Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1744: I am their Curse! Part-2

The moment the Mech-suit turned into a motionless statue, Lackey didn’t hesitate for even a heartbeat. His massive hand wrapped around the armoured helmet as though he had picked up nothing more than a child’s toy.

The metal shell groaned under his grip before he spun around and sprinted toward the nearby mountain of jagged rocks without wasting a single second.

Step!

Step!

Step!

Thud!

The ground exploded beneath every stride, leaving crater-like footprints across the black earth. Within a fraction of a second, he reached the towering rocks. His final step crushed the ground beneath him before launching his body high into the air. Holding the Mech-suit’s helmet tightly, he descended like a falling meteor and drove it straight into the mountain.

TTTRR!!

Crack!!

The impact sent violent shockwaves racing through the rocks as enormous fractures spread across the cliff face. Chunks of stone blasted into the air while the helmet visibly dented inward.

Tiny streams of blue electricity burst from the damaged metal as emergency circuits desperately attempted to reboot.

A crimson light suddenly flickered beneath the helmet’s visor.

The Mech-suit was coming back online.

Lackey’s eyes narrowed.

“That’s faster than I expected…”

Without giving the system another second, he clenched the helmet tighter and repeatedly slammed it against the mountain with overwhelming force.

BAM!!

BAM!!

BAM!!

Every collision sounded like shells detonating across the valley. The armour slowly began to deform beneath his absurd physical strength.

Inside the suit, the pilot’s entire body shook violently as the system rebooted.

“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! What the hell is happening?!” the pilot screamed in pure panic, “Boot! Boot already! Come on!!”

The emergency reactor roared to life.

Power surged through the damaged frame.

One by one, the optical systems awakened.

[Visual feed restored… 12%… 34%… 67%… 100%.]

The only thing visible through the cracked visor was the razor-sharp tip of a fractured stone rushing directly toward him… that’s the last thing he saw before,

“…No—”

CRUNCH!!

The jagged rock pierced through the shattered helmet with horrifying force, punching through metal, synthetic padding and finally flesh before bursting out from the back of the helmet in a spray of blood and shattered bone.

Thud!

Dark crimson blood streamed down the stone as fragments of skull, shattered teeth, and broken visor glass slid across the rock beneath.

The Mech-suit’s glowing crimson energy strips flickered violently before dimming one after another.

The reactor died.

The neural link vanished.

The machine became nothing more than a lifeless shell… buried together with its pilot.

Only then did Lackey release his grip.

He breathed out slowly. Standing amidst the shattered rock, he silently stared at the statue-like Mech-suit impaled upon the jagged stone.

It looked like discarded scrap casually hung out to dry.

“…Four seconds?” Lackey clicked his tongue in annoyance. “That bitch lied to me. It booted faster than she said.”

He glanced toward the ring around his finger.

“Oi… you hearing this?”

Silence.

Not even the slightest vibration answered him.

He sighed.

“Figures.”

Giving a small shrug, Lackey finally turned his attention toward his surroundings.

His eyes widened slightly.

It wasn’t the enormous river of blood flowing across the crimson sky that caught his attention.

It was the mountains.

Towering black peaks stretched endlessly across the horizon, their cracked surfaces glowing with faint molten-red veins. Dense crimson fumes seeped from countless fissures, drifting through the air like the breath of sleeping monsters.

This… scenery stirred an old memory.

A very familiar one.

“…Wait a second…”

He stared at the towering mountains for several long moments before muttering,

“Isn’t this mountain… almost identical to the summit in Pyra?”

His expression grew increasingly thoughtful.

There was no mistake.

The jagged cliffs, the volcanic fissures, the unnatural crimson glow bleeding through the stone… everything resembled the mountain where the ‘Heart Game’ had once taken place.

The same mountain that made him go insane.

The same mountain where he had turned the battlefield into complete ruin…

All because of that damned elephant that had rotated the Ebon Stone.

