Arc-7 Ch-55

I swallowed the corpse of the final 『long-eared two-legs』.

Compared to my ever-expanding jaws, which grew larger with every mouthful, the bodies of the 『long-eared two-legs』 were far too fragile.

Ripping them apart with my fangs was more trouble than it was worth, so my method of eating resembled swallowing them whole, but strangely enough, it wasn't unpleasant.

Rather, devouring the corpses of those creatures that resembled grotesque amalgamations of various animals and 『two-legs』 was the truly painstaking task.

Their flesh was unnaturally tough, and their bones seemed forcibly stitched together, making it difficult to determine where to even begin eating. On top of that, scales and feathers sprouted from their bodies. Above all else, compared to the 『two-legs』 and 『long-eared two-legs』, their stench was overwhelming and their taste revolting.

Even so, it couldn't be helped if I wanted to fill my starving stomach.

At any rate, I was severely deprived of even the bare minimum nutrients and hydration necessary to survive.

The former me would've struggled to stomach these bizarre corpses, but with my newly enlarged fangs, I could tear straight through them.

Corpses roughly the same size as my current body, or perhaps even larger, were undeniably satisfying to devour.

Ever since I had been dragged to this land against my will and transformed into this body by those 『long-eared two-legs』, not once had I ever truly satisfied my hunger.

In the first place, consuming such an absurd quantity of meat was a first in my entire life. Stuffing myself with flesh until I grew sick of it and quenching my thirst with blood was a bliss I could never have experienced within the mountain forests of my homeland.

Convincing myself of that, I silently devoured flesh and slurped down blood.

Strangely enough, I could feel my body mutating the more I ate.

Even if my body had been thoroughly emaciated from starvation, such an extreme reaction was clearly abnormal.

It felt as though the instant the consumed flesh passed through my esophagus and reached my stomach, it was immediately digested and absorbed.

It felt as though the blood I greedily guzzled quenched my throat and flowed directly into my veins, circulating through every corner of my body.

As though to affirm that sensation, my body began to pulsate. My form visibly expanded in direct proportion to the amount of flesh and blood I consumed.

A completely different reaction from merely consuming flesh and blood occurred whenever I devoured the heads of the 『two-legs』 and 『long-eared two-legs』.

Every time I consumed their brains, with their soft and richly lingering flavor, my thoughts became clearer and sharper.

The once-clumsy digits attached to my elongated forelegs were now capable of nimble and independent movement.

I see. So this was how the 『two-legs』 and 『long-eared two-legs』 mastered the use of tools powerful enough to rival fangs and claws.

Rather than simply gnawing at the meat, I used the claws on my fingers to carefully strip flesh from bone.

Once I succeeded, repeating the motion became strangely enjoyable. Those bizarre corpses became ideal sacrifices for learning how to control my transformed body.

In the past, all I needed to do was sink my fangs and claws into my enemies and they would die easily; the same applied to unarmed 『two-legs』.

Even so, 『two-legs』 that formed packs and wielded tools were a tremendous threat. If I failed to acquire a means to resist them, I would inevitably repeat the same fate as when I was captured.

I must become stronger, and wiser.

To achieve that, I needed more blood, more flesh, and more nourishment.

No matter how much I ate, my stomach refused to feel full, until eventually I gathered up the scattered bones and swallowed them whole.

My enlarged fangs were already capable of crushing not only the bones of the 『long-eared two-legs』, but even the thick and durable bones of those bizarre corpses.

By the time I licked clean every final drop of blood staining the metallic floor, I realized I was the only living creature left in this place.

The flesh, blood, and bone I had completely devoured melted together and surged violently through my body. Unable to endure the agonizing transformation, I gouged the metallic floor with my claws.

A creeping terror at the thought of becoming something entirely different from my former self, combined with an indescribable ecstasy, steadily eroded my increasingly lucid mind.

At the same time, an epiphany struck me: the more prey I devoured, the wiser, stronger, and more magnificent a being I would become.

If that was true, then only one course of action remained. Why should I hesitate?

Besides, an irresistible wave of ravenous hunger surged through my brain without the slightest sign of subsiding.

And this was despite having just devoured a mountain of corpses several times, no, dozens of times, larger than my own body.

