Chapter 333
Chapter 333
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 333
Chapter Title: The Cloning Ranker
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"I'll let you know right away if a crisis arises."
The head of the woman with metal legs quickly vanished from my sight. PS-111, synced with the Mini Screamer, would relay MPS-05's situation.
'Good enough.'
I decided to leave the slave matter to MPS-05 and headed back to Alshas's mansion.
As I crossed the chaotic streets nearing the city's outskirts, the old mansion came into view. Along with the figures standing in front of it.
I slowed down and landed on the garden in front of the mansion. The ground shook violently from the impact of my landing, but they didn't flinch in the slightest.
One of them was someone I knew, so that made sense. It was the short-statured Coldblood Ranker, Isabel.
The problem was the other one.
A female Cult with smooth silver hair and yak-like horns on her temples. I'd seen her in photos, so I recognized her immediately.
Imperial Mothership Captain Alshas.
The Cult Ranker from Berzan02 was waiting for me.
"You bug. Thought you were dead, but you hid pretty well."
The Cult Ranker Alshas clicked her tongue as she looked at me settled on the ground.
Instead of responding, I scanned for any threats around me.
'If there are other Rankers or reinforcements, that'll be a headache.'
The auxiliary organ under my jaw wriggled, gathering information floating in the air.
'The mansion seems empty.'
Not only that, but there were no signs of life anywhere nearby.
Of course, they could be using stealth tech, so I couldn't let my guard down. Or they might activate a thunder god from extreme range and bombard me.
'Plus, something's off about that mansion.'
It looked like just a rundown, small place on the surface, but something felt strange.
The faint sound of wind coming through the open doors and windows, mixed with a subtle earthy scent. Elements that no properly built mansion should have.
'Gotta be careful.'
Both of us were Rankers. Just as I was hiding my trump cards, so was she.
After quickly checking the surroundings, I examined the enemy's gear.
Like Jason from before, Alshas was wearing the Dragon Slayer set made from a Black Galleron's corpse.
But it was slightly different from the standard setup I knew.
The Dragon Slayer set consisted of Purification—an energy blade weapon—Condemnation, which resembled a tomahawk, and a reinforced suit made from Galleron scales. Alshas was holding two Condemnations. Purification was nowhere in sight.
The reinforced suit's design was also subtly different from what I remembered. The armor she wore was made for men.
'Did she get it from another Ranker?'
Maybe from a faction ally.
'Nothing else stands out about her.'
That was the problem.
This situation was way too favorable for me.
During the fight with the Cults underground, I'd held back, hiding my full strength as much as possible. I'd even faked my death.
As the Imperial Mothership's captain, Alshas would've been deeply involved in the subjugation force's ops. So she'd know better than anyone what it meant for me to reappear. No more need to hide, so I'd launched my attack.
Yet here she was, showing up completely unprepared. No matter how I sliced it, that didn't make sense.
'Is she relying on Isabel?'
I turned my gaze to the petite Coldblood standing beside Alshas.
I knew she wouldn't betray me. She'd done everything she could to help me and the kids avoid danger.
'She's here because of the contract.'
I knew about her unfair contract. Including the clause that forced her to obey a Ranker's orders.
'Didn't expect this, but...'
I'd already anticipated the possibility of fighting both Isabel and an enemy Ranker.
And I knew how to handle it.
'Take out the one tied to the contract first.'
Of course, that wouldn't void the contract itself. It wouldn't disappear until I killed Vortex One and broke it.
But that could wait. Priority was removing her protector right in front of Isabel. That way, she'd have more freedom to move than now.
'What's surprising is she showed herself knowing that.'
Maybe she didn't know about my connection with Isabel.
Not that I could talk— in the game, every Ranker hated my guts. From Alshas's perspective, with no clue, it'd be natural to assume Isabel was hostile toward me.
Honestly, even calling Alshas a "good ally" was a stretch, but she'd be better than me, who saw everything as gene essence. In fact, before I brought PS-111, Isabel hadn't hated me at all.
"A Morphbag and a pet. What an unbelievable combo. Suddenly grown a shred of humanity?"
Alshas mocked me in a sneering tone. Her eyes kept darting, calculating my power.
'She knows by now I'm no pushover.'
Riding on my back were the Seed Demon and Red Galleron, plus the Griffon Wolf flying alongside. Even without PS-111, my side had two raid-boss-grade creatures and two Rankers.
But there wasn't a hint of tension on Alshas's face. Not even from Isabel, who knew me and had flinched when I arrived.
'She's hiding some ace...'
No point analyzing further. Time to attack and see.
