Hello I'm back, thy leg is healed but I don't have molars anymore.
===BREAK===
Boom──!
KWARURURUNG!
Thunder roars and lightning strikes.
The Thunder's Blessing and the Lightning's Blessing—renowned as the fastest and most efficient blessings for surprise attacks—are unleashed simultaneously, yet even that alone is not enough to stop Janus.
Crackle…!
The lightning strike is blocked by Janus's bone shield, electricity sparking in place.
And that was Amos Aster's last desperate effort.
"A-ah…"
In the instant he blocked the lightning, Janus seemed to unleash all of his suppressed rage, declaring his presence without reservation.
[Gigit!]
Bone, bone, and more bone.
In a single instant, everything looks soaked in bone, as if the entire world has turned skeletal.
"This too… is the will of the Great One…"
A world of bone passes ultimate judgment on one human: a sentence of death.
Crunch!
CRACK!
No matter how many blessings he bore or how high his rank in the Church of Morte, Amos Aster was essentially human. And humans—unlike beasts—cannot survive without a head.
Gurgle, gurgle…
From his severed neck, froth and blood bubble out before his head falls limply.
The archbishop of the Church of Morte, bishop of the Gaishara branch—his final moment is so anticlimactic it nullifies his name, a reflection of the success of the ambush and a testament to Janus's power: even an archbishop is just a human before him.
"Janus."
[Gigit!]
The flesh-and-bone mass that was once human falls to the ground.
But I despise waste—even if it's from the detested Church of Morte.
It's still a savory morsel for Janus.
"Devour."
Bone tendrils lash out, snagging Amos Aster's corpse.
From here on, it's just the same old routine: devour.
Crunch, crunch─
With Janus's growing power came a ravenous appetite. Devouring one human was hardly more than a snack. Within moments, Amos Aster is gone.
[Absorbed the blood and flesh of the Archbishop of the Church of Morte, 'Gaishara Amos Aster'.]
[Absorbed a significant portion of the Archbishop of the Church of Morte, 'Gaishara Amos Aster', and acquired some of his abilities.]
Perhaps because Janus has grown beyond standard classification or because an archbishop's power is insufficiently substantial, devouring him produces almost no growth.
'Well, can't be helped.'
The Bone Lord is overwhelmingly more powerful than the three Regional Lords currently threatening Ark's front. Janus has already absorbed the Turncoat King, so it's no surprise that Amos Aster provided little nourishment.
'Still, better than nothing.'
One obstacle down. Amos Aster standing in my way meant the Church of Morte has officially entered the war. I must move swiftly.
'Now that it's come to this… I have to cross some lines too.'
Ever since the Kronos Union under Lania Marcus declared war on Ark, my ties to her family made me a special terrorist within Ark. Though revealing the Turncoat Pawn's identity in such a situation is uncomfortable, it means that as long as Carl Marcus's identity remains hidden, I can act without restraint.
They say hide the tree among the forest—I will build that forest. A forest made of bone.
"Janus."
[Gigit!]
The plan is simple: unleash the power Janus has been suppressing.
Swishhh──!
Hundreds of bone tendrils erupt, sweeping up aerial beasts and monsters and incorporating them into the burgeoning bone forest.
Bloom. Full bloom.
Massive bone flowers began to bloom.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM───!
The bone blossoms grow unchecked, overtaking the area.
A forest is forming.
[Kiieeeek!]
[Kak! Kaaaak!]
The bone domain spreads from sky to ground, ensnaring terrestrial beasts as well. Janus's unleashed power creates a domain of bone so immense it overshadows even the Forestification of the Lord of the Forest.
CRACK──!
BOOM BOOM!
Each of the hundreds—or thousands—of bone tendrils moves like a living thing, devouring any beast daring enough to tread there. With every meal, the forest grows larger, spreading outward.
[Hick, hikki-kik!]
[Krururung! Keng! Keng!]
Beasts reacted vary: some fled in terror, others charged and become part of the bone forest.
[Ki-ki-ki!]
The growing domain collides with the edges of Forestification. As expected, Forestification can't withstand the bone domain. Forestification merely transforms the environment; Janus's domain is his body.
KUGUGUGUGU!───
Forestification vanishes—so effortlessly it feels foolish that anyone even worried.
'But now, the real battle begins.'
The three regional Regional Lords turn their gaze toward me—more accurately, toward Janus, their hostility directed straight at us. They too sense it: the threat of the true Bone Lord standing tall.
* * *
Atop Gate Red‑17's wall, the endless shouts, roar, and gunfire—Lieutenant Imosha, the Gate's commander, never ceases firing or directing.
"Delta Team! Send three to R17‑12 point! We need someone to hold while we check equipment!"
["Support already en-route to R17‑13 point. We'll reinforce as soon as this situation ends."]
"Hurry!"
Her fingers, scorched from relentless shooting, stuck to the trigger—but Lieutenant Imosha pays no mind. She knows retreating now means never firing again.
The situation is bleak. A massive beast wave, relentless missile bombardment from the Kronos Union, and three Regional Lords approaching Ark's horizon.
Ark might have managed if it were just that, but the Union and Church of Morte haven't even shown their full strength.
'…This won't work.'
Lieutenant Imosha feels despair—the kind that comes not from exhaustion but from hopelessness. Yet she knows only two things she can do: keep firing and lead her soldiers better.
When she's trapped in that despair, something unexpected happens.
KUGUGUGUGUUGU!────
Suddenly, white bone erupts from nothing, flooding everything. Bone after bone after bone, spreading like a tidal wave, devouring everything in its path—especially the beast hordes.
The commander is stunned. Then panic hits as the bone wave keeps advancing.
'That's… dangerous.'
Her instincts sound an alarm. These bone creatures are monsters, and if they reach Ark, who knows the outcome? More dangerous even than the Regional Lords.
'…We need nukes.'
Lieutenant Imosha considers requesting a nuclear strike—something she'd never normally think of. She prepares to act.
"…Wait—"
As a Gate commander, she can't order nuclear strikes—but she can formally request them. Given the situation, approval would be likely.
But before she can send it, the bone wave changes.
Boom!──
BOOM BOOM!
The bone wave collides with the three Regional Lords. She assumed they'd be aligned, but instead, they clash—something she never expected.
And that's not all: the Regional Lords, on the brink of destruction, freeze—and get pushed back by the bone wave.
"What…?"
These Regional Lords are major threats. Ark knows it might face total war if they appeared. Yet what she sees now… what is it?
'Am I dreaming?'
The bone creatures aren't just devouring beasts—they're swallowing the Regional Lords like prey. A nightmare unfolding openly.
Grrrrrr───
A dark, monstrous roar echoes.
Grooooong!
Lieutenant Imosha watches in disbelief as one of the Regional Lords—symbols of despair—falls so effortlessly.
She sees it: a miracle named hope.
===BREAK===
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