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'The Bone Lord and the Turncoat King.'
Both were true monsters, even among the most fearsome entities in the entire The Defense universe.
These beings now revealed their ferocity and bone tendrils toward each other without a hint of hesitation.
Clatter!
Crackkk───!
A chilling cacophony echoed with every entanglement of hundreds of bone tendrils.
Could this even be called a fight?
Each clash was so fierce, the terrain changed with every blow.
'As expected, expectations met.'
If the Bone Lord was like an unending storm raging in the heart of the ocean, then the Turncoat King was a rogue sailing freely within it.
At first glance, the rogue looked like he could be swallowed at any moment by the massive waves and storm. Yet like a master helmsman, he maintained perfect control even in that hopeless tempest.
'Well… he does have a master helmsman.'
Proving that very fact, the Turncoat Queen and Turncoat Bishop had arrived to support the Turncoat King.
In a battle of this scale, most would merely avoid becoming a hindrance. But the Turncoat Queen was different.
Ssshhk—
With a light motion of her hand, bone flowers bloomed in an instant.
It was a technique witnessed once before—Bloom and Full Bloom.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!──
Flowers made of bone blossomed.
Each petal carried destructive force capable of reshaping the land, and together, they gave birth to a new flower—despair—across the battlefield.
["This is insane..."]
Esther shook her head at the scene before her.
Had those flowers bloomed on Ark's frontline, it would've been the ultimate despair for them.
Ironically, even such overwhelming despair seemed pitiful when directed at the Bone Lord.
"…Still standing. Wait, did that even land a hit?"
Turncoat Rook spoke.
Despite the overwhelming power of the Bloom and Full Bloom, the Bone Lord appeared barely affected.
"That's just how strong the opponent is."
"…True."
It was nothing new, but from what I knew, the Turncoat Queen was by no means weaker than the Turncoat King.
'Maybe… she's even stronger.'
In chess, the King decides the game, but the Queen holds the greatest combat power.
Sure, naming the Turncoats after chess pieces in Ark may have been coincidental...
'Still, not something to overlook.'
Especially if this damned world had once followed fixed rules and systems like a game.
'Anyway...'
The important thing was, even with both the Turncoat King and Queen attacking together, the Bone Lord remained largely unscathed.
That was evidenced by the fact that the Bone Lord hadn't even revealed his true form yet.
Only the mountain of bones—clearly a part of himself—was on display.
'And yet, even the Turncoat Bishop is holding his own. Surprising.'
Even if he had grown to match the strength of Turncoat Rook, it was still unreasonable for him to fight among such monsters.
Frankly, the fact that he wasn't getting in the way was almost a miracle.
And yet, the Turncoat Bishop moved like an extension of the King and Queen, offering nearly perfect support.
Perfect coordination made possible by being fellow Turncoats.
Now it was clear why the Turncoat Queen had wanted to bring other Turncoats along for this hunt.
'More than anything… battles between Bone Parasites inevitably turn into a game of territory. Numbers matter.'
These monsters devoured others' bodies to make them their own.
Bone Parasites were incredibly powerful in that regard, and in a fight among top-tier hosts—like the Bone Lord and the Turncoats—it naturally became a battle of mutual consumption.
"Are we just going to sit and watch?"
"It's about time we move."
As mentioned earlier, this would surely become a game of land grabs. Waiting around wouldn't do.
If we hesitated, the Turncoat King and Queen might devour too much of the Bone Lord and grow beyond control—or the opposite might happen, and the Bone Lord could eat them, making the battle unwinnable.
'Considering all that, now's the perfect time to intervene.'
The Bone Lord hadn't revealed his main body, and most of his attention was on the Turncoat King's forces.
Now was clearly the time to join the fray.
"Horus."
[Ki-hehet!]
Gripping Horus's bone reins, I flew straight into the heart of the battle.
The battlefield grew near in an instant.
And with it, came the transition—from bystanders to active participants in this war.
Twitch─
Bone tendrils, like an autonomous defense system, reached for us the moment we entered the Bone Lord's domain.
Though his attention was supposed to be on the Turncoat King, the Bone Lord's reaction alone showed what kind of existence he was.
"They're coming!"
Dozens—hundreds—of massive bone tendrils surged toward us.
A scene like a natural disaster descending.
But this was no act of nature, no unstoppable force.
"Horus!"
