Ep. 217
A dark being emerges from the clouds and reveals itself. Even though it is a long distance, there is a feeling of intimidation that cannot be overlooked.
It fluttered its wings, which were more than twice as big as its body, and landed on the forest.
As I get closer to the creature, the auxiliary organ makes an exciting sound. The powerful psychic power flowing from Black Gallagon has an effect.
The most powerful being among Apex I have ever fought.
The black dragon Od Grad is before me.
“Be careful, big baby.”
No. 26, riding on top, warns me. A nervous look was evident in the guy’s waves.
I know very well how strong Black Gallagon is. Because it is a creature that has been caught more than dozens of times in the game.
But one thing I didn’t expect was why he was here.
‘How did you find out?’
The Heavenly Mother said that while she was watching the nest, she did not see any creatures entering or leaving the nest. Since the Green Gallagon tracking party hasn’t returned, it’s highly unlikely that they will know of my existence.
‘Could it be that the Green Gallagon in the cruiser’s records informed you?’
He may have seen me fighting the cruiser and reported it to Od Grad.
But questions still remain. White Gallagon with a broken wing said it was definitely a ‘trap’.
This means that he had already seen through my plan to ‘target White Gallagon when he goes out hunting’.
This guy showed up against my expectations and caused quite a few problems.
I’m not in the best shape right now. The wounds on his body have almost completely recovered, but his characteristics are problematic. The ‘Symbol of the Hunt’ and the ‘Revenant Organ’, the ability to grow large through ‘organic evolution’, are all sealed.
And my colleagues are scattered too. You must fight this guy with only No. 26, Adhai Nel Germa, who is here.
It is no exaggeration to say that the situation is truly the worst since they are an enemy that cannot be easily guaranteed victory even if they fight in the best condition, but they have to fight in a weak condition.
‘…Let’s calm down.’
This is not the time to think negatively. That doesn’t mean the situation will change. It is much more productive now to think about how to survive the powerful enemy in front of us.
I kept my eyes on him calmly. The one on the ground didn’t rush and just glared at me.
He too went on a search mission like me.
‘…I think my hair is pretty good.’
Judging from its appearance alone, its size was bigger than any Gallagon seen here. It’s similar to when I grew up using the symbol of hunting.
The body had an elongated shape reminiscent of a snake, but it did not give the impression of being slender. The neck, chest, waist, and tail had solid muscles, and the top was covered with scales reminiscent of obsidian.
It had six horns on its head that were curved like those of a goat or a sheep, and a bunch of long tentacles hung from the corners of its mouth like a beard.
Looking at it up to this point, it could be said to have a noble appearance like an oriental dragon, but I didn’t think so at all. It’s because of his eyes.
Ham Ort Adhaj Nel Germa both have beautiful purple eyes that resemble amethyst. It also had purple jewel eyes, but it felt completely different.
Only ferocity and cunning were felt in Od Grad’s eyes. He was a world away from Aadhai, who had a hint of elegance and a hint of playfulness in his eyes.
‘He is a cruel enemy.’
I think it would be better to assume that it is an enemy closer to the player than a regular creature.
‘I heard you’re old, but I wonder what it’s like.’
In games, the aging state was rarely reflected on NPCs. In the case of Gallagon, there was no difference between objects of the same color.
But this is reality. Ham Ort alone is stronger than the other White Gallagons, Adhai and Nel Germa. It is unclear what effect aging has had on the black dragon Od Grad, but it does not seem to have weakened its strength.
‘He must have subdued Ham Oort, but he has no injuries on his body.’
Scars were visible on the black scales, but these were not marks made by Ham Oort. In other words, he defeated Ham Ort without suffering any injuries.
‘hmm?’
While looking at it, I noticed something unusual. There was a ring with a jewel on its front paw.
‘I’ve never seen equipment like that before?’
This is an item that does not appear in the game. Looking at the refined form of the gem, it was clear that it had been processed by an expert.
‘Let’s be careful.’
Just as I discovered something special about his body, he also discovered something special about me. He looked at number 26 on my back and tilted his head.
Whether it’s the Black Gallagon or the Sea Demon, they are all powerful psychic creatures. They seemed to sense how dangerous each other was.
Eventually, the guy began to move, probably because he decided that he was superior to No. 26. The psychic power that flowed like water on the black scales quickly gathered towards the head.
‘come.’
The first attack was psychic breath. The guy who charged up his power at high speed fired a dark purple heat ray that was almost black.
I spread my wings and lifted myself upward. A heat ray lightly grazed the carapace below my lower body. The part that was touched evaporated without leaving a trace.
‘…reflection is impossible.’
It is meaningless because the carapace disappears before the psychic reflective armor is activated. I flew into the air, dodged the attack, and tried to fly towards the guy.
