The Druid Who Devoured the Great Nature-Chapter 44 : Gotcha

Lizardman.
Another nickname for them was the Ruler of the Swamp.
They were cyborgs who had modified their bodies, modeling them after the characteristics of a lizard.
Pshhh!
Cooled breath scattered into the air as white frost.
It was a spectacle created by the creature's rough breathing beyond the mask.
It was a reaction close to hyperventilation, yet it didn't feel like a physical abnormality.
Rather, it resembled the growl of a beast threatening its enemy.
"Li-Lizardman! It's Rortel!"
The leader of the Race Lizard gang, Rortel.
A mercenary who recognized his identity shouted.
An unerased fear was evident in his voice.
The direction of the emotion was different from when they faced me.
Lizardman. In FP, the rumors about them were close to a ghost story.
Madmen who had modified their bodies not just by replacing parts with machines, but into a form that transcended humanity.
In exchange for abandoning their humanity, they gained a unique power.
Zing!
The red glint aimed at the mercenary like a laser pointer.
"Eu, eugh!"
Pshuk!
The scream immediately turned into his last words.
A harpoon, accurately striking the red dot, severed the mercenary's lifeline in a single blow.
The reel mounted on the Lizardman's wrist rotated with a mechanical sound, retrieving the spear.
It was a clean hunting method, like a fisherman catching a fish.
Thwack!
When the massive tail struck the ground, a deep furrow was created.
The tail was not an ornament.
Connected to his nerves, it expressed the Lizardman's state of mind like that of a beast.
Threat and pleasure.
The mercenaries' complexions turned pale at the dense pressure that reached their chins.
"I'll kill you all."
The Lizardman's voice was bizarre, like a modulated sound.
The elongated mask, like a reptile's snout, assisted his pronunciation, replacing his vocal cords that had been butchered by modification.
"First, you."
Just because he mimicked a beast's body didn't mean his brain had been replaced with one.
Rortel saw through me as the key figure in an instant.
Click! Bang!
My answer to that was a gunshot.
The muzzle of the Hastok-400 spewed fire.
Ting-ting-ting!
However, the fired bullets sparked and ricocheted off the creature's two arms that covered its face.
"Useless."
The red glint narrowed horizontally.
It was the Lizardman's iron skin, called scale armor.
It was the same when I faced the 85th branch manager of the Brotherhood, but a person impervious to bullets was truly bizarre.
A tricky enemy.
"Can you afford to be so relaxed?"
Of course, unlike that time, I didn't have to just suck my thumb with no other means.
My equipment had been upgraded too.
Pssh!
"…!"
Rortel quickly turned his head.
A single bullet, fired as a surprise, pierced one side of the gas mask's filter.
I taunted him with a hint of surprise.
"You dodged this?"
After expending regular bullets to create an opening, I used a magic-imbued bullet.
It was the same penetrating power that had pierced through Quadraple's protective suit.
The Lizardman's scales couldn't block it.
It was a pity that I could have started with a fatal wound, but he had dodged it.
"You bastard, what did you...!"
"That's for you to find out now."
I reloaded the bullets with no wasted movements.
This time, they were all properly magic-imbued bullets.
I relentlessly poured out the bullets.
It was a waste to pour all the scarce magic-imbued bullets on him, but it was better than struggling.
Swish! Swish-swish!
In the tight net of bullets, the creature moved its body as if dancing to avoid them.
It was a feat performed with both feet firmly planted on the ground like the roots of an old tree.
But that was just a trick to show off for a moment.
Finally, the pistol's sight aligned with the creature's forehead.
Bang!
It was an attack I was confident would be fatal.
Even this was blocked midway with a clear sound of hitting a steel plate.
I frowned with displeasure.
"You're persistent."
The cause was the tail made of solid metal.
The tail, which had sprung up elastically from the ground, read the bullet's trajectory and blocked it.
Its hardness was on a level that could even deflect a magic-imbued bullet, unlike the scale armor.
'Was it a crisis defense programming?'
In fact, its agile movement was more surprising than its hardness.
It wasn't that he blocked it with his reaction speed.
A program that sensed a crisis moved on its own to assist its master.
If it could block a magic-imbued bullet, it was a defensive shield that boasted invincibility in most cases.
"Then I'll have to force you to get hit."
"…!"
At my signal, the World Tree, responding to my will, pulled out a bundle of stems.
