God, Help Us All [Monster Evolution/Progression/LitRPG]-Chapter 98: Who Is This Naked. . .Godbeast?

The Badlands stretched endlessly before him, a desolate wasteland of molten rivers and jagged volcanic peaks. James stood at the edge of the ashen landscape, the dry, acrid wind biting at his exposed skin despite his protective gear. His mechanical gauntlets hummed softly as he adjusted the visor over his eyes, which displayed a translucent map of the area projected from his portable navigation unit. He could already feel the tension in the air, the weight of something ancient and destructive lurking just beyond the horizon.

I shouldn't have come here. This is a terrible idea.

He sighed, pulling a small cylindrical device from his pouch. The moment he activated it, a tiny, bird-like construct—his personal creation—unfolded itself with intricate, clockwork precision. The sparrow stretched its wings, golden filigree catching the dim light as its eyes glowed with an eerie blue energy.

"Find him," James muttered, attaching a small fragment of scale—gleaned from Arthur during their ill-fated encounter—to the sparrow's underbelly. The scale shimmered faintly as the device chirped once and took off into the dense, smoky air.

James pulled his coat tighter around him and trudged forward, his boots crunching against the cracked terrain. His tech-mech gloves buzzed lightly as he activated the atmospheric scanner embedded in his wrist. Lines of data streamed across his visor, painting a grim picture.

[Atmospheric Readings: Essence Density 300% Above Standard Levels. Warning: Lethal Levels Detected.]

Fantastic, he thought bitterly. If the god-beast doesn't kill me, the air probably will.

A faint rustle snapped him out of his thoughts. James froze, his ears straining against the oppressive silence of the Badlands. His eyes darted to the edges of his visor's HUD, scanning for movement.

The sound came again, this time louder—a low, hissing noise accompanied by the faint scrape of scales against stone. His pulse quickened.

Not good.

From the jagged rocks ahead, a massive single-headed viper slithered into view. Its body was as thick as a tree trunk, its scales an iridescent black that shimmered in the dim light. Its single glowing yellow eye fixed on James with an unsettling intelligence. The creature's forked tongue flicked out, tasting the air.

The scanner on James's wrist buzzed.

[Threat Level: Peak First Stage. Danger: High.]

The viper hissed, its massive body coiling as it prepared to strike. James cursed under his breath and quickly activated the defensive shield on his gauntlet. A translucent barrier flickered into place just as the viper lunged, its fangs gleaming with venom.

CRASH!

The impact sent James skidding backward, his boots digging into the cracked ground. His shield held, but barely—the edges flickered dangerously, and a sharp warning tone rang in his ear.

[Shield Integrity: 68%.]

James gritted his teeth, quickly deactivating the shield to conserve energy. The viper recoiled, its head swaying as it assessed him. Its single eye glowed faintly, the slit pupil narrowing as it hissed again.

"Alright, big guy," James muttered, activating the energy capacitors on his gloves. The gauntlets crackled with electricity as he adjusted his stance. "Let's see how you handle a little ingenuity."

The viper lunged again, faster this time. James leapt to the side, narrowly avoiding the snapping jaws. He rolled to his feet and fired an electric pulse from his gauntlets. The bolt struck the viper's side, eliciting an angry hiss, but the beast barely flinched.

Figures, James thought grimly. It's too big for direct attacks to work.

The viper lunged once more, and James ducked under its snapping jaws, narrowly avoiding the fangs that dripped with venom. He sprinted away, his boots kicking up ash and debris as the viper gave chase.

James led the creature toward a narrow choke point between two jagged rock formations. As he ran, he activated a small device on his belt. The moment he passed between the rocks, the device emitted a faint beep, signaling the activation of the first trap.

The viper slithered into the choke point, its massive body filling the narrow space. James turned, raising his gauntlets as the creature lunged. At the last second, he sidestepped and triggered the trap.

BOOM!

A buried explosive detonated beneath the viper, engulfing its lower body in flames. The creature screeched, its massive tail thrashing wildly as it recoiled from the blast. James didn't waste a second—he activated the second trap, a set of retractable spikes hidden in the rock walls.

THUNK!

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The spikes shot out, piercing the viper's side. It hissed in agony, its massive body writhing as it struggled to free itself.

James took the opportunity to strike. He leapt onto a nearby rock, aiming his gauntlets at the creature's head. With a sharp motion, he unleashed a concentrated burst of electricity directly at its eye.

ZAP!

The bolt struck true, and the viper let out a final, ear-piercing screech before collapsing. Its massive body went limp, coiling into the molten ground as smoke rose from its charred wounds.

James stumbled back, panting heavily. His gauntlets smoked faintly, and his visor's HUD flashed several warning messages about low energy reserves.

