Chapter 213
Chapter 213
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 213
Chapter Title: qiqi iykow gkk-213i
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 213
Chapter Title: Ep. 213
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Floating in the air, I flapped my wing arms to climb higher. Adhai, who boasted blistering flight speed, had already surged ahead of me.
"Sssaaaa."
The Hellside Hornet hissed sharply as it stuck close to my tail. In a flash, it caught up, spreading its two arms wide and swinging them down.
Its arms, shaped like the forelegs of a mantis, were both razor-sharp and incredibly sturdy. They were tough enough to damage one of the hardest parts of my body—my head carapace.
My own claws wouldn't hold up either.
The pincers at the tip of my tail had defensive strength on par with my head carapace. They only had higher resistance to psionics. Dodging its attacks or tanking them with my body would be a losing strategy.
Mid-flight, I pulled my tail toward my body. Its scythe sliced through empty air.
Using the recoil from bending my tail, I twisted my body upside down in midair. My torso spun dramatically, facing toward the Hellside Hornet.
In that position, I drew my erosion tentacles. The six long tentacles lashed out to rip its wings apart.
Seeing the serpentine tentacles hissing toward it, the creature quickly retreated. I anticipated its evasion direction and spat acidic spores in that exact spot.
"Shaaak!"
The beast snarled in irritation, its head drenched in green liquid. Hellside Hornets could unleash terrifying digestive fluids, granting them immunity to all acid-based attacks.
But my strike wasn't meant to deal lethal damage.
I charged straight at it while its vision was obscured by the liquid. Sensing the air shift, it frantically beat its wings to dodge. Its body shot upward as my horns grazed its leg tips.
I felt a few of its talons shatter against my horns, but it was negligible. It shook off the liquid from its eyes mid-movement and swung its arm down toward my back.
My bone scythe arm on my back clashed with its arm. My scythe dented about halfway, but this time, its arm took damage too. The scythe's edge had nicked the blade on its arm.
As we traded blows in the sky, a mass of purple energy came flying from somewhere. Had it not ducked its head, there would've been a baseball-sized hole in the back of its skull.
Thanks to its compound eyes, the Hellside Hornet had no blind spots—unless I covered them entirely, like I just had.
Close one.
"Shaaaak!"
Nearly killed in an instant, it screeched and pulled away from me. Adhai followed up with another purple energy blast.
Aiming for its head, it folded its arms into a shield. The energy bolt hit but only left scorch marks on its sturdy arms.
Using its arms as a shield to protect its head, it tried to pursue Adhai again, but the creature was already gone.
Lightning flashed across the dark sky. And it wasn't a metaphor. Even with my auxiliary organs enhanced by Predator Incarnate, tracking its movements was a struggle.
Transformed into a streak of white lightning, Adhai retreated while firing intermittent psionic breaths to keep the enemy at bay. The Hellside Hornet wasn't slow by any means, but Adhai was simply too fast to approach.
"Sssaaaak! Shaaak!"
The enraged beast let out eerie cries. Along with them came intense heat radiating from its body.
«Acknowledged»
Its body heated up like it had emerged from lava, then the heat concentrated toward its rear.
Something writhed furiously inside its abdomen. It felt like a spider egg sac teeming with hatchlings.
My auxiliary organs were spot on. Countless flying insects erupted from its rear.
"Sss""Sss""Sss""Sss""Sss""Sss"
The bugs were called Hornetlings—offspring of the Hellside Hornet.
Hornetlings resembled Hellside Hornets but were far smaller, about the size of an adult man's fist. They also lacked threatening forelimbs.
That didn't mean they could be underestimated.
Hornetlings were one of the Hellside Hornet's most powerful weapons.
Hellside Hornets preferred injecting eggs directly into enemies to hatch Hornetlings, but against tough foes like now, they could expend internal energy to grow them artificially.
These artificially spawned Hornetlings had one key trait: extreme hunger, having received only the minimal energy for growth.
"Shaaa."
At its cry, the swarm of Hornetlings surged toward Adhai. Individually tiny, but numbering around a thousand. The swarm flying in unison looked like a small cloud in motion.
If you ignored how unnaturally fast that cloud was.
Hornetlings matched adult speeds. The living cloud of insects closed in on Adhai.
