"Trample! Destroy! Annihilate! Hahaha!" I laugh, riding my monster.

This is what I've been looking forward to. This is how everything should have unfolded since the match started: me, chasing after the Mad Cultists as they run away in fear. If I had known it'd be this easy, I would have brought my cute baby out right at the start.

Thanks to its superior speed, my monster has no problems keeping up with the running madmen. The only problem is that its heavy body and large frame, together with the fact that the passage is too narrow for it to move in any other direction other than 'straight ahead', make it really hard for my monster to turn around.

In fact, most of the time, the only way to 'turn around' is to smash into a wall and stop completely before choosing another direction, but… let's ignore that for now, okay?

Still, giving the order to change direction before impact helps a bit.

"Left! Right! Sprint!" I give orders, accurately timing the turning of my monster. And then, when I find the perfect spot… "Beam!"

*Woooooom!*

From its trunk, the fat elephant-turtle shoots a light beam towards the two cockroaches who are doing their best to stay alive. In this somewhat straight passage, they can either take the hit or jump into one of the open abyss-like holes scattered through the dungeon. I certainly wouldn't mind it if they happened to choose the second option. After all, the two lead to the same result; it's just that the latter delivers it faster.

The best part is that my monster isn't even slightly slowed by this, which renders quite a few defensive skills completely useless.

"Ahahaha! Dieeeee!"

Didn't you want to suffer under my hands? Then, allow me to satisfy your wishes once and for all!

But, to my annoyance, the succubus player running at the back, the one I've been chasing for a while, activates a skill, and a transparent bubble protects her and her teammate from the light beam.

"Hyeeaaah!" She shouts. "I don't want my first time to be like thiiiis! Spy, do something!"

First time? What's this 'first time' she's been talking about for a while...? No, I should stop thinking about it. I'm sure I don't want to know.

"I'm doing what I can!"

Luckily, the other player's actions catch my attention, distracting me from the succubus' actions. He pulls the crossbow trigger and shoots a bolt at my monster, which flies in a straight line, and… *clink* bounces harmlessly off its thick skin.

He has been doing that for a while, and every shot he takes makes me laugh louder than the previous time.

Hahaha, poor fool! He doesn't realise his attacks do nothing to my monster, but keeps trying again and again. Not like I'm going to tell him, I'll let him discover it by himself…

It definitely has nothing to do with the fact that it makes me laugh so much.

"Why do you keep running? Well, not that it matters. I can keep doing this all day, hahaha!"

It's all thanks to my ultimate creation, the Abohemoth!

I know, I know, the name is a bit lame, just a mix of Abomination and Behemoth… But I couldn't come up with a better name. So, for now, it's Abohemoth.

…this is the reason I haven't said its name out loud a single time yet. Because I don't like it that much. But after spending so much time creating and designing it, I couldn't leave it behind just because I didn't have a good name, right?

When will I think of a better name? Later. Maybe. If I feel like it.

"Ana, this way!"

"H-hyea–? Sure!"

Following his teammate, the succubus suddenly jumps to the side, taking a side-passage. She almost missed the timing, but thanks to the other player's warning, she didn't.

Hmm… I know they're trying to buy time, making me chase after them on purpose. But where are they going…? As far as I can recall, towards that direction, there's one of my laboratory zones, with one of my clones awaiting the invaders…

Well, not that I care. They can't stop the Abohemoth anyway, hahaha!

"Right, my baby, right! And as soon as you do, full sprint ahead! Let's catch them once and for all, hahaha!"

Oh, right. I almost forgot. I told you I would explain about the Abohemoth later, but I completely forgot about it. But I believe you have a suspicion by now, don't you? Yes, you're right! The Abohemoth is a mix of two of the coolest units I've ever created!

Ta-ta-tachan! I present you the fusion of two of my greatest ideas: the artillery-tank Beam Turtle and the one-hit-kill Overgorger!

'Yeaaah, yeaaaah! Amazing! Wooaaaaah!', the audience furiously claps.

