Chapter 242
Chapter 242
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 242
Chapter Title: Ep. 242
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In the game, the Star Union's Mechanical Committee had one key characteristic.
Unlike cases like Mega Corp's Seven Great Families, the Cult Empire's Prophets' Council, or the Imperial Council, the Mechanical Committee was always composed entirely of NPCs.
In other words, they only appeared as enemies or advisors.
When playing as a rival to the Star Union like Mega Corp, or as a Star Union cyborg, you'd end up fighting the Mechanical Committee. The former was to achieve the "Integration" final ending goal, like the Aimorph's Ascension. The latter required passing the Mechanical Committee's trials to become the Supreme Leader.
While playing as an Aimorph, I once battled a Star Union Supreme Leader player and ended up facing the Mechanical Committee.
As NPCs appearing in the late game, the Mechanical Committee boasted high difficulty.
For starters, each committee member commanded an elite fleet. Since they deployed their fleets in combat, challenging players needed equivalent fleet-level firepower.
Moreover, all committee members were androids who could modify their bodies. Each had unique mod styles, swapping parts mid-battle based on the opponent's strategy.
But none of them had been modified like the Pira Eleven standing before me.
Alloy hoses as thick as an Ice Horror's torso sprawled everywhere, with a giant's upper body and face—made of living tissue and metal—at the center.
Its face had an androgynous feel, and eyes larger than Sky Mother's were replaced with camera lenses. Its skin writhed like it was alive whenever it moved.
'That's no longer an android.'
Androids, unlike cyborgs, were pure machines but usually retained a humanoid form. Even Mechanical Committee members, if abandoning humanoid shape, would transplant their brains into combat machines rather than modding to that extent.
This thing was closer to PS-111. A machine-bio hybrid.
'Though here, the machine fully dominates.'
Its appearance was far uglier than PS-111 too. The hideous monster swung a hose at me.
Each hose was as thick and long as an Ice Horror's torso—about 1.5 times my body length.
I raised my wing arms and combat arms to block it. Not only did it look similar; the weight and defense matched Ice Horror level.
As I blocked the strike, the ones behind moved in unison. In that moment, I activated 'Hand of the Predatory Leech'.
'Huh?'
Unexpectedly, the enemy's bio-energy wasn't absorbed. To confirm, I bit into the hose I was gripping. The hard metal epidermis cracked, spilling foul-tasting flesh from within.
'I see.'
The alloy hoses had metal scale exteriors covering internal bio-tissue. Since it wasn't fully biological, gripping the surface prevented absorption via Hand of the Predatory Leech.
Plus, the flesh was poisoned. The tingling in my mouth suggested neurotoxin.
It hadn't swung carelessly.
'Trying to paralyze me? Not kill?'
Then, Number 26 on my head shouted.
｢Big baby! Watch out!｣
Simultaneously, another hose whipped from the side, striking me.
My size wasn't small, but its hoses dwarfed me. My body involuntarily slid back from the hit.
'Strength on par with mine...'
A cunning foe. I blocked incoming attacks with combat arms while sending waves to the kids.
I was immune, but the kids weren't.
Sky Mother dodged hoses with front paw swipes but retreated immediately upon my warning.
Adhai swooped in, snatching the withdrawing Sky Mother.
As Adhai acrobatically evaded hoses bursting from canyon walls, Sky Mother reverted to griffonkin form.
She nimbly climbed Adhai's back and pulled a long golden spear from the backpack tied near Adhai's waist.
A hose lunged to pin Adhai, claws outstretched. At that instant, Sky Mother's priestess golden spear gleamed.
With one strike, she severed all three massive claws. Adhai, expecting it, didn't slow down.
The clawless hose pursued to grab them but was thwarted by an incoming indigo energy bolt.
PS-111, clinging to the wall for suppressive fire, snapped its mouth shut and relocated swiftly. An ice wall cracked, revealing a hidden hose lunging at the enemy.
'Not on my watch.'
The monster tentacles on my neck and head rear responded, charging Psychic Breath. Energy charged rapidly, dyeing the entire tentacle bundle purple.
Purple flames erupted from my head, and a ferocious psychic beam lanced forward. The hose aiming to crush PS-111 was pierced through.
Then, massive objects shifted behind me. While I was distracted, Pira Eleven swung two hoses for my nape.
But what it didn't know was I wasn't letting my guard down. I trusted the little one atop my head.
Its two overwhelmingly large hoses halted mid-air, as if hitting an invisible wall. Far smaller but no less powerful—Number 26 exerting force.
The hoses struggled, but escaping the net of dozens, hundreds of psychic power tendrils was no easy feat. I turned and destroyed both with Psychic Breath.
'Still no major issues...'
'Damn it!'
Seeing the rapid images, I tensed my tail. My body sprang sideways like a coil. Almost simultaneously, an immense plasma energy burst from Pira Eleven's maw.
A beam thick as a ship's main gun scorched where I'd stood. The ice floor melted as if a sun had crashed.