Had I eaten so much that it tore open some enormous hole in my stomach?

Wondering that, I craned my neck downward, but my swollen abdomen was thoroughly covered in long fur, without a single wound visible anywhere.

Ba-thump...

Something writhed inside my body.

That separate existence dwelling within me fused itself with my brain, my heart, my digestive organs, and even the tiniest blood vessels, merging with this body until it became a single unified organism.

Perhaps this was what it felt like for a female carrying young.

The moment that thought surfaced, I suddenly recalled a certain pair.

The 『two-legs』 who had attacked me while I freely tormented the 『long-eared two-legs』 using my claws and fangs.

One was a scar-ridden veteran male, while the other was a young female capable of unleashing fire from her hands.

The male attacked first. His body had been drenched in the scent of multiple 『long-eared two-legs』' blood; he must have become entangled in some kind of territorial conflict before my arrival.

Judging from the panicked state of the 『long-eared two-legs』 that visited my confinement, along with the sheer number of wounded 『long-eared two-legs』 throughout this place, his strength was obvious.

Considering he charged me first, and that he survived a direct blow from me, a creature that had slaughtered countless 『two-legs』 in the past, he was undoubtedly the alpha leading their pack, the strongest male among them.

If I fought him, hunted him down, and devoured his flesh, I would grow even stronger. If I feasted upon his brain, I would become even wiser.

I possessed absolute certainty of that.

The other one, the young female, was even more alluring.

Though her body closely resembled that of a fully mature adult, it was likely still immature flesh that had yet to bear offspring.

It possessed both the vivid freshness of a juvenile female's meat and the fatty tenderness of a mature female.

Furthermore, among 『two-legs』, she possessed the rare trait of being capable of unleashing fire. My former self had struggled against the mysterious powers wielded by the 『two-legs』, but now, I could defeat them with absolute certainty.

Had I not been forced to recoil from those flames, every surviving 『two-legs』 and 『long-eared two-legs』 would've surely ended up resting inside my stomach by now.

Above all else, there remained the humiliation of being wounded by overwhelmingly inferior prey. Though the burns had already healed, the memory of that disgrace remained carved into my brain, tormenting my thoughts.

My increasingly lucid and intelligent mind concluded that this humiliation could never be erased unless I flawlessly slaughtered the young female and devoured her flesh.

They were likely the highest-grade prey I had encountered thus far. The moment I devoured that powerful 『two-legs』 and the 『long-eared two-legs』 responsible for confining me, I would become an even stronger version of myself.

To accomplish that, I needed to leave this place.

The metallic walls and floors would undoubtedly still be difficult to break through, even now with my enlarged fangs and claws.

If I wasted too much time, my prey would escape this place. As things stood, I had no idea how much time had already passed while I endlessly gorged myself on corpses to satisfy my hunger.

This place was cramped, but it was ideal for cornering and confusing prey. If I could drive them into a dead end with no route of escape, I could devour every last one of them.

Beep!

Following a harsh and grating sound, part of the wall shifted aside. I was certain my prey had escaped through that exact opening.

Snorting, I probed the air for even the faintest trace of their scent. No living creature could completely erase its odor.

Moreover, my sense of smell could detect the blood of prey spilled from far away. Within a confined space like this, tracking their scent would be child's play.

Carefully, yet as swiftly as possible, I followed the scent while rounding several corners.

The cramped environment and predictable pathways benefited both myself and my prey. If traps had been laid, I wouldn't be able to avoid them entirely.

Furthermore, a body that continued growing the more it consumed wasn't particularly suited for narrow spaces.

However, my newly evolved brain and sensory organs more than compensated for such disadvantages. No matter what, I would devour my prey.

After turning several more corners, I came upon a massive heap of charred corpses.

They had most likely been incinerated by the flames unleashed by the young female.

Their thoroughly scorched fur had grotesquely festered, while blisters bubbled across their skin.

Judging from their condition, not much time could have passed since they died.

Upon reaching that conclusion, I casually sank my fangs into the flesh of one of the charred corpses.

Without hesitation, I swallowed even the half-carbonized portions and waited to see whether anything would happen.

No changes occurred within my body.

I bit into another nearby corpse and waited once again.

Just as before, nothing happened.

