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Chapter 596: [Fated Encounters: Nyzzet's Labyrinth Conquest] 58/?: Truhan and Celica Against Zudig!
Epic of Caterpillar
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Enormous amounts of flesh began to expand across the Domain of Kireina, her abhorrent and grotesque flesh expanded more and more as if she never had a defined form, to begin with.
The three gods were terrified, in their whole lives they had never seen such a creature… just what was the logic behind an ever-expanding flesh and thousands of appendages? Not even the most grotesque of monsters that live in other Realms had ever come to the resemblance of what Kireina had become at this point.
Her flesh expanded, encapsulating everything as if she became a dome, and covering her, there were dozens of layers of her Divine Domain…
Using her tentacles, eyes, claws, and tongues, she tried to attack and capture the Gods, but they were faster than her and knew how to evade her enormous appendages.
However, Kireina was simply playing around at this point, as her family began to emerge from within the pores of her body.
Most of her wives except for a few that decided to remain inside of her flesh to assess different things, and her loyal and strongest servants, such as the wolves, the giant pair, the demon trio, and the blood sisters.
Zudig and Begudhur Uroboros glanced at the large group of flying mortals, all of them were wearing fantastical and over the top armor suits that covered almost their entire bodies, giving them aggressive and powerful shapes and appearances, each armor had enormous wings which they used to fly at incredible speeds while holding cannons in the shoulders, belly or other limbs depending in the design and the user.
All these equipment were made mostly with Kireina's body parts and the best materials she and others had acquired through Reward Boxes, which were then enhanced and possessed by large Split Souls of hers, alongside many Slime Clones. Each Armor Body Suit was like a strong Slime Clone, or even greater. However, they were still considered 'mortal' equipment, as even Kusuri and Kajiya that have not acquired the ability to forge Divine Materials were able to process them… However, their quality when fully enhanced by Kireina's Split Souls inside was way over Mythic+++ Rank, bypassing into the Realm of Gods and becoming items closer to Legendary Rank.
Meanwhile, Kheseerad could not properly see what was happening outside of his pocket dimension, only using his Divine Sense to feel what was occurring. The Domain that Kireina kept creating constantly was slowing down his escape immensely, he was simply trapped inside another space at this point, and although it began to use Divine Energy to travel faster through space, Kireina incessantly kept creating Domain layers one after another, stacking them constantly, making Kheseerad frustrated.
Zudig was already trembling over the overwhelming bloodlust Aura of Kireina, which covered the entire enclosed space to the point of making even the Gods tremble…
"Kireina… Is this the power that you acquired after eating so many beings through your growth? And even Gods… It feels as if thousands of different monsters and creatures were glancing at me with voracity, even as a God, I can't help but be affected by… fear!" thought Zudig with frustration, gnashing his razor-sharp teeth on his Dragon Zombie Form, which was taller than one hundred meters and was currently evading Kireina's tentacles, tongues, eye lasers, and various types of Magic that used her Divine Aura as fuel.
"However, her attacks are slow! Could it be because she is concentrating on keeping Kheseerad trapped in space with some kind of method? This is why her attacks seem sluggish… so she sent these measly mortals for us? Even with that weird and strange equipment, which seem to be Lesser Legendary at best…" thought Zudig, beginning to relax a bit and calm down his senses… only to be surprised once again as two giants descended towards him.
Of course, their sizes were not close to him, only reaching around sixty meters compared to his over one hundred meters, but they were big nonetheless, enough for them to raise their weapons and attack him head-on with utmost disrespect against a God like himself.
"So is this one of our Preys? I do not really like to be covered in armor, but this one is incredibly flexible! Alright! Let's see… Splitting Blazing Inferno Axe Outburst!"
Truhan, one of Kireina's strongest servants emerged from the crowd, directing his entire body towards Zudig while admiring the bodysuit created for him. It was a slim design that kept tightly wrapped into his skin, it was also incredibly heat resistant to the point of channeling Truhan's heat and become stronger.
