27 Monster

The vanguard of their traveling coalition was spaced out several thousand meters in front of the main party. Due to the spread out nature of Morenkai on the Great Bridge, the encounters the vanguard dealt with were far in-between. With them clearing the way, the rest of the Coalition could rest and relax as they jogged along, free and without many worries.

Several thousands of meters from Micheal, the Stardust Coalition vanguard was currently facing a battle of epic proportions. The battle was taking place atop a large, white cruise ship. On the large, open deck of the ship, a dozen Abnormal Morenkai were fighting against a multitude of humans.

At the front of this vanguard, Captain Simon, called the Black Rhino by some, was engaged in a desperate battle as he was swarmed.

"Hiya!" The air shook as he lashed out with his right hand, smashing into a large, green-skinned Abnormal. The blow caused the Abnormal to fly backwards a dozen meters, smashing into one of the upper decks of the cruise ship.

Simon's body was currently a mix between a human and a Dark Rhinoceros. His arms and legs were thicker than usual, but still clearly humanoid, while his head had transformed into that of a large, horned black rhino.

This was the Partial Transformation state of his Dark Rhinoceros Type Ability.

Using the Full Transformation that his Type Ability allowed for was incredibly draining and would tire him out after just a few minutes. As someone with a Transformation Type Ability, however, he could also use what was called a Partial Transformation.

He would partially transform, gaining several aspects of his Type Ability, while still maintaining a humanoid form. By doing so, he would grow much stronger, his Endurance and Strength skyrocketing, while the drain on his soul was greatly lessened.

This usage wasn't as powerful as his Full Transformation, but still gave him considerable benefits.

"Swing round! We can't just force them off the ship, we have to crush each one!" Simon's voice came out as a snarl as another Abnormal jumped in front of him, punching him in the gut. The blow sent his bulky body sliding backwards with a solid grunt, hunched slightly over in pain.

Around him, around 5 other warriors could be seen, wielding a variety of melee weapons as they directly fought against the Abnormals. 4 of them were C Rankers, using heavy hitting maces or axes to bash at the Abnormals while wearing metallic, impact reducing armor.

The fifth figure was the other B Ranker sent by the Saru Group, a lean, black skinned woman known as the Flaming Axe Maurice. She was one of the weaker and newer B Rankers, but her Flaming Fist Type Ability made each of her attacks searingly powerful, able to wipe out regular Morenkai and deal substantial damage to Abnormals.

BANG

BANG

Gunshots rang out from above as the 10 present C Rankers of the Sharpshooter Alliance shot at the Abnormals, knocking some of them backwards. The crew of snipers was perched on the highest roof of the cruise-liner, taking shots from the top.

Only a few of their bullets managed to pierce any skin and damage the Abnormals, however. While all of them had special enhanced bullets, guns, or Abilities that could take down regular Morenkai, Abnormals were a completely different topic altogether. They were able to injure them, but they would need to hit the joints of the Abnormals to have any chance of stopping them in a small number of shots.

WHOOOSH

BOOOM

Abruptly, a loud thud echoed out.

Another Abnormal had appeared, one that caught everyone's attention.

"A Monster Class?!" A sniper from the rooftop yelled out loud, his voice tinged with horror.

A huge, obese Morenkai had landed on deck, drawn to the ongoing battle. This Morenkai was pale and large, around half a meter taller than the other Morenkai. Its arms and legs were thick, a mix of fat and muscle that combined with its odd coloring and faceless head to look repulsive.

"No." Simon instantly made the judgement call, his voice booming.

"It's not that easy to encounter a Monster Class Morenkai." Despite his proclamation, his voice was grim as he stared at it,

"But it's at the limit between a regular Abnormal and a Monster Class Morenkai."

Simon had never seen a Monster Class Morenkai before, but he'd gotten information on what they looked like from General Raymen. According to the leader of the Saru Group, they were ferocious beings that gave off a visible Aura of light or some type of tangible feeling. You could instantly tell if a Monster Class Morenkai was before you because of that.

This fat Abnormal here… it definitely had a presence it gave off. But it didn't come off anywhere near as strong as a full Monster Class Morenkai would.

"Maurice! Men! Hold it back while I deal with these others! Reinforcements will be here soon!" Simon's voice echoed out as he jumped to his left, bashing into a green-skinned Abnormal. They had managed to kill 3 Abnormals already, if they could take out a few more, the battle would become much easier.

BANG

BANG

BOOM

thud

A few more seconds passed, gunfire continuing to sound off. The battle was ongoing, the clashes of axes or maces on Morenkai skin echoing. His men went with Maurice to engage the fat Abnormal while he took on a group of three Abnormals all on his own.

He managed to kill one more Abnormal, taking a few bruising punches in the process, when a pair of yells sounded off.

"We can't hold it back, Captain!" Maurice was thrown backwards, her voice echoing in a scream as she landed down hard. Not a moment later, the C Rankers from the Saru Group were forced back, retreating towards the internal wall of the cruise ship.

"A couple of Abnormals went to the roof! The Sharpshooters are retreating!" One of his C Rankers yelled out loud as he retreated.

"Hup!" Captain Simon smashed aside a blue-skinned Abnormal, sending the creature flying a dozen meters before he swore out loud as he heard the cries of his allies.

"Damn it! Transform! Help the Sharpshooters Alliance, I'll handle it down here!"

Simon activated his Full Transformation powers. Immediately, his body expanded, the clothes he wore becoming stored in a Spatial Ring he had looped into a necklace, a special necklace that would become securely attached to his transformed figure.

In just a scant second, a huge, hulking Dark Rhinoceros appeared. It was massive, almost 3 meters tall, covered in a thick, black hide with a huge, meter long horn.

