309
-x-X-x-
I've lost parasites several times so far, but most of them were intentional.
Parasites are consumables used to deceive or control enemies. After you achieve your goal, dying isn't a big problem.
However, only once did I experience a crisis due to parasites.
William, a detective who ruled T&C's space city. He cut himself to make my presence known. Because of that, my plan went awry.
And now a similar thing has happened again.
'No, it's actually worse.'
Today Alkadi went out to an important event. From what I heard, it was a meeting with high-ranking officials such as the captain of an imperial carrier or the director of the surveillance office. For today, it would be safe to say that I went to the safest place on this planet.
So I was relieved, but then he suddenly died.
That's not the only problem.
'I don't know why he died.'
The parasite sends a signal to me when great harm comes to the host or when the host acts against my will. In William's case in the past, I was able to tell that he had harmed himself because the parasite sent waves to me.
But this time there were no such foreshadowings at all.
That means that the parasites in Alkadi's body were killed instantly in an unexpected situation.
Safest Place Unexpected Situation Parasites that die before they can send waves. What do these mean?
'…Ranker.'
It is not that difficult to find parasites that have formed a 'parasitic colony'. If there is a detector or technology that examines the inside of the body, it will be detected immediately.
In other words, it can be said that parasites truly exert their effects 'when no one is aware of their existence.' The more people know about it, the more difficult it becomes to use parasites for espionage or deception.
Therefore, until now, I have worked hard to not let others know about the existence of parasites. It was in this context that she went to the hospital after finding out that William had harmed himself.
Looking back at Alkadi's case, he was not tested for parasites at the gathering. He also refrained from doing anything that might raise suspicion in others.
Nevertheless, the fact that he was caught means that the person who killed him had the ability or means to detect parasites. And the fact that it immediately kills its host shows that it knows how dangerous it is.
This is an absolutely impossible action unless you know the existence of parasites or have been harmed by parasites many times. After all, the opponent is likely to be a ranker.
'I thought it would happen for sure, but I never thought we'd meet so soon.'
Even before infiltrating, I fully expected that there would be cult rankers.
Berzan 02 is a key point for Cult in the game. It won't be much different here. Just as I, as an Amorph, know very well which traits are useful and which creatures to catch, so do the cults.
That's why he secretly came to the planet to avoid the cult ranker.
Despite such efforts, I got caught in an unexpected situation.
'…I can't help what has already happened.'
Rather than panicking now, it's better to think about what to do later.
'It's only a matter of time before the hideout gets caught.'
If you investigate the whereabouts of the person infected with parasites, you will find out where I am hiding. He will find me within a week, if not a few days at the earliest.
"are you okay? "What's going on?"
Heaven's mother seemed to be worried when I suddenly stopped moving and jumped off my back.
[Zuzuzzu Zuzuz (Alkadi is dead)]
｢What? When?｣
[zuzu zuzu zuzuzuzu zuzuzu zuzuzu zuzuzu zuzuzu (just now. It was so instantaneous that the parasite couldn't even send the information properly)] ｢Didn't you say you were
going to a meeting held at the Water Fortress today? But he died?」
[Zu (Yes)]
She also recognized the seriousness of the situation and stiffened her body.
｢Could it be that there is a ranker?｣
[zuzu zuzuzu zuzu (there is a high probability of that happening)]
｢…It's a pain in the ass. What are you going to do? ｣
[zuzu zuzu zuzuzu (I'm thinking about it now)]
There is only one thing I can do now that I have parasites.
Enter the 'Water Fortress' where the Cold Blood Ranker is hiding as quickly as possible before the chase begins.
However, it is very difficult to avoid the gaze of enemies with the body of the Eucharist. I didn't wait for 30 days to transform back into a 'clever weakling' for no reason.
'Should I fight him instead?'
The reason I came to find the 22nd ranked cold blood ranker is to collect information about the illusion. This is because, although our opponent is not as good as Mother of Heaven, she has been in this world for quite a long time and is likely to treat us in a friendly manner.
However, I have now become aware of the existence of a new ranker. One way is to aim for the cult ranker before reaching 22nd place.
'It's a goal modification.'
A ranker who killed parasites. My guess is that he has been active in this world for quite a long time. So much so that I was officially invited to a meeting attended by Berzan 02's powerful figures. It can be said to be an appropriate subject for interrogation.
'…no.'
I thought about it for a while, but an all-out war is definitely not a good idea.
He doesn't know me, but neither do I. I can only assume that the cult ranker is a powerful person, but other than that, I don't know anything else. If the ranker targeting me here is 7th, it will be quite difficult.
Beomho, the 7th ranked cult ranker, mainly uses unpredictable strategies similar to mine. They must have prepared a trap from the moment they recognized my presence.
Even if we assume that the enemy ranker is not a fan, it is a problem. There is no guarantee that there will be only one enemy. There is a very high probability that there will be other fellow rankers, so it is dangerous to fight blindly.
'And if you make a mistake and the 22nd falls on the enemy's side, you'll be in trouble.'
All the other players who saw me fighting against rankers helped other rankers, not me. The reason is that I have a big or small grudge relationship with most of the rankers.
Taking that into account, 22nd may also act the same way in the game. Even if Heaven's Mother belatedly steps in to stop him, it won't be easy to change the other person's judgment. Rather, they will think that she is being controlled by parasites.
'It actually happened to me, so it's not something I'd say.'
In any case, in order to prevent 'misunderstanding' from the Cold Blood Ranker, at least the first encounter must be peaceful.
'In the end, what matters is how you fight.'
First of all, an all-out war is not possible, and even a manned war is not easy.
This is the enemy's home ground. Luring enemies underground and catching them causes more harm than good. Even if I annihilate the enemies, reinforcements will continue to arrive. The situation is different from when we caught Jason.
"How much time is left before transformation is possible?"
Sky's mother, who had been silently contemplating, opened her mouth.
In response to her question, I checked how much time was left before the cooldown of 'Organic Evolution' expired. Less than 7 days remaining. That's enough time for the cult to find me.
[Zuzu Zuzu (less than 7 days)]
｢They will find our hideout before then, right?｣
[Zu(Yes)]
｢How about I sneak into the water fortress before then?｣
[Zuzu(alone?)]
"huh. It'll take a few days for them to find his hiding place, so I'll find him as soon as possible. If you find her early, you can take her with you and leave here."
This is how she meets No. 22 on her own.
It's not a bad method, but it still has a problem. What if #22 doesn't follow her? If she resists when there is no time left, it will be a pain in the ass.
'If I just resist, it's fortunate.'
If you change your mind and attack her, it will be quite a pain.
I don't think the Mother of Heaven will lose, but she is also a ranker. There is no way the battle will end quietly unless one side is completely overwhelmed.
'It would be a big deal if I got caught by a cult ranker while fighting.'
Not only Coldblood's life, but also her life is in danger.
Her amber eyes shined brightly even in the dark and illuminated me. She knows she is putting herself in danger. Since the situation was not good, he probably spoke out with the intention of taking the risk.
'I can't leave her here.'
Heavenly Mother is someone who helps me survive. This card is too precious to be used up here.
[Zuzuz Zuzu Zuzuzu Zuzuzu Zuzuzu Zuzuzu Zuzuzu Zuzu (There is no guarantee that we will find number 22 before the chase team comes, so it is not possible)]
｢Fighting with them is also dangerous. If you fight the cult, he'll be on the other side, right? To be honest, your image is not good."
[Zuzu Zuzu (I know)]
I knew that, but it made me feel strangely bad to hear words criticizing her image come out of her mouth. It was even more so because he said it with serious eyes and not in a joking manner.
'My reputation is so crappy… Wait a minute. image?'
An idea suddenly occurred to me.
Just as I don't know about my enemies, there are many things they don't know about me. Just as I guess the enemy's capabilities in advance, the other side will act similarly, but it is impossible to predict perfectly.
