse, the purple giant took the hit head-on, the black greatsword slamming squarely into its head.
Using this ability for the first time, combined with the sword's downward momentum and the added acceleration from some unknown method, the impact was enough to make the purple giant stagger back two steps.
Rubbing his head, Cid looked forward.
The Hundred-Form Monster was now standing on the giant's chest, gripping the fallen black greatsword.
The corners of Cid's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
...
...
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