Chapter 182
Chapter 182
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 182
Chapter Title: qiqi iykow gkk-182i
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 182
Chapter Title: Morphback's Pursuit
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Like an echo reverberating through the tunnel, the enemy's shout rang out. The emotion in his voice was singular: blazing rage.
'Good.'
This all but eliminated any chance of the enemy retreating. The enemy player wouldn't turn back until he killed me.
'Morphback, huh.'
This was the third player I'd encountered, after the Mother of the Skies, Muriel. Unlike my fight with her, I had only limited information on this foe.
It wouldn't be an easy battle.
'But that doesn't mean I'm planning to lose.'
I raced across the frozen ice while mentally recalculating all my available cards.
The Whiplash Vine I'd prepared for a surprise attack on the enemy had just been used.
The Whiplash Vine was a infection-based trait modeled after the man-eating plants from classic horror films. Its infection method was similar to that of my parasites.
Inside my combat arms, there were chambers that could house both parasites and Whiplash Vine seeds. When needed, parasites would exit through small holes in the arm, just like the vine seeds emerging from openings in my palms.
The difference was that while parasites burrowed into foes on their own, the Whiplash Vine required direct injection. It existed as a seed within my body, so I had to implant it manually.
Once inside the host and feeding on nutrients, the Whiplash Vine grew at an astonishing speed. As little as five minutes or no more than ten, and it reached full maturity, preparing to reproduce.
'Turning the human into a living bomb.'
Spreading through the bloodstream, the vine would self-detonate at the sight of a new host nearby. Like cuttings from a plant taking root in soil and sprouting anew.
Of course, the host died in the process. It was like a grenade exploding inside their body.
Thanks to these traits, I often combined parasites and Whiplash Vines for large-scale melees or ambushes like the one just now.
Even players familiar with fighting me would immediately kill anyone controlled by parasites to counter this tactic.
So the pursuing Cult player wouldn't fall for it again.
'It served its purpose as both bait and provocation.'
Besides the vine, my other trump cards included the Bone Beast and the Revenant Organ, acquired recently.
Both traits played crucial roles in Aimorph combat. They were ones I favored heavily in the game too.
The Bone Beast could be seen as bundling the effects of my 'King of Monsters' and 'Emblem of the Hunt' into one package.
Of course, it didn't grant the same overwhelming power boosts as using those traits individually.
The Bone Beast's effects boiled down to two main things.
'Gigantification and defense enhancement.'
Made from the Giant Creature and Bone Axe traits, it inherited both effects fully.
Activating Bone Beast made my body swell even larger than with Giant Creature alone. My current length was about 28 meters; it roughly tripled from there. Strength scaled accordingly with size.
Up to this point, it was akin to standard gigantification. But Bone Beast added one more layer in that state.
A tough bony armor plating covered my surface. Similar to the carapace sprouting across my body under Emblem of the Hunt. Spiked bones protruded over the thick plating, allowing body slams to deal damage against enemies of comparable size.
'No speed boost, though.'
Considering how Emblem of the Hunt not only avoided speed penalties but increased it, this felt like a letdown.
'But if it matched Emblem of the Hunt's potency, that'd be its own issue.'
Unique traits from the Transcendence System truly pushed Aimorph limits. Expecting that from a mere fusion trait like Bone Beast was greedy.
Not quite at Emblem of the Hunt's level, but the Bone Beast remained a powerful ace up my sleeve for clashing directly with the enemy player. On top of that, I now had the King of Monsters special state, enhanced by Organic Evolution for transformations.
'Thanks to devouring the Ice Horror, my energy reserves are ample.'
With a beast hundreds of meters long in my gut, sustaining Bone Beast was no issue. King of Monsters guzzled energy, so I'd use it situationally.
'And the Revenant Organ.'
As the name suggested, the Revenant Organ tied into revival.
'Not true resurrection, though.'
This fusion trait, made from the 'Apparent Death' material, functioned differently from the rest.
Most of my traits were passive always-on effects or active buffs I triggered.
The Revenant Organ, however, was purely conditional.
Invisible to the eye, a tiny secretory organ clung to my heart. Meeting the right conditions activated it, secreting special hormones into my bloodstream.
Even as an Aimorph with active control over my internals, I couldn't manually trigger the Revenant Organ. Just like in the game, it demanded specific criteria.
And it wasn't all. The organ's effect varied based on my power level and 'current state.'
Fail to meet the conditions properly? It activated to no avail.
'Plus, the cooldown is insanely long.'
These harsh requirements meant almost no one in the game utilized it effectively. Only I and the 4th-ranked Outspacer made real use of it.
'But right now, against me? It's the ultimate joker card.'
Properly triggered, the Revenant Organ could reverse the battle in an instant. Used right, it'd royally screw over this Cult player.
'Time to ready God's Lash, then...'
As I reviewed my final card, a familiar yet alien sensation prickled ahead. Like footage sped up double-time, countless images flashed before vanishing.
At the same time, the auxiliary organ under my jaw trembled violently.
"An unknown danger pursues."
"■■■■■■ will ■■ my ■■ ■■■."