Knowing Adhai was faster, they shifted formation to encircle it. If Adhai tried to break free, the Hellside Hornet herded it back in.
«Understood!»
Grasping my intent, Adhai gathered its power and unleashed it. Psionic energy erupted from its tentacle tips like a fountain.
Purple Lightning, from my Green Galleron days.
"Sss!" "Sshk!" "Sss!" "Sss!" "Sshk!"
The massive psionic net Adhai conjured engulfed the Hornetlings. Hundreds plummeted like flies zapped by an electric swatter.
Its power and precision have improved.
Purple Lightning originally had less than half the destructive force of Psionic Breath and far shorter range. But its wide-area spread made it ideal against groups.
Yet Adhai was controlling it to maximize damage and accuracy.
Like how Specimen 026 suppressed foes by scattering psionic power, Adhai wielded it similarly. Purple Lightning, once a one-shot burst, now danced like it had a mind of its own, annihilating Hornetlings.
Adhai dodged and weaved, shattering the swarm. It interspersed Psionic Breaths to harass the Hellside Hornet too.
You're doing great.
Meanwhile, I dove in to pressure the parent. Whenever it tried spitting digestive fluid at Adhai, I'd fire a Psionic Breath or charge it myself.
"Sss!" "Sss!" "Sss!"
"Sssaaa!"
At the mother's cry from behind, the offspring shifted tactics.
The Hornetlings' terror wasn't just their numbers. Their true weapon was digestive fluid.
Hornetling fluid matched the adult's potency—enough to melt my carapace. Imagine thousands firing at once. Adhai wouldn't stand a chance.
Can't let that happen.
This hunt aimed not just to claim an Apex but to help Adhai master its power. Serious injury during training would be counterproductive.
Confirming the Hornetlings positioning to spray their fluid, I revealed my hidden ace.
Perfect counter for bunched-up bugs like you.
I readied Psionic Breath while activating Colors of the Abyss.
My carapace and scales shimmered in eerie hues. Purple, green, and myriad colors writhed like living things, flowing toward the tentacles on my neck, rear head, and jaw.
Corrupted psionic power gathered in the monster's tentacles. Bubbles boiled furiously before my maw.
Blooms of iridescent orbs unfurled like flowers. Beautiful illusions hiding vampiric hunger for life.
Psionic Breath, infused with Colors of the Abyss, launched.
Colors of the Abyss
Psionic Breath corrupted into ravenous orbs
Like soap bubbles from a bubble gun, the Psionic Breath spread across the sky. One touched the Hornetling swarm.
"Sss?!"
The unlucky one vanished into a sphere of chaos. That sparked it. The insatiable orbs devoured the swarm voraciously.
Over a thousand strong, the loss wasn't immediately noticeable. But soon, the swarm imploded like a vacuum sucked it inward. The Psionic Breath inside was consuming them.
Only then did they sense the horror nearby. They scattered frantically, but it was far too late.
What could dissolving bugs do? Starving and melting, they turned on kin to survive.
Psionic Breath and Hornetlings competed in gluttony, devouring each other. The frenzy accelerated over time.
No sounds accompanied the silent massacre. It ended in minutes. The swarm vanished; the Breath dissipated harmlessly.
«What» «Was» «That?»
"Sha, shaaak!"
The sudden disappearance stunned everyone. Adhai tilted its head; the Hellside Hornet bellowed in rage and disbelief.
Colors of the Abyss brought a lull. Wary of my attack, it only menaced without charging.
With enemy assaults halted, Adhai flew to me.
«Me» «Learn» «Possible?»
«Regret»
«Agreed»
As Black Gallerons could mimic it, but I'd explain later.
During the pause, the sky grew noisier. Fierce winds howled, temperatures plummeting—like a massive storm approaching.
«White» «Scales» «Fine» «No» «Issue»
Not much bigger, but a true White Galleron. Adhai seemed unfazed.
Good. Next up...
The cunning Hellside Hornet was pragmatic. In this disadvantageous spot, it had two options.
Summon more Hornetlings for a pincer attack—likely used differently after witnessing the last.
Probably spread out for hit-and-run or as bait.
It'd toss offspring at me while targeting Adhai. I wouldn't allow it, of course.
Or flee.
Most Apexes were aggressively combative, rarely avoiding fights.
