Fifty Ice Spears flew through the air.
Each one was between 30 and 50 meters long, resembling massive pillars.
Lutal deployed Fighter Giants and Fighter Warriors across the battlefield. Using them as stepping stones, he leaped through the air, dodging the Ice Spears. Some Apocalids were struck by the spells and perished. Even when Death Resistance activated, their bodies were either shattered or frozen solid, killing them before they had a chance to regenerate. Even for Lutal, who prioritized efficiency, these losses were unavoidable due to the absence of a Booster.
“Slow!” Rotiaon roared, firing a Breath while flying backward.
Instead of dodging, Lutal sliced through the attack with his Death Blade. A chill cold enough to freeze space itself threatened to sap his body heat, but the Predatory Muscle of Origin consumed Source Energy to generate heat. The temperature was high enough to melt the Chitin Gauntlets of the Fighter Warriors beneath Lutal’s feet. It was a magical cold that ordinary heat could hardly withstand, but thanks to the Magic Resistance Evolution Code, he managed to avoid freezing.
To catch up to Rotiaon, Lutal mobilized twelve Light Titans. As the fastest Apocalids of the Titan Class, they surged forward, firing their Mana Cannons and Chitin Cannons. Since they ranged from at least 100 meters to as large as 300 meters, even Rotiaon could not simply ignore them.
“Get out of my way!” Rotiaon shrieked, unleashing an Ice Breath.
Even as the Light Titans’ backs were torn open and frozen, they continued to obstruct Rotiaon’s path. As the twelve creatures lunged at him in succession, the distance between Rotiaon and Lutal gradually closed.
Lutal leaped with such explosive force that the chitin armor of a Fighter Giant shattered beneath him. Closing the final gap, he slammed his Scythe Claws into the dragon and clung to its hide. Rotiaon’s magic rained down from all directions. Had he possessed a Booster, Lutal would have dodged to avoid injury, but since reaching the dragon had been so difficult, he couldn’t afford to let this chance slip. He had to finish Rotiaon off, even if it meant sustaining injuries.
“Grrr.”
Lutal released the limiters designed to prevent muscle rupture. It was a combat form meant only for a fleeting moment.
Click-clack.
Lutal scrambled up Rotiaon’s spine. He moved while slashing with his Death Blade, carving a long, vertical gash down the dragon’s back. Rotiaon, trusting in the defensive power of his scales, continued to fire magic recklessly. Lutal used the brain of a Sky-eye Giant to parry the spells and evaded through the openings he found.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The bombardment from the Light Titans also hammered Rotiaon’s body. Long Chitin Spikes embedded themselves in his flesh, and Mana Cannons shattered his scales. Rotiaon let out a thunderous roar, thrashing his body. Lutal dug his Scythe Claws in deep to hold on and continued his ascent.
Finally, he reached the nape of Rotiaon’s neck. He drove one Scythe Claw in as an anchor and swung the other three wildly.
Slash. Slash. Slash. Slash. Slash. Slash.
Scales and hide were mercilessly stripped away by the Death Blade. Blood sprayed, and bone was severed. Lutal did not emerge unscathed from Rotiaon’s magic; one of his arms was torn off and went flying into the Dimensional Sea.
“Aaaaaagh!”
With his neck dangling precariously, Rotiaon let out a scream of agony. Barely clinging to consciousness, he cast a healing spell. The effort slowed him down, and Lutal did not miss the opening.
The Light Titans charged at Rotiaon. The dragon fired his Breath frantically. Two were frozen, and one was split in half. Just as he was about to fire another Breath to clear the Light Titan in front of him, a dull thud echoed from the back of his head.
“You insignificant pest!”
Rotiaon hastily cast defensive and healing spells simultaneously. It was a swift reaction, but in that brief window, the remaining Light Titans closed in and latched onto his torso, legs, and tail.
“Get off me!”
