LIGHTNOVELSTORY EP.71
Should I consider this a breath attack?
No, this is a Destruction Beam.
Not just any Destruction Beam, but one named Gegeok Death Beam.
…Why did it have to have such a name?
Putting that aside for now, let’s focus.
KWA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!
The blue beam that erupted from my mouth flew towards the Cockatrice.
I didn’t have any worries about missing.
The range was broader and the speed was faster than I had expected.
ZWOOM!
A massive shockwave erupted.
The Cockatrice, seemingly resisting, was being pushed back helplessly.
I poured in my strength to the limit.
If I couldn’t finish it off now, there wouldn’t be a next time.
KWA-BOOM!
A tremendous explosion occurred at the end of the beam.
Large trees in the surrounding area were swept away one by one in the blast.
KWA-BOOM!
I coughed as I unleashed the beam.
KWA-HA-HA…
The sound gradually diminished.
That was the maximum firepower I could produce.
KUGU-ROOO…
The Cockatrice lay still on the ground, not moving.
The fact that it maintained some form was already impressive.
To think I had aimed to defeat it in a conventional manner.
My stiffened body began to move little by little.
The petrifying power was loosening.
I had taken it down.
Since the petrification was fading, I had no choice but to believe it was defeated.
…But why wasn’t I leveling up?
Could it be that it had one more head?
No, that couldn’t be the case.
Even if it had ten more heads, it shouldn’t have been able to rise again at this point.
The beam I just shot was strong enough to disintegrate its entire body.
There was a massive hole punctured in the Cockatrice’s body that was visible even from here.
No matter how many heads it had, with a hole in its heart, it should be dead.
Logically, it should be impossible for it to get up in this state.
Furthermore, wasn’t the petrification loosening as well?
It was reasonable to assume it was dead.
All the circumstances indicated so, yet there was one exception.
There was no message saying I had leveled up.
The status window doesn’t lie.
If such a formidable foe died, my level should certainly increase.
The Cockatrice remained motionless.
It had long passed the stage of pretending to be dead.
A chill ran down my spine.
Was the status window malfunctioning?
If not, was it sustaining its life with some unknown power?
My instincts were screaming at me to rush towards its corpse.
I needed to keep striking it with the Dragon Claw Technique just in case.
However, while the petrification was loosening, my body wasn’t at a level where I could move freely.
I couldn’t charge towards it.
All I could do was watch.
KUGU-GUK…
I felt overwhelmed by something unseen.
It was an incredibly eerie feeling.
And then it happened.
A sight that defied common sense unfolded before my eyes.
“Grrr….”
Black blood dripped from the mouth of the Cockatrice that should have been dead.
A disgusting sound, like phlegm being coughed up.
“How dare you….”
The Cockatrice, transformed into a hunk of meat, staggered back to its feet.
It was in no state to get up.
EP.71
Both arms and legs were completely shattered, and the head that should have been above the neck was nowhere to be found.
Let’s assume, for argument’s sake, that it could somehow rise again.
But how could it speak without a head?
And how could the Cockatrice, which could only mimic the sounds of birds or chickens, suddenly talk like a human?
My body was creeping with dread.
I wanted to control it, but my body trembled uncontrollably.
An instinctive fear seized me.
“You killed my kin….”
It was a voice I had heard before.
“A snake with legs…”
A monster resembling a bird with a human face.
The Human-Faced Bird, King of Birds.
It wasn’t the entity itself that had appeared.
I couldn’t possibly miss such a massive being.
It was speaking through the body of the Cockatrice.
All vocal organs must have been crushed to bits.
THUD THUD THUD.
The face of the creature popped out from the torn body of the Cockatrice.
“In my territory… killing my kin… causing a commotion…”
The voice was filled with rage.
“GRRR…”
I could feel that the Human-Faced Bird was forcibly holding onto the creature that should have died long ago.
Even if it wasn’t its true form, I had no chance of defeating it in my current state.
Keeping it alive despite being dead was a power beyond reason.
I could barely handle myself even when in good condition; with all my strength spent, I simply couldn’t contend.
“But… I found you intriguing.”
Its grotesque face stared directly at me.
“I shall grant you one last… opportunity.”
SHINE!
A disturbing violet aura shimmered.
I knew what this was.
It was a technique used by the Human-Faced Bird when I first encountered it.
