Note: This novel will pause for a while because my brain and hands are overheating. No, just kidding. I need to focus on the Indonesian version first before continuing. Don't worry, it won't be long.
***
Some time earlier...
๐๐ฐ๐ด๐ฉ!
Several silhouettes moved at high speed.
Two men and two women, led by a boy wearing a mask made of ice.
They were none other than Lux and his Template characters.
๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ป๐ธ ๐จ๐ป๐ธ๐ป๐ผ๐๐ป.
Although Lux had never seen how strong a Rank Unknown was, he had at least heard a few things about it.
"It takes several Rank SSS Hunters to kill one, and most of them will die in the process," Lux mutteredโฆ
What was the concept of a Rank SSS Hunter?
At least for Lux, he would die if he faced one, because most Rank SSS Hunters possessed speed beyond all reason.
The Mystic Eyes of Death Perception might be powerful, but that meant nothing if the opponent struck first.
Even fighting a Rank SSS carried a high chance of death, let alone a Rank Unknown...
To face a creature he had never even heard of, Lux naturally brought his Templates with him.
Fortunately, Artemisia, Dabi, and Tomioka Giyลซ had all completed their tasks well.
The Rank S Hunters who had tried to kill Lux earlier had been "cleaned up" by them.
Even soโฆ fighting a Rank Unknown still felt like too much for all of themโฆ
Itsuka Kotori might be able to provide some help, but Artemisia and Dabi, who couldn't even fight a Rank SS Hunter, probably wouldn't be able to contribute much.
On the other hand, Tomioka Giyลซ might have been upgraded to โฏโฏโฏโฏ (four stars) and reached the Rank S+ realm, but that was still far from meeting the criteria.
Not only that, Tomioka Giyลซ's upgrade was not permanent.
Of course... Lux himself belonged to the category that wasn't ready.
'I have to summon Raiden and Mayuriโ'
"???"
While Lux was busy thinking, he suddenly sensed a familiar aura, making the boy stop moving.
The Templates with him also halted.
Though confused, some of the Templates noticed the presence of a figure ahead of Lux.
Only, unlike Lux, they felt that the figure might be an enemy.
"I'll deal with it," Itsuka Kotori said indifferently, the giant spear Camael already ready in her hand.
But Lux raised his hand, signaling her to stop.
The red-haired girl raised an eyebrow, but obeyed without protest.
As for Lux, he began approaching the figure that felt... familiar.
The figure looked pitifulโits whole body was shattered as if dying and liable to expire at any moment.
The glossy black hair had already turned dull and both eyes were closed.
"You look terrible, Guild Leader," Lux greeted flatly.
"Fufufu..." The woman's soft, enchanting voice sounded.
One of her eyes opened, and the woman said, "I think your condition isn't much different from mine."
"Perhaps," Lux replied indifferently. "...But you're in much worse shape."
"Hm~ Are you worried about me? That makes me happy, Lux. Come here, I'll give you an affectionate hug~"
"Don't go near him, you filthy woman."
At that moment, a giant spear of extreme heat was aimed at Queenie.
Itsuka Kotori's gaze was extremely cold, so much so that one could feel the girl intended to cut Queenie down if the woman dared touch even the tip of Lux's hair.
"Ah, how scary~" Queenie sighed dramatically. "Don't you feel any pity after seeing my terrible condition?"
Despite saying so, Queenie wasn't afraid at all. On the contrary, she smiled and kept teasing Itsuka Kotori.
In response, Itsuka Kotori gave her an even more intense glare.
Lux, who had been watching from the start, decided to get straight to the point. "Do you know anything about this situation?"
"If you want to pry information out of me, you'd better stop, because there's nothing I can give you," Queenie answered with a mysterious smile.
"Oh, don't misunderstand, it's not that I don't want to talk, but the truth is I really don't have any information useful to you. Besides, I'm sure... compared to me, you know much more, don't you?"
Her gaze was so strange and free of doubt, as if she truly believed this famous Frost Assassin knew more than she did.
It was no wonder, as Queenie had absolute faith in Lux. As for the reason behind this faith... no one knew.
Because of that...
"Leave this island if you still want to live." With that tone, Lux turned around.
Together with his Templates, their figures flickered and vanished at extraordinary speed.
Queenie merely chuckled at this. She wasn't angry at Lux's cold attitude.
She only said softly, her gaze drifting far away. "I hope... you come back safely."
