Demon Fish Scale Wind Armor
Evolving right in front of me, huh? No, this is different.
When I evolve, my body is completely destroyed, and I lose all sense of self.
But what is this? Horns sprouting from her forehead, teeth turning into fangs, yet the rest of her body remains unchanged.
I can' t let this continue. While her evolution is still incomplete, this is my chance.
I leap toward her Stone Armor. Once the armor envelops my entire body, I feel a bit more secure.
Her previous punches already proved they couldn' t break through my Stone Armor.
I quickly flap my scales, creating a wind that manipulates everything around me to attack her.
Weapons of all kinds, armor, shields, rocks, flames, even corpses—nothing is spared.
As my attack closes in, she simply opens her mouth. Shockingly, my assault speeds up, drawn in by her suction. In an instant, she seizes control of the wind.
Just a few centimeters before the first weapon strikes her, it shatters into pieces.
"RAAAAAAAAGH!"
Her roar unleashes a shockwave, ripping up the ground in front of her.
Everything I sent to attack her is destroyed in a chain reaction.
The moment her roar reaches me, my scales are forced to retract instantly. The shockwave slams into me, sending me flying backward.
SCREEEEECH!
I raise my hands to brace myself, leaning forward, but the shockwave still pushes me back several meters. My feet dig into the ground, leaving long gouges. Without that, I' d have been sent tumbling.
No wounds, true, but my Stone Armor, heavy as it is, and with such distance between us, was still pushed back like this?
And my ears are ringing. Even with Stone Armor covering them, this is too much.
This is insane. Is this really the same person?
As she takes her first step, I command my armor to seal every part of my body without a single gap, preparing to counter with spikes.
By her second step, the distance between us is halved. The ground she steps on craters, propelling her upward.
Before her third step even lands, she' s already in my face. My armor shifts into spikes to stab her.
Her body, which should have been pierced and forced to retreat, instead shatters my spikes as if they hit something indestructible.
Then her right fist smashes into my face with devastating force.
BOOOOOOOM!
The Stone Armor on my face shatters completely. My body flies back, crashing into the ground with brutal force, bouncing up, slamming down again, rolling countless times, and skidding across the earth for meters.
I lie there, staring at the sky in disbelief. The Stone Armor from my neck up is obliterated, unusable.
The Stone Armor that could withstand anything was destroyed by a single punch?
Before I can get up, her foot slams into my face with vicious force.
CRACK! SNAP!
"ARRRGH!"
My upper jaw twists and breaks, my teeth shatter and fall out, my left eye bursts, and my skull caves in.
My body crashes through fodder and former allies, shocking both sides as they turn to stare at her.
The fodder I collide with along the way lie screaming in pain.
I struggle to regain my senses, forcing my jaw back into place and raising all remaining armor to reinforce from my neck up.
"RAAAAAAAAGH!"
Suddenly, she roars again, unleashing a shockwave that indiscriminately attacks everyone around her. Anyone within range is sent flying by the blast.
Those too close and not strong enough have their bodies torn apart, exploding from the shockwave.
I crouch low to the ground to reduce resistance, digging my claws into the earth to anchor myself.
But I never expected her to charge at me with the shockwave.
I brace for impact, but she leaps over my head, then swings a punch into the center of my back.
BOOOOOOOM!
"ARRRGH-"
SPURT!
I can' t even finish my scream before blood gushes from my mouth. The scales on my back shatter, my spine breaks, my organs tear apart, and blood floods my body.
Using the last of my consciousness, I command my armor to cover my entire body. It' s much thinner now, but better than nothing. I can' t risk protecting just one part anymore.
But she grabs my leg and starts swinging me around.
WHOOSH! WHIP! WHOOSH! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP!
The centrifugal force creates a vortex, pulling in every living thing nearby. I' m spun so fast I lose all sense of direction before being hurled toward the city wall.
I try flapping my scales to create wind and slow myself, but it barely works.
CRAAAAASH!
My body slams into the wall, sinking into it. I cough up another massive gush of blood as cracks spread wide, threatening to collapse the structure.
BOOOOOOOM!
A thunderous sound erupts as she kicks the ground, launching herself toward me. The force of her kick sends everything around her flying.
Everything she passes is dragged along by the wind she creates.
I command all my Stone Armor to form a shield in front of me, flapping my remaining scales to create a wind that pulls surrounding objects to bolster my defense.
"Stop! We can talk this out!"
She ignores me, driving both feet into my position.
CRAAAAAASH!
Everything I used to block her is useless. My Stone Armor is obliterated. Her feet plunge through my body, and the city wall collapses, creating another massive hole.
