BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM────!
A blinding flash of destruction blasted straight at the Immortal's body.
RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE────!
The Immortal was pushed back by the blast of the Ark-34 Railgun, sliding across the ground in a straight line.
Again and again, relentlessly.
Fssssh—
Fssssssss!
Even after taking a direct hit from the Ark-34 Railgun, his body hadn't been pierced—it had only been pushed back. As expected of the undying Immortal.
["Did… did we get him?"]
'You saying that just made him get back up, probably.'
["…What kind of crap logic is that?"]
Esther shook her head, but sure enough, we saw the Immortal slowly rising in the distance.
It wasn't her jinx that made it happen—this was simply the inevitable outcome.
["What the hell is that thing..."]
'Get used to it. That's not something you can kill.'
I had used the BLT-47 Plasma Launcher and ICE-54 Plasma Cooler combo.
I'd even fired the Ark-34 Railgun—every bit of firepower I had.
Yet it wasn't enough. Not even close.
'No… I couldn't even deal a meaningful wound.'
Despite knowing that, I had used the Ark-34 Railgun for one simple reason.
'I've already widened the distance.'
Distance—that's what I needed.
And now, the space between the Immortal and me was more than enough.
'Current distance to target: approximately 930 meters. This should work.'
I opened the [Rift Space].
Normally, I'd never use that in front of others—it wasn't exactly pleasant to show. But now wasn't the time for such concerns.
WHUMP—!
What I pulled out was the NOA-31 Anti-Behemoth Gatling Gun.
Not something typically suited for a humanoid target like the Immortal, but I wasn't aiming at him.
Whirrrrrrrr...
The Gatling Gun's barrel began to spin violently.
Target: The Immortal.
More specifically, the ground beneath him.
BOBOBOBOBOBOOM────!
High-explosive shells began raining from the NOA-31's barrel.
The Immortal tried to approach me again, but the ground beneath his feet was already collapsing.
BOBOBOBOOM!
Shell after shell bombarded the terrain he was walking on.
["Yes! That's it!"]
Esther cheered—but I didn't let go of the trigger.
'If the hole isn't deep enough, he'll just climb back out. I have to bury him completely.'
The Immortal was an overwhelmingly difficult enemy—but not without countermeasures.
One of the best-known strategies was burial.
Of course, thanks to his undying nature, he'd eventually crawl his way back to the surface. But depending on how deep and well-buried he was, I could delay that return by quite a bit.
BOBOBOBOOM────!
The ground gave way.
The Immortal struggled to maintain footing, trying to reach me—but I, with near-limitless ammunition, had no intention of letting that happen.
RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE!
Smoke began pouring from the cannon's overheating barrel, pushed past its maximum rate of fire.
But I didn't stop.
If I did, the Immortal could rush me at any moment—and I knew that better than anyone.
WHOOOOOSH...
When the bombardment finally ceased, what remained was a deep, sunken crater—with the Immortal buried inside.
'That should hold for now…'
Without hesitation, I reached into the [Rift Space] again and pulled out the CRN-842 Hemp Rocket Launcher.
I'd dug the hole—now it was time to seal it.
Click—
No time to hesitate.
Just pull the trigger.
FWOOOOOOOOOSH────!
Rockets fired in rapid succession, raining down like thunder from the sky.
One after another, like a storm.
RUMMMMMMBLE────!
BOOM! BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!
Explosions roared in rapid fire, and the already collapsing crater began to cave in completely.
Thud, thud, thuuuud...
Even an Immortal wouldn't be getting out of that mess easily.
Especially not in his current, weakened condition.
["Nice one, Master! Let's get out of here! That thing's definitely getting back up eventually!"]
Maybe Esther was finally starting to understand what kind of creature the Immortal really was—her panic was now urging retreat.
But I hesitated.
'Logically, yeah… leaving now is the smart move. But I still haven't figured out why the Immortal showed up here.'
Run now, or stay and dig deeper into the mystery.
I looked around, weighing my choice.
'Come to think of it… after rising, the Immortal started devouring bones. Could that have something to do with why he's here?'
It seemed like the best way to understand him was to first identify the origin of these bones.
'Then…'
I moved.
The Immortal was still buried for now, but that didn't mean I had time to spare.
'What connection is there between these bones and the Immortal?'
One thing was clear:
Both the owner of these bones and the Immortal had played a major role in the destruction of this branch of the Church of Morte.
'The most likely scenario… is that the Immortal fought the bone's owner, and the battle engulfed the branch in the process. But who could even fight the Immortal like that?'
It went without saying—you'd need to be a top-tier monster, one on par with a regional ruler, just to survive a clash with the Immortal of the Cracked Desert.
'But it's not the Bone Lord.'
That name did come to mind first—but the traces didn't match.
If the Bone Lord had stormed through this place, nothing would've been left behind—not even rubble.
'Which means… the most likely candidate is still that one possibility…'
To test my theory, I chose the simplest method.
