Chapter 66: Chapter 66: Turning Point (Part 1)
*STAB! STAB! STAB! STAB! STAB! STAB! STAB!*
A sharp crimson light exploded from Dawnbreaker as Nero spammed [Fierce Stab] repeatedly into what remained of "Vincent’s" face within the grotesque flesh mass.
Each strike pierced through layers of corrupted tissue with surgical precision, the A-tier blade enhanced by his evolved swordsmanship turning the creature’s "head" into swiss cheese.
"GRAAaaaaAHHhhhHHHHH!!!!"
The Amalgamation’s shriek of pure agony shattered windows across the abandoned camp as black ichor erupted from dozens of puncture wounds.
But the bastard thing kept regenerating.
*SQUELCH! SQUELCH! SQUELCH!*
Flesh knitted itself back together almost as fast as he could damage it, the creature’s SR-tier regeneration working overtime to repair the devastating injuries.
"Persistent piece of shit!"
*CRUNCH!*
Nero drove his metallic claws deep into the creature’s hide, anchoring himself like a mountain climber as tentacles whipped around trying to dislodge him.
He wasn’t letting go this time.
Not when every second mattered for Yui, Kaito, and Haru
Despite his crazy demeanour, he still knew his priorities...
And he was running out of time.
*SLICE! SLICE! SLICE!*
Dawnbreaker became a blur as he tried chopping across the meaty blob into pieces... each cut was made, trying to disrupt the regeneration of the blob bastard.
The crimson aura around Nero’s blade flared brighter with each strike.
*WHOOSH!*
A massive tentacle managed to accidentally slam into his ribs, but his metallic scales absorbed most of the impact.
His enhanced grip held firm as he used the creature’s own momentum to swing around to a different angle of attack.
But nonetheless, it fucking hurts.
And in response to that?
"DIE YOU PIECE OF SHIT!"
*STAB! STAB! STAB!*
More precise strikes targeted what looked like nerve clusters beneath the surface tissue.
*GRAAAAaaaaHHHhhhhHHHHH!!!!"
The creature’s movements became more erratic as key control points were severed.
"... Hm?"
But that’s when Nero finally noticed.
Every time he used [Flowing Slice] to chop this bastard into pieces, something weird happened.
The detached pieces didn’t just fall away and die.
They secretly wriggled back toward the main mass, reattaching themselves within seconds.
*SLICE!*
He tested it again, carving off a tentacle with his technique.
*Squirm...*
The severed appendage immediately began crawling back like some grotesque slug, seeking to rejoin the collective mass.
That was it!
The creature wasn’t just regenerating damaged tissue...
No wonder why despite cutting it into pieces, it’s like fighting an endless mass of ball of regen unlike when he and Aurelia dealt with the Verdant Tyrant which felt like they were still doing damage... somehow despite the similarly insane regeneration.
’Newly evolved SR-tiers are already this OP...’
Nero couldn’t even imagine what more if it’s fully matured, or if it’s an SSR-tier monster...
Shaking those thoughts out, Nero finally found the key in how to deal with this blob bastard fortunately.
It was a colony organism that could reintegrate separated parts as long as they remained intact.
Which meant good old physical damage was mostly useless against it.
At least... until he has a way to prevent the pieces from reconnecting entirely.
*CRASH!*
Another devastating tentacle strike caught him from his blind spot, this struck him at full force.
The appendage thick as a tree trunk slammed into his back with enough force to crack his ribs even through the metallic scales.
"AGHHH!"
The impact sent him flying backward, his body tumbling through the air before slamming into a pile of debris with bone-jarring force.
*THUD! CRASH! CLANG!*
Metal scraps and broken concrete scattered as he rolled to a stop, coughing up blood while his Metalloid Transformation flickered.
"..."
His regeneration kicked in immediately, but something was wrong.
The healing was sluggish, taking more time to heal his injuries that should have closed rapidly by now.
Nero quickly assessed his condition.
Mana reserves: critically low.
Stamina: approaching exhaustion.
Transformation stability: failing.
The brutal exchanges had taken their toll, and his body was burning through energy faster than he could sustain.
But that only made him grin in challenge.
"Heh... still got some fight left in me."
*WHOOSH!*
He immediately launched himself back toward the creature, ignoring the warnings his body was screaming at him.
Time was running out for the trio.
*SLICE! PUNCH! SLICE!*
The next exchange was even more vicious than before, both combatants were rawly throwing everything at each other like predators trying to eat each other.
