Chapter 326. Ark-Roa (5)

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“What?”

Hermes was wary of Hansoo but nevertheless, he shrugged his shoulders and spoke,

“No matter how you think about it, it’s suspicious. Don’t you know how selfish they are? Why would they send a message when it’s almost been killed?”

Anyone would have figured it out after some short thought.

That those guys weren’t that kind-hearted.

Which meant that this was a trap.

But who would buy them time if everyone knew it was a trap?

If that thing had made a trap, then that meant a trap was needed.

A trap being needed also meant that somebody needed to fall into the trap.

So he had indeed lured them away.

To rouse their innate greed and competitiveness.

‘Retards. That’s what you get when strength is handed over to you.’

Hermes clicked his tongue.

The only ones with the right to possess strength were those who’d gone through countless struggles, and could make the correct decision in any situation.

Like Ekidu or Karhal.

But weak people who run away from danger were bound to act stupidly after they gained strength.

“Fuck…”

“What, is there an issue?”

Hermes was confused at Zeus who was looking at him in anger.

It didn’t matter right?

Those guys weren’t pushovers.

It would be for the better if they weakened the monster’s strength as they fought.

Zeus remembered a fact he had forgotten to mention.

‘Dumbass… That thing gets stronger the more it eats…’

Of course he wouldn’t have been able to imagine it if Hansoo hadn’t told him either.

For something to eat and absorb the skills, intellect and memories of the things it had eaten.

This dumbass just handed over 7 huge chunks of meat.

Hansoo chuckled from behind and whispered.

“How about it? Now you understand why I wanted to put leashes on you guys right?”

“…?”

Hermes’s expression froze.

Didn’t Zeus said he wanted them to gather for a cooperation?

What was a leash about?

Then.

-Boom!-

The space below Hermes exploded as his body disappeared.

His skill, <God of the Skies>, sent him hundreds of meters away in an instant.

‘I was fooled!’

Hermes grinded his teeth.

He was laughing at those who had fallen into that monster’s trap but it seems he has also fallen into a trap.

By walking into it as well.

‘What a dumb move on my part…’

Hermes ran away on his maximum speed.

Chills continued to run down his back.

The expression of the worried Zeus and the screaming Dark King at the elevator flashed by his eyes.

‘Still… It won’t be easy to catch me.’

Hermes signed out in relief as he ran away.

He could feel the presence of that guy getting further behind him.

He had been able to even run away from that monster.

In terms of speed, he was the fastest out of the twelve.

Zeus grinded his teeth as he looked at Hermes running away at an explosive speed.

“Are you going to let him go?”

Hansoo chuckled at Zeus’s words.

“No.”

Then.

-Crunch-

-Crack-

Strange changes started to happen on Hansoo’s body.

The dragonic energy, which hadn’t been able to shine properly because of the Pandemic Blade, started to spread all over his body.

His muscles bulged.

It wasn’t three like when he went through the Racial Metamorphsis, but his now even more powerful two hearts were pumping blood throughout his body at a crazy rate.

The Mana Jade, which had now completely integrated with his body, was pouring out mana like a storm.

And changes weren’t only occuring on the insides.

-Chiiiik-

An extremely thin layer of transparent scales appeared and covered his skin.

Then.

-Tdddddk-

‘WHAT THE HELL!!’

Zeus’s jaws dropped as he looked at Hansoo’s change.

How was it possible?

For horns to grow from the head of a human.

But it had really happened, in front of his eyes.

-Tddk!-

Two horns were growing out from Hansoo’s head.

They weren’t large but those two horns clearly indicated his difference from humans.

Then.

-Boooom!-

A tremendous flood of aura exploded out from his body.

Energy created from mixing the dark gold energy of the Demonic Dragon’s Reinforcement and his newly evolved red Pandemic blade.

And Zeus slowly backed up as he saw this.

With the melted down land as the background.

A man with two horns was standing while releasing a horrifying aura.

‘Fuck… We were all just playing house compared to this guy…’

As Zeus, or Miguel, tried his best to suppress the fear rising from his mind.

Hansoo looked towards the direction Hermes had disappeared to.

Though their strength was useful, they were using it in the wrong methods.

And Eres wanted him to kill them all.

But that was such a waste, was it not?

If he can just perform <Enlightenment> on them, they would become very useful.

“Hahahaha! Farewell!”

Hansoo smiled as he heard the voice of Hermes echoing out from the distance.

‘Yeah. My actual job is to put dog leashes on you and whip you around.’

Hansoo tightly grasped the Forked Lightning in his hand.

Then.

-Booooom!-

The golden spear in Hansoo’s hand.

Split through space and disappeared into the horizon.

Towards Hermes who was smiling as if he had successfully ran away.

