Chapter 385

Chapter 385: The Not-Duck Duck

“Oh! Small critters fighting. Interesting.”

“Quite interesting.”

Trilobite headed toward the tidal flats, avoiding last time’s coastline. He took a different path, hoping to find new seafood for a good meal.

But something else caught his eye midway.

On a scalebark-like tree branch,

“small critters” battled like two ant colonies.

Others might ignore this,

but Trilobite—fascinated by nature and ancient life—never missed such details.

Though his passion started with mighty T. rex,

deeper study revealed smaller creatures’ wonders.

Many tiny paleo-beasts held remarkable charms.

“Hmm, they say: if it looked like a duck, walked like a duck, and quacked like a duck, it must’ve been a duck.”

“That doesn’t hold in paleontology.”

“Convergent evolution mimics looks and habits—even when creatures share no real ties.”

“Like these little ones here.”

“Lizard-like appearance, lizard-like habits, their calls…”

“Well, lizards don’t properly vocalize.”

“Still, despite seeming lizard-like in every way, they weren’t lizards. Not even Sauropsida.”

“They were Synapsids—basal Pelycosauria, specifically dwarf climbers from the Varanops family.”

“They lived in the Early Permian period, among the earliest Pelycosauria.”

“Distant cousins of our ancestors’ ancestors.”

Imagining primate ancestors as a bunch of rats isn’t hard—many early primates had sharp, rat-like faces.

But mammal ancestors resembling lizards? That defies intuition.

Yet fossil evidence proves such counterintuitive truths.

Varanops members looked identical to lizards at first, second, even third glance. Spotting differences required magnifying glasses and anatomical scrutiny.

The dwarf climbers, like arboreal lizards, measured twenty centimeters long. They slithered up tree trunks daily, hunting insects.

“Besides dwarf climbers, there’s… whip scorpions.”

Whip scorpions—common arachnids—resemble scorpions but use their second pair of legs as sensory feelers. Their tails lack spikes, ending instead in whip-like structures.

Though non-venomous, they spray acidic, vinegar-smelling liquid for self-defense.

Since the Carboniferous, their form has stayed unchanged.

“These two critter groups belong together.”

“The other side? Those are my followers.”

“Trilobite… no, it should be Trilobite Mantis and jumping spider.”

“Hmm, it seemed my spawn could actually form symbiotic and cooperative relationships since they shared me as their master.”

“Good. Inter-species symbiosis and cooperation do enhance adaptability and survival rates.”

“Cross-species collaboration allows complementary strengths—quite common in nature.”

“Perfect timing to observe the upgrade results…”

“Never mind. It’s one-sided. Nothing worth seeing.”

“But…”

—

“Followers of the Giant God!”

“Fight valiantly!”

“The great Giant God watches us!”

“What honor!”

Sulya’s steely voice echoed through the Soul Network. Under the Giant God’s gaze, the Chosen Ones warriors fought with soaring morale, driving the chaotic demons into retreat.

Bloodthirsty demons, bloodthirsty maniacs, despair demons, and other mid-to-high-tier demons vanished like dry grass in wildfire.

Yet…

“Ha—Ga—!”

The colossal chaotic dragon lumbered forward, bellowing furiously. Though its size meant nothing to the Giant God or core councilors, to mortals it remained terrifying.

In any “monster universe,” this chaotic dragon would dwarf Godzilla!

And it wasn’t the only threat.

“Skreeeek…”

A chorus of scraping limbs echoed from the Fantasy Tree’s trunk.

Chaotic Secondary Gods—the vicious “Scorpion Gods.” Though weaker than etheric worms, they were divine beings, far beyond any Chosen Warrior’s skill.

Demons were mere footsoldiers; this was the true course.

Facing divine assault…

“Kill.”

A cold, inorganic voice cut through the Soul Network.

Living Saint Loseta!

Modified battleships soon warped into view.

Stripped of most weapons as “void transport battleships,” they carried precious cargo: the Third Living Saint Loseta’s war organization, “evil god slayers.”

“CRUNCH—!”

