Monster Gacha System: Becoming The Final Boss

Walking through the white marble hallway of the Lycan Estate, Beowulf reported everything he had discussed about the Abominable Cult. When the Chieftain heard of it, he nodded gravely and recalled memories about the cult from the past.

"The Abominable... No one thought of them as particularly dangerous. They tend to be secular, rarely interacting with others outside their circle of believers. It was for this reason that, despite the prohibition of cults,"

"They were spared from the judgment of the Federation."

"Obviously, this was not the whole story. The Abominable have hidden themselves deep within the mountains of the northern fringes. They have countless sects scattered in ravines, caves, and cliffs."

"To destroy them, you would have to commit thousands of soldiers within the northern fringes. With the frequent snowstorms, it wasn't cost-effective. As such, the Federation pardoned them."

"The Howling Village also didn't consider them a threat, but it all changed when rumors about the discovery of Colossus's corpse spread. I scoffed at the thought of its corpse. After all, I found it impossible."

Hearing the words of the Chieftain, Damien raised his eyebrows and asked. "You found it impossible? Wouldn't it be easy to find a corpse of a giant spanning a kilometer in height?"

Colossus was an Aberrant whose mere stature reached the height of towering mountains. It was a humanoid monster capable of trampling cities into devastation, seemingly unstoppable in the eyes of the ordinary.

The Chieftain shook his head and answered the black-suited young man's question. "I found it impossible because I was there when the White Devil disposed of the corpse. I was there to see the remnants of the battle between a God and a Devil."

"You don't think your master is foolish and ignorant enough to let a corpse of a powerful Aberrant be lying in the northern fringes, do you?" The elder looked at Damien, who shook his head in defeat.

"It was because I was there that the White Devil led the Lycanthrope to the caldera where we established the Howling Village. I saw everything from how she disposed of the corpse. Space was flattened as dimensions bent under her command."

"The corpse of the towering giant became nothing. What was left behind were the collapsed mountains where the Aberrant previously rested upon death. That place became a valley far in the north."

Realizing where the Chieftain was heading, Damien's sable-tinted eyes widened. "In the far north, huh? You're suggesting that their actual sect might be residing in that valley."

"Thank you for the lead, Chieftain." The black-suited young man lightly bowed his head while glancing at the crimson-haired vampire behind him. Hecate nodded in understanding and spoke. "How about your abducted people, Elder?"

The Chieftain halted and turned his gaze towards the crimson-haired girl. His eyes narrowed for a moment as his eyebrows rose. "Hmm... A vampire, but you feel a bit different? You smell like lily and aconitum."

Hecate tilted her head in confusion, wondering what the words of the elder meant. Beowulf interrupted her thoughts and explained to the vampire. "He's saying that you smell like a virgin and the queen of poisons."

"W-what?" The crimson-haired vampire felt embarrassed while Damien grasped what the Chieftain meant about the queen of poisons. 'It seems that he noticed the ancient progenitor sealed within Hecate.'

"I should have expected no less from the White Devil." The Chieftain shook his head and added, pointing at Hecate. "An ancient progenitor. It appears that you are a sealed vessel."

"Chieftain, I heard about that each cryptid species has a progenitor of their own. Does the Lycanthrope have one as well?" Damien questioned, subtly changing the subject away from the ancient progenitor.

The Chieftain nodded in satisfaction and responded. "Good diversion, but I will answer your curiosity. Our progenitor has long fallen into the hands of the Clan's progenitor. Before the descent of the black towers into the New World, the Lycanthropes and Vampires fought for supremacy."

"It was a bloody war that scorched our world, and the Clan was the victor of that conflict. Because of our defeat, the number of Lycanthropes dwindled. We can only rely on reproduction to keep our species from falling into extinction."

"Otherwise, we could have also utilized our blood to turn humans into Lycans. Does that answer your curiosity, Damien?" The Chieftain asked, prompting the black-suited young man to respond. "Thank you for answering."

"It is the first time I actually converse with an Aberrant. Most consider your species as the primordial blight of the world. A bit too unruly and uncaring about the ground you're walking on. But it seems that we have been too ignorant about what intelligence meant."

The Chieftain uttered, but Damien rejected his thought process and asserted. "I am one of a kind, Chieftain. Just because an Aberrant has intelligence does not mean they would be as reasonable as I am."

