Chapter 10 Forest of Menos

Vritra first dug out the small yellow dog, which had been buried under the shifting sands during the chaotic battle. Then, he handed it the remaining bird head of Cirucci Sanderwicci.

During his crucial moment of evolution, it was thanks to the small yellow dog's warning that Vritra had been able to react to Cirucci Sanderwicci's ambush.

The masked bird head, which still contained half of Cirucci Sanderwicci's spiritual pressure, was Vritra's reward to the little dog.

Excitedly, the small yellow dog trotted toward the massive bird head. As it reached it, a pale yellow spiritual pressure radiated from its body, kicking up a cloud of dust. When the dust settled, a majestic sight emerged—a towering dark yellow giant hound, standing three meters tall and over eight meters long. It opened its mouth and swallowed the bird head whole.

This was the small yellow dog's true form. Having followed Vritra in hunting various Hollows, it had grown rapidly, even if it had only received scraps from their kills. It was no longer the weak newborn Hollow Vritra had first encountered but had become a formidable giant-class Hollow in its own right. With Cirucci Sanderwicci's head now devoured, reaching the next stage of evolution was only a matter of time.

After fully absorbing the head, the giant hound reverted to its small yellow dog form, happily wagging its nonexistent tail at Vritra.

"Now that I've reached my current strength, a fellow giant-class Hollow like Cirucci Sanderwicci is no longer even a challenge for me. It's time for me to head to that place."

With this thought, Vritra made his decision. He looked down at the small yellow dog and spoke in a slow, deliberate tone.

"The place I'm going next is too dangerous for you. This is where we part ways. With your current strength, you'll be able to survive just fine if you stay in this newborn territory."

"Woof! Woof! Woof!"

The small yellow dog let out a series of barks, its voice filled with reluctance. Vritra knelt down, extending a finger to gently stroke its head, while the little dog affectionately licked his hand in return.

"You're a tough little one—live well and grow strong."

With a wave of his hand, Vritra bid farewell to the little dog, which reminded him so much of his previous life's companion. Then, without hesitation, he plunged into the sea of sand.

In the distance, the small yellow dog's sorrowful whimpering echoed through the air.

But Vritra paid it no mind. The only reason he had kept the little dog with him was, first, because it had reminded him of his past life's pet, stirring a rare moment of sentimentality. And second, because he had needed a weak newborn Hollow to help lure in prey.

Now that he had ascended to a giant-class Hollow—with combat strength already rivaling that of a Menos Grande—he no longer needed the small yellow dog for that purpose. Besides, as long as the little dog remained in the newborn territory, nothing here could pose a threat to it.

There was no hesitation in Vritra's decision to part ways. After all, his ultimate goal of transcendence was what truly mattered.

His destination lay beneath the desert sands—the legendary Forest of Menos.

Vritra surged downward with all his speed. Previously, due to his lack of strength, he had only dared to skim the surface of the sand layer. But now, for the first time, he was diving deep.

He had no idea how long he had been descending—he only knew that he had been going down the entire time. And yet, he still had not reached the fabled Menos Forest. If he hadn't been certain from the original work that the forest lay beneath the sands, he might have doubted whether he had gone the wrong way.

Finally, after days of relentless descent, he found that he could go no further.

"...A rock layer?"

Vritra rammed his mask-covered head against the barrier before him and found it to be incredibly solid. He was unable to burrow any deeper.

Already irritated from the long journey, his patience snapped. Without hesitation, he unleashed a Cero straight at the rock wall.

Boom!

A sharp crack rang out, and suddenly, Vritra lost his footing, plummeting downward.

As he fell, he took in his surroundings. Towering tree trunks, hundreds of meters tall, filled his vision. The sky above remained as dark and oppressive as ever.

"This is… the Forest of Menos? I made it!"

Vritra twisted his tail midair, hooking it around a massive tree trunk to stabilize his landing.

However, the moment he touched down, he realized he had landed in the middle of a battle—several giant-class Hollows were engaged in a fierce struggle.

Caught off guard, Vritra hadn't activated his spiritual concealment in time, and now, he stood exposed in the midst of them.

"Yo... looks like you guys are busy."

The fighting instantly halted. The moment the surrounding giant-class Hollows noticed this unexpected intruder, they abandoned their original fight and immediately turned their attention toward him!

One of them, a squid-like Hollow, opened its mouth and spat out a stream of corrosive ink.

Instead of retreating, Vritra advanced. Using his tail to hook onto a tree once more, he dodged the attack with ease. In the same motion, he activated Flash Thunder, his entire body becoming wreathed in arcs of lightning.

Then, with a single flick of his Lightning Whip, he lashed the squid Hollow with devastating force.

Crack!

The squid Hollow convulsed violently, its entire form writhing in agony. Before it could even attempt to recover, Vritra's tail shot forward, piercing deep into its flesh.

Soul Devour—Activate.

In mere moments, the squid Hollow was completely absorbed, its body vanishing into nothingness.

Even among giant-class Hollows, this squid was weak—far inferior to Cirucci Sanderwicci, let alone Vritra himself. It had been eradicated in a single instant.

"One down. Now it's your turn!"

Vritra grinned viciously, turning toward the remaining dozen giant-class Hollows.

To him, this was the perfect welcoming gift upon entering the Menos Forest.

A feast was about to begin.

....

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