Chapter 146
The battleships of the Cult are renowned for their elegant design. Especially, the Imperial Battleship deployed for purification missions is likened to the jewels of the universe, resembling processed diamonds.
Perhaps, it could be an accurate nickname. The production and maintenance costs of the Imperial Battleship are astronomical.
A beautiful jewel of the cosmos and a treasure of the Cult Empire, one of them being the ‘Judicator of Damocles 08.’
The ship, dedicated to the security of the Cult Empire, faced a serious crisis.
“The flow of power is reversing! The overload has exceeded 200%!”
“At this rate, the ship will collapse!”
A chaotic situation, with the command center shaking as if it could shatter at any moment. Decorations that once illuminated the interior fell and shattered, sparks continuously flying from the machineries and devices, including the computers.
Amidst the turmoil, the crew members, desperately holding their ground in the chaos, relayed the situation.
“What happened to the battleship!”
“30% of the ship is destroyed and rendered useless due to enemy’s psychic power attack!”
“This much damage with just with one blow?! That’s impossible!”
Even in the midst of the commotion, the captain, without losing composure, examined the images in the command center.
The dark substance manipulated by the Imperial Battleship is a delicate yet dangerous force. The advanced modules attached to the battleship are not just for charging and firing Space bolts. They are also a means to control and regulate the unpredictable beast, the dark substance.
Having scrutinized the status of the battleship, the captain made a decision. He spread psychic power throughout the ship, sending a message to the crew members on board.
“Alert the crew on board. Retreat through the escape pods.”
“Captain!”
“But!”
The crew members were surprised, but the captain remained calm.
“I will stay here. You all leave this place.”
“Yes?!”
“The device controlling the output of Space bolts is damaged. Someone has to hold it together until the crew escapes.”
Having said that, the captain descended among the crew members and began manipulating the computer. He simultaneously controlled psychic power images and operated the ship’s computer.
Seeing this, the crew members all fell silent.
“What are you doing? I said, leave quickly!”
“….”
Seeing the captain willing to sacrifice for his subordinates, the crew members exchanged glances.
“I will take care of this. Quickly, run away!”
“…Sorry!”
“Ugh?!”
One of the young crew members took out a gun from his pocket and struck the captain’s neck.
With a short groan, the captain collapsed. The crew member carefully supported him from falling.
“We entrust the Captain to you.”
“We will buy as much time as possible for you to reach the escape pods.”
“Come on, time is running out. Everyone, take your positions!”
“That guy, always singing about wanting to be the captain.”
“Hehehe.”
Cheerful Cult crew members. Instead of sacrificing the captain they admired, they chose to sacrifice themselves.
After briefly capturing the scene of their backs, the young Cult member, with the captain on his back, left the command center.
Behind him, the chants of the Cult members echoed.
“Brave Cultists! May destiny harvest us!”
“May the destiny harvest us!”
He silently vowed to convey their noble sacrifice to the Empire.
“May destiny harvest them….”
After a while, numerous escape pods were launched from the Imperial Battleship. Some were transferred to nearby battleships of the fleet, while others disappeared into the far reaches of space.
The Imperial Battleship, which had endured until the last escape pod was launched, finally began to collapse, unable to withstand the pressure.
The outer armor of the ship, which had maintained a perfect balance like refined diamonds, twisted and shattered, and the central command center, located at the top, oxidized with an explosion.
The Space Bolt launcher at the center of the ship warped rapidly, as if being sucked into something, through the gaps in the damaged armor. At that moment, dark substances began to ooze out.
A golden lightning bolt from Saigil 08 struck the ship.
Soon, an immense light reminiscent of a supernova enveloped both the battleship and the fleet.
***
‘I’ve won.’
Having confirmed the explosion of the Imperial Battleship, I passed out. Although I thought it wasn’t right to lose consciousness when there were still enemy ships remaining, it was unavoidable. It wasn’t something I could control with my will.
‘I’m still alive… it seems they’ve retreated over there… huh?’
Whether it was the aftermath of the ‘King of Monsters’ or the fact that my body lacked strength, something continued to enter my mouth persistently.
Waking up my dulled senses, I realized that the unidentified food was biological meat. Someone was feeding me various kinds of meat, including Horned Gigrants.