At that time, it raised its head upward while firing a psychic breath.
‘Tsk.’
The guy seemed to have enough psychic power left over and kept spitting it out without stopping. Heat rays devouring everything followed me. I increased my flight speed by hitting the air with my wings.
While I was distracted, Adhaj and Nel Germa attempted to attack Od Grad. Nell Germa spewed out energy first, but there was someone blocking it.
White Gallagon, whose wings were broken, fired his breath and canceled out Nel Germa’s attack.
「Traitor」
「Nel Germa」「Ham Ort」「Service」
「Traitor」「Death」 「
Kingdom」「Processed」「Black People」「Support」
「Me」「Understanding」
Nel Germa takes White Gallagon While I was marking, Aadhai came to support me. The guy made a detour, went back to the back of Ohd Grad, and fired his psychic breath. A barrage of purple energy bullets, which had now become his signature skill, flew towards Od Grad’s head.
In response, Od Grad briefly cut off his breath and raised his wings to cover his head. Aadhai’s energy bullet hit its wing and exploded.
However, its wings were intact except for being slightly scorched on the outside.
「Solid!」
「Oud Grad」「I say」「Insolent」「Get out」
Ohd Grad, who coldly let out a wave of thoughts, fired his psychic breath again. A heat ray shot out of its mouth much faster than the one that had been thrown at me earlier.
‘Trickery!’
When it attacked me, it shot slowly on purpose.
「!」
[Zuzuzu (dangerous!)]
It was truly breathtaking. If Aadhai had not been small or even a little slower, he would have been hit by the heat ray and split his body in two.
It barely escaped the heat ray by flying, but it couldn’t stop the tip of its tail from flying away. The guy stopped because of the pain of the end of his tail being burned.
Just before Od Grad used his breath to support Aadhai, I poured out all the energy I had saved up while Aadhai was wasting time.
The power of White Gallagon created by the monster’s tentacles heads towards its head. It must have decided that it would be difficult to block with its wings, so it turned its head and fired a heat ray at me.
The almost black heat rays it spewed out and the bright purple heat rays I created competed with each other. Because of the impact, the ground between me and him cracked and the trees fell into pieces and scattered in the air.
‘…strong!’
I thought it would be a difficult enemy since it was Black Gallagon, but I didn’t expect it to be this bad. The output itself was similar between him and me, but the accumulation of energy was on a completely different level. This was close to the adult Aimorph body.
While concentrating on shooting the heat ray, I looked towards Aadhai. The guy barely endured the pain of his tail burning and escaped into the air.
After seeing that, I stopped breathing. As the battle between the heat waves ends, its psychic breath flies towards me.
Instead of flying up, I lowered myself down. As expected, he decided that I would fly upward and turned the heat ray upward.
After making him lose his footing, I lowered my body and opened my mouth wide. The lower jaw was split in two, and a green fungal mass was spewing out from inside.
As the acid fungus flew in, it opened its wings and shook them violently. Then, the flying fungi scattered in the air as if a small typhoon had occurred.
‘Clever one.’
As an old man, he knows how to use his body well. Of course, I didn’t expect him to get hit by the acidic fungus and fall asleep.
Having made time with the fungus, I jumped onto my spurs, hitting the ground with my tail. The guy belatedly tried to fire the heat ray again.
If only the scattered fungus hadn’t regrouped and flew at him.
“What is it?”
Ohd Grad cut short his psychic breath and fired at the fungus that moved as if it were attached to an invisible thread.
While he was distracted, I flew high into the sky.
I flapped my wings a few times to increase altitude and Aadhai flew towards me.
[Zuzuzu (Are you okay?)]
「Pain」「But」「Patience」
It was a brief battle, but I clearly knew that this guy was a formidable enemy. He had such good sense that he was among the top five beings I encountered in this world.
Is that all? As expected from Black Gallagon, his fighting ability is also top-notch. If it’s a power battle, I will lose.
‘We have to win with irregular attacks.’
I know what characteristics and skills Black Gallagon has, but not over there. He doesn’t know about Amov or me. What power do I have and how can I use that power?
[Zuzuzu zuzuzu (I need your help)]
「Yes! Just trust me!”
Number 26, riding on my back, gently waved his tentacles.
At that time, a psychic breath flew from below. After dodging, I saw Od Grad flying this way.
「Trivial Things」「I won’t miss it」
The horns of the guy emitting breath are dyed with purple light. It is not because of the light of psychic power.
[Zuzuzuzu (watch out above)]
“Up?”
As its horns glowed purple, the flow of clouds began to become strange. Soon, large-scale waterspouts came down from the sky. In addition to hail and snow, the waterspout was accompanied by purple lightning.
