Chapter 210
Chapter 210
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 210
Chapter Title: qiqi iykow gkk-210i
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 210
Chapter Title: Hidden Kin Brought
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Ep. 210
｢Hidden Kin｣ ｢Brought｣
"Got it."
Nel Germa gave me a polite bow, then soared into the sky.
Originally, he was fated to be devoured by Adhai right here on the spot. But the plan had changed. Rather than sacrifice him, I'd chosen the path of letting him live.
With the plan altered, he moved on to the next step: gathering his scattered kin.
Most of the surviving Gallerons were hatchlings, protected by only a handful of Green Gallerons, or so he'd said. He'd judged the safest place on this planet to be near me, and promised to bring his kin here.
'I have no plans to eat them just yet.'
My original plan had been to acquire wings, then rescue Adhai—not to wage all-out war against the black dragon's horde.
Since arriving on this planet, I'd clashed with Gallerons a total of two times: once against Ort alone, and once against ten Green Gallerons. Both victories had come easily because the circumstances aligned perfectly, but that was pure luck.
What if Ort had brought subordinates? Or if those ten Greens had been led by three or four Whites? It would've been anything but easy.
'Gallerons are powerful alone, but terrifying in a pack.'
Like African lions forming prides to hunt massive herbivores, Gallerons become incredibly dangerous when properly organized. They're like an upgraded version of the Glacial Fin, commanding minions instead of fighting solo. A full Galleron unit is little more than a squadron of living fighter craft.
'That's why I need to hit them hard and fast, before they can prepare.'
When they learned the Green Galleron pursuit squad I'd sent after Ort's remnants had been wiped out, they'd sense something was wrong. The black dragon Od Grad was the oldest Galleron on this planet. He'd know exactly how to handle a powerful new threat.
In other words, I had to rattle them before they could dig in and fortify.
'The good news is Nel Germa had a ton of useful intel.'
Like Ort, he'd once belonged to Od Grad's horde. Which meant he knew exactly how many White Gallerons they had.
'Total Whites: nineteen.'
Originally twenty-four, but four had followed Ort out of the nest, leaving nineteen. Twelve of them were young specimens that had molted recently. Half female, half male.
The other seven, however, were mature adults who'd lived long after their molts. Not quite Black Galleron age, but seasoned all the same.
In the game, all White Gallerons had identical stats. But this was reality—differences arose from age and battle experience.
'Ort made that abundantly clear.'
And those seven were Od Grad's cherished mates, kept under his personal care. Nel Germa had stressed how especially dangerous they were. Best to assume they were all Ort-tier at minimum.
'Time to plan around picking off the weak ones first.'
Any White Galleron would serve as growth material for Adhai, according to the ones who knew his secret.
'First one's bait. The rest...'
Eat as many as possible to snag their traits, then recruit the survivors as allies. Normally I'd devour the lot, but right now we needed bodies on our side.
'I already know when they head out to hunt.'
The seven stayed in the nest full-time, tending to Od Grad. The twelve ventured out for food every three or four days.
'Nel said their next hunt is coming up soon.'
They still didn't know their Green pursuit team was dead. So they'd likely dispatch the hunters before finding out. Galleron time sense was subtly different from a human's, though, so I couldn't bank on that alone.
'Surveillance and prep. Both essential.'
We had to watch the nest's activity while gearing up to strike before they emerged.
That was our task from here on out—mine, no, ours.
Using the intel from Nel Germa, I'd sketched a rough plan and summoned the others.
"It's a solid plan, for sure. Just one tweak."
"Nest surveillance would be better handled by me than PS-111. My eyesight's sharper, and I've got the experience."
"I must disagree. My sensor suite provides 360-degree coverage..."
The reason I'd planned to assign nest watch to PS-111 was her two key strengths: psychic power detection and agility.
Specimen 26 was our resident psychic expert, but she was sluggish on the ground. If the Gallerons spotted her, escape would be dicey. PS-111's detection was inferior, but her mobility was top-notch.
'No, she's got a point.'
The Mother of the Sky lagged in psychic detection but boasted exceptional vision. PS-111 clearly disagreed, but in my eyes, the gap wasn't that wide.
Plus, she was a fellow Ranker. She'd hunted Gallerons plenty in her time.
'The big wrinkle is that this isn't the game anymore.'
Unlike the rigidly programmed PS-111, she possessed flexible judgment. Even if things went south, she'd slip out of any jam without issue.
"Thank you."
"Understood."
"Buddy, just leave it to me!"
Specimen 26 and PS-111 were tasked with guarding the group Nel Germa brought back. He hadn't mentioned it, but I doubted the ancient black dragon had dispatched only one pursuit team.
