Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Hulk Mutant Showdown
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The Medical Team Leader couldn't even blink.
Was this what a beast arena run by the Star Union looked like?
Under the watchful eyes of the stars, two monsters were facing off right now.
His new master, Elchen Dvaba, looked like a machine forged in hell by the devil himself. Grotesquely long and massive arms, a wildly whipping red mane, alloy armor crusted with dried blood and flesh. There wasn't a single element that wasn't menacing.
And the monster daring to stand against this hellish machine? His gaze shifted to the opposite side.
There stood a ghost.
A carapace gleaming in near-black brown, armor plating over the head and chest, a mass of dangling tentacles like hair, four arms that gave the impression of human bones clad in armor, and a tail twice the length of its body.
The Medical Team Leader knew exactly how many souls that black ghost had devoured. The death cries of the soldiers dying before his eyes still rang in his ears.
The devil's machine versus the slaughterer's ghost.
The enormous, heavy monster charged at the agile, sturdy one.
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Every time the bastard planted a foot, the ship corridor shook. The boss closed in in an instant and swung its arm wide.
The bone shield encasing its arm came flying to crush my head.
Nothing good would come from taking a hit, so I ducked and whipped my tail at it.
The flexible tail slipped into its gap, aiming for its chest—then I froze.
'Bomb!'
Hesitation in battle was fatal. The boss didn't miss my opening. Its fist, capable of pulverizing alloy plating, smashed into my head.
A deafening boom erupted, sending out a shockwave. The residual energy my thick cranial carapace couldn't fully absorb rippled through my body and into the corridor. The ceiling lights shattered one by one under the blast.
"What?!"
The bastard had misjudged too. My toughest parts were my chest and head. If that strike had hit my arm or leg, it would've been a solid hit.
Seeing me standing unscathed, it looked flustered. I seized the moment, dropping low to the floor and scuttling between its legs using all four arms and two legs.
A beastly growl mixed with metallic rasp spat curses from its maw.
"Grrr, damn bug bastard!"
Its elephantine foot slammed the ground.
But I'd already pulled back.
Once I'd put some distance, I shook my head lightly. It hadn't fully absorbed the impact—dizziness lingered.
'So that was the plan.'
I'd wondered why it mentioned the bomb. If my head weren't so tough, that one hit would've killed me.
'Dirty play, huh?'
I pulled that trick plenty myself, but being on the receiving end was irritating as hell.
With a bomb trigger linked to the boss's heart, targeting the chest area was too risky. No way was I triggering an explosion ending by nicking the heart.
'Gotta aim elsewhere.'
"Grr, your attacks are useless, bug."
The boss laughed triumphantly. It seemed utterly convinced it had no weaknesses.
Not wrong in the current situation. Without chest access, my viable targets were limited.
The bone armor on its arms and legs was tougher than my reinforced body. Without a plasma weapon, piercing it was impossible. Even unprotected spots, it'd defend somehow.
'But.'
Two things it didn't know.
First, my Neurotoxin Gland trait. Land one stab anywhere, and the fight was over.
'It suspects as much.'
The boss was wary of my tail especially. Even pre-rage, when I'd targeted it, it'd dodged rather than block. Wild instinct or intel from command—either way, it knew the tail was dangerous.
'But what about this?'
It didn't know I could inject venom from my teeth and claws too. Shatter the carapace, strike, and victory was mine.
So how to breach that carapace it trusted so blindly?
Its focus was on my four arms and tail, but I had one more weapon.
The thin rod gripped in my smaller chest arms—the Sonic Blade. I'd grabbed it from the gym just in case, never expecting it'd see use so soon.
The Sonic Blade excelled in cutting power. It'd snap on bone, but that was fine. Just scoring the armor would do—the rest was easy.
Even the thickest dam crumbles from a single crack.
The moment its iron fortress cracked would be when victory smiled on me.
"Graaaaaah!"
It leaped. Enhanced leg strength propelled its massive bulk impossibly high toward me.
I bolted using all six limbs, vacating the spot. The floor shattered, corridor quaking.
'Fast and strong.'