For example, things like sending the Mother of Heaven into the water fortress are things I wouldn't have even attempted if it were a game.
Me in the game and me now.
This gap may be a clue to a breakthrough.
[Zuz zuzu zuzu zuzu zu (I just thought of this, how about this?)]
｢Huh?｣
I started explaining the idea that popped into my head. At first, she listened with her head tilted, but by the end of the explanation, she was looking at me with a puzzled expression.
[Zuzu (What do you think?)]
｢…Honestly, it seems ridiculous, but it might work surprisingly well.｣
[Zuzu zuzuzuzu zuzuzuzu zuzuzuzu (Because it's something I can't do if I'm in the game)]
｢Of course. "It's something you would never do."
She nodded as if she exactly agreed with what I said.
"But there are still a lot of issues. I think we need to adjust the parts that rely too much on luck."
[Zuzuzuz (of course)]
Time is tight to prepare before they come. I put her on my back again and quickly set off for the center.
In the game, I overcame several challenges that everyone said were impossible. When it was not a ranker, it hunted rankers, and even when it was only a sub-adult, let alone an adult, it devoured many clans.
Even after coming to this world, I was on the verge of death more than once, but I survived.
It's the same this time too.
-x-X-x-
Five days have passed since Alkadi, the family of Alshas, the captain of 'Defender of Berzan 02', died.
The entire planet was moved by the unprecedented situation in which the captain of an imperial carrier died. Cults with the ability to track knowledge managers belonging to the Surveillance Office, warrior groups belonging to each organization, etc. In addition, the Priests of the Eye of Revelation and the Society of Prophets, who protect Berzan 02, were mobilized.
As others may not know, it was unusual for priests and prophets to participate in the investigation.
The purpose of both groups is to eliminate entities that violate providence. In charge of problems that arise from within the empire, not from outside, such as searching for the Vortex One cult and eliminating spies.
However, there is one reason why they intervened in Alkadi's death.
Although it was not known to the outside world, Outspacers had recently been using unusual methods to undermine the empire.
Previous attacks had been carried out by creating a 'bio portal' on an empty planet and then summoning a large group. Once the portal was created, a huge amount of energy was generated, allowing the Empire to prepare in advance.
But now things have changed.
They improved the parasites that inhabited the bodies of 'worker bugs' and forcibly transplanted them into the bodies of captured cultists and various intelligent beings. Infected intelligences became their slaves and infiltrated several planets to prepare for an offensive.
The good news was that there were no successful cases because the intelligence of the infected people was extremely low.
Of course, there is no guarantee that this will be the case forever.
Ever since the priesthood learned of the existence of parasites, they have prepared to prevent the infiltration of infected people. By distributing parasite tracking equipment and psychic technology that identifies the characteristics of infected people to members.
It was for this reason that the vice-captain took 'action' against Alkadi and their involvement in the investigation.
However, although many people participated in the investigation, those who had been injected with parasites were not easily found.
This is because Alkadi's behavior was very different from that of a typical infected person. He behaved perfectly normally until he lost his life in Chisos' mansion. It was not easy to find anything suspicious in his movements.
And he was treading into gray areas other than the legal ones in business. Since many cases were handled secretly without leaving any evidence, the investigation was bound to face difficulties.
In the end, it was only four days after the investigation began that we were able to find clues about the person who planted the parasite.
Before his death, Alkadi sent a container containing living creatures to an abandoned building on the Avenue of Glory once every three days for about three weeks. It is a widely known fact that he has an abnormal desire to collect. There was absolutely no reason for such a person to send the animals from his collection to an abandoned street.
Additionally, creating an outspacer's bioportal requires a huge amount of organic matter. The Priests and Prophets claimed that the abandoned building, namely the 'Hover Bus Center', was their hideout.
However, Alshas and others with experience fighting large-scale offensives in the past denied the theory that it was an operation by Outspacer. Many of the captains and warriors witnessed Outspacer's parasites. The being that emerged from Alkadi's body had a completely different appearance and had extremely advanced abilities.
So they expressed the opinion that it was the work of the Vortex One priests.
The reason this became a problem was because the composition of the punitive force had to change depending on who the opponent was.
An outspacer who is resistant to psychic power but cannot use psychic techniques. To deal with them, you need high-firepower psychic power weapons and equipment with high physical defense.
On the other hand, Vortex One cult members are very anomalous. The battle pattern completely changes depending on which Vortex One they serve. So, after the selection process, it is common to prepare equipment suitable for the relevant religious group.
Since this opinion could not be narrowed down during the investigation, Keysos took action to mediate.
While persuading Alshas, he ordered the Society of Prophets to prepare for the cult's possible secret plans. This is so that if anything suspicious is discovered during the subjugation, those deployed as reserve units can be deployed immediately.
Since he agreed to pay half of the cost of operating the reserve unit, the Society of Prophets also accepted the arbitration.
Among the priests, there were some who expressed dissatisfaction with having to divide the forces, but they could not refuse orders from higher authorities. In the end, the matter proceeded according to Kisos's proposed mediation plan.
And on the fifth day.
A punitive force to hunt monsters has entered the streets of glory.
｢Punitive force. Moving towards the 'hidden place'."
"It's finally starting."
Nern muttered as he heard a message from the imperial carrier floating in the sky.
He is currently in the situation room of a defense facility located in the 'Water Fortress'. I was watching the operation with Alshas and several soldiers.
"…I should have gone."
"Don't you know best that you can't do that too? "Kisos was considerate of you."
The defenders of Alshath's imperial carrier Berzan 02 did not participate in this operation.
She lost her family to an unknown entity.
An ordinary soldier might not know this, but if a captain of an imperial carrier falls into a desire for revenge while carrying out an operation, it becomes a serious problem. So another imperial carrier took part in the operation in her place.
Nern pointed out that point, but Alshas shook his head.
"That's not it. What concerns me is that the enemy may not be just an outspacer. "You know this too, right?"
In fact, Nern had similar thoughts to her.
Even if it was true that Outspacer did what the priests said, there were many things that were unclear.
The war between them and the Empire is not just a day or two. There is no way they don't know that Berzan 02 is difficult to attack. It is much more efficient to attack planets on the outskirts of the empire step by step rather than here.
'And of course, his rule over Alkadi is also suspicious.'
His younger brother is the captain of an imperial carrier, and he himself is an influential figure in the streets of light. It is foolish to infect those who are overly exposed to the outside gaze.
'They are monsters, but they are not fools.'
Although the priests eagerly expressed their opinions, Nern felt that the explanation alone was insufficient.
From his perspective, they are hiding a secret that the priesthood does not know about. Or a third entity that is not an outspacer.
But I didn't bother to say those words out loud.
"I can't help it. "I have no choice but to point out immediately what is suspicious about you."
"Will those proud priests listen to me?"
"I have no choice but to listen. "You are the one who has fought against them countless times."
She looked away slightly, as if she was embarrassed by Nern's simple praise.
Currently, Alshath is participating in the operation in the capacity of an advisor approved by the Council and the Planetary Governor. You cannot directly participate in operations and battles, but you can instead convey your opinions to the punitive force on the field.
The priesthood did not particularly object to that aspect. This was because they knew that she was a veteran warrior with tremendous combat experience.
"Isn't that the same for you, senior?"
"More than that, you're not even going to fight, but you brought a weapon."
Nern's gaze went down the chair she was sitting on. Alshas held in his hands the two black axes standing at his feet.
"One of these was given to me by a friend of mine at the Society of Prophets."
"You use an ax while you're in the Society of Prophets. "You are an unusual friend."
"It is not a weapon that he personally used. To be precise, he gave me a weapon that he received from someone else."
There were complex emotions in her eyes, as if the object had some story behind it.
"If you have a friend in the Society of Prophets, wouldn't he give you some advice on this operation?"
"Unfortunately, that is not possible. "Because Providence took it away not long ago."
"…I'm sorry."
