Chapter 186: Chapter 186 – Sonic Scream

Thanks to the continuous damage inflicted by [Mindrender]—and even though this simulated monster didn’t possess true sanity, there was some kind of aggressive AI triggered by pain and threat—the Giant Rabid Rooster’s attention was completely fixed on me. It no longer commanded or coordinated its flock. All that remained in its blazing red eyes was the desire to crush me.

It charged forward, its massive legs tearing through the asphalt of the parking lot.

I braced myself, knees slightly bent, [Mindrender] held in both hands for a powerful strike. My plan was simple: when it got close enough, I’d jump, dodge the direct attack, and deliver a decisive slash to its neck.

But this Rank S monster wasn’t that straightforward.

When we were just meters apart, instead of continuing its charge or pecking, the Giant Rooster suddenly halted. Its four eyes blinked in sync. Then, its tooth-filled beak gaped wide, not to bite, but to…

SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!

The shriek that erupted wasn’t just a loud sound. It was a visible, physical soundwave—a rippling, white shockwave of air that distorted everything, blasting forth from its maw like a sonic cannon blast.

My eyes widened. This… this was unexpected.

The wave shot out with incredible speed. Anything it touched—wrecked cars, concrete debris, lampposts, even a few unfortunate Rank A roosters still behind me—shattered into pieces. It was like being erased from existence by an invisible giant hand. Dust and debris flew, creating a fast-moving cloud of destruction heading straight for me.

Deep in my gut, danger alarms screamed at their loudest. I had no time to think. My reflexes took over. I instantly activated [Aegis Pendant] manually with a mental push, even though I knew I didn’t need to as it would trigger automatically.

BRRRZZZZT!

A translucent bluish energy shield immediately formed around my entire body, wrapping me like a second protective skin. Just in time.

The soundwave hit.

DUNNNGGGGG!!!!!

My [Aegis Pendant] shield vibrated violently, fine cracks like spiderwebs instantly appearing across its surface. The pressure was so immense I felt my bones creak, and my feet were forced to scrape backward several meters across the asphalt.

But the shield held. For a few critical seconds.

And in those seconds, my mind raced. It hadn’t used this before. Why? Because a wide-area attack like this would destroy its own minions. That’s why it only used it now, when its flock was fighting in the distance, and I was alone facing it. This monster was indeed intelligent.

The [Aegis Pendant] shield began cracking severely, almost shattering. But before it completely broke, I was already moving.

Using the momentum of the fading soundwave’s pressure, I pushed off the ruined ground with all my might and leaped…

Towards it, through the remnants of the still-shaking sonic wave.

The world around me seemed to slow. I could see swirling dust particles, flying metal fragments, and the Giant Rooster’s still-gaping maw.

My target was its neck.

I swung [Mindrender] with all the concentrated strength in my body into a single slash.

SWOOOOOSH!

My sword blade sank deep into the side of the monster’s neck, just below the head, cutting through most of the muscle, bone, and data vessels simulating life. The satisfying crunch of bone echoed.

GRAAAAAAKKK!!!

A tremendous roar of pain erupted, but this time it sounded choked. Its massive head was nearly severed, held on only by torn flesh and skin. Black blood gushed like a fountain.

But before I could pull my sword free and finish the slash, something happened that made me curse inwardly.

From the nearly severed neck stump, flesh moved at an unnatural speed.

The torn muscle fibers reached for each other, fusing. The broken bone straightened. The blood stopped gushing. Within seconds, the wound that should have been fatal… healed rapidly. Not completely, but enough to stop its head from dangling dangerously.

Dammit!

I landed roughly on the ground a few meters away from it. The Giant Rooster now looked at me with different eyes—still full of hatred, but now also with… caution. And a deeper rage. Its neck still showed the deep slash mark, but it was no longer bleeding.

I stood up, breathing a little heavily.

’Fuck, my body’s too tired and sleepy for this.’

Realizing its deadly sonic blast didn’t manage to hurt me—and in fact gave me a chance to inflict a near-fatal wound—the Giant Rabid Rooster seemed to decide on a change in tactics. The momentary caution vanished, replaced by a more primitive, wilder, and more berserk fury.

With a roar full of frustration, it charged again. This time, there were no more measured special attacks. Just raw strength, speed, and the desire to destroy me with claws, bites, and kicks.

I didn’t retreat. Instead, I advanced to meet it.

As its fridge-sized claws swept horizontally towards me, I jumped aside swiftly, my Agility letting me move like the wind. The claw smashed into a pile of debris behind me, pulverizing it to dust.

