Chapter 282
Chapter 282
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 282
Chapter Title: Cleanup (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
After the Metallic Gremlins retreated, the protective barrier shielding the fortress was deactivated. The Mother of the Sky and I returned to the fortress through the military spaceport.
"Where to?"
The Mother of the Sky had reverted to her beastkin form after entering the fortress, complete with wings sprouting from her densely muscled back. They were much smaller than in her griffon state—when folded, they barely reached her thighs. The obsidian hue still flowed across them like liquid.
She slung the priest's golden spear over her shoulder and asked me.
'Normally, we'd head to the Second Command Post...'
But Cynthia wouldn't be lounging around atop the wrecked silo. She had probably already moved to board a transport from another command post.
'She must've gone to the First Command Post.'
As a Cult Ranker, she'd know as much about Kasha Arma's rescue as I did. No way she wouldn't grasp what the oxygen shortage meant. She'd likely concluded that the Third Command Post—which oversaw the fortress's life support systems—had already fallen to me.
So she'd head to the safest bet: the First Command Post.
'She might be fighting the kids right now.'
In the midst of battle, I'd asked Number 26 to take Adhai and assault the First Command Post. If Cynthia had gone there, they'd have crossed paths by now.
'Even if they can't win together, they won't lose.'
Both Number 26 and Adhai were Seed Demons—Red Gallerons—infamous as mighty psionic creatures. From the Cult's perspective, it was the worst matchup imaginable.
If Cynthia had offensive power like Jason's, it might be dangerous, but she lacked anything that potent.
Sending the thought-wave to the Mother of the Sky, I unfurled the wing-membranes hidden within the carapace of my wing-arms. Since 'Bone Beast' hadn't been released, my body remained enormous. As the membranes spread like the sails of a galleon, everything around me was shoved back.
"Damn, you really are huge."
She let out a small gasp of admiration and spread her own wings. Smaller than her griffon form but still beautiful, she took to the air ahead of me.
I followed suit, flapping my wings. Each beat from my hundred-meter wingspan swept away everything below.
Ruined buildings crumbled, fallen corpses were hurled into the air amid the debris. A hover bus—half-destroyed from whatever it had endured—tumbled through the air before smashing into a building.
We hadn't been flying over the ruined sectors for long when a long, cylindrical building came into view. We landed in front of the First Command Post, encircled by its barrier.
"Looks like they're already fighting."
As she said, there was a massive hole in the barrier, as if drilled by a gigantic bit. Faint pirate screams and gunfire echoed from within.
'First, I need to widen the entrance...'
The moment I grabbed the hole's edge with my wing-arms to enlarge it, the sounds from inside cut off abruptly. A familiar thought-wave and psionic pulse tickled my monster's sensory tendrils.
"I sense Big Baby!"
"Big Adult" "Yeah" "Let's go out"
"Yeah! Let's go out!"
Moments later, they emerged. Locked in combat, Number 26 had enlarged its body, while Adhai's head and forelimbs were stained red.
"Big Baby is big!"
"Big Adult" "Transform?"
They'd seen me use Bone Beast several times, so my monstrous size didn't faze them.
But the winged Mother of the Sky was new, eliciting surprised reactions from both.
"Middle Baby got flap-flaps too? Does it grow when you level up?"
"Yeah. Just like you said—it grew wings."
"Cool! I want flap-flaps too!"
"Ugly friend" "A bit" "Better now"
"Then maybe drop the 'ugly' part?"
"Tail" "Skinny" "Ugly"
"...You said you'd protect me, then ditched me and talk like that?"
"Anyway" "Growth" "Almost" "Done" "Knew" "So" "Left"
"Not a word of argument from you guys."
They seemed impressed by the Mother of the Sky's new look. Number 26 gently poked her wings with a tendril tip in fascination, while Adhai—contrary to its words—lingered nearby, bobbing its head approvingly.
'I thought they were fighting?'
Behind them lay unrecognizable corpses strewn about. Cynthia couldn't be dead already, so she must not have arrived yet.
Even focusing my auxiliary organs, I sensed no living presences moving.
'Where'd she go? Somewhere else?'
"Strong enemy?"
