Chapter 252
Chapter 252
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 252
Chapter Title: qiqi iykow gkk-252i
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 252
Chapter Title: United Front
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Sihyun Yujin had just broken through the atmosphere aboard the transport ship when an emergency report flew in from the flagship.
“The Star Union fleet is already here?”
She knew the fleet was coming, thanks to the satellites positioned at the system’s outer edges. But she hadn’t expected them to arrive quite this quickly.
And the enemies had brought Warpfinders—equipment capable of monitoring FTL navigation movements. It was as if they had come specifically to track someone down.
Did they detect Works-01’s hideout?
Mega Corp and Star Union were officially at war. From the cyborgs’ perspective, Sihyun’s forces were nothing more than enemies of Star Union. For a regular fleet equipped with Warpfinders to show up in this remote backwater, that had to be the reason.
...This isn’t good.
With Warpfinders in play, the flagship’s days were numbered. Even if they jumped to FTL, the enemy would tail them right away.
Suddenly, her senses locked onto the “artifacts” stored aboard the transport ship.
The weapon her brief mentor, Bumho, had used to sweep away the Outspacers: the “Abyss Destroyer.” And the crystal battery that supplied it with immense energy.
If I use that thing, breaking through should be a breeze.
The urge to deploy the weapon welled up, but she shook her head.
She still didn’t know the enemies’ objectives or the full battle situation. There was no rush; she could always use it after gathering the necessary intel.
“Anything else noteworthy?”
“Uh, well...”
Her subordinate hesitated at Sihyun’s question before answering.
“Flagship comms say they’re currently locked in combat with a swarm of creatures presumed to be Gallerons!”
“Gallerons?”
The response was far outside her expectations.
Gallerons? Why?
“The Gallerons are attacking the fleet, so the flagship is holding back and observing for now.”
“...Hmm.”
When they had first set foot on the planet, the periodic Galleron swarms had given them no end of trouble. In fact, their delayed entry into the volcano had largely been due to the Gallerons—they’d kept altering their route to avoid them.
I don’t know what’s going on, but...
Their erratic movements were turning into an unexpected boon right now.
“For the moment, let’s make use of this. Return to the flagship cautiously—don’t get dragged into the fight.”
“Understood.”
Beyond the transport ship’s reinforced glass, starlight twinkled.
Some of those lights weren’t stars.
What’s that?
I’d just taken out the fourth Warpfinder. As I dumped the now-useless hunk of scrap into space, a ship I’d never seen before caught my eye.
Floating alone at a good distance from the battlefield was an oval-shaped battleship. Its design marked it as Mega Corp, not Star Union.
A Mega Corp ship here? Ah.
Sight of the vessel jogged my memory.
Before capturing Odd Grad, when I’d raided the Hellside Hornet nest, I’d devoured a human who’d mutated into a multi-faced abomination. He’d said he’d followed Sihyun Yujin to this place.
That must be her ship.
Sihyun Yujin had died by my claws, so that vessel had to be commanded by whatever remnants followed her.
What to do with it.
Twenty minutes had already passed since the battle began. One Warpfinder remained.
My original plan had been twenty-five minutes total. I wanted to interrogate the crew for details, but there wasn’t enough time left for detours.
If there’s time to spare, I’ll clean house.
I tore my gaze from the ship and pursued the fleeing fleet’s rear guard.
The XAX-class 5 fast battleship carrying the Warpfinder was buying time, fleeing for all it was worth.
True to its name, it’s damn fast.
Slightly slower than Adhai. I lined up a Psychic Breath to finish it, but then the Gallerons sprang into action.
The red-winged Adhai closed in tight on the battleship from afar. The others didn’t pursue—instead, they scattered every which way.
Looking closer, the Gallerons were fanning out wide before gradually converging on the battleship’s flight path.
They’re herding it.
Just like they had against the Skywhale, the Gallerons were driving the battleship into a trap.
In that case, time to lend a hand.
I unleashed Psychic Breath not at the battleship, but at the patrol ships blocking Adhai’s path. The group fixated on their target was obliterated by my flames.
Adhai, as if anticipating my strike, deftly evaded the purple inferno. It weaved past the wreckage of patrol ships ablaze with psychic fire and accelerated even further.
The red-winged dragon streaked toward the battleship like a comet across the night sky, trailing fire. It became a streak of light, closing the gap in an instant.
APD drones poured from the battleship, emitting waves to neutralize psychic power. But Adhai’s speed was too much—the disruptions never reached it.
Weaving through the wave fields, it hammered the hull with Psychic Breath. Unable to withstand the barrage of energy blasts, the battleship had no choice but to give ground.
Adhai was shoving back a battleship dozens—no, hundreds of times its size. Like David slinging stones at Goliath.
And the encircling Gallerons were steadily closing the net.
The Warpfinder ship desperately tried to break free, but the encirclement had already tightened sufficiently.
Then every Galleron unleashed their dragon breath in unison toward the battleship. No matter how formidable Star Union hulls were, they couldn’t withstand an onslaught from multiple Gallerons—at least White-grade and above.
This seals it.
I destroyed the final Warpfinder. Nothing left to hinder our escape.
The moment I prepared to order everyone back to PS-111—
My auxiliary organ detected an intense energy surge.
!
My head snapped toward the source before I could think.
Empty void—now home to a blue sun.
It looked like a sun, but it was a hyper-concentrated mass of energy, potent enough to rip space and force objects through it.
FTL jump!
Moments later, the blue sun winked out like a cloud had passed over it.
In its place materialized a fleet. Vast beyond comparison to the one we’d been fighting.
I pulled back from the sudden enemy arrivals alongside the Gallerons. The surviving scout ships flew toward the newly arrived Star Union fleet.
How?
PS-111, synced with the ship computers, had missed the scouts’ entry—but this massive fleet was on another level entirely.
FTL required enormous energy expenditures, which was why Warpfinders could track the flows. Under normal circumstances, it would’ve detected hundreds of ships jumping in together.
...Did they develop new tech?
In the game, space battles hinged on who arrived first via FTL. The early bird could predict enemy entry points and timing.
Evidently, the Great Leader knew that weakness well and had poured resources into countermeasures.
And those efforts were on full display now.
Then a support ship under PS-111’s control approached. A thought wave arrived from the Mother of the Sky aboard.
Come to think of it, the numbers didn’t add up to four elite fleets combined. A full gathering would’ve meant hundreds of battleships; the enemy force fell short.
And...
I calmly observed the enemy fleet repositioning. Several ships bore massive hull damage—clean cuts like a blade had sliced through. Traces of FTL mishaps.
The tech isn’t fully stable yet.
Despite the side effects, the reason for their abrupt arrival was easy to guess.
Sequential jumps to catch us by the ankles and prevent escape. That had to be the Great Leader’s plan.
Engaging without knowing the Warpfinder count was suicide. Fleeing wasn’t much better either.
Like the Gallerons had done, they’d leverage numerical superiority to hunt us down.
Caught in a noose.
I glanced back at the Gallerons and ships trailing us.
Only one option.
The enemies—the Great Leader player—had a clear top priority target.
They’re after me. In that case...
I sent a reassuring wave to the anxious Adhai and called out to the Mother of the Sky.