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[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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Chapter 458
NEO-3 holds an incredibly important position for Prime Capital Edgerton.
It’s the system where essential business next-generation weapons development, new warship construction, critical resource mining all takes place.
Because of its value, the quantity and quality of its stationed military are far above any other Megacorp colonies.
That’s how it endured catastrophic events like the Outspacer invasion and the destruction of the Gateway City over the past few days and still managed to hold strong until now.
But now, even this mighty fleet and its defenses were buckling before overwhelming disaster.
Just minutes ago, the void of space had been empty. Suddenly, Outspacers appeared and pressed their assault forward.
Their target was the Gateway City, that bulwark of the system. The city’s titanic fortress guns, designed to repel any attack, roared ceaselessly at the merciless invaders.
The main batteries on the space fortress dwarfed the firepower of even a battleship no matter how tough the creatures’ carapaces, surviving a direct hit was nearly impossible.
Of course, that required actually hitting them. Not a single fortress shot found its mark among the Outspacers.
The reason was clear: a monstrous entity, like a blue-gold jellyfish, at the center of the swarm.
｢A child of the Empress. None may touch her.｣
Every time the jellyfish-beast waved its elongated tentacles, the fortress’s energy beams veered wildly, as if yanked by invisible strings flying clear of their original targets. The city’s defenses were rendered useless.
That wasn’t the only problem.
The red pillbug monster, which had devastated the fleet in the last invasion, and two other unique beings who’d previously kept to the fringes, were now leading the slaughter.
｢Krrrk! Pathetic wretches!｣
The 100-meter pillbug monster accelerated at terrifying speed, smashing into ships. None survived its ramming intact.
Fast patrol ships and strike craft attempted to intercept, but other threats intervened.
Monstrous tropical fish with translucent scales swarmed the ships.
Even when struck by plasma fire, these creatures seemed unharmed; in fact, they moved even more vigorously with each attack, as if feeding on the energy.
The small ships and strike craft that tried to contain them were soon wiped out. When their work was done, the fish-beasts gathered, merging into a single, colossal white serpent.
｢We are one.｣
Every small ship was destroyed, and only a few large warships remained. Even the city’s defenses were effectively neutralized.
As Megacorp’s side faced annihilation, a flash of blue flared near Gateway City. Reinforcements from another fortress fleet had arrived by superluminal jump.
｢The Grand Empress’s safety is at risk. We must defend her.｣
｢No fear. Victory stands with Mother.｣
A black bat monster, which had been waiting for the jellyfish beast, now took flight.
With wings spread wide, it aimed at the just-arrived reinforcements. Its jaws split into four like a starfish discharged black lightning.
The pitch-black thunderbolts forked into tens of thousands of branches, slashing through the night like celestial wrath, tearing the armored bows of warships as if they were mere paper.
Everywhere the black lightning struck, it left an explosion and death in its wake. Half the reinforcements were rendered combat-ineffective in a single devastating blow.
｢Krrrk! Arrogant wretch! That one’s my prey!｣
｢We are united.｣
But even for those not hit by the lightning, safety was an illusion the predators and white beasts closed in on the survivors.
The remaining reinforcements were blown to cosmic dust in no time, and Gateway City shared their fate, hope flickering out.
｢Grand Empress. It’s done.｣
｢Yawn… Really?｣
Lying atop the blue-gold jellyfish, “Grand Empress” stretched and sat up.
｢See? Told you. It’d be easy.｣
｢Never grow complacent. Human weapons are dangerous even for the Grand Empress.｣
｢I said, I can handle up to three by myself. Relax.｣
Normally she’d have brushed off the caution, but this time she didn’t.
She knew two Giga-Crackers were stationed in the NEO-2 system. The fact that neither superweapon had appeared even as Gateway City fell was highly suspicious.
｢Still, it’s odd we haven’t seen a Giga-Cracker. And none of our parasites have died lately, right?｣
｢None.｣
｢Maybe I should go check for myself. Everyone stop.｣
Her psychic wave pulsed outward across the Outspacers laying waste to the city, who instantly ceased their attack.
｢Krrrk. Grand Empress. Why stop us?｣
｢We have questions.｣
｢Mother’s lover. Explain, now.｣
The special entities who had been leading the carnage returned to the Grand Empress.
｢I’m heading into that city. Meanwhile, you four have jobs to do. Todes, you remember the Empress’s order?｣
The blue-gold jellyfish, Todes, answered:
｢The Empress commanded: Absorb the Essence stored on land with water.｣
｢That’s right. There’s a hidden base on Nox with gene samples. Go eat everything inside with Tyrann.｣
｢We comply.｣
｢And what about me?｣
｢Hungersnot, take the Outspacers and sweep through the system’s weapons factories. If you see a Giga-Cracker, avoid it.｣
The half-transparent, white-scaled serpent Tyrann and the bat-winged Hungersnot dark as the night sky bowed their heads in obedience.
