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[Proofreader – Draxx]

Chapter 217

The dark presence emerges from the clouds, revealing itself. Even from a distance, an overwhelming sense of dread is undeniable.

With wings more than twice the size of its body, it descends upon the forest.

As I draw closer, my auxiliary organs start to hum with a sharp buzz. The immense psychic power radiating from the Black Gallagon is affecting them.

This is the strongest Apex I’ve ever faced.

The black dragon, Odd Grad, stands before me.

｢Be careful, big guy｣

Number 26 warns me from atop. The tension in its voice is palpable.

I know all too well how powerful the Black Gallagon is. I’ve defeated this creature dozens of times in the game.

However, there’s one thing I didn’t anticipate—why is he here?

‘How did he find me?’

While the Mother of the Sky monitored her nest, she didn’t see any creatures entering. The Green Gallagon tracking team hasn’t returned either, so the chance that he knew of my existence seems slim.

‘Could it be that the Green Gallagon recorded in the cruiser’s logs informed him?’

They might have seen me fighting the cruiser and reported back to Odd Grad.

But there’s still a lingering question. The White Gallagon with the broken wing definitely said something about a ‘trap.’

This means the creature has already figured out my plan to strike while the White Gallagon is out hunting.

Odd Grad’s unexpected appearance has thrown my plans into chaos.

I’m not in peak condition right now. Though my physical wounds have mostly healed, my special abilities are compromised. My size augmentation from ‘Symbol of Hunt’ and ‘Organic Evolution,’ as well as the ‘Revenant Organ,’ are all sealed.

And my companions are scattered. I only have Number 26, Adhai, and Nel Germa with me to face this beast.

Even in my best form, this would be a tough fight. But in my current state, calling this situation dire would be an understatement.

‘...Stay calm.’

Now is not the time for negative thoughts. Worrying won\'t change anything. What\'s more productive is figuring out how to survive against this formidable opponent right in front of me.

I watched him closely, keeping my composure. he landed on the ground and was staring me down without making any sudden moves.

He seemed to be gauging the situation, just like I was.

‘...He’s smarter than he looks.’

Based on its appearance, he was the largest Gallagon I’d seen here, almost as big as I get when I use the Symbol of Hunt to increase my size.

His body was long and serpentine, but not slender. His neck, chest, waist, and tail were all packed with solid muscle, covered by scales that resembled black obsidian.

He had six horns curled like those of a goat or ram, and long, tendril-like whiskers draped from his mouth.

At first glance, he might have seemed as majestic as an Eastern dragon, but that thought never crossed my mind. The reason was his eyes.

Ham Ort, Adhai, and Nel Germa all have beautiful, amethyst-like purple eyes. This creature also had purple amethyst eyes, but the feeling they gave off was entirely different.

Odd Grad\'s eyes exuded nothing but savagery and cunning. They were worlds apart from the noble and slightly playful gaze of Adhai.

‘A ruthless adversary.’

It would be wiser to consider him more like a player than a regular creature.

‘I\'ve heard he’s quite old, but what does that mean?’

In the game, ageing rarely affected NPCs. Gallagons with the same color typically didn’t vary much.

But this is reality. Even Ham Ort, another White Gallagon, is stronger than Adhai or Nel Germa. I don\'t know how aging has affected the Black Dragon Odd Grad, but it doesn’t seem to have weakened him.

‘It must have overpowered Ham Ort, yet it doesn’t have a single scratch on him.’

There were scars on his black scales, but they weren’t from Ham Ort. In other words, he subdued Ham Ort without sustaining any injuries.

‘Hmm?’

As I continued to observe him, I noticed something unusual. The creature was wearing a ring with a gemstone on its front paw.

‘I’ve never seen equipment like that before?’

It wasn\'t something from the game. The gemstone had been refined, indicating it had undergone expert craftsmanship.

‘I’ll need to be cautious.’

Just as I noticed something peculiar about him, the creature also seemed to detect something unique about me. He tilted his head curiously as he observed Number 26 on my back.

Whether it’s a Black Gallagon or a Sea Demon, they’re all powerful psychic creatures. They seemed to recognize the danger in each other.

Finally, the creature must have decided he was superior to Number 26, as he began to move. The psychic power that had been flowing like liquid over his black scales quickly converged toward his head.

‘He’s coming.’

The first attack was a psychic breath. He rapidly charged up and unleashed a dark purple beam, almost black.

I spread my wings and lifted myself into the air. The beam grazed the lower part of my exoskeleton, leaving no trace as the impacted area evaporated instantly.

‘…Reflecting it won’t work.’

The exoskeleton disintegrated before the psychic-reflective armour could activate, rendering it useless. As I dodged the attack by flying upward, I attempted to charge toward the creature.

At that moment, he lifted his head while continuing to fire the psychic breath.

‘Tch.’

With an excess of psychic power, he didn’t stop the attack but kept spewing it out continuously. The beam, capable of consuming everything in its path, followed close behind me. I beat my wings harder, increasing my flight speed.

