Chapter 279: Fallen Angel

The portal ripped open slowly, and an eerie figure emerged.

First, two sinister legs appeared, followed by its torso and, finally, a grotesque head.

This Monarch belonged to the Hreh’tar race, the very aliens the humans were currently fighting.

But something about it felt wrong…

The numerous tentacles sprouting from its body writhed, but unlike the others, these ones moved with uncanny precision. Twisted and reshaped, they formed two massive, grotesque wings extended from the creature’s back, as if forged in the very essence of death.

Even more unsettling was the distorted form of its head, with the faint silhouette of a crown visible.

At a towering height of several dozen meters, the Monarch resembled less an alien and more a fallen angel… One that had escaped the deepest pits of hell came to unleash destruction upon the human forces.

The positive news was that the portal closed the moment the Monarch emerged, meaning the alien had come alone. The bad news, however, was that with the terrifying aura it radiated, it was clear the creature was on the verge of evolving into a Titan.

As the humans froze pure terror etched into their faces, Michael’s shout echoed across the comms channel.

“Cayson!” He roared, forgetting any kind of formalities.

“Didn’t you claim that there would be a single Monarch?! Why is there a second one here?!”

Michael was beyond furious. He could understand missing a few Overlords, but for a Monarch, especially one as horrifying as this, to slip through unnoticed was beyond any form of incompetence.

“H—How should I know?!” The Lord stuttered, his voice trembling with fear. “The readings were clear, one Monarch! P—Perhaps this one operates independently?!”

There was some merit to the man’s claim. After all, the Monarch was alone, not even commanding a battleship.

Considering it was on the verge of evolving, Michael deduced that this creature didn’t fight on fair ground. Instead, it relied on its comrades to weaken the enemy’s most powerful figures before delivering the final blow.

Nicole was still engaged with the original Monarch. It would be utterly unreasonable to expect her to defeat two monsters of such caliber alone. As such, if the newcomer intervened, it would deliver the final blow, giving the creature the last push it needed to achieve an evolution.

It was common knowledge that cosmic battles were often unpredictable… But still…

“What rotten luck.” Michael frowned. This wasn’t an alien to be underestimated.

ROOOOAR!

In that moment, the Monarch’s wings flared, releasing a deafening roar as it surged straight toward Nicole’s location.

Catastrophic barely began to cover it. No matter how powerful Nicole was, she stood no chance against two Monarchs. In fact, even a Queen would have slim odds of emerging victorious.

As things stood, the gathered humans were as good as dead.

Gritting his teeth, Michael took a deep breath. The mission’s primary goal hadn’t changed. Nicole still held the key role in neutralizing the biggest threats, while the other soldiers were tasked with supporting her.

The difficulty had soared… The task had remained the same.

“Ruby.” He said calmly, soothing the concern of the feline girl.

“Don’t overestimate yourself. Alone, you can’t match an Overlord. Join the others.”

Relaying his order, which left no room for disobedience. He turned and charged, intercepting the Monarch’s path.

A calculated decision, of course. Losing Nicole meant the death of every soldier gathered here, himself included.

And besides… He had no intention of letting Nicole face overwhelming odds without having her back. Not again.

This was why he had gone back in time… To ensure he never repeated the same mistakes he had made originally.

Battling the fallen angel was no trivial task. Michael felt compelled to task the other Lords with dealing with the threat, especially since someone had to keep the remaining Overlords at bay.

Once his mecha appeared before the Monarch, the creature attacked without hesitation. A slit opened in its torso, and its tentacles extended forward, eager to catch him.

“It would have been so much easier if I had a way to challenge its soul… or if it challenged me…” Michael sighed, recalling the Monarch he had defeated in a soul duel back on Neptune.

Sadly, this creature was too intelligent to expose its soul to unnecessary risk. If it could use its physical body to crush him, what was the point of challenging his soul?

“No matter…” He muttered.

Even utilizing Parallel Sight and Perfect Senses, he barely dodged the creature’s first strike. The monster’s tentacles missed him by a hair’s breadth.

“Focus.”

Going all out, he summoned Devil’s Tongue. Though the weapon wasn’t easy to wield with his mecha, he coated the soul weapon in Psychokinesis, moving it as though it were an extension of his own body.

As the sword desperately fought against the writhing tentacles, Michael pushed forward, attempting to close the distance.

Unfortunately, there was no optimal distance. Too far, and the tentacles would have an easier time catching him. Too close, and the overwhelming aura of the Monarch would slow his movements.

ROOOOOAR!

In the blink of an eye, the creature vanished from his sight. It reappeared right before him, one of its limbs mid-swing with such intensity that it could tear battleships apart.

Michael’s eyes narrowed, taken aback by the creature’s unexpected swiftness.

Just as the attack was about to connect, sealing his fate, something grabbed the lower leg of his mecha, pulling him downward and narrowly avoiding the strike.

“Who…”

In a daze, he glanced to the left.

There a pristine white mecha stood firmly by his side.

“You just had to charge in by yourself!” Claire’s voice echoed with concern.

Being the best mecha pilot, she had immediately charged in to support Michael, with Ruby taking her place in the squad.

As for the rest of the crew, they were occupied with handling the Overlords. After all, even Michael had been mere moments away from death. They knew their limits. If they joined the battle, they would only be overwhelmed and become a hindrance.

“Hesitation is defeat.” Michael answered, with calmness unbecoming of a man moments away from death.

“If I had stayed frozen like the rest, the Monarch would have reached Nicole, and by then, it would have been too late.”

Clicking her tongue, Claire assumed an offensive stance, her lance radiating a searing heat.

“I am well aware…”

She said softly.

“But don’t expect me to let you fight alone!”

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