Number 26 had fought alongside me before peeling off, so it would remember Cynthia. If she'd holed up elsewhere, tracking her down would be tricky.
But their response far exceeded my expectations.
"Me and Little Baby punished the bad guy together!"
"Little Baby beat up the bad guy with the hard shell and flap-flaps!"
"Agree" "Star power" "Used" "Angry human" "Attacked" "But" "Angry human" "Strange power" "Used" "Didn't die"
"So I went pow with this! Pow!"
Number 26 reshaped one thick tendril. It thinned to a needle on a thread, stabbing the air with a sharp whistle.
Their unbelievable reply prompted me to ask again.
"Yeah. Punished her and ate her."
"Taste" "Stable"
"Right! Tasty!"
"Hold on. You two killed a Ranker and ate her?"
From their reactions, it seemed they'd truly taken down Cynthia. Not just subdued or stalled her—they'd killed and devoured her completely.
'Come to think of it, the Metallic Gremlins.'
Before fleeing, the frenzied horde had acted strangely. I'd chalked it up to fear of my psionic breath.
But now it seemed less the cause and more a symptom. Cynthia's death must've disrupted whatever tool she'd used to summon them.
'Well, damn.'
Even with Seed Demon Red Gallerons as the Cult's nightmare matchup, she was a Ranker—veteran boss hunters with strategies down pat.
I'd expected them to hold her, not casually beat and eat her.
'Ha. Taking down a Ranker between them.'
A strange emotion welled up from my chest.
Angry they'd robbed me of her perk by eating her? Lost a valuable intel source?
No. This feeling stirring my heart had nothing to do with negativity like anger or regret.
It was joy.
"Whoa! Big Baby praised us!"
"Me" "Amazing" "Great Adhai!"
Sensing my emotion through the monster's thought-waves, they rejoiced. Ignoring its size, Number 26 bounced in place with loud thuds, while Adhai clambered onto my back and hopped around.
Sure, Cynthia's perk and intel were regrettable losses, but their growth outweighed that.
Without my aid or orders, they'd devised their own plan and captured her. The implications were huge.
Who knew how many more Rankers I'd face? Jason's faction and Cynthia's 'Returners' were already hostile. No clue on numbers, but it wouldn't be few.
'If they reach Ranker-level strength, fighting enemies ahead will be way easier.'
Besides the practical upside, there was an indescribable feeling.
Long ago, as a little kid, I'd mimicked an actor in front of my parents.
My mom—a famous actress—was usually strict, but not that day.
The woman with flat emotions cracked a silent, genuine smile at me. Not her performer grin for press or sets—a real one.
'...I was so happy then.'
Why recall that smile I'd never seen since?
Maybe this emotion mirrored what she'd felt watching her child.
"So, no more threats left?"
The Mother of the Sky's thought snapped me from the haze of sentiment or pride or whatever it was.
"Given the state of this fortress, she's probably already handled grabbing the gene essences. Just need to mop up the remaining pirates."
"...You pulled that game trick here too?"
The remaining pirates and survivors in the fortress were on borrowed time. Powered suit users might have oxygen capsules for a bit longer, but that only bought them minutes.
Once they were dealt with, no reason to stick around.
'Adult evolution conditions are already met.'
Raiding the underground vault had netted all the trait materials needed for Unique Trait Synthesis x2. Complete those, and Adult evolution was go.
'Oh, right—that predation trait from earlier.'
Thinking about traits jogged a forgotten memory.
While hunting the Titanbos, I'd eaten Warp Boy instead—and gotten a Predation Effect.
Distracted by Cynthia, I hadn't checked it. The auto-cancel timer was probably almost up.
I pulled up the text box immediately.
'Oh?'
Two unexpected windfalls in quick succession.
'Warp Creature' was near-essential for Aimorphs—immensely useful. Possessing it dramatically sped up lightspeed navigation prep.
'Great for escapes.'
With 'Monster Enhanced Wings', I could solo lightspeed nav. But I avoided it in combat because prep took over five minutes of immobility, leaving me vulnerable.
This trait would halve that time.
'Scoring such a gem here.'
Low odds from Warp Boy, so I'd downplayed it. Lucky break.
I eagerly selected accept.
And then...
The text box threw yet another curveball beyond my expectations.