｢Krrrk. What should I do?｣
｢Kriege, you’re coming with me. Stay close.｣
At her words, the red pillbug Kriege bared its teeth, growling.
｢Krrrk. I want to fight!｣
｢No. With your temper, you’d never pull back once things got bad.｣
｢Krrrr!｣
｢None of you were authorized to come here, so watch yourselves. Understood?｣
Ignoring Kriege’s protest, she leaped off Todes the jellyfish.
｢All right. Let’s begin.｣
Her will radiated in a psychic wave across the system.
The four monstrous beasts scattered to carry out their orders. The Outspacers, besieging the city, leaned down towards the approaching Queen.
She saw it, she thought.
No human on NEO-3 would be able to stop her and her army.
***
｢No more bad people?｣
On the rolling waves, a pink balloon the size of a small island drifted Number 26, who had stretched to her maximum size for the first time in a while.
“None left. None at all.”
｢Yay!｣
Number 26 gave off a delighted pulse at the words of the mini Screamer perched atop her pink surface.
Isabel, who sat beside the mini Screamer on 26’s back, was quietly impressed.
‘I expected her to smash cities with tidal waves, but…’
It was never practical to build forward bases when fighting a Sea Demon on an ocean planet. Anything constructed would just be wiped away by the massive tsunamis she could create.
So Number 26 washing out cities with monstrous waves was unsurprising. What happened next, however, caught Isabel off guard.
‘To think it’d mimic a voice and lure in the Knight Order…’
Number 26 could re-shape its tentacle tips to resemble human vocal organs, producing voices. It’d gained this “Mimicry” trait from the Amorph.
Shifting its tentacle into vocal cord form, it used the mini Screamer’s comm device to contact the knights. And it didn’t just imitate anyone it reproduced the voice of Joel, a former knight.
The enemy, clueless, fell for it completely.
‘The Amorph used to pull these exact tricks.’
Number 26 usually disguised itself as someone’s most cherished or obsessed-over figure, which even fooled rankers at times.
Seeing Number 26 Amorph’s protégé employing such deception made Isabel feel strangely nostalgic.
｢I caught everyone that tried to run! Did I do good? Did I do good?｣
“You sure did. Amazing work.”
｢Yup!｣
Number 26’s innocent joy at the praise shone all over, down to the tentacles and fins glowing beneath the water’s surface.
‘A Sea Demon apprentice of the Amorph… Thank goodness it’s on our side.’
With several arms, Isabel patted Number 26 before picking up her communicator.
“Big sis, is everything handled on your end?”
｢The warship was neutralized by the Little One. But there’s a problem.｣
“A problem?”
｢The energy output was higher than I calculated. There’s a possibility it was detected from another planet.｣
“Energy? Oh.”
Isabel immediately understood.
Right after Number 26’s wave swept the city, she’d sensed a burst of energy from far above strong enough to be felt even deep underwater.
As she suspected, it was Adhai’s doing.
“Someone might come investigate?”
｢Probability of another ship arriving for confirmation: 61%. I’ll remain on standby just in case.｣
“Alright.”
｢When are you and Friend and the Little One coming?｣
After finishing the call, Number 26 pulsed towards her.
“They have other things to do, so they’ll join us later.”
｢Because the Little One went boom again?｣
“Oh? You noticed too?”
｢Yup.｣
Number 26 explained eagerly, waving her tentacles.
｢If you go boom too hard, people always show up. That’s why the Big Kid says to go easy, nobody notices then. But the Little One probably forgot.｣
It was understandable.
Creatures as strong as a Red Gallagon were incredibly rare. Among the so-called “Vortex Ones” the devils of space even fewer could surpass a Red Gallagon in power. At best, the Arcane Orca might tie that rank.
Adhai might be small, but she was a true Red Gallagon. She’d played a pivotal role on their second Arcane Orca hunt before coming here.
It was only natural she felt little need for caution.
‘But…’
No matter how powerful, a Red Gallagon wasn’t invincible. There had been rankers who’d managed to kill one before. The Amorph, and even the absent Mother of the Sky, had succeeded in subduing them.
If Adhai grew complacent, disaster could await.
“I’ll talk to the Amorph when it wakes up.”
｢Right! The Big Kid will know how to set the Little One straight!｣
“Alright. Let’s head down for now.”
｢Okay!｣
With an excited pulse, Number 26 dove beneath the surface. Isabel, hugging the mini Screamer, followed her.
Where a submerged city once stood, only gentle, wind-blown ripples now remained.
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[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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