Reincarnated as a dragon’s egg ～Lets aim to be the strongest～ - Chapter 752

752 – [The Cat That Is Not There]
My claws cut through Baal’s face. His flesh tears, splattering blood.

“OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOh!”

Baal’s human face screams as its eyes roll backwards. His body splits in two, spilling brains and entrails onto the ground.

His body begins to shine with a pale light as it fades away.

I stand and watch Baal’s disappearing body.

Finally… I’ve finally defeated the strongest monster. It should be over now. And yet, a strange feeling of tension is overwhelming me.

Why have I still not received the experience points?

[Spirit Servants] still grant experience points. I’ve confirmed this several times already.

The only possibilities I can think of are that God’s Voice summoned Baal back at the last moment… Or else, he’s still alive.

Suddenly, I sense Baal behind me. I spin around, readying my claw.

『I see… So this is how it is. A refreshing feeling. I understand everything now.』

I see a giant cat wearing a crown.

The cat’s head is unmistakably Baal’s third head. But unlike before, its bright red eyes are staring fixedly at me, without the usual restless movement.

Glancing back, I see Baal’s body still disappearing and wrapped in light. But the cat head is no longer there.

This must be… [Tail Shed of the War God]

【Normal Skill [Tail Shed of the War God]】
【Discards an unnecessary part of the body to act as a decoy.】
【The enemy’s eyes are deceived, and a large amount of HP is recovered.】
【This skill disappears once used.】

『…You’re the main body?』

I had thought it was strange. His spider legs should have had the full weight of his attack stat behind them, and yet his bestial arms were much stronger.

Besides, it seemed like he wanted to hide those arms. Now that I can see they’re a part of his main body, it makes sense. Now that I think about it, Baal’s species explanation didn’t make any mention of his being a spider monster at all.

His plan was to toy with me while keeping his trump card of [Feline Absence] in reserve. So it makes sense that he would also want to mislead me about the nature of his body, so he can avoid a fatal wound in an emergency. Just how dirty can his fighting style be?

I had thought his [Telepathy] was coming from his human head. But because all of his eyes were so unfocused, I couldn’t use their lines of sight to tell which head was the main one.

But at this point, it’s just vain struggling on his part. Even with his HP recovered, his MP is almost all gone. He’s also lost two heads’ worth of firepower.

『I am grateful, dragon. In my long life… not once had I felt fear. This is the first time I have fought on on equal footing. That is why I had not noticed. The fact that I was a still-immature incomplete being.』

『What are you saying…?』

A chill runs down my spine.

『Now, after thousands of years… For the first time in my life, my thirst for power has grown so strong that it is nearly maddening. My skills were so untested was because I had never faced a wall that I needed to risk my soul to overcome. Now that I have cast away my unnecessary flesh, my body is as it should be! I have reached the truth. Now, I have become the very concept of the strength incarnate! For all eras, in all worlds, I will reign eternal as the undefeated absolute being!』

He’s lost his mind… What is he even saying?

He wasn’t quite sane before, but now it feels like he’s turned into another being entirely, both in body and mind.

『It is a pity… There will never again be another to fight me as an equal. I will show you, dragon. The absolute power that I have obtained!』

Baal kicks off the ground, pouncing towards me.

He’s even faster than before…! But the speed isn’t leagues above that of his spider body. I should still be able to respond.

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[The Evil Absolute Sovereign]
Species: Baal
Condition: Spirit
Lv: 180/180 (Lock) (MAX)
HP: 9807/20805
MP: 1322/14609
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

Even with some of his HP recovered, and even if he’s discovered something, it doesn’t change the fact that his MP is almost empty. I still have a significant advantage.

With two heads missing, he can only make straightforward attacks. A multi-headed monster loses access to some of its skills if it loses a head. At least, that’s how it was for me as an ouroboros.

Baal can no longer cast parallel magic. In a simple fistfight, the mana I have available for [Autoregeneration] will make a huge difference. After all, an equal exchange of damage works in my favour. As long as I can hit back, [Autoregeneration] should swing the battle for me.