It appeared I could only assimilate flesh and blood into my body if the carrion was fresh and not much time had passed since death.

Mutilation of the corpse wasn't a problem, but consuming flesh chemically altered by fire appeared meaningless. Rotten or poisoned meat would likely produce the same result.

Indigestible objects such as stone or metal would probably yield similar outcomes.

For a brief moment, sorrow and rage welled up within me at the realization that those 『long-eared two-legs』 had transformed my body into something entirely different.

However, I quickly accepted it, deciding that this new form was convenient in its own way.

Above all else, with this body, there was no possibility that I would fall behind the 『two-legs』 or the 『long-eared two-legs』. The thought alone caused my spirits to rise naturally.

Suddenly, a fragrant scent reached my nose.

Faintly mixed among the countless miscellaneous odors, it closely resembled the scent of my favorite prey from the place where I was born.

Swaying my neck from side to side, I accurately traced the lingering scent drifting through the air.

My naturally sharp sense of smell had become even more refined, heightened to the point where I could track prey even within places devoid of light.

The closer I approached, the denser the scent became. My highly developed intellect could now analyze and deduce the exact condition of prey solely from its smell.

At last, I reached the source of the scent: a single bloodstain smeared across the wall.

Positioned within the corner of a wall cracked apart by vegetative erosion, it resembled nothing more than a patch of grime at first glance.

Yet my heightened sense of smell unmistakably identified that stain as something biological in origin.

It was unquestionably the scent of the young female. Among all the 『two-legs』 and 『long-eared two-legs』 I had seen within this place, she was the only female.

Unless another group of 『two-legs』 had wandered into this dark abyss, the owner of this scent could be none other than that fire-wielding female.

But under what circumstances could that 『two-legs』 female have shed blood?

The most likely possibilities were that she had already been wounded before confronting me, or that the 『two-legs』 and 『long-eared two-legs』 had begun fighting among themselves while I was occupied gorging on corpses.

A sudden surge of fury erupted within my heart and spread violently through my body.

It was the exact same anger one would feel when a magnificent catch was stolen away by birds, beasts, or insects incapable of understanding its true value.

She was exquisite prey, and the humiliation of having my body wounded by her could never be washed away unless I personally tore her apart using my own fangs and claws.

The mere thought that I might forever lose that opportunity caused a sharp pain to stab through my gut, as though my internal organs themselves had been wounded.

But something felt strange.

Ever since devouring the head of the 『Long-Eared Two-Legs』 earlier, my unusually lucid mind sensed something unnatural.

Would wounded prey really leave behind only a single drop of blood on a wall?

Anyone with even the slightest hunting experience would know that injured creatures didn't bleed like this.

Several droplets of blood would normally scatter across the ground, trailing in the direction the prey fled.

If the wound were severe, even more blood would spill until the prey eventually collapsed into a cold and pale corpse.

No matter how I considered it, blood wouldn't flow like this; in other words, this was some sort of mark.

A message directed toward the other 『Two-Legs』, or perhaps a trap intended to lure me out.

A brief moment of hesitation arose within me.

Why had that 『Two-Legs』 deliberately left behind such an unnatural bloodstain?

Why was she willingly attempting to lure out an enemy?

The first possibilities that came to mind were conflict between the 『Two-Legs』 and the 『Long-Eared Two-Legs』, or perhaps she was protecting the pack leader who had been wounded by my attack.

The body of the male 『Two-Legs』 that had attacked first was drenched in the spilled blood of countless 『Long-Eared Two-Legs』.

And yet, the only scent of blood lingering here came from what had splattered against the wall. That alone was profoundly unnatural.

It was reasonable to assume that, because the most cunning and battle-hardened male in the pack had been wounded, the young, strong female had been used as bait instead.

If that were the case, there was no need to deliberately step into a trap. By hunting down the other 『Two-Legs』 and 『Long-Eared Two-Legs』, it could feast to its heart’s content on fresh meat.

But was that truly the correct choice?

The burn that should have already healed began aching again, as though warning it that this decision was a mistake.

Its former self would have accurately measured the enemy’s strength. Recklessly courting danger and obsessing over a single female 『Two-Legs』 would have been unthinkable.

