CHAPTER 112: INFECTING SS-RANK MONSTER LORD SKARNAX WITH THE MONSTER VIRUS

When Ainsworth arrived on Earth in a single step, he saw a massive beast standing in the middle of Edenbridge City’s central plaza.

The city was still intact, thanks to the Guardian’s Sanctuary he had deployed earlier, but the air was thick with pressure and mana distortion.

That creature was Monster Lord Skarnax.

It stood over thirty meters tall, its obsidian-black armor covering a powerful beast-like frame. Cracks in its plating pulsed with a molten red glow, like liquid fire flowing beneath the surface.

Each movement caused the ground to tremble faintly, and its four limbs gripped the earth with brute strength. Its tail swayed behind it, tipped with a spiked club that attempted to shatter the pavement wherever it passed.

Its head looked like a distorted wolf’s skull, stretched and reinforced with bone plates. It had six burning eyes, three on each side, that scanned its surroundings with a violent glint. From its wide, jagged jaws, hot breath steamed outward, making the air shimmer unnaturally.

Skarnax slammed its clawed forelimb into the street, trying to break the invisible barrier, but the Guardian’s Sanctuary flared with light and absorbed the blow completely.

Unable to break through with normal force, Skarnax leaned back, and its chest began to glow brighter. The crimson pulse lines across its body throbbed rapidly, and aura gathered toward its core.

It was preparing a charge-based attack, likely strong enough to put serious pressure on the Sanctuary.

Seeing this, Ainsworth narrowed his eyes and stepped forward.

"It’s uglier in person," he muttered, cracking his knuckles as golden aura and mana began to radiate from his body.

Before Skarnax could complete his charge-based attack, Ainsworth appeared in front of him with a single step using Freedom Of Movement (SSS), and he then infused his mana and aura into his right palm.

With mana and aura accumulating in his right palm, Ainsworth then used Ultimate Freedom (SSS) to grant it the effects he wanted, and when it was ready in under a millisecond, Ainsworth slapped Skarnax!

"Freedom Slap!"

As soon as Ainsworth’s right palm connected with Skarnax’s body, Skarnax’s obsidian-black armor exoskeleton shattered upon impact.

His muscles and facial features distorted under the force, but under the effects of Freedom Slap, Ainsworth managed to slap him away from Earth and send him to the Dimensional Void!

"You cause too much destruction! Let’s continue in the Dimensional Void."

Monster Lord Skarnax disappeared as soon as he received the impact of the slap, flying backwards into the Dimensional Void.

Ainsworth’s freedom slap was infused with the ability of Ultimate Freedom (SSS). Because of that, when Ainsworth slapped Monster Lord Skarnax, it was his freedom where he’d sent Skarnax flying from the impact.

Knowing that the combined attacks of him and Skarnax would likely exceed what the Guardian’s Sanctuary could withstand, he opted to change their battlefield into the Dimensional Void.

As soon as both of them arrived at the Earth’s Dimensional Void Zone, Ainsworth didn’t let Skarnax recover from his previous slap as he immediately created two kitchen knives in both of his hands using Formless Sharp Blades (SSS).

Teleporting behind Skarnax, Ainsworth coated his kitchen knives with the monster virus and used both of them as a makeshift syringe. He stabbed his kitchen knives into Skarnax’s obsidian-like exoskeleton armor, and due to his god-level knife techniques, it easily sliced through it as if the armor’s defense didn’t exist.

With Ainsworth’s knife techniques, he could easily peel the obsidian-like armor exoskeleton on Skarnax’s enormous body and flay him. However, he didn’t plan to prepare Skarnax into ingredients and eat him, but instead, turn him into his subordinate.

Although Skarnax returning to the Monster World would be suspicious to the mastermind behind this otherworld invasion, Ainsworth didn’t plan for Skarnax to return to the Monster World, unlike the S-rank Blackflame Rocs and his monster army.

’In the zombie apocalypse world, I’ve already absorbed almost all of the possible virus strain combinations, and so I have more than a million unique superpowers. Even if I don’t have those high-end superpowers like destiny manipulation, I still have superpowers that could be used in this situation, like that size manipulation and shrinkage superpower.’

’Combined with the superpower, the space-based superpower that can open up an internal space storage within the cells in the body, I can shrink Skarnax and store him inside my hair.’