The means of attack, which he had never seen before, caused the Lizardman to panic in succession after the magic-imbued bullets.
The stems, which had no feet, were not affected by the ground environment that restricted movement.
The bundle of stems slithered over the muddy ground like a snake and rushed at the enemy.
Kwajik! Chwaaak!
The Lizardman's response to that was clean.
He planted his tail on the ground to fix his feet more firmly and swung his harpoon.
A stem aiming for his neck was struck by the harpoon, and a stem stabbing at his abdomen was caught and torn apart by the pole that blocked it in a curve.
A calm, continuous breathing and heavy footwork that didn't show his back.
Movements that blocked by accurately seeing each and every trajectory, not by tricks.
It was a systematic martial art, not a rough and crude defense based on instinct.
'Using lignification on the stems won't be of much use.'
It wasn't a problem of weak strength, being struck by a harpoon and torn by a pole.
Fundamentally, the main issue was that the attack's trajectory was being completely read and thus ineffective.
'It's not like it won't work if I push with numbers, but...'
I didn't think I could inflict a decisive blow that way.
The bundle of stems couldn't even draw out the tail's defense program, could it?
It was inefficient to take a gamble.
"M-monster."
"Damn it! This is why I said it was a fight with no chance of winning."
Our side's morale plummeted at the Lizardman's martial prowess.
The Sylvester employees trembled, and Percival, who was supposed to protect them, furtively watched my expression.
"Your little tricks were, surprising... but..."
The Lizardman laughed, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
"If this is all, then I'm, disappointed."
"Aren't you embarrassed to act like you've already won when you've been on the receiving end this whole time?"
I chided him.
The Lizardman answered shamelessly.
"You're, bluffing."
"I'm sorry if it looks that way."
It seemed things wouldn't go according to plan.
As expected of someone who has lived in the lawless outskirts of the city, his skills were considerable.
I gave up cleanly and put the pistol back in its holster.
"Damn it, what are you going to do? I don't think we can handle him."
Percival asked with a curse in his eyes.
It was a look of blame, as if asking why I had started this whole mess.
"You get out and support the guys outside first."
"Excuse me?"
"You know there's no way to escape anyway. Instead of thinking up some petty tricks, go help your subordinates."
"..."
Struck where it hurt, Percival flinched and rolled his eyes.
Even in this situation, he was a villain who calculated his escape first.
But even a guy like him wasn't completely useless, depending on how you thought about it.
"As planned, I'll take responsibility for this guy."
Actually, if he was moderately manageable, I was going to push with numbers, but he wasn't at that level.
If I had known it would be like this, maybe I should have gone easy on him.
If he were in perfect condition, it might be different, but Percival's body, not yet fully recovered, would be nothing more than a hindrance, even being generous.
"Then I'll wipe out all the enemies and call the troops to help!"
Percival, his face beaming, readily agreed.
It was obvious what he was up to.
'His intention is to secure an escape route by breaking through.'
Unlike the situation inside, the battle outside was going better than expected.
If there were no variables, the mercenaries would have a slight advantage.
If Percival, who was among the skilled ones, stepped in, they could win without much trouble.
Percival would decide then.
Whether to run away, or to really bring the remaining troops and finish things with the Lizardman.
A normal mercenary corps would naturally choose the latter, but considering the sand-like cohesion of the Python Mercenary Corps, the former was more likely.
"...I need to, end this quickly."
The Lizardman, unaware of this, lost his composure.
Unlike the ragtag Python Mercenary Corps, the Race Lizard gang did not disregard the lives of their comrades.
In the case of the leader, Rortel, even if he survived, if his subordinates were annihilated, he would have no choice but to step down from his position as the ruler of District 16.
He was not in a position to act nonchalantly while watching the tide of battle turn in their favor outside.
'It's not like I'm psychologically at ease either.'
Percival could give up the fight, break through, and escape.
If that happened, I would have to face the remaining forces of the gang alone.
'So I have to finish this guy off before that.'
If I was worried, I just had to settle the score first so there would be no variables.
"Come at me."
As I beckoned with my finger, the Lizardman threw himself into the broken flooring.
Splash!
The surface rippled, and his body sank into the mud.
It was the same method he had used to ambush me at the beginning.
This was the terror of the Lizardman.
He knew how to swim through the mire as if it were the sea.
