Chapter 96

The monster, within the ever-expanding mass of black flesh, continued to gaze at the scenery outside, utterly perplexed.

──What in the world is this?

The man with the black sword.

A man who, despite my best efforts, remains unscathed.

I just unleashed my most powerful attack yet.

No, I have been continuously unleashing it.

Since a while ago, I have been constantly surpassing my limits, launching my ultimate attacks.

The power I have gained from the blood I greedily absorbed is so immense that I can even feel my body undergoing abnormal growth.

──And yet, why?

『『『『『『Black Lightning』』』』』』

“Crack”

That was my all-out attack.

A flawless, once-in-a-lifetime strike.

And yet, he deflected it with ease.

──The next one. The one after that. And the one after that.

『『『『『『Black Lightning』』』』』』

“Crack”

──Over and over again.

Over and over again. Over and over again.

Over and over again, over and over again, over and over again.

No matter how many times.

No matter how many times I unleash the ‘Black Lightning,’ no matter how powerful I make it, it is easily deflected.

His defenses are impenetrable.

Not only that, but now, something has even started to catch up to me.

『『『『『『Black Lightning』』』』』』

“[Divine Shield]”

The light blades that cut into my flesh.

Even as I continue to regenerate and produce vast amounts of flesh, they carve into my body at a rate that surpasses even that, reducing my size by a significant margin.

Fortunately, it does not affect my core, but it is still a nuisance.

──What are these things?

I managed to escape from the ‘Blue Stone’ before it drained all my power, and have been on the surface for over two hundred years.

Until now, such things did not exist.

I had never even heard of them.

There should have been no one strong enough to be my enemy.

I have investigated several times, but there are no other gods who could be my rivals.

Therefore, once I recover my body and regain my full power, this world, devoid of external threats, should become my paradise.

──And yet. And yet.

Why am I, a being who should be on par with a ‘God,’ being reduced to this?

Something incomprehensible is happening.

It is not so much a matter of humiliation as it is confusion, a sense of being toyed with.

My best efforts are ineffective against a creature I considered far inferior to myself.

It is not that I have become weaker.

On the contrary, thanks to the ‘Devil’s Heart’ I have painstakingly gathered and consumed, I have more power in my body than ever before.

And even now, my body continues to grow, surpassing even my prime.

And yet──and yet.

Nothing works against this man.

No matter what I do, it is nullified.

Worse still, the flames I unleashed on the dragon he controls are returned to me, burning and consuming my flesh.

But I have no other means of attack.

So the monster, feeling the unprecedented power within itself, continues to be baffled by its inability to destroy the being before it, and repeats the same actions over and over.

『『『『『『Black Lightning』』』』』』

“Crack”

But when the monster’s ultimate lightning was deflected, something within it changed dramatically.

……Ah, of course, it’s no use.

This, I cannot defeat.

──Then, I thought.

The monster, protected by the abundant mass of flesh, reflected.

And──it finally understood.

It had to admit it.

The man before it is strong.

Stronger than anyone it has ever faced.

Stronger than any of the gods it opposed in the age of myths.

Stronger than the humans who once banded together against us.

Stronger than those who were imprisoned within the ‘Blue Stone,’ which cunningly drained the gods’ power without limit.

Much, much stronger than any of them. Indeed, the man with the sword is the most troublesome being it has ever encountered in its entire life.

Thus, the monster decided to change its approach.

Understanding the precise relationship between itself and the man, it acknowledged its dire situation and tried to gauge the ‘power’ before it.

It gave up on overwhelming it with brute force and began to observe the threat calmly.

Like a weakling searching for a strong opponent’s weakness with bloodshot eyes. The monster felt a sense of shame in this.

But there was no more hesitation.

Despite the frustration it felt towards itself, the monster focused on the man’s every move, using the hundreds of eyes that continuously regenerate after being destroyed by light blades and heat rays.

It burned into its memory the sight of its best attacks being effortlessly deflected, and continued to think of ways to win, discarding everything else.

──And so.

The monster finally found the path it desired.

It finally realized what it needed to do.

……He is, after all, human.

──That abnormal regenerative ability.

──That abnormal strength.

──That abnormal reaction speed.

While each of these traits is difficult to call human, he is, without a doubt, human.

If I can surpass even one of these for an instant, I can slip past that troublesome sword and eliminate him.

To achieve this, the monster resolved to discard everything.

It decided to pour all its power into that one instant, moving forward without hesitation.

『────Ah』

The monster laughed with the hundreds of mouths that opened in the flesh mass.

