Kaijin Fighter: So I Have to Make Monsters, So What?

'Interesting…'

Inspired by his ad hoc trick, Zhen Liu proceeded to tear off an additional dozen or so squares from his scarf and sent them flying below to the ensnared rebels.

Zhen Liu had the distinct feeling that getting them out of the line of fire was going to be crucial for the next, and hopefully final, phase of his battle.

'Alright, with the people secured…time to fight.'

With his tasks finished, Zhen Liu proceeded to fly further upwards until he was at the same elevation as Blazejudicator and Nepherage.

The duo of blazing kaijin were still in the midst of fighting off the rest of Dante's horde, but at this point in time, they were thinned out enough that they could take a breather...which was odd.

This was the same elevation level that Dante was lingering on, so the fact that he hadn't decided to intervene in the affairs of his kaijin after they were getting their asses handed to them in such a brutal manner was...disturbing from Zhen Liu's point of view.

If the situation was reversed, and Zhen Liu was any of his kaijin getting injured in such a brutal fashion, he would be flying off the handle and eating people's faces.

Literally and figuratively.

Well, he was fairly close to doing that right now as he imagined such a scenario occurring to his already injured kaijin.

It wasn't until he was about a stone's throw away from joining up with Blazejudicator and Nepherage that Zhen Liu began to calm down and realize that before any additional fighting should occur, he needed a clear view of the situation happening around him.

And thankfully, he didn't have to worry about his connection being all wonky this time.

…

'Status report, how many enemies are left?' Zhen Liu asked.

[Blazejudicator and I have taken out thirty-]

BOOM!

[GRK!]

[BURN YOU SLIMY BASTARDS, BURN!] Blazejudicator roared with enhanced [Flames of Wrath] dominating most of his form.

[Correction, Blazejudiactor and I have taken out forty of the enemy kaijin, but they're starting to get desperate,] Nepherage reported.

'Desperate how?'

[Some of them are eating each other for the sake of a power boost big enough to try and kill us.]

'Gross.'

[Indeed.]

'Whatever the case, it's time to—BAH!'

[Oh, fuck!]

[MILORD!]

…Uh oh…

[Oh, now you decide to make a move?!] Zhen Liu yelled while making sure Dante's hand didn't fully wrap around his neck.

[It's called "waiting for the right opportunity."] Dante mocked. [ And you are the last person in the world to be able to make such a complaint.]

[Belive me when I say that I should've probably brained your ass sooner.]

Being caught by surprise like this, Zhen Liu found himself being forcibly moved by Dante's attempt to snap his neck. Once he had a chance to process the situation, however, he realized that this was an excellent opportunity.

'Let's see, my [Astra] is unusually flexible and can be torn into individual squares that can be manipulated on an individual basis, so…'

With one hand keeping Dante at bay, Zhen Liu began gesturing with the other in order to finely manipulate [Senbazuru]'s main form, folding it into the shape of an elephant's head.

'Heh. Patchwork pachyderm,' Zhen Liu mused before launching his counterattack.

Under his direction, the patchworked pachyderm was first strengthened with [Chaos] before being sent forward and slamming into Dante's chin. From an outsider's perspective, it was as if an actual elephant had slammed its skull into Dante's chin.

CRACK!

'Oh, I fucking heard that.'

On top of this obvious visual cue, the sound of cracking teeth and the dislocation of a jaw was all that Zhen Liu needed to hear to know that he had delivered a devastating counterattack.

It wasn't enough to immediately end the fight, but he was fairly certain that he had crippled the bastard.

At least, he hoped that was the case… up until he saw Dante showcase his broken jaw for a brief moment before snapping it back into place and using [Chaos] to stimulate the regrowth of his missing teeth. Needless to say, the restored bones didn't grow in alignment or look even the least bit healthy.

[Alright, I'll admit that I'm a little impressed that you managed to deliver such an attack while I was trying to snap your neck like the chicken that you are,] Dante said in mock praise. [Kudos.]

