BXBX NOVEL Chapter 180 – Stepping Out into the World (2)
Chapter 180: Stepping Out into the World (2)
At first, they didn’t understand the scene unfolding before their eyes.
The corpse of the alpha monkey was being devoured by another monster.
It was a sight too alien for them to comprehend.
“Uh…”
Crunch. Crunch.
The one eating the alpha monkey’s corpse had the shape of a monkey.
But it was very different from the monkeys they had encountered so far.
First of all, it was smaller.
It was about the size of a typical continent monkey, only reaching their waists.
The peculiar feature was its long claws.
It had claws as long as its forearms.
With each movement of its claws, the tough skin of the monkey tore apart like ripe meat.
“Is it a… baby?”
“No. I don’t think so.”
Though the monkeys of the Forbidden Land were abnormally large, they had ordinary brown fur like regular monkeys.
But this one was different.
This small monkey had no fur.
Its skin was smooth and white as if painted, and the texture of its skin writhed in a bizarre manner.
“This is…”
It was more alien than the monkeys of the Forbidden Land.
It looked like a grotesque creature disguised as a monkey.
“…Wait. Then, could it be that this creature killed all these bodies?”
“It seems… so.”
Nearly a thousand monkeys of the Forbidden Land.
If they had reached the continent, they could have overturned the entire sea with their numbers, but a single monster had dealt with them.
“……”
They swallowed hard.
This creature, in the shape of a monkey, was more dangerous than the primates living in the deep sea.
They instinctively tried to retreat.
At that moment, the creature devouring the alpha monkey’s entrails raised its head.
[Screech?]
Aquaz and Baker reflexively held their breath.
The creature seemed to sense something strange and turned its head.
Its eyes were completely white.
[Wail.]
The creature let out a cry.
It was like the cry of a child.
It seemed to sense an unrecognized presence and looked in their direction, puzzled.
A tense moment passed, and finally, the creature opened its mouth.
[Screeeech!]
A roar erupted.
It swept forward, striking the sea.
It shattered the camouflage veil Aquaz had cast.
Crash!
The veil shattered into pieces.
Aquaz watched the scattering fragments of light in disbelief.
It shattered her barrier with just one roar?
[Wail.]
The creature looked at Aquaz and Baker.
Its eyes were filled with curiosity.
The creature thought.
These prey.
It was the first time it had seen such forms of prey.
They were strangely covered.
Curious, but the creature didn’t think any further.
They were new prey.
That meant it was time to taste them.
It opened its mouth, revealing hideous teeth.
Aquaz’s instincts screamed a warning.
She quickly raised her arms.
“Descend upon me!”
Boom!
A golden pillar descended upon her underwater.
Golden armor covered her entire body, and a shield and mace were in her hands.
The creature had already flown close, slashing with its claws.
She quickly raised her shield.
The blood-stained white claws clashed with the shield.
Clang!
“Gahhh!”
Aquaz’s body was sent flying.
Unable to withstand the shock, she spat out blood.
Barely maintaining her stance, she looked at her shield in disbelief.
The shield was completely dented.
The shield had withstood the attacks of a named demon like Ashetiar without a scratch, but it was damaged by a single blow from this creature.
[Wail!]
Instead of targeting the staggered Aquaz, the creature attacked Baker.
Its rough claws swung down.
Baker was a mage.
His physical reaction speed was inevitably slow.
As the claws were about to tear his body apart, a spell was activated.
It was a reaction spell Baker had set up.
When attacked, it surrounded his body with a sturdy mana shield.
Fitting his cowardly nature, the shield was extremely tough.
Crash!
“Aaagh!”
And that shield shattered in a single strike.
Baker’s body rolled on the ground.
The creature didn’t stop there.
It instinctively sensed that Baker was the weaker prey and slashed its claws towards his neck.
Just as his neck was about to be pierced, Aquaz charged forward.
“Hup!”
Aquaz, having restored her shield with divine power, struck the creature.
The creature’s body was sent flying.
“A-Aquaz!”
Baker stood up, almost in tears.
But Aquaz’s expression was grim.
‘No reaction at all.’
She had struck it directly with her shield, but there was no satisfying impact.
It meant the monster had evaded the shock by throwing its body backward at the moment of collision.
Indeed, it was now glaring at them with an unscathed appearance.
“What is that thing!”
“I don’t know. But… it’s dangerous.”
It was hostile towards them.
That was all they needed to know.
Baker gritted his teeth and gathered mana.
The monster opened its mouth again and charged at them.
“Aquaz!”
“Karmanun, Chapter 3, Verse 11! The servant of the Sun God stands firm in their place!”
Boom!
Light enveloped Aquaz’s entire body.
She had enhanced her defensive abilities with the power of the scripture.
She collided with the monster head-on.
Clang!
“Ugh!”
Aquaz let out a pained groan, unable to withstand the force.
But unlike before, she stood her ground firmly without being easily pushed back.
The vanguard was blocking the enemy’s attacks in front.
It was time for the rear guard to wield their power.
Baker quickly cast his spell.
[Oh star beyond, with your gravitational pull, descend here!]
Boom!
The spell manifested, and the monster’s body momentarily shrank.
The powerful gravity of a star somewhere in the universe was pressing down on the monster’s entire body.
Just as Baker’s face was about to brighten, thinking they had succeeded in suppressing it, the monster roared and exerted strength throughout its body.
[Aaaah!]
Crash!
A massive shockwave swept through the space.
Baker, barely maintaining his balance, widened his eyes in shock.