After hearing those words, Nern realized that the true nature of that feeling was sadness. He quickly apologized and she nodded as if it was okay.
"My friend gave his life for the cause. "We have lost many of our compatriots so far, but I believe that one day their sacrifice will pay off."
"…you."
"Now it is my turn to follow the legacy left behind by my friend. I hope that the great cause will be accomplished without any further sacrifices.
"You will definitely be able to bring peace to the empire. "Do you believe me?"
When she heard those words, she looked at Nern with a strange expression. She met Nern's gaze for a moment and then said.
"I wish I could enjoy that peace with you, too."
"me?"
"yes. You are important to the cause. "You must not die until your purpose is achieved."
"Thank you for your words. Don't worry. Providence sent me back to defend the empire. "I will never go to his side until his will is accomplished."
When Nern spoke firmly, she smiled with satisfaction.
At that time, the cultist who was printing images of the movements of the punitive force shouted.
"Punitive force. Entering the center!"
With that, the conversation between the two ended.
Everyone's eyes were focused on the image floating in the center of the situation room.
The punitive force had just set foot inside the Hover Bus Center.
–
"Identification of residual pheromones of parasites."
"It continues inside."
"We confirmed the marks left by the container."
200 combatants from different specialties, including warrior group knowledge managers, hunters, paramedics, and priests who had learned tracking techniques, entered the abandoned building.
Outside the building, 2,000 troops were waiting to support them and be deployed in case of emergency, and ships of the mother ship group were floating in the sky.
The punitive forces followed the trail, leaving behind a siege that would never be breached.
Traces of something huge remained intact on the sand piled up inside. Veteran hunters who have specialized in tracking skills guessed that the owner of the trail was a bipedal creature at least 40 meters long.
"At least 40m? "It's enormous."
"Looking at the size, it looks like the Queen's Guard."
"Or maybe a hybrid entity."
"Either way, this is not an easy opponent. "Please relay this information to the ship."
"yes."
Knowledge managers sent the information sent by the hunters to the carrier battle group in the sky. Meanwhile, others were wary of their surroundings.
There are a lot of people, but you don't know what trap the enemy may have prepared. Among the 200 people, no one let down their guard.
The punitive force moved again after the knowledge manager finished his work.
As they followed the trail, an underground staircase appeared in front of them. The Eye of Revelation priests, who had the strongest military power among the punitive forces, stood in front. They slowly descended, holding a long, five-pronged pole in their hands into the darkness.
Then a bright light emanated from the rod, illuminating a huge underground cavity.
"Traces found everywhere."
"That's strange. "There are traces, but there is no contamination from the outspacer."
"It is too early to make any hasty judgments. "It could be because the source is inside."
The senior priests leading the group kept an eye on the passages throughout the cave.
"The traces are evenly spread."
"It's a trap. "What about the ship's contact?"
"As a result of confirmation with the detection system, a creature of similar size to the owner of the trace was detected 2 km away."
"good. In case the passageway collapses, a total of 4 teams of 50 people will move while maintaining distance."
"Contact the reserve unit above and ask them to install additional personnel and detection equipment in the cavity."
"It would be a good idea to check the computers in the center as well."
The punitive force changed its formation in the hollow and moved into a large passage.
For a while after entering, I felt that although it was old, it had been renovated, but as I got deeper inside, this feeling gradually disappeared. There were traces of a huge beast with blunt claws digging into the ground everywhere.
"How's the communication status?"
"Good."
"If there is anything wrong, please report it immediately."
"It's strange. "There is no sign of a bio portal."
"No pollution or energy detected."
The underground passage was quiet except for the footsteps made by the punitive force. That part, in turn, made the senior priests anxious.
It was normal for something to come out by now.
In order for outspacers to be active, there must be a source of pollution, that is, a nest. Bio Portal All of their activities, including breeding, evolution, and nutrition, take place on the nest.
However, no nest was seen underground. It is rare for an individual, not even a queen, to wander around without a nest.
However, it was not as if the cultists were hiding as some people said.
Those who have lost themselves to evil beings commit human sacrifice, orgies, torture of victims, and other unspeakable acts. Since he is already out of his mind, he doesn't even hide the traces.
Five minutes have passed since the punitive force entered the passage. At this point, it was normal to see at least one bone, corpse, or blood.
'What on earth is this guy doing?'
The same thought occurred in the heads of the senior priests. At a time when tension was rising in the quiet passage, the member of the company in charge of communications shouted.
"Bad communication!"
"You're here! "There will be an attack soon!"
"Everyone prepare for defense!"
A punitive force that was prepared for battle in perfect order. Everyone drew their weapons and looked ahead. The light created by the priests and warriors in front cleared the darkness.
There was something on the other side of a passage as bright as the ground. The being opened its mouth wide towards the punitive force as if to take away the light.
And a green beam came out of its mouth and flew towards them.
"Activate all crew shields!"
"Priests!"
All warriors at the front activated their shields, and the priests unleashed 'Reflection', a powerful reflex technique.
The heat rays that collided with the intangible barriers piled up inside the passage were reflected. The split green beam returned to its owner or bounced off the surrounding walls.
And the walls and ceiling of the passageway hit by the beam quickly melted.
"It has an acid effect."
"Those with neutralizing liquid, prepare to spray!"
"Wear the life support device attached to your helmet!"
Among the cultists, there are those who use poison or strong acids as weapons, so preparations for this have already been completed. The punitive forces quickly put on the gas masks connected to their helmets.
Meanwhile, the strong acid it spewed out blew a hole in the ceiling above where they were. It was so strong that sunlight from above could shine through the holes.
However, the senior priests did not panic and calmly identified the enemy.
"You can't move while shooting acid."
"Even if you get hit by reflected acid, you'll be fine."
"It would be a good idea to check whether the carapace is hard or for some other reason."
"Everyone start shooting!"
The punitive forces poured bullets from their respective weapons at the enemy. There was a deafening explosion and the ceiling of the passage collapsed.
The collapsed ceiling was littered with building debris. As tremors occurred underground, some of the abandoned buildings above collapsed.
In the meantime, the guy was still getting beaten up. Whether or not he knew that all his attacks would be reflected, he just poured out acid until the ceiling collapsed.
After remaining motionless for several minutes, it stopped attacking and disappeared into the passage.
"oh my god. "It's incredibly hard."
"The current weapons are not enough. "We need to increase our firepower."
"How's the communication status?"
"It has become normal."
The senior priests exchanged glances at the signalman's words.
"It's an entity that spews strong acid and blocks communication. "This is my first time seeing a guy like that."
"…A new hybrid. "It's a big deal."
"Report the matter to the authorities and request support."
"What should we do? Shall we leave it to the ship from now on?"
"If it is an object with radio jamming capabilities, it may be difficult to track it with a ship. "I'll keep tracking him just in case."
Following the decision of the senior priests, the punitive force began tracking him down again.
However, unexpectedly, I was able to meet him quickly. In the narrow passageway, it once again hid its body and revealed only its head.
"It's toxic mold!"
"Priests prepare for air impact! "Don't let mold spread in the air!"
Unlike before, what he vomited was not acidic liquid, but a lump of malicious fungus. It moved its neck and fired disgusting projectiles at them.
"Oh, it hurts…it hurts…!"
"Ugh…"
"Spray disinfectant! "Hold on a little!"
The parts touched by the mold rotted rapidly. A lucky few survived with first aid, but others did not.
Is it because of the sudden change in attack? This time there was a victim. Just like before, it continued attacking for a few minutes and then ran away.
The same thing happened when the guy disappeared and communication was reactivated. However, this time there were casualties, so we had to spend a longer time on the passage than before.
While other members worked diligently to help the casualties, the senior priests discussed the second enemy they encountered.
"…Did you just see him?"
"I saw it. "The guy's head is different."
"okay. It had no eyes and its horns looked different. "The shape of the head has changed since when I shot the acid."
"Do you have the ability to transform?"
"I don't know. "I'd better report it first."