“Damn… come to think of it, these guys never managed to build anything that insane… did they?” Lackey muttered under his breath, a trace of relief slipping into his voice.

The memory alone was enough to make him grimace.

That damned elephant…

Even now, remembering that monster sent a chill crawling down his spine. It hadn’t simply been powerful. It had been absurd!!

Even Dora, with all her ridiculous abilities, had failed to keep that thing under control.

If the Empire had somehow succeeded in recreating something even remotely similar…

“…The other Empires would be completely fucked.”

He clicked his tongue before continuing down the narrow mountain path.

“Anyway… why is this place here? And what exactly is Hell’s Gate?”

His eyes swept across the surroundings as he walked, carefully observing every crack in the mountains and every shadow between the rocks.

This wasn’t anything like the previous Hell’s Gate he remembered.

It was as though he had stepped into an entirely separate world.

The black mountains stretched endlessly toward the crimson horizon, while rivers of glowing magma pulsed beneath fractured cliffs like veins beneath flesh.

There wasn’t a single monster in sight.

“I need to figure out what this Hell’s Gate really is.” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Which means… I’ll probably have to deal with that skeletal-headed bastard.”

His expression twisted with annoyance.

“I’ve got no clue how I’m supposed to have a conversation with that ugly bone-faced freak… but if anyone knows what’s going on here, it’s him.”

There was simply no other lead.

Whether he liked it or not, that skeletal monster was currently his only chance of understanding this bizarre place.

Without another thought, Lackey activated his movement skill.

His body blurred across the mountain path.

Rather than running in a straight line, he bounced effortlessly between cliffs, crossed impossible gaps, and climbed jagged rocks with frightening agility.

His eyes never stopped scanning.

His ears caught every tiny vibration.

His instincts remained fully alert.

He wasn’t searching for a path anymore.

He was searching for something hiding within it.

Then…

“Is anybody here?”

A human voice suddenly echoed through the valley.

Lackey’s feet slowed instantly.

Without making the slightest sound, he stepped behind a massive boulder and carefully peeked through the narrow gap.

Two Mech-suits were slowly walking along the path below.

Both wore red-striped black mech-suit frames similar to the ones he had encountered earlier. Several spherical reconnaissance drones hovered overhead, their blue optical sensors sweeping across the cliffs while projecting holographic terrain maps in midair.

Thin beams of scanning light repeatedly crossed the mountain walls.

“Hmm… only two?”

Lackey narrowed his eyes.

He remained perfectly still, silently watching them.

From the way they constantly paused to deploy mapping drones and geological scanners, they weren’t here to fight.

They were surveying the area.

“Sigh… this assignment sucks.”

“I know, right?” the second soldier groaned. “I was hoping we’d finally run into some monsters. Instead, we’re stuck making maps.”

The first soldier suddenly cupped his hands around his helmet.

“Anybody home? Come out already! We taste pretty good if you’re planning to eat us~”

“Idiot!” the other laughed.

“You’re gonna jinx us.”

Both soldiers burst into laughter as they continued walking deeper into the mountain pass, completely unaware that death was quietly observing them from less than thirty meters away.

Lackey watched their backs in silence.

Ironically…

He was searching for monsters too.

His instincts had been screaming at him ever since he entered this place.

Danger.

Constant danger!!

Every nerve in his body insisted that something was watching him.

Yet no matter where he looked…

There was nothing.

Not a single creature.

Not even the slightest movement.

!!

Suddenly, his left eye snapped toward the towering mountain wall above him.

His pupils narrowed.

For the briefest instant…

He had felt it.

Something… Watching him!

‘Hmm…’

A thought slowly formed in his mind.

‘Don’t tell me… just like that forest…’

His gaze slowly travelled across the endless mountain range.

‘…this entire place is being controlled by a single monster or something?’

Instead of looking worried…

A grin slowly spread across his face.

‘Well… Let’s find out.’

With a flick of his wrist, the strange DIY Gun materialised inside his hand.