Me, her, and countless unlucky others, along with wall debris, are sent flying outside the city, crashing into the army of former allies outside the wall. They had broken through because the fodder in armor couldn' t hold the first breach.
*****
The reinforcements faltered, unable to hold the first breach, as Jisend diverted troops twice.
As the army was broken, several monsters that had consumed humans and evolved into demons fled into the forest.
The monsters still following orders rushed toward the gate, circling around to slaughter soldiers and adventurers from both sides.
The late-arriving reinforcements, led by a new knight commander, formed ranks to stop them from reaching the gate.
But just as the monsters were about to clash, Calika' s wall collapse crushed their front line.
*****
Countless former allies are injured or dead.
THUD!
The familiar sound of something heavy hitting the ground—a tactic I once used against her with my Stone Armor.
But this time, it' s reversed. Her foot stomps my head into the earth.
I glance at her blood-red eyes in terror. Eyes filled with bloodlust, violence, and an endless thirst for slaughter.
"RAAAAAAAAGH!"
CRUNCH! SHATTER!
"URK! ACK! ARRRGH!"
She roars point-blank at my body, pressing me deeper into the ground, creating an even larger crater. My bones snap incessantly, my remaining organs explode into liquid, and blood pours from every orifice.
No more.
"I… surrender…"
She lifts her foot.
BOOOOOOOM!
And crushes my right leg into pulp.
"ARRRRRGH!"
She grabs my right arm, twisting it 360 degrees.
SNAP!
"ARRRRRGH!"
The already broken joints shatter further, the flesh around my shoulder tears open, exposing muscles and tendons.
She bites down on my wrist, tearing out a chunk of flesh.
SPURT!
Blood drenches her, turning her body red, but it' s nothing compared to the crimson of her eyes.
"I' m sorry! I' m so sorry!"
She responds by ripping my arm off and tossing it aside like garbage.
"ARRRRRRRGH!"
*****
Seeing the wall collapse, the monsters inside seize the chance to pour out as ordered.
The bewildered soldiers are commanded to engage.
But no one expects the red monster to roar, attacking anything that gets near her, regardless of side.
"RAAAAAAAAGH!"
The front-line soldiers' shields and armor are torn apart along with their bodies. The rear lines are sent flying, their army thrown into chaos, with many unconscious or gravely injured.
Monsters fall in droves. Those that survive are crippled but still charge at Calika, driven by instinct and orders.
*****
Anything that gets close, she kills without mercy.
She punches through bodies, ripping them apart with both hands, spilling their organs.
She kicks their sides until they bend, heads and feet smashing together.
She snaps necks, slams them into the ground, and stomps their heads into paste.
She leaps, biting necks until they tear, ripping heads off and hurling them to knock others back.
Her close-range roars cause weaker bodies to explode.
She impales faces with the horns on her forehead, piercing through to their brains. As they convulse in agony, she tears their heads apart.
She stomps the ground until it caves, sending shockwaves that injure and scatter her enemies.
Those that fall and can' t get up are stomped again, one by one.
Ranged attacks barely scratch her. Close-range attacks leave her enemies in pieces.
Every piece of fodder steps back in fear, dragging their comrades with them.
Some low-level fodder, foolishly seeking fame or hoping to steal corpses for profit, are slaughtered just as brutally as her former allies.
Soon, no fodder dares approach, leaving the red monster to rampage unchecked.
I muster my last strength, quietly shedding my remaining arm and leg, then flapping my remaining scales to lift myself into the air.
With my organs nearly all vomited out, my body is much lighter.
I have to escape. Flee as far from her as I can. To the edge of the world, if possible.
I swear, I' ll never touch anyone she wants again.
I made a terrible mistake. I never should have gained this mutant form.
I wish I had a safer form, one to hide in, to never face this monster again.
As I rise to the height of the city wall, I command the wind to carry me toward the forest.
Then my instincts scream in panic.
A premonition tells me death is watching.
Despite trembling uncontrollably, barely able to hover, fear forces me to glance down.
That red monster glares at me with furious, blood-red eyes.
My soul shakes, on the verge of collapse.
No, I can' t fall. I must hold on. If I fall, I' m dead.
It' s fine. She can' t reach me.
…Right? She can' t reach me, can she? Someone, please tell me!
"Don' t follow me! I was wrong!"
The red monster climbs the city wall, roaring so loudly it echoes across the battlefield.
Former allies seize the chance to attack the fodder, who flee as fast as they can the moment the red monster scales the wall.
At the top, she leaps, soaring higher than me.
"Please forgive me!"
And she stomps me from midair back to the ground.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!