"SNORT!" Without waiting, Simon immediately charged at the fat Abnormal, knowing time was of the essence. He could only use this form for a brief period of time.

thud

thud

His footsteps put dents in the deck of the ship as he charged, roaring out loud. He bashed aside two Abnormals as he ran, sending them flying. One of them died directly, giving him around 200 Points, while the other was blasted off of the cruise ship.

BOOM

A couple of seconds later, the huge, hulking Abnormal, one that was nearing Monster Class, collided with his enormous Dark Rhino body in an impact that shook the entire ship.

The floor of the cruise ship's deck twisted and cracked, wooden shards of shrapnel shooting into the air. The metal underpinnings that held it all together screeched and warbled, popping sounds ringing out at the blow. Two huge indents appeared in the ground beneath the fat Abnormal as it stretched, its arms and legs bulging.

'It… it stopped my charge?' Captain Simon thought, dazed as he felt this. His huge body had come to an abrupt halt, forcibly stopped.

This was the first time an Abnormal had ever successfully managed to take his full powered attack head-on.

Some of the creatures that inhabited the Great Bridge and in the Main Cluster… they were a step up from the ones that could be found in the outside Clusters.

"GRRRR!" The hulking, fat Abnormal let out a growl as it heaved at Simon's Dark Rhinoceros body, picking him up by the horn. It then twisted in mid-air and threw the Captain, sending him crashing against, into, and through one of the interior walls.

BOOM

thud

A small explosion of metal and wood shook the air as the hulking rhino collided and smashed through several rooms on the deck, flipping over a half dozen times before coming to a halt. He obliterated half a dozen beds and nightstands, sending a flurry of feathers scattering into the air. The successive blows stunned Simon for a brief moment before he recovered, his chest heaving.

"Arrrgh!" Simon switched back to his Partial Transformation state, blood streaming down his face as he barged back onto the deck, smashing through a wood and metal lined wall, all the while barking out orders.

"Reinforcements will get here soon! Surround the fat one and aim for its legs! If we can't take it out with brute force we can jus…" His voice trailed off as he blinked, his heart dropping.

The fat Abnormal was standing just a few meters from him, its body jiggling.

'It must have chased after me right after it threw me. Shit…' Before Simon could react, the Abnormal reached out with a palm strike, aimed directly at his chest. The attack took the Captain by surprise, slamming right into him.

"Ulp!" He was sent flying back several meters, tumbling onto the ground till he came to a halt. His breath was knocked out of him, leaving him in a stunned state from the abrupt attack.

'It's… it's too much.' His thoughts were delirious for a moment as he lay there, trying to stand up.

"Oh? A Pseudo-Monster Class. We got lucky to find you." A voice spoke aloud, its tone emotionless. Simon wheezed as he looked up, seeing a masked figure wearing a sharp black suit appear in front of him.

"Emissary Heron?!" Simon stuttered out, blinking furiously as he tried to clear his mind.

The fat Abnormal didn't wait for them to continue their discussion. Instead, it directly charged forward, its obese body shaking as it lowered its shoulder to ram Micheal.

"Watch ou-" Before Simon could finish his warning, the Abnormal arrived.

Micheal's eyes flicked to the side.

Smoothly, with almost unnaturally good timing, he sidestepped the fat Abnormal's lowered shoulder. In the same moment, he rested his palm right on the Abnormal's chest, speaking quietly to himself,

"Impact Release: Monster Truck."

"…"

WHOOOOSH

Micheal's Impact Release: Bulldozer technique was powerful, but it had a downside. Every time he used it, it cost him several thousand Points.

It was very strong, but also extremely expensive. As a result, Micheal had scoured the Shop, looking for a replacement. Eventually, after a good deal of searching, he'd found something.

From the same Miscellaneous Earth Objects section, Micheal could purchase a broken down Heavy Duty Transport Truck for 1,440 Points. This was almost 1/3rd the price of a broken down bulldozer, a huge save.

The downside was that the Heavy Duty Transport Truck only weighed roughly ~33% of what the bulldozer had weighed, at around 76,000 pounds or 38 tons.

Still, even that was an absurdly heavy weight, more than sufficient when it was dropped from a height dozens and dozens of meters in the air.

For, thanks to his Cloud Stepping Shoes, Micheal was able to fly to an even higher point above the skyscraper, reaching almost 200 meters high. As a result of all his testing, he was gradually getting better at handling the repeated suicidal drop, something that might've driven a normal person insane. The experience was still horrifying, but it was becoming easier to accept. He wasn't sure if he should feel worried or pleased about that.

Micheal felt the energy stored in his soul quiver and then blast into his body, shooting along his arm all the way into his resting palm.

A moment later…

The fat Abnormal that had caused the Captain so much trouble, throwing his Dark Rhinoceros form more than a dozen meters and injuring him, a creature that took his fully charged attack…

BOOM

An enormous hole formed in its chest, acidic black blood sprayed out behind its body as its entire stomach, heart, lungs, or whatever organs a Morenkai had were completely obliterated.

Killed instantly.

thud

.

—-Points Obtained—-

871

.

Its body collapsed backwards in a heap, falling to the ground. The deck immediately behind the fat Abnormal was stained black for several meters, the acidic blood starting to melt into the wood and metal.

Micheal nonchalantly wiped his hands on a handkerchief he pulled from his suit pocket, looking down at the dead Morenkai with distaste. He then turned to look at the downed Captain, holding out a hand.

"You alright?"

Captain Simon nodded mutely, staring at Micheal with wide eyes as he took his hand.

"Good. We have a dozen more Abnormals to deal with." Micheal helped him up, waving a hand behind him.

Immediately, dozens of members of the coalition rushed forward, C Rankers and B Rankers alike all headed towards the main scene of the battle.

"Let's take 'em out!"