***
"Is it here?"
Detecting a [mana] density that could only be called abnormal, accompanied by a terrifying aura, Lux slightly furrowed his brow.
Even for someone who had been through so many battles, Lux found it hard to breathe normally.
The pressure in this area was so heavy it felt like thousands of needles piercing his lungs. At this rate, the strength he currently possessed was not enough.
Thinking of his two Templates that had not yet been used, Lux sank into deliberation.
Although Raiden Ei/Shogun and Takamiya Mayuri had extraordinary power, he felt... that the two of them might still not be enough to face what awaited them.
Both Templates would also have to use all their strength, meaning it wouldn't be easy to continue fighting if the opponent turned out stronger than imagined...
While he was still lost in thought, the sound of soft footsteps suddenly entered Lux's hearing.
"..."
Everything felt silent and oppressive.
Lux underwent no change in emotion. He simply looked at the no-longer-unfamiliar figure standing not far from him.
A cloaked figure bearing the emblem of a moon and a cross.
Because he was looking down, his face wasn't clearly visible, but the aura he radiated disturbed Lux to the marrow.
And most importantly...
"The Guild Leader of the Moon Order, Kira," Lux said, identifying the figure.
A very famous Rank SSS Hunter, for some reason present in this place with such a... suspicious atmosphere.
Was the Moon Order Guild also involved in this situation? Lux didn't think so.
After all... if Kira had really become their enemy, he should have appeared along with his guild members.
But right now... apart from Kira, he couldn't sense the presence of his guild members at all.
There were two possibilities...
First, his guild members were busy fighting other monsters. Second... they were all dead.
But both possibilities were equally odd, considering that from what Lux had heard, Kira was not the kind of leader who would abandon his guild members. He would rather die with them than leave them.
Of course, there was a chance that information was wrong, but...
The question was, could that information be wrong when he sensed such strong killing intent from the Rank SSS Hunter before him?
Without any warning, a cross spear appeared in Kira's right hand and was aimed straight at Lux!
๐ฝ๐ผ๐ผ๐ผ๐ผ๐ผ๐๐๐๐!!
Attacked suddenly by a Rank SSS Hunter, most Hunters, even Rank SS, would be unable to withstand it.
But unfortunately... Kira's opponent this time was no ordinary person, because...
๐ฝ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐...!!
A tornado of tremendously hot fire roared, fiercely burning the entire area within a radius of tens of meters!
Holding a giant spear with a cold expression, Itsuka Kotori was filled with a heat aura that soared to an extreme level. The air around her trembled from the intensity of the heat produced.
But the Rank SSS designation was not something to be taken lightly either...
Kira's form reappeared through the haze of fire.
Judging by his condition, he seemed to have taken no significant injury or even... none at all.
Opening the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, Lux found that Kira's lines of death, once as thin as threads, had now become dense, resembling a thick and intricate spiderweb.
That was not a good sign.
Somethingโฆ had changed Kira's very essence.
Regardless of all that...
๐๐๐๐๐!
A blue slash shot toward Kira at extraordinary speed.
The culprit was, of course, Artemisia, who tried to behead the man with a swing of her sword.
It might seem ridiculous for a Rank S to try to fight a Rank SSS, but Artemisia herself was merely acting as a distraction...
Of course, the power of a Rank SSS Hunter was so terrifying that even Artemisia, who had given her all, could not withstand it!
๐ฝ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐...!!
To block a single one of Kira's attacks, Artemisia created many Territories, but all those defenses shattered instantly like glass struck by a sledgehammer!
[๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด! ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ป ๐ง๐ฒ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒ! ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐น๐ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ง๐ฒ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒ!]
[๐๐ฎ๐บ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ใ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฎ ๐๐ฒ๐น๐น ๐๐๐ต๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ณ๐ โ โฏโฏโฏใ: ๐ต๐ต% - ๐๐ถ๐ณ๐ฒ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฏ๐ ๐ฎ ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ. ๐ง๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ง๐ฒ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒใ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฎ ๐๐ฒ๐น๐น ๐๐๐ต๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ณ๐ โ โฏโฏโฏใ: '๐ฌ๐ฐ ๐ ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ต๐, ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐ฎ๐๐, ๐ฎ๐ฏ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐, ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐๐ฒ๐'. ๐๐ผ๐ป๐๐๐บ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ญ,๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ,๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฃ๐ผ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป]
Artemisia's figure turned into a purple card and returned to Lux's body in an instant!
