Flying beasts and monsters came crashing in from every direction.
Triple Wave.
As if to prove it, waves of enemies—larger than anything I had ever seen before—surged forward like a living tsunami.
["Master! Behind you!"]
"I know!"
There wasn't even time to pull anything out from the rift space. Flying-type monsters were already descending on us like predators.
["Protect… you…"]
The Turncoat Knight unleashed a barrage of bone tendrils like a porcupine, holding the rear line to guard my back.
[KRAAAAAAH—!]
At the front of the aerial horde were a mass of Grade-8 flyers.
But there was no way a mere Grade-8 could ever keep up with Horus now—especially not after he'd reached the level of a Beyond-Grade monster.
"Clear them out!"
At my terse command, Horus twisted his body midair and lashed out with his tail.
['Wave Break' has been activated.]
With a sweeping crash, a massive current of air surged outward, pulverizing the first wave of incoming beasts.
[KIIIIAAAAGH—!]
The pressure was so intense that the Grade-8 flyers didn't just fall—they burst in midair.
The shockwave didn't stop there.
After obliterating the frontline, it surged backward, cutting into the following wave like a shockwave of death.
CRACKBOOMBOOM—!
Hundreds—no, thousands—of flying monsters lost their balance and tumbled from the sky like torn leaves.
["Nice one, Bonehead!"]
[Kihet!]
The Turncoat Knight wasn't idle either.
As Horus struck with his tail, he spun around and hurled bone spears at a cluster of enemies closing in from another direction.
["Not bad at all!"]
Esther also acted fast, guiding Ether into a thin veil around Horus that slowed down the monsters' approach.
It wasn't much time—but it was enough.
Click—
The Ark-34 Automatic Conversion Rifle flared, spewing A-985 explosive rounds across the battlefield.
Explosions bloomed like deadly flowers, creating a smokescreen of heat and fire.
I slung the rifle over my shoulder.
The opening was made.
Now, it was time to fully commit.
['Rift Space' has been activated.]
Above me, the rift opened.
With a heavy thud, the NOA-31 Anti-Behemoth Gatling Gun dropped onto Horus's back—yet he didn't flinch.
It was clear now that Horus, too, had become immensely stronger after the nutrient exchange with Janus.
But I didn't stop there.
From the rift, I also pulled out the CRN-842 Hemp Rocket Launcher.
Left hand: NOA-31 Anti-Behemoth Gatling Gun.
Right hand: CRN-842 Hemp Rocket Launcher.
Either of these would've normally required both hands to wield.
But now… I had help.
"Janus."
[Keek!]
From my arms, Janus's bone tendrils coiled tightly around the weapons, reinforcing my grip and supporting their weight.
[Kihet!]
Even while carrying the NOA-31 on his back, Horus didn't lose any speed.
Compared to how sluggish he'd been with it in the past—this was an enormous improvement.
'Stronger than ever.'
Preparation was complete.
Only one thing left: the hunt.
I pulled both triggers without hesitation.
BRRRRRRRAKKA-BOOM-BOOM—!
KRAAAK! BOOM!
The sky erupted in hellfire as an unstoppable mobile turret raged atop Horus's back.
[KIIEHH! KIEEHH!]
[CRAAAK!]
The bullets fired from the NOA-31 were like beams of annihilation, tearing through the intruding horde.
[You have slain Grade-10 Flying Beast, Red-Beaked Sparrow.]
[Damage bonus against Red-Beaked Sparrow increases by 0.05%.]
[You have slain Grade-9 Flying Beast, Giant Sparrow.]
[You have slain Grade-8 Flying Beast, Black-Feathered Eagle.]
.
.
.
[You have slain Grade-7 Flying Beast, Bristle-Feathered Cuckoo.]
[Damage bonus has increased.]
Monsters fell from the sky like rain, their corpses pounding the ground below.
But it was nowhere near enough.
There were still more monsters in the sky than corpses on the ground.
["Ugh… They just keep coming!"]
Esther shook her head in disbelief.
I agreed, but had no time to spare her a glance.
BRAKKA-BRAKKA-BRAKKA!
FWOOOSH! KA-BOOM!
Bullets from the NOA-31 shattered wings and split skulls.
Rockets from the CRN-842 roared through the sky, leaving trails of fire and falling wreckage in their wake.
[KRAAAAH!]
But then, suddenly—they were at my back.
A cluster of flying monsters had gotten behind us, closing in.
'No choice.'
I sent the signal to both Janus and Horus.
['Ankelenth's Roar' has been activated!]
Their jaws split open wide.
SCREEEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHH—!
KYEEEAAAAAAHHHHH—!
The twin roars exploded across the air.
The beasts charging toward us froze.
Literally.
Some of the lower-grade monsters—Grade 9 and below—lost control of their wings and dropped like stones.
A new effect, one I hadn't seen before.