While I was keeping its attention, Adhai and Nel Germa tried to attack Odd Grad. Nel Germa unleashed an energy blast first, but something intercepted it.

The White Gallagon with the broken wing countered with its own breath, cancelling out Nel Germa’s attack.

｢Traitor.｣

｢Nel Germa.｣｢Ham Ort.｣｢Serve.｣

｢Traitor.｣｢Death.｣

｢Kin.｣｢Dealt with.｣｢Black kin.｣｢Support.｣

｢Me.｣｢Understand.｣

While Nel Germa kept the White Gallagon occupied, Adhai came to support me. She manoeuvred around, flanking Odd Grad from behind, and unleashed a psychic breath. The barrage of violet energy blasts, now her signature technique, hurtled towards Odd Grad’s head.

Odd Grad briefly halted its breath attack and raised its wings to shield its head. Adhai\'s energy blasts struck the wings, causing an explosion.

However, aside from some slight scorching on the outer edges, the wings remained intact.

｢Sturdy!｣

｢Odd Grad.｣｢Speaks.｣｢Arrogant one.｣｢Begone.｣

Odd Grad sent a chilling telepathic wave as he unleashed another psychic breath. This time, the beam shot out much faster than the one aimed at me earlier.

‘A trick!’

He had deliberately fired the first shot slowly when attacking me.

｢!｣

[ZZZZ (Watch out!)]

It was a close call. If Adhai had been even slightly larger or slower, she would have been split in two by the beam.

Though it narrowly dodged the attack, the tip of her tail was seared off. The pain caused it to falter momentarily.

Just as Odd Grad adjusted his breath to finish off Adhai, I unleashed the energy I had been gathering while Adhai bought me time.

The force, empowered by the tendrils of the White Gallagon, surged toward Odd Grad’s head. Sensing that his wings wouldn’t be enough to block the attack, he turned its head and fired the beam at me instead.

The nearly black beam unleashed by Odd Grad and the vivid purple beam I fired clashed, creating a violent struggle between the two forces. The sheer impact of the collision split the ground between us, and trees shattered, scattering into the air.

‘…He’s strong!’

I expected the Black Gallagon to be a formidable foe, but I hadn\'t anticipated this level of power. While our raw output seemed evenly matched, the amount of energy Odd Grad had stored was on a completely different level. He was almost akin to a fully matured Amorph.

As I concentrated on maintaining my beam, I kept an eye on Adhai. Despite the agony of her burning tail, she managed to retreat to the skies.

Once I confirmed Adhai was safe, I ceased my breath attack. The moment our beams stopped clashing, Odd Grad\'s psychic breath surged toward me.

Instead of ascending, I lowered my body close to the ground. As expected, Odd Grad assumed I would rise and directed his beam upward.

With his attack misdirected, I took the opportunity to open my mouth wide, splitting my lower jaw into two. From deep within, I expelled a mass of green fungal spores.

As the acidic spores flew toward Odd Grad, he spread his wings wide and shook them violently. The force of the movement scattered the spores in mid-air, creating a small whirlwind.

‘Clever beast.’

True to his age and experience, Odd Grad knew how to utilize his body effectively. Of course, I hadn’t expected the spores to cause him much harm, but that bought me the time I needed.

Using the distraction, I pushed off the ground with my tail and leaped upward. Odd Grad attempted to fire another beam at me.

But before he could, the scattered fungal spores began to gather and fly toward him again.

｢What?｣

Odd Grad quickly fired a short burst of its psychic breath at the moving spores, as if they were attached to invisible strings.

While his attention was diverted, I soared high into the sky.

After a few powerful flaps to gain altitude, Adhai flew over to me.

[ZZZZ (Are you okay?)]

｢Pain.｣｢But.｣｢Endure.｣

Though the exchange was brief, it was enough to confirm that Odd Grad was no ordinary opponent. Among the beings I’ve encountered in this world, he ranked in the top five in terms of combat sense.

And it wasn’t just that. As expected of a Black Gallagon, his combat abilities were top-tier. In a contest of raw power, I would surely lose.

‘I need to win with unconventional attacks.’

I knew what traits and techniques a Black Gallagon possessed, but the same couldn\'t be said for Odd Grad. He had no knowledge of Amorph, nor did he know about me—what powers I wielded, or how I intended to use them.

[ZZZ ZZZ (I need your help)]

｢Sure! Leave it to me!｣

Number 26, perched on my back, wiggled its tendrils in anticipation.

Just then, a psychic breath shot up from below. I dodged, only to see Odd Grad flying toward us.

｢Insignificant creatures.｣｢You won\'t escape.｣

The horns on his head glowed with a violet light as he unleashed another breath attack. But this time, the light wasn’t just from the psychic energy.

[ZZ ZZZ (Watch out above)]

｢Above?｣

As Odd Grad’s horns lit up, the clouds above began to swirl unnaturally. Moments later, massive tornadoes descended from the sky, accompanied not only by hail and snow but also by violet lightning.

It was ‘Maelstrom’, a powerful psychic technique that only a Black Gallagon could use. True to his name, he conjured a destructive psychic storm.

