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The Bone Lord possessed a body so massive it could encompass an entire region, and though he was a singular lifeform, certain aspects of his nature bore resemblance to a hive organism.
His sensory reach, which extended across his entire territory, was one such hive-like trait. By default, the Bone Lord rejected anything that entered his domain.
However, there was one near-absolute exception to that rejection: parts of the Bone Lord himself.
It made sense. No creature—Bone Lord or otherwise—harms its own limbs.
And that's precisely why Turncoat Rook, Turncoat Knight, and I were able to survive amidst the waves of bone without defending or dodging.
"…This is ridiculous. I did as told, but I never imagined this would actually work… If it was possible, why didn't we just do this from the beginning?"
"It's only possible because we consumed part of the Bone Lord. And this method isn't perfect to begin with."
"Is that so? Looks pretty damn useful to me."
It wasn't absolute.
Here on the outskirts of the Bone Lord's territory, it worked. But if we got close enough for the Bone Lord to see with his own eyes, this disguise would undoubtedly fail.
"It's only a temporary measure. It won't work when it's time to actually hunt the Bone Lord."
"Knew it. So in the end… you're planning to hunt the King."
"That's where this is going."
"A very vague answer."
Unfortunately, we had no more time for talk.
The members of the Church of Morte's Gaishara Branch had begun flooding in like a rising tide.
"…They're coming."
"Get ready."
"Of course, but… what's the plan now?"
Whom would the Church of Morte oppose in this battle they'd suddenly barged into?
The answer had been clear from the start.
"We go after the Turncoat King."
Four major forces were now inside the Bone Lord's domain:
The Bone Lord, the Turncoat King, the Church of Morte, and then myself, Rook, and Knight.
Under normal circumstances, the appearance of the Church would mean our faction and the King's should ally against the Bone Lord and the Church. But the alliance had already fractured.
With the Church's stance toward the Bone Lord still unclear, it was best to see this as a four-way battle.
'Still… the Church of Morte is more likely to target the Turncoat King and me than the Bone Lord.'
They worshipped monsters and beasts. So of course, they were more likely to target the half-bloods—me and the Turncoat King—than a pure creature like the Bone Lord.
'Especially given the nature of the relic they carry…'
Just as expected.
As the Church's members pushed past the outer edges and entered the inner domain, they all began unleashing blessings.
RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!
CRAAASH! CRA-RUMBLE!
No declarations of war, no warnings—just violence.
It was the Church of Morte in their purest form.
Lightning's Blessings.
Thunder's Blessings.
Wind's Blessings.
And countless more, appearing in the skies.
When that many members of the Church, all priest-class or higher, gathered, such miracles were within their reach.
"This is insane…"
Even Turncoat Rook, previously giddy from absorbing the Bone Lord's power, stood slack-jawed.
So overwhelming were the blessings unleashed by the elite of a colossal Church branch, it could be described as an artificial disaster.
["Be careful!"]
The Church had two primary targets:
The Turncoat King—and us.
"Damn it! They're aiming for us too!"
Rook and Knight raised bone shields to block the barrage of lightning crashing from above.
But those bone shields weren't very effective against lightning.
"Step aside. I'll handle this."
"What?"
Before Rook could respond, I acted.
Janus's bone shield, stretching out with a pitch-black hue, was distinctly different from what Rook and Knight produced.
RUMMMMMBLE!
Lightning struck fiercely.
Yet the shield, crafted from the properties of the Scales of Ouroboros—near-perfect insulators—let no electricity pass.
"…You could do that?"
"This isn't over."
In fact, the real fight was only just beginning.
With the Church of Morte's intrusion, the battlefield had twisted into chaos.
The Bone Lord. The Turncoat King. The Church. And me.
Each force powerful enough to shake Ark on its own, now gathered together. It would've been stranger not to have chaos.
And to the Bone Lord, everyone here was an intruder.
His wrath spreading across the domain was inevitable.
[KROOOAAARRR!]
With a roar, thousands of bone tendrils flailed from the Bone Lord's core.
They struck indiscriminately.
While the King's side and I prepared defenses, there was one section curiously calm.
'They're not preparing for anything?'
Even with the Church's tenacity, they were still fundamentally human.
They shouldn't have been able to withstand an assault from the Bone Lord without preparing—yet they stood completely at ease.
As if the Bone Lord's wrath didn't concern them.
'No way…'
The bones surged ever closer.