Nero’s movements became more desperate, more reckless as he pushed his body to the limits.
*CRASH! SPLAT! CRUNCH!*
Tentacles battered him from multiple angles while his blade carved through corrupted flesh, both fighters painting the battlefield with their respective blood.
But in the middle of the brutal melee, something clicked.
Another observation.
The creature’s attack pattern wasn’t random.
It prioritized protecting its core mass over its extremities, always positioning tentacles to guard the "central body" where Vincent’s consciousness resided.
When distracted by pain, it would reflexively use [Life Drain] to recover health.
And most crucially... its regeneration drew from a finite pool of energy that was directly linked to its mass.
The more flesh it lost, the slower it healed.
But even with these insights, Nero knew the harsh truth.
This was an SR-tier monster.
The same classification as the Verdant Tyrant that had nearly killed him, Aurelia, and an entire group of survivors working together.
Fighting it alone was beyond his capabilities, no matter how many buffs and transformations he had.
It was frankly miraculous he’d survived this long.
Just as that grim realization settled in...
"Um... excuse me?"
A hesitant female voice called out from behind him.
Nero’s head snapped around, his predatory grin immediately shifting to a fierce scowl that made his blood-covered face look absolutely terrifying.
"!!!"
All 6 women flinched backward at the sight of his expression, their earlier trauma making them instinctively fear aggressive male displays.
But then Nero’s enhanced perception picked up details his battle-drunk mind had missed.
Their eyes were normal.
No heart-shaped pupils.
No vacant, controlled expressions.
These were the real women, not Vincent’s love fangirls.
"... You’re free?"
The question came out rougher than intended, his voice hoarse from battle cries and exertion.
Looks like he was too busy in the fight and observation of his enemy to notice the changes of those who were controlled.
"Y-Yes," Frila stammered, "The mind control... or whatever charm broke when Vincent transformed into THAT. We... we remember everything now."
Her voice carried a mixture of trauma and determination that Nero recognized immediately, which made him nod his head.
At least, they weren’t helpless victims anymore.
... Just pissed off ex-fangirls with powers looking for payback.
"We want to help," Carmen added, though her psychological abilities flickered with emotional instability. "I want that bastard to pay! He has hurt all of us..."
Zara’s bone constructs were already materializing as she spoke through gritted teeth. "Let us fight alongside you."
Nero studied their faces for a long moment, his analytical mind assessing their combat readiness despite their recent trauma.
"..."
Then that fierce grin returned, but this time it carried genuine approval rather than insane bloodlust.
He didn’t say anything.
Didn’t need to.
Just gave them a single, sharp nod that conveyed everything they needed to know.
"... Uh."
And somehow, that made the 6 women feel their hearts skip a beat.
I mean, despite being covered in black demon blood with metallic scales gleaming beneath the gore, and that terrifying smile and those reptilian eyes...
Nero looked like an absolutely badass beast.
The kind of dangerous confidence that made rational thought temporarily short-circuit for girls.
But of course, there was no time for blushing or inappropriate thoughts.
Nero was already moving, his mind racing through possibilities on how to fuck the monster Vincent up now that he had support.
The Amalgamation was regenerating again, its mass rebuilding after their latest exchange.
"You want to help me...? Alright."
But this time, he had a plan... although it’s a quickly made up one.
"... Ice girl, I need you to freeze its regeneration points," he called out while advancing. "Not the whole thing, just the healing tissue."
"Redhead, psychological pressure on its pain receptors. Make every injury feel 10 times worse."
"Bone lady, spikes to pin down the major tentacles."
"Shadow chick, bindings on anything I point at."
"Blonde with the weird eyes, spatial compression on the wounds to prevent healing."
"Thread woman, life-binding between us for coordination."
His tactical commands came out rapid-fire as he charged toward the creature,
"..."
The girls were speechless at the crude way he called them, but they weren’t complaining... In fact, they felt their heartbeat faintly raise once more just because his tone matched his beastly appearance...
Ehem.
Nonetheless, the 6 women immediately moved to their respective support positions.
For the first time since the battle began, Nero wasn’t fighting alone.
*CRASH!*
He slammed into the creature’s side, Dawnbreaker carving deep while his enhanced swordsmanship guided the strike to maximum effect.
But this time, instead of the wound regenerating...
*CRACK!*
Ice crystals formed along the injury, slowing the healing process to a crawl.