‘Maelstrom’ is a powerful psychic power technique that can be used when you become Black Gallagon. As its meaning suggests, it is a technique that summons a powerful supernatural storm.
[Zuz Zuz ZuzZZ ZZZZ ZZZZZ ZZZ (You have to move without stopping to avoid lightning)]
「Confirmation」
After warning Adhai, I moved again. As soon as I moved, purple lightning struck where I was.
You must not stay still when under the influence of the Maelstrom. This is because lightning, which is slightly weaker than psychic breath, targets the caster’s enemies.
Od Grad, which had caused a local weather abnormality, chased after us, flapping its wings. The psychic breath it fired grazed the tips of my wings.
I slowly slowed down while pretending to avoid the guy. Although the probability of getting it right has increased, I have number 26.
The guy was adjusting the angle of his psychic breath just enough for Odd Grad not to notice. As a result, I narrowly escaped the enemy’s attack or received only minor injuries that burned my carapace.
“You bastard!”
Ohd Grad let out an irritated thought as if he didn’t like me avoiding him here and there.
‘Now.’
I waited for him to get emotional. I dodged its attacks and prepared my psychic breath. Then, when it had almost all its energy, it folded one of its wings and changed direction sharply. My body, which was flying forward, flipped sideways due to the recoil.
In that state, the monster’s tentacles vomited out dragon power again.
The guy must have expected this to happen from the moment I closed the distance, so he calmly countered my breath.
The struggle of power begins again. The guy was still full of leisure. Infinite power poured out from the tentacles attached to its mouth, and its amethyst-like eyes were full of sneer.
Aadhay is special, but regular Gallagons cannot move when they fire their psychic breath. Even though I can freely adjust the angle of my psychic breath, the speed is low.
The enemy must know this fact. I must feel foolish fighting a power struggle in the middle of Maelstrom territory.
Just as he thought, purple lightning fell on my head. Just as the lightning was about to come out and destroy No. 26, a new energy bullet flew from afar. Lightning struck by an energy bullet explodes above my head.
「Pain relief activated!」
The supernatural lightning pierced through the shell and tore through the inside, but the pain was bearable. The lightning that falls into the Maelstrom has more firepower than the breath fired directly by the caster. Moreover, because Aadhai exploded in the middle, the destructive power was further halved.
A psychic reflective glove activated on my head after being hit by psychic energy. The energies that made up the lightning lost their purpose and scattered in all directions like firecrackers.
「Dare」「Bullying」
For Gallagons who are sensitive to psychic power, the explosion in front of them will be similar to seeing flares fired from a fighter plane.
Having succeeded in disrupting its vision, I activated ‘Color of the Abyss’ and simultaneously folded all my wings. My body was thrown downward and its heat rays flew over the carapace of my head.
Thanks to this, two horns were broken again, but it didn’t matter. After dodging its attack, I spread my wings again and flew below it.
“Sweet tricks!”
The guy’s horns flashed again. This is to prevent lightning from falling on top of me, that is, on top of him.
‘But the real attack is different.’
This too is a trick. When he paused to control the lightning, I took out the weapon I had prepared.
Bubbles come out, made up of greens, purples, and all sorts of confusing color combinations. Numerous bubbles, or rather a fearful watcher with the colors of the abyss, fly towards him.
The moment it attacks the bubble, it’s over. When those bubbles, the strengthened fear watcher, explodes, No. 26 is going to take control and throw it at him.
If it touches any of the numerous bubbles, it will be instantly neutralized.
And it moved exactly as I expected. The head of the one controlling the Maelstrom reflexively turns towards the bubble. The bundle of tentacles hanging around the mouth turns purple.
There is less than a second left until the psychic breath is fired. Suddenly, the guy’s eyes were filled with embarrassment.
In an instant, its tentacles returned to their original color and the creature waved its wings vigorously. The relaxed attitude that had appeared so far disappeared and the guy retreated as if he had seen an extremely dangerous substance.
Number 26 tried to manipulate the bubble and attach it to the guy, but the guy had already retreated a long way away.
The plan to neutralize it with an enhanced Dreadwatch failed.
「You bastard!」
Ohd Grad, sending out a strong thought wave from afar. At first glance, it seemed like he was filled with anger, but there were other emotions mixed in there as well.
It was clearly wariness and fear.
‘how?’
The guy tried to fire his breath at the bubble as if it were natural. It actually gathered energy, but just before it was ready to fire, it stopped attacking and retreated.
As if he knew my attack was dangerous and made his move.
‘…You were wary of the Watcher of Fear? ‘Do you know anything about me?’
It is unclear how Od Grad learned of the color of the abyss and avoided it, but one thing has become clear.
The fight against Black Gallagon will never be easy.