Chapter 18: Beast Transformation

Chapter 18: Beast Transformation

Metamorphosis-type Shifter Beasts are mid-tier in the hierarchy. Compared to the proliferative type, they possess unique forms and abilities, with significantly enhanced combat power and vitality.

Furthermore, the so-called "bromine fog" is a byproduct released by the metabolism of large Shifter Beasts. It not only has negative effects on humans and other ordinary organisms but also serves as a crucial substance for the Shifter Beasts to reinforce their own defenses.

"Roar, roar, roar, roar..."

The Calyx Beast stood upright, leaning on a large, club-like protrusion as if it were a roly-poly toy. With its hands on its hips, it let out a laugh filled with mockery and disdain. The sound was demonic, enough to make one's skin crawl. It leaped high, grabbed a stone pillar with its arms to overlook the tiny ants below, and then crashed down with a thunderous thud.

"Get out of the way!" Luo Ke roared.

Erica, who was still frantically spraying at the Needle Eels, broke into a cold sweat. Without a second thought, she slid to the side. No sooner had she moved than the Calyx Beast sat down, collapsing the only path on the ground, and began to laugh triumphantly with its hands on its hips.

"You beast!" Seeing the young girl almost get attacked, Jeff was both shocked and furious. He raised the high-output shotgun in his hands and fired. However, these attacks, which were effective against proliferative types, hit the blue-green bromine fog and once again proved to the world what it meant to be ineffective.

"You big club, die, die, die!" Having survived the ordeal, Erica’s anger reached its peak. The barrel of her Gatling gun was glowing red, and she was terrified it would explode at any second.

The Calyx Beast swept its tail, and the relatively slow-moving Erica was sent flying. Fortunately, she managed to position her shield in time to block most of the force.

"Ah!"

At the entrance of the passage, a Dust-dweller was struck by an ambushing Needle Eel; a bone spike pierced his throat, killing him instantly.

"Mo Cheng, those without Gravity Bodies, take the Dust-dwellers and the medicine and evacuate!" Mark commanded. "Feixue, provide long-range sniping, watch out for Needle Eel ambushes, and Afu, stay with me to stall the front."

"Understood!" Everyone moved to their respective posts.

Luo Ke was also being relentlessly entangled by a large number of Needle Eels. He moved nimbly through the hall, followed by at least twenty of them. Bone spikes converged into a rain of arrows from behind, creating a series of sharp, clashing sounds.

"Hah!"

Luo Ke leaped from a railing, swinging his bone blade with full force, spinning his body 180 degrees. The blade deflected four bone spikes. However, one last spike was closing in at high speed!

It was too late to block with the blade. Feixue, watching from above, was about to pull the trigger to intercept the spike mid-air. The next second, her eyes widened behind her mask.

A white bone spike, about fifteen centimeters long, materialized from the palm of Luo Ke’s left hand and shot out silently in the blink of an eye. The two spikes, vastly different in size, collided. The white one split the other down the middle, its momentum undiminished as it flew twenty meters further, punched a hole through the head of a Needle Eel, pierced through its tail, and pinned it to the wall.

Crucially, the tail of the white bone spike was hooked to a core!

The bone spike, possessing the power of devouring, acted like an arrow released from a fully drawn bow. Upon hitting its target, the violent devouring force immediately ravaged the target's body, effectively preventing the Shifter Beast from self-healing.

Moreover, true to its name, the Devouring Bone Arrow could absorb a portion of the target's vitality and feed it back to Luo Ke, restoring his stamina and accelerating his self-healing. For instance, Luo Ke felt a trickle of strange energy surging within him. His wounds from fighting the soil-like creatures began to heal faster, his spirit and energy were slightly bolstered, and his combat state improved. Although it didn't increase his evolution value, the function was a pleasant surprise, providing him with much-needed endurance.

Currently, the effective range of the bone arrow was about thirty meters; beyond that, its power would be halved and its accuracy would drop. Luo Ke hadn't fully grasped the rules of this ability, but the bone arrow simply extracted the system's devouring power to condense in his left palm. There was a cooldown, the duration of which varied depending on his physical state, but generally, he could fire once every half minute.

"Cover!" The cannon on Mark’s shoulder activated, firing a dozen shells that curved through the air. The shells slammed into the Calyx Beast, blooming into clusters of flame.

Bang! Bang!

Feixue’s sniper shots also continuously struck the same spot in the bromine fog. At this moment, Afu, Jeff, Erica, and Mark stood in a line to block the Calyx Beast. Under the intense barrage, the Calyx Beast was forced to avoid the brunt of the assault, circling the hall and playing guerrilla.