Carmen’s psychological influence made the creature shriek in magnified agony, disrupting its concentration.
Zara’s bone spikes erupted from the ground, pinning 3 major tentacles in place.
The coordinated assault was devastating.
*SLICE! FREEZE! STAB!*
Nero carved systematic wounds while the women provided tactical support, each ability perfectly timed to maximize damage and minimize regeneration.
But he knew this was his only shot.
His mana was critically low, his transformation failing.
Whatever he did next had to end this fight permanently.
His mana was critically low, his transformation was slowly failing.
The creature’s mass was shrinking rapidly as more and more pieces were isolated and destroyed.
"GRAAAHHH! NOOOOO!"
Vincent’s distorted voice emerged from the remaining central mass as it realized what was happening.
Without its colony structure, the creature was just a shrinking blob of flesh.
*SLICE! SLICE! SLICE!*
Nero’s final assault carved through what remained of the core mass, each piece immediately frozen and caged before it could escape.
Within minutes, the towering SR-tier monster had been reduced to dozens of isolated chunks trapped in ice and bone.
*CRACK! SHATTER! DISSOLVE!*
Frila’s ice turned the separated pieces brittle, while Zara’s bone constructs crushed them into paste.
The creature that had seemed invincible was systematically dismantled through teamwork and tactical thinking.
But in the center of the final remains...
*THUD!*
Vincent’s unconscious human form collapsed to the ground, somehow intact despite his transformation being completely destroyed.
Nero stood over the aftermath, panting heavily as his Metalloid Transformation finally gave out.
His metallic scales faded back to normal skin, revealing dozens of injuries that his regeneration was struggling to heal.
Blood seeped from multiple wounds as his mana reserves hit rock bottom.
He looked like hell, but he was alive.
And more importantly, the bastard was finally defeated.
"KAITO!"
"HARU!"
The desperate cries of Yuki and Genya echoed across the battlefield, filled with parental terror that made Nero’s blood run cold.
The trio was running out of time.
Ignoring his exhaustion, he dropped to his knees beside Vincent’s unconscious form and began searching for the antidote.
Pockets, hidden compartments, anything that might contain... but,
"..."
Nothing.
No vials, no pills, no medical supplies of any kind...
Nero’s face twisted with rage as the implications hit him.
"This piece of shit really didn’t have any antidotes..."
It looks like the manipulative bastard was really keen on killing them, in case he foresaw his defeat... at least, he would bring someone else down with him.
He grabbed Vincent by the collar, shaking the unconscious man violently, even punching and slapping his face violently.
"WAKE UP! WHERE’S THE FUCKING ANTIDOTE?!"
But Vincent remained unresponsive, his breathing shallow but steady.
The 6 women approached cautiously, their expressions mixing concern for Nero with burning hatred for their former captor.
"Let us handle him," Zara said grimly, bone restraints already forming around Vincent’s limbs. "We owe him some payback."
Frila began forming ice shackles while Carmen prepared psychological pressure techniques.
They wanted answers, and they were prepared to get them through any means necessary.
But just as Nero was gesturing for them to restrain the bastard properly...
"!!!"
Every combat instinct he possessed exploded with warning signals.
No, it’s not his Greater Instinct.
It’s...
’Aurelia!’
Nero immediately called in panic at their mental connection, as shockingly, he felt a sense of danger to the angel.
Aurelia was in mortal peril.
’Lord Nero... don’t... come!’
Of course, he did the opposite.
*Woooosshhh!!!*
With whatever strength he had...
Without a moment’s hesitation, his lower muscles exploded with the last reserves of his mana and stamina, his legs launching him across the battlefield toward where Aurelia had been fighting Vex’ahlia.
"N-Nero?!"
"Ah...!"
"..."
Behind him, the women called out in alarm, but their voices faded as his desperation-fueled sprint carried him toward his greatest fear.
Losing the person who mattered most to him.
***
Across the battlefield, Aurelia’s divine form was bound by writhing chains of living shadow and bone.
The black serpentine restraints had bored deep into her arms and legs, their needle-like fangs injecting paralyzing venom directly into her bloodstream.
*Drip... drip... drip...*
Crimson blood tainted with dark aura seeped from the puncture wounds as Vex’ahlia’s binding spell held the Valkyrie completely immobilized.
"Perfect," the sorceress purred, her Nelfier Bone Staff glowing with malevolent energy. "Now we can begin the extraction process."
***
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