Chapter 33: The unintended reveal.
「Adela, I assume?」The dragonoid stepped up toward the whistling Astral from behind while she nonchalantly enjoyed the masterpiece she had just created. Although this carnage was nothing compared to the Harvest Festival that would soon commence in a few years, she was still proud of her own work. The once composed Prime Minister, who rejected her advances, had been reduced to nothing but a mindless killing machine just as she wished.
「Who wants to know?」Answered the Astral without even bothering to turn back.
「...」The dragonoid hesitated for a moment before speaking up. 「As per command of His Majesty, I'm here to bring you to justice.」
「Who?」Adela turned around, looking at Ryuu puzzlingly 「I didn't know there's any demi-lizardman in the Royal Guards… although, somehow, i feel like i have felt your aura before.」
「Haha」Ryuu smirked. 「As if such a low life individual like you would know about my existence. You don't know me but I know the crimes you have committed. After all, Jayden dono had confessed to his majesty everything just the night before. You have three minutes to remove the
「And if I dont?」The Astral looked down at the dragonoid.
「There's nothing I can do...」Ryuu glared back at the woman. 「besides subjecting you to the most excruciatingly painful experience in your life!」
… Huh? The cunning Astral noticed an interesting clue in the man's threat. 「I doubt that you c...」
Before she could finish her sentence, Ryuu released his unrestrained Haki, overwhelmed the overconfident Astral along with dozens of the monsters nearby, causing them to paralyze in fear. 「Seriously, who are you really?」Adela's carefree expression quickly disappeared from her face, replacing it with an ice cold grim look.
「As I said, I am an agent of the Royal Family.」The dragonoid lied with a smile.
「Yeah, right!」Adela leapt forward. Within less than a second, she was standing right in front of Ryuu, her hand held tightly onto the thin elegant crystal sword that she had just materialized. Her sword slashed through the dragonoid in an instant, only for her to realize it was merely his afterimage that she was targeting. Ryuu had already taken a few steps back, elegantly dodged the Astral's sword before he counterattacked, allowing the woman no time to respond. His hand, along with his sharp thick claws, already wrapped around the overconfident Astral's beautiful face. The dragonoid tightened his grips as if wanting to crush her skull before slammed her head backward onto the concrete floor under their feet. Cracks started forming before the whole floor, along with the building they were in, shattered into pieces. As both were falling down onto the ground, Ryuu quickly retracted his arm and let the Astral escape for had he kept holding onto the woman, his arm would have been sliced clean off by her sword.
Impressive. The dragonoid thought to himself. She was able to strike back despite being in such a predicament. I really cannot underestimate this bitch.
As the dust settled, both Adela and Ryuu were standing still, a few feet apart from the other. Despite having received blows from Ryuu, most of the injury on her face had already been fully restored since the homunculus body she was in boasted the most healing capability among all the prototypes. Yet, having been humiliated, her face was burning red, rage took over the once graceful Astral.
「Who the fuck are you??」Screamed out Adela, her eyes glowed red. 「You're not a hybrid lizardman! How can even my
Of course. Although it's a unique skill, given the difference in strength between myself and your homunculus avatar, it makes sense your skill cannot work on me… If you want to fight evenly against me, come at me with your real body, bitch! Ryuu smirked. 「Strange isnt it? But please note that I am under no obligation to answer your question. Now, return the Prime Minister back to his old self or I will mince you into pieces.」
「... You're working with HIM, arent you?」Adela suddenly seemed to have an epiphany.
「Him?」Ryuu jolted. Did she somehow figure it out?
「Ha, so pathetic. Whatever he's trying to do these past 10000 years, a coward like him cannot stop us Astral.」Adela continued 「Even if he acquired toys as strong as you, he's nothing but an an insect, lurking in the shadow of history, trying to topple us gods.」
… I dont think she's talking about Kibadios sama. Ryuu tried to keep his calm. 「... I dont know whatever you're talking about.」Answered the dragonoid honestly, though to the Astral, it appeared as if she had correctly deduced his master.
「Fine!」Adela had already accepted the theory about the dragonoid's origin in her head. 「Deny it all you want. If you want me to dispel the roots that have taken over Jayden's mind, try me!」The young female Astral again raised her sword, ready to deal with the annoyance that just popped up out of nowhere in front of her. Yet, before either of the two could engage one another, the dark rays generated from the beaten down creature exploded and swirling around the whole vicinity of the capital city, reducing all remaining buildings into dust.
