Chapter 337
Chapter 337
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 337
Chapter Title: Isabel's Sacrifice
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‘I was planning to save it for later!’
Isabel’s perk, ‘Eyes of All Things,’ was an incredibly powerful ability. Having to waste such a precious tool here was something Alshas regretted.
Of course, it was still better than dying. She had to successfully kill the Aimorph here to keep her position secure within the Return Faction.
‘I need to escape while she’s summoning it.’
The Alshas present was a clone. Her real body was back at the Surveillance Bureau, not here. Simulacra had a limited range for maintenance.
‘But no one knows that.’
Once the clone vanished, her real body would flee the Imperial Mothership to another star system. She could create up to five clones, so if she was determined to escape, no one could track her down. Even if the Aimorph chased her, it’d be chasing shadows without knowing which was real.
Having sorted her thoughts, Alshas called out to Isabel.
“Isabel. It’s time to fulfill the contract.”
Isabel slowly turned her head.
The lizard-like face with antennae showed no emotion.
“Summon the Vortex One.”
Isabel clamped her mouth shut and didn’t respond.
She knew what that order meant. But Alshas was confident.
“Don’t worry about your missing sister. Cynthia recently found an important clue.”
“Shut up.”
“We’ll rescue her soon… What?”
For a moment, Alshas thought she’d misheard.
“What did you just say?”
Cracks like those on a shattered mirror appeared on the creature’s face. Black liquid, not blood, oozed from the wounds.
Isabel had a contract preventing her from harming Alshas or other Return Faction members. Those wounds were penalties for breaking it.
The battered Coldblood struggled to speak.
“I… know… you bastards… tricked me. My sister… is already… dead.”
“Has the Aimorph driven you mad?”
“You’re… the mad ones. Deceitful… scum who… lied to… kuh!”
Isabel vomited a gush of black liquid and drew a curved sword from her waist.
“Your… real body… is elsewhere… right? You won’t… escape… kuh… ever.”
The curved sword, thought to be just for self-defense.
Only then did she realize she’d never seen it before. Or what Isabel had prepared it for.
“Wait, you bastard?!”
“Dweller of the Abyss… I call to you.”
As the creature tried to stab its own abdomen, Alshas raised her hand urgently. Psychic binding wrapped around Isabel’s body.
“To track and exterminate the Cult ‘Alshas’…”
“Crazy! Stop it!”
But it didn’t give up. Even as its body twisted grotesquely and it spewed blood and black liquid, it strained toward its abdomen with the sword.
Seeing this, Alshas screamed at the top of her lungs.
“Damn it! Queen! Send the thing somewhere else!”
Blue light enveloped the writhing Isabel. But it quickly flickered and died, as if interfered with.
In that moment, Isabel finished her ‘words.’
“I offer my blood… my life.”
With those words, the curved sword pierced her abdomen.
Having completed everything, Isabel collapsed onto the Queen’s body.
-
‘Huh?’
The Outspacers guarding the Queen were acting strange. They scattered in panic, just like when the black Devourer Cannon hit.
‘Lost control?’
｢Big baby.｣
Then, waves from Number 26 on my back flowed into me.
｢Scary over there.｣
[Zzzt zzzzt(Scary?)]
｢Yeah.｣
Number 26 saying it was scary meant very dangerous enemy contact.
‘Still got hidden cards?’
I wondered if they’d called an Outspacer ranker or another ranker, but no. There’d be FTL navigation waves if so, and there weren’t.
‘Gotta check myself.’
I flapped my wings, kicking the air. My body rapidly closed in on the swarm around the Queen. The uncontrolled collector bugs fled instead of attacking.
Beyond the scattering swarm was the panicked Queen.
And atop her…
‘Isabel?’
The frail-bodied Coldblood lay collapsed.
Isabel’s body on the Queen trembled like she had the chills. Black, viscous liquid poured endlessly from her shaking mouth.
It looked like dead blood, but it wasn’t.
The black liquid moved on its own, like it had a will, gathering at a point in the air.
I knew what it was.
‘Vortex One!’
Only one here could summon it: Coldblood ranker Isabel.
‘Did Alshas order it?’
At first, I thought Alshas forced her. But now, it seemed I was wrong.
Alshas near Isabel looked terrified, trembling.
That made it clear who initiated the summoning. Isabel did it willingly.