'There have to be more Green Galleron squads out there.'
Pairing 26 and PS-111 with Nel would let them handle any run-ins effectively.
Finally, Adhai would stick with me.
Two reasons: combat training for him, and testing a fresh Apex specimen on him.
White Gallerons were crucial for his growth, sure—but unknown what other prey might do. Slim chance it'd make a huge difference, but worth a shot.
'Can't hurt either way.'
Apex bodies brimmed with energy, perfect chow for a newly molted Adhai.
But that wasn't all.
To temper his abilities, he needed Apex hunts. For the battles ahead, he'd have to master his powers inside out. Nothing beat facing real threats to accelerate adaptation.
"You sure that's okay?"
I knew what worried the Mother of the Sky, but there was no alternative. With the dragon's nest gone, the cruiser was their only shot at survival.
Right on cue, Nel Germa returned.
"Survivors?" "Kin?" "All?"
"All."
"Eggs?" "Where?"
"Od Grad." "Took."
Nel had brought three Green Gallerons and five Blues. All the Whites had been personally slain by Od Grad.
'The odds suck.'
Nineteen Whites over there. Nine total here. Ten with Adhai. We were hopelessly outmatched.
'Tch. But expected.'
Disappointing, but not surprising.
Adhai, however, trembled visibly. While captured by Ort, he'd been housed in the hatchling nest. No one knew better than him how many Blues had died.
Under normal circumstances, I'd have soothed him. But not this time.
'Rage is fuel for battle.'
It shoved you past self-imposed limits without you even realizing.
Blind fury clouded judgment, of course—but that wasn't an issue here. I'd calibrate his emotions for him.
"I'll explain en route. Follow."
"Agree." "All." "Move."
Everyone mobilized exactly as planned beforehand. Adhai and I were the only ones left behind.
"Big one." "Me." "Shock." "Young kin." "Death." "Don't want."
"Young kin." "Innocent." "Od Grad." "Bad."
I'd planned to gobble every last Galleron before things shook out this way, but I kept that to myself.
Instead, I broached a different topic.
"Agree." "Revenge." "Needed."
"Agree."
As my monster's tentacles transmitted the psychic waves, purple flames erupted from Adhai's eyes. Not a metaphor—actual violet fire bloomed over his amethyst irises. His latent psychic power had leaked outward under the influence.
"Agree!" "Od Grad." "Death." "Needed!" "Needed!"
Adhai nodded furiously.
This secured Galleron genetic essence without harming our bond. A shame about skipping the Blues, though.
'With everyone else gone, Od Grad has to die.'
Not simply because he'd come for me, or because I needed his genes.
He was the culprit who'd discarded Adhai. The one who'd inflicted an indelible scar on my treasured companion.
'Once all preparations are complete...'
Od Grad would die by my hand.
The ice plains where the Snake King made its lair.
Ten green-scaled beings soared above the unstable ground, shaken by a recent mysterious quake.
They were Od Grad's pursuit squad, scouring for the remnants who served the pure-white queen Ort.
The Galleron pack thoroughly scanned the ice plains and deemed it clear of enemies. Their next destination lay far from the nest: a frozen canyon beyond the plains. Beast king territory—but they paid it no mind.
The beast king dominated the ground but couldn't fly. They could disengage at any time if it showed.
And so the ten winged dragons plunged unhindered into the beast king's domain.
They crossed deep natural canyons without a care. About midway through, the lead Galleron spotted something.
In the pitch-black depths where light barely penetrated, something glimmered.
"Halt."
"Traitors?" "Found?"
"Checking." "Now."
The instant the leader veered toward the light...
Dozens of red glows ignited on the cliff housing it.
"Enemy." "Ambu..."
Sensing the ominous air, the Galleron hurriedly tried to broadcast a thought wave. But his kin never received it.
Some unknown interference jammed the space between them.
While he panicked over the failed transmission, the red lights leaped from the cliff. Dozens of unidentified multi-legged creatures swarmed atop him.
He thrashed to shake them off, to no avail. Their razor claws and teeth savaged his wings mercilessly.
In mere seconds, drenched in blood, he plummeted into the bottomless void below.
He could only hope his comrades escaped unscathed. But reality dashed those hopes.
His nine companions were plummeting into the abyss alongside him.
Atop the cliff, more red lights gazed down impassively.
"Hostile organisms: 10 individuals neutralized. Deploying as supplemental energy."
"'Pyra Eleven' projected to recover 75% based on energy yield. Activity resumption anticipated."
"Repair squad, supply squad: deploy..."
Even as they tumbled, the red lights droned on with their inscrutable chatter.
What those words meant? The Green Galleron would never know.
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