He calmly aimed at the two Mech-suits walking several dozen meters ahead.

‘I hope this thing still works from this distance…’

His finger gently squeezed the trigger.

Bob!

A tiny mechanical click echoed through the silent valley.

There was no explosion.

No visible beam.

Yet both Mech-suits abruptly froze mid-step.

The brilliant crimson energy strips running across their armoured bodies instantly dimmed to grey.

The humming reactors fell silent.

Tang!

Tang!

Even the reconnaissance drones hovering overhead lost power and dropped from the sky like lifeless stones, crashing against the rocks.

The two Mech-suits stood completely motionless…

As though every circuit inside them had simply ceased to exist.

Their optical lenses blinked wildly before going dark.

Lackey raised an eyebrow.

“…Huh? Oh? It works on the drones too—”

Before he could finish his sentence…

KKYYYRRRRAAAAAA!!!!!

A deafening screech ripped through the entire mountain range.

The sound slammed into the cliffs like a physical shockwave, sending loose stones tumbling down the slopes.

Lackey’s expression immediately sharpened.

His head snapped upward.

“…!”

The towering mountain walls…

Moved?

The black cliffs slowly separated before unfolding outward like gigantic wings.

Stone cracked.

Layers of black rock peeled apart.

Entire sections of the mountains revealed themselves to be colossal wings covered in rough obsidian scales, perfectly camouflaged against the cliffs. Centuries of volcanic ash and hardened minerals had blended them into the landscape so flawlessly that even Lackey’s senses had mistaken them for ordinary mountains.

Behind those stone-like wings…

Dozens.

Hundreds.

Skeletal Wyverns revealed themselves.

Their enormous bodies clung to the vertical cliffs like grotesque gargoyles awakening from an eternal slumber. Blackened bones protruded through rotting flesh while rivers of molten lava leaked from cracks running across their bodies, dripping onto the rocks below with sizzling explosions.

Their empty eye sockets ignited with crimson flames.

Every single one of them slowly turned toward Lackey.

Their burning gaze carried unmistakable fury.

As though someone had rudely interrupted their centuries-long sleep.

“…”

Lackey slowly lowered the DIY Gun.

“…Well.”

He scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

“My bad?”

The apology lasted exactly one second before his eyes narrowed.

“…Wait.”

He stared at one of the creatures more carefully.

The exposed ribs…

The molten flesh…

The skeletal frame…

Recognition slowly dawned on his face.

“…Aren’t you guys… The Cursed Wyverns?”

If his memory wasn’t playing tricks on him…

During the Heart Game, he and the others had encountered these exact creatures.

They had been grotesque abominations, their bodies fused from charred bones, rotting flesh, and streams of molten lava constantly pouring from open wounds that never healed.

The only noticeable difference…

These were much larger… almost the size of a real dragon.

Their wings had evolved into enormous obsidian stone-like structures that perfectly mimicked the surrounding mountains.

Everything else… Was identical.

“…What the fuck is going on here?”

Lackey frowned deeply.

These things should’ve been dead.

Every single one of them.

After all… He had personally reduced the entire summit to rubble.

That included the elephant… The Wyverns.

Everything!

So why…

Why were they standing here?

THUD!!!

The entire mountain shook violently.

One of the gigantic Wyverns crashed onto the path before him, its massive skeletal frame sending a violent tremor through the ground.

Without hesitation, it swung one enormous bony forelimb across the mountain trail.

CRRRAAAACKKK!!!

Its claws carved through solid stone as though slicing soft clay. A massive trench ripped across the ground, racing directly toward Lackey while shattered rocks exploded into the air.

His thoughts vanished instantly.

Lackey kicked off the ground.

Step!

His body blurred.

The destructive shockwave barely missed him as he leapt high into the air before twisting his body, landing in a smooth roll several meters away.

The moment he regained his footing, the Wyvern lifted its skull-like head and let out another furious roar.

Molten lava poured from the gaps between its ribs.