However, the very fact that it now felt compelled to do so proved that somewhere deep within, it had acknowledged that its own strength fell short against the pack of male 『Two-Legs』.

True, compared to its parents, its siblings, or even others of its own species, it possessed an overwhelmingly superior physique. It had been born powerful, or rather, it had once been powerful.

After a lifetime spent knowing nothing but victory, the humiliation of defeat and imprisonment at the hands of the 『Two-Legs』, who wielded tools and mysterious powers, had left behind a mental scar that still refused to fade.

It felt as though it had been forced to confront the truth that it was nothing more than a weakling that preyed only upon weaker beings, since until now it had deliberately chosen to devour only the females and young among the 『Two-Legs』.

But now, it had obtained a physique and power that vastly surpassed what it once possessed.

So what was there left to fear?

Moreover, it was safe to assume that the female 『Two-Legs』 who wielded fire from her hands, the one who possessed everything, was the strongest individual in the pack.

She wasn’t some frail young female. Precisely because she was young and strong, there was meaning in fighting and devouring her.

The more this body consumed the fresh flesh and blood of the 『Two-Legs』 and 『Long-Eared Two-Legs』, the larger and stronger it would become.

If it devoured a female that powerful, just how much stronger would it grow?

Its swelling fighting spirit transformed into a hideous hunger, causing its empty stomach to rumble over and over again.

Ah, how desperately it longed to consume that female’s flesh, blood, and bones as quickly as possible, leaving absolutely nothing behind.

Thick drool streamed from its mouth as it advanced a short distance, confirmed the bloodstain smeared across the wall, and continued onward.

That female was waiting just beyond the stain. Merely imagining it caused power to surge through every muscle in its body.

※ ※ ※ ※ ※

"...Didn’t it somehow get bigger?"

The words slipped from my mouth before I could stop them, despite the room being completely empty.

No, no, no, nobody told me about this.

Even if I had listened carefully, something getting that huge was beyond anything I could’ve imagined.

I desperately dug through my memory, trying to recall what the ruins had explained a little while earlier.

Yeah, it definitely said something like, 『It grows larger and stronger the more it eats』.

But it never specified how large it would become. It absolutely did not say that.

This goddamn junk heap of a ruin seriously pisses me off.

Once I restore Mother to normal, I’m going to bury this entire place so thoroughly that nobody will ever be able to misuse it again, so it’d better brace itself!

I frantically cursed the ruins in my heart. If I didn’t at least do that much, I felt like I’d lose my mind.

The monster I first encountered in that chamber filled with aquarium-like machines had only been about twice the height of an average adult.

Its muscle mass had also been relatively thin for its size, giving it a spindly appearance, and since it had flinched from my flames, it was only natural to assume that even if it recovered, it wouldn’t become a major problem.

And yet, what the hell is that?

No matter how you look at it, it’s practically a completely different person... no, a completely different beast.

The ruins throughout this place looked like they were on the verge of collapsing, and the lighting systems barely functioned anymore.

As a result, the monster emerging from the darkness under the flickering glow of the torches lining the passageway as markers and light sources had swollen to more than twice its previous size.

Its height had increased so dramatically that it looked capable of scraping the ceiling of the massive corridor, while its body thickness appeared three or four times greater than before.

Give me a fucking break. I never expected I’d have to fight something like that.

If I confront it head-on, I’m definitely going to die.

"...Wait, why am I losing my nerve?"

Pull yourself together, Ariel Fou Bartfort.

If you’ve chosen to follow Father’s plan, then you have to trust in it until the very end.

Even when facing an unbeatable enemy, there are times when you have no choice but to stand your ground and fight.

Besides, Father also told me, "Don’t force yourself to fight; if things become dangerous, run."

The role entrusted to me is that of a decoy. My job is to buy as much time as possible without letting them realize our true objective.

"But blindly following orders irritates me too, you know."

I mean, there’s no way I can face an opponent like this while trembling in fear.

I could tell just from its presence alone. That enemy was the strongest monster or beast I had ever encountered.

If I started worrying about consequences, I’d definitely be the one who died. In that case, I had no choice but to go all out from the very beginning.

Strangely, the instant I resolved myself, my thoughts became crystal clear. My stomach churned painfully and a restless itch crawled beneath my skin, but I’d be fine.

