[Kihehet!]
Thankfully, Horus arrived just in time and caught me, Turncoat Rook, and Turncoat Knight.
Then began evasive maneuvers.
Shyaaaek!──
The enraged Bone Lord's attacks passed so close they grazed our hair.
If even one had landed, not just Horus, but everyone here would've taken fatal damage.
'No... maybe it wouldn't end with just fatal damage.'
If caught improperly by the Bone Lord, it wouldn't be strange to be turned into nutrients on the spot.
That's how dangerous the situation was.
["Uwaaah!"]
Esther, unwilling to stay idle, raised ether to try to block the Bone Lord's attacks.
[Deflect?]
[Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block…]
[Deflect. Deflect. Deflect. Deflect. Deflect. Deflect. Deflect. Deflect. Deflect. Deflect. Deflect. Deflect. Deflect. Deflect. Deflect. Deflect. Deflect. Deflect. Deflect.]
Even for Esther, directly blocking the Bone Lord's attacks was impossible.
So, what she chose to do was to slightly shift the Bone Lord's path as it charged toward us.
That alone created more than enough of an opening for Horus to slip away with evasive maneuvers.
'Then…'
I didn't stay still either.
The flashes from my Zeus-444 Railgun diverted the paths of the bone tentacles that Esther couldn't handle.
Kaang!
Kwoooaang!──
In the midst of an intense retreat, the distance from the Bone Lord gradually grew, and we eventually left the center of the battlefield.
It had been hard to approach the Bone Lord's main body while riding a massive form like Horus, but escaping from him didn't prove to be as restrictive.
["Whew… That was a close one."]
Esther glared once at Turncoat Rook and Turncoat Knight, but they didn't seem to notice her gaze.
'It should be about time.'
I looked at Janus, Turncoat Rook, and Turncoat Knight.
Thanks to Horus's timely arrival, a miracle-like moment had been bought.
And that time wasn't short.
Eventually, Janus and the others completed their transformations and slowly opened their eyes.
[Gigit...]
"Ugh… my head."
["Kin…"]
Had they consumed everything the Bone Lord had to offer, this digestion wouldn't have been so fast. But what they ate was such a small amount.
"You awake?"
"Yeah. Feels like my head's splitting. How long's it been?"
"Just a few minutes."
"A few minutes, huh… So only that much time has passed."
The moment Turncoat Rook's gaze met mine, I unconsciously gripped the handle of the Zeus-444 Railgun.
Even knowing that Turncoat Rook was subordinate to Janus, I still instinctively felt a sense of caution.
'Hmm… Not bad.'
I could feel it.
Not only Janus, but Turncoat Rook and Turncoat Knight gave off an aura completely different from before.
They hadn't consumed an entire tentacle of the Bone Lord, only a tiny portion, and yet Janus, Turncoat Rook, and Turncoat Knight had each taken several steps forward, not just one.
"…As expected."
Turncoat Rook and Turncoat Knight seemed to realize the change in their power, and a faint smile formed on their lips.
"At this rate, we might even be able to take on King."
Even though I knew it wasn't true, I still felt like agreeing with Turncoat Rook a little.
Unfortunately, Turncoat King had also undergone transformation by consuming part of the Bone Lord—Turncoat Rook's ambition wouldn't be easily realized.
"You ready?"
There was no need to state the obvious.
By the end of this fight, we would be the ones still standing.
"It'll take some time to get used to it… but I'll know once I try."
[Gigit!]
Janus cried in agreement, and Turncoat Knight nodded silently, as always.
"Then let's go again."
The Bone Lord hunt.
The first step into what could be called a domain war was finally taken.
* * *
Bone tentacles extended from all directions.
Though more threatening than any previous assault, Turncoat King, Turncoat Queen, and Turncoat Bishop handled them more easily than ever before.
The implication was clear.
Turncoat King, Turncoat Queen, and Turncoat Bishop had grown exponentially stronger.
All thanks to having consumed part of the Bone Lord.
"This taste… Truly worthy of a king's claim. Absolutely exquisite."
Turncoat Queen licked her lips and swung her hand again.
With each motion of her hand, hundreds of bone petals scattered and intercepted the Bone Lord's attacks.
BOOM!
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!───
Thundering sounds echoed, and shards of petals scattered in all directions.
Among those petals, fragments of the Bone Lord's own bone began to mix in.
All according to plan.
While Carl Marcus drew attention, Turncoat King, Turncoat Queen, and Turncoat Bishop successfully consumed parts of the Bone Lord.
Thanks to that, Turncoat King and Turncoat Queen shattered the long-standing wall that had blocked them and were now seeing new horizons—they had finally arrived.