'Predator Sense!'
I slammed my body flat against the tunnel floor mid-run. A sinister energy blob barely grazed my back and rear head carapace. It slammed into the wall, vaporizing the spot with a gruesome hiss.
"Fucking cunt! Where do you think you're running?!"
The furious voice echoed from behind. The Cult player. More ominous energy bolts hurtled my way.
'...Tch!'
The Cults shielding the player were firing Demolishers at me.
Their shots targeted my auxiliary organ precisely, as if they knew it was my weak point.
I whipped my head aside while shielding the organ with a combat arm. Most bolts missed, but a few embedded in my arm.
The synthetic scales and carapace near my wrist melted like ice on a hot griddle upon contact with the Demolisher's material.
'...That's why I ambushed first.'
My bulk made dodging small energy shots tricky. Hence the preemptive strike before they could fire.
I lifted my upper body, craning my head back, and opened my maw. Then I spat acidic spores toward the Cults behind me.
The green liquid slicing through the air halted mid-flight, frozen in place.
A faint purple glow pierced the tunnel's gloom. The enemy player had seized it with psychic power.
'Tch.'
"Morphback, that bitch Aliya died because of you."
I didn't respond. Instead, I whipped my tail against the ceiling. As it crumbled behind me, I bolted onward.
Ice and rubble hampered Demolisher fire, so the enemies unleashed psychic barrages: Gravity Control, bindings, all raining on my back. But I stayed one step ahead.
A few psychic hits clipped my tail tip, but it bore the Swamp King's claw. It had the highest psionic resistance on my body, so I emerged unscathed.
'Even so, their coordination is no joke.'
The Cults who'd entered the Ice Plain's underground split into three groups hunting me.
Excluding the player's guards, I'd clashed directly with the other two. Aside from the Cult leader killed by Whiplash Vine, none stood out.
Yet with the player, their movements synced flawlessly, like a single mind.
'Not a buff skill.'
One technique came to mind.
There was an ultra-high-tier psychic power skill called 'Ultra Control.' A crowd control that fully dominated a target's mind.
Similar to parasites but more precise, with no victim resistance.
'No time limit either.'
Unlike Aimorphs needing constant parasite refreshes, Ultra Control persisted until one party died.
Downsides: ineffective against psionic countermeasures, and only one target at a time.
'So probably not...'
Or it could be his unique perk. Maybe a trait granting wide-range buffs to other Cults.
A roar boomed from behind as I ran.
The Cult player blasting through the collapsed tunnel. Footsteps of numerous Cults followed, shaking the passage.
No matter. I'd reached my target destination.
I smashed through a half-collapsed narrowing and entered a vast cavern.
A massive white skeleton hundreds of meters long loomed ahead. The site where I'd lured and fought the Cults earlier: the Ice Horror's tomb.
The instant I entered, I whipped my head around, prepping my next attack.
Long monster tentacles unfurled from my rear head carapace up to my neck, converging before my face. Purple energy tendrils snaked from my tail tip along synthetic scales toward my head.
At my maw's end formed a massive 6-meter-diameter orb, larger than my head. Roiling purple flames burned from core to surface. It rocketed toward the enemies' tunnel.
The perfect sphere stretched into a horizon-thin heat ray. Thinner, yet no less destructive.
A force that could shred starships: Psychic Breath tore through the cavern tunnel.
But this time, the desired outcome didn't materialize.
The purple spear pulverizing the ice halted abruptly mid-air. Then the ray veered unnaturally, as if redirected by design.
The manipulated Psychic Breath looped back—not at the Cults, but at me.
'Damn it!'
I yanked my tail forward, raising the claw high. The ferocious beam collided with it.
'Guh!'
The impact nearly snapped my tailbone. I gripped the claw with my combat arms, using it as a shield to block the Psychic Breath.
The claw's Psionic Reflection plating kicked in, bouncing it back. Repeated deflections scattered the purple energies wildly into nearby surfaces.
The vast cavern shuddered violently. Cracks in ceiling and walls widened massively compared to before.
As colossal ice shards—too vast for mere icicles—rained down, the enemy player and Cults emerged.
"What a pain in the ass."
A deer-horned man in pitch-black full-body armor grumbled irritably. A silver rod hung at his waist; on his back, the female Cult leader's axe, 'Judgment.'
I knew instantly. He was the Cult player targeting me.
Eleven Cults stood before him, armed identically to the others. Ivory bodysuits, Champion Shields equipped. Six wielded Galleron claw-swords; five, Demolishers.
At a glance, no different from the Temple Guardians. But something was off—I spotted it immediately.
Their eyes were vacant, like the deranged. Their breathing synced perfectly, without a single variance among the eleven.
And to me, sensing psionics via auxiliary organ, it was clear.
Purple tendrils pierced each of their crowns, linking back to the player's neck.
"Fuckin' Morphback bastard, you killed Aliya because of you. Shit, it took so much to corner that bitch..."
The handsome-faced player snarled viciously. The deer-horned Cult, treated as royalty in Cult society, spoke like a thug. His controlled Cults showed no reaction.