He stared at the fallen viper, a mix of relief and exhaustion washing over him. "Phew," he muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. "I would have lost if I didn't set up traps wherever I go... just like Master told me to."

With one last glance at the defeated beast, James turned and followed the sparrow, which chirped impatiently as it hovered further into the Badlands.

The sparrow flitted ahead, navigating through the jagged terrain with ease, its sensors scanning every inch of the desolation. James followed, weaving between steaming fissures and pools of bubbling magma. His heart ached as he passed the remains of what must have once been thriving forests, now reduced to charred stumps. Every step felt heavier, not just from the oppressive heat but from the memories that clawed at him.

He paused beside a broken tree, its trunk blackened and splintered. This is where they fell... The image of his comrades flashed in his mind—brave, foolish, and ultimately doomed. Their screams still haunted him, cut short by the towering, molten monstrosity that had torn through them with casual cruelty. Arthur. Or rather, the god-beast.

"Why am I even here?" he muttered aloud, his voice shaky. "Sylvia would've smacked me for this."

The thought of her brought a faint smile to his lips. He hadn't heard from her in days—not since the angelic Dominion had gone silent following the attack. He could only hope she was still alive, still fighting. You're strong, Sylvia. You've got this.

His reverie was interrupted by a faint chirp from his sparrow. The bird hovered in place, its wings flapping mechanically as it emitted a pulse of light. James frowned, stepping closer to read the projection displayed above its head.

[Target Located: 2 Kilometers Ahead. Essence Levels Increasing.]

"Two kilometers? That's closer than I thought." He rolled his shoulders, trying to shake off the lingering unease. "Alright, let's get this over with."

He continued onward, the terrain growing more treacherous with every step. Steam hissed from cracks in the ground, and the faint roar of distant explosions rumbled through the air. His scanner's readings spiked wildly, the numbers flashing red as they exceeded safe thresholds.

[Essence Density: 500%. Hostile Activity Detected.]

James's brow furrowed as he adjusted his gauntlet. "Hostile activity? What kind—"

BOOM!

The deafening sound of something massive crashing through the forest cut him off. James instinctively dove to the side, barely avoiding a blur of motion that shot past him. He scrambled to his feet, his heart hammering as he turned to see what had almost ended his life.

A twin-headed viper, each head the size of a small car, coiled and hissed violently in his direction. Its black scales shimmered with an unnatural, oily sheen, and its glowing yellow eyes were filled with malice. The creature's massive body slithered through the molten ground, leaving deep grooves in its wake.

"Of course," James muttered, activating his gauntlet's shield generator. A translucent barrier of energy flickered into existence around him just as one of the viper's heads lunged forward. CLANG! The impact sent him stumbling back, his shield flaring brightly under the force.

The second head darted toward him from the side, but before it could strike, a sharp whistle echoed through the air.

The sparrow.

James's mechanical bird dived between the viper's heads, emitting a high-pitched screech that caused the beast to recoil. The distraction was enough for James to regain his footing. "Thanks, buddy," he muttered, his gauntlets crackling with energy as he prepared to retaliate.

But then, something unexpected happened.

A deafening roar tore through the air, followed by another explosion that shook the ground beneath him. The twin-headed viper froze, its heads whipping around toward the source of the noise. Its body coiled tighter, its aggressive posture melting into something more... fearful.

James turned to look, his breath catching in his throat.

A figure emerged from the shadows of the dense, smoky forest. At first glance, it appeared humanoid, but there was something undeniably monstrous about it. Two curved horns jutted from its head, framing a third eye that glowed ominously. Its long, sinuous tail swished behind it, and its androgynous, chiseled body glistened faintly with residual energy. The air around the figure warped slightly, as if reality itself bent in its presence.

James blinked, his mind racing. No. It can't be...

The figure's glowing third eye locked onto him, narrowing slightly as it seemed to recognize him. A flicker of something—guilt? Annoyance?—crossed its otherwise serene face. Then, it spoke, its voice a rich, low timbre.

"Oh, shit."

James's sparrow chirped and circled above the figure's head, its glowing eyes scanning intently. A moment later, it emitted a calm, mechanical statement:

[Target Confirmed: Titanic God-Beast Identified.]

James froze, his heart pounding in his chest as the realization washed over him. The figure standing before him—the androgynous, humanoid being—was none other than the god-beast that had slaughtered his comrades, the same being he'd come to find.

He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. The only sound was the faint whir of his sparrow, still hovering above the god-beast's head.

Arthur—if it was still Arthur—raised a clawed hand, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "Uh... hi?"

James's voice finally returned, a single, incredulous word escaping his lips.

"Oh, hell."