Chapter 1204 – Beast King
“Is that the Beast King?!” The Knight Captain gasped, staring at the monster battling Albrisque. It wasn’t that he was cowardly; he had seen Usum Child before. It was just that this monster was too astonishingly terrifying.
Unspeakable was the most fitting description for this creature. Although called the Beast King, it resembled no beast in the world, nor a plant, nor even an organic being.
The monsters I had encountered were bizarre and varied, but most had recognizable origins, allowing for immediate classification. Even those that were harder to identify, their shapes could generally be described.
But the one before me seemed to have emerged from the most absurd nightmare, or like an abstract painting by a master artist.
It was a monster, entirely white. Its skin was like wood, stone, and bone all at once. Its body was irregularly flattened, asymmetrical, and covered everywhere in sharp angles and bone spurs.
Four massive legs crawled on the ground. Their flat feet resembled a tortoise’s, but the joints of the limbs were like a crab’s. Thick hide completely covered the enormous feet, the soles of which were cracked and aged, looking like great clubs. A single stomp would surely crush a person to pieces.
It had no face, or at least, none that I could discern. Perhaps where a face should be were several orange-red organs, half-enclosed within the white outer shell, resembling balloons or water spheres, constantly throbbing.
On either side of where its face might be, two enormous horns emerged, gradually darkening from white to deep purple, looking like battering rams.
This monster stood at least ten meters tall and was over twenty meters long. If such a colossal being were to charge the mansion, even Albrisque’s meticulously constructed fortress would surely collapse instantly.
Finally, at the rear of its body, numerous tentacles writhed, their tips resembling flower buds yet to bloom.
That is why I say this is a completely unspeakable monster. I have no idea how this demon was formed or how many mutations it underwent to become this way.
Facing this terrifying Beast King, Albrisque had no choice but to fight it himself. Otherwise, if it charged the mansion, the soldiers and townspeople sheltering in their homes would surely all be annihilated.
He rode his Flying Dragon, swooping down from the sky to attack the Beast King. The dragon’s claws left three deep gashes on the beast’s thick, tough hide, and orange fluid spurted out.
Although these three claw marks seemed to have inflicted no substantial damage on the colossal Beast King, Albrisque’s subordinates were relentlessly trying to support him with ranged attacks.
They all knew that the battle between Albrisque and the Beast King was crucial to this fight. If the Beast King could be defeated, Albrisque could easily sweep away the remaining monsters.
Conversely, if Albrisque couldn’t win, if he were killed or fled, this single Beast King could exterminate them all. Therefore, even as the mansion was under siege, they strove to provide ranged fire support for Albrisque, attacking the Beast King.
But most of it was in vain. Whether it was bullets, crossbow bolts, or even powerful steel spikes, they all bounced off the Beast King’s tough hide, leaving at most a few dents.
Up to this point, most of the injuries on the Beast King were inflicted by Albrisque and his Flying Dragon. There were sword wounds and claw marks, though compared to its immense size, the attacks felt like mere scratches.
The glowing sacs before the Beast King’s face were too conspicuous, appearing to be its weak points. Thus, many people focused their volleys on these sacs, attempting to strike the Beast King’s vulnerability.
But it turned out to be no weak point. Instead, all attacks on them vanished like mud into the sea, yielding no reaction. Many soldiers were perplexed.
With my God’s Eye, I could see through the Beast King’s interior, understanding more than they did. Although the Beast King’s organs were far beyond my comprehension and completely different from a human body, I could understand some aspects of the facial sacs.
They contained not liquid, but pure power. A large portion of the Beast King’s energy was concentrated within these facial sacs.
The energy within was incredibly volatile and potent. Many attacks that struck the sacs were decomposed or melted by the immense energy, absorbed by the Beast King as pure energy. In effect, they were inadvertently helping it.
However, their efforts to cover Albrisque did have some utility. Many flying creatures, insects, and bat-like monsters flew in the air, constantly interfering with Albrisque’s attacks on the Beast King.
The soldiers stationed on the mansion fired at these flying monsters around Albrisque, successfully shooting down many and reducing the interference and pressure on him.
Albrisque’s private soldiers were quite formidable. In terms of individual strength, tactical skill, training, and weaponry, they far surpassed the rookie soldiers under the Knight Captain.
They bravely crouched by the mansion walls, using their halberds to stab at the monsters attempting to breach the walls. Their strength and equipment were considerable; one thrust could pierce through medium-sized monsters, forcing them back.
Their coordination was also excellent. The halberdiers would cross-attack monsters attempting to scale the city walls, while archers and crossbowmen on the towers and upper floors provided covering fire. In the courtyard, the able-bodied men of the town transported ammunition and stones, repairing breaches in the city walls.
When flying monsters attempted to dive-bomb the people in the courtyard, ballistae on the upper floors fired crossbow bolts attached to chains.
Forged from pure steel, the crossbow bolts, coupled with enchanted arrowheads, could easily pierce the fragile wings of flying monsters. The barbs would catch in the wings, dragging the monsters to the ground, where several people would then hack them to death.
The chains and bolts could be recovered and reused. They had already developed a mature and consistently effective process for hunting flying monsters.
I now understood where all the money Albrisque had embezzled was being spent: on managing his estate and training his private soldiers. The walls and the mansion were constructed from extremely hard stone, making them nigh-indestructible.
With the entire town’s population consolidated within the mansion, their strength was magnified, making it difficult for the monsters to force their way in.
Even though this was merely a three-meter-high, two-meter-thick wall, the monsters’ repeated assaults failed to breach it, and they suffered heavy losses. Even the General regarded Green Town’s defenses with high regard.
At this moment, Albrisque dived down to attack again. The Flying Dragon tore another piece of hide from the Beast King with its claws.
The Beast King let out a painful cry. This time, a dozen tentacles suddenly shot out from its back, ensnaring the dragon’s claws.
Unable to ascend, the Flying Dragon roared and was dragged backward. Then, the tips of the dozen tentacles blossomed, firing streams of purple laser beams at Albrisque.
