Chapter 263
Chapter 263
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 263
Chapter Title: Monstrous Counterattack
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"What the hell is that?"
The deafening explosion echoed loudly, accompanied by smoke rising in the distance.
Ino, who had become an executive less than a day ago, was startled by the sight.
"What just happened over there?"
"C-contact with that side has been lost!"
"What? Try again!"
"Yes, sir!"
The contamination source incineration operation was commanded by Kartun, the second-in-command of the Kartun faction, which possessed the Marsio Cartel's strongest firepower. So he wasn't too worried. He figured the worst that could happen was some of his underlings dying.
But even before the battle, things felt off.
They had laced the area with a heavy dose of poison gas to neutralize the contamination source before entry. They vented the gas upon breaching, but toxic residues still lingered in the air. Everyone, including Ino, had to wear gas masks because of it.
Yet it didn't seem to have weakened the thing much.
"What's the status on the second-in-command's side?"
The pirate shook his head at Ino's question.
'...There was only one explosion. The guys with Kartun should be fine.'
No contact didn't mean something had happened to the second-in-command's group. No matter how strong the monster was, killing Kartun without a sound was impossible. They were probably heading toward the explosion site themselves.
They'd naturally link up once they all converged on the contamination source.
"Head that way for now. They've likely engaged, so we need to provide support."
"...Damn it. Didn't see this coming."
The pirates grumbled but followed Ino's orders. It wasn't due to his charisma. They feared the second-in-command, Kartun, backing him.
Ino and the pirates moved toward the rising smoke.
All had sneaked onto ships for looting before, so stealth was second nature. They chambered their weapons and moved carefully. Gas masks hid their faces, but tension was palpable.
The pirates darted stealthily between abandoned buildings.
Corroded Cult symbols and forsaken churches watched over them. The eerie atmosphere made Ino feel oppressed for some reason.
He'd patrolled this sector's skies before, but this was new. The cold metal structures built on steel now seemed to constrict him like living creatures.
Ino wasn't the only one feeling the intangible pressure. The breathing of his masked underlings grew ragged.
"300 meters to target."
The lead pirate's voice snapped Ino back to focus.
As they rounded a building corner, the leader raised a hand sharply. The others tensed immediately.
"Target?"
"...Unknown entity at the intersection."
Unknown entity? Ino peeked cautiously around the corner.
"!"
Seeing it at the crossroads, his heart skipped a beat.
'What... what the hell is that?'
Could that even be called a creature?
The being had eight legs and a tail. Its long limbs were covered in thick chitin, ending in black hook claws and sinister white scythes. Excluding the tail, its body measured 6 to 7 meters—massive.
Hideous enough already, but what truly horrified him was the head. Long, thick cable-like hair draped down, partially obscuring it, but it was unmistakably human.
In the softest terms, it was a scorpion with a woman's head.
'A... Hulk mutant?'
Before joining the Marsio Cartel, Ino had been a Mega Corp researcher. He knew more about Hulk mutants than most.
But even he had never seen one as grotesque as this.
Then it snapped its lowered head up. Ino swallowed hard upon seeing its face.
As expected, it was a woman's face. Flawlessly pale skin, like porcelain, utterly beautiful.
But Ino was certain no one would like a woman with blood-red eyes.
The red eyes shook slowly with its head, thin cables dangling from its chin swaying along.
Nearly locking eyes, Ino jerked back. Cold sweat poured down his neck.
"Fuck, everyone battle ready..."
Before he finished, an indigo photon bolt slammed into their hiding building. Though neglected, these structures were special alloy with high durability. Yet the church crumbled like a sandcastle in waves.
"What the shit?! Demolisher!"
Someone shouted.
Kesha Arma was the Cult's space fortress. Everyone had seen Demolishers in the First Command arsenal. They knew the shape and power well.
"Scatter!"
"Damn! Why's a Demolisher here?!"
They cursed and dispersed.
Another photon bolt streaked through the dust rising from the ruins. One retreating member failed to dodge and vaporized without a scream.
"Shit!"
"Keep your heads down, you idiots!"
Ino and two others fired back desperately. Meanwhile, the rest ducked low and dashed to cover buildings.
"Coilgun! I'll buy time—blast that monster's head with the coilgun!"
"Yes, sir!"
A nearby pirate dropped his Gauss rifle and pulled a long coilgun from his back. Ino and another sprayed psychic rounds from behind remaining walls into the dust.
Suddenly, a black hook claw burst from the dust. It narrowly missed Ino's head. He'd ducked briefly to check psychic reserves, saving him.
"Urk?!"
Then the pale-skinned, red-eyed woman emerged. Emotionless lens-like eyes fixed on him.
Instantly, its neck twisted sharply. The nearby pirate had fired the coilgun point-blank.
No cheers followed. Despite a direct head hit, its legs still moved.
"Fall back!"
No telling when it'd recover. They turned and ran.
"Where'd the others go?"
"They hid in buildings..."
