Beyond the Apocalypse
Chapter 502: Thiamatos’ units and warships

Chapter 502: Thiamatos’ units and warships

Vlad and Fafnir stood in the sky of the Monsoon Continent, positioned directly atop the towering obsidian obelisk. The once fractured structure, shattered in half during Vlad’s fierce battle with the Leviathan King, was slowly regenerating, growing taller and more formidable with each passing moment. The Depravita of Wrath’s eyes narrowed as he observed the obelisk’s relentless restoration.

"I assume that the obsidian obelisk grows larger as it produces units, am I right?" Vlad inquired, his voice steady yet tinged with curiosity.

Fafnir nodded solemnly. "Yes, Teacher. Every time I build a new creature, the obelisk grows a little larger and stronger, allowing the birth of even more powerful beings. When it was at its peak, it was capable of giving birth to the Leviathan King, a Sage Tier lifeform. Currently, however, it can only produce units up to Level 15."

The Depravita of Envy paused, his gaze fixed on the regenerating obelisk as he continued. "You and I are exceptions. I didn’t exactly forge your body; I restructured it using your own flesh and pieces of the Leviathan King. Additionally, I gave physical form to my soul, repurposing the biomass from the Leviathan Lords and drones. It will take time before I can give birth to anything close to Level 18."

Vlad nodded softly, unperturbed by the revelation. While it was slightly disappointing that they couldn’t yet produce entities as powerful as the Leviathan Lords, he understood that right now, what they needed was numbers. His attention shifted downward as he watched hundreds of thousands of creatures march in perfect formation, their synchronization flawless and their skills honed to perfection as if controlled by artificial intelligence.

These beings resembled towering, grotesque predators, emanating a horrifying presence that commanded both fear and respect. Their bodies were encased in thick, biomechanical armor resembling obsidian plates, layered like an impenetrable fortress. Razor-sharp spines and ridges protruded from their shoulders, backs, and tails, giving them a menacing silhouette. Bulky and heavily muscled, they moved with both a predator’s agility and the crushing force of a battering ram.

Their elongated heads glimmered with a glossy sheen, mouths split into grotesque maws of jagged teeth dripping with acidic saliva. Their glowing crimson eyes pierced the darkness, serving both as warnings and as tools to lock onto their prey with deadly precision. Serrated forearms were tipped with razor-like claws capable of shredding steel with ease. Their powerful, digitigrade legs allowed them to leap with frightening speed and force, crushing anything in their path.

Adapted to water, these creatures were crucial for traversing the massive oceans of Terra to reach the other continents. Overlord had built multiple ships, but they were already at their maximum capacity, as they would be carrying hundreds of thousands of soldiers from the Xaos Kingdom across the perilous waters.

While it was dangerous to navigate the oceans, given the myriad of Monsters inhabiting those depths, there was no other way forward. However, Vlad remained confident. Though the Thiamatos creatures Fafnir had dubbed Amphibious Killers were only Level 9 lifeforms, their actual power could match that of a Level 11 entity. In some ways, these creatures could equal or even defeat Leviathan Warriors—units that reached the High Champion Tier.

The reason for their formidable power lay in two key aspects. First, was the A.I. Chip fused into Fafnir’s soul, which allowed for the much more efficient creation of Thiamatos units and controls over their movements. Second was the Depravita Racial Ability of the fire dragon. Just as Vlad possessed his Heart of Wrath, Jormungandr wielded his Gluttony Soul, and Ouroboros commanded his Greed’s Embrace, Fafnir had obtained an ability locked within the core of his Depravita’s Sin: Essence of Envy.

Essence of Envy was an ability tailored for a biomass-consuming entity whose purpose was to absorb, adapt, and repurpose the traits of consumed creatures into its own being. This power enabled the Depravita of Envy to siphon biological traits, genetic material, and energy from targets, integrating them into his body for self-enhancement or into a biomass pool to create specialized bio-monsters. It was an incredibly powerful ability that allowed Fafnir to continuously remodel his body and improve the efficiency of the Thiamatos Race’s units.

Vlad was extremely confident in the progress of the Depravita of Envy, but he knew that the task was far from complete. His eyes narrowed as he felt the Thiamatos Obelisk glowing with vital force, signaling the emergence of new units. The air around them seemed to thrum with anticipation as another wave of creatures emerged from the obelisk’s maws.

