Chapter 209
Chapter 209
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 209
Chapter Title: Ep. 209
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I swung my wing arms fiercely, gaining altitude in a single bound. The storm clouds split by my battle with Ort Ham had already reformed.
A star floated proudly amid the snow, rain, and occasional flashes of lightning.
I flew swiftly to Adhai's side.
"Great One."
[Zzuzu zzuzuzu (What happened?)]
"Kin.""Pursued."
[Zzuzu (Kin?)]
"Me.""White kin.""Encounter.""Ort Ham.""Pack."
As it said, the Gallerons were flying this way while fighting. The pursued White Galleron was covered in blood, while the ten Green Gallerons chasing it looked relatively unscathed.
Unless it was the exceptional Ort Ham among Gallerons, a regular White Galleron wouldn't easily handle ten opponents. If left alone, it would be hunted and killed by the Green Gallerons.
"Great One.""White kin.""Have words.""To share."
[Zzuzuzu (Words to share?)]
"Important.""Trust.""Request."
I eyed it, wondering if it wanted to save its kin, but the vibe wasn't quite that.
'Eating those Green Gallerons right now wouldn't be bad either.'
The predation hunt had ended just before my conversation with Adhai. The predation effect probably wouldn't trigger, but it would help fill my Apex count for evolution conditions. No harm there.
'There are a fair number, though...'
I scanned the surroundings. No other Gallerons followed the ten.
[Zzuzu zzuzuzu zzuzu (Shall we clean them up first?)]
"Agree."
"Let's flap and teach 'em a lesson!"
I spread my wings wide and glided toward them. Adhai, flying beside me, shot ahead at a speed rivaling its mother's.
In the blink of an eye, it closed in on the Green Galleron pack and began unleashing psychic breaths with rapid movements.
'Impressive.'
By lore, Gallerons needed a charging sequence to fire a psychic breath, halting their bodies beforehand.
This held true in reality too—even Ort Ham, with its superior skill, twitched slightly when firing.
But Adhai had no such drawback. It used super acceleration to fire short bursts of psychic breath like artillery barrages.
The enemies panicked at this unheard-of attack style. They tried clinging to Adhai using their own super acceleration, but it was far faster.
While Adhai drew attention, the bloodied White Galleron struck back at the foes.
'It's fighting better than expected, but...'
A newly matured Galleron and a severely injured White one couldn't beat ten enemies.
If the Green Gallerons used their numbers to surround Adhai, it would struggle to leverage its speed. Sure enough, they started positioning to encircle it, thinking the same.
'Can't let that happen.'
Not as fast as Adhai or Ort Ham, but I could fly pretty quick myself. I slipped into the clouds and approached the Gallerons stealthily.
The Green Gallerons focused solely on the enemies before them. I waited for one to fly near, then lunged forward.
"?!"
A being three or four times its size burst from the black clouds, startling the Green Galleron. My erosion tentacles wrapped around it instantly.
"Dan—"
It tried sending a warning thought wave, but I was faster. I snapped open my elongated maw and tore into its neck.
I dragged the limp corpse—with its neck bones shattered—back into the clouds.
-
Ragmad, a verdant male of the great Od Grad's pack, felt good.
He had never gotten a mating chance from water-scale to verdant. The great Od Grad strictly controlled males besides itself from pairing.
The ancient black dragon's power remained immense—even pure whites treaded carefully. A verdant like him stood no chance.
Then, opportunity knocked while he resigned to obedience.
Ort Ham, Od Grad's third mate and pack's number two, rebelled.
The young yet mighty pure white queen was one Ragmad admired. She rejected Od Grad's rule to form her own pack.
Ragmad considered leaving too but feared Od Grad's wrath.
His fears proved right. Those who followed Ort Ham couldn't escape the black dragon's fury. Most died; the pure white leader became an egg-laying slave till death.
Kill Ort Ham's survivors, and Ragmad might claim his dream: mating with the pure white queen.
A minor pest interrupted midway, but he wasn't worried.
The abnormally small pure white was fast and strong, but that's all. Verdants outnumbered it vastly.
It would just take time—Od Grad's pack would survive.
So thinking, Ragmad eyed his target. Two kin faced the white one.
As he deemed it going well, something felt off.
The comrades assigned to the white numbered three originally.