The well-cooked meats passed through my throat, quickly digesting, and vitality slowly, very slowly returned. The tentacles and auxiliary mechanisms of the monster, which had not reacted at all to external disturbances, gradually activated.
Only then could I roughly assess my physical condition. My body had returned to its original state after the effects of Salonium ended. The two supporting heads had disappeared, and the lower combat arm, which had served as a leg, returned to a similar appearance as the other arms.
Through Salonium, my body had temporarily evolved into a mature form, and now it had returned to its original state.
While my senses were recovering, the intake of the unknown food into my mouth continued. I explored my surroundings using the auxiliary mechanism located under my jaw.
Only then could I confirm who was feeding me.
｢The energy may be insufficient! Keep feeding!｣
｢Big one! You mustn’t die!｣
｢Me｣ ｢Pray｣ ｢Big one｣ ｢Survive｣
Various creatures had gathered near me. When the Mother of the Sky and Adhai brought food, Number 26 cut the food appropriately and pushed it into my mouth.
‘Why are they bringing food so quickly?’
To find out what had happened, I opened my eyes. Number 26, which was tearing apart a completely blackened animal with its tentacles, and Adhai, who was carrying small animal corpses, were surprised when they saw me.
｢The big one is awake!｣
｢Big one｣ ｢Survive｣ ｢Confirmed!｣
Number 26 illuminated its body brightly, and Adhai threw aside the small animal carcasses held by the tentacles and ran towards me.
｢Don’t stop! his stamina may not have fully recovered yet!｣
｢Yeah!｣
｢Affirmative.｣
To the creatures celebrating my survival, the Mother of the Sky sent a mental message.
In the distance, through the burning trees, I could see her figure. Covered in singed fur, she carried the large creature’s meat on her back.
‘Fire?’
I looked up, and there was a burning sky there.
After the destruction of the Imperial Battleship, its debris had turned into a meteor shower, still pouring onto the planet. Seeing that, not only this area but the entire continent of Utopia-02, or even the entire PH-101, would have turned into a sea of fire.
‘Indeed.’
After a brief consideration, the taste of barbecue or charred meat from the food entering my mouth seemed strange. I now understood. They had brought me the meat of dead creatures burned in the forest.
Even after I regained consciousness, the three continued to feed me without a break. Although I wanted to tell them it was okay if they didn’t, everyone here already knew that wasn’t the case.
I quietly received and ate the food like a baby bird.
‘It would have been dangerous if it was a situation where corpses couldn’t be easily obtained.’
Although the effect of the ‘King of Monsters’ was excellent, the side effects were unusual. Psychic Breath, which would make you lose consciousness if fired beyond the limit, and the symbol of hunt, which would cause a rampage if there was insufficient residual energy, were as dangerous as the ‘King of Monster’ itself.
‘To think this is the result of transforming just once.’
When Amorph became an adult, the efficiency of using the stored energy significantly increased. If I hadn’t transformed into an adult, my energy would have quickly depleted due to the effects of the ‘King of Monsters’.
‘In the end, I survived thanks to the children and the Mother of the Sky.’
The reason I’m still breathing is because they made an effort to save me.
‘They are allies.’
Although the situation was too urgent earlier for me to confirm properly, the message clearly said ‘allies.’
I could figure out who those allies were without being told, but the important part is not that.
Amorph cannot interact with other life forms according to the system. It’s a race that repeats only hunting and killing, like a killing machine.
The fact that Amorph has been recognized by the system for creating comrades raises a question,
‘What does it mean?’
‘I, or rather, the Amorph is evolving.’
In most cases, sociability is advantageous for survival. Animals that live in groups can effectively defend against attacks from stronger enemies. Even in humans with many unfavorable factors for survival, prosperity is achieved thanks to sociability.
‘Even when using the symbiotic spore, such messages didn’t appear.’
This statement means that something fundamental has changed between then and now, and there’s a point to be noted.
‘Space Monster Type.’
I opened a translucent text box and confirmed the type at the bottom.
[⑥ Space Monster (Unique): Perfect Organism (Unique), Horizon of Nightmares (Unique), Organic Evolution (King of Monsters) (Unique)]
There, the previously classified ‘Perfect Organism’ and ‘Horizon of Nightmares,’ which were originally categorized as body-related types and nest-related types, were moved.
Perfect Organism and Horizon of Nightmares were obtained through the transcendence system, while the Organic Evolution was obtained from the newly acquired ‘Trait Enhancement’ system.
