Chapter 198
Chapter 198
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 198
Chapter Title: Crystalwing Ambush
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"You're here?"
Not long after I sensed the Crystalwing, the Sky Mother stirred awake. She hadn't spotted it directly, but her sharp instincts had picked it up.
"Still, faster than I expected."
"Understood."
The faint whispers from the one below me fell silent once more. I sent a vibration pulse to No. 26.
"Yeah."
No. 26, who had been playing in the air, extended tentacles from its body and began waving them wildly. It was trying to lure them in, making sure they'd be visible from far away.
In the meantime, my auxiliary organs picked up radio waves rippling through the space around us. Since it hunted prey using something akin to radar, detecting those waves meant it was closing in.
Keeping my gaze locked on the sky, I waited. Then, something emerged from between the black clouds. Two glowing orbs flickered faintly, like a UFO zipping through the darkness.
There you are.
The Crystalwing was nearby. They were circling the nest without descending.
They're on guard.
For an apex predator, it seemed unusually cautious—but then again, that made sense. These were creatures that competed with Gallerons for food. Without that level of wariness, survival in this brutal wilderness would be impossible.
As they refused to come down, No. 26 waved its tentacles even more vigorously. Whether due to its efforts or sheer luck, the glowing orbs between the clouds slowly drifted toward the peak.
Their forms became visible through the swirling blizzard.
A colossal pterosaur covered in metallic sheen. The Crystalwing resembled the famously massive pterosaur Quetzalcoatlus—long snout, elongated neck for a flying reptile, wings vast enough to evoke an airplane.
But much bigger.
Their wingspans were at least 30 meters. Just the wings outmatched those of their rival, the White Galleron.
Beyond the wings, the most striking feature was their glittering exoskeleton. Not just the wings—the entire body shimmered like diamond. That was due to a bodily fluid that hardened into gem-like crystals.
Having coated themselves in it since infancy, every inch of their bodies gleamed like jewels.
The metallic surfaces reflected the black clouds and snow, making them look like gigantic mirrors soaring through the heavens.
"Kuaaaak."
"Kuuhk."
The two Crystalwings flapped closer to the nest, their eyes fixed on No. 26 frolicking nearby.
Perfect.
Too focused on No. 26 to notice us hiding among the trees. I stayed perfectly still, watching them.
One of the pair had a distinctive crest on its head, and its wings were about 1.5 times larger than the other's.
That's the male.
Male Crystalwings provided for the family, so their combat prowess was far superior.
The female's marked by the Sky Mother.
Leave the female to PS-111 and the Sky Mother, while No. 26 and I team up on the male.
"Over here! Come on!"
As the Crystalwing drew near, No. 26 prepared to move. Pink fins protruded from its underside, serving as legs. It used them to dart away from the nest at high speed.
"Kuaaaak!"
"Kuaaaak!"
The sight ignited their hunting instincts. They let out piercing shrieks, their massive voices echoing all the way to the twin peaks across the way.
After a mighty roar, they dove toward the nest to snatch No. 26. The wind pressure from their four enormous wings—spanning dozens of meters—swept across the peak. The piled snow around the nest billowed into the air.
"Flap flap, they're pissed!"
No. 26 nearly got swept away with the snow but anchored itself with tentacles. Safely grounded, it scurried toward us, fins paddling furiously.
The Crystalwings hot on its tail. The lead male opened its maw wide—preparing to unleash its most devastating weapon.
"Right!"
I shook off the snow and rose. The dark brown-furred creature bursting from the drifts made the Crystalwings' eyes widen.
And from the pit beneath me, PS-111 leaped out, carrying the Sky Mother.
Perched low on PS-111, azure ghostflame bloomed from the Sky Mother's eyes. It was the effect of one of the Wendigo's innate abilities: Ice Wraith.
Blue flames erupted from her amber irises, streaking toward them. The male sensed the psychic power and flared its wings, rocketing upward.
But she hadn't targeted him from the start. Her aim was the one trailing behind. The female noticed too late.
"Kuuhk?!"
Engulfed in blue flame, the female froze mid-air like a marionette with cut strings, then plummeted to the ground.
"Kuaaaaak!"
I charged the male as it tried to aid the female. In Clever Prey mode, I was far smaller than it—but size wasn't the same as strength.
"Kuaak!"
Colliding, the horn on my head pierced its wing. I shook my head to shred it completely, but I couldn't.
A turquoise beam lanced from its maw, slamming into me.
"Pain Reduction activated!"
Ugh!