"Ragmad!""Target.""Surround.""Support!"
A kin called him to catch the pest. Looking, Ragmad realized his side was off too.
One missing here as well.
"Strange.""Kin.""Missing."
"Unclear."
"Kin.""Ten.""Now.""Eight."
"?"
His kin halted midair, uncomprehending. Lightning cracked across the dark sky then.
The bolt spread through clouds over the heavens.
In that flash, Ragmad saw it.
A massive shadow in the murky clouds.
As lightning faded, its owner burst out. Countless heads seized a kin. It vanished into black clouds without a sound.
The cloud that devoured it drifted away innocently. No trace remained.
Witnessing it all, Ragmad felt an emotion never before known.
Not even facing Od Grad's rage. A chilling dread surged through his scales.
Overwhelming terror.
"Enemy!""Enemy!""New enemy!""Spotted!"
Realizing, Ragmad screamed unwittingly. His thought wave carried raw panic.
Sensing it, kin snapped to alert. The small pure white pest had vanished. So had their target.
Perhaps that "something" in the clouds ate them too.
Now, that fearful, greedy thing hunted them.
Then, purple light flashed from clouds— the pure white's breath. A verdant dodged back swiftly.
"Danger!""Alert!"
"Dan—?"
Thick darkness engulfed the dodging kin. Ambushed from behind, it fell without resistance. Wings like night sky—"something"—flapped and hid in storm clouds again.
"Black kin!""Danger!"
"Od Grad!""Needed!"
"Impossible!"
"Calm.""All.""Group.""Needed."
Ragmad rallied the panicked kin. Together, that hidden "something" couldn't prey freely.
So thinking, lightning struck again.
Unlike the prior white flash, this was vivid gold.
"?"
Not just color— oddly, the bolt didn't fork but coalesced, streaking toward them.
Toward Ragmad's tightly clustered pack.
Lightning serpent shredded his kin like lightning.
Amid blood and flesh spray, he saw beyond it.
Atop a sky throne sat "something"—the black king of death. Its myriad heads clutched his kin.
And the black king's white messenger spat purple flames at him.
-
'Easier than expected.'
I worried over the ten, but it went smoothly. Inexperienced youths, they panicked quick. Had a White Galleron leader been among them, it wouldn't have ended so fast.
'Probably one or two fled to call reinforcements.'
Then endless hellish waves awaited. Gallerons swarming till my death.
'Good that didn't happen.'
Having cleared the Green Galleron pack, we descended to the ground.
"New Galleron, huh."
[Zzuzuzu zzuzuzu zzuzuzuzu (Corpse chunks fell over the forest).]
"Fetch them? Got it."
"I'll help too, Big Flapper."
"...Can we change the name?"
"Insufficient authority. Conditions unmet."
While Sky Mother and PS-111 headed to the forest, the White Galleron approached me.
"Nell Gorma.""Black kin.""Thanks."
The female White Galleron introduced as Nell Gorma expressed gratitude.
'One of Ort Ham's subordinates.'
I scanned the injured Galleron. Covered in wounds, critically weakened. One strike from me would end it.
'Ask Adhai first, then deal with it.'
As I moved a monster tentacle to question, Nell Gorma sent a thought wave first.
"Yuseong's daughter.""Ort Ham.""Message.""Exists."
"Message?""For me?"
"Od Grad.""Pack.""Attacked.""Kin.""Most.""Dead."
"!"
"Young kin.""Few.""Remain.""Rest.""Dead."
Nell Gorma's words startled me and Adhai. Its amethyst eyes widened, wings trembling in rage at the young kin's slaughter.
"Od Grad.""Bad!""Young kin.""Pitiful!"
My feelings differed slightly.
'It struck first.'
While Ort Ham took Adhai and left, the Black Galleron raided their nest.
No leader here, but a Black—stronger than any White—there. Massacre inevitable.
Ort Ham rushed back mid-fight with me for that. To join kin against the Black.
'Seems it failed.'
Anyway, Od Grad massacring them hurts me too. Fewer gene essences available.
'No, gene essence aside—evolution conditions are the issue.'
To evolve to Adult, I must kill Apexes myself. Eating corpses killed by others doesn't count.
I asked Nell Gorma.
[Zzuzuzu zzuzuzu zzuzu (What of Ort Ham?)]