Transforming my fear into fighting spirit, I poured all my strength into my right hand, the one wrapped with an amulet.

For a fleeting instant, flames engulfed my entire right arm, illuminating the vast darkness of the room. Then I focused my consciousness into my palm, compressing the flames into a single fireball.

That beastman... no, that Magic Armor Beast simply remained standing where it was, showing no sign of approaching me.

When I first encountered the Magic Armor Beast and attacked it with fire magic, I’d been so desperate to save Father that I hadn’t had time to fully charge the spell.

It probably thinks that while it got injured, the attack wasn’t powerful enough to be fatal, so as long as it stays out of range, it’s safe.

But that assumption would become its downfall.

The torches had been deliberately positioned at the minimum safe distance calculated by Father and that Lost Item, taking into account both the charging time required for my magic to reach maximum power and the Magic Armor Beast’s movement speed.

This enormous room was the perfect place to create a massive fireball, and every nearby chamber had been locked, leaving nowhere to hide at the last moment.

The corridor stretched perfectly straight, meaning that even if it tried to flee backward, it wouldn’t escape the giant fireball. In fact, its enormous body would only seal its fate.

If it remained standing, it would take the great fireball head-on. Even if it threw itself to the ground or flattened itself against the wall, it would still be roasted alive.

In other words, It’d already been cornered long ago.

"Uaaaaah!!"

With a scream torn from the depths of my soul, I poured my mana and life force into the fireball.

Apparently, once someone used magic even a single time, their body underwent some kind of change that allowed them to continue using it afterward.

My body vividly remembered how to recreate the great fireball I’d unleashed in desperation while defeating the swarm of monsters.

Most likely, the more I used it, the better I’d become at controlling the charge time and output. Though honestly, I had zero intention of holding back right now.

The fireball swelled larger and larger as mana poured from my body, until it was already roughly the same size as my own height. If this landed, even the Magic Armor Beast wouldn’t escape unharmed.

I briefly glanced toward the corridor.

Distracting thoughts weakened the power of magic, but if I didn’t confirm my target, I wouldn’t be able to strike what I intended to hit.

The Magic Armor Beast still hadn’t moved from where it stood.

What’s with that?

Are you looking down on me?

My magic is what drove you back when you first appeared. Don’t tell me you’ve already forgotten that.

"...I’ll crush you!!"

The instant that resolve surged through me, the fireball’s rate of expansion intensified, and the vortex of mana raging within it spiraled violently.

It truly seemed that my magic reacted strongly to my emotions. More specifically, feelings like rage and hostility served as the greatest possible fuel.

If I could defeat the Magic Armor Beast here and now, all our problems would disappear in one stroke.

Brace yourself, Ariel Fou Bartfort!

I’m the kind of girl who can pull things off when she really tries!

At last, the fireball expanded until it grew to more than twice my body size.

Instinctively, I knew that if I poured even a little more mana into it, I’d lose control entirely and it would explode outward with me at the epicenter.

The Magic Armor Beast still hadn’t taken a single step. Could it possibly be preparing some sort of countermeasure?

I’d specifically chosen a location where defending or escaping should’ve been impossible, but perhaps there was some hidden mechanism within these ruins.

Even so, I had no other options left. All I could do was launch this great fireball with everything I had.

Then I’ll settle this in one strike!

"Take thiiiiiiiiis!!!"

The instant I exhaled, the great fireball shot forth from my palm.

The flames stretched across the walls and ceiling of the corridor alike, rampaging in every direction like a gigantic crimson tongue.

It wasn’t as fast as a bullet or cannon shell, but it certainly wasn’t something a human could outrun.

Father and that spherical Lost Item had calculated that even if the Magic Armor Beast could move at superhuman speed, it would still be struck before reaching the nearest corner.

We’d chosen this spacious room specifically because it was ideal for the operation, and I’d even cut my fingertip with a knife to leave behind a trail of blood.

But... as expected, I was exhausted.

I understood intellectually that powerful magic consumed stamina and mana simply by being cast, but this was my first time truly experiencing it since entering these ruins.

Once I got back to the academy, I was absolutely going to take proper magic lessons. It’d seriously be a disaster if I kept doing things through sheer improvisation.

