【The Rise of the Ugly Monster】 Desperate Offense and Defense, An Unexpected Reunion

​

​

* * *

​

​

"N'EEEEEEEEH!!"

Dokugegon flapped his wings in front of the Land Whale, continuing to shower it in powerful droplets of poisonous liquid!

However, the poison could not reach the interior of the Land Whale's mouth.

<<<MUGUGUGUGU!!!>>>

Because the Land Whale was keeping its mouth tightly shut!

The area around the Land Whale's mouth was charred and blistered from the poison, in a terrible state... but its phenomenal self-healing power immediately restored it to a normal state.

It was a stalemate; the situation was not progressing!

(No... this is what they call a war of attrition... if this keeps up...!)

While flapping and scattering poison, Dokugegon summoned his status board to check his remaining magic power.

It seemed that the massive amounts of poisonous liquid he produced—far exceeding his own body mass—were brought into existence by something called magic power... in any case, every time Dokugegon secreted poison, his magic power decreased.

Upon checking, he found that his magic power had dropped to about four-fifths of what it had been immediately after his 【Evolution】.

The limit of how much poison he could secrete was now in sight.

On the other hand, what of the giant Land Whale's magic power and vitality?

He had no way to check, but it was unthinkable that such a powerful existence would have durability lower than Dokugegon's magic power.

In other words, Dokugegon would reach his limit first, not the Land Whale.

At this rate, Dokugegon would lose.

<<<MUGUUUUUU!!!>>>

"N'eh!?"

And then, it happened!

The Land Whale, which had kept its mouth tightly shut and endured Dokugegon's poison until now... suddenly charged at Dokugegon!

It was a movement like a headbutt, striking with its forehead!

Until now, the Land Whale had felt a strong aversion to touching the poisonous liquid... but it had likely decided that if it was going to be showered in it anyway, it didn't matter.

Dokugegon flapped his wings at the last second to float upward and evade the attack... but as he put some distance between them, a barrage of 【Barnacle Beams】 closed in!

Bi!!

Bi!!

Bibibibiiiii!!

"N'eeeeeh!?"

Dokugegon dodged them desperately!

Glancing at the Land Whale's mouth... the skin scorched by the poison had already almost completely healed!

(What should I do... what should I do!?)

At this point, the cowardice that was Dokugegon's original nature began to rear its head in his heart once again.

He surely couldn't win... if so, he wanted to run.

Ah, but.

That thing is the one that killed Emi!

Could he really just run away, all by himself?

It was frustrating; he hated the idea!

To be unable to do anything against the opponent who took away his owner... his precious companion, and just cry himself to sleep?

No way!!

"N'eheh!?"

Bi!!

But contrary to those feelings, a 【Barnacle Beam】 grazed the poisonous wings of Dokugegon, who had hesitated and slowed his movements.

The poisonous liquid forming the wings instantly boiled and evaporated!

Dokugegon immediately secreted a large amount of poison to regenerate his wings, but...

Bi!!

Bi!!

Bi!!

"N, n, n'eh!?"

One after another... the body of the poisonous magic bird was pierced by 【Barnacle Beams】 and blasted apart!

The few seconds he had spent slowing down, consumed by his own timidity.

To the battle-hardened sniper barnacles... that was a winning opening...!

"N'EEEEEEEEH!?"

And finally, even the head of the poisonous magic bird was shot through.

Dokugegon's main body, which had been hiding around the chest area, was safe, but having lost a massive amount of poisonous liquid at once, he lost complete control of it.

Instantly, the poisonous liquid covering Dokugegon's entire body peeled away, exposing his small main body to the open air!

In that instant.

The murderous intent of the barnacles clinging to the Land Whale's face concentrated on Dokugegon's body.

...Dokugegon's subjective perception of time slowed down drastically.

He could feel the process—which should have taken less than a second—slowly, as the interiors of the barnacles' shells, enveloped in darkness, turned bright red to fire their beams.

Even so, he could do nothing.

It was impossible to fly away quickly and escape the line of fire.

He could only perceive it.

It was, in a sense, a cruel trick of physiology that needlessly prolonged the process of death, which would normally have ended in the blink of an eye.

(Ah)

Dokugegon.

(Ah, ah)

The fired 【Barnacle Beams】.

(Aaaah)

His own death.

(Aaaah, aaaah)

Watching it approach slowly.

(AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!)

With his eyes wet with poisonous liquid, he could do nothing but scream within his heart, and then...!

◇ ◇ ◇

(...Huh?)

Dokugegon.

The Purple Poison Magic Bird who danced in the sky with wings of poison.

In the Plateau of Behemoths, where he was a frail and tiny existence, he noticed that he was imprisoned within a pitch-black darkness.

(Eh!? What, what!? Did I already die!? And I'm reincarnated again!?)

Having already experienced reincarnation once, his thoughts immediately jumped to that conclusion.

"N'eh, n... n'eh!?"

However, when he tried to make a sound, what came from his throat was unmistakably Dokugegon's goofy cry.

And upon observing his surroundings closely, what he had thought was mere darkness was actually a rugged, wall-like structure, where a rusty red color occasionally flickered and vanished.

(Eh, this is...)

Black, with flickering red.

(Could it be...!?)

Dokugegon recognized those colors!

Gichichichichi...!

And then.

The surrounding darkness "split" with a metallic sound.

Then, what entered his vision was the chilly, cloudy sky of early winter.

And reaching his skin was the high temperature of the air, heated by the 【Barnacle Beams】.

<<<BOAH!?>>>

And reaching his ears was the voice of the Land Whale, sounding bewildered and unable to grasp the situation.

Right now, Dokugegon was resting on top of something pitch-black and arm-shaped that extended from the ground.

From the ground near the base of that arm... some kind of vibration was transmitted.

The shaking grew gradually, gradually... stronger.

Just as the sound of zuzuzu began to reach Dokugegon's ears!

"RAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"

DOOOOOOOOON!!

With a magnificent explosion, a black creature leaped from the ground!

Spinning through the air, it extended tentacles to stab into the ground and float upward. The identity of this creature was!

(EMIIIIIIIIII!!!)

It was Dokugegon's owner, the black-haired, black-eyed girl, Emi!

(I-I see! She dove into the ground! She was alive!!)

"N'eeeeeh! N'eeeeeh!"

Dokugegon, overjoyed by the unexpected reunion, let poisonous liquid overflow from his entire body in his excitement!

However...!

"Why didn't you run, Dokugegon?"

"N'eh..."

What came from the mouth of Emi, who was floating in the air via tentacles, were words of reprimand tinged with anger.

"You run from opponents you can't beat. Your life is the most important thing. Isn't that right!?"

"N'eh, n'eh..."

Her expression was, as always, blank.

But the anger contained in her words was real.

Dokugegon was terrified... and trembled violently.

"But."

However, Emi.

Immediately withdrew that anger.

"You did well to survive. Dokugegon, you turned out to be even more amazing than I thought!"

And then, staring straight into Dokugegon's eyes, she said:

"You've really become quite cool, haven't you, Dokugegon!"

"N'EEEEEEH!!"

Dokugegon felt so proud of those words!

He flapped his wings vigorously!