‘…Don’t know why, but no time to stand around.’
Isabel kept shaking, spewing black liquid. Mid-summoning, she hadn’t died yet.
‘In a game, instant death, but…’
This was reality. Pull her out conscious, and she might survive. The summoning method unfolding before me was the basis for that hope.
Like Outspacers, Vortex Ones came from another universe, unbound by this one’s laws.
For example, their bodies were small organics fused with ‘Abyss Power,’ a special energy. Simply put, sentient energy lifeforms.
To sustain energy bodies, they needed vast organics, so normally they split into multiples and hibernated.
Coldbloods were optimized to protect split Vortex Ones—living storage units.
‘That’s why summoning kills them.’
Abyss demons from material worlds devour contractors. Discarding unneeded storage while gaining energy sustenance.
So, separate Isabel before full summoning. Only way to save her.
[Zzzt zzzzt zzzzt(Gonna pull Isabel out)]
“I’ll help.”
｢Yeah! Save friend’s family!｣
I closed on the Queen and extended erosion tentacles. Six from my back headed for the airborne black liquid.
｢‘■Devourer’ attack. Block■■.｣
Outspacer-unique waves tickled my monster’s tentacles. Collector bugs blocked them, clinging like moths to a midnight lamp, immobilizing.
Only one tentacle pierced the meat shields and struck the black liquid.
The tiny liquid repelled massively on contact. The struck part sank like hit by a matter-disintegrator round.
｢Pain reduction activated!｣
‘Pain Reduction’ trait fired after ages. Intense pain hit my brain, but I stayed steady. Expected and intentional.
‘Good. Fed it, so obsession with summoner should lessen.’
Some Vortex Ones attack summoners mid-reconstitution. Gave alternative prey, buying Isabel time.
Then, to separate her directly, I approached the Queen again. As I neared, she tried FTL jump.
｢Can’t go!｣
｢!｣
Number 26 whipped out sawblade tentacles, grabbing the Queen. Like a giant squid snaring shark or whale, tentacles entangled her. The glowing Queen reverted.
“Damn it! Morph bastard, because of you…!”
Alshas raged, swinging her held ‘Judgment’—forged from Black Galleron horn—at 26’s tentacle. It severed cleanly.
｢Ow!｣
‘How dare you!’
My twin heads burned seeing 26 hurt. Jaws maxed, they crushed down on Alshas.
“You son of a—!”
Alshas couldn’t even scream, pulped in my jaws. The Queen took heavy damage too.
Screaming in agony, she crashed to the ground. Her collector bugs followed the wounded Queen.
She hit the sand, glowed blue, then vanished.
Normally, I’d pursue, but not now.
Because of floating Isabel.
‘Tremors weakening.’
Her black liquid had spread beyond her size, even past the Queen’s. I’d bought time, but minutes more and it’d complete as Vortex One.
‘Need a way.’
Killed summoners pre-summon before, never interrupted mid. Erosion tentacles and combat arms blocked by liquid.
Psychic breath or black Devourer Cannon too risky—time short, might kill Isabel too.
As I pondered, 26 on my back moved. It crawled up my central head using belly fins.
‘Huh?’
｢Gonna protect friend’s family.｣
What followed exceeded expectation.
It extended a tentacle, purple strands emerging. Writhing like night sea waves, they stretched toward Isabel’s space.
‘That’s?’
Like spider silk-wrapping prey, purple strands bloomed into a membrane enveloping Isabel. Geometric patterns wove atop it.
The sudden energy film covered her fully, blocking black liquid outflow. Liquid lunged to reclaim, but purple waves repelled all.
Once separated, 26’s purple strands vanished. Isabel plummeted like a cut puppet.
‘Damn!’
I dove, catching her with a combat arm just before sand impact.
‘Whew.’
Success in pulling her before death.
Though riddled with unknowns, more pressing matters now.
Landed on sand, I spread fingers to check her.
The petite Coldblood’s state was horrific. Slash wounds everywhere like butchered by blades, curved sword in abdomen. Black liquid, blood, flesh mixed from wounds.
Barely breathing, critical injuries. I urgently activated internal organ fusion trait ‘Ultra Jelly.’
Ultra Jelly consumed stamina to produce high-calorie nutrients.
In games, prepped and ate for stamina recovery. Infiltration, chain battles, nest-building drain. Aimorph’s potion, basically.