["…It's back again?"]
'Yeah.'
["But… doesn't this just make things worse? You're not exactly on friendly terms with that one either, Master."]
'Neither are they—with each other.'
["Huh? Oh…"]
It was true this looked like the worst-case scenario—but, on closer inspection, it wasn't quite that simple.
The Turncoat King and the Immortal were both powerful enough to threaten Ark individually, but the important detail was this:
They were enemies.
'In fact… they probably hate each other more than either of them hates me.'
While I had clashed with both of them before, it wasn't nearly as deep-rooted as whatever existed between them.
And that became clear when the Immortal reemerged—because the Turncoat King immediately stopped attacking me.
"..."
With the Immortal's return, the battlefield shifted.
What was once a one-on-one between me and the Turncoat King had now become a chaotic three-way standoff.
'At least I avoided the worst outcome.'
And by that, I meant the Turncoat King successfully absorbing the Immortal.
Now that the Immortal was back on the surface, even the Turncoat King wouldn't be able to finish him off so easily.
'The important part… starts now.'
It was a true three-way conflict.
No clear alliances.
Which was why, despite showing aggression earlier, the Turncoat King now stood still—watching, waiting, observing both me and the Immortal.
"..."
This… was real tension.
We all circled each other warily.
No one willing to make the first move.
["…So, what now?"]
'Not sure.'
["You started all this without a plan?!"]
'It was the best move I had.'
Assessing the battlefield, it was obvious—the Turncoat King remained the strongest.
The Immortal had been injured, drained, and weakened from the earlier exchange, while the Turncoat King was nearly untouched and even empowered from stealing the Immortal's strength.
'But… that doesn't mean the Immortal's going to team up with me.'
In fact, there was every chance the two of them would decide I was the easiest target.
This standoff was unstable—and any movement could trigger an all-out collapse.
Shhhk—
The first to move, unsurprisingly, was the Turncoat King.
He charged—not at me, but directly at the Immortal.
Shhhhhhhk!
Dozens—no, hundreds of bone tendrils erupted from his body, surging toward the Immortal like a tidal wave.
Even watching it unfold in real-time; I could hardly believe the sheer scale.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM───!
The bone wave engulfed the Immortal.
Given their natural opposition, the Turncoat King's attack hit with terrifying effectiveness.
RUUUUMBLEEEEE────!
Though the Turncoat King's form resembled that of a tall man, his power was anything but "normal."
The mass of bone erupting from his body defied understanding.
["Wh-what is that thing?!"]
Esther's voice cracked with shock.
And I didn't blame her.
The scale of that assault was monstrous.
'Not happening.'
Even if the Immortal couldn't withstand that barrage, I wasn't going to stand by and watch.
If he fell, I'd be next.
Click—
I drew the BLT-47 Plasma Launcher and ICE-54 Plasma Cooler once more.
They hadn't cooled completely—but they'd do for now.
ZEEEEENG──!
The red beam of plasma and the blue wave of cold collided with the tide of bone.
Normally, the ICE-54 would freeze the target first, followed by the BLT-47 striking the finishing blow.
But there was no time for precision now—so I fired both at once.
FWOOSH!
CRACKLE! SNAP!
The freezing cold and scorching heat hammered the bone tide.
At first, the Turncoat King's tendrils shrugged it off—but gradually, as they froze and thawed, cracks began to form.
CRRRRACK—
CRACK-CRACKK!
Bone shattered in every direction.
I had stopped the Turncoat King's attack.
"..."
And for that—I earned his full attention.
His eyes locked on mine.
A gaze filled with unmistakable hostility.
["M-Master… he's looking at us."]
'Yeah, I noticed.'
["He looks… kind of pissed."]
'Noted.'
The Turncoat King's gaze burned into me.
And yet, he didn't move.
Not while the Immortal still loomed nearby.
'If he's that powerful, then he must be smart too. No bluffing will work here.'
Even among the Skull Turncoats, Turncoats like Rook displayed intelligence on par with—or beyond—humans.
And considering their human origins, it made sense their cognitive development surpassed that of other monsters.
'Unfortunately… that doesn't help me at all.'