Even the largest Light Titan was less than half the size of Rotiaon. However, with nine of them clinging to him, Rotiaon’s movements were restricted, and his flight speed plummeted. Fighter Giants and Fighter Warriors rained down Chitin Spikes. The spikes wedged themselves between his broken scales. Parasites burrowed into the wounds, riddling his body with holes.
Rotiaon sensed it. ‘If I don’t get out of here, I’ll die.’
Rotiaon’s Dragon Heart throbbed. He poured half of his remaining Mana into a single spell.
“Freeze.”
The greatest advantage of the Dragon Tongue was undoubtedly its speed. That didn’t mean its power was lacking. The more Mana poured into it, the stronger the Dragon Tongue became. Though it could only execute simple commands, being able to cast a spell rivaling Great Magic in a mere instant was more than enough.
Everything froze. Beyond simply stripping away heat, even time and space seemed to slow and solidify. The Light Titans were frozen as solid as blocks of ice. Since Magic Resistance was a resistance and not an immunity, they couldn’t escape the effect.
“Grrr.”
Within that frozen world, Lutal’s Death Blade burned fiercely. It was an Aura Blade, capable of cutting through space itself through sheer willpower. Infused with Death Mana, the Death Blade endured an anomaly that defied even the description of absolute zero.
Thanks to that heat, Lutal was not completely frozen. He injected Mana and Source Energy into his Chitin Gauntlets. Heat transfer was blocked, and warmth was generated within his body. Using Rapid Regeneration, he healed the muscles that had ruptured from the cold.
Soon, the frozen space thawed. Unless the caster was a Lord-tier dragon, such a phenomenon could not be maintained for long.
“How are you still alive?” Rotiaon asked in horror.
For a brief moment, space itself had frozen. It was a miracle that had occurred only because of the desperate situation — a spell he couldn’t replicate even if asked.
Naturally, Lutal did not answer. It was a waste of energy, and his only goal was to kill Rotiaon.
Crack!
Lutal swung the Death Blade.
The back of the dragon’s skull split open. A dizzying pain overwhelmed Rotiaon. Lutal swung his three Scythe Claws, prying the crack wider. Brain fluid surged out, and Rotiaon’s brain was exposed.
“St — stop!”
Rotiaon cast a binding spell on Lutal and attempted to manifest Ice Spears. He risked hitting his own brain, but he had to stop the attacker at any cost. Lutal broke the binding spell with his Magic Resistance and dove into the large opening. He leaped into the massive mass of protein, and shortly after, all of Rotiaon’s movements ceased.
“Grrr.”
Emerging from the dragon’s eye, Lutal called for a Fighter Giant and flew toward the dragons fighting Iselin. An Air Walker arrived and pushed Rotiaon’s corpse aside.
Thump.
The massive body fell into the Apocalyde Dimension, where Walkers used their powerful jaws to dismantle it and toss it into a Soil Pit. The extracted Dragon Heart was cleared of Apocalid Spores and sent to the Divine Arrow.
Rotiaon’s death signaled the end of the precarious balance. One dragon died shortly after under the combined assault of Lutal and Iselin. Next, Lutal, Iselin, and Dielka took down another dragon. One had its head severed by Choi Kangjoong and died. The last remaining dragon tried to flee, only to have a hole blown through it by Kuongi’s Breath, followed by a finishing arrow from Dielka.
Once all the dragons were dead, Choi Kangjoong sent Iselin and Dielka back to the Divine Arrow. He also put Lutal inside Kuongi so he could focus on recovery.
“Let’s end this.”
“Ku-eong.”
The large Apocalids moved out, attacking the Dimension Ships and the giant golems. The Dimension Ships, neutralized by Kuongi’s Great Mana Storm, melted away in an instant, and the giant golems didn’t last much longer. With the obstructions cleared, they moved over the dragon army and began a heavy bombardment.
“We have lost,” the elderly Baitan muttered, looking up.
It was already a battle the ground forces couldn’t win.
The enemy was strong, durable, and even cunning. The ground beneath the Elven archers suddenly collapsed. The Elves screamed as they fell into the tunnels.