’That way, I can let him be considered as my beast summon or something, part of my body. He can become a powerful and portable SS-rank monster that I can bring with me in my upcoming Otherworld Missions.’

Of course, without the Hive Mind assimilating those infected with his virus, it would be unlikely for him to achieve his plan. After all, just merely storing something in his body that has some level of sentience would be smuggling, and if he couldn’t prove full ownership of it, then the Earth Will would likely not be able to teleport it with him in the Otherworld Mission.

After Ainsworth fought Skarnax for under half a minute, Monster Lord Skarnax was successfully infected with his monster virus, and it ended with Ainsworth assimilating Skarnax into his Hive Mind.

The fight wasn’t even close, as Ainsworth had realized while fighting Skarnax. Skarnax wasn’t that smart, and its skill set was mostly physical and aura-based attacks.

Although physically, Skarnax could easily defeat most of the SS-rank Awakeners, any SS-rank Awakeners with SSS-rank Classes could defeat Skarnax due to having a rule-based ability advantage.

Ainsworth’s monster virus was a rule-based ability, as his viruses had already touched the realm of rules and laws. Just the immune system alone wouldn’t be enough to deal with his viruses, and in a same-rank confrontation like his battle with Monster Lord Skarnax, most SS-rank beings wouldn’t be able to defend against it.

’Fortunately, my first SS-rank opponent was only an SS-rank Monster Lord from the Monster World. If it were an SS-rank Awakener with an SSS-rank Class or an SS-rank Demon Lord with a rule-based ability, the fight wouldn’t have ended so easily in my favor.’

’This battle even earned me an SS-rank portable beast subordinate that I can use in upcoming Otherworld Missions. Skarnax can still be recycled as a war weapon of mass destruction in the Otherworld, as not every world has a dimensional battlefield like the Dimensional Void.’

Ainsworth had also thought of giving it to his teammates for them to use as a guardian summoned beast. While it was too weak and couldn’t even last a minute against him, Skarnax wasn’t useless, as it was still a real SS-rank Monster Lord.

At least, most S-rank beings wouldn’t be able to defeat him unless they have rule-based abilities, but even then, it would depend on how powerful their rule-based ability was and if it could bridge the power level gap.

In Ainsworth’s case, he had a lot of powerful rule-based abilities, and so even if his power level was at SS-rank Awakener, he had a winning chance against SSS-rank beings.

After all, for him, his power level was merely required to be high due to the energy requirements of his rule-based abilities like Ultimate Freedom (SSS).

If he had the power level of X-rank or SSS-rank, creating a low-rank planet would be achievable with his Ultimate Freedom (SSS). It was a rule-based ability that could do everything he wanted, but only scaled with the amount of energy he could expend.

After Ainsworth defeated Monster Lord Skarnax, shrunk him, and stored him in the internal storage space within one of his hair strands, he heard a notification sound in his mind.

-Ding!

[Awakener Ainsworth Arthurford has completed the Defense Mission: Protect Edenbridge City (SS+)!]

[You have received the following rewards: 10 Million Awakener Points, Awakener Rank is promoted from Three-Star A-rank Awakener to One-Star SS-rank Awakener.]

When Ainsworth received those rewards, he didn’t become stronger, but he did become richer, and his status on Earth had finally solidified him as a big shot.

With his legitimate status as a One-Star SS-rank Awakener, even that young master Caspian shouldn’t be dumb enough to take revenge against him after he had forced him to eat shit live during the Unified Awakening Ceremony.

’He shouldn’t be that dumb, would he? Anyway, if he did offend me, I might not be able to kill him since he is protected by Edenbridge High, but it won’t be a problem for me to kill his father and perform a hostile takeover on his father’s company.’

’As an SS-rank Awakener and even this young and talented, a lot of people will want to curry favor with me. After all, as long as I don’t die, it’s already a given for me to become an SSS-rank Awakener, and even X-rank is not out of the question.’

’And if I were to coerce Caspian to accept a life and death duel with me and sign an agreement that both of us agree that Edenbridge High wouldn’t interfere, then I can also kill him legitimately.’

’Due to how trashy his personality and interpersonal communication are, he barely had any allies in Edenbridge High, and even his lackeys were only after his money. It will be easy to kill him, and no one will take revenge for him after I eliminate both his family and him.’