Chapter Thirty-Four: Devouring

"Drink up!!" The cat-eared maid's spiked club tore through the air once more as she swung it forward. On the other side, the scalpel in Farren's hand flashed with a cold, steely gleam, lunging at their foe like the fangs of a wild beast. After several coordinated assaults with Derin, the monster before them was growing noticeably slower in its reactions, and the intervals between its blink teleports were lengthening. At first, it could teleport at any moment, but now it was forced to pause for over ten seconds before it could use the ability again. While ten seconds isn't long, for Farren and Derin, it was more than enough.

"Whoosh!!" Just as Derin's spiked club was about to land, the monster blinked away again. This time, however, Farren and Derin no longer foolishly scoured the area in search. After the series of clashes, they had clearly deciphered the creature's tactics and patterns.

"Derin!" The moment Farren called out, the cat-eared maid wasted not a second—she hurled her spiked club forcefully toward Farren. The spinning weapon shrieked through the air, heading straight for him. But as the club hurtled toward him, Farren's body suddenly dipped, activating Shadowstep in a flash. In the next instant, the club passed through nothing but his afterimage, crashing instead into the monster that had just materialized behind him.

"……………!!" The hapless "3D Model" clearly hadn't anticipated this turn of events; the synergy between Farren and Derin caught it off guard. Until now, it had always teleported behind its opponents to strike, threatening them while using their companions as cover, shielding itself from possible counterattacks. But it never imagined Farren and Derin would see through its strategy so swiftly, turning the tables on it.

"Boom!!" The spinning club struck the monster square in the chest, slamming it straight back into the wall. This time, before it could even struggle, Derin, who had landed nimbly, raised her right hand and made a grasping motion toward the creature. Instantly, the club embedded in its body exploded, transforming into a network of spiked metal chains that bound the monster tightly. A barrage of scalpels followed, flying through the air and pinning the monster’s limbs to the wall.

"……………!!!" Perhaps sensing the threat, the monster unleashed an even more furious roar than before. Even the data streams flowing down the surrounding walls seemed disturbed by the outcry, pulsating anxiously.

"My, my, our patient certainly has quite the temper... Must be a classic case of a violent personality," Farren quipped, not missing a chance to jest even now.

(Master, six seconds left.)
"I know." Hearing Derin’s reminder, Farren smiled and nodded. He reached out his right hand, producing another scalpel. In a blur of shadow, Farren appeared before the monster in the blink of an eye, raising the scalpel high—its blade so steeped in darkness it seemed to swallow all light.

"I hope you don't disappoint me this time," Farren murmured, bringing the scalpel down in a clean arc, cleaving the target before him straight down the middle.

The agony of being split open is not something any being can readily endure. As Farren sliced open its body, the monster shrieked so piercingly it seemed to shake the world—a soundless wave turning into a tangible torrent that exploded outward from its core. At the same time, the monster’s body began to contract again—it was clear it had gathered enough strength to blink once more.

But this time, Farren had already found what he was looking for.

There!
Within the neatly bisected body of the monster, Farren immediately spotted a shimmering orb of light, swaying and flickering. It looked for all the world like a tiny planet hidden within the beast, radiating a soft, dazzling white glow. At a glance, one would mistake this tiny speck for just another part of the creature’s anatomy. But as the monster tried to drive Farren away with sonic blasts, the power surging from this core could not be concealed.

Without hesitation, Farren seized the moment. Sensing the powerful energy pulse emanating from the orb, he thrust out his right hand and grabbed hold of it.

"—————!!"
Feeling its core seized, the monster screamed again. This time, though, its gaze held not only fury but a glint of triumph. The creature, though not highly intelligent, was no fool. Any being whose core was made of such pure energy knew what would happen to ordinary flesh should it come into contact: utter annihilation.

And indeed, as Farren gripped the core, his right hand began to rupture. Invisible energy surged like a hurricane, shredding his sleeve, tearing his arm’s flesh apart. His hand now resembled a balloon riddled with holes—soft pops and bursts sounding as chunks of muscle tore away, exposing gleaming white bone beneath. His palm and fingers were reduced to a bloody pulp, their original shape barely discernible.

What astonished the monster, however, was that even now, Farren showed no sign of panic. He did not scream or curse. Instead, with calm composure, he reached up with his left hand to straighten his wind-blown hat, then lifted his gaze to the monster, a faint smile curling his lips—not the grin of a madman, but the satisfied look of a hunter as the prey finally bites the hook.

"My, my... things deviated from expectation a bit, but... this will do just fine..."

As he spoke, Farren looked up. In that moment, his black pupils narrowed like a serpent’s—thin and elongated—while a ring of pure white, streaked with glimmering gold, radiated from the edges. Fixing his gaze on the prey before him, Farren whispered,

"Form shift... Code 404, Devour Mode, activate."

Darkness engulfed the space in an instant.

A tangible mist erupted from Farren’s wounded arm, rapidly swirling and coiling around it. The mists condensed, adopting the shape of a wild beast. Sensing the change, the monster flailed and shrieked, desperately trying to blink away from impending doom. But this time, the monster could not escape—the black fog, intangible yet unbreakable, shackled it in place. The beast conjured from the mist glided to the core, opened its maw wide—

The wind howled and spun; in the blink of an eye, all the wild energy vanished into the darkness. The fog dispersed, and as Farren lowered his right hand, the monster before him had been shattered. It slumped against the wall, its form scattering like a pile of blocks deprived of their cohesion, dissolving into fragments that disappeared into the air. By the time the remains hit the ground, only drifting scraps were left—nothing more.

"————!"

With the monster’s utter demise, the core region trembled violently. Then, as if some shadow had been lifted, brilliant snow-white light blazed forth, illuminating the space before them. The data streams, once trickling slowly, now revolved around the central node, merging and spinning together.

"Ha..." Only then did Farren exhale, turning to Derin at his side.

"Contact the ‘Emperor.’ We’re done here."