Motherfucker sure died with a bang, just like his predecessor.

He was a tough foe. Despite the stat increase, I’ve struggled against him as much as I’ve struggled with Degloth#1. However, the same cannot be said about stress levels. I’ve lost a few lifespans and perhaps the last remnants of my dignity in the previous battle.

So won't you please spare me indignity?

And won't you please give me some decency?

It’s not the time to sing a song, Monika. Later, later. Or perhaps not later. Never. Why would you even sing? Your voice is no better than the worms’ screeches.

But—

Where have I heard the song? I’m sure Monika has never heard of it before..?

They both had a Stamina of D. Yet the difference was baffling. The lowest E and the highest E with 5 SP invested don’t differ as much. The qualitative change occurred only when I poured the 6th SP up to E+.

It’s terrifying to even imagine how many SP it would require to up an attribute from D to D+. This means instead of risking and upgrading a specific attribute, I should just upgrade everything. Be it Stamina, Agility, Strength, or Affinity, they all seem useful. A note to the future me: The key to finding happiness is balance.

The aftermath is nothing short of dreadful after the explosion ripped through the cavern with shockwaves that tore through the mass of worms.

Chunks of flesh and fragments of their armored hides are still scattering in a way shrapnel would. The cavern is painted with the viscera of the fallen that splatters against the rocky walls and drips from the stalactites above. Jagged pieces of chitin and shattered mandibles are embedded and driven deep into the walls. The once-silent shroud now swirls with debris and gore.

The ground is strewn with the dismembered remnants of the worms, twitching and writhing in their death throes. They lay in twisted heaps, pooling in expanding puddles of black blood. The smell of ruptured entrails and scorched flesh intermingle with the lingering mist.

Rewinding to the past.

While brawling with the bastard, I’ve lost myself for a moment there. But thankfully, Monika recognized the signs of an imminent explosion the moment she saw the worm begin to swell and convulse.

She hit the ground hard, rolling to absorb the impact. Her greatsword clattered beside her as the concussive shockwave from the explosion passed overhead.

My senses are now rattled. Still, I much prefer bombing worms to shitting worms. It’s a pity the heart is gone, though.

Monika's hearing is muffled and reduced to a dull ringing that drowns out all other sounds. The world feels strangely distant. She blinks rapidly to try to clear the spots dancing in my vision. This brings back memories.

I can feel the sticky residue spattering on my skin and clothes. I’ve become red, just like my children. I’m not a fan of red. It doesn’t suit my black hair. The smell of blood is still better than shit. So we’ll consider this a win.

I push myself up on my elbows. My ass still reels from the violent tumble. It’s broken, perhaps. Monika shakes my head as violently to try to clear the disorienting fog that clouds her thoughts.

Monika scans the immediate area to see her succubi moving cautiously, their eyes wide with horror at the scene before them. Forcing me to stand, Monika retrieves my greatsword, gripping it tightly as she steadies herself.

Focus. Concentrate. The battle is not over yet. Shut up, Monika.

“Hah…” I sigh as I look upward. There’s a limit to my patience. Should I go greet them myself?

My eyes catch a faint glow emanating from the remnants. Hmm? The rune didn’t explode. I move toward it. The rune is a vivid purple-red. I kneel beside the worm's remains and reach out to grasp the rune with my gauntleted hand.

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“Sin…”

That’s what the symbol says. Why do I know the runic language? Why do I understand and speak in any language? Did you truly become the one with the world? What a weird feeling.

—Rune of Sin |E+|—

That makes it two. I reach out to my inner pocket and compare it to the one I’ve gotten from Degloth#1. They look very similar. Perhaps only a masterful artisan can tell a difference.

I glance around the cavern to find that many of the monstrous worms still writhe and fight. The ground is a mess of thrashing bodies, and the air is messed with the screeches of the dying worms, the clang of weapons, and the cries of my succubi. Their wings beat furiously while they dart and swoop through the brew, slashing through the thick hides of the worms.

