Chapter 422 - 422: True Liberation
As it turned out, the reason there had been two Monarchs hidden in the depths of the lava lake next to Magmorious was because they had been attracted to the hollow valley, which had been located right below it all this time.
More specifically, the presence of the plentiful spiritual crystals rich in energy.
Though at that moment, no one paid heed to that revelation.
Even if the threat in the lake had long been exterminated, some soldiers still remained on guard in case something were to arise from the depths.
As fate seemed to have it, two beings did. The Monarch and Michael in his Demonic Form.
"What the hell is that?!"
"Where are the Lords when you need them?!"
"I don't care! Staying here is courting death, make way!"
Scared and disoriented, the soldiers abandoned their post, desperate to get as far away as possible.
Due to the havoc in their ranks, nobody noticed that the level of the lava lake began to dip, the molten liquid slowly draining toward the hollow valley beneath.
Michael, still rejoicing, took a firm hold of the nearest tentacle.
"Here we go!"
Turning his body, he forced the Monarch to follow, spinning it like a toy not worth his time.
Given the amount of abuse the alien was able to withstand, it seemed that its specialty was its physical toughness.
Choosing to test how far the integral structure of its body could hold, Michael proceeded to slam the Monarch back into the ground, more accurately the hole from which they had come, sending it like a meteor right back at the hollow valley.
Amid its descent, the Monarch tried to extend its limbs to latch onto the ground and lessen its falling speed.
Not taking kindly to the alien's ideas, Michael began to carve one tentacle after another.
Its options were quickly running out.
The Monarch squirmed desperately.
Michael laughed wholeheartedly.
BOOM!
At last they collided with the bottom of the hollow valley once more. The whole place shook, starting to fall apart under the intensity of their clash.
By now the alien was rendered too powerless to move. Large parts of its body had exploded on impact with the ground.
However, Michael didn't deliver the final strike.
That would have been too merciful.
"Of all things I hate…" His amusement evaporated in a flash, his expression becoming stone cold. "Is someone daring to steal what is mine…"
Reaching out, Michael's claw carved a hole in the Monarch's stomach with surgical precision.
ROOOOOAAAAAAAR!
A deafening cry erupted from the monster's jaws, feeling pain unlike any other.
It was a cry for help, for mercy, begging for the release of death.
Unknown to the Monarch, its cries were the most pleasant melody Michael had ever heard, urging him to keep going.
The creature's stomach was mostly filled with spiritual crystals, not surprising given how long the alien had spent eating them from the ceiling.
However, soon another sight greeted Michael's eyes.
Felines… their bodies having started to be digested in the monster's stomach, unable to withstand the acid.
Michael didn't express sorrow at the sight. With his Demonic Technique, Corrupted Mind, constantly active, he couldn't feel sorry for them.
They had no one to blame but themselves for being so weak that they couldn't endure the prolonged torment of the monster's stomach.
Who was supposed to care for them?
Why should Michael waste his time and energy on such weaklings that could only hold him back?
Unlike them, his Ruby was different.
She was…
"Here you are…" Michael smiled when he found his dear feline companion.
Gently, he scooped her up with one arm, prolonged enough to fully support her body, and began carrying her out of the Monarch's guts.
"You survived just like I knew you would…" Michael murmured, using one of his fingers on his free hand to softly brush her fluffy hair to the side, getting a better look at her beautiful face. "Good girl."
There was a certain degree of pride in his movements.
Ruby loved him so much that she had literally thrown her life away to save his.
How could Michael not pride himself in that?
It wouldn't be a lie to say that he also felt greed. He didn't plan to share her with anyone, much less a monster that had attempted to end her life.
Of course, he was willing to kill anyone in the world to keep her for himself.
Lastly, he felt slightly envious… Occasionally, Ruby acted so innocent and carefree that he wondered how easy his life would have been if he thought like her.
Nevertheless, all that to say, he felt perfect. His technique, the so-called 'Corrupted Mind' simply cleared away his doubts and second thoughts.
"Uh…" Ruby groaned faintly, still unconscious, her body recognizing the care she was being shown, and tenderly curled around Michael, her tail wrapping around his larger frame.
"Adorable, like always…" Michael chuckled lightly, his eyes not leaving her slender figure.
With his property secured, he came out of the Monarch's guts and slowly stepped towards the being's head. His free hand twisted into a claw, carving a deliberate trail from the monster's ruptured stomach along the way.
The cry the Monarch let out sounded less fearsome and more pained, scared… one that prey lets out when it pleads for mercy.
"Finally we meet… face to face." Michael mused, halting in front of the monster's giant eye.
Given its one-kilometer length, even the Monarch's eyes were larger than Michael's towering frame.
Despite that, its pupils had shrunk from fear.
Michael reached out, placing a hand over the being's eye. He didn't apply pressure. It was just enough to make the alien feel the difference in their positions.
The Monarch's pupils began to tremble with terror.
"Shhh~"
Michael calmed down the Monarch, acting like he was speaking to a mere mutt.
"There is this saying that states in order to kill a monster you need to become one yourself…"
He paused deliberately, studying his own reflection in the Monarch's pupil.
Mirroring Devil in height, he towered two and a half meters. His arms had grown grotesquely long, with the ability to twist into sharp claws. The color of his eyes surpassed the blackness of the cosmos itself, debarring any form of light.
Black blood surged through his widened veins, which bulged under his skin that gradually turned a deeper hue of unsettling crimson the more time progressed.
"A…. Monster?"
At last he couldn't hold it any longer. His chest flared, lips curling into a menacing grin that stretched impossibly wide, showing his teeth gradually shifting into fangs before erupting into laughter.
"All I am seeing… Is a winner!"
His chilling laughter never faded.
Not when he pressed against the alien's eye, rupturing it. Nor when he began to traverse through the creature's head until he came out the other side.
Leaping onto the lifeless head of the Hreh'tar, Michael observed the molten liquid that slowly spilled into the hollow valley from the hole he had carved toward the surface.
With the death of the Monarch and his transformation into his Demonic Form, he alone stood at the very pinnacle of the hollow valley. There was nothing that could even compare to the amount of power at his fingertips.
"Ah, the sheer bliss!"
The sensation of true liberation was so intense that Michael didn't notice Ruby, still curled up in his arms, was now unconsciously wearing a slight frown on her face.
Such things were bound to pass under his radar, especially with the window that appeared before his eyes.
[Quest Overthrow the Monarch: Completed!]
[Distributing Reward…]