Before it could retract its claw, I was already close. Mindrender swung, slashing at the front leg that was like a pillar. My blade cut deep, hitting bone. Black blood spurted.

The rooster lifted the injured leg, losing its balance for a moment.

I gave it no time. I darted forward, under its huge body, dodging a wild kick from its hind leg. As I emerged on the other side, I was already swinging my sword towards its chest, aiming to pierce its heart.

Clang!

But this time, it was more wary. The feathers on its chest suddenly hardened, like a layer of steel. Mindrender only left a deep gash, but didn’t penetrate.

Tch. It was adapting.

I immediately dodged, turned, and retreated a few steps. The Giant Rooster turned, its four eyes radiating pure insanity. It went berserk—spinning its body rapidly, its hard-feathered tail whipping around the area like an iron whip.

I jumped backward, feeling the wind from its tail pass by my face. But its rampage didn’t stop. It kept spinning, creating a vortex of dust and debris, closing in on me.

I ran in a circle, keeping my distance, my eyes searching for an opening. Fatigue was setting in heavier. My muscles screamed, and the sleepiness I’d been holding back since the beginning began gnawing at my concentration.

But I had no choice.

When the rooster stopped spinning for a moment, maybe dizzy, I saw my chance.

The leg I’d injured earlier was still slightly unsteady.

I darted forward again, this time not attacking directly. I feinted an attack towards the uninjured leg, making it lift that leg to defend. But at the last moment, I changed direction, slid between its two legs, and with [Mindrender] drawn, I slashed at the inner thigh of its rear leg.

Slash!

A major muscle was severed.

The rooster staggered, almost falling. I seized the moment. I quickly scrambled up its spiny, bony back, avoiding the spikes, and reached its neck.

It felt me. It writhed, trying to shake its body to throw me off. But I was already gripping a spine at the base of its neck tightly with one hand, while the other raised [Mindrender] high.

“Die, you damn chicken!” I growled, then with every last ounce of strength I had, I slashed.

SWISH-CHONK!

This time, no regeneration was fast enough. The blade cleaved cleanly through the already badly wounded neck. The Giant Rabid Rooster’s huge head detached from its body, flew several meters through the air, and then exploded into a spectacular burst of red and black data.

Its headless body swayed, then slowly began to glow and vanish as well, leaving only a large stain on the ground.

[POINT +100] flashed large in the air before me, then disappeared.

I landed with my knees bent, breathing heavily. My arms and legs trembled. But it was done. The zone boss was finally down.

Outside the Simulator.

The host, who had been tensely following the fight on the main screen, erupted in a cheer of elation.

“LOOK! LOOK! ADAM SOCHERON HAS DONE IT! He defeated the Rank S monster, the Giant Rabid Rooster! With incredible tenacity, speed, and precision! A truly impressive display from the Sword Saint’s son!”

“AND REMEMBER, FOLKS,” he continued with a sly grin, his voice dropping slightly as if sharing a secret. “This spectacular victory didn’t come from a vacuum! Adam started it by dragging a whole horde of other contestants into his mess! A strategy that… could be called rather villainous, but proved effective at dividing the monster forces! Cunning or clever? You be the judge!”

With the death of the Giant Rabid Rooster—their leader and progenitor—the remaining horde of Rabid Roosters still fighting the thirty other contestants underwent a drastic change.

They didn’t run. They didn’t become fearful.

They became even wilder.

Without control from their leader, their pack instincts collapsed, replaced by blind rage and confusion. Their crows turned into a chaotic, panicked, insane cacophony.

“Dammit, they’ve gone crazy!” shouted a man from the front line, as two Rank B roosters lunged at him simultaneously, ignoring any counterattacks.

The previously organized defensive line began to falter. A mass rampage from dozens of panicking Rank A and B monsters proved harder to hold back.

I sighed. There was still a bit of energy left in my exhausted body.

I jumped, rejoining the fray. [Mindrender] in my hand was still faithful, though it felt heavier than before.

I didn’t immediately attack the densest crowds. Instead, I focused on the highest-point targets—the Rank A roosters that were breaking through the line or wounding exhausted contestants.

One Rank A rooster managed to break through from the left flank. Its gaping maw bit down on the arm of a female contestant who was bent over, out of breath. The woman screamed, her body instantly glowing before she vanished, eliminated from the simulation.

Just as she disappeared, I was already there. My saber landed on the rooster’s neck from the side, ending the monster instantly.

[POINT +30]

And the slaughter continued.

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