585. [STAGE 35] Lord of the Flies
《……》
Inside the spirit world of Lord of the Flies.
The old fly, sitting in zazen, calmly contemplated the state of ‘their own’.
‘It’s not in perfect condition.’
First of all, I looked at the means taken from humans.
개념포식 (ideal predation).
It is a new power that was created when the demon species Imp and Paris merged.
It makes the opponent a sacrifice as a concept, and devours and steals it as a fly.
‘You are really useful, Imp.’
The old fly thanked the imp anew.
small and insignificant… … Even though he had forgotten his name by now, he couldn’t help but be grateful for the things that the imp had arranged for him.
In any case, three powers were stolen through this conceptual predation.
Barrier, elemental magic, and teleport.
Barriers and magic would be useful, but the old fly was hesitant to use teleport.
This is because he realized that this magic is fundamentally a means to connect to the other side of the other side.
‘Is it magic that teleports through the other side of the horizon… … .’
In the end, they are beings that have been resurrected from the nightmare under the Lake Kingdom.
The other side of the other side – it was self-evident that if you entered the spirit world, you would not be able to return to the present world and be swept away.
It was the same reason that the other nightmare corps couldn’t use the teleport gate.
‘But, because of that.’
The old fly giggled evilly and folded its hands in front of its chest.
‘It could be useful.’
Laying aside the means taken from his enemies, the old fly, now Lord of the Flies, looked after the rest of his kind’s resources.
‘Many of the eggs stored in the hatchery were burned because of the infiltrating humans.’
Flies resurrected in the nightmare of the Lake Kingdom were unable to lay new eggs, so they had no means of replenishing lost eggs on their own.
It wasn’t just knowing. On the way to this place, it was also great that he generously consumed adult flies in order to obtain information on the present world. Power consumption was greater than expected.
‘But there are still eggs left.’
Many of the eggs in the hatchery have been burned, but the remaining eggs are safely stored.
All of these eggs will be born into a new generation of flies.
The chimera-type flies released earlier were just the beginning.
It was intended to conceive the strongest fly by injecting all the essence that could be continuously injected.
Although the process of metamorphosis from an egg to a maggot, from a maggot to a pupa, and back to an adult insect became extremely slow as the number of items that went into one individual increased.
The result was satisfactory. Each new generation of flies was a formidable monster, and each one grew more powerful.
‘All the remaining eggs have been moved to the top floor of the hatchery, but… … .’
In any case, the number is insufficient. It may be enough to destroy a fortress right now, but not enough to destroy the world.
So, the thoughts of the old Paris were not very different from those of other conquering monarchs.
‘We must find the flies of the present world and absorb them into our ranks.’
The world is always full of flies.
We need to find those flies and bring them into our sphere of influence.
In fact, while already advancing from the Black Lake to this place, all the flies living in the forest and rivers, from larvae to adults, were absorbed by the Lord of the Flies.
‘I will break down the walls and move into the middle of the world.’
And, gather all the flies from all over the world… … .
I will harm all other creatures, desecrate them, and lay eggs on their corpses.
Only then will this contradictory world be destroyed, and a new world will be born again.
A world filled with innumerable flies and maggots, lower than anything else, lowly, and also full of happiness… … .
The old fly, which had been laughing and giggling with its back bent, suddenly stopped laughing.
《……?》
Paris felt something foreign inside herself. A vague but definite discomfort was making his stomach queasy.
‘what.’
The old fly contemplated inside itself again, but could not detect anything.
The collective consciousness of all the flies gathered to form one huge cerebral body, and the old fly was the master who completely took the initiative of the cerebral body.
He was the tribal god chosen by the servant of Paris. Every fly swore obedience to him, and every fly that didn’t had its soul eaten by him.
That’s why he was truly invincible in this mental world. There was nothing to make him uncomfortable.
After carefully examining the inside, the foreign body sensation disappeared as if it never existed in the first place. The old fly tilted his head and then looked straight ahead.
Anger-!
In the sight of the giant monster, Lord of the Flies.
The forests on the left and right disappeared, and wide plains began to appear.
And beyond.
Finally, the human fortress built a high wall and revealed its appearance.
***
Even the sunset has gone, and the time when night is approaching.
Fortress City Crossroads. above the southern wall.
An airship floating in the sky. Alcatraz in the center.
Fleet Commander MacMillan was watching the appearance of the enemy monster displayed on the magic panel while biting on his pipe.
Almost simultaneously, reports poured in from all channels like screams.
「The monster is rapidly approaching! Don’t slow down!”
「Lord of the Flies can be seen with the naked eye!」
「You have 5 minutes left before we get into range!」
Enemy monsters that appeared through the clouds grew larger moment by moment. It was simply getting closer, but in Macmillan’s eyes it seemed that way.
aww-
He bit too hard, crushing the wooden coffin of his prized pipe tobacco.
Macmillan chewed on the tobacco-infused wooden coffin and adjusted his admiral’s hat.
‘Did Her Highness’s operation succeed? or not-‘
Immediately after, MacMillan let out a soft laugh.
There is always one thing a soldier must prepare for.
It’s just an ‘or’ case.
“Entire fleet, launch! Shoot down the enemy monster!”
Tuhak-!
The rear thrusters of the non-empty ships that were waiting in the air all at once burst into magical flames.
In the middle of the fleet advancing against the intruding monsters, Macmillan spoke again.
“We can stop him at the fortress only when we first slow him down, so the entire fleet! This time, really… … .”
MacMillan yelled.
“Let’s show the power of the aces on the human side! Fire-!”
The airships turned to the side all at once and approached the Lord of the Flies without slowing down.
At the same time, batteries were deployed on the flanks toward the Lord of the Flies, and fire was poured in.
pop! Bubber!
