Chapter 156: The Monstrous Egg Grows, Riven Breaks Through All Obstacles

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After Ryujin fed the egg a large number of mutated Yakuza, it began to sprout many extra limbs. Blinking giant eyes, leathery wings, and writhing tentacles also emerged from its surface. Ryujin took an instinctive step back as the pure white egg began to change colors rapidly — first growing red, then black, then gray, and finally shifting between every shade in an ever-changing pattern. Its aura spiraled outward in every direction, becoming heavily oppressive... and clearly demanding more sacrifices.

The surrounding Yakuza nodded in understanding and quickly began kicking additional mutated people toward the egg. The monstrous being inside started absorbing them ravenously. A giant jaw formed on the eggshell itself and swallowed the screaming victims whole, viciously licking up every drop of spilled blood.

Ryujin felt a flicker of nervousness, yet he remained confident. The power the creature was gaining was immense. However, his satisfied smile was suddenly interrupted.

"Master Ryujin!"

"...Huh?"

A soldier suddenly ran toward him and dropped to one knee. "Master Ryujin, he’s here!"

"What?!" Ryujin coughed hard, choking on his own saliva. "So damn soon?! H-How...?"

"We saw him with our own eyes. He leaped straight through the mountains, completely ignored the fortresses filled with soldiers waiting for him, and ran directly here! He’s destroying the first barrier as we speak...!"

"This is...!" Ryujin started fuming with pure anger. "He really doesn’t want to take his damn time, does he?! Hurry! Throw anything you can find into the egg!!!"

The Yakuza continued throwing more and more monsters into the growing egg, but they were rapidly running low on victims. "Master Ryujin, that’s all the workers we’ve managed to gather! And the Yokai... aren’t they supposed to protect the fortress instead of being sacrificed?"

"Tsk..." Ryujin grabbed the soldier kneeling in front of him, pulled out a syringe, and injected its contents directly into the man’s throat.

"W-Wha...?! Gaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!"

The soldier — a Yakuza who had been promoted in rank and equipped with heavy samurai armor — screamed in absolute agony as his body mutated into an aberrant monstrosity. Tengu wings, multiple tentacles, and a kappa-like head rapidly grew from his form.

"Masterrrr.... Whyyyyyyy?! I’ve never betrayed youuuuuughhhh...!"

"That’s exactly why!" Ryujin laughed maniacally as he lifted the transforming man and several others with his crimson spiritual aura. "You will continue to serve me well even after death, my loyal retainers!!!"

He viciously threw them all toward the egg. Some of them had not even finished mutating properly, but he did not care in the slightest. Everyone present had taken the higher-quality serum at some point and had developed at least some spirit power, so they were useful enough.

"N-No...! Not us!!!"

"Master, you’ve betrayed us!"

"You damn bastard! You will burn in hell, RYUJIN KAZAMAAAAAAA!!!"

His own retainers cursed him with their final breaths as he smiled with pure viciousness. He watched the gigantic egg leap toward them and devour the victims one after another, tearing flesh and innards apart without mercy. A few tried to fight back, but they were instantly crushed by an insanely powerful spiritual pressure radiating from the egg.

"Hah... Hahahaha...! Yes...! YES! GROW!!!"

Ryujin laughed like a complete maniac as the egg suddenly expanded to twice its previous size, then three times larger. Cracks finally began appearing across its thick eggshell.

As he continued laughing in a way that almost resembled the hated Professor Willheim, the egg kept cracking further and further...

RUMBLE!

Riven and his party began destroying the outer barriers in rapid succession. The first barrier was already gone. The second started to shatter under their combined assault. Ryujin’s outer army was serving no real purpose — they were being torn to shreds by the coordinated efforts of the ninjas and Label’s explosive potions combined with her psionic powers.

Riven and Noir unleashed their full power, punching, kicking, and tearing through the second barrier in only a few seconds before descending directly into an army of hundreds of remaining monsters and soldiers.

Ryujin watched everything unfold through his special Eye of Izanami — a floating crystal ball that hovered in front of him and functioned as an all-seeing camera covering his entire territory. Unlike ordinary cameras, it could not be destroyed.

"They’re coming...! All soldiers and Yokai, attack them immediately! Activate every formation we have!"

He sent urgent orders to the remaining forces outside. Massive magical formations activated at once, ready to greet Riven and his group the moment the second barrier shattered into pieces.

"Riven! Watch out!"

Label called out desperately as she rode on Noir’s back, pointing downward just as Riven fell straight into Ryujin’s carefully prepared trap.

A giant formation opened beneath him in the ground. Flowing spiritual energy, dense mana, and glowing runes appeared and wove themselves together into a massive multi-colored circle.

The circle, composed of red, green, blue, and yellow energies, began rapidly absorbing Riven’s own elemental and spiritual power!

"Ugh?!"

He was shocked. His eyes widened as he suddenly lost a significant portion of his strength. His Spiritual Aura flickered and disappeared, and he began falling straight toward the ground.

As he fell he groaned in frustration, clicked his tongue, and forced a rapid transformation. He became a giant chimera — half reptilian, half black dragon — complete with fleshy tentacle-like wings and four massive muscular arms.

"You think this’ll stop me?!"

With a single powerful movement of his body he spun while still falling, crashing into the ground below with tremendous force. The impact cracked the earth apart and sent boulders flying in every direction. The entire formation was disrupted in an instant.

A wave of invisible psychic energy struck the formation’s internal structure and immediately shattered it like fragile glass. All the spirit energy and mana it had absorbed leaked outward, and Riven greedily absorbed every last drop, rapidly regaining his full power.

"Tsk! Activate more formations!"

"Hurry, hurry!"

"Come on! Do it now!"

The remaining soldiers and Yokai panicked. Entire armies ran forward in a desperate attempt to stop him. Riven simply swung his massive claws and tore through them with ease. His tentacled wings moved independently, growing sharp bony claws that shredded additional foes. At the same time his enormous hands released concentrated waves of psychic, spiritual, and cursed energy. Ghostly fire erupted from the attacks, burning their souls even as their physical bodies were consumed.

BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM!

Countless explosions began spreading across the battlefield. Riven then summoned Fenrir’s Fang and the Netherworld King’s Blade from his shadows. He dual-wielded them alongside two additional Headless Knight Swords he had reserved for situations like this, swinging all four weapons together in perfect harmony.

Quadruple Abyssal Assault Art.

First Form – Death Guillotine.

Four simultaneous death guillotines followed. Four powerful cutting waves of pure concentrated darkness, deadly poison, ice mana, cursed energy, and ghostly power — all tightly packed together and further empowered by psychic force and spiritual arts — tore across the field.

The result was catastrophic.

SLASH!

SLASH!

SLASH!

SLASH!

RUUUUMBLE!

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