But on the other side, Kira had no intention of stopping his attack!
Glowing thrusts bombarded the entire place. The impact appeared in the form of terrifying waves that damaged the very structure of the air.
Even Dabi had no time to put up any resistance, because everything happened too fast for his eyes to catch!
[๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด! ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ป ๐ง๐ฒ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒ! ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐น๐ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ง๐ฒ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒ!]
[๐๐ฎ๐บ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ใ๐ง๐ผ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ธ๐ถ ๐ง๐ผ๐๐๐ฎ/๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ถ โ โฏโฏโฏใ: ๐ต๐ต% - ๐๐ถ๐ณ๐ฒ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฏ๐ ๐ฎ ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ. ๐ง๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ง๐ฒ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒใ๐ง๐ผ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ธ๐ถ ๐ง๐ผ๐๐๐ฎ/๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ถ โ โฏโฏโฏ ใ: '๐ฌ๐ฐ ๐ ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ต๐, ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐ฎ๐๐, ๐ฎ๐ฏ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐, ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐๐ฒ๐'. ๐๐ผ๐ป๐๐๐บ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ฌ,๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ,๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฃ๐ผ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป]
Feeling his other Templates turn into cards before they could offer help, Lux realized that Rank SSS was far beyond the reach of his current strength.
However...
๐๐๐๐๐!
A sharp slash, glittering like water, instantly halted Kira's movement for a moment.
Tomioka Giyลซ, with a serious expression and blood flowing down his forehead, stepped forward, blue markings slowly emerging on his cheek, signaling the gradual rise of his power!
For a few moments, there were many clashes between Tomioka's Nichirin katana and Kira's cross spear, creating sparks and shockwaves that destroyed everything around them!
Anyone who witnessed this scene would surely be awestruck. Viewed from any angle, it was admirable that a Rank S+ could stand on equal footing with a Rank SSS Hunter!
But the situation wasn't entirely surprising. Besides having been upgraded to a โฏโฏโฏโฏ Template, Tomioka Giyลซ was truly skilled in close combat.
Meanwhile, Artemisia and Dabi were merely โฏโฏโฏ (three-star) Templates without specialization in close-quarters fighting.
Compared to those two... Tomioka Giyลซ had a significant advantage.
Only, no matter how skilled Tomioka Giyลซ was and how great his upgrade, he was still in the Rank S+ realm.
The limit was still clearly visible in this fight...
To a casual observer, they might look evenly matched, but on closer inspection, it was in fact Tomioka Giyลซ who was being thoroughly suppressed by Kira.
Wounds and blood began to appear all over Tomioka Giyลซ's body.
Even with his famous Water Breathing, there was still a wide gap between their levels of power.
Then finally... cracks appeared on Tomioka Giyลซ's Nichirin blade and...
๐๐๐ผ๐! ๐ฝ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐...!!
The katana of the Water Hashira shattered into pieces, and Kira's slash instantly obliterated Tomioka Giyลซ in one decisive blow!
[๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด! ๐๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐น๐ ๐๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ง๐ฒ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒใ๐ง๐ผ๐บ๐ถ๐ผ๐ธ๐ฎ ๐๐ถ๐๐ โ โฏโฏโฏโฏ ใ: ๐ญ๐ฌ๐ฌ% - ๐๐น๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ]
[๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด! ๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ผ๐ณ ใ๐ง๐ผ๐บ๐ถ๐ผ๐ธ๐ฎ ๐๐ถ๐๐ โ โฏโฏโฏโฏ ใ, ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฝ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ใ๐ง๐ผ๐บ๐ถ๐ผ๐ธ๐ฎ ๐๐ถ๐๐ โ โฏโฏโฏโฏ ใ๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ผ ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฑ]
[๐ง๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ง๐ฒ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒใ๐ง๐ผ๐บ๐ถ๐ผ๐ธ๐ฎ ๐๐ถ๐๐ โ โฏโฏโฏโฏ ใ: '๐ฌ๐ฑ ๐ ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ต๐, ๐ฏ๐ฌ ๐๐ฎ๐๐, ๐ฎ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐, ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐๐ฒ๐'. ๐๐ผ๐ป๐๐๐บ๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ฌ,๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ,๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฃ๐ผ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป]
Swinging his spear in a graceful motion that contrasted with his brutality, Kira then looked at Lux with an emotionless gaze.
