Chapter 155
Chapter 155
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 155
Chapter Title: qiqi iykow gkk-155i
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 155
Chapter Title: Illusion of the Three-Headed Demon
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Ep. 155
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Nemean Fleet's acting fleet commander Sanada Eph was on the verge of losing his mind.
There were no Cult residents living in the JP-22 star system. The Cult had no resources here worth coveting.
Nor was it a vital strategic point for the Empire's security. Other than its proximity to Star Union territory, there was nothing particularly threatening about it.
'So why the hell is an Imperial Mothership showing up here?!'
He hadn't completely dismissed the possibility of combat with the Cult. They'd finished preparations to defend against psionic attacks before jumping into hyperspace.
But he never dreamed an Imperial Mothership would appear.
'If we fight like this, we'll take massive casualties.'
The Nemean Fleet was one of Star Union's 12 elite fleets. They had the firepower to reduce multiple planets to ash, so the odds of losing to an Imperial Mothership were low.
But given the opponent's caliber, heavy losses were inevitable. The Imperial Mothership, equipped with planet-purging Cosmic Bolts, also boasted powerful secondary armaments. Charging headlong into a monster like that would result in at least a quarter of the fleet being wiped out.
'...Let's try talking first.'
They had to know it too. That they couldn't win against a Star Union fleet on their own.
The enemy seemed quite rattled that an elite fleet from a treaty-bound faction had invaded their star system. That must be why they'd initiated contact first.
"Eph. Open a comm link."
A video feed appeared before Sanada Eph's eyes, linked through the ship computer.
A middle-aged Cult with yak horns stood in a lavish command center adorned with gold and jewels against an ivory backdrop, glaring at him.
"...Sanada Eph, acting fleet commander of Star Union's Nemean Fleet."
"That's correct."
The Cult who introduced himself as Eshta widened his eyes. He'd assumed it was a large fleet, but never imagined an elite one would come here.
Sanada Eph thought they might be open to negotiation, but he was wrong. Eshta's surprised expression quickly twisted into fury.
"What are you talking about?"
"Damage? Embarrassing as it is to say, we just arrived here."
'Comm?'
He opened the file Eshta sent. The comm logs embedded in the file began playing through his audio receptors.
The contents were beyond his comprehension.
'What the hell?!'
Sanada Eph was bewildered. No matter how many times he replayed the comms, he couldn't make sense of it.
'Why would Population Management be involved... No, what's this holy site?'
For a moment, he wondered if the Machine Committee had withheld info to purge him, but he shook his head. The efficiency-obsessed Machine Committee wouldn't sabotage one of the 12 elite fleets like this.
Eshta didn't seem to be lying either. Even with hundreds of Imperial Motherships in the Cult Empire, they couldn't afford to waste them like this.
The comms were fabricated. And both he and Eshta were likely being played by some third party.
Having sorted his thoughts, Sanada Eph spoke.
"Listen, Captain Eshta. Ever consider this? That comm might be fake."
"Think about it. If we were really setting a trap, would we be chatting like this? We'd have seeded gremlin torpedoes before your Mothership hyperspaced in."
It wasn't wrong, so Eshta fell silent. If the Nemean Fleet had laid a trap, they'd have suffered massive losses entering the system.
"That's... Hold on. I'll check right now."
Eshta clicked his tongue at the words but said no more. They clearly had no desire to start a war either.
Missing this chance could spell disaster, so he urgently summoned Eph.
"Search McKaid's neural signature for his location now."
"Fucking insane cyborg bastard, what the hell did you..."
"Already? Where?"
"Jonas Asteroid Belt? That's right nearby?"
Eph's report gave Sanada Eph a bad premonition.
This situation was far from normal. Some unknown force was definitely herding them into a trap.
'No way?'
"Captain Eshta! Listen! This is all a trap..."
Sanada Eph rushed to explain, but the video feed cut out suddenly. Not just the comm—the cables linking him to the ship computer shut down too.
"What the? Eph? Respond!"
"EMP?"
A minute later, comms restored. The moment Eshta's face reappeared, he shouted.
"Captain! It's all a misunderstanding! Don't act rashly!"
Something was off.
Eshta wasn't looking at him. As if he'd forgotten the feed was back, he stared blankly into space with glazed eyes.
'What's wrong with him all of a sudden?'
Eshta's face was ashen pale—even a cyborg like him was shocked. The look of someone who'd seen something utterly terrifying.
Then Eshta screamed at the top of his lungs.
"Huh?"
"Shit, all ships dispe—Gah!"
Sanada Eph tried to order dispersion, but the ship rocked violently. Eph displayed footage of the enemy ship attacking them.
"I know, damn it! All ships, return fire!"
Sanada Eph bellowed at the black Cult escort ship on the feed.
No stopping it now. Crush the enemy as fast as possible and report to the Machine Committee.
And so, the elite forces of the universe's two superpowers—the Cult Empire and Star Union—clashed in JP-22.
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"Yeah!"
Specimen 026 was working so hard, I stroked it with an erosion tentacle as praise. Pleased by the touch, it wobbled and emitted a red glow across its body.
"Ah. Right. Focus. Focus!"
Reading my vibrations, it pulled itself together and steadied its disrupted psionic power flow.
Right now, it was using the Deep Sea Terror trait to craft a magnificent illusion. Our ship was shrouded in a massive hallucination powered by Specimen 026—the form I took after consuming Psionium to reach Adult stage, the existence the Cult calls the three-headed demon.
'The Cult will lose their minds seeing this.'
As I'd hoped, the Imperial Mothership and Cult warships that came here were paralyzed by 026's illusion.