“Ho?”

One peculiar succub faces a particularly formidable worm. I narrow my eyes.

—Degloth |E|—

Race: Maggoth

Pathway: Sin

Spirit |E-|

Strength |E+|

Stamina |E+|

Agility |E|

Affinity |E|

Active: |Inflame |E||

It spews shit from its maw. Thorny takes to the air with a powerful beat of her wings. Degloth#3 rears up as it unleashes a torrent of dumpster fire in her direction. Each fiery orb trails smoke and sparks as they hurtle toward her.

Thorny dodges the first volley, twisting and spinning to avoid the searing flames. Her gauntlets and talons glint in the red light as she closes the distance between herself and the worm.

She swoops low, using her wings to generate powerful gusts that deflect the fireballs away from her. Thorny darts around the worm surprisingly well, making her speed and agility a difficult target to the worm’s growing frustration.

Come on, fucker. At least once. I can’t be the only one smeared in shit. Girl makes it look so easy.

Catching the moment, Thorny flies in close. She delivers a powerful punch to the side of the worm's head. The worm recoils, momentarily stunned. But Thorny gives it no chance to recover. She slashes with her talons, cutting deep into the beast's hide.

The keeper attempts to retaliate with another blast. But much to Degloth#3's and my surprise, Thorny is too quick. She darts upward with her wings and descends rapidly, driving her fist into the worm's skull.

The worm's fiery breath sputters and dies as it collapses. After landing beside the fallen beast, Thorny glances around to ensure no other threats are immediate and then looks at me.

Monika nodded in approval. Monika smiled in admiration. Meaningfully.

A gloth reared up before her with its massive jaws snapping dangerously close. Monika’s Perception detected it beforehand, so she immediately swung her greatsword and sliced through it. Unexpectedly, the worm continued to thrash even in death. She dodged another attack, letting the death settle.

Monika's eyes burned as she waded deeper into the horde. The worms were no match for her. Each strike of her greatsword cleaved through their hides into bodies as effortlessly as a scythe through grass. Dark liquid drizzled in all directions.

Monika easily sidestepped the lunging worm, her blade slashing and flashing and clashing in a decapitating arc. The head was severed cleanly, the gloth’s body collapsing with a heavy thud. Without looking back, her sword’s cut left the other approaching creature bisected, its lifeless halves falling away like withered cherry petals. Each worm that dared to approach had its body falling into meat pieces at her feet.

She leaped as if she had wings just like her children before diving back down with a powerful strike that cleaved through three worms in a single blow. Monika then ducked under a lashing tail, her sword slicing upward to disembowel the attacker. As another tried to encircle her, she spun with blinding speed as her blade cut through its coils, severing it completely.

Having never wielded a greatsword before, each swing added to her growing mastery. She felt the weight and balance of the blade while adapting her movements with each strike.

In the previous fight, her attacks were powerful but somewhat wild. Cleaving through the thick hides of the worms required significant effort, and she had to grit her teeth, her muscles straining under the weight of the massive weapon.

Now, she started to understand the nuances of wielding the greatsword—how to use its weight to her advantage, how to time her swings for maximum impact, and how to maintain her balance while delivering devastating blows. Slowly but steadily.

Just as the fight was nearing its end, a chorus of screeches and flapping wings filled the area from the shadowy ceiling above. Monika looked up, her eyes narrowing as she saw the batlike monsters emerging from up.

“Finally.” Her grin deepened.

These were unlike any bats she had ever seen. Aside from their gigantic size, their faces, malevolent eyes, and gnashing teeth were a sight to behold from the 90s horror movies. Each dark bat had four limbs in addition to its wings. The front limbs ended in razor-sharp-edged claws, while the hind limbs were adapted for both grasping prey and for stability as they attacked. Their tails burned with a fiery glow, trailing flames as they dived.