That gaze seemed to imply "Only you remain"...
Indeed, with Lux's current strength, his chances of winning against a Rank SSS were extremely low, but... hadn't Kira forgotten something?
"<<๐๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ฅ... ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐๐จ>>!"
The weapon that had been a giant spear in Itsuka Kotori's hand now transformed into a cannon with heat energy concentrated at its muzzle.
Sensing the near threat of death, Kira wanted to flee, but it was too late, because a blast of fire at extreme temperature had already been fired!!
๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ผ๐ผ๐ผ๐ฝ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐....!!
All of Itsuka Kotori's reiryoku released in this single attack melted everything within her line of sight.
Lux, who had wrapped his body in armor of ice from the Divine Ice Emperor, could only narrow his eyes before the tremendous intensity of the heat.
Honestly, if not for the Divine Ice Emperor's adaptation ability, he would surely have been burned by this rampage of fire as well.
After all... the temperature produced by the Spirit was no joke.
Even from a fair distance, Lux could still feel heat capable of scorching skin.
With an attack of such terrifying degree, Lux was no longer too worried about Kira surviving.
Even if the man was still alive, his life must already be on the brink of death...
Now... everything in the way was gone. But at the same time... most of his Templates could no longer be used.
This raid... was the raid with the greatest losses he had ever undertaken...
Four Templates had entered temporary cooldown while three others had been used to their maximum limit.
Lux even began considering using a "special Template" to end all this...
And...
"Stop hiding already..." Lux's voice sounded cold, colder than he had ever shown. "Ever since those lines of death vanished, I've known you were watching us."
Analyzing Kira's abnormal behavior and emotions, Lux could be certain that Kira was not an enemy with ordinary motives like greed or personal grudges.
Then the only reason Kira attacked him was... he was being controlled.
As for who was controlling Kira... wasn't that obvious?
Since when, no one knew, a faint terrifying silhouette appeared before them.
Its form was hard to describe because... when the creature appeared, all space and air distorted as if unable to contain its existence...
But its appearance could still be described briefly.
At a glance it looked human, but clearly it wasn't. A slimy body with two legs. Writhing tentacles emerged behind its body. Purple, black, and red wrapped around its entire figure, reminding anyone of the most horrifying nightmare.
Its existence was... chaos itself...
Yes... the moment Lux looked at it, his head felt as if it were being pierced by thousands of poisonous needles, stinging all at once.
"Kuh?!"
Lux's body collapsed helplessly. The creature was clearly just standing still in front of him, yet merely looking at it made Lux's head feel like it would explode!
Not only that, the adaptation effect of the Divine Ice Emperor truly couldn't keep up with the aura of this creature's presence!
Is this... is this... the Rank Unknown Magical Beast... True Cthulhu?
"[โ๐ฒ๐ช๐๐ซ]?"
Along with the utterance of that single word, Lux's sanity seemed to want to vanish and an obsession of madness began to fill every corner of his mind.
At the same time, the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception found that the creature's lines of death were... literally so faint and hard to see, as if this creature stood on the threshold of the dimension of death itself.
'Dangerous... if this continues...'
"๐๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ฎ๐๐ต๐ต๐ต๐ต๐๐ต๐ต๐ต!!"
A girl's scream broke the silence. There was no need to guess whose scream it was. It was none other than Itsuka Kotori, whose mind had begun to be distorted by the creature's presence...
If Lux, with the Divine Ice Emperor's adaptation, couldn't withstand its mental influence, how much less could Itsuka Kotori, a berserker-type Spirit?
[๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด! ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด! ๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด! ๐๐๐๐๐ธ๐ฎ ๐๐ผ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ด๐ถ๐ป๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐น!]
[๐๐๐ก๐! ๐๐๐ก๐! ๐๐๐ก๐! ๐ช๐๐ฅ๐ก๐๐ก๐! ๐๐๐๐๐ธ๐ฎ ๐๐ผ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด '๐๐ก๐ฉ๐๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ '!]
[๐๐๐ก๐! ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐น๐ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ง๐ฒ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒใ๐๐๐๐๐ธ๐ฎ ๐๐ผ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ โ โฏโฏโฏโฏโฏใ]
But the system was a little late, as a burst of black flame exploded, leveling the entire area within sight!
๐ฝ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐...!!!