***

-Crunch, Crunch, Crunch-

Hephaestus freaked out as he saw the monster devouring Hera while having the form of Ares.

‘… Fuck!’

Hera’s look mixed in with the look of Ares it was transformed.

Something continued to bubble up above as it continued to transform back from woman to man.

Demeter, Artemis and Poseidon’s faces all appeared and disappeared one by one.

Hephaestus turned and started to run away at this horrendous sight.

-Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!-

He had originally been proud of his large body but now, he was deeply hating it.

The thing had stopped imitating others now.

The dark humanoid creature stared at the running Hephaestus for a moment.

Then.

-Boom! Boom!-

It started to charge over.

With a huge desire to devour him.

It just needed one more.

It didn’t even need the others running behind him.

If it could eat this one, it would evolve into a whole another creature.

It could then figure out the identity of the annoying aura that had been continuously pestering it and pull it out of its roots.

Kyaaaaak!

The black Ark-Roa’s hand extended out as it chased after the running Hephaestus.

“Ahhh! You bastards! Wait for me!”

“Haa…! Haaa!”

The Dark king ignored the desperate screams of Hephaetus as he madly clawed away with his arms.

It was slower than running but this was what was allowing him to live.

He had naturally fallen behind because he had been slow and that had helped him to be the furthest away from the monster.

‘Fuck… Fuck! Wasn’t it the end after becoming a transcendent?’

-Crunch! Crunch!-

Other transcendents caught up to the Dark King who had been running away while cursing.

Only four of them had been left other than Hephaestus in the distance.

Dionysus, Apollon and Hades.

But they seemed to be quite calm as they were running.

And the Dark King was at a loss.

‘Retards, do you think surviving here is the end?’

Of course he himself would be caught before them.

He was weaker and he didn’t have his legs either.

But what about after him?

There was nowhere to run from this hell.

And as if Apollon had read his mind, he kicked the Dark King while frowning.

Boom!

“Kuaaaak!”

It wasn’t just a normal kick.

His arm burnt up as the kick had been imbued with flames.

-Tatatata!-

The Dark King couldn’t withstand the pain as he rolled on the ground as Apollon laughed.

“Hahaha! You should just become food since your legs are cut off anyway! I didn’t injure you that much so good luck!”

“You fucking bastard!”

That guy hadn’t let him off easy for him.

It was only because the less injured he was, the longer he would be able to fight.

And into the ears of the Dark King.

The desperate calls of Hephaestus could be heard.

“Ahhh! Fuck off!”

Boom!

Kyaaa!

The Dark King fell into despair as it looked at the mysterious dark creature who had caught up to Hephaestus.

***

Rumble!

Dionysus asked with a worried expression after running for a bit longer.

“Hey! What are you going to do?”

They would be able to escape for now but an answer not existing was still the case.

But Hades replied instead.

“Athena. Find her. She might have some methods up her sleeve.”

“… Against that thing? Even if she does, do you even know where she is?”

And Dionysus was shocked as he saw Hades nodding his head.

Athena had always been very mysterious and lonesome.

Boom! Boom!

Apollon shouted at Dionysus.

“Is that really what’s important!? Let’s just agree to not backstab each other first… Even if the others die, we have to survive and go up. Okay?”

He could not die.

The world was such an amazing place, how could he die like this?

Then.

-Sssss-

“Of course. You won’t be able to backstab anymore. I don’t know about surviving and going up though.”

“What…?!”

Apollon freaked out as a man appeared out of thin air in front of him.

Where did he come from?

But even before he could complete this thought.

Hansoo’s right hand swung at him and smashed onto his stomach.

Boom!

“Kuaaaak!”

“It was a light punch, don’t overreact.”

Dionysus trembled in fear at the man who had appeared out of thin air and had attacked Apollon.

‘Light?’

One attack.

One attack was enough to cause Apollon to scream out and fall onto the ground with a huge indent on his stomach.

This was light?

‘… Where did this fucker pop out from?’

He wanted to run but his feet didn’t listen to him.

Since he felt like he would get killed the moment he tried.

Hansoo spoke as he looked at the one rolling around the ground and the two frozen in place.

“Yeah, I’ll have to recycle for now. If your friendship hasn’t changed… Then you guys would’ve been a bit happier.”

Hansoo chucked as he sensed the exploding aura of the monster.

If these guys worked together to fight and didn’t abandon their comrades then they would’ve bought enough time until he got here.

And he would’ve been able to easily suppress the Ark-Roa.

But it seems the Ark-Roa has been able to pick them out one by one and successfully evolve.

Whatever.

Fighting that thing was part of these guys’s destiny as well.

“Fucking… Hell.”

As Apollon spoke out in despair.

Rumble.

A dark red aura started to seep out around Hansoo.