It took Janus less than a moment to devour the Bishop of Earth.
No matter how great a figure the Bishop of Earth may have been, he was still fundamentally human. And as long as he possessed no more than the mass of a human being, consuming him would never take long.
[You have absorbed the flesh and blood of 'Bishop of Earth, Geb' of the Church of Morte.]
['Bone Armor (Lv.5) [Janus]' gains increased dominion and enhanced effects over earth.]
[You have absorbed a significant portion of 'Bishop of Earth, Geb' and acquired some of his abilities.]
Janus's bone tendrils squirmed, as if to prove the acquisition of new power.
[Gigigit──!]
A shriek of joy burst forth.
Ordinarily, humans weren't particularly nourishing prey for Janus. But since the victim was a bishop of the Church of Morte, the reward was more than decent.
'Now then…'
With the Bishop of Earth defeated, I rummaged through his tattered clothing and remains for anything of use.
'As expected, nothing.'
It was no surprise.
Regrettably, apart from some ragged scraps, there was no special item bearing the Church of Morte's insignia to be found.
'Well, he never was the type to carry such things anyway.'
Among Defense users, the Bishop of Earth was infamously known as a penniless NPC.
Because of this, players rarely went out of their way to hunt him unless necessary.
In fact, his entire existence felt like a mid-boss deliberately designed to obstruct the Silk Road episode.
'Still, that doesn't mean there's nothing to gain.'
While the bishop himself may have been broke, the Earth Branch was a different story.
I'd have to search it later, but there were likely some useful items lying around.
'Assuming I can even find them then.'
Kugugugugu───!
Kwarung, Kwarurung!
As if to validate my thoughts, tremors rippled from above as the underground cavern began to collapse.
It was clear that lingering here held no benefit.
"Let's go."
I turned my gaze toward the surface.
By then, it seemed Janus and Horus had completed their nutritional exchange, and Horus let out a small cry.
[Kiheet...!]
I mounted Horus once more.
Together, Horus and Janus intertwined their bone tendrils into a drill-like shape.
Time to return to the surface.
Kugugugugu!
'Now, all that remains… is Ouroboros.'
Though I didn't know the current state of the surface, it was highly unlikely that the remaining forces of the Church of Morte could handle Ouroboros—especially after the Bishop of Earth had been reduced to this.
There was no need to witness it personally. A massacre by Ouroboros was probably already underway.
'They're likely still putting up some resistance, though.'
Everything was proceeding exactly as I had intended.
"Let's move."
[Gigik!]
[Kihet!]
Once Janus and Horus combined their power, ascending to the surface took mere seconds.
[Kieeeeeee────!]
The moment I emerged aboveground; The first thing I saw was the frenzied figure of Ouroboros.
The Earth Branch was now nearly indistinguishable—reduced to utter ruin.
With the death of the Bishop of Earth, the walls and soil sustained by the earth's blessing had all collapsed.
Ouroboros's invasion.
The Bishop's death.
With calamities stacked upon calamities, the Earth Branch had finally met its end.
Boom!
Kwaaaang───!
And yet, the war wasn't over.
Within the shattered walls and makeshift trenches, the Church of Morte's followers continued their desperate resistance.
'Typical cockroaches…'
Even with their mighty walls reduced to rubble and a regional-class monster rampaging, they clung on tenaciously.
I assessed the battlefield.
'As expected, Ouroboros holds the advantage.'
That meant the side I needed to support was already decided.
Church of Morte and Ouroboros.
The more they clashed, the more opportunity I had to profit from their mutual destruction.
"Let's go."
Gripping Horus's bone reins, I shot into the sky.
Still mounted, I pulled NOA-31 Anti-Behemoth Gatling Gun and CRN-842 Hemp Rocket Launcher from the spatial rift.
The target was clear.
Click.
I had Janus's bone tendrils anchor both the machine gun and the rocket launcher to my arms, and without hesitation, I pulled the trigger.
Soon, bullets and rockets poured from the muzzles.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa──!
Kwakang! Kwakwakang!
Beams of light mercilessly raked across Ouroboros's hide.
Flames and explosions erupted across its scales, shaking the surroundings.
[Kaaaaaaak───!]
Enraged, Ouroboros turned its gaze on me.
It stretched its long neck and aimed skyward.
But a serpent of the earth could never reach one soaring in the sky.
[Kak! Kaaaak!]
Its monstrous, gaping maw snapped repeatedly in my direction.