Crystalwings could instinctively wield electromagnetic force thanks to their biology, unleashing devastating particle beams. Potent enough to dwarf plasma weapons.
Can't take another!
My shrunken form had lowered defenses; more hits would be dangerous. As if reading my mind, No. 26 swooped in to support.
"Don't bully our big baby!"
"Cup!"
Hundreds of purple threads burst from tiny No. 26's body, ensnaring the Crystalwing. Caught in the Seed Demon's bindings, it twisted unnaturally.
The particle beam stopped. I broke away.
"We taught the bad guy a lesson, though?"
"Kuaaaaak!"
I landed lightly and scooped up No. 26, plunging into the forest. Almost simultaneously, the male—neck snapped, wing torn—howled. In an instant, it regenerated and pursued.
Crystalwing's healing is insane.
No rigid carapace like the Ice Horror, no diverse minions like the Glacial Fin, no potent psychic powers like the Galleron. Instead, it had every tool for survival.
Particle beams for hunting, super-regeneration for wounds, superior detection, endless flight endurance.
That arsenal earned it apex status.
Doesn't mean I'll lose.
Not far off, it blasted trees with particle beams. The dense woods slowed its massive wings.
With some distance, I set No. 26 down.
It immediately swelled to full size. Countless fins sprouted below; hundreds of razor-lined tentacles erupted above.
Eyes bloomed across its combat form, all swiveling to me. I nodded silently.
We'd fought countless battles together. No vibrations needed—we understood each other.
The eyes curved into smiles. Grasping my intent, it charged the Crystalwing.
"Kuaaaak!"
"Bad guy! Punishment time!"
The eyes that smiled at me now glared ferociously. The Seed Demon's signature Deep Sea Terror unfolded before it.
"Ku... kuaaa..."
The Crystalwing halted its rampage, eyes trembling as it stared at No. 26.
Males had strong psychic resistance, but not enough to fully resist a Seed Demon.
Yet the world rarely goes so smoothly.
Trembling, it glanced back. There, the Sky Mother and PS-111 battled the female.
"Ku... kuaak! Kuaaaak!"
Protecting its mate, perhaps. It roared massively and readied another beam.
"No you don't!"
"Kuaak!"
Before it could fire, No. 26 gathered wood shards for a Demon Crash. It shook its head irritably at the impact.
No. 26's razor tentacles lunged to bind it, but the Crystalwing was alert. The beam incinerated them and nearby trees.
Ignoring the pain, No. 26 countered with bindings. The wingtip crumpled like paper—but it sacrificed the wing to spear No. 26 with its beak.
While the apexes clashed fiercely, I inspected the beam strike. Fur vaporized long ago, carapace shattered.
Need a body to overwhelm it.
Clever Prey had served well. Time to revert to Aimorph Near-Adult form.
And activate Hunter's Manifestation too.
Plan was Deep Sea Terror first to debilitate, then strike—but things deviated slightly. No choice but to adapt.
I deactivated Clever Prey and triggered Hunter's Manifestation.
My 5-meter frame exploded in size. Muscles and bones reshaped at breakneck speed. Centaur-like build shifted serpentine; four combat arms regained function.
Fur shed, exposing carapace and synthetic scales. Human-faced parasites and erosion tentacles emerged from their membranous swirls.
Six massive horns, theropod-like elongated head, mythical serpent-god body, six arms armored in rigid plating. Heavy pincer at tail's end.
Though only days since last transformation, it felt like ages.
But no rest yet. Perfect Organism's Hunter's Manifestation demanded reconfiguration.
Head carapace grew larger. Thick plating hooded my eyes; bifurcated lower jaws mutated extremely.
Four auxiliary organs below the jaws gained bony shields, blades honed razor-thin. Detection tools turned flesh-reapers.
Human-faces migrated to head carapace; two more scythe-armed limbs added to back; blunt claws on lower body and tail elongated like centipede legs.
Every inch optimized for hunt and slaughter—pure menace.
One new element amid the familiar.
This?
Abyssal Hue enriched the monster's tentacles, now more striking.
Previously cloaking from rear carapace to neck, they now reached the lower jaws—like tentacles for beard and hair.
As if from a forbidden horror anthology depicting an eldritch god.
...Appearance later.
Transformation complete, I rose slowly. Tree crowns once towering now brushed my nose.
"Kuaak?"
"Big baby's back!"
The Crystalwing startled as I burst through the trees.
Your essences are mine.
I roared a declaration at the foe—no, the prey—before me.