I produce a [Curse Knight] magic circle. The tracking effect of [Curse Knight] allows me time it for the moment we enter close combat, which should create an opening.

Even after seeing my magic circle, Baal continues to charge without flinching.

I jump towards Baal as I activate the prepared magic.

Four lights rise from the magic circle, each of them forming the shape of an inhuman knight.

The four knights gallop through the air, each of them arcing towards Baal from different directions.

『It is unnecessary, but for your sake, I shall reveal the truth that I have reached!』

Baal doesn’t react to the [Curse Knights]. All four impact his body and explode, engulfing his body in a blaze of pale fire.

“BrwaaAAAH!”

Baal howls in pain. His skin burns away, scattering droplets of dark blood.

What is he doing…? With his physical ability, it should certainly have been able to avoid at least some of them. He could have even used [Feline Alibi] to disappear before they hit. Why would he intentionally receive an attack right in front of me?

No, there’s nothing to be gained by hesitating! I should seize this opportunity! Pushing past my unease, I swing my claw to strike the stunned Baal.

My claw cuts cleanly through his neck. His head falls to the ground, the rest of his body collapsing limply.

I… won?

An abrupt tremor runs through Baal’s head and body, shaking the very space they occupy. Then, they vanish.

An illusion skill…? No, that’s impossible. I should be completely immune to illusions.

Suddenly, a claw rakes through my back.

“GuuOOOOOOh!”

I’m pushed to the ground, all my bones creaking with stress. I don’t understand what happened, but I need to respond.

I don’t have time to fix my posture. I roll forwards, then kick off the ground, and glance behind me at Baal.

He’s not chasing me. Instead, he’s standing on the roof of a building that looks like a temple. The burns from the [Curse Knights] and the cut to his neck are both gone without trace.

『Aah, my body is so light… I finally understand. That spider body was a test imposed on me… It was a shackle to bind me! This body is so comfortable and easy to move! Now that I have cast away those two repugnant heads, I have reached my true form…! My ability to use these two skills after thousands of years is proof! Give your adulation, dragon, for the birth of the war god who will reign supreme for all time!』

Two skills that he couldn’t control for thousands of years… One of them must have been [Feline Alibi]. He seemed uncomfortable using it before.

The other is probably [Choice of the Quantum Cat].

【Normal Skill [Choice of the Quantum Cat]】
【Overwrites the user’s state with a potential existence from a diverged world.】
【Activation consumes a large amount of MP.】

It’s a mysterious skill he hasn’t used until now.

Apparently, he hadn’t been able to control it until now. After being the pushed the closest to defeat that he had ever been, he became able to use it by cutting off the unnecessary parts of his body.

The explanation is rather abstract, but from what just happened, my guess is that he can cancel out any attack he receives and teleport to wherever he wants. My [Wormhole] skill is crying, with its long casting time, short range, and telegraphed target.

It’s clear he took my attack intentionally. He must have wanted to show off his skill, or perhaps to confirm that he can use it. But I doubt he’ll let me hit him so easily another time.

I’ll have no choice but to spend a lot of MP on my attacks to ensure they land, only for him to then cancel them out with [Choice of the Quantum Cat] and hit me with an unavoidable counter. It’s a hideously unfair technique.

But, it shouldn’t be completely impossible for me to win.

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[The Evil Absolute Sovereign]
Species: Baal
Condition: Spirit
Lv: 180/180 (Lock) (MAX)
HP: 9921/20805
MP: 1014/14609
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

His MP has fallen further. He can use [Choice of the Quantum Cat] three more times at most.

I’m glad he wasn’t like this from the start. If he had access to such an unfair skill back when he was in perfect condition, I wouldn’t have stood a chance. It’s probably true that, should I fail to kill Baal now, there will never be another divine skill holder who can beat him.

But, there are two problems. The first is that he’s gained a use of such a troublesome skill, as well as a body more powerful than his last.

『…Your awakening came too late, damn cat.』

『A bluff of confidence. To defeat the likes of you, I won’t even require this skill again.』

The second problem is that defeat is no longer in Baal’s mind now that he’s gained a new body. His confidence is no longer shaken at all.