Mixed genes made it incredibly agile. Dodging with all limbs save the small ones was still razor-close. Fast things should be weak, but it matched in power and speed.
'No such thing as perfection.'
Hulk Mutants had a chronic weakness. I just had to endure until it surfaced.
Racing through the ship's guts, we burst into a vast space.
A forest of containers greeted us with the musty stench of rusted iron.
The first world I'd seen upon opening my eyes: the cargo hold.
All six legs tensed, launching me skyward. I bounded over containers as a roar echoed below.
"Arrogant pest!"
As if such obstacles couldn't stop it, it barreled through them.
Tons of rectangular metal blocks toppled like dominoes. Grating plates flew, dancing in the air.
Bugs hidden everywhere fled the apocalypse. I snatched a fleeing cockroach, popped it in my maw, and ducked behind a container.
Against that brute strength, head-on was suicide. Only one option here.
'Wait.'
I wasn't just fleeing. Hulk Mutants guzzled energy, forcing short 'rest periods'. Lure it into wasting power, and it'd halt involuntarily.
'Almost there.'
My auxiliary organ read the chemical reactions and energy tuning from its nearby body. Timing my strike perfectly.
It whispered: two hearts inside regulated output.
'Right, two hearts.'
Where was the trigger linked? Main heart on the left, so likely there—but it was cunning. Hard to say.
While distracted by the heart, it spotted and charged me.
"Burrrrrgh!"
'Shit.'
A fist hurling 10-ton containers like toys grazed my shoulder.
Throbbing pain surged, but bearable—I counterattacked instantly.
My tail thrust like a spear master's lunge into its joint, an unarmored gap.
"Filthy bug!"
It bent its arm in time; attack failed.
Before it could follow up, I retreated. A container slammed where I'd been.
"Graaaah! Cowardly runt!"
'That was a mistake. No heart obsession.'
Don't fall for its bait. Out of sight, I focused senses on the auxiliary organ.
It breathed like a raging bear. Seemed fine at a glance.
But I knew: components screamed for rest from overload.
Creeping atop a container, I saw it smashing everything in sight.
"Gr... grrrgh..."
Steam rose between exposed muscle fibers. Cooling internal heat.
Should've stopped for rest, but it didn't. Slower, yes—but power intact.
'Improved Hulk Mutant, weakness nerfed.'
Rest period remained. I kicked off the container hard.
My body arrowed through air. Dim hold and my dark hide concealed me—it spotted late.
"Die!"
It ripped up grating, hurling manhole-cover-heavy chunks at me.
Aimorph senses and auxiliary organ plotted trajectories.
I bounded across torn alloy plates, metal stairs in midair, closing fast.
"Guh?! You dare!"
Flustered by my acrobatics, it raised both arms high as I landed. Elephant-foot hands to smash me.
Auxiliary warned: not to underestimate. I knew—container-tosser. No ordinary force.
In that split second, I chose.
'Break through.'
Dodge, and next chance uncertain. Cunning foe— it'd hide weakness next time.
Now or never. Trust my head against two plasma shots.
Its fists met my head. Immense energy—mass, speed, power—crushed down. Unabsorbed force drilled my feet into floor; leg carapace tore.
'Kgh.'
Toughest spot, yet monstrous. Dizzying pain rocked me.
'...But bearable.'
Its stance broken from overhead smash. Small arms activated Sonic Blade. Thin rapier blade extended.
What to slash was right there.
Small arms swung, carving a paper-thin line on its forearm. Blade fulfilled duty, shattered.
Combat arms didn't idle. Four gripped its wrist tight.
"Kgh?! Wh-what!"
What was I doing? Time to answer.
With my mouth.
"Krrk!"
Shark teeth sank into the wound. Bone too hard—barely scratched surface. No matter. My saliva seeped in.
"Graaak!"
It flailed wildly, hurling me into containers.
"You dare bite me? You son of a bi... huh?"
Its voice slurred drunkenly. Gaze to wound, then me.
Saw drool on my jaws, flinched.
"Wha-what the heeeelll?"
Other arm smashed wound—trying to sever? Bone armor too tough.
Protective walls now prison. Failed to break it, it screamed.