Of course, just that alone wouldn't have made facing the Bone Lord this easy.
But the important point was—they had eaten part of the Bone Lord himself.
A fundamental understanding of the Bone Lord.
Because Turncoat King and Turncoat Queen had gained that, they could now face the Bone Lord without being overwhelmed.
"Hmmm..."
Despite the ongoing ferocity, Turncoat Queen—having found some breathing room—cast her gaze toward Carl Marcus's group.
"Hmph… So, they don't plan to waste this opportunity either."
Drawing Carl Marcus to the front lines created an opening.
Thanks to that, Turncoat King successfully consumed part of the Bone Lord and achieved the long-desired transformation.
He had taken another step toward becoming the true king.
But it wasn't just opportunities that arrived.
As a result, the Bone Lord's scattered consciousness returned its focus to Turncoat King, and Turncoat King and Turncoat Queen had to face him again, unable to fully enjoy their new power.
And they now had to endure an onslaught unlike anything before.
The real fun began then.
As the Bone Lord's gaze returned to Turncoat King, Carl Marcus's side seized the chance to absorb part of the Bone Lord as well.
While Turncoat King and Turncoat Queen faced him with all their might, they managed it almost too easily.
"…Hah, what the…"
Looking at the result, you could say the alliance with Carl Marcus worked out well.
Still, Turncoat Queen couldn't hide a sense of irritation.
She thought she had baited Carl Marcus and used him perfectly—only to realize she'd been used in the same way.
"Well… they'll soon be subjects of the king anyway. I suppose I can overlook this."
Judging by her presence, she didn't seem like the forgiving type. But luckily, no one here was going to point that out.
What mattered most was that the scale, which had been tipping toward the Bone Lord, was finally beginning to shift.
Crunch, crackle!
BOOM! BOOM-BOOM!──
Waves of bone, petals of bone, and every kind of bone fused together and covered the sky.
Could this even be called a battle between living beings?
It looked more like a clash between transcendent entities free of fate or karma, but at its core, it was nothing more than a battle of beasts trying to consume one another.
[Kreeek, krrreeek…! KIEEEEEE!]
With the Bone Lord's roar, thunder cracked across the nearly cloudless sky.
Surely coincidence, but it looked as if the Bone Lord himself had called down the thunder.
"Shut up already!"
Bloom and Full Bloom.
Dozens of bone flowers bloomed from Turncoat Queen and surged toward the Bone Lord.
"…Now, begone."
Thorns of bone like divine punishment.
Hundreds of them, conjured by Turncoat King, rained down from the sky.
"All of this, by the king's will."
Turncoat Bishop joined in with all the strength he could muster.
CRRRACKLE!
CRACK-CRACK!
Bone, bone, bone.
A world filled only with bones, where even the massive being roaring was made of bone.
[KIEEEEEET!]
Even the Bone Lord, now on the defensive, began using not simple bone tentacles but something that could be called techniques.
Tentacles shot out in all directions.
Their wild spinning became a gust, then a storm, then a full-blown typhoon.
KWARRRRRNNNNG───!
"Get back!"
"…Tch."
Turncoat King and Turncoat Queen hastily raised bone shields and retreated.
Had it been a normal typhoon, they wouldn't have stepped back so easily.
But this was a typhoon stirred directly by the Bone Lord—and even Turncoat King and Turncoat Queen couldn't ignore the power within.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!───
Once the raging typhoon passed, Turncoat Queen dropped her shield and spoke.
"…Wait, where's Bishop?"
Turncoat King's normally expressionless face twisted slightly at her words.
A king who forgot his subordinate while protecting himself.
An utter disgrace.
"There!"
At the tip of Turncoat Queen's pointing finger, Turncoat Bishop appeared—his condition devastating.
The bone armor covering his body was shredded like torn steel, and bone tentacles from the Bone Lord pierced through the gaps.
He had finally fallen from the tightrope he'd been walking until now.
"Damn it…"
Turncoat King, who rarely showed emotion, trembled with rage.
He knew all too well what Turncoat Bishop's current state meant.
Crack, crackle!
Turncoat Bishop's body twitched amidst unpleasant sounds that felt like mockery.
The tentacles lodged all over him meant he was being devoured.
"..."
This had always been that kind of fight.
You could eat the enemy, but you could also be eaten.
Turncoat Bishop was simply too weak.
"I'll put you down."
If left like this, Turncoat Bishop would be fully devoured.
Just as Turncoat King and Turncoat Queen were about to move—
FWAAAANG!───
A dark flash tore through the air and instantly severed the Bone Lord's tentacles that had bound Turncoat Bishop.
===BREAK===
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