It seemed my unshaken composure struck her as suspicious, as Gwen furrowed her brow.
She confirmed with a half-hearted smile.
"Wait, are you seriously planning to fight them? They're already on guard against you—they'll definitely team up and come at you all at once."
"I'm aware of that. And I'm confident I can win regardless."
I stated flatly.
Gwen let out a sigh and roughly ran her fingers through her hair.
"You're kidding, right? I know this sounds like boasting, but we're supreme beings, you know? Some planets treat us like gods."
"I've heard the defenses on each continent have been overwhelming the beasts."
"That's because they're dealing with the small fry. The truly strong beasts are hiding deep underground, biding their time. They gauge a planet's military strength based on the movements of the lesser beasts."
"Are there beasts stronger than you?"
When I asked, Gwen nodded.
She shrugged and looked at me.
"Absolutely. I'm no slouch myself, but I'm not a combat specialist. I'm mediocre at best."
"That's not a problem. The Demon King's army and I can handle it."
"Wow, that's quite the confidence... Do you have any basis for that?"
"Of course I do."
I transformed one of my shoulders into a tentacle.
After coiling it back and forth a few times, I reverted it to its original form.
Gwen clapped her hands, looking genuinely surprised.
"Oh? You can control my abilities?"
"I've become able to control them to some extent."
Tentacles were a power particularly effective against beasts.
Perhaps because their original wielder was Gwen, they could easily fell beasts that were resistant to magic.
They proved invaluable when burying the beasts across the continent.
Meanwhile, Gwen glanced at me with a mocking expression and seized the opportunity to sigh dramatically.
"However, Master Harvelt, it's rather naive to feel secure just because of my abilities. I can use various other magics, you know, but that alone—"
"Who said I was relying only on your abilities?"
"...Excuse me?"
Gwen tilted her head.
Instead of answering, I transformed one arm into a tentacle.
The limb instantly turned into a metallic band, taking on a unique luster.
Soon, the band changed texture to resemble wood, blossoming with flowers on its branches.
The flowers became butterflies, fluttering into flight.
When I extended a finger, they alighted upon it.
The butterflies melted like liquid, seeping into my finger and vanishing.
As that happened, the transformation of my body subsided completely, returning to normal.
"What in the..."
Gwen was speechless after witnessing the entire sequence.
She seemed to understand what this meant.
Over that, I began to explain.
The beast's power I have devoted to the Valley of the Dead, though limited, I have come to master. As you can see, I can now wield it freely.
This power I call the Beast's Extraordinary Ability is characterized primarily by its magical resistance.
In offense, it makes defense difficult, while in defense, it demonstrates a steadfast protection.
It is also worth noting that it is hard to impede with magic, making the ability's activation difficult to interfere with.
However, the Beast's Extraordinary Ability also has its shortcomings.
The first point is that it is not a perfect reproduction.
You cannot expect the same level of control as the original creature.
Secondly, the counter-backlash upon use is significant.
Repeated use can induce spiritual contamination.
While convenient, relying on it too much was strictly forbidden.
In terms of usage, it was akin to a top-tier spell exceeding forbidden magic.
Even an ability that seems inconvenient at first glance reveals its true value when combined with others.
Of course, there were also powerful abilities that were formidable on their own.
No matter how high-ranking the beasts remaining, as long as this much was available, dealing with them was not difficult.
When considering its fusion with magic, it held a myriad of possibilities.
My power as the Demon King was rising as if from an unfathomable depth.
"This is the basis for my pride. Do you understand?"
"Truly, this is beyond standards... it actually gives me a headache, truly. You picked the absolute perfect opponent to pick a fight with."
With a gaze that seemed somehow resigned, Gwen flopped down and sprawled out.