What has become clear so far is that it has the ability to disrupt communication due to its size and that it has more than two types of attack methods.
They reported the information they had confirmed to the top and then set off again.
And on the third encounter, more people died than on the second.
It's not the communal level in the center's basement, but it's a fairly spacious space. That's where he made a surprise attack.
This attack did not fire malicious fungal projectiles or acid. In fact, it was a much simpler attack than that.
It moved at a speed so fast that it was invisible to the eye and hit the subjugation team members with its head.
As I confirmed when I first encountered it, its carapace was incredibly hard. The members who collided were literally torn to pieces.
The punitive force tried to counterattack somehow, but it was difficult to even find the guy. This is because he disappeared as if he had assimilated into an earthen wall.
The guy who turned ten warriors one by one into chunks of flesh flew across the passage.
"Damn… it was so fast I couldn't see it properly. Did anyone see it?"
"I looked and something was strange. "It has shrunk in size."
"What size?"
"okay. "It didn't seem like it would be even 10m, let alone 40m."
"What happened? "Could it be that there are other creatures here?"
"For now, the request for support has been completed. "When the unit comes, we will move together."
There were still about 180 members left, but they decided to go safely. Since its identity is unpredictable, it is dangerous to move hastily.
And before the reinforcements arrive.
The fourth raid occurred quietly.
A voice was heard from the group waiting for them. Someone was calling them from across the aisle they had passed.
I'll move the injured out first, so come this way.
At first, no one thought it was strange. Believing that some of the support units had arrived, the members helped their injured colleague and followed the voice.
If the senior priest had not been with them, and if the signalman had not tried to confirm this through communication, they would have fallen into a trap without any move.
Because there was a guy there.
From the rubble of the building piled up in the middle of the passage, the guy was calling out to them with only his neck and head exposed. This time too, the shape of the head was different. The appearance itself was similar to when I first saw it, but the color was pink.
The guy who was imitating the voice crushed all the injured members and hid in the rubble.
We searched the surrounding area with the real support unit that showed up late, but there was nothing. Although we found a few small holes that were only a few tens of centimeters wide, it was impossible for that large animal to hide inside them.
In the end, they returned to where their comrades were, losing only the wounded.
"Imitating voices? "Is that possible?"
"…It seems like whatever happened has become clear."
"that's right. "It's clear that his abilities change every time he changes his head."
"What kind of monster did the Queen create?"
"No, now I don't know if it's an out-spacer. "Maybe it really has something to do with a cult."
"If you're talking about 'masquerade,' then probably not. If that were the case, a major disaster would have already occurred."
There were a total of 250 members here, including the support unit, but the senior priests could not shake off their anxiety.
The anxiety that an unknown enemy was lurking underground somewhere, watching them, oppressed them.
And the communication that arrived from above drove a wedge into that anxiety.
"Please say that again. "What did you say just now?"
"The advisor opined that the creature you are dealing with looks similar to a 'three-headed demon.'"
"We know about it too. Does he have the ability to transform? Or rather, how on earth did they get here…."
｢An advisor contacted the Prophets Association and the Temple Guardians to investigate this matter. The results of the investigation are: Retreat Chijijik.｣
"Communication is unstable!"
"…."
A clue to the guy's identity was obtained, but no one was happy.
The devil's fifth attack is approaching the punitive force.
-x-X-x-
'It's going well.'
The surprise attack a little while ago was quite successful.
This is because one of the Eye of Revelation priests who was in charge of command was eliminated.
Those who were preparing for battle in the cave didn't seem to know, but there was another secret passage beneath their feet. It is a small side road used by the slow-moving No. 26.
I waited until the guy who confused the enemies by imitating his voice escaped through the passage and then attacked them.
The human beings who received my call went into battle for the first time in a long time. Many of the enemies I've fought so far were immune to the paralyzing sound waves of the worms. As a result, there were few opportunities to be active other than to acquire information, but not today.
Enemies who did not expect an attack using sound were hit by the sound waves and were incapacitated. Even priests.
They urgently used psychic techniques to remove the paralysis, but it was already too late. One of them was hit by the acid breath fired by the central head and disappeared without a trace.
Immediately after achieving my goal, I retrieved the Inmyeonchung and ran away.
The priests, who had lost a comrade in an instant, ran wild, but there was nothing they could do but scream. Apart from anger, I don't know what kind of traps there might be in this basement, so I can't move quickly.
I retreated without any restraint and put my three heads on the floor. Auxiliary organs attached under the chin collected what was happening above the underground passages.
Since it has three heads, the performance of auxiliary organs has also improved by more than three times. Thanks to this, it was possible to easily observe the movements of enemies without having to build a nest.
'Arranging the battle line.'
The enemies in the cavity did not move. Instead, a new movement was felt from the center.
Unless they are idiots, they must have gained information during the five raids. Prepare accordingly.
'okay. 'You're doing great.'
Do they know that their actions were what I intended?
There are two main goals I need to achieve in this fight.
The first is to buy time.
To infiltrate the 'Water Fortress', you must transform into a 'clever weakling', but the cooldown is not over. You have to wait at least 2 more days.
After the parasite was discovered, I prepared several things to ensure a long-term battle with the enemy. Dozens of large and small caves drilled underground are also part of the preparations.
If it were a normal planet, it would have ended with the use of an imperial mother ship, but this is Berzan 02. There are several cities on the ground above your head. If you want to catch me, you'll eventually have to enter the underground passage.
Also, apart from the fact that this is a cult planet, they are not used to fighting underground.
Except for the Eye of Revelation priests who deal with the cult, most people have probably never fought underground. Priests also fight much better when they are above ground rather than underground.
So, I prepared a battlefield with a complex structure so that it could take a long time. Before they built a siege network, No. 26 and I worked diligently to build it.
The maze spread out like an anthill, and in addition to passages that I can walk through, there are also many tunnels that Adhaya or a shrunk No. 26 can wander through. When I guide the enemies to a specific point, the kids carry out guerrilla warfare.
To be honest, it's not difficult to annihilate the enemies here right away. This is also possible with No. 26 and Aadhai, who have been transplanted with my characteristics. Or, you can just sprinkle 'colors of the abyss' on top of the nest like you did before.
Instead, the reason for putting in this effort is related to the second goal.
'Providing misinformation to the real enemy.'
The key to playing Aimorph in the game lies in the characteristics he possesses. Using a huge number of characteristics at the right time and place to inflict unpredictable attacks on the enemy. That's Amov's basic strategy.
In other words, if the other person knows what characteristics you have, the effect is halved. All the enemy needs to do is catch the weakness of my characteristics and prepare for it.
Therefore, Aimorph must hide his characteristics and think of new ways to use them every time. Otherwise, no matter how strong your characteristics are, you will inevitably be left out.
To return to the topic, the cult group that is confronting me right now is not, strictly speaking, my enemy. It is safe to say that it was a scouting party sent by my 'true enemy'.
The cult ranker hiding somewhere up there is probably diligently analyzing it. I will be carefully examining things like what stage of evolution I am in and what characteristics I have.
Even though he knew that, the reason why he did not hide his characteristics and exposed them at every opportunity was no different.
This is to hide really important weapons and provide false information.
At this point, the most powerful weapons I have are two. These are the characteristics I gained through the people who help me and the transcendental system.
The first of these is something that anyone who knows me in the game would never believe.
No one I've ever met thought that the guys I was with had free will and followed me. Cynthia, who last fought with me, also thought of No. 26 only as a pet.
Even my heavenly mother said it was a miracle that I could walk around with other living creatures.
The same goes for the mysterious ranker fighting me in Berzan 02. He doesn't know that I have company. Even if they knew, they would think they were under my control and would not know that they had become powerful enough to hunt rankers on their own.
And to hide the fact that I had a colleague, I pretended to have 'the characteristic of being able to freely change my body.'
For example, No. 26 and Aadhai, who attacked the enemy instead of me, used the characteristics I possessed.