The armor was flexible and red-colored, covered in several red jewels that enhanced Truhan's powers. The Armor also provided dragon-like wings, a long tail with the tip of a long sword, and on his shoulders and helmet, there were the heads of furious dragons. It was a simple design, but enough for Truhan to receive a boost even after being so strong…
"Truhan, would you focus a bit more? This enormous dragon is a god after all! Everlasting Darkness Knife Rain! Blazing Black Flames Axe Assault!"
To the side of Truhan, his loyal wife appeared, always accompanying him even through arduous battles. Celica was wearing an even slender set of Armor Body Suit, which was dark gray colored with a very metallic brightness to it. It extended around her slender yet muscular and giant body, and it even gave her long, bat-like wings alongside a tail with jaws on the tip.
She acquired another pair of arms through this armor as well, which she sued to throw dagger techniques at Zudig while using her pain and real pair of arms to release axe techniques. Unlike Truhan's armor design, she was designed after a demoness, her helmet and shoulders had long and spiky metallic horns with many jewels enhancing her magic capabilities.
Zudig was not capable of reacting in time as he was still thinking while completely ignoring the threat of the mortals sent to him, completely unaware that their power might be greater than he had thought before.
The Dragon Zombie God then glanced atop his head, where Truhan and Celica were flying towards him, a storm of blazing fire emerged from Truhan's Axe's swing, while a rain of daggers made out of the darkness was fired by Celica alongside a smaller storm of black flames from her axe.
Flash! Flash!
"Oh? Ah, these are Kireina's army? Well, let's see if you can even penetrate a barrier made by a god with your measly attacks…" muttered Zudig while lowering his guard even more and conjuring a barrier made out of his Divine Aura and nothing else around himself.
Zudig never cared about mortals, and never found anything worthy in them. He used to be an Undead Dragon before, meaning that one day he was once alive, but after dying and becoming an undead, he had stopped caring about emotions, attachment, and many other things. He became cold and calculative, and also incredibly cynical.
When he became a God, he thought that it was only natural for someone like him, but when the Dragon Gods I the Pantheon where he once had offered him to nourish mortals and even create his own race of Undead Dragonoid, he declined. He had no intention of wasting resources and time with mortals. He was not someone that found enjoyment in babysitting.
Only in David did he find value, and immediately stole it as if it were a simply good, an item that he used to reach his higher goal. However, after that, he could not care less about mortals and their pathetic and weak lives.
Putting all of that into consideration on his thought process, Zudig could not help but find these mortals as pathetic, even if they were helped tremendously by Kireina, to him, they were still mortals, below him in every way possible.
Zudig did not see Kireina as a mortal anymore, but as a grotesque creature close to gods, so she was often not included in this thought process…
However, due to this foolishness, Zudig lowered his guard against the tremendously strong attacks of Truhan and Zudig charged not only with their buffing skills, spells, and many other abilities but alongside the powers that the Armors offered, which also came with… God Devour, an evolved and awakened form of Divinity Devouring, which Kireina and any Clone she created possessed.
Zudig glanced with a quirky smile, at Truhan's and Celica's attack as the storm of red and hellish flames, the rain of giant shadow knives, and the smaller storm of black flames hit his Divine Aura Barrier.
Clash! Clash! Clash!
"Hm, just as I thought… even if you give them all the powers you can, Kireina. Mortals will always be mortals, you fool… This just shows the difference between you and me, such stupid thoughts will only make you easier prey for me-"
Crack!
"…?"
Crack, crack!
"…Eh?"
Crack, crack…!
CRASH!
In the middle of Zudig's words, the Divine Barrier, made with his Divine Aura and a small amount of Divine Energy began to crack like glass. Zudig could not help but clean his enormous undead eyes while trying to make sure that what he was seeing was true.
Then, the barrier cracked completely with a loud explosion, as Truhan's and Celica's attacks rushed right through it and towards him at an incredible speed!
Flash!
"UNGH?!"
Zudig quickly tried to react, raising his claws towards the attacks, and unleashing an attack charged with his Arts… However, the flames, shadow daggers, and black flames destroyed his attacks and barely slowed down, hitting his decaying and undead flesh, and beginning to burn him, and puncture him around his arms and chest.
"W-What the- Unnggh! …NNNGGYYAAAAAAAAA!"