He is, after all, human.

──That abnormal regenerative ability.

──That abnormal strength.

──That abnormal reaction speed.

While each of these traits is difficult to call human, he is, without a doubt, human.

If I can surpass even one of these for an instant, I can slip past that troublesome sword and eliminate him.

To achieve this, the monster resolved to discard everything.

It decided to pour all its power into that one instant, moving forward without hesitation.

『────Ah, Ah, Ah』

As the monster made its resolve, its black flesh began to transform.

Its body tissue changed according to its will.

This was the first transformation the monster had ever undergone.

It was evolving into the form it envisioned.

Even its core ached and creaked.

But the sound was pleasant to the monster.

──Ah, this is it, it thought.

The monster rejoiced at its transformation.

It trembled with excitement, realizing that its limits were not where it thought they were.

The monster decided to pour all the immense power it had stored into its body’s transformation.

Its already massive body swelled even larger before contracting.

It could feel the power condensing.

The monster felt its power growing and, at the same time, its calmness returning.

It realized that the surge of blood to its head, which had occurred due to the massive intake of blood earlier, had affected its judgment.

……Yes.

In the end, it’s just that.

──‘Conceptual Matter.’

Even after losing all its power, it remains the ultimate threat to the gods.

If I can just deal with that, everything will be fine.

That power is immortal.

It cannot be destroyed by principle.

No one in this world has ever managed to wound it.

Only those who are not of this world can interfere with it.

We, too, should have been such beings. No one in this world could even scratch us.

That was supposed to be the case.

But, there is one exception.

Only it, only the black sword, stands in the way.

Then, it’s simple.

I just need to focus on the target.

That is the most troublesome thing for us.

A curse left by the small beings of the old world, destroyed by the gods.

In short, it’s the only troublesome thing.

I need to separate the wielder from the sword.

While the wielder is abnormal, the sword itself is not immortal.

Therefore, I just need to destroy the wielder, the ‘handler.’

I should have prioritized this.

──In short.

I just need to surpass that being, even for a moment, right now.

『────Ah』

Following the ‘concept’ it had derived, the monster’s body tissue reorganized.

The flesh armor that had expanded in fear began to collapse like melting wax.

……I no longer need such armor.

It will be torn apart by that woman anyway.

I understand that it won’t affect my core.

The problem is that man, that sword.

I just need to surpass it for a moment.

This flesh armor just needs to protect my core once.

During that time, I need to tear apart the man with the black sword.

He reacts even to the lightning I produce.

Then──I just need to be much faster than my own black lightning.

The monster’s body transformed again, following the new concept.

The pain from the physical transformation was intense.

But──it felt good.

Until a moment ago, there was a slight hesitation in using my full power.

If I used my full power, I would involve the citizens of Misra.

I was prepared to lose some, but losing everything was too much.

It takes time to grow them back.

But fortunately.

Now, there is that ‘shield.’

Thanks to the ‘shining shield’ created by that woman, I can use my full power without worrying about the humans on the ground.

Now, that shield is protecting the precious citizens I have raised.

The monster was grateful for this fortunate turn of events.

『────Ah, Ah, Ah, Ah────Ah』

The monster’s heart, once filled with fear and confusion, was now filled with joy.

It even felt gratitude towards the obstacles that stood before it.

Thanks to them, it had ascended to a higher plane.

It was grateful to all the citizens of the ‘Holy Misra Kingdom’ it had created, who were now fleeing in terror below.

──Thank you for giving me this opportunity to grow.

And thank you for being born to be eaten.

The vision of victory spread before the monster, and a sense of ease and emotion welled up in its heart.

──Ah, now. Now.

The hateful ‘curse’ left by those ancient humans to the gods will be lifted.

No, more than that……if I can obtain it, I can gain a significant advantage over the other gods who may still be sleeping at the bottom of other labyrinths.

I will kill that man and store it in a place where no one else can ever reach.

Then, there will be nothing to fear.

There will be no one on this earth who can be my enemy.

Then──I will truly stand at the pinnacle of the world.

『────Ah, Ah, Ah, Ah────Ah』

Ah.

Indeed, today is a memorable day.

A day that should be recorded in history, a day that should be celebrated.

The time for the feast is near.

Once I defeat him, I can feast on the small beings who are fleeing in terror to my heart’s content.

The monster envisioned the feast to come, enveloped in joy, and transformed its body, eventually becoming the black lightning itself──

『────Ah』

It became a black flash that tore through the sky, hurtling towards the source of the threat.