[ZZ ZZ ZZZZ ZZZ ZZZZ ZZ (Keep moving to avoid the lightning)]

｢Understood.｣

I warned Adhai and quickly resumed my movement. Just as I did, a bolt of violet lightning struck the spot where I had been moments before.

Staying still under the influence of Maelstrom was not an option. The lightning, slightly weaker than the psychic breath but still lethal, would relentlessly target the caster’s enemies.

Odd Grad, having created a localized weather anomaly, flapped his wings and chased after us. One of his psychic breaths grazed the tip of my wing.

Feigning an attempt to escape, I gradually slowed down. Though it increased the likelihood of getting hit, I had Number 26 with me for a reason.

Number 26 subtly adjusted the angle of my psychic breath, ensuring it was just enough to avoid detection by Odd Grad. As a result, I managed to narrowly dodge the enemy’s attacks or only suffered minor burns to my exoskeleton.

｢Wretched insect!｣

Odd Grad’s thoughts echoed with irritation as I continued to deftly evade its strikes.

‘Now.’

I had been waiting for this moment, hoping to provoke an emotional response from Odd Grad. While dodging his attacks, I readied my psychic breath. When the energy was nearly fully charged, I suddenly folded one wing, sharply altering my direction. My body flipped sideways from the momentum, and in that instant, the creature within me unleashed the power of the dragon once more.

Odd Grad, seemingly anticipating my approach, remained composed and countered my breath with his own.

Another fierce clash ensued, but Odd Grad still appeared confident. The tentacles hanging from his mouth radiated an endless stream of power, and his amethyst-like eyes gleamed with derision.

While Adhai had a unique ability, ordinary Gallagons could not move while releasing a psychic breath. Though I could adjust the angle of my breath, it came at the cost of speed.

Odd Grad was undoubtedly aware of this. To him, I must have seemed foolish for engaging in a power struggle in the middle of the Maelstrom.

Just as I expected, a violet lightning bolt descended from above, aiming directly for me and Number 26. The moment it was about to strike, a new energy projectile came hurtling from afar. The bolt exploded upon impact with the projectile, dispersing the energy just above my head.

[Pain Nullification activated!]

Though the psychic lightning pierced through my exoskeleton and seared my insides, the pain was bearable. The lightning summoned by Maelstrom was less potent than a direct psychic breath, and with Adhai’s intervention, its destructive power had been further reduced.

The psychic energy that struck me, triggered the activation of my psychic reflection armour. The energy composing the lightning bolt scattered in all directions like fireworks, losing its cohesion and potency.

｢How dare you.｣｢Such petty interference.｣

To a Gallagon sensitive to psychic power, the sudden explosion was akin to a flare launched by a fighter jet, momentarily disorienting Odd Grad.

I successfully disoriented Odd Grad\'s vision and immediately activated "Abyssal Hue" folding all my wings tightly against my body. My form plunged downwards, allowing Odd Grad\'s psychic beam to pass just above my head.

Two of my horns snapped off once more, but I didn’t care. Having dodged the attack, I spread my wings again, diving beneath Odd Grad.

｢Cheap tricks!｣

Odd Grad\'s horns gleamed as he tried to summon another bolt of lightning to strike down from above. But that was exactly what I anticipated.

‘The real attack is still to come.’

As Odd Grad briefly paused to focus on controlling the lightning, I unleashed my hidden weapon. A mass of bubbles, imbued with the "Abyssal Hue", burst forth, composed of swirling greens, purples, and all manner of chaotic hues. These weren’t just ordinary bubbles—they were empowered Watchers of Dread, hurtling towards Odd Grad.

If Odd Grad tried to destroy them, it would only spell his doom. The moment one of those bubbles burst, Number 26 would guide the energy right back at him rendering him powerless. Even a single touch would incapacitate Odd Grad.

Just as predicted, Odd Grad’s reaction was immediate. He reflexively turned his attention to the bubbles, his tendrils glowing a deep purple as he prepared to fire another psychic breath. But something changed in an instant—his eyes flashed with confusion.

In a blink, the tendrils returned to their natural color, and Odd Grad frantically beat his wings, retreating at full speed. The composure he had earlier was nowhere to be seen, replaced by the urgency of a creature faced with a deadly threat.

Number 26 tried to manipulate the bubbles to stick to Odd Grad, but he had already pulled back far enough to evade them.

The plan to incapacitate Odd Grad with the enhanced Watchers of Dread had failed.

｢You wretch!｣

Odd Grad’s psychic waves lashed out from a distance, tinged with anger. But beneath that fury, I sensed other emotions—caution and fear.

‘How?’

Odd Grad had been ready to attack the bubbles with his breath, even gathering the energy for it. Yet, at the very last moment, he had stopped and retreated, as if knowing the danger my attack posed.

‘...Did he recognize the Watchers of Dread? Could he know something about me?’

I couldn’t understand how Odd Grad knew to avoid the "Abyssal Hue", but one thing was now clear

Fighting this Black Gallagon was going to be anything but easy.

[Proofreader – Draxx]