The black flames raged uncontrollably.
The impression they gave filled the souls of those who saw them with fear.
Even that creature, "True Cthulhu," seemed rather startled by the strength of this darkness flame...
Unfortunately, it didn't have time to think about it for long because, just as Itsuka Kotori, who was beginning to enter her forbidden form, was about to rampage, the figure had already disappeared, vanishing from the air as if it had never appeared.
However, almost simultaneously, another figure appeared and immediately attacked True Cthulhu with insane intensity.
The sky darkened, the weather filled with purple lightning striking wildly.
Then a giant slash wrapped in electro energy formed, with destructive power never witnessed before.
The terrifying energy radiating from it numbed anyone who sensed it. It was then that a cold voice full of fury was heard!
"<<๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ง๐จ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐>>!!!"
Like divine punishment sent down from the heavens, the Electro Archon's wrath sought to destroy the terror that had slaughtered hundreds of millions of living beings.
Faced with swordsmanship capable of splitting space and time, there was no doubt anyone would die instantly, but this time... the opponent was different from any the Archon had faced.
True Cthulhu took up a punching stance and chaotic energy gathered on its fist.
As if that weren't enough, countless tentacles tried to merge with the fist.
The result was... a pressure that surpassed the Electro Archon's elemental attack...
โThen the punch was released.
๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ผ๐ผ๐ผ๐ผ๐๐๐๐....!!! ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ผ๐ผ๐ผ๐ผ๐ฝ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐....!!
The clash of the two powers created a shockwave that swept over everything around. Even Lux was no exception...
As proof of how tremendous the attack was, True Cthulhu's fist was annihilated when it met the goddess of lightning's terrifying swordsmanship... butโ
[๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด! ๐๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐น๐ ๐๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ป ๐ง๐ฒ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒ!]
[๐๐ฎ๐บ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ ๐๐ผใ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ถ/๐ฆ๐ต๐ผ๐ด๐๐ป โ โฏโฏโฏโฏโฏใ: ๐ญ๐ฌ๐ฌ% - ๐๐๐๐. ๐ง๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒใ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ถ/๐ฆ๐ต๐ผ๐ด๐๐ป โ โฏโฏโฏโฏโฏใ: '๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐, ๐ฌ๐ฑ ๐ ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ต๐, ๐ฏ๐ฌ ๐๐ฎ๐๐, ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐, ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐๐ฒ๐'. ๐๐ผ๐ป๐๐๐บ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ฌ๐ฌ,๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ,๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฃ๐ผ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป]
"Hah... hah... pff... truly..."
Seeing that even one of his โฏโฏโฏโฏโฏ Character Templates had died, Lux realized... that he had truly underestimated what was called Rank Unknown...
Imagining that True Cthulhu could even kill Raiden Ei/Shogun in a single strikeโeven though the Electro Archon hadn't unleashed her full powerโLux finally understood the terror that Rank Unknown brought.
So, was this the only option left?
If even Raiden Ei/Shogun couldn't handle it, then Takamiya Mayuri probably wouldn't be able to either...
๐๐ข๐ฌ...
The sound of footsteps. Feeling the chaotic aura trying to suppress his consciousness and drive him mad, Lux's breathing grew heavier.
Lux tried to rise, but quickly realized that the lower half of his body had been destroyed.
He felt no pain thanks to the adapted Divine Ice Emperor, but even so, the pain in his head did not lessen in the slightest...
At that moment, Lux once again saw the figure that was the manifestation of the aura of chaos itself.
Heh... chaos, huh?
Then Lux had found an opponent worthy of him...
Though suffering greatly, Lux forced his mind to search for one of his Templates.
Ah... he had finally found it...
Though it was only a โฏโฏโฏโฏโฏ Template, its quality was nearly at the โฏโฏโฏโฏโฏโฏ level...
Then there was no need to hesitate anymore...
"For a moment, I hoped." In a weak tone, the light in Lux's right eye began to dim. "...I hoped I could sleep soundly without thinking about anything."
Lux's words seemed to make True Cthulhu tilt its head in confusion, but it had no time to ponder their meaning because Lux had already closed his eyes...
"...Come, I'll rest for a while."
[๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด! ๐๐ป๐๐๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ง๐ฒ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ใ๐๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ ๐๐ฎ๐๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ - ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฉ๐ผ๐ถ๐ฑ : โฏโฏโฏโฏโฏใ]
[๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด! ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ถ๐ป๐๐๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป...]