「... She's gone?」Once the attack subsided, Ryuu thrust away the large piece of concrete that had fallen onto him.「... Damn it! She's heading toward that
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What had transpired in such a short amount of time was beyond what the hybrid intended. After instinctively saving his two slaves from the direct blast, what followed was a brief clash between the hybrid and the ever-evolving creature. While both of them traded attacks against the other, it was far from an even fight. Each blow Kibadios received was enough to kill the hybrid twice over, had he not skillfully deflected them away with his scythe in hand. By the time he could catch his breath, his hands were shaking uncontrollably as they tried their best to hold on the scythe's long shaft. All of the heroes, along with their party members, were down. For Kyles' part, the young hero was able to save both Yllaner and Ryan from the creature's unexpected counterattack, though a falling steel pipe had already pierced through his lower chest. Having been tended by Ryan and Yllaner, the man was now barely conscious, let alone helping the hybrid pushing back the creature. His two slaves were a bit more helpful. Their faces brightened for a brief moment when they realized their master had saved them at the critical moment. Yet, anguish soon filled their heart once they realized what a predicament situation they have forced their beloved master into. Because of them, he was now fighting an existence that even the Six heroes would dread.
「... I guess I have no choice now.」Kibadios said to himself before calling for Nu, who emerged from his shadow.「Nu! Take the people here to safety.」
「Chii!」The slime monster acknowledged the command, then jumped off from its master. Having inflated itself, the now humongous slime began to slide around the place, gobbled up the injured heroes and their party members inside its gluttonous belly. Normally, anything that got inside its stomach would soon be dissolved away by the extremely acidic condition; Yet, since its master had told it to carry them to safety, the slime skillfully modified its inner body, allowing the people that got sucked in not only air to breath, but also exposure to a small amount of restorative substance that slowly healed their injuries overtime.
The hybrid was expected to have everyone carried away to allow him the privacy to activate HaoS without having witnesses. Still, with so many people crammed inside its maximally stretched stomach, the slime understood that it could not have taken in Kyles, whose extent of the injury would clearly make it impossible for the man to be squeezed in together with others.
「Chii! Chi Chi!」The slime signaled to the hybrid, promising its master it would come back later for Kyles before rolling its body away from the battlefield.
「Well… I was hoping Nu would at least take Yllaner away, but I guess our elven princess here would never leave Kyles' side so it'd be out of the question.」Kibadios briefly glanced at the fallen hero. However, that small distraction was all it took for the creature to bypass the hybrid's defense and pierced its arm through his body. 「Fuck...」Kibadios muttered as blood filled his mouth. The hybrid quickly kicked the creature to project himself away, knowing the longer he stayed within the creature's reach, the more disadvantage he would be in.
「Kibadios sama!」Maia jumped forward to catch the falling hybrid, then crashed down onto the ground below. Her voice was trembling. 「Rowan, quick!」
「
「Argh!」The hybrid stood up, wiped away his blood. He was going to thank his slaves for save him this time, but the creature's sudden moment soon caught his attention. I won't be distracted twice! 「Maia, Rowan, get away from here!」Kibadios commanded, while swinging his scythe to block the incoming crescent slashes. The shockwave resulting from the clash though, was enough to send both of his slaves smashing into a large block of wall, knocking them out unconscious. By now, the creature seemed to have finished with its evolution. It had shredded its outer armor since its muscles have already contracted to become so lean and dense that not even Kibadios' scythe could leave a scratch on its body. Its bat-like wings have also grown much larger, five times its body in fact. As the creature finally settled down onto the top of the last standing building in the capitol, its wings spread out menacingly like Ghidora's before fighting against Godzilla. The hybrid knew that his last resort would be to call forth HaoS, but an appearance of a familiar figure behind the fallen rubbles not too far from where Kibadios stood threw his plan off the rail: Adela.
Damn it… How did it come to this… Maybe… I should really leave these people behind and escape from here on my own… He took a glance at the unconscious Maia and Rowan laying on the ground, then to the worn out Ryan, who had now readied to jump to him and fight along his side. He then raised his arm and touched the healed wound on his stomach that Rowan had just risked his own life to treat him. Damn it! Let's do this!
Having fully made up his resolve, the hybrid raised his scythe, pointing at the creature as it leaped down at him from the top of the Royal Tower.
「
Kibadios had purposely decided to become one with HaoS right away, instead of summoning it in its own physical appearance for this was the only option in which he might ever hope to hide the existence of the Spirit from Adela's prying eyes. Not that he had much chance since he knew Adela was most likely too smart to be deceived.
Regardless of his concern, HaoS soon came to its master's aid, its ever glowing flames enveloped the hybrid's body, then spread to the weapon he was holding. The flame began to grow ever brighter and larger. By the time HaoS finished, its flames had transformed into a giant blade, protruding out from the human sized scythe, which now looked like a mere hilt of an oversized sword. Knowing he could not maintain the fusion form for too long, Kibadios headed straight for the incoming creature, hoping for a quick and decisive clash before his mana would be exhausted.
「...Ara ara...」Demon Lord Gilga, who has been carefully hidden on the side, was mesmerized by the power emitting from the hybrid-HaoS fusion form to the point she would forget to hide her presence. 「What do we have here?」
「... Sensei?」The hooded figure, one of the few who was observing the fight from the shadow, muttered in disbelief. 「Can it be?」
「Is… Is that HaoS?」Adela was unable to hide her trembling. 「...Zaeryn?」