Oddly enough, I found myself absentmindedly thinking about things like that.

Deep down, I already felt certain that I’d defeated the Magic Armor Beast.

Then suddenly, something flashed white at the edge of my vision.

Even afterward, I doubt I’d ever be able to explain why I reacted the way I did.

But seized by an overwhelming sense of impending doom, I immediately threw myself flat against the floor.

Whoosh!!

A few seconds after I hit the ground, I heard something tear directly over my head.

Scrambling across the floor like an insect, I desperately fled from that spot.

The stench of scorching filled the air. Not the appetizing smell of meat roasting over a fire, but the nauseating odor of countless things being burned to ashes.

I’d been smelling this stench ever since entering these ruins.

Naturally, considering I was the one responsible for starting all these fires.

I rose to my feet and resumed my combat stance.

The battle wasn’t over yet. If anything, the real fight had only just begun.

The flickering facility lights illuminated the source of the odor, revealing a gigantic beast covered in horrific burns.

Every strand of fur across its body had burned away, while its skin had blistered and peeled so severely that raw crimson flesh was completely exposed.

Its entire body looked red, dyed by the blood spraying from its wounds. The sheer vitality that allowed it to remain alive in such a condition filled me with astonishment so intense it bordered on admiration, even as fear churned within me.

The only thing glowing white was its mouth, lined with rows of gigantic fangs. That area alone possessed a glossy sheen, as though it belonged to an entirely different creature.

If I’d been even a few seconds slower to throw myself down...

Those enormous fangs would’ve bitten straight through me, and I’d be dead without question.

The instant I realized that, all the blood drained from my body and cold sweat burst from my skin.

"Ooooaaarrgh!!"

The sudden roar exploded through the corridor. The sheer volume made me instinctively clamp both hands over my ears.

I’m such an idiot! During training, they drilled it into me over and over again that I should always keep my hands free so I could respond to anything instantly!

Even as panic overtook me, an utterly unbelievable sight unfolded before my eyes.

The moment the gigantic beast roared, sections all across its body began shifting and mutating with revolting noises.

The wounds that had been gushing blood only moments earlier sealed shut in the blink of an eye. Exposed flesh became covered by skin, while fur rapidly began growing back across its body.

Even though I wanted to move, terror and shock froze my body in place. I couldn’t move a single muscle.

In the end, during the dozens of seconds it took for the monster before me to completely regenerate, all I could do was stand there in stunned silence, rooted to the spot.

"Grrrrrrr......"

As though checking its own condition, the monster shook its body. It resembled a gigantic beast formed from a fusion of a wolf and a lion, enlarged several times beyond normal proportions.

Its entire body was cloaked in black fur, and I instantly recognized that grotesque head.

It was the exact same monster that had slaughtered and devoured the elves, the same one that had attempted to attack Father.

"I really shouldn’t have talked so big."

Muttering my regret aloud, I turned to face the Magic Armor Beast once more, now transformed into a quadrupedal monster.

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Authors Note  

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Ariel versus the Magic Armor Beast begins here.

The enormous quantity of nutrients gained from consuming meat far exceeding its own body weight is managed by the Magic Armor components and allocated toward regenerative capabilities and physical enhancement.

The Magic Armor Beast is capable of switching between a power-focused humanoid form and a speed-focused beast form, though the detailed mechanics will be explained in the next chapter.

The second season of the anime is approaching soon, and I’m currently planning an erotic chapter to coincide with the broadcast.

I’m hoping I can somehow finish it in time.

Postscript: Per the client’s request, illustrations were created by Haerang, Emito, and AD1E1E.

Thank you very much.

Haerang: Pixiv

Emito: Pixiv

AD1E1E : Pixiv

I’d greatly appreciate it if you could share your thoughts and impressions, as they’ll encourage me moving forward.

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Translators Note  

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Oh my god, finally I caught up with the raws. oh my it's been 4 years now I guess? Well I only did it after chapter 120 though .

So what does this mean? From weekly 3 chapters now it will turn into weekly Once. (Well Wednesday still you will get one chapter 18+ one. Yeah. A new 18+ chapter baby.)

I can finnally move into new series, I am eyeing few more fanfiction look forward to it.