Even the infected corpses entered the Queen’s body, and along with them, the Divine Rank poison.
The Queen’s body grew, new armor formed on its surface, but before it could fully complete, it cracked from the inside.
A new leg came out from its side, but a few seconds later, under the effect of the poison, it became paralyzed and fell to the ground. Black masses built on top of each other and then collapsed.
The Queen was becoming stronger and closer to death at the same time. Beneath her body, a black circle formed.
Unknown lines appeared on the soil and opened like a mouth to another world.
"I can’t let this quest fail, under any circumstances!" Lian whispered to himself upon seeing what this monster was turning into.
This was no longer just a quest, not just saving Ravian and his two sisters. That creature could actually find a way into his world.
If he escaped today and the Queen completed the process, maybe next time, thousands and hundreds of thousands of Crimson Needle Ants would pour out of a rift in the center of a human city.
Maybe he is not a hero, but he cannot allow millions of innocent people to be killed either.
He had seen with his own eyes what fate had befallen the border city after it was attacked by monsters.
If this Queen found a way into their world, with her massive army under her control, she could create an even greater hell and massacre millions.
Lian kept Bloodborne Calamity Domain active, his mana was dropping at a dangerous speed.
[Current Mana: 43/815]
The red veins of the domain became fainter, and his breathing was heavy.
[Current Mana: 31/815]
[Warning: Mana approaching critical level.]
He could no longer use Eternal Frozen Apocalypse, even another Thunder Calamity could completely destroy his mana channels.
The Queen felt this weakness. She raised her last healthy armored arm, and the massive mass descended on Lian with the sound of hundreds of jaws closing.
Lian had no chance to escape. He activated Diamond Skin with all his power.
The arm hit his body, the ground beneath his feet exploded, his body sank into the soil, and a wave of moss and shell fragments scattered around.
The impact pressure passed through his hardened skin. One of his cracked ribs completely broke, the tip of the bone pressed against the internal tissue.
Blood gushed from his mouth.
[Warrior’s Madness has strengthened.]
[Power increased.]
[Speed increased.]
[Mental Corruption: 39%]
Lian remained in the crater. The sounds around him became distant again.
Pain was everywhere, in his leg, ribcage, arm, mana channels, but behind that pain, a wild power was gathering.
Warrior’s Madness wanted to take the reins from his hand.
It wanted him to get up without thinking, burn all his mana, and attack until either he or the enemy was torn apart.
Lian looked at the Queen. Her massive body was trembling on the black circle, the poison was flowing in her tissue, her armor was regenerating.
Maybe the best thing really was to let the madness take control of everything?
But before that...
[Solar Forge Aegis]
A magma armor covered his entire body.
He had not activated this skill until now because he wanted to use the damage to strengthen Warrior’s Madness.
But his body could no longer endure it. If he took more damage, he might actually collapse.
But this was not enough. To defeat the Queen, he had to become even stronger!
[Stats Points: 305]
This was the amount he had obtained from killing all the ants present, and the time had come to use them.
[Strength: 518 --> 618]
[Spirit: 368 --> 400]
[Speed: 344 --> 400]
[Mana: 810 --> 910]
[Stats Points: 14]
"Let me see what madness looks like." He whispered to himself, and a cold smile appeared on his lips.
At the same time, he let go of himself...
[Madness Corruption has taken over the host’s entire mind!]
[Warning! Warning! Warning!]
[Madness has taken over the host’s mind!]
The core was pulsing in the center of his body. All sounds went silent.
Not literally, but Lian’s mind was no longer processing them.
Not the sound of the ants, not the distant screams, not the breaking of mushrooms, only the hunt remained.
The flow of mana in the Queen’s body became visible before him like bright veins.
He could see the movement of the poison, feel the contraction of muscles before the attack, and recognize the cracks in the armor.
Every escape route and every defensive angle formed in his mind.
The pain faded. Warrior’s Madness did not turn off, but instead of becoming an aimless flame, it turned into a focused blade, into something that was no longer controllable...
The only target was the Queen’s death.
Lian came out of the crater, gathering the remaining lightning in his legs.
[Thunder Step]
He disappeared. The Queen’s armored arm passed over his head. Lian appeared at another point and Dashed again before the threads could reach him.
He passed through dozens of Parasite Threads.
One of the threads tore his side, blood sprayed in the air, but the madness did not even allow his gaze to deviate.
The core, only the core!
Lightning gathered in his legs for the last time. The torn muscles screamed, the cracked bone in his shin bent under the pressure.
Lian activated the final Dash.
The thunder explosion lit up the entire area. He appeared right in front of the Queen’s main body, the distance was less than a meter.
The creature’s vertical slit opened.
Neural Scream was released at close range. The mental pressure hit Lian’s skull directly.
Blood came out of his ears, the veins in his nose tore, part of his vision turned red.
But the madness had locked his focus!
Madness was practically acting like an extremely powerful drug! A drug that had intensely focused him on his target!
His right fist went back. All the base power, the increases from Warrior’s Madness, the speed from Thunder Step, and together with Glacial Reaper Claw.
All gathered in one point.
The fist landed. The outer layer of the Queen’s armor exploded, dozens of black pieces scattered around.
But the strike did not reach the core. Three inner layers still remained. The bones of Lian’s hand broke in several places.
His knuckles were crushed, his wrist bent, but he did not stop!
Thousands of Parasite Threads rushed toward his chest. Lian brought his left hand forward, the threads wrapped around his arm.
He deliberately allowed their tips to enter his wounds. The black strands sank into his muscles and climbed up from his arm.
But they did not reach his heart. Lian held them back with his left hand. His broken right hand went back again.
This time he activated Iron Fortress Charge. The skill’s energy rose from his sole, passed through his cracked shin, gathered in his thigh, waist, and shoulder, and his entire body became a channel for transferring force.
[Iron Fortress Charge]
Lian took a short step forward. The explosive force was transferred from the ground to his broken fist.
The second strike landed. The inner armor cracked, and Lian’s fist passed through the shell, the black tissue, and the infected flesh.
Dark blood splashed up to his shoulder. His hand sank into the Queen’s body. His broken fingers touched a hard and pulsing object.
Parasite Core.
The Queen produced a real sound, not a silent scream, but a loud and piercing screech that came from her entire body and the remaining ants at the same time.
"Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhh"
The threads in Lian’s left arm went deeper. Their coldness passed from his shoulder and reached his chest.
[Assimilation has reached the heart’s outer membrane.]