Seeing this confirmed it. I knew his perk.
'Upgrading psychic power skill effects.'
Reflecting my Psychic Breath just now, those purple tendrils on the Cults' heads. Both stemmed from the same ability.
'Reflection and Ultra Control, no doubt.'
The reflection was likely Reflection. Normally physical-only, but somehow extended to psionics.
Ultra Control should limit to one target, yet he controlled eleven simultaneously.
His perk massively amplified psychic skill effects.
I suspected this because it felt similar to mine.
'Can't confirm rashly, of course.'
Key point: he could reflect energy attacks too. That made executing my plan far easier.
To buy time prepping my next card, I spoke.
"Because of me? I can't comprehend that."
"Can't comprehend? You planted that Whiplash Vine and turned her into a total mess!"
"You killed her when she could have been healed."
"Like I'd trust you not to pull some shit? Probably got nests or traps everywhere. Or that wolf slave of yours."
"What do you mean?"
"Think I don't know? Griffin Wolf—you ate it, right? Fuck it, whatever. I'll deal with you first, then worry."
The moment he finished, his front-line Cults raised weapons. The Demolisher users targeting my auxiliary organ looked ready to fire any second.
But I'd finished prepping too. I dropped prone, lowering my upper body close to the floor. On my back, the Face Demons readied their assault.
The Face Demons positioned on my back when not under Emblem of the Hunt. Anatomy forced this posture for small targets.
'Fire.'
────!
────!
────!
────!
────!
The Face Demons ripped their mouths wide. Sonic waves from the small, Cult-head-shaped monsters blasted toward the Demolisher wielders.
"Tch."
The player clicked his tongue lightly at the sight.
His puppets dodged hastily, but not all succeeded. Three Demolisher Cults collapsed like paralyzed puppets.
'Sonic waves can't be reflected.'
I filed that away. Meanwhile, my body kept moving.
My tail tip swung toward the evading Cults. Claws parted, unleashing the densely packed stingers within.
"Pathetic thrashing."
As if anticipating, Champion Shield Cults moved nimbly, intercepting the stingers.
Others hit me with Gravity Control. The space around me warped gravity massively, stressing the entire cavern.
With Ultra Control removing their limiters, the output was immense. Already crouched, I was forced face-first into the ground.
"Fucking sucks in reality too, and here. You won't die easy, I guarantee."
His Gravity casters bled from eyes, nose, mouth—yet he ignored them.
Acting victorious, I rasped back with effort.
"Th, ought you, kne, w your, subs?"
"For a shit Morphback like you, this is cheap."
"I, s that, so?"
"Aliya was a decent one too. Pisses me off thinking about it."
Irritated, he gestured. A Demolisher Cult fired an energy bolt at my head. The disintegrating shot sheared off part of a monster tentacle.
Grraaaaaah!
"Hurts, huh? Big mouth on a puny fuck."
The unimaginable pain drew an involuntary scream. The player mocked me for it.
"My record's a year on the toughest I've broken. Let's see how long you last."
He looked thrilled at the prospect of capturing and torturing me.
But he didn't know one thing.
I wasn't cowering from fear or lack of counters. While he grew complacent, that trait's prep had finished.
"Do, n't, for, get those, words."
"Huh?"
Instead of answering, I lifted my head slightly.
And gaped my maw wide. From the stinger launch, the Thunder God's power had boiled up from my chest. Like a leashed beast, the dormant colossal energy surged on signal. Golden beams lit the dark cavern brilliantly—God's Lash erupted from my mouth.
"Shit?!"
The player startled, arms flung wide. Intent on Reflection, like with Psychic Breath.
But my God's Lash didn't target them. It streaked far upward to the wall. Power rivaling starship-destroying might bored a massive hole in the ice ceiling.
Residual energies spiderwebbed across walls and ceiling like lightning in night skies.
Struck by God's Lash, the cavern quaked like an earthquake.
"Ha, hahaha! Hahahaha! Crazy bastard misses?!"
Expelling the Thunder God's power drained my strength. Seeing my drooped head, the player howled madly.
'Missed?'
Did it, really?
"Your lightning's nothing I can't bloc—huh?"
The mocking player shut up. He sensed it too.
The cavern tremors were unnatural.
'Wasn't aiming at you from the start.'
He couldn't grasp why I'd chosen this battlefield. Should've questioned the Ice Horror corpse behind me upon entry.
Fighting the Ice Horror had left the place precarious. Hundreds of meters of ice plain loomed overhead.
This underworld endured because no shock disrupted the balance.
But battling Ice Horror shattered that fragile equilibrium. Ice walls propping the mass like Atlas crumbled; ceiling cracks outnumbered solid ice.
Unleashing God's Lash in that state? Unsurvivable.
"Gonna clean up your minions here first."
"You fuckin'—?!"
Panicked, the player cursed and spammed Reflection, but blocking the massive ice barrage proved futile.
As he strained desperately, I drew my next card.
'Now's the chance.'
The Bone Beast, turning Aimorphs into colossal monsters. It activated.
In the collapsing cavern, my body began expanding rapidly.
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