First, Aadhai. The guy actively used the newly implanted special defense-related fusion characteristic, 'Protection Color'. The effect of protective coloration is to imitate the surrounding environment and hide by staying in one place for a few seconds. This is a useful trait for Aadhai, who is small and moves quickly.
Of course, it is impossible to avoid the detection system with protective color alone, but that is not a big problem as No. 26 can assist. When No. 26, who was hiding in a secret passage, nullified the detection equipment with psychic power, Aadhai came forward.
As he always did, he fought by using 'Red Armor' to protect his body and then accelerating and striking the enemy. The enemy was helpless in front of the Gallagon projectile, which never broke.
Next is number 26. He used 'Mutation Tentacles' and 'Mimicking Tentacles' to clean up the injured.
In the game, the 'mimetic organ' was a characteristic that was like my identity. Imitating voices and appearances to lure and kill enemies was something I often did.
There's no way a ranker wouldn't know that both protective coloring and mimicry are traits I often use. They probably think it was me who did it.
The enemy will probably think that I have gained the ability to adjust body size or the ability to transform into different forms.
'It's not like they don't have similar characteristics.'
At least it is far from what the enemy imagines. The more these illusions accumulate, the more likely they are to make a fatal mistake.
'It's already like that now.'
The enemy ranker made a wrong decision.
If I had fought, I would have used the Imperial Mothership at least by the time we were attacked the second time. However, the enemy does not do this and continues to send troops underground.
It may have been a decision made out of a desire to find out more about my qualifications, but the important thing is that he is belittling me.
In his view, I am in a state of constantly exposing my characteristics and running away. Not having built a nest is a bonus. However, this is not to lure them into a trap. If that were the intention, would the 200 or so cult members who went underground still be alive today?
Any ranker who has fought Aimorph will know what this means.
It's just that I came to this planet not long ago, so I'm not ready to fight.
Even if I am a notorious opponent, wouldn't it be worth a try in this condition?
'You must be thinking so.'
If the enemy looks down on me, I am grateful. Because I didn't come to this planet to fight them.
I lifted my head off the floor, hoping the enemy would think I was vulnerable.
They are still busy reorganizing. It looks like it will take more than an hour at the shortest.
In the meantime, I also have work to do. If you succeed in this, you can earn quite a long time.
I moved again toward the inside of the wide open passage.
–
Watching Alshas working hard to communicate through the communicator, Nern recalled his nightmare.
I have witnessed a similar scene before.
'Three-headed devil…'
A rare devil who destroyed the imperial carrier and carrier battle group in the holy land Saigil 08.
The monster appeared in the video recorded by the punitive force.
'It looks different, but it's definitely a guy.'
The head shape seen at the time taken with the imperial carrier's camera was quite different from its current appearance. The number of horns has increased now compared to then. Moreover, the size has also been reduced to an incomparable degree.
That guy was hiding with only his head sticking out, but Nern noticed it right away. The fact that the guy's true identity is his enemy.
Nern told Alshas the truth. Since these were the words of the only person on this planet, or rather this planet, who had seen the monster in person, she immediately took action.
After knowledge managers compared the records related to him with the records of the punitive force, his words turned out to be true. Knowledge managers estimated that it was likely the same entity as the demon that caused the Saigil 08 disaster.
The commanders were in an uproar when they realized that the opponent underground was a three-headed devil.
The good news is that it appears to have weakened. The size was reduced and there was no powerful breath that set the entire carrier group on fire.
If the enemy had the same specs as what they had seen before, those who went underground would have already died.
Alshas pointed out that fact and calmed the commanders. Meanwhile, the Temple Guardians, monster experts, and the fully armed Eye of Revelation Priests were dispatched to request the summons of an imperial carrier stationed on another planet.
Since it was impossible to launch an orbital bombardment on a planet that was one of the top five in the empire, the summons to the imperial carrier was rejected, but all other opinions were accepted.
The elite troops of the Temple Guardians, who have currently received a request for support, are on their way to Berzan 02. The Priests of the Eye of Revelation also dispatched priests with outstanding military power, such as the vice-captain, to the underground. The fully armed priests have already headed to the Avenue of Glory, so they will soon join the punitive force.
Nerne felt fortunate to see Alshas making good use of his position as an advisor, but at the same time felt a very small sense of anxiety.
It is true that the devil has become weaker. However, it is questionable whether it will be really easy to defeat.
For example, it showed its head a total of four times during five raids. Three of them were similar to the monsters Nern had witnessed. The head that used acid breath resembled the head on both sides of the head that shot corroding flesh in the center.
However, the pink hair imitating the cult's voice felt different. It clearly looked the same as the head in the center, but it felt different. Just like any other living creature.
What if there isn't one? What if he has helpers or other monster minions?
Currently, whether it is the subjugation force or Alshas, the strategy is focusing only on one three-headed demon. However, if there is not just one but many people, you could face a big disaster.
'…No, it won't matter anyway.'
This is Berzan 02. It is impossible for him to survive here, one of the core planets of the Empire. Even if it increases from one to two, it only takes more time. He dies here.
The only regret is that he can't kill the guy himself.
He wanted to join that punitive force, but Alshas wouldn't let him go. His favorite junior wanted him to watch his enemy's death from a safe place.
'But if there was a chance…'
That was the time when I was thinking about that and pondering my regrets.
A message appeared on the terminal pad on my wrist. His eyes widened greatly when he saw the message.
'What?'
The person who sent the message was Minseok Eugene, a deacon who served Sihyeon Eugene.
As soon as his owner and Lila Chamberlain saw the video sent by the punitive force, they ran outside.
'Why on earth?'
It is true that Sihyeon promised to help him get revenge. It is also true that she was given a detailed explanation of the three-headed demon who was seeking vengeance.
However, taking action immediately after seeing the video is a different matter. The thing's appearance was also very different from what he described.
But what does it mean to move so immediately?
'no way?'
That was a reaction that only those who knew him well could show. Just like Nern.
-x-X-x-
Multiple cults walked in a dark underground maze.
Most of them wore suit-like reinforced clothing, but some wore very large armor.
Their true identity, which appears to be two heads taller than the surrounding cults, is the fully armed Priests of the Eye of Revelation. The reinforced suits they are wearing are special reinforced suits made to fight against the Vortex One cult.
No matter how skilled a cult is in psychic power, it is difficult to remain sane if exposed to the power of Vortex One. Even warriors who had been trained for decades often turned into madmen in a split second while fighting cultists.
To prevent this, the Priesthood provides means to protect the most important warriors. The name of this reinforced uniform issued to the most elite priests is the 'Heresy Interrogation Uniform'. This equipment is made by processing a large amount of Nova Metal into dark matter and provides immunity to various energy attacks.
In addition, it has excellent physical defense and can withstand bombardment from battleships. In terms of defense alone, it is superior to its rival, the 'Yonglinbok' of the Temple Guardians.
The downside is that it cannot receive any assistance from psychic techniques that are helpful in combat due to its unique resistance effect, and that it is very heavy, making its movements slow.
Moreover, some of those currently underground were carrying special weapons.
The warriors standing in the middle of the group are walking in pairs while holding one weapon.
The name of the weapon, which looks like a spear wielded by a giant or a mythical being, is 'Slayer'. It is a remodeled version of the 'Demolisher', mainly used by the Temple Guardians, into a standard heavy weapon.
Although it is an entry-level model, it is large in size and has far superior firepower than the Demolisher. Thanks to this, it is mainly used when fighting outspacers with hard shells. Considering the specs of the being they had to deal with now, the Slayer was absolutely necessary, so they brought it with them.
The speed of the punitive force was very slow due to the priests wearing heavy equipment as well as the warriors carrying heavy weapons.
But no one was to blame for this.
Their opponent is a monster with great strength, high intelligence, and even the ability to transform. If you don't have this level of equipment, you will most likely be killed if you encounter him. Didn't the punitive force that came in before them actually suffer great damage?