A smart enemy wasn't a better enemy.
If anything, it made things harder.
'Still… that intelligence might work in my favor.'
If the Turncoat King were a mindless brute, he would've attacked the moment I interrupted him.
But instead, he paused—watching both me and the Immortal.
'He's wary of the Immortal.'
Even in his weakened state, the Immortal was still on par with the Turncoat King.
The Ruler of the Cracked Desert versus the strongest Turncoat.
Naturally, neither would carelessly turn their back on the other.
'What now…'
Ideally, I'd team up with the Immortal and take down the Turncoat King.
That was the best chance I had of surviving.
But I had no idea if the Immortal would play along.
So, like the others—I waited.
"..."
The silence stretched on, long enough to feel eternal.
Everyone watched, weighing their chances.
And then—
The standoff ended.
["Master! It's coming!"]
As expected, the first to move was the Turncoat King.
Whether he'd finished calculating or simply decided I was too much of a nuisance, he lunged directly at me.
'He's fast.'
Even with my enhanced serum, reinforced physique, and Janus's bodily support, I could barely keep track of his speed.
That was only natural.
He wasn't a clumsy imitation of power—he was a genuine monster. One of the most dangerous of them all.
["He's going to catch you!"]
'I know.'
And sure enough, I couldn't outrun him. His attack came crashing down toward me.
BOOOOOM!
"Ghk!"
I barely raised a bone shield with Janus's fully hardened and steel-coated tendrils in time—but I couldn't absorb all the impact.
The attack was too fast, too heavy.
["Master! Here comes another one!"]
Like flowing water, the Turncoat King followed up instantly with a second strike.
'Esther!'
["Ah—dammit!"]
Janus alone wasn't enough to hold him off. I had no choice but to call for Esther's help as well.
[B-block...]
[Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block...]
[Block. Must. Block. Now.]
Ether surged around me.
But the force summoned by Ether alone was nowhere near enough to stop the Turncoat King's assault.
FWSHHH—!
His hand pierced through it instantly, shattering the conjured field.
But it bought me just enough time to get Janus into position.
[Gi-git!]
Shhhk, shhshhkk!
Janus's tendrils coiled together, forming a new shield.
And it shattered just as quickly under the next attack.
BOOOOOM!
"Ggh!"
I was thrown again.
Even with the defense, the force shook me. My lips split, blood dripped down my chin, and my shoulder felt wrenched out of place.
Shhhhh...
Thankfully, I had two things on my side: the Serpent's Emblem from the Church of Morte, and the regenerative boost from my enhancement serum.
Injuries that would've killed a normal human? I shrugged them off and rose to my feet.
["Are you okay?!"]
'…Yeah. For now.'
Ironically, being knocked back by the Turncoat King had widened the gap between us a little.
But it wasn't time to relax.
He had more than just speed.
RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE────!
Bone tendrils burrowed into the earth, vanishing into the underground.
I had a pretty good guess what was coming next.
'…Tch.'
I unfolded Ankelenth's Wings.
Remaining on the ground now would be suicide.
FLAP!
Just as I took off, a forest of bone tendrils burst from below.
WHISH!
FWSHHHHK—!
They shot up so violently that simply flying upward wouldn't get me out of danger.
SWOOSH—SWOOSH—SWOOSH!
Even while dodging at full capacity, tendrils scraped against my limbs, shredding Janus's protection.
Injuries began to accumulate—small cuts, large gashes.
["Master! Are you alright?!"]
'…Yeah.'
But then, a question formed in my mind.
'Where the hell is the Immortal?'
In a standard three-way battle, when one party is focused down, the third should intervene.
That's the nature of a free-for-all.
And yet…
The Immortal was doing nothing.
No interference.
No retaliation.
Just standing there, letting the Turncoat King tear into me unchecked.
'…No way.'
And then it hit me.
That bastard wasn't just failing to act.
He was choosing not to.
He was watching.
Waiting.
'You've got to be kidding me…'
If I had to summarize the situation in one word, it'd be simple:
["Master… we're screwed."]
And then, from below—
Dozens of bone tendrils surged up once more, rushing straight at me.