The new Thiamatos units were a towering aquatic nightmare, each standing nearly five meters tall. They blended the horrific traits of crustaceans, cephalopods, and humanoid predators into one grotesque form. Their hulking, armored bodies stood as fortresses of jagged, barnacle-like plating, dark and weathered, as if they had emerged from the ocean’s abyssal depths. Their limbs rippled with sinewy muscle, encased in overlapping, serrated carapace, and ended in massive claws that glinted like obsidian scythes, each one capable of rending through steel with ease.

Their heads were an amalgamation of alien and aquatic terror, crowned with ridges and spines that fanned out like a predator’s crest. The faces featured writhing tendrils akin to squid tentacles, constantly twisting and dripping with a viscous, glowing fluid that suggested some venomous or corrosive nature. Crimson, multifaceted eyes glared menacingly, scanning their environment with a predator’s precision.

From their backs, multiple spiked appendages stretched out like wicked lances or extra limbs, their ends sharp enough to impale anything foolish enough to get close. The creatures’ immediate presence marched forward, joining the Amphibious Killers. Their movements were deceptively fluid for something so bulky, their tails lashing behind them like serpents ready to strike.

Despite their monstrous appearance, these new units embodied deadly skill and efficiency. Their design was both brutal and ingenious, perfectly adapted for the dual threats of terrestrial and aquatic combat. Each step they took was measured, and each strike was calculated, making them formidable adversaries on any battlefield.

"These units are the Water Draconoids?" Vlad said, his tone measured. There were only a few hundred of them, but their power was much higher than the Amphius Killers, and with the correct guidance, they would be capable of immense power on the battlefield.

"Indeed, Teacher," Fafnir confirmed. "They would be the ones guiding the Amphius Killers and taking care of the greater threat in their path. Their biology is designed to withstand extreme underwater conditions while remaining formidable in combat. They are Level 13 lifeforms, but their combat efficiency rivals that of Level 15 Monsters. I incorporated traits from Leviathan Elite and enhanced them using my Depravita Ability and the calculation of the A.I. Chip."

Vlad nodded, his expression one of approval. The Thiamatos units were all under the control of Fafnir, and the Depravigta of Greed could simply command the A.I. Chip to take the burden and focus his mind on the battlefield.

However, soon his gaze grew sharp and commanding as he addressed Fafnir, his tone carrying the weight of responsibility.

"Continue with the hard work and keep polishing the formations," Vlad said firmly. "Remember, the primary purpose of the Thiamatos Race’s units is to neutralize alien forces and Monsters. Our goal is to capture demons and angels alive while only eliminating Monsters that pose too great a risk to exist. The A.I. Chip is powerful, but you are asking it to control hundreds of thousands of different creatures simultaneously. Failures could arise due to the immense computational burden."

Fafnir nodded solemnly. His burning eyes reflected the gravity of the task. He understood the stakes and the importance of ensuring everything ran smoothly.

"Remain here for the time being and oversee operations," Vlad continued. "Make sure everything proceeds as planned. It won’t be long before we march."

"Yes, Teacher," Fafnir replied, his voice a deep rumble of commitment.

Satisfied with their exchange, Vlad gave a curt nod before soaring into the sky. His form blurred into a streak of crimson and gold as he sped toward the horizon. Below him, the vast expanse of the Moonson Continent stretched endlessly.

A small smile graced Vlad’s lips as he sensed the resurgence of insects and other fauna, their presence signaling the ecosystem’s gradual recovery. Without the Leviathans constantly consuming every trace of biomass, life was returning. There were already plans to reintroduce Monsters into the continent to help rebalance its ecology. Vlad chuckled lightly to himself.

"Thankfully, I don’t need to deal with that tedious task," he muttered, recalling Overlord’s efficiency in organizing such operations.

As he flew, the landscape transitioned from dense forests to sprawling plains and finally to the shimmering coastline of the Xaos Kingdom. The sight that greeted him at the shore was nothing short of awe-inspiring: hundreds of gargantuan ships floated in perfect formation, their colossal frames casting long shadows over the water.

These weren’t ordinary vessels. They were massive warships, their hulls covered with intricate magical matrices that pulsed with energy. Every inch of their surface radiated power, their construction a testament to the ingenuity of the Xaos Kingdom. They dwarfed even the most advanced amphibious assault ships from the pre-apocalypse era, reducing those once-mighty vessels to the status of mere cruisers in comparison.