Thick drops splashed onto the ground.

Sizzle…

The mountain stone instantly melted into glowing magma wherever the liquid landed.

Lackey’s pupils contracted.

The glowing lava reflected clearly within his eyes.

Then Raven’s words echoed in his mind,

“The moment that molten lava touches you… you’ll be cursed and become one of them.”

His expression instantly darkened.

“…Right. I almost forgot.”

KYRRAAAAA!!!

KYYYRRRRRRAAAAA!!!

The valley exploded with countless screeches.

One after another…

The Cursed Wyverns descended from the cliffs.

Massive skeletal bodies landed across the mountain paths with earth-shaking force, sealing every possible escape route. Their enormous obsidian wings folded behind them as rivers of molten lava continuously dripped from their bodies, transforming the ground into patches of glowing magma.

Within mere seconds…

Lackey found himself completely surrounded.

Dozens of burning crimson eye sockets locked onto him without blinking.

It felt as though the entire mountain range had opened its eyes…

And every one of them was staring at him.

Lackey had just begun thinking that the real shit was about to hit the fan when a humming sound came.

His eyes immediately shifted toward the two disabled Mech-suits lying motionless on the ground. The crimson energy strips running across their armour flickered faintly as power slowly began restoring itself.

‘Tsk… How the hell did I even forget about those two?’ he thought.

Without wasting another second, he vanished from his position.

Step!

He reappeared beside the fallen Mech-suits, grabbed each of them by the helmet with one hand, and effortlessly lifted them.

At that exact moment, one of the Cursed Wyverns lunged toward him, its enormous skeletal jaws opening wide enough to swallow a vehicle whole. Instead of retreating, Lackey simply swung both Mech-suits toward the incoming monster as though they were nothing more than oversized hammers.

At the exact moment,

[System Reactivated.]

[System Online.]

[Combat Systems Restoring…]

Inside the suit, the displays rapidly illuminated around them. Warning messages disappeared one after another while the damaged systems recalibrated themselves. Their visual feeds finally returned…

Only for both pilots to find themselves staring directly into a gigantic skeletal maw lined with razor-sharp black fangs, while rivers of molten lava flowed between its ribs like liquid fire.

“W-What the fuck is happ…”

Neither of them managed to finish the sentence.

The Mech-suits immediately detected a catastrophic collision and activated every emergency stabilisation protocol available. Compressed thrusters erupted from their backs and legs while gyroscopic stabilisers desperately attempted to regain balance.

Yet… all it was already too late.

CHOMP!!

The Wyvern’s jaws slammed shut.

Both Mech-suits vanished into its mouth before their thrusters could generate enough momentum to escape. The enormous creature tilted its head back before swallowing them whole, as though it had merely eaten two tiny insects instead of advanced military weapons.

KYRRRRRAAAAA!!

The monstrous roar echoed throughout the mountain range as glowing lava churned violently inside the creature’s skeletal body.

Through the gaps between its blackened ribs, the silhouettes of both Mech-suits could briefly be seen sinking deeper into the molten liquid before disappearing completely.

Inside the suit, countless warning windows erupted across every display.

[WARNING! WARNING! Internal Temperature Has Exceeded Structural Tolerance.]

[WARNING! Heat Radiation Levels Are Critical.]

[WARNING! Armour Integrity Rapidly Degrading.]

[WARNING! Reactor Cooling System Failure.]

The armour slowly glowed orange before softening beneath the unimaginable heat. Layers of armour peeled away as though they had become wax.

As for the pilots… they never even had the chance to scream for long.

The overwhelming thermal radiation penetrated the suit before the lava itself could reach them. Their skin blistered instantly, blood boiled inside their veins, and every internal organ failed within seconds.

They were cooked alive by the unbearable heat without a single flame ever touching their bodies.

Only moments later, both Mech-suits completely melted into the lava, leaving behind nothing except a few charred skeletal remains before even those slowly dissolved beneath the molten liquid.