So, the punitive force chose a strategy of building a siege network that could drive the bastards in, albeit slowly. Because of this, it took a full day, but the results were clear.
In addition to them, there are now thousands of cult warriors waiting underground at each location. When the punitive force or the warriors waiting at each point encountered the 'three-headed devil', the warriors at other points reconstructed the siege network targeting the devil's movement path.
While the siege was being built, it attempted to attack the defenders and punitive forces at each point, but the damage was minor. Conversely, the punitive force succeeded in injuring the man.
About 3 hours ago, while they were moving ahead of a crossroads, this guy suddenly appeared in front of them.
Strongly acidic liquid and chunks of corrosive mold poured out from the mouth of this hideous-looking creature.
Two types of attacks came, but this time, the punitive force was properly prepared. The punitive force led by heavily armed priests easily defended against the attack. While the priests blocked the attack with the Inquisitor's defensive effect, the warriors holding the Slayer began shooting.
Even its hard shell could not block the Slayer's material decomposition bombs. Two of the eyeless head's horns were hit by bullets and destroyed. It probably didn't expect this, but it ran away as soon as its horn was damaged.
The punitive force was greatly encouraged by their first success after entering the underground. Because if you can hurt, you can also kill.
It didn't show up again after that. Instead, he simply used his unique voice imitation ability to deceive the punitive force.
However, from the point of view of the punitive force, there was nothing to regret.
The longer the game of tag lasts, the more advantageous it is not the guy, but the punitive force. The owner of this planet is a cult. The punitive force can receive unlimited support, but they are not bastards.
And in a few hours, reinforcements from the Temple Guardians will also arrive. If experts in monster hunting join, the battle will definitely turn towards the punitive force.
"Movement occurs within 500m ahead."
"It's going smoothly. Please share with priests in other branches."
"yes."
The vice-leader of the Eye of Revelation Priests, who served as the temporary commander of the punitive force, nodded at his subordinate's words.
The warriors holding the Slayers were ready to fire at any time, and the priests wearing the Inquisition uniforms tightened their hands holding their weapons.
The sounds of the cult members' breathing and footsteps as they moved were made on the dirt.
As the distance between the point where the movement occurred and the punitive force gradually narrowed, a sound was heard.
"Everyone stop."
Everyone stopped moving at the vice-captain's words. In the silence where not even the sound of breathing could be heard, a sound was heard again.
"Help me!"
In the darkness yet to be revealed, someone was asking for help. However, the vice-captain did not move hastily.
"Is there a waiting point around here?"
"There is one."
"How can I contact you?"
The subordinate who quickly made contact shook his head. The vice-captain immediately gave an order.
"Everyone be careful. "He's nearby."
"yep."
"If you see something moving, start shooting immediately. "It's an order."
Until now, he had been deceiving them by imitating their voices. It is unlikely that that opponent is an ally.
Moreover, the above had already issued an order in this regard a long time ago. It can imitate the voices of other intelligent beings, so if in doubt, attack immediately.
The punitive force that received orders from the vice-captain slowly walked toward the sound of the voice.
"Help me! "Help me!"
"No need to worry. Be faithful to your duties. "I will take responsibility for everything."
"Help me!"
The closer they got, the more desperate the screams became. Every time a voice was heard, the vice-captain reassured the subjugation team members not to be agitated.
Then the voice suddenly cut off. The passage, which was supposed to be filled with silence, began to vibrate. The vice-captain saw something beyond the shaking darkness and shouted loudly.
"Start shooting!"
The Slayer and various weapons spewed fire, brightening up the black cave. An explosion more intense than light struck the walls of the passage mercilessly. Through the flashing light, I saw a huge creature twisting around.
The indiscriminate firing of the punitive force ended after the creature stopped moving. The dirt-covered floor was already soaked with the blood the bastard had spilled.
Although no creature could survive after shedding this much blood, the vice-captain did not let down his guard.
"Let me check."
A priest approached him cautiously.
"Vice-captain!"
"what? "Are you still alive?"
"That's not it! "Come here!"
The emotion of embarrassment was evident in the voice of the subordinate who identified the body.
It was only after the vice-captain checked the body that he realized why he was embarrassed.
The body in front of him.
The identity of the guy hiding half of his body in the dirt is not the three-headed devil.
That was Red Worm, an entity that had a significant impact on the planet's ecosystem.
"What should I do?"
It would have been better than the current situation if he was still alive.
'…Damn it.'
The dead red worm was an individual that had not yet fully grown. Just looking at its size, it was similar to the three-headed demon they were chasing.
What this means is that he can avoid the attention of the punitive force by pretending to be a red worm. No, maybe he got out of this area a long time ago.
This was a blind spot that arose from tracking the creature based solely on its size and vibration.
"Contact above immediately. "He is mixed among the Red Worms."
"yes. I understand…"
At that time, the quiet passageway vibrated. The vice-captain knows what that vibration means.
"Another Red Worm is coming! Everyone prepare for battle!"
The three-headed devil didn't just run away.
A huge trap he had prepared was targeting them.
–
'I got caught.'
Vibration that can be felt even when the assistive device is not placed on the ground.
It was a signal that the red worms were moving.
They might have thought they had successfully surrounded me, but that was not the case at all. On the contrary, I led them to a specific place.
This is Red Worm's territory.
The punitive force doesn't seem to have noticed, but the passages they are currently standing in were not created by me. All I did was create a slight path in the tunnel where the red worms were passing through.
He also did not forget to make his voice heard to the enemies while leading them to Red Worm's territory. Thanks to this, my enemies made the serious mistake of thinking that I was the only one imitating the voices of others under the red desert.
'The ranker knows what he did wrong, but…'
It's too late to turn back now.
There are two ways for the ranker to catch me here.
Either come down and chase me, or kill all the moving red worms.
'I'll probably choose the latter.'
If the other person was smart, he would have figured out that I had induced this situation. Their guard against me has heightened, but it is unlikely that I will enter the underground directly.
However, it is not easy to come all the way here and take out the imperial mother ship. Destroying Berzan 02 is a completely different matter than bombing a sacred site.
No matter how I destroy it, what if I don't die? Will my opponent be able to take the risk of having to fight me in an empty universe without anyone's support?
Therefore, the only way the enemy ranker can choose is to kill the Red Worm to facilitate tracking me.
'The problem is that that was my real intention.'
The number of red worms I encountered before he established a siege network was over 80. How long does it take to track down and kill so many red worms one by one? It will take a week at the earliest.
All I have to do is wait until I can transform while they chase after their wrong target.
'Of course, we need to add some seasoning in the middle.'
I need to show up at the right time to keep my enemies from deviating from my plan. Only then will the enemy continue to pursue Red Worm with vain hope.
It's a bonus to keep making people think I'm in a 'weak state'.
'Then move again… oops.'
As I was about to go find those who had not yet encountered Red Worm, I remembered something I had forgotten.
I raised my fighting arm and grabbed the two horns on the left side of my head. And I broke the horn with all my might.
Number 26 saw me breaking the intact horn and tapped me with its tentacle.
｢Big baby, why are you breaking the horn?｣
[Zuz zuzu zuzu zuzu zuzu zu zuzu (I'm acting because I'm not healed)]
｢Acting? I know acting! When I imitate bad kids, it's also acting!"
[Zuzuzu (exactly)]
"I'm good at acting too! Look!"
He said and took out a 'mutant tentacle.' The ordinary tentacle wriggled and transformed into something similar to the left head with a broken horn. It was just pink in color, but it looked exactly like my hair does now.
[Zuzuzu (You're good)]
｢I'm good!｣
[Zuzu zuzu zuzu zuzu zuzu zuzuzu zuzu (When you meet bad kids, do what you normally do)]
｢Yes. "It's acting."
The guy who had changed his tentacles to their original ones climbed on top of my head.
After that, I went around with him and played tricks on the enemies. Even after Aadhai joined along the way, the plan did not change.
