"You guys should back off a little," Orion warned them.
They nodded and created distance between themselves and Orion.
Seeing that, Orion proceeded with his plan.
'Use Unyielding Encasement in Burst Mode.'
Yes, that was the only plan he could think of using against the monster. Understanding that anything else would turn futile against it, this plan was the best he could think of.
But that would mean he would lose Unyielding Encasement forever. He wouldn't be able to copy this curse from Rena again.
However, knowing that his life was at stake here, he was willing to part with it. Moreover, he hadn't used this curse as much as he had used his other curses. So, losing it wouldn't weaken him or anything.
Therefore, after all that thinking about the pros and cons of using this curse in Burst Mode, he decided to use it even if he would lose it forever.
As he gave the command, a bright red color enveloped him completely, and a large number of hexagonal forcefield-like layers began to construct around his body.
The shimmering shields interlocked seamlessly, creating a protective barrier that glowed with an intense energy, forming an impenetrable defense around him.
However, what was shocking was that these layers of hexagonal-like figures were twice his size, resulting in making Orion a mammoth the size of the monster.
His newly enlarged form towered over the surroundings, radiating an aura of formidable power that mirrored the intimidating presence of the creature he now faced.
After all the transformation was done, a huge, towering figure the size of the monster stood before it.
Unlike the figure of the monster, whose body appeared perfectly shaped like a human being, Orion's figure appeared quite round. The part covering his head was enclosed in a red spherical forcefield, just like his torso. Meanwhile, his limbs appeared like huge rectangular blocks attached to his torso, giving him a bulky and somewhat cumbersome appearance.
This was the result of Orion's efforts to try to manipulate the hexagonal layers into forming a human-like structure enclosing him; otherwise, what he would have gotten was nothing but a massive cluster of hexagonal layers enclosing him in an unmanageable and chaotic shape.
***
Famir, Ryfin, and the masked girl were so shocked that their jaws dropped to the ground, witnessing Orion's amazing transformation.
As for the shock of having his hand completely destroyed, it sent waves of disbelief and horror coursing through Orion's mind.
He believed that his transformation was not a hollow one but a complete one and because of it, he could feel the durability of the hexagonal layers surrounding him.
It was very impenetrable—at least it was supposed to be.
'It isn't that my transformation is hollow; it's because the monster is too strong. It's beyond anything I've ever faced.'
He recalled the time when the monster's tentacle had one-hit killed Elder Torry, causing him to explode into pieces.
Now that he thought about it, it all made sense. With how strong and durable its body was, it would be a surprise if Elder Torry would survive that.
'It's also because I removed the layer of absolute defense on my fist when I attacked him.'
He always removed the layer of absolute defense in the body that he used to attack. If he didn't remove it, the result would be repulsion. His fist would get infinitely closer to the monster's head before being repelled back.
That's why whenever he held his sword or attacked someone, he would remove the layer of absolute defense on the body parts that needed physical contact.
But this time, removing it backfired on him.
"Intrusion detected. Initiating extermination."
At that moment, the huge monster turned towards him, his eyes glowing with an intense purple hue.
"Sh*t."
Orion quickly regenerated his destroyed arm and increased his weight as much as he could with the help of Burdened Gravity and Constant Pull.
At the same time, he covered his entire body in an absolute defense layer and put both his arms in front of him in a cross position. The hexagonal layers quickly expanded around his arms to form a huge dome-like defensive layer that was also within the effect of his absolute defense.
Buzz!—
At that moment, two beams of light emanated from the monster's glowing eyes and arrived in front of him.