Hero Within, Monster Without Chapter 14 (Patreon)

The challenge was on.

The ABB or otherwise known as Asian Bad Boyz knew I was coming. And not even Lung dared to ignore the threat that I was after I slaughtered all the other major villainous capes of the city.

And I could feel as I gave way to my more beastial side and didn't give a shit about humanity that the more powerful monsters were coming easier and to my senses. I could keep my 'mind' intact even in the more powerful and blatantly supernature forms.

So I was going to go all the way. I was well aware that this was going to be dangerous as I already picked up chatter about the ABB's newest cape in the Cornel school bomber in Bakuda. And with her bomb's ability to be copied with the help of the teleporting clone maker Oni Lee the exotic effects from the bombs could be very dangerous for the majority of my monster forms.

Time-locking bombs, gravity bombs, bombs that turn everything in its radius into glass, bombs that break apart molecular bonds... Bad news to the vast majority of my monster forms.

But I did have some workarounds. In either A, a monster form I could use to assassinate Bakuda and Oni-Lee before they could get those bombs off. Or B, I used a form that was all but immune to magic and exotic effects and was also very strong in straight combat.

The second option was what I was taking. As this wasn't just about me doling out 'justice' and killing a bunch of villains and would-be kings that rankled my hackles. No this was me roaring my presence to the world. I, Jake Bariss killed Lung who fought the Endbringer Leviathan to a standstill.

Being a monster I was not here to make friends. All my attempts at making friends in getting work with a hospital and even working with the government heroes had utterly failed so I was going to keep my nose to the grindstone and build up my monstrous essence until I became so powerful that I could take on a humanoid form... And honestly, probably just leave this damned world of Worm as it was a shithole even if I kill all the damn villains.

'If this was a light novel it would be titled something like. Is it wrong for me to kill all the villains so I can retire in a new world?' I thought as I shuddered terrible pain wracking my form as I shifted into the most powerful monster I could barely control.

The Danmachi Juggernaut. 

Forty feet in length and a similar shape as a common geeko. But all similarities ended there as my form was clad in a dark exoskeleton with my four large legs having massive long spear like blades at the end. And lastly was my prehensile very agile tail with its exoskeleton-covered form covered in spikes and a pyramid-shaped spike at the end for piercing thick armor.

My glowing red eyes took in the street of Brockton Bay not far from Lung's casino and knowing the stream was already going I spoke out even if I couldn't read the small projected display of the messages going through it. "Lung. I am on my way to your casino. I hope you are ready." 

And the reason I chose the Danmachi Juggernaut besides monsters like the unkillable reptile or something from the SCP universe was simple... The Juggernaut was a monster purely built to kill superhumans

My feet crushed the ground beneath my feet and my enhanced vision took in my surroundings as I launched myself hundreds of meters into the air and then I angled myself downwards to fall onto the huge glowing casino hotel that Lung was constantly there and I made my challenge clear to all that this was coming.

But as I came down streaks of missiles flew towards me and as the missiles exploded against my form a force field of hexagons flared to life as my magic reflection denied all the explosions that were purely in explosions of the mundane variety.

 I slammed into the top of Lung's Casino with a massive crashing noise as I screeched in challenge to Lung and without hesitation, I began spinning around with my massive tail whirling around and with a crunching noise the anti-air rocket system was destroyed making me wonder if this Anti Air system was for Purity when she was a Cape for the E-88

"Menag- I will kill you!" A voice roared and already Lung's voice was twisted as his body shifted into his stronger form as it registered my form as very much a threat to his life.

I looked down and in the large empty parking lot was Lung who was standing beside Oni-Lee with Lung wearing an expanding pair of pants on his lower body while Oni-Lee was wearing belts of grenades covering his form.

I grinned with my glowing eyes flashing and then I moved.

See in Danmachi once people got to level four they begin giving physics the middle finger as divinity accrued within their bodies which had made them so powerful. And they could break the sound barrier while running without much issue. 

The Juggernaut? It was the monster that slaughtered those adventurers when they got uppity in the dungeon.

A cracking noise rang out as I slammed into the ground in a split second and then within another second I was upon Lung with my massive clawed hands swinging down on his form.

And anticlimatically my claw on my front limb sliced him in half at the middle of the chest with his organs falling out and his now maskless face going wide in fear and realization at the insane speed I could move.

But even as his form flared with powerful fire with his cut in half chest began visibly and slowly regenerating his spine and other organs. I raised my hand up against to slice through his chest and head this time but my head rocked back as a titanic explosion blew me away.

My form blasted away and slammed through Lung's massive casino... Not into it, not onto it. I was blasted completely throw the casino with it rumbling deafeningly as it collapsed at the massive gaping hole that was left behind after I got blasted through it.

"Fucking ow!" I called out with my voice coming out as a dark hiss but I continued with a feral grin as my flying camera flew around back to me. "The building hurt more than the bomb Lee!" 

In but a couple of seconds my claws tore through the ground as I dashed around the ruined casino but as I saw Lung's form that was standing on stubby legs I roared in fury as my claw-covered leg hit the ground and the next thing I knew was a sphere of glass covering my form.

'Glass land mine!" I snarled mentally and my strong body twitched with an ear-popping cracking noise ringing out that could be heard from across the city as multiple tons of glass shattered and then from the side as I pushed off the huge mass of glass that was the result of the glassing bomb I was hit in the side of a head with a grenade from Oni Lee that teleported directly next to me.

Within an instant even as the grenade hit my head I whipped my tail forward and I bisected Oni-Lee at the waist but it was just a clone that burst into a pile of ashes but I was instantly blinded as from the grenade came an instantly expanding mass of containment foam that threatened to blind me via covering my head in the foam.

And without thinking I ducked my head down as I backstepped and then to the side as I whirled my tail around killing three more Oni-Lee clones before he could drop his load of grenades on me.

"What happened to an honest challenge Lung! Are you scared? And Bakuda where are you, you little rat, you failed out of college in Cornell and now you are failing to kill me haha. What a precious little 'genius' you are!"

If I was in my other monster forms I might not have heard it. But I heard an angered scream of fury coming from a tour bus that was parked just outside of the casino and had several lights within it.

Lung whose body was now restored after I was stalled for a full minute was now visibly much larger. He stood more than five meters tall with his body slightly hunched over with scales covering his form and his head was twisted into a draconic form while flares of bright fire radiated from his form.

'Killing Bakuda is the most important. I don't fear Lung and Oni-Lee with my magical shielding.' I thought as I leaped into the air to avoid any land mines and Lung roared and charged at me madly while Oni-Lee tried teleporting to my form as they quickly realized I knew where Bakuda was.

But they couldn't stop me as I smashed my multi-ton form onto Bakuda's bus smashing her and the bombs within as a massive explosion went off around me but with no actual magical power within the explosion's. My magical shield absorbed all the exotic effects of the dozens of explosions going off onto me.

"You can have this all back." I spoke deeply as I dashed forward to the two pulled deeply and my magical shield flared to life brightly around my form and I saw Lung's wide draconic eyes widen in fear as all the explosions I had absorbed went off again but this time right in their faces.

I could feel exhaustion hitting me as actually absorbing all the explosions and reflecting it onto Lung and Oni-Lee was exhausting. But as the smoke cleared I saw Lung getting back to his feet even faster while off to the side... Oni-Lee was a pile of charred ash laying stiffly against some of the rubble of Lung's casino.

I shrugged off the exhaustion as Lung roared and charged at me with with his speed having grown greatly as his power had realized I was very dangerous and had accordingly ramped up Lung's form to begin matching me.