A running member stopped mid-sentence, staring at a rooftop.
"Crazy? Why stop..."
Ino followed his gaze to the roof, understanding his shock.
Underlings were on the building.
Or rather, hovering above it.
Dozens floated in grotesque poses, entangled by invisible threads like flies in a web.
Behind them loomed a yellow thundercloud. It resembled the poison gas they'd sprayed earlier.
'What... what is that...?'
The bizarre scene freezing Ino wasn't over.
｢It｣ emerged from the yellow cloud.
A giant? No.
｢It｣ was countless eyes. Hundreds, no thousands, all staring at Ino.
｢It｣ was countless serpents. Hundreds of massive tentacles writhed like burning flames.
Indescribable eyes watched the suspended members. They struggled futilely, pathetic wriggles before it.
Long tentacles approached. They began peeling off gas masks one by one.
"K-keh! Kweeeek..."
Toxic gas still lingered. Around that profane entity, it was densely concentrated. Unmasked members foamed at the mouth, convulsing.
"F-fuck!"
The remaining underling fired his coilgun at it. It had pierced the scorpion-woman; the high-speed round should shred a tentacle.
Or almost did.
It halted mid-air, just before impact—like the floating members. Crumpled slightly by unseen force, it fell below.
"No way!"
The shooter recoiled in horror at the impossible sight. Then ｢It｣'s eyes turned to him en masse.
｢■ ■ ■■■ ■■■ ■■!｣
"Huh?"
｢■■!｣
Ino couldn't comprehend what happened next.
A strange wind swept over him. The coilgun wielder vanished. In his place, only a red lump remained.
The captured members slowly demonstrated his fate.
"K-kwaaaak!"
"S-save...!"
"Aaaah!"
"Urgek!"
Like puppets on invisible strings, their bodies twisted wildly.
One's fingers spun counterclockwise from the tips; another's limbs stretched like rubber bands.
The universe's lawless criminals—looters, rapists, murderers—were gone. Only pathetic creatures overwhelmed by the incomprehensible remained.
"H-heeek!"
Watching his men die gruesomely, Ino backed away.
He had to run. He didn't want to die here.
The last underling thought similarly and fled with him.
Taking this mission was a mistake. He should've ignored Kartun and left the fortress.
'No. Just escape. There's still a chance.'
He could make up for it. Reach the patrol ship, skip returning to command, and flee the fortress. Hide on some planet, forget his past, live quietly.
"Krak!"
Then his underling tripped. A long white scythe protruded from his back.
Realizing, something hooked Ino's leg—the claw meant for his neck.
Its owner lifted his leg up. The hook tore into flesh, but fear drowned the pain.
Hanging upside down, the white face approached.
"D-don't! Don't do this!"
Did it understand? The lens-like red eyes scanned him, then set him down. It grabbed the back-holed underling instead.
"Wh-what, m-me? Why... Kwaaaak!"
Ino's last man didn't survive. Now alone.
No relief, though. It hadn't spared him out of fondness.
'That reason' approached slowly.
"This one's brain likely holds useful information."
｢■■ ■■■■ ■?｣
"Human brains are delicate organs. Open carefully, or he'll die."
｢■!｣
｢It｣ had shrunk from building-sized to under a meter. Pink round body sprouted long tentacles nearing him.
"Ha, haha. Hahahaha..."
Brain-smashed underling, twisted-to-death members, gas-choked convulsion. And him.
Which death best? Didn't matter to Ino.
No choice anyway.
-
"Second-in-command! We need to retreat!"
"Fuck, where's the attack c-coming fr-aaak!"
"Crazy! How do you hit something faster than bullets?!"
"Second-in-command!"
Before Montana Marsio took him in, Kartun wandered arenas.
He'd killed kin or vastly stronger beasts. He'd teetered on death's edge countless times, revived more than once.
Now, his senses screamed.
This place would be his grave.
"......"
Underlings' voices faded. A high-speed flyer ambushed them upon landing, luring them.
He should help fight it, but something prevented him.
Dozens of meters away stood a lone wolf.
A white raptor head with two horns, beautiful amber eyes, radiant golden mane—female wolf.
Armed with glowing golden spear and black dagger, she blocked his path.
'...Strong.'
Experienced against foes, Kartun gauged her somewhat. But this female wolf was immeasurable.
Two possibilities: ridiculously weaker than him, or overwhelmingly stronger.
He'd felt this once recently—only the woman Cult Montana revered.
"Gulp."
Swallowing unconsciously, he activated his advanced reinforced suit's functions. Injected all built-in enhancers.
He knew the side effects, but now wasn't the time.
"Grrrrrr."
His enhanced physique growled. She shook her golden spear wide and assumed combat stance.
He didn't know her strength precisely. Still, he believed in victory.
"Rooaaar!"
The white-furred tiger wolf roared, kicking off the ground.
His chieftain once spoke of a 'journey to reclaim divine dignity.'
The battle Kartun dismissed as superstition began in this space fortress.