"M-meee, meee, meeeeaaagh!"
Pale-faced Hulk Mutant. Fresh sight.
It staggered back to flee, but neurotoxin spread fast.
3m+ rage bulk crashed on cold metal. Its gaze animal—fear of stronger predator.
"S-spare meee..."
Non-human, paralysis weak. Should've spread fully by now.
I approached, stung tail needle several times. Reduced to shallow breaths, I tore chest metal. Trigger on right pectoral—impact-activated timer, not synced.
'Figures.'
Cunning as expected.
Know-it-all foe would've hit right heart first. Destroy aux heart, Hulk weakens drastically. Controls gene side effects—loss can collapse body.
'Game over if aux goes.'
Mutual kill or rattle with time limit. It planted bomb—end quick, disarm itself.
Plans irrelevant now. I'd disarm with small hands, given time. Then savor gene samples inside.
'Crazy!'
I lunged, scooping No. 26 and rolling aside. Lightning-fast beam cleaved where it'd stood.
"Huh? Dodged?"
Without Predator Sense, we'd both be dead.
Raising my head, a figure at hold entrance. Slender build, long black hair—female.
'That's a woman?'
Auxiliary and Aimorph senses screamed alarms.
Don't engage that 'organism'.
'...Sihyun Yujin.'
Mystery boarding with pirates. Last on my list—came personally.
"Future sight, huh? Which gene? I wanna know."
She sauntered in casually, like outing. But body primed to strike.
Her hand—no, back of hand—sprouted white blade.
Like boss's bone armor, but I knew source.
'White Galleron genes mixed with superior organism.'
Genes I'd ponder at Near-Adult. Plus visible traits: rare, useful packed in. Top Mega Corp players like that were near-rankers.
'Can't win now.'
Retreat, regroup, plan.
But she wouldn't let me stall.
"You... gar... lic...?"
"Good work so far."
"Guhk!"
She pierced the disabled boss's trigger with blade. Heart too—spewed blood, slumped.
'Damn.'
"Can't let you escape. Right?"
Timer ticking. Not much left.
Regroup plan foiled.
'What now?'
Blind fight? Suicide. No intel on combat sense or tactics—defeat certain.
Circling warily, observing. She smiled.
"Got a proposal."
'Proposal?'
Sihyun teased leisurely. Infuriating, but I was outmatched. Focus: how to counter.
'Eyes: Outspacer Observer? No, Terror Devil maybe...'
"You're like me, so I'll spare you."
'What?'
"Serve me. Be my pet, simple."
Ridiculous—but face dead serious. Auxiliary read no lies.
'No need to lie anyway.'
I sensed her strength; she knew mine weaker. Hence casual.
"You handle genes too. I can be fitting master."
'...'
"Come to me."
Overwhelming power, Sihyun Yujin, commanded.
Serve. Become slave.
｢Baby.｣
Honestly, obeying was rational. That Galleron claw on wrist—destructive force beyond plasma. My reinforced carapace couldn't block.
Her body crawled with instant-kill weapons.
I approached.
Not two legs—all six limbs, crawling like pet dog to owner.
"Good. Right choice."
｢Don't fear. I'm here.｣
But she overlooked something.
Why I loved Aimorph.
Why I immersed in this ugly, useless char, earning "Morph trash" in community.
She didn't know.
Simple reason.
'Freedom of choice.'
Freely, infinitely stronger via my choices—that's why Aimorph.
My choice was set.
｢Baby?｣
Close enough to see her satisfied face in detail.
I kicked a leg at her face.
"!"
She dodged fast, but not my aim. Acidic blood from earlier leg tear splashed her eyes.
"Kht?!"
Moment's gap enough. Acidic Blood wouldn't harm a hair anyway.
｢Yeah!｣
In her fluster, small arms clutched No. 26; I bolted on six legs. Hold behind shattered.
"Yes! Play with me! Hahaha!"
Eyes shut, maniacal laugh. Galleron claws from both hands sliced containers like tofu.
'Play?'
Sihyun Yujin far stronger.
First real challenge since becoming Aimorph.
But I'd teach her: fights aren't won by strength alone.