‘…I would have been in big trouble if I hadn’t obtained nest-related traits in advance.’
The number of required traits to obtain a new type doubles each time a type is acquired.
For example, let’s say the requirements for obtaining Nest Reinforcement Type and Special Defense Reinforcement Type are both 8 traits each. If you first acquire Nest Reinforcement Type, the number of traits needed to obtain Special Defense Reinforcement Type increases to 16.
The problem is that if traits related to a previously acquired type are lost, the type’s enhancement effect is lost, considering it as not acquired. One must fill up to 16 traits to receive the type enhancement effect if the requirement has increased from the original 8 traits.
What needs attention is that the required number of traits does not revert to the previous state.
While it only took 8 traits to obtain the type, if the required number has increased to 16 after obtaining the type, you must fill up to 16 traits to receive the type enhancement effect.
‘I’m not trying to mess with anyone. They’re changing it freely without a single message.’
If by any chance, I had a small number of acquired traits, I would have suffered significant losses, such as losing Nest Reinforcement Type. Fortunately, before entering Transcendence 2, I spent 14 hours wandering through the swamp and obtained numerous miscellaneous traits.
At that time, I acquired several infection-related traits and nest-related traits, besides the ‘Pincer’ trait. Thanks to that, I didn’t suffer any loss of type effects even when traits were moving around arbitrarily.
‘At that time, I wondered if I could use them as materials. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise.’
Anyway, moving only the traits obtained through the Unique Trait Synthesis system to the new type was significant in various ways.
Transforming into a more powerful monster with ‘Perfect Organism,’ dominating and corroding battleships with ‘Horizon of Nightmares,’ and the ability to use ‘Organic Evolution’ by exchanging the ‘Giant Creature’ trait and ‘Dwarfing’ trait.
‘These traits go beyond Amorph’s limits.’
Moreover, the ‘Unique’ type is unprecedented in the game.
‘And there’s no type with descriptions attached like it is now.’
For every type acquired by Amorph, there is no explanation of the effects or the types of characteristics involved. Players must personally confirm with their own eyes.
While that is the principle, it seemed that the ‘Unique’ level type like the Space monster type had descriptions available. I opened the attached text box that came with the Space monster type.
[Space Monster (Unique): The ultimate goal of evolution is to surpass the limits of the species. As additional characteristics acquired through the ‘Transcend’ system are added, this type progressively receives additional effects. This type ignores penalties resulting from acquiring types.]
[*1st stage (Required characteristic count: 3/4)]
[*2nd stage (Required characteristic count: 3/8)]
[*3rd stage (Required characteristic count: 3/??)]
[*4th stage (Required characteristic count: 3/??)”]
Reading the content, I could understand why an explanation was necessary. The type effect for Transcendence 2nd stage was quite unique.
‘A type that strengthens progressively, I haven’t seen one like this before.’
Typically, a type has no effect when unlocked, and it only comes into play after meeting the conditions and ‘acquiring’ it. There are no cases where, like the Space monster type, acquiring a certain number of characteristics gives a special effect.
‘But there’s no indication of what effect it gives… it’s not written anywhere, as expected.’
Without any clues, it’s premature to conclude, but I thought it might provide a very powerful effect.
‘Now, what’s left is the characteristic enhancement system….’
I want to check it immediately, but a severe fatigue rushes in. My stomach is gradually grumbling, and I feel warmth from the ground—perhaps due to the surrounding fires. The desire to sleep surges.
｢Big one, if you’re sleepy, you can sleep.｣
｢Big one｣ ｢Tired?｣
‘Even though the urgent fires are out, it’s better to rest. Since it’s a type not found in the game, you don’t know what side effects might come.’
Even though they must be exhausted because of me, they recommend rest.
[ZZZ (Thanks…)]
I couldn’t properly express my gratitude and quickly fell into a deep sleep.
***
Mercury.
The closest planet to the sun and the smallest in the solar system, officially under the dominion of Garamelda, one of MegaCorp’s Noble Capital.
Various Noble Capitals, like the Yujin family owning the moon, the Garamelda family dominating Mercury, T&C exerting influence over Phobos and Deimos, competing for Ganymede with Prime Capital, and so on.
The seven Noble families of MegaCorp owned various satellites and planets in the solar system.