“BOOM—!”

One by one, the giant jumping spider mechs landed. As soon as they touched the ground, they quickly activated, skillfully jumped on the branches and launched attacks against the approaching evil god.

“Ga—!”

The giant scorpion-like “Scorpion God” raised its massive pincers, attacking the much smaller mechs.

But…

“Whoosh—!”

“Whoosh—!”

The jumping spider mechs moved with agility, easily leaped past the Scorpion God; some of the “jumping spiders” even stepped directly on the Scorpion God’s head and body.

They were incredibly nimble, while the Scorpion God, despite its powerful divine might, could hardly affect the jumping spider mechs under the gaze of the Giant God.

This decision proved wise.

The Scorpion God possessed “laws of chitin,” and even though Trilobite upgraded the sharpness of the venomous fangs for the “jumping spiders,” they could not pierce through with a single blow.

The heavily armored warriors, clad in plate armor, should not have been sent against a swordsman; instead, those wielding blunt weapons should have taken the stage!

“Giant God’s Radiance!”

“Sortie!”

Sulya’s flagship, also her second body, was the largest.

She led the charge, rushing toward the raised pincers of the Scorpion God, and executed a move called “Mantis Cracking Fist”!

“Bang—!”

With the impact of her giant strength, the Scorpion God’s pincers shattered, letting out a shriek of anguish; it lifted its head, intending to cast a quasi-forbidden spell-level magic at Sulya.

But Sulya would never give it that chance!

She suddenly closed in, crashing into its embrace.

“Bang—!”

Another point-blank “Mantis Cracking Fist”!

This punch flattened the Scorpion God’s forehead.

“Pshhh—!”

A burst of brown divine blood exploded out, splattering all over Sulya.

Sulya’s strike invigorated the “Void Navy,” encouraging them to surge forward, surround the Scorpion God, and let the Smashing Claw rain down blows upon it.

“Roar!”

“Zing—!”

The Scorpion God had no guards to help it amidst the flurry of attacks, letting out a miserable wail.

“Roar roar roar—!”

The chaotic dragons roared in anger.

Though they were just pitiful shells copied from the most basic divine body template of the First Demon God, they still had fundamental emotions.

Seeing these “little bugs” actually massacre their minions, the chaotic dragons felt utterly humiliated.

"Boom—Boom—Boom—!"

It accelerated, charging fiercely at those insignificant insects unaware of their own limits.

But at that moment…

"Thud…"

A faint tremor echoed atop its head.

"Thud…"

"Thump…"

More subtle sounds arose across its divine body.

Yet this failed to draw the chaotic dragon’s notice.

Common sense dictated such tiny mortal forms couldn’t possibly affect its divine…

"Pshhh—!"

The sickening sound of venomous fangs tearing through flesh followed.

Though mighty, the chaotic dragon’s law fiber proved far thinner than the Scorpion God’s hide.

The jumping spider Loseta drove her fangs deep beneath its skin, pumping dreadful toxins into its divine form!

"Grooowl…"

The dragon roared in confusion.

This wound wasn’t serious… right?

But swiftly, its consciousness dimmed, extinguishing thought and emotion.

"Thud…"

"Boom—!"

The colossal draconic form crashed against the tree trunk, then twisted downward into the Sea of Ether.

"Huff…"

"Done!"

"Next phase!"

Just as Sulya readied her next move—

—-

"Hmm…"

Trilobite gazed upward. At least ten Dwarf Climbing Dragons descended the gargantuan trunk; clearly, the Trilobite Mantis and powerful venom jumping spiders faced imminent peril.

"What now?"

"I can’t climb trees."

"Ah!"

"System, can I summon customers to assist?"

"Some clients scale trees, others even fly!"

"They’re thriving out there."

"How do I get them here?"

[Leave a marker.]

[Methods: 1. Relieve yourself onsite. 2. Spend 1,000 Chaos Energy to gather this area’s ‘magnetic field signal’ and transmit it via the consultation room.]

"Wow! Option two costs Chaos Energy!"

"Is that even a choice!?"

"Obviously…"