...And what happened after that, Lux could no longer remember.
***
"[โ๐ฒ๐ช๐๐ซ]?"
The disgusting tentacled creature tilted its head, looking at the white-haired human boy lying on the ground.
There was curiosity toward him, but only fleeting, because the end of everyone who challenged it was essentially the same: death.
Even the purple-haired woman, though she had killed the Rank SSS Giant strengthened by it, was still no match for it.
Yes... in the end, all humans were weak beings it killed with ease.
But it couldn't be helped that some curiosity still tickled its mind.
For example, why did some of the people it had killed vanish without a trace?...
True Cthulhu might not be able to think intelligently like a human, but a Transcendent being like it still possessed some basic knowledge...
So, it was intrigued... there were no [mana] fluctuations and it wasn't a type of teleportation ability eitherโthere were similarities, but clearly different.
Then how did they suddenly disappear like that?
What's more, their power systems or the concepts of their abilities seemed to differ from this world's "laws"...
For the first time in its long existence, great curiosity arose in its heart...
And to satisfy its curiosity, it began approaching the human boy who had lost consciousness before it.
It didn't know whether the human knew anything, but its instinct told it that the human had a connection to those strange people...
So, it would read his memories.
As a Transcendent being, that was not difficult... Of course, this memory-reading ability only worked on those far weaker than itself.
Against Rank SS Hunters and above, this ability wouldn't be very useful.
It restored the tentacle that had been destroyed by the purple-haired woman's swordsmanship and extended it, about to forcibly read the human's memories by destroying them...
Butโ
๐๐ก๐๐จ๐!
The tentacle approaching the human was suddenly severed, making True Cthulhu tilt its head again.
It hadn't seen the attack coming and it didn't sense the presence of any other creature besides the human before it...
That was when True Cthulhu's primitive instincts seemed to give it a stern warning...
"[????]"
๐ฝ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐!!!
A tremendous explosion suddenly blasted True Cthulhu's body away from close range.
Of course, it had no significant effect on it.
Although it was slightly startled, something else soon became the center of its attention...
When hit by the explosion just now, it had felt an alien energy it had never felt before.
That energy was different from the familiar [mana], different from Raiden Ei's Electro energy and also not Takamiya Mayuri's Reiryoku...
This energy... was something dangerous. Far more dangerous than its own power.
Something evil, dark, corrupt, and... broken.
And that energy was now trying to "corrupt" and "devour" it at the same time.
With its power, True Cthulhu could of course eliminate that energy, but then it found that this energy grew more aggressive and kept developing like a living organism within a human body...
That was when its instincts warned it even more strongly.
It looked.
The weak human boy before it, who had been unconscious, was no longer there.
Instead, another figure had taken his place.
A girl.
Waist-length white hair shimmered softly in the dim light. Her eyes were hidden behind delicate bangs.
She wore an elegant black jacket with white and pink accents, equipped with long black gloves and a pink glove on her left hand.
She simply stood there without moving, yet her aura filled the air with an indescribable pressure.
Tilting its head, True Cthulhu tried its power on her...
"[โ๐ฒ๐ช๐๐ซ]?"
It thought that with its power as part of "chaos," the girl before it would go mad like the others.
No matter who it was, as long as they heard True Cthulhu's voice, they would go insane instantly.
Even Rank SS Hunters couldn't escape this power. But unfortunately... this time it had met an opponent of a very different kind.
A being equal to or even surpassing it in "madness"...
"๐๐ฎ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ฌ? ๐๐จ๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ง ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ'๐ซ๐ ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฌ๐ ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฆ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐จ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ฆ๐?"
The emotionless sentence was heard, yet it held a trace of deep contempt and disgust.
Unintentionally, True Cthulhu looked straight into her pupils...
A pair of orange-gold eyes with glowing cross-shaped pupils.
"...๐๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ง ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ'๐ซ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ง๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐จ๐ซ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฐ๐๐ซ ๐จ๐ง ๐ฆ๐."
It was then that True Cthulhu seemed to feel its body pushed by an invisible force.
No, literally, it was actually thrown with tremendous force far from where it had stood!!
"[???!!!]"
True Cthulhu was stunned, then tried to dispel the pressure pushing it back with a fierce effort!
๐ฝ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐...!!!