Behind them, Mo Cheng and the others hooked onto steel cables to ascend and evacuate. At the opening above, Donnie and another person operated the machinery, beginning to pull them up.

With their leader under attack, the hundreds of Needle Eels stopped chasing Luo Ke and turned to spray bone spikes at the plaza. Had it not been for their Gravity Bodies, the group would have been wiped out by this volley.

"Roar—"

Suddenly, the seemingly indifferent Calyx Beast surged forward, leaping from the side to ambush them. Its target was none other than Mo Cheng and the others who were evacuating! The beast was truly cunning.

Two Dust-dwellers were so frightened they lost their footing and fell, though they were fortunately caught by Erica. Mo Cheng reacted quickly, grabbing the medicine box, unhooking his safety line, and performing a mid-air flip to land on Jeff’s shoulder.

"Feixue!" Mark launched himself into the air, calling for support.

Bang!

Feixue’s sniper round hit the Calyx Beast’s head, causing the bromine fog defense layer to ripple and delaying it for a second. But it was only a second.

"Ah..." The scream of a Hunter was cut short. He was crushed in the Calyx Beast's hand like a piece of rag and tossed aside like trash.

Mark saved Zhang Feng and another Hunter, but a third Hunter was plummeting rapidly; if he wasn't killed, he would be half-dead from the fall. Afu, who remained, wanted to save him, but seeing the hideous head of the Calyx Beast above, his legs trembled involuntarily, and he froze in place.

Boom—

The Calyx Beast returned to the ground, sitting on the Hunter, likely turning him into a meat patty.

"Roar, roar, roar!" The beast stood with its hands on its hips again, wantonly mocking the ants.

"Don't get bogged down in the fight, just retreat!" Luo Ke’s voice came through their earpieces. He was hiding in the shadows, waiting for his moment.

The Gravity Bodies fired their thrusters, dodging and weaving through countless bone spikes. The short climb was agonizingly difficult.

"I could have saved him, I could have saved him," Afu murmured frantically. His mental state was spiraling out of control; guilt, anxiety, and grief surged within him.

Bang!

Several bone spikes struck Afu, luckily—or unluckily—destroying a thruster, causing him to spiral out of control. Luo Ke frowned; in his vision, Afu was emitting a rich golden light.

Afu’s erratic behavior drew the full attention of the Calyx Beast, which charged toward him. At the critical moment, a bone spike shot toward the head of the Calyx Beast. This seemingly tiny spike pierced the bromine fog and instantly shattered the defense layer!

It was further proof of Luo Ke’s innate trait—Mana Ecology Suppressor.

"Luo Ke, you’re the GOAT!" Erica shouted from above; she had learned that term from him.

Immediately after, a massive blade came spinning through the air, slamming heavily into the Calyx Beast’s head. With its bromine fog defense gone, the Calyx Beast was forced backward, tumbling into the hole it had dug itself.

Mark landed and pulled up the terrified Afu. "Hey! Wake up!"

Hum... hum...

The entire space began to ripple. Luo Ke froze for a few seconds, his expression changing abruptly. "Energy pulse!!!"

Boom—

A thick beam of light tore through the ground, incinerating the earth and stone, turning everything in its path into nothingness. The Calyx Beast, having finished its blast, crawled out from below, unharmed, and its bromine fog defense layer condensed once more.

"Cap... Captain, my legs, my legs." Afu cried out in agony. His calves, along with parts of his Gravity Body, had been swept away and evaporated into thin air.

"Go! You won't die!" Mark picked him up without a word and headed toward the exit, surprisingly meeting no resistance.

Feeling something, he turned his head sharply. Under the moonlight, Luo Ke was walking step-by-step toward the massive Calyx Beast. It was a breathtaking scene, like a dragon-slaying warrior stepping into a dragon's den with the resolve to die.

The Calyx Beast stopped chasing Mark and the others, watching the human opposite it warily. It crouched its upper body, staring at Luo Ke from dozens of meters away.

Everyone watching couldn't help but think of one phrase: Man versus Demon God.

"You guys go back. I’ll play down here for a few days. Remember to save Morgan after you get up there, and then take the seat of the City Lord," Luo Ke said calmly, as if he were facing a stray cat or dog.

"Alright, take care of yourself. I don't want to be the one picking up your corpse in a few days," Mark laughed.

They evacuated quickly. Looking back one last time, they could no longer see Luo Ke’s figure. In the dimly lit hall, it seemed as though a more terrifying monster had emerged.

(I adjusted the length of Luo Ke’s current beast form—the Giant Eater Spinal Bug is over eight meters long, which is enough to contend with the Calyx Beast; the previous five meters weren't even as big as some proliferative types.)