Chapter 1097: Chapter 1097

Tracking the monster with the naked eye wasn’t easy.

The massive tunnel was at least fifty meters below the surface, spreading out like an ant colony. The size and complexity of the tunnel system made it impossible to tell where the cave began or ended. It at first glance looked like the grotesque octopus monster had burrowed them out, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

When Rinne escaped from the tentacles and entered the research facility, the octopus monster hadn't managed to breach that area for a time. That wasn't behavior suitable for something that could create such a maze. In other words, there was an ancient ruin there that even the royal family of Alberta hadn’t known about. That was the conclusion Davey came to.

Vatan had discovered the ruin before Alberta did and managed to take over the research facility, then began to meddle in secret while Alberta was none the wiser.

That alone raised a multitude of questions and conclusions that didn’t make sense. Yet what left Davey even more baffled was the strange distortion barrier he found not long after entering. It twisted space itself to block pursuit and prevent intrusion from the outside.

He figured something must’ve gone wrong, for such a thing to be visible. Likely, part of the ruin’s system had broken down, and the distortion barrier collapsed from the inside, reconnecting the underground passage to the surface. If that hadn’t happened, even with the traces Rinne left behind, finding the place would’ve been nearly impossible.

“This is a massive ruin. Alberta isn’t run by complete fools, so how did they possibly miss this?”

If the ruin had been within Vatan’s territory, it would’ve made sense. Within enemy territory, beneath their noses the entire time? There was no shot.

[Alberta’s been full of pro-Vatan factions for a long time. Even now, that fact hasn't changed. Some of the nobles under Marquis Barogo probably helped facilitate this situation.]

Marquis Barogo had indeed aligned himself with the Vatan Kingdom, but not even he wanted his native Alberta Kingdom to be completely destabilized by them.

“Looks like you can’t even manage your own people. Look at the mess I’ve gotta clean up because of you.”

[W-Why do you have to clean it up?!]

“A disciple I trained got killed. You expect me to just let that slide?”

[W-Wait a second. Don’t tell me... you’re interfering in Alberta’s affairs?! If that’s the case, then you—!]

“You’re dead and floating around as a spirit. Why are you worried about the ramifications?”

[How could I not worry?! Do you even realize how much trouble you’re in because of me right now?!]

Tsuna, sharp as ever, had instantly grasped the implications of Davey’s potential involvement.

“Well, it’s obvious what’ll happen. The countries that have been tiptoeing around until now are going to use this as an excuse to try and chip away at my own influence.”

She frowned deeply and clenched her fists.

[And you’re still doing it despite knowing that?!]

“It’s simply something I have to do,” Davey said as he looked her in the eyes. “Though it was only a few days, a student of mine got murdered. Ignoring that would be a bigger loss for me than any political blowback.”

[That doesn’t make it right! It’s still not too late. If you drop everything now and go back to Heins—]

“No, thanks. Oh, I finally found that bastard’s trail.”

The monster had been running while trying to throw off the trail, but it hadn’t gotten far before Davey had already caught up. Once arriving, he understood why the monster had left a trail.

At the far end of another ruin inside the massive tunnel, the monster stood waiting for Davey. It was smaller than when he’d first seen it—small enough to take in its whole form at once. However, the power it radiated was entirely different.

“Aah!! I’m overflowing with energy!! I’ve never felt anything !!”

The monster stretched its arms wide, swaying like it was drunk on power. It then locked its eyes on Davey.

Though its overall form still resembled an octopus, it lacked the characteristic beak or suction cups, and the humanoid upper body sticking out from its massive mouth made it all the more grotesque.

Now that he looked closely, it was too bizarre to even call it an octopus.

Tsuna, who had followed behind, trembled with horror.

[What the... What is that?]

The monster grinned with madness, arms still out. “I succeeded in evolving, puny human. All the dormant genes in my body have been activated, though I didn’t expect to be this strong! I don’t even need your soul stone anymore, girl!”

[What the hell did you do?!] This update is available on novel·fire·net

“Hmm? I just digested that little spiritual entity boy, that’s all.”

‘Digest a spiritual entity? That shouldn't even be possible.’

The monster pulled out a pouch from its mouth—the emergency food pouch Belga had always carried on his hip.

“He barely had any strength left, and yet his body was packed with this much vitality! It worked out perfect for me!”

Letting out a twisted moan like a drug addict, the monster cocked its head at a disturbing angle and stared at Davey. At the same time, an invisible force slammed into him, eliciting a frown.

The monster let out a pleased, unhinged laugh. “Oops, sorry. I think the genes are acting up on their own.”

Davey instinctively wrapped himself in divine power to block the attack, but the monster just grinned with a sinister look.

“This struggle can finally be over. That idiotic Alberta, and that disgusting Vatan who turned me into this; I can finally take revenge on them all!”

The synergy was creating an explosive effect. As a spiritual entity, Belga had possessed a form that reacted particularly strongly toward vitality. The monster seemed to rely on accumulating power through vitality as its core strength.

Davey knew that there was no need to keep such a threat alive. He sheathed Red Ribbon, drawing Blue Ribbon instead. She hummed with a resonant vibration, thrilled to be in his hand.

“All those so-called ‘immortals’ always have some grand plan in their minds.”

“At least... until they get sliced to pieces.”

Even the monster’s supposed immortality couldn’t withstand Blue Ribbon’s authority. Within an instant, the monster’s upper body was sliced into pieces.