From within, Apocalids emerged and slaughtered the Elves who were supposed to be providing safe fire support from the rear.
Because of the tunnels dug everywhere in advance, the distinction between front and rear lines was meaningless.
Baitan’s vision turned bright. It was a Lightning Breath fired by Kuongi.
Rumble!
Nothing remained where he had stood except for a deep crater.
[You have earned Evolution Points]
[You have earned Evolution Points]
[You have earned Evolution Points]
[You have earned Evolution Points]
[You have earned Evolution Points]
[Owned Evolution Points: 82,454,321]
‘I’ll be able to open the Hive Class once this battle is over. But Kuongi hasn’t finished growing yet. Should I give all this nourishment to him?’
“Ku-eong.”
Kuongi waited for Choi Kangjoong’s decision.
“Let’s think about it slowly.”
“Ku-eong.”
Kuongi replied that he understood while raining shells down onto the dimension.
[Dimensional Devouring has begun]
Walkers scattered Apocalid Spores. The Evolution Points earned from this battle amounted to 130,000,000, bringing the total owned points close to 200,000,000. After devouring the surrounding dimensions to reach the 200,000,000 mark, Choi Kangjoong entered the Evolution Chamber.
“Open Hive Class.”
[Hive Class has been opened]
“Bioweapon evolution.”
[Psionic Biological Weapon has evolved to Stage 7]
[Owned Evolution Points: 12,992]
“Only ten thousand points left. Well, it was worth it.”
He had finally opened the long-awaited Hive Class. It was a fundamental requirement for a long-distance expedition fleet and an essential existence.
Even without orders from the Outer Mind, it could produce custom Apocalids to respond to enemies on its own.
Just sending out one Hive Class would allow it to consume dimensions, produce units, and multiply rapidly.
“One more fight and you’ll be a Hive Class.”
“Ku-eong.”
Kuongi had also been fed a massive amount of nourishment, and his length was now nearly 10 kilometers. Choi Kangjoong admired Kuongi from a distance. Seeing his humongous form filled him with a sense of pride.
“He’ll look even cooler when he becomes a Colony Class.”
“Kiik!”
Kai, hiding in Ladespina’s lair, transmitted information. Ladespina’s situation wasn’t very good. As news of Rotiaon’s defeat spread, more dragons deserted. Even so, no dragon could understand why Ladespina remained motionless.
‘Even if I were a dragon, I would find it hard to understand.’
As time passed, only one dragon remained in Ladespina’s clan. Since Choi Kangjoong had killed nine, twenty had left. The dragons had taken the dimensions containing their Guardians and lairs with them, so the territory of the Ladespina clan, which had once boasted an immense area, was now reduced to a mere handful.
‘Ladespina won’t run away. Let’s go eat a Dragon Lord.’
Kuongi and the other large Apocalids moved forward. To evolve Kuongi into a Hive Class, they didn’t take a straight path but moved in a curve, swallowing every dimension in their way.
Choi Kangjoong sent the Divine Arrow back to Marsala. He wanted to do something for Iselin and Dielka, but they said they were satisfied since they had obtained Dragon Hearts.
When he asked what they would do with them, they said they would create powerful artifacts to become even stronger. Iselin’s will was particularly strong.
As a Spirit of Life, she was better at defense and healing than offense, so she felt she had been the least helpful in this battle.
Choi Kangjoong told her that just being a good healer was enough, but Iselin herself couldn’t accept just being a “healing totem.”
After going home, Choi Kangjoong rolled around on his bed. Being home after a long time made him feel more stable and comfortable.
‘Kuongi becoming a Hive Class really isn’t far off… Wait, what? Han Junghwa reached S-Class?’
While checking Kuongi’s status on Dimensionnet on his phone, he saw Han Junghwa on the main page. He quickly grabbed his Dawnphone and opened it.
There was a massive pile of messages sent by Han Junghwa.
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