You see… When we were preparing for the tournament, I had a sudden idea. We needed a monster that would act as a roadblock. A monster capable of buying a ridiculous amount of time, while, at the same time, being dangerous enough that our opponents couldn't easily defeat or overcome it. It was then that I thought: why can't I use already-proven builds to create the ultimate monster?

By picking the stupid resilience and tank-like behaviour from the Beam Turtles, and mixing it with the deadly presence of the Overgorger… I realised it could indeed work.

Furthermore, since I was creating something crazy already, I decided to keep adding a few other crazy ideas, like adding an Elephant into the mix so it could literally trample the opponents to death, adapting the dungeon for it, and even making it rideable.

So yes. The Abohemoth has a similar build as the Beam Turtles, Light Beam and Reflection included, with a few of the Overgorger's great melee capabilities an innate skill, Gluttony. I also gave it a few other skills.

I had to sacrifice the Overgorger's ridiculous regeneration, but well, I can't give my units infinite innate skills, can I?

Not yet, at least. Because one day…

Anyway, enough of daydreaming. Believe it or not, the skill that ties everything together is also the coolest one, the one that makes me look this badass, mounted in this majestuous creature. It's the skill called Perfect Mount, upgraded to level two.

Perfect Mount - Lv 2 (Passive skill) Increase all your stats by 10% when another allied unit is riding you. Otherwise, all your stats are reduced by the same amount. Only units significantly smaller than you can act as riders. Upgrades As One: Increase the stat bonus and penalty to 20%.

So… yes. A stupidly overpowered build with synergyzing skills that make this monster an unstoppable killing machine. Weak attacks do nothing thanks to its innate Shell skill. Getting closer is dangerous because of the free damage from Trample, but staying far isn't an option under the barrage of Light Beams. Even if the enemies somehow manage to deal damage to it, then there's Gluttony, which deals damage proportional to both the damage dealt and received. Finally, last but not least, as long as I – or anyone else – is riding Abohemoth, it'll receive a whopping 20% bonus to its already high stats.

And the best part? That our opponents have no way of knowing how it all works, because inspecting is disabled in this tournament!

This is a measure to test the player's knowledge, as they must rely on it and their skills instead of cheating the system by inspecting the monsters. It also helps with the fairness of future matches, not revealing info that the opponents didn't discover by themselves.

You can even hide certain skills and use them as a surprise in the future if you wish to!

This must be the reason why that Spy guy hasn't realised he isn't doing any damage with his attacks yet… Hahaha, here comes another.

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*Clink*

I watch with a smile on my face as the crossbow's bolt bounces harmlessly off my monster. Then, with the same smile, I look at the two running cockroaches in front of me.

If I wanted to, I could instantly close the gap and get them. I could crush them with my monster soooo easily… But I'm not going to do it. Not yet. After so many headaches and absurd accusations, I'll take my time to take my revenge.

Sweet, sweet revenge. A dish that's best served when the victim least wants it.

Furthermore, I would love it if the chase and noise attracted the remaining two madmen. I'd rather crush them all at once than have to hunt them down one by one.

"Hahaha! Let's see how you dodge this one! Baby, beam them!"

"Hyeeaaaaaah! M-my first time!"

"Almost there… Just a bit more…"

In the minimap, the markers for our current position and our destination are about to touch. We're almost there.

As soon as I see the door to the laboratory, I open it and rush inside, prompting Ana to come after me. "Quick! Run inside!"

"Thanks, Spy! M-my first time… It's safe, haha!"

I roll my eyes. She did all this just because of her 'first time'. Her first time being stepped on. From all I've seen and experienced, Ana's behaviour isn't anything surprising. It's just… slightly unusual.

Hmm… When has this become normal? It shouldn't–

*Baang!*

Right after we step inside, we hear a loud crash from behind. The wall, blocking the beast, cracks, and from within the large vertical crack, splitting the wall in two, Mad Rat pokes his head inside.

"Daddy's here∼! Did you miss me? Hahaha!"

The crack starts expanding as the monster pushes. Under the immense force and weakened by the previous impact, the wall cedes and breaks into small chunks, creating a large dust cloud.