[And you failed miserably, congratulations.] Zhen Liu sarcastically clapped. Oddly, even their [Astra] began to mimic his clapping action.

Zhen Liu swore he could hear Dante's eye twitch in anger at that exact moment, but as they were both in body covering [Regalia] and [Stigma], he could only assume it was just wishful thinking.

Then again, the threat Dante made immediately after this sound entered Zhen Liu's ears did lend credence to the idea.

[Failed? Oh no, if anything, this just means the conditions for victory has changed,] Dante stated while circulating his [Chaos], making it clear that an attack wa imminent.

[Oh?] Zhen Liu went as he began to prepare for another switch-up.

[I just need to kill you in order to give my Kaijin the edge they need to kill yours, or stall you long enough for them to kill your kaijin instead,] Dante explained. [Either way, I think you're on a time limit, boy.]

[Oh, that's real funny, because I was about to say the exact same thing to you,] Zhen Liu replied as dismissed his [Astra] at the same time he summoned his [Taboo]. Visually speaking, it appeared as if his multipatterned scarf was transforming into a uniform cape.

[Heh. Just because your new toys were able to get the drop on mind, doesn't that they're actually stronger,] Dante arrogantly declared. [They're just newly minted pups with no idea on how the world works. Just like you!]

In blink of an eye, Dante took out his whip-like [Astra], grabbed one of his lesser kaijin and forcibly transformed them into a spear-like [Taboo] that he then threw in Zhen Liu's direction.

An ear-piercing scream tore through the air as the spear went hurtling towards Zhen Liu's position, with it remaining unclear if that sound was due to the spear's origins or because of the amount of force that Dante put in the throw.

Zhen Liu, for his part, was surprisingly calm.

[Oh, you'd be surprised. Those three, the Gallop Brothers, have been waiting a very long time for this particular dust-up. And I'd be remissed to not act upon that desire! Engulf!]

In response to this assault, Dante immediately unfurled [Alf Layla Wa Layla] and absorbed the [Taboo] into its folds.

Zhen Liu was fully expecting the newly absorbed spear to have a straining effect on his [Taboo] due to it being a kaijin enhanced with his enemy's [Chaos]. However, he didn't feel such adverse effects.

'Huh...now that's peculiar...'

Instead, he felt as if he was absorbing the [Chaos] that was infused to create the kaijin he had just absorbed.

And alongside it, came a slew of memories associated with that moment.

Some sourced from the original beasts that had been absorbed, some from Dante himself.

However, Zhen Liu didn't allow himself to indulge in this strange feeling for long.

He had a battle to win after all.

[I'll worry about it later, EXPEL!]

Keeping his spinning momentum, Zhen Liu released the spear and fired it back towards Dante's position with twice the speed and force behind it. However, if one were to take a closer look at the spear that he just launched, they notice that it was a touch weaker than the one that Dante had initially thrown his way.

As if the [Chaos] inside it had been drained away.

That stated, Dante didn't care nor appreciate such small details and promptly lashed out to destroy the incoming attack...alongside the Kaijin that had been used to create the weapon in the first place.

[Oh, I can just tell this battle is going to be annoying,] Dante grumbled.

[Yes, so let's hope one of our Kaijin kills their opponent faster than the other,] Zhen Liu agreed before charging in to attack.

[In the mean time, BREAK FOR ME!]

...Meanwhile...

When the Gallop Brothers isolated their respective opponents, they didn't have access to any spatial abilities or treasures that could change their surroundings to locations where they would gain a clear tactical advantage.

Instead, they physically isolated their battles into individual parts of the cavern that could serve as appropriate battlefields for their respective abilities.

As well, each of these battlefields had a...personal meaning to each of the brothers for one reason or another.

Of course, none of the [Demon Knights] knew or cared about such reasoning. They just wanted to kill these bastards and put an end to this absolutely miserable day.

Of course, they were going to make sure to beat out any sense of satisfaction from their opponents before killing them in excruciating ways.

But battles like this have to be told in a more... intimate manner.