"Me.""Depart when.""Od Grad.""Ort Ham.""Fighting."
Odds were Ort Ham died. Stronger than average White, but not enough to bridge color gap.
"More.""Important.""Yuseong's daughter."
"?"
"Ort Ham.""Said.""Savior.""Condition."
"Sky king.""Already.""Eaten."
"Next.""Condition.""White kin.""Eat."
"Kin.""Eat?"
"Ort Ham.""Suicide.""Yuseong's daughter.""Grow.""Sacrifice.""Wants."
"Trust.""Impossible!""No!"
Adhai reacted with disbelief to Nell Gorma's words.
"Ort Ham.""Abandoned me!""Sacrifice.""Lie!"
The mother who once abandoned it now sacrificing for it? Unreal to Adhai.
Blood ties or not, trusting one who ditched you ain't easy. I understood, having similar experience.
'Maybe worse for it.'
Abandoned nestless on this brutal ice world without hunting skill meant death. The pack clearly wished Adhai dead.
"Truth.""Ort Ham.""Offering.""No.""Instead.""Nell Gorma.""Offering."
"Trust.""No!"
"Time.""None.""Od Grad.""Remaining young kin.""Hunt."
As it shook its head, Nell Gorma desperately persuaded.
Watching, No. 26 approached and prodded me with a tentacle strand.
"Big baby."
[Zzuzu (What?)]
"Big Flapper. Small baby's mom?"
[Zzuzu zzuzu zzuzuzu zzuzuzuzu (Yeah. Old story, not anymore.)]
"Once mom, always mom."
Honestly, no mood for No. 26's pointless chat now. Staying silent, it continued.
"Flapper said when fleeing."
[Zzuzu (?)]
"Take care of small baby."
Dismissed as nonsense, but a memory surfaced.
When Ort Ham tricked and retreated from me, it sent a brief wave. Distracted fearing for Adhai, I barely registered it.
"Wished small baby lives, at least."
[Zzuzu (That...)]
"'Cause Big Flapper's mom?"
No. 26's words left me speechless.
'...Makes sense that way.'
Why Ort Ham handed over precious daughter so easily.
Chatting with kin, it learned nest under attack. Sky Whale already lost to me—Adhai's growth stalled. So it entrusted daughter to me, rushed to defend nest.
'Not just that. Deemed me insufficient vs. black dragon, so insured with backup.'
It knew my strength but judged below black dragon. Mid-nest fight, messaged White Galleron to relay to Adhai.
'Adhai eats me willingly, or I kill Nell Gorma to feed it—same result.'
Either way, stronger Adhai survives black dragon. Last gamble.
'Hah. Sly one.'
Smartest foe I've met here. Nobles of Mega Corp, Star Union androids, players included.
'Motherhood, huh...'
Anthropomorphizing Gallerons is silly, but fits perfectly. A mother's wish for daughter's peace.
Or atonement to abandoned child.
Comprehending No. 26's wave, Adhai deflated. Confused emotions leaked from its head.
'Tch.'
Pondering Ort Ham's intent is pointless. It's dead; Black Galleron remains our foe.
Suppressing the nagging thought, I called Nell Gorma.
[Zzuzuzuzu zzuzuzu zzuzuzu (Is Od Grad that strong?)]
"Od Grad.""Mystic power.""Has."
[Zzuzuzu (Mystic power?)]
"Od Grad.""Foes.""Minds.""Reads.""Thus.""Uninjured."
By my knowledge, Black Gallerons lack mind-reading or invincible skin. Flying natural disasters, yes—but not that.
'Or maybe unknown power.'
Already mighty, plus mystery? No easy foe. Its pack too—will summon minions against me.
'Then I need backup too.'
My power insufficient for immediate fight. Must bolster weaknesses.
[Zzuzu zzuzu zzuzu (One question.)]
"Black kin.""Ask.""Answer."
[Zzuzuzu zzuzuzu zzuzuzuzu zzuzuzu zzuzu (Eating White kin. Any other conditions?)]
"Probably.""Not."
Nell Gorma nodded.
'Perfect.'
I need more, stronger allies now.
Killing Nell Gorma here wastes potential vs. using against them. Any White works for Adhai's growth anyway.
Answer's clear.
'Grab another.'
From Od Grad's pack.