Except this Hellside Hornet.
"Shaaa."
A short cry, and its body heated intensely. Awakening stored Hornetling eggs.
Soon, a new swarm burst from its rear—half the previous size from the rapid double spawn.
Still not few.
Quick learner—it'd be trickier now. As I warned Adhai and readied—
The parent dove toward the ground with its swarm.
What!
Fight or flight? It chose both. Offspring to delay, itself to escape.
«Situation» «Changed»
«How?»
«Agreed» «Hurry» «Chase»
Plan adjusted, we split: Adhai to the swarm, me to the adult. As Adhai battled bugs in a purple lightning storm, I folded my wing arms to close on the Hellside Hornet.
Mid-descent, I fired a Psionic Breath—standard version, no Colors of the Abyss.
The purple beam grazed its lower body. A direct hit would've been fatal, but it dodged at the last second.
"Shaaa!"
Furious, it spat digestive fluid at my landing spot. Wings folded for speed, I partially unfurled them to slow—its attack grazed my tail underside.
Burning flesh agony hit, but no Pain Reduction triggered, so not severe. Dodging, I refolded and accelerated.
Distinguishing trees on the mountain, I'd closed the gap massively. It spat more fluid en route, but I endured, trusting my carapace.
"Shaak! Sssaaa!"
Seeing me press on despite hits, it changed tack. From passive resistance in freefall, it suddenly beat wings toward me.
Up close, it swung its scythe arm at my neck.
Before decapitation, I reared my upper body back. Its arm sheared the blade bone on my jaw. Predator Incarnate had turned my auxiliary organ into a blade; nerves narrowly intact.
As I pulled back, erosion tentacles emerged from my back, ensnaring it. Tip appendages tangled its six lower legs.
My grab succeeded, but it intended capture too. Its arm lanced like lightning, piercing my abdomen.
Gah!
Excruciating organ-rending pain nearly blacked me out. Without Aimorph resilience or Pain Reduction, I'd be done. Even as my mind screamed, my body gripped it tight.
Payback time!
"Shaaa!"
I gaped to bite. It folded its other arm to block my jaws. Locked in embrace, we plummeted.
"Shaaaa."
Perfect, it thought—its rear stirred. Planning to implant maggots in my melted carapace spot.
But it didn't know.
While it focused on killing me, my auxiliary organs alerted me.
A hypersonic flyer approached from above.
And it fired a purple energy bolt—slimmer, more refined than usual.
Like evading detection.
As Adhai intended, it noticed far too late. Spotting the bolt at its head, it tried pulling away—but couldn't, bodies pressed tight.
"Shaak!"
Sharp instincts: it tore off its own arms and legs. Wings-only, it distanced. I reached with combat arms for its wings, but it was a hair faster.
But!
As the bolt neared my head, I twisted slightly.
Result: Adhai's Psionic Breath slammed my head carapace. Condensed for a finisher, shockwaves rocked my skull.
Hit, my latent trait Psionic Reflection Armor auto-activated. Most power dissipated destroying carapace, but remnants ricocheted.
In an unpredictable direction.
Straight at the Hellside Hornet's wings.
"Ssak?!"
One wing lost, it spun unsteadily. A second bolt followed for the kill.
«Big» «One» «Attack» «Forgiven» «No»
Infused with cold grudge, the bolt incinerated its remaining wing.
Wingless, it couldn't stay aloft—true crash, not tactical.
"Shaaaaaaak!"
A life far from falls, now ending. Shrinking scream as its form dwindled.
Then vanished.
Whew.
«Big» «One» «Hurt?»
«Head» «Hit»
Adhai hovered worriedly.
My body was wrecked: melted carapace from fluid, abdominal puncture, severed horn, caved-in head carapace from Psionic Breath. It hurt like hell, but I said I was okay.
Aimorphs don't die unless brain and heart stop. This was recoverable by eating its flesh.
Adhai and I descended slowly.
Its crash site was a sticky fluid mire. In the blood sea's center lay the Hellside Hornet.
"S, s, ssuh...."
Only upper body and head intact, it rasped faintly. Lower half pulverized; dead maggots floated in the gore.
It's over.
Approaching, I impaled its head with my back bone scythe arm.
Its upper body twitched, then stilled.
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