It could be described as a form of brainwashing.
“Is a dragon… a serpent or a bird?”
The King of Birds asked the same question again.
No matter how many times it was asked, my answer wouldn’t change.
CRUNCH…
I clenched my teeth tightly, trying to resist in any way I could.
“Do you think you can resist in that condition…?”
SPLASH.
Blood burst forth from the wounds I had just sustained.
“Think carefully about your future as one of my kin…”
An unpleasant feeling washed over me as something invaded my mind.
A vile brainwashing that sought to twist my thoughts to its will.
“Imagine yourself with free wings… breathing fire from your mouth, soaring freely through the sky with enormous flapping wings…”
As frustrating as it was, I could easily envision what it described.
To have wings growing from a body wrapped in Dragon Scale implied only one thing.
A Dragon.
If I accepted its power, could I possibly become a dragon?
Not one of those puny creatures like a Bearded Dragon or a Green Basilisk, but a true dragon.
A dragon covered in black scales, flying through the sky while unleashing flames.
Was there any reason to refuse that?
No matter how much I regarded the Gorgon as a powerful being, it couldn’t compare to a dragon.
I could skip countless evolutionary processes and become powerful in an instant.
“I can see your desires… Though you pretend otherwise, I know you wish to possess the body of a human…”
If I became a dragon, I could also take on human form.
I would be able to use a polymorph ability.
“It is the instinct of all beings… Now, if you accept only my power, you can acquire everything you envision… Become mine… kill the serpent and become one of my kin…”
At first, the terrifying voice sounded almost sweet at a certain point.
Listening to that alone made me feel like all my problems could be solved.
Was there really a need to risk my life every time and fight for survival?
If I had overwhelming power, all the issues I had been pondering would simply disappear.
“Is a dragon… a serpent or a bird?”
Should I let that slide?
“GRRR…”
It let out a low, ferocious growl.
It was a declaration of my resolve not to succumb to it.
“Your resistance is meaningless…”
FLASH!
Another burst of light erupted.
“Now that one has died, the burden must be lessened.”
My mind was becoming hazy.
I instinctively sensed that I had reached my limits.
The fact that I was holding on seemed miraculous.
If just a bit more pressure was added, I might completely succumb to it.
“Serve the King of Birds.”
CRUNCH.
It was the moment I clenched my teeth tightly.
FLARE.
I felt one of my scales start to heat up intensely.
No, it wasn’t just a sensation.
One of the scales turned a shimmering gold.
It was a warmth akin to a mother’s embrace.
[The Mark of the Snake Queen is activating.]
BBOOOOM!
A golden flash erupted forth.
Simultaneously, a white arm encircled my body.
I didn’t feel any tactile sensation.
An illusion.
No, it should be treated as being close to a spirit body.
Yet, somehow, warmth emanated from it.
It had a slightly cold, reptilian warmth.
I lifted my gaze to meet that of the owner of the spirit.
Black hair.
Golden eyes.
A bland expression.
It was a face so familiar.
The spirit of the Snake Queen gazed coldly at the Cockatrice.
To be precise, it was staring directly at the imposing spirit of the Human-Faced Bird.
“You’re crossing the line, King of Birds.”
“How… do you…”
There was a clear trace of bewilderment in its voice.
“How can you covet what belongs to others?”
Neither the King of Birds nor the Snake Queen was in their true forms.
One was temporarily manifested through the body of a dead monster.
The other had sent forth a spirit body through some unknown power.
However, the energy felt vastly superior to my own.
“Do you claim to be one of my kin…? How dare you trespass into my territory…”
The King of Birds seethed in outrage.
The atmosphere was charged with an intensity that hinted they could clash at any moment.
The Snake Queen scoffed at his reaction.
“Kin? Is that the relationship you see? Heh heh. That’s the only thought you can muster.”
“…You say he is not a kin? Then why have you trespassed into my domain, Snake Queen?”
“Because you covet what belongs to others, I have no choice but to come here.”
“If he is your kin… I can understand… But to come here for one who is not your kin is unfathomable… Speak the truth, Snake Queen. Just who is this being?!”
The resounding voice echoed throughout the jungle.
The Snake Queen slightly frowned at my words.
She lightly brushed my ear with her fingers and raised one finger to her lips.
“Shhh.”
She replied with an expression that almost seemed to say, “Why ask such things?”
“He is mine.”