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[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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Chapter 459
｢Why｣｢not｣｢going down?｣
“The support fleet could be tracking the energy signature. To disrupt their operations, we must remain here.”
In the thin, cloudy atmosphere so thin even light and darkness seemed to blur Adhai tilted her head.
｢Runts｣｢number｣｢irrelevant｣｢I’m｣｢much｣｢stronger｣
“I agree. But if their reinforcements were to head toward where the Amorph is, it could put us at risk.”
｢I｣｢fly｣｢very｣｢fast｣
Adhai spread her four wings wide and made a circuit through the area. Even a casual flight was so swift it left flashing traces of red.
｢Runts｣｢are slow｣｢I can hunt｣｢them all｣
“Your movements are faster than any ship, but there are physical limits. The more enemies there are, the higher the chance of a defensive failure. My goal is to remove any possibility of the Amorph being threatened.”
She didn’t like it, but couldn’t protest that PS-111 was right. So all Adhai could do was swipe her hind leg in the empty air.
｢I’ve finished growing｣｢I’m much stronger now｣｢I want to protect everyone｣
“Is that so?”
｢Still｣｢not enough｣｢Weakness is disappointing｣
It was the first time PS-111 had seen Adhai so dejected. She blinked her red camera-eye softly.
“The total energy you generate is the highest I’ve observed in any organism.”
After a brief pause, PS-111 continued.
“Strength and weakness are relative, but if measured by energy alone, it’s fair to call you strong.”
｢But｣｢it’s still true that I’m weak｣
“Your shortcoming is not strength, but experience. Because you grew so fast, you haven’t had time to develop responses to various emergencies.”
｢I don’t understand｣
“In short: you lack experience.”
It was a fair point.
Adhai’s overwhelming power was a recent development. In time, she’d become even better at wielding it.
｢Takes｣｢far too long｣
But how long that would take was anyone’s guess. Adhai shrank her neck in frustration.
｢Right now, the Big One is weak. Strength is needed.｣
“That’s nothing to worry about. The Amorph trusted you were strong and reliable enough to take the guard.”
Adhai flinched at that.
｢Really?｣
“Yes.”
｢Really? Really?｣
“As far as I can tell.”
To know that her favorite being believed in her, Adhai’s posture uncoiled.
It wasn’t as if the Amorph had actually said such things, but by all appearances, there was deep trust. Of course, it was clear the Amorph cared about Number 26 and the Mother of the Sky just as much, but PS-111 tactfully skipped that part.
｢I’ll repay that trust. I’ll train, gain more and more experience.｣
Bolstered by hope, Adhai stretched her neck, feeling much better.
“If you’d like, I can prepare a training curriculum.”
｢Training? Isn’t that just studying?｣
“It will include learning, so technically yes…”
PS-111 stopped mid-sentence, suddenly glancing toward the emptiness beyond the atmosphere.
At the same time, Adhai also sensed something and looked in the same direction.
Where there had been nothing, now hovered two enormous, blue-glowing creatures.
One resembled a blue-gold jellyfish, the other a huge serpent clad in translucent white scales. Both far surpassed the scale of any Megacorp gene-weapon, even any mutant Screamer the Star Union had ever created.
｢Are those runts' weapons?｣
“No.”
｢Feels｣｢familiar｣｢Strange｣｢Also pretty strong｣
The tendrils of Adhai’s head quivered as she pointed at the two.
PS-111 too was puzzled by their sudden appearance.
Thanks to her upgrades, PS-111 now had vastly improved detection skills. If something attempted an FTL jump within range, she’d spot it well before arrival.
But these two unidentified life forms arrived undetected.
These strangers descended toward the planet then paused, as if they too had noticed Adhai and PS-111.
｢Ajacnjfk. Tntkdgks Shaemfdlek.｣
｢Dnflsms Qowpgksek.｣
The two beings exchanged pulses, sounding like a conversation.
At that moment, PS-111 realized what they were.
“Those are Outspacers.”
｢What does that mean?｣
“They’re the ones we fought when the Little One was injured. They’re likely higher subspecies that command lower-ranked Outspacers.”
｢So they’re enemies?｣
“Yes. They’re here for the Amorph.”
At those words, the creatures’ mood shifted. The translucent serpent swelled its body and lunged.
“We must stop them here.”
｢Agreed.｣
Adhai, already prepared, charged forward.
At the edge of the atmosphere, a crimson comet and a 100-meter-long serpent hurtled toward each other.
The moment they collided, Adhai pierced straight through the serpent’s body. The massive beast exploded into fragments, utterly annihilated by a beam of red energy.
｢?｣
Even having obliterated her foe, Adhai stayed alert. It didn’t feel like her usual victories.
And her instinct was right.
Fragments that had scattered and tumbled through the air suddenly began moving, converging midair. What looked like shredded flesh was actually countless small, fish-like monsters.
Tens of thousands of these fish creatures clustered together and reformed into the very serpent beast that had just exploded.
｢What the…?｣
｢Dnflsms Wnrwl Dksgsmsek.｣
The resurrected enemy swung its tail at Adhai. The tremendous impact shattered the tail and sent Adhai flying back.
Taking advantage of losing its tail, the serpent created distance and retreated toward its comrade. The dismembered tail no, the mass of fish monsters followed and reattached to the main body.
｢Dnflsms DPtkdgkwl AhtgoTek.｣
｢Wndmlgodi Gksek. Wjremf Aodn Rkdgkek.｣
Adhai, hurled backward by the tail strike, quickly stabilized herself. PS-111 flew over to her side.
“Are you alright?”
｢No｣｢problem｣
Adhai gave her wings a light shake. Thanks to the protective ‘Red Armor,’ not a single scale was scratched.
“That serpent-type entity appears to be a colony of numerous small organisms. The lesser damage it suffered in the collision suggests it can disperse incoming impact to lessen the damage.”
｢But there’s｣｢something strange｣
“Strange?”
｢That last tail attack it got stronger.｣
Even with an impenetrable armor, sensation was not dulled. Though there had only been two collisions, Adhai could clearly feel the increase in the enemy’s strength.
“You say its attack grew stronger?”
｢Yes｣｢Different from the first hit｣｢Weaker before｣
“I detected no special energy change.”
Arriving by FTL without being noticed, and the inscrutability of the colony creature’s energy use both meant only one thing.
“One enemy is interfering with my detection abilities.”
PS-111 turned toward the likely culprit.
From the huge blue-gold jellyfish next to the serpent, a faint jamming signal emanated.
“I’ll analyze and break down that interference signal. Please, keep them from descending.”
Suddenly, cracks appeared in the serpent beast’s body and it exploded.
Thousands of fish monsters scattered in all directions, swarming toward Adhai and PS-111.
｢No need to worry｣
Seeing this, Adhai spread her wings wide.
Red Gallagon, Mutant Screamer, and Outspacer
Above the jewel-blue NOX-02, the battle of apex predators had begun.
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[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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