Usually, when a Noble Capital or Prime Capital purchases a planet from another star, they send a family member as governor to rule it in their stead. However, Garamelda was a bit different.
The current head of the Garamelda family, Cloe Garamelda. For the past decade or so, she had been confined to the weapon research facility located on Mercury.
So much so that her nickname is ‘Queen of Mercury.’
With the head of the family not taking care of family matters, one might think her position would be precarious, but surprisingly, that wasn’t the case. This was because the influence of the equipment she developed was tremendous.
From weapons to reinforced suits and special drugs enhancing soldiers—every year, thanks to her creation of new deadly weapons, Garamelda maintained the highest state of affluence in its history. So, despite her young age and disinterest in family affairs, she received strong support from the elders.
The Queen of Mercury, an outstanding weapons developer, had taken an uncommon vacation today.
“Lately, the head of the family takes vacations quite often. She took one a few weeks ago too.”
In the bio-dome-shaped Garamelda weapons research facility, researchers were strolling around, and their gaze was directed towards the center of the dome. In the central underground area lies Cloe’s residence for the head of the family.
“It’s good timing. She tends to be overly absorbed in her work. If she continues like that and falls ill, it’ll be a big problem.”
“While the head is away, let’s test the new equipment once more on our own.”
Cloe, supported by the sewage workers in the same facility, was currently in some space within the residence meant for the head of the family.
In the dimly lit place, diamond-shaped steles with connected wires were toppled. Among them, only two steles had lights inside and were floating in the air.
Seated on a specially developed levitating chair, Cloe opened her mouth towards the two steles.
“Brother Jason, what happened to the Imperial Fleet dispatch? My satellites were split in the middle, so I couldn’t grasp the situation.”
“I’m curious about that too. The situation is impossible to assess due to the fleet vanguards.”
Jason, Cloe, Jubaka. They, as the leaders of Cult Empire, MegaCorp Noble Capital, and StarUnion respectively, conspired a few weeks ago to eliminate the notorious 5th Ranker, Amorph.
They spread false information about the contamination of the planet they suspect as PH-101, referred to as Saigil 08 by the Cults, where the 5th Ranker is presumed to be hiding. This led to the Cult Council issuing a purification order. Consequently, the Imperial Fleet ‘Judicator of Damocles 08.’ headed to Saigil 08.
Due to the MegaCorp vanguards protecting the Imperial Fleet, causing devastation around Saigil 08’s satellites of Star Union, Cloe and Jubaka have yet to grasp the situation.
Therefore, with considerable time elapsed since the purification order, they called Jason to confirm the results.
“It shouldn’t have been too difficult since it’s a Pre-Saint.”
“It’s Amorph, so who knows. The fleet vanguards might have suffered significant damage.”
“Anyway, they’re all just toys. If they break, we can replace them with others.”
“A typical MegaCorp statement filled with disregard for human life.”
“What are you talking about, dear dictator?”
Cloe and Jubaka can joke like this because they firmly believe that Amorph has been dealt with.
Even if the 5th Ranker had exceptional skills, winning against the Imperial Fleet, capable of annihilating all life on a planet, is impossible. There might have been some resistance, but inevitably, the fleet’s cosmic bolts would have turned him into a handful of ashes.
However,
Something they never expected might become a reality.
Suddenly, a clear female voice delivered a cruel reality to them.
“It’s been a while, Lady Cloe, Lord Jubaka.”
“Huh? Cynthia? Why are you using Brother Jason’s stele…?”
“….”
Cloe, who was trimming her nails, was surprised to hear the woman’s voice flowing from the stele. Jubaka, rather than being surprised, seemed to sense an ominous feeling and frowned.
“Under normal circumstances, I would have used my stele, but due to the urgency of the situation, I used Jason’s stele as a substitute.”
“Urgent? What’s so urgent?”
“…Could it be?”
“Lord Jason’s purification order completely failed. The Imperial Fleet and the vanguards were annihilated. Because of that, the Council is condemning Lord Jason for violating providence and plan to attack the sacred place. Lord Jason refused the attendance order and is currently in hiding.”
“….”
“….”
“I, too, have been summoned to endless hearings due to misinterpreting the prophecy all day and barely managed to come here. Please understand. ”
The worst possible future they had imagined had become a reality.
Realizing this fact, Cloe involuntarily dropped the nail grinder she was holding.