As expected, the enemy chose to reduce the Red Worm. However, a lot more people were sent underground than I expected.
'I never thought they would even mobilize the temple guards.'
The temple guards are the priest's bodyguards and experts in monster hunting. Originally, they were not stationed in Berzan 02. This is because there is no need to do so because there is a priesthood of the Eye of Revelation.
However, seeing warriors wearing dragon uniforms walking around here made it clear that they had been hastily brought in from another planet.
'I guess you really want to catch me…'
But the method was wrong.
Numerous people mistook Red Worm for me and wasted time killing him. Thanks to this, I was able to survive underground for two days without major damage.
'An hour to go.'
After about one more hour, the cooldown for 'Organic Evolution' will end. After that, you can leave this place in a transformed state.
Heavenly Mother and PS-111 had already made preparations to escape me a long time ago. He must be waiting for me at the meeting place out there.
'Before I go, should I try to keep the enemy far away one last time?'
[Zuzzu zuzuzu zuzu zuzuzu (I have business to do, so I'll go first)]
｢Yes.｣
｢Hurry up｣｢Come｣｢I
'll wait for you｣ I patted No. 26 and Aadhai, who had worked hard so far, once and sent them off first.
I left them behind and headed towards the direction where the cult group was gathered.
'huh?'
When the distance between them was short, my auxiliary organs sensed a strange energy.
These underground cults never moved in small numbers. However, this feeling of popularity that I feel now was never the feeling of the majority.
'And I think I definitely felt this familiarity somewhere.'
The being coming towards me showed very faint footsteps and refined movements like a machine. It was clearly the movements of someone I had encountered in person, but I couldn't remember when I had seen it.
'Just in case.'
I prepared my acid breath in the direction the opponent was coming from. The moment the suspicious-looking owner appeared from beyond the cave, I fired my breath.
A cannonball of green, gritty liquid traversed the passageway and hit its target.
"…Acidic mucus. "Nothing has changed."
'what?'
The other person's voice was heard in a passage filled with acidic smoke. Then, an intangible wind blew through the fog and ripped off one of the horns on the center's head.
'How can this be?'
"Do you remember me?"
I was more surprised by the other person's identity than by the fact that the tip of the horn was cut off.
Long black hair, a slim body, and eyes with a cool, calm glow.
Of all the people I have met, there is only one person who has these characteristics.
The first powerful enemy I faced after falling into this world.
A genetically modified human who was defeated by me after a battle for his life.
'Sihyeon Eugene?'
She, once dead, emerged from this dark underworld.
-x-X-x-
Sihyeon Eugene, wearing the white reinforced suit 'White Maiden', glared at that being in the dark.
An unknown being who in the past killed the assassination target of 'Sihyun Eugene' and also murdered her.
The monster that had been tormenting her in nightmares for a while was discovered underground on an unfamiliar planet. It has become so strong that it is unrecognizable.
Even when fighting her, he transformed his body once. It was a change that could easily be called evolution.
The same goes for the guy in front of her right now. I couldn't even guess how much it had evolved to look like that.
But she wasn't afraid.
That guy is also one of the targets she has to kill. There's only one thing she needs to care about.
All the senses in my body were focused on his movements. The carapace surrounding the monster's body clicks together to make a subtle sound.
When she read that he was about to move, she kicked the ground.
As expected, the left side of its head hit the spot where she was. She jumped into the air and dodged it, landing on the monster's neck and running straight ahead.
The right head turned towards her with its muzzle wide open. Next, a lump of black mucus poured out.
Sihyeon raised his right arm forward while running. The White Maiden reinforced suit she wears can change its appearance as the user desires. The reinforced clothing covering the wrists unfolded like a funnel and transformed into a large shield.
She transformed her left arm by turning her arm into a shield to defend against the slime. This time, it wasn't the reinforcement suit that changed, but her body itself. The Gallagon genes injected into the body were expressed, and a silver blade emerged from the back of the hand.
That's when I tried to cut off the left side of his neck with a blade.
The bastard read her intention and cleared his throat loudly. Because of the loss of balance, the blade only made a scratch on the carapace covering the neck.
The guy's arm flies towards her as she falls from her neck. Even if you protect your body with a reinforced suit, if you get hit by that huge hand, you will be reduced to a pulp. She jumped into the air and narrowly avoided his arm.
But that wasn't the end of its attacks. This was because the tentacles protruding from its back had already reached her.
The tentacle, which had six appendages, was almost as long as a corvette. It is impossible to avoid this. She hastily created wings on her back.
She spread her glide-shaped wings and quickly retreated. The appendage attached to the tentacle narrowly missed reaching the tip of the wing.
But the guy hasn't given up yet.
The head of the creature that had its snout on the floor moved again. Its maw rose up to devour her while she was floating in the air.
Sihyeon returned his right arm, which had turned into a shield, to its original state and quickly pulled out the plasma pistol from his thigh holster.
The area she is targeting is inside the guy's mouth. A green light bullet was lodged in the wide-open snout.
｢Grrrr!｣
It's a small weapon, but it's definitely a plasma weapon. It doesn't seem to have caused any serious damage, but it was effective enough in slowing down the enemy's attack. While the left head tilts its head in frustration. She widened the distance between herself and the bastard.
'…strong.'
When they fought before, she had the upper hand. Although she was cruelly defeated because the bastard attacked her weak point while she was off guard.
But now he overpowers her.
There is no comparison in size or power. She has a slight advantage in terms of speed, but that is not a big difference.
'The durability is also enormous.'
Even though a plasma bullet was placed inside his neck, he was still fine. Even though the inside of the body is not protected by a carapace, it has incredible durability.
'The perfect biological weapon.'
The being in front of me was the Eugene family's long-cherished wish itself. If the shadow created by the Eugene family is a genetically engineered weapon that is at least one generation ahead, then it is a being on a completely different level.
If you asked her if she could win against such an opponent, or if she could 'hold on', she was skeptical.
'…but.'
Still, there is a reason why Sihyeon is standing here.
Because she also had a secret weapon.
Lyla Chamberlain, who came down to the basement together, is hiding with the relic 'Abyss Destroyer'.
It is a plan with many uncertainties that have not yet been resolved. Still, if things go according to plan, I'll be able to give that guy a proper punch.
With that hope in mind, I rushed at him again.
–
'How did you survive?'
I thought as I was struck by the flying sword energy.
Sihyeon Eugene, the girl who doesn't stop attacking even though she knows it's useless, is already dead.
I remembered it clearly because by feasting on her, I had gained useful traits such as 'mimetic organs' and 'monster's tentacles'.
The woman fighting with me was clearly Sihyeon Eugene. All elements, including her fighting style, movements, and body reactions, were identical to her dead counterpart.
The element of randomly reviving the dead in space survival is not completely absent, but it is extremely limited. Besides, this is not a game, this is reality. It is questionable whether the characteristics or equipment that resurrects the dead will work properly.
Then there is only one answer.
'Clone human.'
The enemy fighting me is most likely a clone prepared by Sihyeon Eugene in advance.
While she was thinking about her opponent's identity, a yak horn sprouted from her temple. In that state, she swung her arm with Gallagon's claws sticking out. The sword energy, much stronger than before, was aimed at my auxiliary organs.
'Two skills?'
From what I remember, Sihyeon's weakness was that she couldn't use more than one genetic technology at the same time. But now she was using both the yak horns transplanted to her head and the gallagon's claws transplanted to her arms.
'I was wondering how you cut the horn.'
I turned my head and defended myself from the sword with the tusks that sprouted from either side of my mouth. There is a slight scratch on the blade of the tusk, but it is not a major damage. I hit her on the head with my fighting arm.
"Tch!"
She clicked her tongue briefly and dodged the attack from my arm by jumping to the side. The eroding tentacles on my back shot out in the direction she was avoiding.
As if she had read my attack, she changed her arm back into a shield. A white shield and an erosion tentacle collided.