As this happens, I start running towards the 'stage', followed by Ana. This is where Mad Rat's clone is waiting, laughing, right in front of a black screen.

A gigantic shadow emerges from the hole in the wall. As expected, the dungeon was designed with that monster in mind. The rest of the dungeon walls are indestructible, but this wall, containing the small door that was our only hope to get away from Mad Rat, wasn't.

But we can, at least, fight back in this open space.

The clone starts rambling. "Oh, no! It seems like you found me. How unfortunate! …or is it? Hahaha!"

"Ana, let's get ready. I'm sure Bil and–" Ana runs past me, rushing towards Mad Rat's clone. "What are you doing!?"

Sigh, not this again…

I instinctively grab her clothes and pull her back. But her strength is similar to mine, so we both start moving forward at a crawling speed instead of coming to a halt.

With her tight-fitting clothes stretched, further accentuating her curves, Ana hisses at me like a snake. "What are you doing, Spy!? Release meeeee!" She struggles to get free from my grasp. "If you don't, I'll have to kill you first."

I rub my temples. "Can't you see he's a clone?"

"I don't care! He's Mad Rat, even if it's a clone! It's better this way, because he won't be able to resist my advances. I'll be able to do whatever I please to him and practice for when I catch the real one!"

What about your precious 'first time', then?

"Remember the plan! We came here for a reason, didn't we? Are you going to waste this chance? Didn't you say it was the greatest of honours!?"

I don't know why I'm doing all this… Why don't I just let them do whatever and hide in a corner? Why do I… Why do I feel compelled to follow the Leader's orders?

"The plan… p-plan…!" After hearing my words, Ana gulps and stops pulling me forward. With a sad face, she starts alternating between looking at me and Mat Rat's clone in front of her. "...Fine. Let's do it."

"Alright. Get ready, I'm sure Bil will soon–"

Suddenly, a rough and large hand pats my shoulder, interrupting me. "Haha, indeed! Here I am, my dear second-generation student!"

I turn around, startled, and find Bil beside me.

W-where did he come from? And since when am I your student!? And why second-generation?

I'm surprised he can still surprise me.

Bil takes a step forward and faces the mountain-like monster. For some unknown reason, Mad Rat is giving us time to sort our things out before attacking, which I appreciate. It's hard to make my teammates move.

"Now watch, kids!" Bil raises his hands into the air and starts moving them in circles. "This is why we came! Let's show the world our beliefs by defeating the reason for our existence! Haaaaaaaaa!"

As Bil moves his hands, a large amount of water materialises inside the room. It starts spinning, flowing in circles, following his actions. The whirlpool grows in size until the whole laboratory is underwater, and then it starts pulling everything towards its centre. This includes both Mad Rat, still riding his monster, and us.

"Ooooh!" Ana applauds.

"Ana," I call to her, "start casting. We can't waste this chance."

"Yes!" She makes a seductive smile and starts talking to herself. "Hahaha. I'll make you mine, Mad Rat. After this defeat, you'll have no option but to come crawling into my arms…" Ana hugs herself and starts shaking disgustingly. "Just imagining it gets me excited…!"

I watch as my comrades act. My job was to make this possible. Now, I just need to deal the finishing blow once Mad Rat is incapacitated.

The whirlpool keeps growing in size, and the water starts flooding out of the room. The tremendous force prevents us from running away, affecting even the large monster. But Mat Rat, still seated on top of it, observes everything calmly, with furrowed eyebrows.

He raises his hand, pointing at Bil. "Baby. Eat him."

With those words, the monster suddenly disappears, and I hear a disgusting *crunch!* sound right next to me.

I feel a terrifying presence which makes me instinctively twist my head to the side. And what I see is…

"W-wha…!?"

…is Bil, inside the monster's mouth.

As if it had been a lie, the massive whirlpool disappears. Bil is dead. I've seen this before. This must be what they call déjà vu.

"Don't eat it, spit it out!" Mad Rat's cheerful voice comes from above me. "Who knows how awful that corrupted thing is? You might get indigestion!"