"If you brought a pet, maybe we can ta—"
Before she finished, I whipped out erosion tentacles and lashed at her. She hadn't expected an attack mid-sentence and hastily raised her axes.
The two Condemnations crossed in an X, clashing against the incoming tentacles' appendages. The massive size difference sent Alshas airborne from the impact.
As she flew off-balance, other erosion tentacles closed in fast. A sharp appendage at the tip grazed the end of her ankle.
"What?!"
Shock washed over Alshas's face. Her body suddenly refusing to obey must've freaked her out.
'Perfect.'
The moment the appendage nicked her ankle, I activated my one thoroughly hidden trait. The trait that turned touched enemies into quartz statues: the Medusa Organ.
Her leg crystallized rapidly below the knee, and she slammed into the garden behind her. I unleashed the rest of my tentacles to finish her.
"......"
With over half her body turned to stone, she couldn't even groan. My left head opened wide and swallowed her whole.
'It's over.'
I felt her body passing through my long neck, beginning to digest. Eating a Ranker meant some perk or trait popup for sure. I waited for the text box.
'Huh?'
But nothing happened, no matter how long I waited.
Something felt wrong, so I glanced at Isabel. Her expression was identical to when she'd stood by Alshas. No sense of relief now that it was over.
'What's going on?'
"You crazy bastard, attacking out of the blue."
Then a familiar voice echoed from inside the mansion. The owner slowly stepped out from the entrance.
'Not dead?'
The figure emerging from the mansion was the Alshas I'd just eaten. Face, voice, gear—everything matched perfectly.
"The Empress was right. You really don't do talks."
As if nothing had happened, she scratched her forehead with her axe handle.
'What the hell? Not wearing a Harmonizer.'
The Harmonizer granted instant teleport in crises, letting her escape me, but no. I'd confirmed no headgear.
Above all, her body had fully digested in my gut. No signs of vanishing midway.
So the Alshas before me was a different entity, identical in appearance only.
'Hard to call it a clone.'
Even if a freshly awakened clone, it didn't explain the male reinforced suit or the two Condemnations perfectly replicated.
The game had psychic clone tech, but nothing this seamless. If it existed, the other Cult Rankers I'd fought would've used it.
Only one answer.
'Her perk.'
Every Ranker I'd faced had perks nonexistent in the game.
My guess: Alshas's perk created perfect duplicates of herself, like this.
'If I'm right, even that one...'
The casual-talking one in front of me was likely fake too. The original was somewhere else.
'This just got annoying.'
I'd thought she was bold for knowing my rep, but pulling this trick?
"Duplicating yourself—that your perk?"
I spoke in Roberts's voice, and Alshas snorted.
"Ha, kept your mouth shut so long, thought you were mute."
A power to create identical duplicates. Damn desirable. Gave me one more reason to kill her.
'Test the duplicate's abilities before hunting the original.'
"That attack caught me off guard. Well, I expected it, but way faster than thought."
Since I held back, Alshas appraised me leisurely— the vibe of someone utterly confident in her safety.
'Muscle twitches, heartbeat, armor condition. All identical.'
"Morphbag, you're wondering right now. Even with Isabel cooperating, what makes her think she can beat you."
With that, she beckoned Isabel.
For a split second, our eyes met. Hers held a storm: regret, resentment, worry.
Conveying all that, she quickly looked away and stood behind Alshas.
"Know why humans are the pinnacle of creation? They cooperate to overcome any obstacle."
As she spoke, the ground trembled violently. At the same time, my auxiliary organ tingled from an overwhelmingly powerful energy surge.
Something underground was rising fast to the surface.
"Empress. Lend your aid."
The words barely left her mouth when the rundown mansion exploded.
I spread my wings wide and rapidly gained altitude. In that instant, dozens of 3-meter spikes shot up, piercing through my wing membranes.
｢Big baby! You okay?!｣
Pain from the wounds slammed my brain, but that wasn't the priority now.
The one who'd fired the spikes was crawling out of the ground. Or more accurately, heaving the earth aside as it emerged.
It made sense— the thing rising was easily over 30 meters tall. A massive monster resembling a stag beetle, but with multiple bio-cannons mounted on its back. The mansion's debris tumbled into the hole it'd burst from.
｢Big adult｣ ｢enemy｣ ｢careful｣
"Multiple life signatures detected. Please exercise caution."
Similar creatures were emerging across the area beneath my feet— and the entire city.
｢Aimorph... no way...｣
The Sky Mother flying beside me recoiled in horror at the monsters bursting out everywhere.
I understood her shock completely.
I hadn't expected to see them in Cult territory either.
And then, the being appeared that nailed our fears into place.