This was no mere attack—it was an emotional outburst, a flood of rage from a transcendental being.
There was no estimating its force.
Bone tendrils shot skyward, blotting out the light and bearing down on everything.
RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!
For a moment, the world was cast into darkness.
["Aaahh!"]
[Screek!]
Janus and Esther.
"Ughhhh!"
["Must… protect…!"]
Rook and Knight.
Each drew on their very limits to resist the Bone Lord's fury.
And in that instant, I saw it.
While we straddled the boundary between life and death, the Church of Morte remained perfectly calm.
'That's…'
The Bone Lord's hostility toward them vanished in an instant.
A clearly unnatural phenomenon.
I knew exactly what that meant.
'…The relic. They used it.'
The Gaishara Branch was one of the only two remaining holders of the Church's holy relics.
It wasn't surprising that they brought it here, considering they'd mustered their full might.
Normally, even a relic wouldn't be enough to suppress the Bone Lord's will—but this relic was special.
'Not quite as unique as Ankelenth's Fang… but even more effective against the Bone Lord specifically.'
Originally, the Church's enemies should have included the Bone Lord, the Turncoat King, and me.
Even if the Church didn't wish to fight the Bone Lord, there was no guarantee the Bone Lord would feel the same.
But the presence of the relic had completely changed the dynamics.
'A 2 vs 1 vs 1…'
Though the Bone Lord and the Church weren't allies, their current arrangement resembled a non-aggression pact.
And in this situation, that was nearly the same thing.
"…Maybe we should reconsider contacting the King's side? If this keeps up, we're going to get crushed between the Turncoat King and the Church."
Even Rook was feeling the pressure.
Facing either the King or the Church alone was daunting—but both at once?
Even with some of the Bone Lord's power, he was overwhelmed.
"There's no need. We're not the only ones desperate here."
"What?"
In fact, there was someone in a far worse situation.
While we were safe by mimicking the Bone Lord's power, the Turncoat King's side had no such shield.
They were entirely isolated in this free-for-all.
BOOM!
CRAACK!
Proof came as divine blessings and the Bone Lord's fury converged on a single point.
The Turncoat King.
Everything was targeting him.
"Your Majesty!"
Even as the Turncoat Queen screamed, the King never ceased his attacks.
RRRUMBLE!
Hundreds of bone tendrils wove together to form a siege weapon, smashing enemy tendrils and deflecting lightning.
It was surreal to witness, even from afar.
That was the power of one who stood at the very peak—beside the Bone Lord—of all bone-parasite creatures.
[KROOOAAAAR!]
But neither the Bone Lord nor the Church was a foe to underestimate.
The Bone Lord, in particular, was often considered a tier above the King.
"Damn it, Carl!"
"…I know."
Of course, we too were within range of the Church and Bone Lord's indiscriminate attacks.
But crisis is opportunity.
I kept dodging, maxing out Ankelenth's wings and the Z-74 Jetpack.
With the King's attention divided by both enemies, I had a chance to strike.
Swish!
SHRAK!
Attacks skimmed past, barely missing my hair as I locked onto the King with the Zeus-444 Railgun.
Click—
Loaded: 120mm large-caliber special alloy round.
The most destructive and physical round available.
'With current energy levels, I can fire at level 10… maybe twice.'
Two shots.
But that would be enough.
Even the Zeus-444 at level 10 wasn't guaranteed to hit if he saw it coming.
Its trajectory was nearly straight—easily dodged if he was aware.
So, I needed to draw his focus first.
"Janus."
[Skreek!]
"Bark."
A simple command.
Janus's chest split open, unleashing a tremendous roar.
['Ankelenth's Roar' has been activated!]
The roar of an apex predator that paralyzed all living things with fear.
Against the King, its effect was minor—but it bought a moment.
[Lv.10]
I didn't waste that moment.
The railgun fired.
CRACKLEEEEE!
A flash of light faster than sound—almost light-speed.
Even the King couldn't ignore the Zeus-444 at max power.
He moved to counter—but he wasn't the target.
"...!"
The flash veered toward the Turncoat Queen.
The King, reacting instantly, shielded her.
The beam barely grazed her shoulder.
And I didn't miss my chance.
'Got you.'
His defensive posture was broken for a split second.
I pulled the trigger again.
A second blinding flash—just as powerful.
SHREEEEEEEE—!
It pierced straight through the King's chest.
"Your Majestyyyy!"
The Queen's scream echoed sharply through the battlefield.
===BREAK===
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