“D-did it break the spell with sheer strength?”
The monster had broken Baker’s spell with greater force than the pressure exerted on it.
The monster, seemingly annoyed, struck Aquaz irritably.
Her shield, reinforced with divine power, quickly deformed.
They desperately fought back.
The two superhumans perfectly coordinated their attacks, pressing the monster.
But it didn’t reach.
The monster fought back ferociously.
Each swing of its arm seemed to tear the sea apart, and her shield was on the verge of breaking.
Baker unleashed freezing cold.
The sea froze instantly, but the monster calmly shattered the frozen sea and advanced, seemingly unaffected by the cold.
“What is this thing!”
Baker couldn’t believe it.
It was so strong that even the two of them couldn’t handle it.
Moreover, the monster wasn’t even using any mystical powers.
It was overwhelming them with sheer physical strength alone.
‘This, this is…’
It felt similar to when they had faced Ketal.
The monster struck Aquaz.
Her body staggered heavily, exposing a momentary gap.
The monster didn’t miss the opportunity and charged at Baker.
“Gah!”
Baker, in a panic, activated teleportation.
The sleeve of his arm was torn.
A moment’s delay would have resulted in his arm being cut off.
He would die.
A sense of crisis engulfed Baker.
He hurriedly grabbed his necklace and imbued it with power.
With a clinking sound, the necklace broke off.
“Explode!”
He threw the necklace’s gemstone at the monster.
The spell contained within the gemstone activated at his command.
A complex magic circle manifested, binding the monster.
It was a one-time artifact given by the Archmage, who worried about Baker leaving the magic tower to pursue the heretic inquisitor.
It contained a spell to bind enemies with multiple layers of magic circles.
The artifact, created personally by the Archmage, was valuable enough to buy a castle.
However.
Crack, crack, crack.
The magic circles broke and shattered in an instant.
Baker was now dumbfounded.
‘What is this thing!’
However, the monster seemed to have some difficulty breaking free completely.
It was still bound by the magic circles.
Deciding it was their chance, the two quickly unleashed their full power.
[Descend, fragment of the star beyond!]
“Lobani Chapter 11, Verse 2! The Sun God’s wrath pours down in a divine rain!”
A fragment of a star manifested.
The divine rain poured down.
The combined power of two superhumans was enough to devastate the area.
And the monster, exposed to that power directly, endured it.
[Aaaah!]
It roared, dispelling the divine rain.
It charged through the freezing environment with its bare body.
Though it sustained injuries, they were merely scratches.
The monster arrived in an instant, and Aquaz hurriedly raised her shield.
The monster brought its claws together.
Crack.
The claws shattered the shield and pierced Aquaz’s abdomen.
“Gah.”
Aquaz gasped.
She tried to retaliate despite the pain, but the monster violently twisted its claws.
Feeling her intestines twist, Aquaz collapsed.
Baker screamed and cast a spell.
[Push!]
Boom!
The shockwave sent the monster flying.
“Aquaz!”
Baker hurriedly supported Aquaz, but a significant amount of blood was spreading into the sea.
It was a severe injury.
“H-hurry, use heal!”
“S-Sun God…”
But the monster had no reason to wait.
It bared its teeth and charged at them.
The fear of death overwhelmed Baker.
He hesitated for a moment.
The monster’s speed wasn’t that fast, likely due to the residual effects of the attack.
If he activated teleportation now, he could survive.
But then Aquaz would die.
The Aquaz he had fallen for at first sight.
He weighed his life against hers, and the answer came faster than he thought.
“…Damn it!”
Baker closed his eyes tightly and shielded Aquaz with his body.
Aquaz’s eyes widened.
It was the moment he braced himself for the pain he would feel.
Boom!
A massive shockwave erupted.
Aquaz and Baker’s bodies were pushed back.
When the pain didn’t come, Baker opened his eyes.
“…Ketal!”
“That was close.”
Ketal stood before them, waving his hand.
* * *
“K-Ketal…”
He had almost died.
Baker felt like crying for a moment.
No, in fact, tears did well up.
Ketal looked at Baker.
He stood with his arms spread, seemingly trying to protect Aquaz.
Ketal smiled.
“Were you trying to protect her with your life? That’s quite manly.”
“T-thank you…”
Despite the situation, Baker felt good about Ketal’s compliment.
Aquaz, her wounds healed, grasped her mace with a pale face.
“Ketal, you came.”
“I had a bad feeling and rushed over. Seems I made the right choice.”
“That thing is dangerous.”
“What is it? Is it one of those creatures’ offspring?”
Ketal had entered the Forbidden Land to find Aquaz bleeding and Baker trying to protect her.
It was such a critical situation that he had charged in without identifying the enemy.
He still didn’t know what they were facing.
“No. It’s a completely different monster.”
Aquaz, struggling to stand, held her damaged shield.
“It’s a monster I’ve never seen before. How on earth could such a monster…”
“It’s strange. Really strange. Something like that shouldn’t exist in this world.”
They couldn’t understand it.
It was more alien and twisted than the Forbidden Land’s creatures.
It shouldn’t exist in this world.
Ketal looked intrigued by their words.
“Really? Seems quite powerful.”
“It is. It feels… like fighting you, Ketal.”
“Me?”
Ketal turned his gaze, puzzled.
The monster, having been blown away, emerged from the debris.
[Screech!]
Ketal’s expression grew peculiar as he looked at the monster.
“…Well, this is nostalgic but not a face I wanted to see.”
The monster and Ketal locked eyes.