'This covers the shaky parts.'
Among the Cult genetic data I'd stored, there was one from an Imperial Mothership warrior unit member. One my Heavenly Mother hunted while I was advancing to Transcendence Stage 2.
Her voice had proven useful for deceiving other Cults since then, and it was helping again here.
'Contacting via the warrior-exclusive emergency channel avoided suspicion.'
I used a code only she knew to link to the emergency channel, mimicked her voice to stage the fake scenario. My dominated cyborg McKaid played the ruthless Star Union villain.
The result: A massive fleet including an Imperial Mothership rushed here to "rescue" the already-dead Koshei.
'Normally, they wouldn't overreact this much.'
The word "holy site" I used, plus the survivor's report of annihilation while trying to purge its contaminant. Those two elements triggered their overreaction.
To seal their misconception, I instructed 026 to project the Deep Sea Terror illusion in the specified form.
Deep Sea Terror normally manifests the victim's deepest fear. I wasn't sure if Cydemons could project a specific image. I thought it might fail, but 026 pulled it off.
'It remembered my form perfectly.'
No idea how the eyeless thing knew, but it flawlessly recreated my Adult appearance anyway.
The Cult soldiers' fear of me played a key role too. Their terror of the "three-headed demon" that obliterated the Mothership Fleet made this deception work.
'The biggest wildcard was Star Union.'
Star Union cyborgs had many androids and psionic defense gear plastered on their ships. High resistance to Deep Sea Terror and other psionic attacks.
So I induced the Cult to enter combat prep seeing the "three-headed demon" illusion, while landing a preemptive strike on the Star Union fleet. Disguised as a Cult escort ship, they'd have no choice but to retaliate.
'A detailed scan would expose me instantly.'
But did they have the luxury mid-battle?
Mistaking my attack for the Cult fleet's, Star Union counterattacked. Now, an interstellar war raged before me between the two forces.
'Not over yet.'
I still had a trick prepared for Star Union, to be used once the battle heated up.
Then Heavenly Mother muttered beside me.
"Who'd have thought this would actually work. Unbelievable."
She and Adhai were observing outside through the reinforced glass I'd made for them.
"People are simple-minded."
"...I've thought this before, but you really are a great actor."
She stared at me with a weary look.
Considering how I'd toyed with her in the game too, I could guess her feelings. What she thought seeing me mimic Koshei over the comms—complicated, no doubt.
'Acting, huh.'
Given my family background, she might be onto something. Maybe that's why I fooled people so easily in the game.
'...Enough pointless thoughts.'
This was battle time. Shaking off unwelcome memories, I checked outside.
Cult ships arrayed in a diamond formation around the Imperial Mothership. Purple heat beams lanced from their main guns in three prongs.
Beams vaporizing asteroids and space debris floating in the black void.
The cyborg fleet hadn't idled either.
White micro-drones poured from large and small rectangular ships like a waterfall. They spread in perfect formation before the fleet, like a matador waving at a charging bull—white instead of red.
The purple beams clashed with the white drone swarm. Anyone would think the beams would shred them, but no.
Those drones from Star Union ships were APDs—Anti-Psionic Drones.
Made of black silver with strong psionic resistance and gallanium alloy that absorbed energy. Used mainly against psionic-heavy foes like Cult or Gallerons.
A blinding purple flash erupted in space's heart—intense enough to blind a normal human. Star Union's APDs blocked "some" of the Cult barrage's immense shock.
"Some" because the Cult attack wasn't over.
The beams looked like three prongs but were actually three rapid volleys. The time lag let APDs handle the first, but not the follow-ups fully.
'APDs are vulnerable to staggered fire.'
As expected, some purple beams pierced the drone wall, spearing cyborg warships. Explosions chained where the light grazed, ships shattering.
Losing several vessels, the Star Union fleet pressed counterattack without retreat.
Star Union ships were rectangular hulls bristling with spiky turrets like thorns. Those weren't for show.
Countless turrets activated. Precision-guided torpedoes—thousands, tens of thousands—swarmed toward the Cult, controlled by androids.
The diamond formation Cult ships emitted purple light. Front shields linked into one massive diamond barrier.
Leading torpedoes exploded harmlessly against it.
Cults holding the shield intact. But too early to relax—some torpedoes sharply veered, striking flanks and rears.
Several Cult ships broke formation amid explosions. As the shield flickered, others rushed to fill gaps.
Seeing this, Star Union prepared another salvo to press the advantage. If the Imperial Mothership hadn't intervened, Cult losses would have mounted.
'Here it comes.'
Cracks formed on the refined diamond-shaped Mothership. Corner sections opened, revealing pitch-black gun barrels.
Eight barrels: secondary armament Black Cannons. Like Cosmic Bolts, they used dark matter as fuel—devastating weapons.
Knowing their power, Star Union ships scattered urgently. Black Cannons fired at the bustling foes.
Unlike other Cult beams, no rays—black spheres launched toward Star Union ships.
The spheres hit a belatedly maneuvering ship. It warped, then got sucked inside.
In seconds, the sphere devoured one ship and rolled on, swallowing others rapidly.
'As expected.'
Black Cannons fired artificial black holes.
Hit meant game over—perfect for disrupting lines or sniping flagships.
Drawbacks: short duration, no control.
Witnessing black hole rounds, Star Union closed in on the Cults while dispersed.
Aim: force melee range. Black holes didn't discriminate friend or foe—solid counter.
'Perfect. Time for me to join.'
I had work once the melee started. Finish it, and we could slip this system without pursuit.
I led my dominated Cult escort ship forward swiftly.
A space fleet melee awaited.
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