'Janus.'
[Gi-git!]
The easiest way to identify the origin of these bone fragments?
Let Janus eat one.
["…Master? Wait, you're not seriously feeding that to our bone boy, are you?"]
"I am."
["What?"]
Without a hint of hesitation, I tossed one of the bone shards to Janus.
Crunch, crack—
["Wait, hold on—seriously?!"]
Had the circumstances been any different, I wouldn't have risked it—feeding such suspicious bone fragments to Janus.
But the die had already been cast.
The Immortal, buried underground, could reappear at any moment. And the presence of those bone fragments scattered all around was equally concerning.
That's why the method I'd chosen—to resolve both threats at once—made the most sense.
Crunch, crunch…
As Janus finished chewing through one of the fragments, a new alert appeared before my eyes.
[You have consumed a fragment of the Beyond-Grade Named Monster, 'Turncoat King'!]
…Turncoat King?
One of the possibilities I had reluctantly considered had now become reality.
Among the bone parasite monsters, there is a being who rivals even the Bone Lord.
The Turncoat King.
The first Turncoat ever identified by Ark, and the most dangerous of them all.
'…So, it really was the Turncoat King.'
Truthfully, aside from the Bone Lord, the only other monster among the bone parasites capable of standing against the Immortal was the Turncoat King.
Until now, I hadn't been certain.
Now I was.
'That means… the reason the Immortal came here is also because of the Turncoat King.'
Finally, the wounds on the Immortal began to make sense.
The Immortal possessed absolute vitality—but there was one natural counter to it.
The Turncoats, Skull Turncoats, and Skull Knights.
Their unique traits allowed them to steal the power of others—an ability that posed a direct threat to the Immortal.
And the Turncoat King was the apex among all Skull Turncoats.
'Something must've sparked a battle between them… and in the process, this branch of the Church of Morte got swept up in it.'
Most likely, it was the Turncoat King who initiated it.
Even with the natural advantage, the Turncoat King wouldn't have been able to overpower the Immortal right away.
So, he must've shifted the battlefield to the Church's branch to absorb the Ether and strength of the cultists here, gradually acquiring enough power to take the upper hand.
'If that's the case… it all fits together.'
Now that I understood the situation, all that was left was to escape before the Immortal clawed his way out of the rubble.
And then—
[Giiik? Keehk! Gikigik!]
Janus began to convulse.
["Wh-What the—?! Master! What's wrong with our bone-boy?!"]
[Gikik! Gikigikigik──!]
His reaction was clearly abnormal.
The cause didn't take much guessing.
The only change Janus had recently undergone… was devouring that bone fragment.
[Gik… kik, keek...]
I already knew this much—
Bone parasite monsters can affect each other when they share parts of themselves—especially if one consumes the other.
Until now, I had used that mechanism to my advantage.
But not this time.
This was the Turncoat King.
A being you couldn't take lightly.
[Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!]
Janus extended his bone tendrils, and like some eerie antenna, began emitting high-frequency signals—as if broadcasting to something.
I didn't know what it meant.
But one thing was certain: this wasn't good for us.
["Do something, anything!"]
'…No choice.'
I opened my canteen and poured a bit of life water over Janus.
As the sacred fluid touched him, Janus recoiled as though splashed with acid.
[Gik! Gikig!]
Though he took some damage, the effect was immediate—he broke free from the Turncoat King's influence.
'But… the real problem starts now.'
I didn't know what exactly the Turncoat King had done through Janus.
But one thing was clear—this place was no longer safe.
'Time to leave.'
I activated my Z-74 Jetpack—and unfolded Ankelenth's Wings.
Then, I took to the sky.
I had to get as far from here as possible, as fast as I could.
'Let's go.'
Just as I fully lifted off and began flying away from the Church of Morte ruins—
SWOOOSH────!
A deafening sonic boom came a moment after something struck me.
"Ghk!"
I barely dodged, but even a graze was enough to cripple the Z-74 Jetpack.
To think that even a glancing blow had such power… It was terrifying.
["Master!"]
With the jetpack failing, I began plummeting helplessly toward the ground.
And as if that wasn't enough, Ankelenth's Wings had been damaged in the strike as well.
"Janus!"
[Gi-git!]
Janus's bone tendrils shot out, wrapping around my body to absorb the impact.
Just in time.
The moment I was fully enclosed, we hit the ground.
BOOOOOOM────!
"Cough! Cough!"
Covered in a cloud of dust, I slowly raised my head.
And then, I felt it.
A presence.
Esther, who stood nearby, wore an expression I had never seen before—an uneasy stare locked in one direction.
["Master… over there...."]
Instinctively, I followed her gaze.
And I saw it.
A shadow draped in a tattered, low-hanging cloak that seemed to drag the darkness with it.
Bone decorations hanging from its frame.
Armor crafted entirely of bone encasing its entire body.
ROOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAR────!
The Turncoat King.
It had finally revealed itself before me.