His words weren't ludicrous. Intelligence does not correlate with wisdom. Even if an Aberrant was an intelligent creature, it wouldn't mean that they would be peaceful in any way, shape, or form.

The elder glanced at the Aberrant beside him and nodded in agreement. "You're right... Intelligence is merely a factor that decides whether something can be negotiated. In any case, are you skilled in interrogation, Damien?"

"What do you mean, Chieftain? Is there something that needs to be interrogated?" Damien looked at the elder, who gave him a subtle nod. "The Howling Village isn't as helpless as those abandoned settlements."

"Our Howlers manage to capture one of the cultists. Fortunately and unfortunately, it was a preacher of the Abominable." The group arrived at an iron door leading to the basement of the Lycan Estate.

The Chieftain opened the iron door where darkness shrouded every corner of the stairwell beyond it. The ceiling lights illuminated the stairs as the elder descended into the underground basement.

Damien and Hecate followed from behind while Beowulf and Alice stayed behind. The basement of the estate contained the archives of the Lycanthrope. Inside it was the detailed history of the Lycans and their former world before the descent into the New World.

It was the safest place in the Howling Village, but it was also the greatest prison. None would be able to escape its clutches, not even the elite metahumans of humanity.

As the three of them climbed downstairs, they reached the bottom of the basement. There, they were met with a grand library containing books written in unknown scriptures and knowledge beyond that of the New World.

At the center was a shackled human attired in priestly robes; it was none other than the preacher captured by the Lycanthropes.

The preacher exhaled wearily as he opened his eyelids and saw the Chieftain guiding two Jaegers into the underground library of the Lycanthrope. An exhausted smile etched itself onto his face, relieved.

"A-Are you here to save me? As expected, the pope hasn't abandoned his humble follower." The preacher vocalized, pleased to be rescued by the cult. On the other hand, Damien and Hecate raised their eyebrows in confusion. The Chieftain was also at a loss from the preacher's words.

"Is this the one you want me to interrogate?" The black-suited young man stepped forward, staring at the preacher while asking the Chieftain for confirmation. The elder nodded and affirmed. "The one and only."

"We found him roaming in the north, preaching across many villages before abducting him after we lost contact with our Howlers." He explained as he moved aside so the two Jaegers could do their job.

"Are you planning to handle it, Damien?" Hecate looked at her partner and inquired. Damien calmly nodded, as he was capable of making sure that the interrogation was successful. "Let me take care of the preacher."

With his confirmation, Hecate and the Chieftain stepped aside, giving way for the black-suited young man. The preacher finally realized that none of them were intending to rescue him, so his face became wholly demented.

"You must belong to those dogs who cannot understand their rightful duty in ensuring the birth of God. You bastards! How dare you capture me, a believer of the Abominable!?" The preacher continued spouting curses at the black-suited young man.

Damien stood before the shackled preacher and remarked. "You don't look priestly with those insane eyes and deranged face of yours. Torturing you is bound to be a waste of time, so I'll take a shortcut."

"Sadly, you'll die from this shortcut." He shook his head as he summoned his second Extraterrestrial Monster for the first time. It was none other than the Neurophages, a two-star EX Monster.

From the cracks of the ground, ceiling, and walls, a cloud of pitch-black dust poured towards the shackled preacher. It buzzed with an unknown frequency, inaudible but instinctively felt by those whose hearts beat.

The Chieftain and Hecate took another step back as the cloud of pitch-black dust wrapped the entirety of the preacher's body. The deranged lunatic could only scream curses as the Neurophages consumed everything from his body to mind, and finally his soul.

In mere moments, the underground library shook as the walls and ceilings quivered in dread. The lights flickered for a moment as the cloud of pitch-black dust dissipated, and the preacher remained shackled in the center.

"You can free the man, Chieftain. He's harmless now." Damien uttered with a tinge of indifference, while the elder pushed a button and unshackled the preacher. The imprisoned man opened his eyelids and immediately knelt to his lord.

"It is an honor to be in the service of Lord Oberon. How may this insignificant one assist you?" When the preacher spoke, there were thousands of voices talking and blending with one another.

It was the two-star EX Monster, the Neurophages.