Of course, I had no intention of being eaten.
Instead, I rewarded its efforts by bombarding its open mouth.
Kwakwakwang!
Kwarurururung!
Despite the relentless onslaught, Ouroboros's scales remained unharmed.
They weren't something conventional firepower could pierce.
'Of course, it does have a weakness.'
More accurately, a weak point I had created long ago.
Still, I had no intention of finishing off Ouroboros just yet, and focused on attacking alongside the remnants of the Church of Morte.
Ouroboros, seemingly unwilling to take it any longer, ceased chasing me.
Instead, it opened its maw and spewed something out.
Shweaaaaaaaak───!
Something flew through the air.
Thanks to Horus's evasive maneuvers, I avoided it—just as the substance scattered over the ground.
Psss…
It fell like a torrential downpour.
There was no need to examine it closely.
The Church of Morte followers struck by it began to melt—literally.
"Gyaaaah!"
"What is this?!"
"It burns! It buuurns!"
It was clearly Ouroboros's venom.
Even if the followers of Morte had potent regeneration and stamina through their blessings, none could withstand their bodies dissolving alive.
"Horus."
[Kihet!]
Sssssss...!
In response to my call, Horus deployed a bone shield to enclose me.
Only two small gun ports remained open for shooting bullets and rockets.
I sacrificed visibility and openness for protection.
'A bit inconvenient… but necessary.'
While I did have decent resistance to poison, Ouroboros's venom possessed acidity strong enough to melt steel. Taking a direct hit was not an option.
'Let's keep going.'
The bombardment resumed.
Through Horus's evasive flights, I poured fire onto Ouroboros. Eventually, the tide seemed to shift slightly in favor of the Church of Morte.
To be precise, they still weren't doing real damage to Ouroboros, but faint cracks had begun to form in its hardened scales.
Kwakwakwakwakwang!
I did not miss it.
'In that case…'
The tide had turned toward the Church of Morte.
Which meant I no longer had any reason to support them in attacking Ouroboros.
What I sought was mutual annihilation.
Complete annihilation.
"Wait here."
[Kihehet!]
I had Horus draw Ouroboros's attention while I jumped to the ground without hesitation.
With Horus's wild cries and flailing, Ouroboros had no time to notice me.
Landing on the ground, I quickly took my position.
A perfect opportunity to test the new ability I gained from devouring the bishop.
"Janus."
[Gigigit!]
Janus's bone tendrils plunged into the earth.
One, two, three, four, five…
Countless bone tendrils spread underground, and then they began to resonate.
That resonance became vibration.
The vibration became a wave.
['Wave Sweep' has been activated.]
As though a tsunami had erupted from the soil, the ground around me surged like an earthen tidal wave.
Kugugugugugugu───!
Kwakwakwakwakwang!
It was a calamity.
A man-made disaster.
Where Sand Collapse created giant sinkholes, Wave Sweep caused artificial earthquakes.
Sure, I could simulate quakes before, but the efficiency and impact were now on another level.
'Impressive…'
The landscape looked as if the earth's surface and inner layers had been flipped.
The already collapsed walls were now nonexistent. Ouroboros was half-buried in a heap of soil.
Naturally, no sign of the Church of Morte's followers remained.
'This power is clearly more effective against weaker, numerous enemies than against a single strong one.'
The Earth Branch's believers were practically erased, and even Ouroboros struggled to move beneath the tidal wave of dirt.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
'Time to finish this.'
As I slowly formed a Spear of Ankelenth in my right hand—
'Hm?'
I spotted something on the horizon.
Far from the center of the Church's base, at its outskirts, a group emerged from the rubble.
'Who…?'
I quickly switched my Ark-34 Automatic Conversion Rifle into its Anti-Materiel Sniper Mode and peered through the scope.
['Sniper's Time' has been activated.]
Their attire and insignia were soon visible through the lens.
'Navy Line… Belov Family operatives.'
And leading them was someone unmistakable.
I focused on a familiar head of blonde hair.
'Tatiana Belov?'
…How did she get here?
'Was she tracking the defector? But how…?'
There was no trace of the defector, Von.
There shouldn't be.
Yet Tatiana Belov had arrived here with her team.
Too much of a coincidence.
'I don't know what's going on… but if I leave her be, she'll get caught up in the battle with Ouroboros.'
They say words can become reality.
[Kieeeeeeeee───!]
Sure enough, Ouroboros rose from the dirt and charged toward where Tatiana Belov stood.