Davey watched the monster fall into sudden silence, then calmly stroked his chin. When cutting with Blue Ribbon, he could usually sever the connection an enemy had with their source of immortality. Yet, he felt none of that sensation just then.

It didn’t feel like a resurrection fueled by immortality—it was more like he had just slashed one part of an oversized creature. He knew all too well that striking with Blue Ribbon to cause superficial wounds wasn’t effective at all.

Sure enough, the creature moved as if nothing had happened, devouring the severed pieces of its own body and quickly regenerating, almost like it was returning to its original form. Davey quickly realized it wasn’t magical regeneration.

It was purely physiological. Regeneration driven by overwhelming vitality.

Davey looked at Blue Ribbon in silence and drew Red Ribbon as well. Combining the two blades, he formed the crimson-and-cobalt-colored Super Ribbon. “All right. We go again.”

The monster’s eyes widened as the crimson and cobalt blade energy gathered. It then confidently shouted, “Good! That’s more like it! Guess I’ll have to respond in kind!”

With that, it began to move rapidly, dominating the area. It slid across the walls, ceiling, and floor alike, its enormous body moving with shocking speed as it searched for an opening to attack.

At that moment, Rinne watched the monster closely and muttered softly to Davey, her flashing blue eyes slightly widening, “Master Davey... Totrias!”

It was a race descended from the remnants of Thanatos, the God of the Abyss, who appeared during the ancient three-way God war. The slime-like underground species were grotesque organisms that devoured everything in their path, endlessly growing in size.

They were believed to have gone extinct in ancient times. At least, that was what Davey had learned during the war against the Malicious Spirits.

He hadn’t thought it was necessary to investigate a race that no longer existed, but evidently, a sample of the Totrias had been preserved within the ancient ruins.

Scattered across the continent of Tionis were traces of ancient relics that had endured for over ten thousand years, just like the remote ruin where Rinne had once been kept.

“Totrias, huh? That explains that vitality.”

Looking at it that way, the monster’s odd form and regeneration ability made sense. Its body wasn’t relying on magic—it was inherently alive in the same way a planarian could regenerate.

In a way, such an immortal being was far more troublesome.

Davey had assumed everything connected to Thanatos had vanished once the god became a moon. Clearly, that wasn't the case. Or rather, perhaps the monster before him was simply the result of humans foolishly tampering with her remnants.

The Vatan Kingdom had a history of developing modified humans, so a grotesque failure like the creature in front of him wasn’t all that surprising to find.

The eyes of the monster, still circling Davey and looking for an opening, suddenly flashed. Within the blink of an eye, it launched itself off the ceiling, tentacles raised threateningly as it charged.

Of course, the intricacies of its origins and species were meaningless when Davey had no reason to keep it alive. If Blue Ribbon couldn’t cut it down, he knew Super Ribbon could do the trick.

If slicing a piece wasn’t enough, he’d just dice the entire thing. Even if that failed, he could just tear open a gravity rift and crush it.

Then something completely unexpected happened.

“Let’s negotiate, Davey O’Rowane!”

Its sudden declaration made Davey, Tsuna, and even Rinne blink and glance at one another in confusion.

“What the hell are you saying?”

“I believe we share a common enemy.” The monster gave a wide, knowing grin. “Don’t you agree?”

It spoke as though it knew something he didn't, irritating Davey. “Like hell I do, you bastard.”

Davey grabbed its arm, his eyes glowing.

The unique authority he’d obtained by destroying the Red Void surged forth, demonstrating the power to control vitality.

The monster was born from the remnants of Thanatos, sustained by vitality. Just like Belga, anything that relied on vitality was a terrible match against Davey, who had absolute control over it.

The creature began to thrash in a panic as its own vitality suddenly spiraled out of control. “W-What is this?!”

“I told you earlier that creatures who believe in their own immortality always act confident. That is, until they get cut down.”

Its enormous body began to wither and shrivel up like the moisture in its body was evaporating.

“Gyaaah!!! T-This can’t be happening! I haven’t even gotten my revenge ye—!” It couldn't finish its sentence before disintegrating completely.

Davey shrugged as he watched it vanish into nothing. “Idiots who spill their personal backstory in front of the enemy always die first.”

Back at Heins Territory, the black dragon Megalodria, the Azure Sky’s Storm Dragon King, was sound asleep beside the lord’s manor. Or at least, it was until a sudden voice calling its name made it lift its head.

There weren’t many who dared call it Mega. Even the people of the territory, who praised it as a guardian, still feared it.

It growled, about to erupt in anger, but then flinched, its massive body trembling instead.

Standing before it was none other than Perserque. She was a being one didn’t mess with unless ready to deal with the consequences.

In truth, Megalodria feared her more than anyone else, seeing her as the true hidden power behind Heins Territory.

Megalodria gave a reluctant grumble, but Perserque simply smiled brightly. “It looks like Davey, that damned bastard, is cheating on me.”

At her one outrageous sentence, Megalodria immediately spread its wings.

It didn’t care whether it was true or not, nor was it particularly interested. After all, going against Perserque at that moment felt like a very bad idea. Still, it was the King of Mythical Beasts. It had its pride, and it surely wasn’t just going to—

[Hop on, and watch your step. I’ll get us there in a jiffy, m’lady!]

It was going to let her have her way. After all, even a majestic dragon’s pride had its limits.