It must've come from how much stronger Janus and Horus had become.
["Nice work, you two!"]
Esther cheered.
And I didn't waste that opening.
Now.
I squeezed the triggers again.
NOA-31 and CRN-842 erupted, painting the skies in flame and death.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!
KRACK! RUMBLE-RUMBLE-CRACKK!
Shoot. Shoot. And shoot again.
For how long, I couldn't even tell anymore.
Sssssss...
Whether it was due to pulling the trigger with zero restraint, the heat radiating from the NOA-31 Anti-Behemoth Gatling Gun and the CRN-842 Hemp Rocket Launcher had become nothing short of intense.
'Looks like we've hit the limit.'
Just as I suspected, smoke began to rise from both the NOA-31 and the CRN-842.
It was clear that continuing to use heavy weaponry would be pushing the hardware beyond its limits.
'In that case…'
I reopened the [Rift Space] and stored away the NOA-31 Anti-Behemoth Gatling Gun and CRN-842 Hemp Rocket Launcher.
Now was the time to use weapons that weren't firearms.
'Janus.'
[Ki-geet!]
'Horus.'
[Ki-het!]
Janus and Horus answered my call in turn.
Now, the mission was simple—wipe out everything baring its fangs at me.
['Death Spores' has been activated.]
Janus and Horus opened their jaws wide, releasing a toxic green mist.
A terrifying death, inherited from the Rotting Body, Opacum—the lord of the Swamp of Opacum—spread across the battlefield.
Fwooooosh───!
The beauty of Death Spores lay in its ability to attack a vast area while consuming minimal energy.
Fssssssss───!
The green mist billowed outward.
Those unwelcome sky-bound guests found themselves helpless in the toxic fog—only able to greet death.
[Kaaargh─]
[Kkek!]
Thud─
Thud-thud-thud──!
Flying Beasts and Monsters rained down from the sky in droves.
One, two, three, four...
And then countless more fell, overwhelmed by the poisonous air, crashing to the earth.
Boom!
Boom! Boom-boom!
From that point, the fall was endless.
It was like witnessing mass suicide by aerial Monsters and Beasts.
[You have slain Grade-6 Aerial Species, Green-Feathered Harpy Warrior defeated.]
[Damage against Green-Feathered Harpy Warrior increases by 0.05%.]
[You have slain Grade-6 Aerial Species, Green-Feathered Harpy Marauder defeated.]
[Damage against Green-Feathered Harpy Marauder increases by 0.05%.]
[You have slain Grade-5 Aerial Species, Green-Feathered Harpy Assault Captain defeated.]
[Damage against Green-Feathered Harpy Assault Captain increases by 0.05%.]
.
.
.
[You have slain Grade-4 Aerial Species, Green-Feathered Harpy Queen.]
[Damage against Green-Feathered Harpy Queen increases by 0.05%.]
The power and reach of Death Spores were formidable—effective even against a Grade-4 Aerial Species.
As expected from a power derived from the Rotting Body, Opacum.
'Hmph…'
Even after tens of thousands of flying Monsters and Beasts were wiped out, the sky above remained pitch dark, untouched.
It was clear that the situation wasn't going to change with just a few tens of thousands eliminated.
'...Tch.'
But I didn't stop.
Janus and Horus still had stamina to spare, and with the horde of Monsters around us, there was no shortage of prey.
'Devour them.'
[Ki-geet!]
Janus and Horus extended their bone tendrils outward in all directions.
And soon, those tendrils pierced through the flying Monsters and Beasts, turning into an all-out feast.
Slurp, slurp, smack──!
Chomp, chomp, chuuuu!
After their first feeding, I issued another command to the reinvigorated Janus and Horus.
'Kill again.'
[Kiiiiit!]
Janus and Horus opened their jaws once more.
['Death Spores' has been activated.]
Again, death swept across the field in toxic waves.
Fssssss────!
What followed was a methodical cycle.
Using Janus and Horus, I mercilessly unleashed chemical warfare on a massive scale.
There was no need to hold back.
This was outside the Ark.
And Death Spores was a controlled ability—there was no need to worry about the poison reaching the Ark.
['Death Spores' has been activated.]
Fsssss!
Devour, disperse, devour again.
But limits came soon enough.
Janus and Horus could no longer activate Death Spores.
Despite their continuous feeding and recovery, Death Spores was not an ability that could be used indefinitely.
'They'll need time to recover.'
Once the toxic clouds stopped, the ground below had become a mountain of corpses—dead Beasts and Monsters piled high from Death Spores.
And yet, despite the carnage, the sky still swarmed with flying Monsters and Beasts, stretching far past the horizon.
'And that's not all.'
I turned my eyes toward a certain swarm of insectoids that had begun to emerge ahead.
[Squeeeeeeeee──]
Grade-1 Named Insectoid, Hailac of the Thornclaws.
It had finally appeared.