"Pfft!"
From the pile of rubble, a spray of thick, dark-green blood burst out violently.
Bug God crushed the boulder pinning him down and struggled to crawl out from the debris.
He looked completely wrecked. The once-impenetrable carapace he took pride in was shattered all over, revealing the dark-green tissue beneath, like a defeated general stripped of his armor.
Yet his aura didn't weaken. On the contrary, it became even fiercer. From his wounds, new muscles and shells began to regrow at a frightening speed.
"Cough... cough... Not bad... but this ends now."
He wiped the blood from his mouth. His voice was full of rage and energy, his battered body burning as if fueled by sheer will and hatred.
"Oh? Finally going to show me your real strength?"
Flames burst from Hans's fists, the same kind that powered his Scorched Bomb, instantly burning away the sticky green blood.
He stood casually where he was, arms folded, showing no sign of chasing or interrupting. Instead, he watched with amused interest.
"Let me guess, you're about to enter your second form, huh? Go on, senior. Show me what you've got."
Bug God: "…"
For some reason, a jolt of unease ran through Bug God's nerves, like static in his brain. Something terrifying was about to happen, but his absolute confidence in his own power snuffed out that flicker of fear.
He spread his legs wide, settling into a solid stance. His arms tensed like coiled steel, veins bulging like serpents under his chitin.
"So you guessed it... then…"
He grinned wickedly and let out a roar like a demon climbing out of hell.
"Let me show you my true form, boy!!"
BOOM!
A massive wave of energy exploded outward. His green carapace cracked and split apart like a shedding cicada shell.
In the glare of green light, his already massive body swelled further, muscles twisting and growing, bones popping under the strain until he towered over Hans.
From his back erupted several pairs of thin, buzzing Bug wings, shaking the air with a deafening "bzzzzzz."
Sharp metallic spikes burst from his new armor plates, turning his entire body into a living weapon of war.
Four new arms ripped out from under his shoulders and sides, glistening with slimy threads that quickly hardened into armored limbs, each one radiating raw power.
Second Transformation, Molt Release!
[Monster: Bug God]
[Disaster Level: Demon (Peak)]
"Not bad, not bad!!"
The overwhelming pressure of a peak Demon-level monster filled the entire lair. Any Wolf-level creature nearby would have died from sheer terror, and yet, there came the sound of applause.
Hans clapped slowly, giving a calm, almost lazy smile.
"As expected of a senior, bursting right up to almost Dragon-level in one go."
Bug God: "…"
Feeling the explosive power raging through his transformed body, the five gleaming eyes on his monstrous face locked onto Hans.
"Kid, I admit, you're a rare genius among our kind…"
"But this form, this body, is invincible!"
"Every inch of it was made for killing!"
He clenched his six fists, the air snapping with popping sounds like fireworks. His killing intent boiled over.
"The next attack will kill you, but if you accept defeat, I will spare you."
"Hold on…"
Hans's expression turned strange. He looked the giant Bug up and down.
"Did you just say… you're invincible?"
Everyone knows, "invincible" is a cursed word.
Bug God froze for a second, not getting the joke.
"…What do you mean by that?"
"Nothing."
Hans cracked his neck, interlocking his fingers and stretching until his joints popped like gunfire.
Inside his body, a strange power stirred awake, like a sleeping beast growling deep in his core.
Countless microscopic "selves" began to stir within every cell, itching to divide, to multiply.
"Although, honestly… you probably won't live long enough to see my complete form."
As he spoke, the black spiked armor covering his body rippled like water, as if something beneath it was shifting violently.
"But, since you've shown me yours, it'd be rude not to show mine. Out of respect for your courage, let's finish this properly."
"You… what did you just say!?"
Bug God's six arms bulged, veins bursting as his body swelled even larger.
The air itself trembled under the pressure of his killing intent.
But before his rage could explode, he saw something he would never forget.
Hans's body twisted with a sickening crackling sound, and then split in two!
Each half solidified, forming two identical, fully real versions of Hans.
And that was only the beginning.
Two became four.
Four became eight.
Each clone carried the same terrifying aura, the same monstrous armor, the same Demon-level strength!
The speed of replication was so fast that Bug God's mind couldn't keep up. Every corner of his vision was filled with black armored figures, multiplying endlessly!
One man became an army!
In mere moments, the entire lair was crammed full of identical Hanss, packed shoulder-to-shoulder.
Bug God's eyes bulged.
"T-this has to be a joke!!"
"Isn't this the ability of that executive, Black Sperm?! How the hell can you-?!"
All the Hanss cracked their necks and knuckles in perfect unison, the sound echoing like thunder.
Their combined presence formed a suffocating wave of pressure that crushed Bug God's killing intent flat.
"Man, splitting apart like this… kinda feels good," one clone muttered, inspecting his hands.
"Focus up! We've got work to do!" another snapped.
"Ugh, so annoying. Why don't we just swarm him already?!"
"You don't get it! We've already hyped this fight up, gotta make an entrance, right? Ain't that right, brother?"
"Shut up, all of you! I'm going in first! Don't steal my kill!"
"Pipe down! On my mark, full-range, no-dead-zone Scorched Bomb barrage!"
"Who put you in charge, huh? I'm the real one here!"
"…"
Hans: "…"
As expected, every clone had its own "self."
And the more there were, the harder it got to coordinate.
Before they even started, they were already arguing with themselves.
Even so, Bug God's expression turned grim. A drop of sweat slid down his grotesque forehead.
As a peak Demon-level veteran, he knew how terrifying those executive monsters were.
And if these weren't illusions, if each of these Hanss really had Demon-level power,
Gulp.
The second his confidence faltered, the outcome of the fight was already sealed.
Bug God swallowed hard, forcing a smile.
"Uh… I think maybe we had some kind of misunderstanding…?"
"Heh. Too late for that." ×100
Hundreds of Hanss spoke at once, their voices overlapping into a single, icy, mocking tone.
"I actually liked you better when you were acting all cocky. Go on, get that attitude back, yeah?" ×100
Bug God: "…"