Even though Zudig's pain sense was supposed to be dulled due to being an Undead, it came as if he were always alive, the flames began to burn and roast his flesh, seeping through it all endlessly, while reaching even his soul, and just by touching it, enormous pain filled his mind!
The shadow daggers punctured the rest of his body, disappearing just a bit afterward, but leaving a strange, black-colored oozy liquid that seeped into his flesh, damaging it, and then slightly reaching the soul as well!
It was as if Truhan and Celica's attacks were vicious creatures seeking to destroy his soul at all cost, and for some reason, they penetrated through his defenses with great efficacy!
Zudig quickly realized something!
"Kireina… She can share her Divinity Devouring with her allies?!" he thought, gnashing his teeth, and activating various healing spells that specifically worked for undead such as himself, seething down his wounds and then moving away from Truhan and Celica's presence.
"Just what… Just what are you giants?!" asked Zudig while gasping for air.
Truhan and Celica's faces could not be seen through their bodysuits, but they smiled and flew towards him, raising their weapons and working together quite wonderfully.
"And they're also incredibly coordinated?! Tch! No matter! I will just devour you two! Divinity Devouring! Voracious Phantasmal Dragons of Nether!"
Zudig activated a Divine Technique, going all out against the two without lowering his guard anymore, he also activated Divinity Devouring, covering the attack with the effect entirely.
His Divine Aura became blue-colored and blazing with cold and hellish flames, it began to shape into countless snake-like furious dragons, flying towards the Giant Pair while opening their jaws.
Celica and Truhan then activated their own skills, emerging from within the explosions of magic that happened all around the battlefield and unleashing powerful attacks of red flames and black shadows.
Truhan released a burst of flames filled with sharp ax-shaped phantoms, which clashed against Zudig's attack but was then quickly dissipated due to the Divinity Devouring effect negating Truhan's God Devour and then making his attack weak enough for the fairly stronger Zudig's attack to destroy it.
"Oh? Seems like things won't be as easy!" said Truhan.
Meanwhile, Celica's Shadows ended in a similar fate.
"Well, it could be time for us to try out our Auras in more detail! As long as we can fuse them with the Auras of our Armors like Kireina-sama said!" said Celica with a proud smile.
"Oh right, Celica-chan!" said Truhan.
Zudig was angered at how easygoing the couple was, infusing more of his powers into the attack he sent towards them.
Truhan and Celica flew through the air while evading the furious phantom dragons and slowly approaching Zudig. However, Zudig flew around, trying to move away from them and form a proper distance, he did not want to receive the same attack twice!
"Blazing Hell Demon King Aura! Aura Convergence!" roared Truhan, as his aura was released from his body, covering him into flames to the point that he resembled a flying meteor. His hellish Aura was then greeted by the Aura of Kireina's Soul Clones inside the armors, momentously converging itself with his, and increasing the overall power of it.
"UOOOOOOOHH! This is it! Splitting Hellish Blaze Axe Apocalypse Assault!"
From Truhan's enormous body, his Aura blazed and grew larger and larger, until the appearance of an even bigger demon king appeared before him, resembling him in detail.
The Blazing Demon King on his Aura created two Axes, which it sued alongside Truhan's to unleash consecutive attacks towards the Phantasmal Dragon, splitting them apart through such an onslaught of power.
Many Dragons managed to slip in and began to attack Truhan, however, due to his enormous body, he was able to take in the hits alongside the armor's defensive properties.
Celica followed him from the side, unleashing similar techniques but combined with her shadow aura, which extended as a formless force covered in countless spikes around her and her attacks, breaking down the attacks of Zudig while receiving some.
"What is going on with those Giants?! My attacks should have already penetrated their skin and flesh, no matter what armor is that it should be capable of resisting Divine Techniques!"
Indeed, Kireina's Armor could not resist Divine Techniques, but it could eat them through God's Devour.
Zudig was unaware of Divinity Devouring various uses, it was not simply an offensive power, but it could be used as defense too, making even armors that should not take on the attack of gods resist them.
"Well, I will have to keep attacking you then!" roared Zudig, as the shadow of more of Kireina's servants showed up behind him.
Three beautiful and small fairy ladies whose wings released a crimson and eerie aura emerged, their entire bodies seemed to have been enhanced by something Divine of the Blood Attribute.
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