A surprise attack from an unknown direction and at an unpredictable timing.
This was why he was called the Ruler of the Swamp.
Once you're pierced by the harpoon, it's over.
The Lizardman would not let go of his advantage and would slowly cook his opponent to death.
It was a situation that should be feared.
I alone was composed.
'I was worried he might run away or play defensively...'
A hot heat surged from the tattoo on my chest.
'I'm glad you followed my lead.'
The image of an eagle that ruled the sky flickered blue.
Then, the skill that had awakened with the tattoo activated.
[Synchronization is in progress!]
[The Sentinel Hawk's stats are temporarily applied perfectly without any loss!]
[All skills are shared!]
[The body merges with the Sentinel Hawk!]
The field of view expanded, covering 360 degrees in all directions.
Muscles compressed and hardened, and nails sharpened and grew out.
The Sentinel Hawk's life force turned into a green energy and circulated throughout the body.
The transformed body felt different from a human's, but it required no time for adaptation, as if it had always been that way.
"Huuu..."
The rough hunting instinct of a predator began to encroach on the space in my mind ruled by reason.
Nevertheless, I was able to analyze the situation coolly and not act rashly.
The noble prince of the sky.
This was the instinctive disposition of the Sentinel Hawk.
Rumble!
A faint vibration became a roar that echoed in my ears.
I rolled my eyes to the floor.
The trajectory of the Lizardman moving under the flooring was clearly drawn.
Did he think I was standing still in a panic?
His delusion was welcome.
'Because you will die from your carelessness.'
***
The Lizardman's attacks came from a direction completely unknown to the opponent.
The fear of not knowing where the attack would come from and the destructive power that threatened one's life with a single blow.
Most prey were helplessly defeated by the Lizardman in this way.
This prey was a little different.
He used a unique ability never seen before, and the bullets fired from a cheap gun pierced even his enhanced mechanized body.
'This hunt will not fail either.'
The bewilderment was brief.
With his rich experience, he saw through the opponent's weakness.
The enemy lacked a decisive blow.
'I'll cook you slowly.'
As long as he was hidden in the mire, none of the enemy's abilities could threaten him.
He had dodged by luck at first, but how long would that luck last?
If it was a battle of stamina, he welcomed it.
The Lizardman, with his physical support device, rarely got tired.
Even if it was a blind spear, if just one hit landed, he would have the upper hand.
The Lizardman, feeling a sense of leisure in his heart, slowly approached his prey.
'...Aura?'
Was he revealing his trump card now that he was cornered?
Although the green color was unusual, the energy circulating throughout his body was the warrior's mana, aura.
'Even so.'
An attack that doesn't hit is nothing more than a ritual.
There were many who had aimed for the position of ruler of District 16.
Among them were aura users.
Rortel had hunted even them with ease.
District 16, covered in mire, was his home ground that guaranteed his victory.
A sneer formed on his lips.
'This will be easy.'
When one realizes that even their last desperate struggle is futile, only despair is added.
Eating a helpless prey was a piece of cake.
'...?'
It was then that he met the enemy's eyes.
No, that couldn't be, but he felt it.
'Is he smiling?'
Despite the disadvantageous situation, Allen's expression was full of confidence.
A smile as if he was sure he would win.
The Lizardman, feeling an indescribable anxiety, quickly threw his harpoon.
No, he tried to throw it.
Chwarararak!
An unknown object dug into the mire.
Something that had multiplied in an instant without any warning trapped him in the mire.
Bubble, bubble!
Air bubbles that passed through the mask were trapped in the mire and burst.
The Lizardman lost his composure and struggled.
'What in the world is this...!'
At some point, the physical support device had stopped working.
A weight as if shackles were attached to his limbs.
The more he struggled, the more pain was etched into his entire body.
Kkigik! Chwaaak!
The physical support device was out of order, and even the mask that helped him breathe was in danger.
Deeply embedded thorns pierced his entire body and drank his blood.
'When did he set such a trap...!'
The Lizardman, his hair standing on end, looked up above the mire.
From the lips that moved as if whispering softly, he read the opponent's words.
"Gotcha."
The Lizardman realized at that moment.
The enemy's aloof gaze had not changed from the beginning.
The one being hunted was himself.
Swoosh!
Allen's sharply honed nails plunged down towards the Lizardman.
(End of Chapter)