Steam filled the dry canyon. From the fog-like white mist, Pira Eleven's voice echoed.
｢Pira Eleven. Correction. Special Target A's judgment revised from 'High' to 'Very High'.｣
'Ripped off a ship main gun and attached it?'
It fired another beam. But I hadn't idled. Against the incoming green beam, Psychic Breath surged from my tentacle tips.
Thanks to 'Dragon's Heart', my psychic power output was terrifying. At max power, my Psychic Breath's thickness nearly matched its beam.
The machine monster's plasma beam clashed mid-air with my dragon-inherited psychic breath.
An enormous shockwave ravaged the canyon. It shook violently, raining massive ice chunks over 10m from above. The ice floor vaporized from heat.
'Strong. But...'
Its beam was brutally powerful, but fell short of mine.
The green plasma beam pushed back steadily. Soon, its face would vanish from recoil and my beam.
But what followed defied my expectations.
Pira Eleven's face began fragmenting into countless grains.
'What?'
The plasma beam cut off, and my Psychic Breath flew toward its head. But it had already dispersed, so my beam only singed a fraction.
'Drones?'
Thousands—no, tens of thousands—of tiny drones smaller than standard ones formed its head. I'd sensed the face twitching on first sight; it was the drones shifting.
The scattered bio-drones regrouped elsewhere untouched by my breath, reforming the massive face. Writhing hoses below magnetically reconnected beneath it.
It spat another plasma beam. I countered with Psychic Breath.
Another clear contest of power began, but I wasn't pleased.
'...It exploited my blind spot perfectly.'
The auxiliary organs read identical bio-signals, so I'd assumed one entity. Wrong.
Pira Eleven was a drone swarm—precisely, miniaturized bio-weapons. Unlike metal-skinned fleshy hoses, these drones had mechanical parts inside organic tissue.
The plasma beam wasn't from a mouth cannon; a feint. Bio-drones inside fired in unison at precise angles and timing.
'Fell for it completely.'
Firing breath, I scanned surroundings via jaw auxiliary organs.
'Cut off its energy supply first.'
My gaze fixed on hoses linked below its drone head. Some embedded in canyon walls and ground—hidden for ambush or energy draw, unclear.
'Whatever. It's prepared countermeasures.'
Cunning; surely trapped.
'Then, take out the drones?'
Enhanced Psychic Breath excelled against bio-weapon swarms. Hitting one spreads to nearby organics automatically.
'But how efficient?'
Those myriad bio-drones were its terminals. Even hits, it'd adapt quickly.
Sacrifice a few to minimize damage or hurl hit drones at us.
'To stop that, wipe them in one go.'
Traps prepped entering the canyon.
Its head dispersed perfectly as my breath hammered the canyon, ice raining atop us. Our battle thawed the frozen floor into slop.
While its head reformed, I scattered waves.
I tasked them crucially, then bolted back the entry path.
｢Pira Eleven. Commencing pursuit. Prioritizing elimination of highest threat, Special Target A. Other targets handled by terminals.｣
Pira Eleven—head reconnected to hoses—followed. Its movement churned the ground with countless hoses.
Behind it, other hoses harassed the kids. Specs near Ice Horror level. Any delay, and they'd be in danger.
'If this works, it'll take a fatal blow.'
Suddenly, a plasma beam chased me. It grazed my carapace as I crawled.
｢Yeah.｣
Some carapace shattered, but I felt plasma resistance building anew. 'Mimicry Scales' trait generating fresh energy resistance.
Normally I'd tank and fight, but not now.
'Predator Sense showed the future. It absorbed my flesh.'
In the glimpsed images, it devoured my torn lower body, mimicking traits. Its bio-drones' plasma beams strengthened, hoses morphing like my claws.
Like PS-111 absorbing matter to reshape. But faster.
Thus, I twisted relentlessly, dodging attacks.
Ahead loomed blackened floor and walls—my pre-laid nest upon entering. Steam and heat expanded it beyond expectations.
｢Pira Eleven. Query. Lured here trusting mere that? Synthetic substance from Special Target A's secretions, already analyzed. Perfect immunity secured.｣
No more mouth movements for speech now its secret was out.
Pira Eleven casually smashed my nest with hoses.
'Of course not.'
The nest was just means to paint the picture. Real weapon elsewhere.
Linked to the nest, I commanded it.
'Explode.'
Black slime buried in canyon walls erupted like fountains, drenching its head. It splattered, coating face and hoses.
Ignoring the downpour, its bio-drone mouth parted, green glow building inside.
Just before firing, I severed nest link and deployed next weapon.
Green, purple, myriad bizarre hues invaded my tentacle bundle.
Unknown energy leaking from me? It halted beam; face drones began dispersing.
It tried fleeing—no issue.
My target wasn't its head.
The chaos orb veered far wide—above its head, hitting cascading black slime on canyon wall—exploding. Confirmed blast, I flared wing arms, leaping back.
Abyss rain poured over Pira Eleven's head.