Following his orders, the monster spits Bil's corpse, making me freeze. Its trunk is larger than my whole body… And it's so close…

"Confusion!" But, to my surprise, it's Ana who reacts first. She releases the skill she has been preparing, causing the monster to go wild. It starts thrashing around, slamming randomly into the walls and machines around us. "Fer, do it now!"

"W-what's this?" Mad Rat, surprised, grabs onto his monster the best he can.

At the same time, Fer drops from the ceiling, accurately landing on top of Mad Rat. With a single motion, she grabs Mad Rat by his waist and pulls him off his monster. The two roll on the ground for a few meters, until they stop, Fer on top of him, locking both his hands and legs with her own.

"Prey acquired," Fer says, licking her lips. "I can now do whatever I want t– Gufu!"

After a sudden impact, Fer is sent flying by Ana, who slams into her. "What are you doing to my husband!?"

"Your husband? It's MY husband! We're going to mate and have a hundred children together!"

Ana laughs, "Ha! Just a hundred? We're going to have at least two thousand children! And our little army of sucu-rats is going to conquer the world!"

"Grrrr… He's mine!"

"No! Mine!"

The two start fighting over the 'prize', who, happy to be freed from them, stands up, saying, "I didn't think I'd ever say this, but… Sometimes, the fact that they're crazy does have its advantages. Hahaha!"

Mad Rat observes the two bickering females, who are actually attacking and trying to kill each other, before turning his head towards me. He remains silent, observing my every move while gripping his staff.

Alright. I can do this. With my close-range moves, I can overcome him. As always, it's all on me. I can't expect Fer and Ana to provide help.

It's fine. I've trained for this. I know every single one of Mad Rat's skills, forced to learn them after endless 'Mad Rat knowledge' lessons, and know how to counter each of his moves.

I rush at him, quickly closing the gap and unsheathing my rapier. Close and personal is the best against mages like him, who lack melee skills.

"Not so funny now that you've lost your mount and surprise elements, right!?" I mock him.

Mat Rat isn't affected by the taunt. He starts channelling lightning, a mocking smile on his face. "You think you can take me on? Come, hahaha! Chain Lig–"

But before he can finish his sentence, his crazy moves betray him. Moved by the whirlpool that randomly scattered all the objects around, a ball-like object ended up next to him. He steps on it and trips. Classical crazy move. I've seen lots of that before.

This is my chance!

Putting most of my remaining EP and MP on the next attack, I unleash my strongest skill upon the helpless Mad Rat. The tip of my rapier glows white as I execute the moves. A glowing cross, and a straight, puncturing blow through the crossing section.

"U-ugh! How…!"

With those words, Mad Rat falls to the floor, dead.

"I did i–"

*Clap, clap, clap*

Following the slow clapping, alarms rang all around us. With them, large metal panels slide over the doors, even fully blocking the wall smashed by the monster not long ago. Then, tens of black pillars appear from holes in the floor that weren't there a few seconds ago.

"Good job, Spy," says Mad Rat, appearing from behind one of the large machines. "Thanks for triggering the trap for me. I was worried I'd have to chase you down again… It'd have been a hassle. Truly, thank you."

I immediately look below my feet. But Mat Rat is dead, he's right here…

"...!"

Shit… I forgot about the clone! But when did they switch places!? Am I getting crazy? I didn't see a thing!

Mad Rat approaches the elephant-turtle monster, who has calmed down after the effect of the Confusion spell has ended. "Hoist me up, baby." The monster uses its trunk to place him between its head and the turtle's shell.

Mad Rat, from his privileged position, lowers his head to look straight at me. He makes a mocking smile.

"Now… Where were we? I remember you saying something about it being 'not so fun', right? So… what do you say now? Isn't it fun, after all? Fufufu! Hahaha!"

"Oh, yeah. Did I forget to tell you? Only if an enemy kills my clone do the traps activate. Otherwise, it'd be too easy to trigger and wouldn't make them cheap. So, it's important to trick them into doing it."

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