Kwakwagwagwang-!
The barrage scattered by the emptiness rained down on the Lord of the Flies like a raindrop, and then exploded spectacularly.
The non-airships replaced the barrier system that had been blocked in the crossroads. At the same time, the gun system was also renewed.
Crossroads, the forefront against monsters, had turret and gunpowder technologies that were abnormally advanced compared to other regions, and they generously shared their know-how.
It wasn’t long, but all the engineers and blacksmiths rushed in and tried to strengthen the airship’s firepower even a little.
As a result, firepower was significantly increased compared to the first engagement.
‘I’ll rip you apart, you flies…!’
MacMillan clenched his fists as he watched the dazzling explosion of explosives.
The battery fires on one side, and the thruster rotates and deploys on the other side to advance.
The appearance of the non-empty ships approaching the Lord of the Flies, spewing fire on both sides, was a spectacle in itself.
but,
“……?!”
It wasn’t long before MacMillan noticed something strange.
As the shells exploded, the flames and thick smoke dissipated, and a light blue curtain began to appear surrounding the giant body of the Lord of the Flies.
Soon, the other captains also noticed the identity of the membrane around Lord of the Flies’ body. Embarrassed moans erupted simultaneously.
“I-that’s… … .」
“oh my god. Damn-”
“This monster bastard, what is this… … .」
MacMillan chewed and spat out the pipe he had taken from his mouth.
“… … barrier.”
It was a barrier technology that was stolen from humans by monsters.
As if he was in hibernation, he took a crouching posture.
The huge Lord of the Flies deployed barriers all over his body and easily withstood the full-power firepower projection of the airship fleet.
At the same time, red light scattered from the monster’s entire body.
It was an effect created by the eyes of all the flies that made up the monster’s body.
The red light that rose from the tip of the tail rode up to the upper body, reached the head, and reached the horns.
There was no Halo anymore, but Lord of the Flies had huge, demon-like horns sprouting from above its head… … Enormous magical energy was condensed there.
「Enemy monster, condensing mana!」
“Mi, it’s a crazy scale! This amount of mana capture… … .」
“Something huge is coming! Sir Macmillan! Instructions!」
Even at this moment, the Lord of the Flies and the airships were getting closer to each other.
Macmillan calmly assessed the situation. I was taken aback by the Lord of the Flies taking this barrier technique, but it seems that there is a barrier here as well.
No matter what means of attack the other side uses, as long as this side can withstand it with a barrier-
“uh?”
The next moment, a bewildered sound escaped Macmillan’s mouth.
It was because familiar shapes and spells poured out from the horn of the Lord of the Flies in a magical circle.
MacMillan was also skilled in magic. So he had no choice but to find out right away.
The means of attack that Lord of the Flies is preparing now is-
“… … Magic.”
It was a combination magic stolen from human wizards.
Flash-!
Fierce flames that seemed to devour the world, high tidal waves that seemed to have no end in sight, landslides that seemed to turn the world upside down, tornadoes that seemed to rip the sky apart, and lightning that dazzled like a flash in the beginning.
The magic that the brightest researchers among humans resonated with with all their souls and unfolded, the flies also resonated as a species and poured out calculations.
Seeing the disaster pouring down before his eyes, Macmillan shouted.
“I had to leave the airspace… … .”
Immediately after, MacMillan noticed something. He glanced back with a pale face.
If the Airship Fleet gets out of the way, it will be directly hit by this magic… … .
‘Crossroads… … !’
What the Lord of the Flies was aiming for with magic was not an airship in the first place.
It was the castle wall of the monster front.
A sharp communication rang in Macmillan’s ears, who was stunned for a moment and couldn’t make a decision.
“Block it with your body! hurry-!”
“……!”
Tuhak-!
As Macmillan looked ahead, he saw a single ship firing forward, hastily pulling up the barrier.
A ridiculous looking emptiness with white fur.
It was the Aryan Bear, the airship of the Aryan Kingdom.
In the last battle, the captain was injured and boarded instead – Arian Yoon shouted.
“If we don’t block it, the Crossroads will end! Everyone raise their barriers and block them with their bodies!”
“Kuh… … !”
Barrier is never invincible.
Damage up to the output limit can be safely received, but the moment the output limit is exceeded, it melts.
And even at a glance, the power of that terrifying joint magic far exceeded the output limit.
“… … Battleship, barrier deployment! Follow Aryan Bear!”
Even so, I can’t back out.
All the fleets, which had been confused for a moment, quickly raised the barriers with Aryan Bear as the lead, creating a square in the air.
“Forcibly run the battleship’s magic furnace and release the output limit! Turn all your magical energy into a barrier! And try barrier resonance with all ships lined up!”
MacMillan gave the order quickly, and the airship crew, who were the aces of the aces, carried out the order even in the most immediate situation.
Airships lined up in an orderly manner all at once pulled up the barriers that were overflowing with power, and the combined barriers blocked the air in the shape of a giant shield.
And on top of that… … .
A magical bombardment fell that once belonged to mankind, but now belongs to the flies.
***
In an instant, the sound disappeared from the world.
A tremendous shockwave and aftermath swept the area.
Evangeline, who was preparing to activate her ultimate on the wall, managed to hold on to the edge of the wall and endured flying away.
Evangeline, who was holding on to her ears and staggered, managed to shake her head and come to her senses.
And what I saw in Evangeline’s eyes as she raised her head was,
“……!”
The charred, charred airships exhaled smoke and fell powerlessly downward.
And from behind, against the background of the darkening sky, passing through the thick dark clouds and smoke, calmly cross-legged and approaching with palms together… … .
It was like the Lord of the Flies.
