Gurgle!
Cannonbolt dove into the Great One's mouth, tumbling through a slick, pitch-black tunnel before emerging deep inside its body. The spinning sphere uncurled, returning to its original form.
Standing on a pulsing, muddy mass of flesh, Cannonbolt didn't rush to attack. Instead, he scanned his surroundings carefully.
Clusters of multicolored organs hung above him, entwined with thick veins that carried streams of crimson fluid, feeding energy to every part of the creature. Directly ahead, at the base of the Great One's body, bursts of white light erupted from both sides—it looked like energy drawn from the outside world, gathering into a glowing pool that nourished the beast from within.
"This thing's enormous," Cannonbolt muttered, gazing up at the sprawling network of organs overhead. He suddenly felt small and insignificant.
Well, it made sense. Any alien bug big enough to consume an entire planet wouldn't exactly have a small stomach—or body.
Cannonbolt stretched out his stubby claw and jabbed at a nearby vein to test its toughness.
Clang!
Sparks flew as his sharp claw scraped against the thick vein, leaving only a shallow mark.
"What?" Cannonbolt froze.
What the hell?
Wasn't the inside supposed to be soft and squishy?
Looks like this Great One isn't exactly the same as the one in the original story.
No big deal. Claws aren't my thing anyway. My specialty's destruction!
Cannonbolt tucked himself into a yellow ball once more, spinning faster and faster until fierce winds spiraled around him. Then, with explosive momentum, he launched himself upward at the Great One's organs.
Whoosh!
The roaring yellow sphere slammed upward like a cannon round, packed with devastating kinetic force.
"Do not harm the Great One!"
A brown figure suddenly shot out of the shadows. With a massive palm like a fan, he smacked Cannonbolt midair, swatting him down hard into the fleshy ground below.
Sizzle!
Smoke rose from Cannonbolt's yellow shell as he reverted to his round, plump form, clutching his aching head. He grimaced, turning sharply toward the attacker.
But what he saw made his eyes widen in shock, his heart skipping a beat.
Beside the glowing white energy pool stood a Humungousaur. His eyes burned red, muscles tensed and bulging, exuding killing intent as he glared straight at Cannonbolt.
"Humungousaur?" Cannonbolt blurted out. "Did one of my aliens get out on its own?"
No… that couldn't be it.
This one was smaller, less bulky, and his face was marked with burn scars.
After a quick assessment, Cannonbolt realized what he was dealing with—it wasn't his Humungousaur, but a member of the same species. A Vaxasaurian.
"Vaxasaurian," Cannonbolt said coldly, ready to fight. "What are you doing here? You're not from this planet."
"Call me Tygon!" the Humungousaur roared, his voice hoarse and rough. "I abandoned my home long ago. To serve the great and almighty Great One, I will give everything—even my life!"
Cannonbolt sighed and shook his head. Looked like this fight couldn't be avoided.
This so-called Great One had brainwashing power worthy of a cult leader. The alien trio from before was one thing, but now even a Vaxasaurian had been indoctrinated...
Still, one question lingered in his mind.
How could this Humungousaur understand the Big Stinkbug's words?
Ah, there's also that Six-Handed Interpreter outside—basically the second-in-command of this intergalactic cult.
"So you've been hiding inside the Great One, guarding its organs this whole time?" Cannonbolt flexed his claws.
"Yes," Tygon replied honestly, clearly too far gone in his brainwashing.
"It's just a giant stink bug. What's there to protect?" Cannonbolt muttered dryly.
"How dare you! Blaspheming the great Great One—prepare to die!" Tygon roared, his expression twisting with fury. Planting his massive legs, he charged forward like a rampaging beast.
"Bring it on!" Cannonbolt snorted, curling into a ball. He'd been waiting for this.
"Intruder! Get out of the Great One's body!"
Humungousaur's bloodshot eyes flared as he clenched his rocky fists and unleashed a thunderous roar, slamming his fist forward.
Cannonbolt spun rapidly, dodging the blow with ease before countering with a powerful collision.
Humungousaur swung his tail like a club, ready to strike back, but Cannonbolt was already anticipating it. He stopped abruptly, slamming himself into a thick cluster of sinewy tendons.
Crack... snap...
The dense insect tendons, unbelievably tough, served perfectly as a makeshift slingshot. Cannonbolt spun wildly against them, storing up massive energy.
"Stop it right now! Don't you dare harm the Great One!"
Blinded by madness, the Humungousaur charged straight at him.
"Power charged!" Cannonbolt shouted, releasing himself from the "slingshot" and ramming straight into his foe.
Boom!
The violent impact sent Tygon flying sideways like a snapped kite, tearing through several veins before crashing hard into the ground.
Humungousaur lay sprawled in a pile of flesh, momentarily unable to move.
Cannonbolt seized the advantage, spinning rapidly as he shot upward, ready to deliver another devastating strike.
Suddenly, a sharp gust of wind swept past him.
Cannonbolt's instincts flared—someone else was here!
But he didn't stop. His defense in ball form was nearly impenetrable. He could take a hit.
Clang!
A blood-red spike ripped through the air, gleaming wickedly as it slammed into the yellow iron sphere with a piercing screech.
The spike shattered and fell, but the impact threw Cannonbolt's aim off, sending him crashing into another section of the creature's body and tearing through part of its inner organs.
"Hisss!"
The entire body of the Great One convulsed violently, shaking like an earthquake. The monster was in pain.
The tremors lasted several seconds before fading. When Cannonbolt steadied himself, he finally saw his attacker clearly.
A humanoid torso with a serpent's tail. Crimson skin. Slender build, about two meters tall.
Its scarlet eyes had slit pupils, and its hair writhed like living snakes. Sharp spikes jutted from the backs of its hands—the source of that last attack.
Beside it stood the Humungousaur, Tygon. Both glared coldly at Cannonbolt.
"And who are you supposed to be?" Cannonbolt asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Red Spikesnake!" the serpent alien hissed.
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on P@treon.
[Upto 50 chapters ahead for now]
[email protected]/PinkSnake