"Ugh?"
Although he succeeded in blocking the erosion tentacle with his shield, he looked quite embarrassed. He must have realized that the power contained in the tentacles is not light at all.
I spread the membrane on one of the wing arms and vigorously swept the floor where she was standing.
Perhaps because he decided that running away like before was impossible, this time he used 'reflection'. My wing arm stopped in place just before it swept her away. The enemy did not miss the short gap and quickly escaped.
"…shit."
Other than being covered in sand, she looked fine, but her expression was not good. This is because the part of the arm that was transformed into a shield was damaged.
'Even though she is a White Maiden, she is not all-powerful.'
I already know what the reinforced suit she's wearing is.
Just like the Code Black I killed before was wearing the 'Black Shroud', she was also wearing Yuil-class reinforced clothing. White Maiden is a special reinforced suit incorporating nanotechnology that can freely change its shape according to the user's will.
'It is a piece of equipment that greatly depends on the level of the user.'
In addition, it has useful functions such as self-repair and the ability to absorb other substances and use them as an energy source for reinforced clothing.
The downside of Si-hyeon is that he cannot use more than one genetic technology at a time. White Maiden, which can freely change its body, can effectively compensate for this shortcoming. It must have been given to her by Akira Eugene, the head of the Eugene family and the 3rd ranked ranker.
'But White Maiden also has its drawbacks.'
If you receive an attack so strong that the durability of the reinforced suit cannot withstand it, as it is now, recovery will be slow.
She might be equipped with other auxiliary equipment, otherwise she wouldn't be able to withstand the attacks of the adult Amorph.
I looked down at the black-haired woman who gritted her teeth and glared at me.
'Seeing as he's wearing a top-of-the-line reinforced suit, I think he's Sihyeon Eugene's clone.'
Her appearance was very different from a typical clone.
Due to the setting, Star Union's clones do not even have their memories completely transmitted. This is due to various reasons such as loss of memory data that occurs during the transmission process and inconsistency between the body and memory data.
But looking at his actions, he clearly remembered that he was fighting with me. It's as if memories were transferred to me after my death.
'Has a new technology been developed that I don't know about?'
Of course, I think that's unlikely.
If that were the case, all of the rankers who died against me would have been resurrected as clones and would have come to catch me. It would be reasonable to say that the clone of Sihyeon Eugene in front of me is an extremely rare case.
'There's no need to worry.'
All you have to do is ask her directly.
At that time, she was glaring at me, then turned and ran in the opposite direction. It looked like he gave up in despair and ran away.
'No way.'
I already sensed that their intention was not to run away, but to lure me in.
Before meeting her, I didn't feel like I was popular.
Two, to be precise. There was another person other than Sihyeon, but I barely felt it right now. Unless it suddenly disappeared. It was clear that he was hiding inside that passage.
'It definitely felt quite heavy.'
Before it disappeared, the vibration was felt quite loudly. It means that the weight of the opponent is considerable.
'No matter what, it won't be easy to defeat me.'
After preparing to prevent any possible surprise attack, I followed the path Sihyeon fled.
The auxiliary organs attached to each head were also constantly checking the surrounding area to see if there was anything unusual. As a result, the auxiliary organ picked up the subtle mechanical sounds coming from one side of the wall. All of my snouts pointed in the direction of the sound.
"shit! "He found out!"
Si-hyeon, who saw me, shouted as if he was angry. Her colleague disarmed the optical equipment that resembled a wall, or rather a wall, and raised a weapon towards me.
A dark blue heat ray fired from the muzzle of the standard Demolisher 'Slayer' flies toward the head in the center.
'I knew it.'
It was predicted long ago that such a surprise attack would occur. I followed Sihyeon and activated the 'variable biological weapon' in advance.
The object of mutation is the head. The Ice Horror's thick carapace protects its central head.
Of course, even with the Ice Horror's shell, it is impossible to completely defend against high-firepower material decomposition bombs. Instead, its incredibly thick shell is effective enough to protect important organs, including the brain. The Slayer's heat ray only punctured my carapace and did no further damage.
"Get back!"
The enemy wearing a uniquely designed reinforced suit was just staring at me blankly, as if he didn't expect me to be fine.
I strengthened my legs to give back as much as I had received from the enemy. A huge body measuring 60 meters in length accelerates.
"What?!"
The enemy seemed to come to his senses only after seeing me rapidly approaching. The enemy, wearing a unique reinforced suit, let out a machine-modulated scream and hurriedly avoided me.
When my reinforced head hit the wall of the passage, the surroundings shook as if there was an earthquake. In that state, I strongly swung my right tail with its claws attached.
The enemy who had dodged to the side hastily activated his shield, but it was a wrong decision. The moment it was hit by the claw at the end of the tail, not only the shield but also the shield activation device on the wrist was completely shattered.
"Boo!"
The enemy hit by the tail flew like a cannonball fired from a cannon and landed on the wall on the other side.
'It's solid.'
The reinforced suit the enemy was wearing was not broken by the current attack, perhaps because it was a type with extremely high physical defense. Of course, as if the shock wasn't fully absorbed, there was a strong smell of blood coming from the enemy stuck in the wall.
'Now all that's left is….'
Sihyeon and Eugene. I strained my neck and pulled the heads off the wall.
And when I turned my head, she was standing at the end of my line of sight.
'huh?'
She was holding items that looked like they had just been pulled out of the dirt.
"Gotcha."
Si-hyeon mutters coldly, as if what he had just seen was just an act.
She put the crystal in her hand into a device that looked like a cordless vacuum cleaner. Then the crystal began to spin violently and emit an eerie light.
｢'Shi■ ■jin' is ■■■■■ of ■■■■■■ ■■■■｣
'What?'
Images suddenly appear before me. Because there were so many mosaics, I couldn't see anything.
However, I know very well what this phenomenon means.
'Predator sense!'
When I realized that fact, I quickly covered my head with my wing arms and fighting arms. As soon as I bent down, an eerie light engulfed my body.
I didn't feel any pain. No, I didn't feel anything. I felt a light breeze pass through my body.
Just as I was about to think so.
"Huh?!"
Blood flowed from my mouth. At the same time, I felt excruciating pain coming from my fighting arm. The two fighting arms near the sides twisted wildly and then suddenly shrunk.
Is this what it feels like to be forced into a mummy while you are sober? I haven't felt this much pain since I was hit by the 'Watcher of Fear' with the 'Color of the Abyss' applied. My legs became weak due to pain beyond my imagination.
'Ugh… is this…?'
And it wasn't just the pain that surprised me.
A translucent text box appeared in front of me. That was something I had never seen before.
'I need to come to my senses! Now more than that….'
There is a very dangerous enemy in front of me. I somehow used strength in my wing arms to raise myself up.
"Why don't you die? "Isn't it an out-spacer?"
Sihyeon Eugene, who seriously injured me.
When I looked at his face, he seemed surprised that I wasn't dead.
｢Grrrrr!｣
"…Chit!"
She took advantage of the fact that I was still unable to move properly and ran away with my injured colleague.
'…It was dangerous.'
If she had just used 'that weapon' again, I would have been done.
After she disappeared, I swept up the dirt scattered everywhere with my wings and stuffed it into my mouth. Thanks to 'mineral digestion', which is an environmental adaptation characteristic, the regenerative effect can be increased even by eating soil. Efficiency is not high, but now is not the time to question that.
As I dug up the dirt, the pain gradually subsided. The bleeding inside his body stopped and he recovered enough to stand on his own two legs.
However, the combat arm did not return to its original state.
I could see why this was by looking at the semi-transparent text box.
｢'■■ ■■■' destroyed the genetic essence of 'Outspacer'.
The 'parasitic colony' trait is deactivated. To reactivate the trait, you must feast on the relevant genetic essence."
Sihyeon Eugene used it against me.
'…getting rid of Amorph's characteristics.'
It was a weapon that destroyed genetic essence.