[Ki-hehet!]
Twisting mid-air, Horus dodged the bone tendrils with acrobatic maneuvers.
Still, mere evasion had its limits—several tendrils came dangerously close.
"Damn! They're here too!"
Just as Turncoat Rook roared and readied himself for combat—
Zzzing...
I adjusted the output of the Zeus-444 Railgun, which had been set at level 10.
[Lv.4]
Neither underestimating nor going all-out.
But even that was enough.
Crack!──
A blinding flash shot from the barrel, accompanied by fierce sparks.
With the next pull of the trigger, that single beam split into multiple streaks.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!──
Bone tendrils shattered instantly, scattering debris everywhere.
Even at level 4 output, the Zeus-444 Railgun was still a Zeus-444 Railgun.
That was enough to pulverize bone tendrils—the Bone Lord's hairs, essentially.
'…Which also means I had to use this much power just to remove the hairs.'
But there was no need to flinch.
The real battle was just beginning.
"Let's go."
Pushing through the waves of bone tendrils, we moved forward.
Turncoat Rook and Turncoat Knight fought desperately to fend off attacks from the sides.
Even though the Bone Lord's strikes were nearly unconscious, they managed to block them without issue.
'They've definitely gotten stronger.'
Turncoat Rook and Knight had become incomparably stronger through nutrient exchange with Janus.
Proof of that lay in the fact they were holding their own against an enemy like the Bone Lord—one they couldn't have even faced before.
"This all you've got?! Ha ha!"
"…Shut up."
"What, still sulking? We're in the same boat now. Isn't it time to let it go?"
"Shut… up."
Turncoat Rook and Knight still didn't seem to get along, but they were less hostile than before.
Creak, screeek───!
Crackkk!
The bone tendrils clashed, producing grotesque noises.
But unfortunately, it was the Turncoats' tendrils being pushed back in the violent exchange.
Shatter!
Bone debris flew as tendrils broke apart.
The Bone Lord's tendrils didn't just repel—they devoured.
Chomp!
Crunch!
Like beastly jaws, the Bone Lord's tendrils opened wide to consume those of Rook and Knight.
Yet Rook and Knight didn't back down, preparing to consume in turn.
A battle of mutual consumption.
This was the true essence of a fight between the Bone Lord and Turncoats.
"Ghh… Ugh!"
"This is insane… Cut them off, quick!"
But the balance of that battle had been skewed from the start.
Desperately drawing bone blades, Rook and Knight tried to sever the tendrils—but the Bone Lord's parts weren't that easily cut.
'Guess I have no choice.'
I turned my gaze backward.
Summoning the Spears of Ankelenth from both hands, I hurled them behind me without hesitation.
"Catch."
Rook and Knight caught one Lance each and swung.
Slice!
In a single stroke, the Bone Lord's tendrils—which hadn't budged before—were cut cleanly.
"This is..."
The expressions on Turncoat Rook and Knight twisted in surprise.
They instinctively realized the weapons' true nature.
"Keep moving."
There was no time to marvel.
Such things were trivial in the face of survival.
Boom!
BOOOOOM!───
Explosions rang again and again.
With each flight through the chaos, we neared the heart of the battle.
'Hmm.'
Waves of bone surged from every direction.
Within them, the Turncoat King, Queen, and Bishop barely held on, seemingly about to be swallowed at any moment.
"…Even crazier up close."
Turncoat Rook shook his head.
Unusually, Turncoat Knight nodded slightly in agreement.
"That's where we need to go."
"…Starting to regret this already."
"Too late."
"Damn it."
Despite his words, a fierce grin spread across Rook's face.
"So, what's the plan? Don't tell me we're just diving in there."
"At this rate, we can't land a decisive hit. First, we need to draw out the true body."
"…True body? Are you saying that is only part of the Bone Lord?"
"If the real one had joined in, maybe not the King or Queen, but the Bishop wouldn't have lasted."
Turncoat Rook's face stiffened.
He knew the Bishop was nearly equal to him in power.
In other words, I'd just implied that this fight might be too much for him.
"No need to make that face. Everyone here has a role to play."
"Let's hope so."
That ended the conversation.
Because now, the bone waves were crashing toward us.
What we had to do next was simple.
"Janus."
[Gi-giit!]
"Horus."
[Ki-hehet!]
I spoke quietly.
"Devour everything."
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