A wave of pure chaotic energy burst out from the girl's body, blasting away everything around and forming a dome of purple-gold energy that protected her body.
The girl's eyes opened slowly, revealing golden irises that blazed with a symbol of a hollow cross floating in her pupils.
Her lips curved into a cold smile never before seen on her faceโa cruel smile radiating absolute arrogance.
"๐๐ญ ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ญ..." her voice whispered coldly, echoing with a dual tone that pierced to the marrow of anyone who heard it.
Her body began to float slowly, lifted by energy swirling like a purple-gold tornado.
Her white hair turned into a silver shimmering like moonlight, fluttering wildly though no wind blew.
A black glove on her right hand, elegant white wings appeared on her back, black shorts with pink accents, and glossy black thigh-high boots.
Her appearance had now completely transformed...
A chaotic and arrogant aura radiated from her, making her look like a beautiful and graceful queen, yet her cold, emotionless gaze made anyone who saw her shudder in fear.
True Cthulhu took a step back, its primitive instincts clearly recognizing that a far greater threat now stood before it.
She extended her hand, now covered in a dark energy glove with a complex pattern that shimmered purple.
"๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ก๐ฎ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ซ๐๐ฆ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฒ ๐จ๐ง๐๐ ๐ก๐๐. ๐ ๐๐๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ช๐ฎ๐๐๐ง."
Chaotic and terrifying energy exploded from her body, radiating in every direction like a cosmic shockwave.
The ground cracked and shattered beneath her feet, and the sky darkened further with terrifying energy growing ever thicker, coloring the horizon with a beautiful yet deadly purple-gold tint.
This phenomenon even made the clean air appear polluted by that energy, creating distortions of reality around them.
In an instant, various chaotic parameter anomalies occurred everywhereโthe laws of physics began to waver before the Manifestation of Destruction.
๐พ๐ก๐๐๐ !
With one graceful snap of her fingers, suddenly dark portalsโdozens, hundreds, thousandsโappeared with a blindingly bright golden light splitting the sky.
From within those portals emerged white creatures of various sizes radiating chaotic and corrupt energy.
All those creatures roared and glared fiercely at True Cthulhu, awaiting the command of their queen.
"๐ ๐๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฏ๐จ๐ข๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ฌ๐ฐ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฒ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ . ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ฅ๐..." She smiled coldly on her beautiful face, her golden eyes glinting with a promise of destruction, "๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ค๐ง๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ฆ๐."
***
[๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด! ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด! ๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด! ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ด๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ผ๐๐๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ '๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฉ๐ผ๐ถ๐ฑ' ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐'๐ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฑ๐!]
[๐๐๐ก๐! ๐๐๐ก๐! ๐๐๐ก๐! ๐ช๐๐ฅ๐ก๐๐ก๐!!]
[๐๐ฒ๐ด๐ถ๐ป๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ผ๐๐๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป...]
[๐ฆ๐๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐ฒ๐ฑ. ๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ: ๐๐ผ๐๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐น๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ผ๐๐๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐]
[๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด! ๐๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ป๐ด, ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ ใ๐๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ ๐๐ฎ๐๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ - ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฉ๐ผ๐ถ๐ฑใ]
[๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด! ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ฒ๐บ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป: ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐ณ '๐๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ ๐๐ฎ๐๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ - ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฉ๐ผ๐ถ๐ฑ' ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ '๐๐๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐' ๐ถ๐ ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ฎ๐๐ผ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป๐ต๐๐บ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ฟ]
[๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด! ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ฒ๐บ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป: ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ง๐ฒ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒใ๐ง๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฎ๐บ๐ถ๐๐ฎ ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฟ๐ถ โ โฏโฏโฏโฏโฏใ๐ถ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐พ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ฎ๐๐๐ถ๐๐ ๐ต๐๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ผ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ '๐๐ผ๐ป๐ธ๐ฎ๐ถ' ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐ป]
[๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด! ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐๐ฒ๐บ ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ฎ๐๐๐ถ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ง๐ฒ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒใ๐ง๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฎ๐บ๐ถ๐๐ฎ ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฟ๐ถ โ โฏโฏโฏโฏโฏใ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ '๐๐ผ๐ป๐ธ๐ฎ๐ถ' ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐ป]
[๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด! ๐๐น๐น ๐๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐๐ณ๐๐น]