The Final Judgment
"…Who is that?"
Cordelia's voice trembled.
Her gaze was fixed on the victim being impaled by the Carapace Lord’s grotesque phallus.
I also looked at the scene and couldn’t help but tilt my head in confusion for a second.
Wait… isn't that a male military uniform?
In Echoes of Humanity — ECHO, the commander uniforms were clearly distinguished between male and female.
However, the uniform of the crazed female soldier being fucked senseless by the Carapace Lord was little more than a rag, yet it was easy to identify the distinct male uniform that it was.
"Is that a commander you know?"
I asked Cordelia, just in case.
She nodded with a confused expression.
"She looks… a lot like the commander of Ark 74. She was supposed to be a man, though, but it seems she has been affected by the Carapace Lord's ability and turned into a woman."
"……."
"The Carapace Lord can reconstruct a victim's gender into female through a special type of Z Virus strain that only it possesses."
"…Uh, so you're saying it forcibly feminized a man and is now fucking him?"
Cordelia nodded at my words.
"That is correct. In the process, the body is permanently transformed. It is the manifestation of the Lord's reproductive instinct."
Is this some kind of TS beam from a Hitomi hentai?
For a moment, I didn't just get the feeling of getting goosebumps, but actual goosebumps broke out all over my body. Just the horror of it was enough to make my very soul tremble.
I knew this from my game knowledge, but seeing it happen right before my eyes was…
So you're telling me the woman currently drooling while being impaled by a dick was originally a man?
It evoked a level of disgust beyond imagination.
This damn monster's madness went beyond simple violence; it was nothing less than a twisted desire to turn victims into eternal slaves.
[Kihihihihihihihi—!]
And then, the Carapace Lord's piston-like thrusting stopped.
Its glowing red compound eyes slowly turned toward us.
Those filthy pupils scanned us one by one before finally locking onto me.
[Found you— You thrice-damned human!!]
The creature's voice, filled with twisted joy, echoed throughout the cave.
"Ooooh?!"
Then, the Carapace Lord's massive cock, which had been buried deep inside the victim's body, slid out with a squelch.
Along with a stream of semen, the grotesque organ—showing clear signs of having been severed—was revealed.
The creature fiddled with its member and pointed at me with its other hand, letting out a shriek.
[You're the one who blew my proud tool away!! Good, very good—! Just like this one, I'll make you my beautiful seedbed! I'll change your body so you can give birth to my children forever! Kihihihihihihihi!!]
The Carapace Lord's voice became increasingly stained with manic laughter.
The creature grabbed the victim, who had been connected to its body until now, like a piece of scrap, and flung them away with all its might.
With a scream, the woman—no, the commander who was originally a man—slammed into the ground, shuddered, and then went limp.
"…No thanks. I'll pass."
I replied, grinding my teeth.
If something like that happened?
I'd bite my tongue off first. A TS beam. That's fucking horrific just to think about.
Regardless, for the sake of my chastity and the safety of Ark 69, I couldn't just leave that monster alone.
Kwaduk!
The sound of the Carapace Lord kicking off the ground echoed through the entire cave.
Glaring at us with manic eyes, it charged forward at an incredible speed. However, the ECHOs were already prepared for battle.
"Noah—!"
At my shout, Noah immediately stepped forward.
The sound of her cloak fluttering through the wind could be heard.
"Haaaaaap!!"
Noah's fist sliced through the air, aiming for the creature's upper body.
As the energy emitter activated, a faint light ignited on her fist. Then, the superhuman punch characteristic of an ECHO was swung toward the Carapace Lord.
Vwooom!
With agility that exceeded expectations, the Carapace Lord twisted its body to dodge.
Sparks flew as its shell grazed Noah's fist, and simultaneously, the creature leaped into the air.
But at that moment, as if she had been waiting, Helena leaped forward and aimed her shotgun. Her cold, tenacious eyes continued to track the Carapace Lord's movements.
Bang! Bang-bang!
Helena's shotgun spat fire.
The metallic roar of the AP-5 ammunition rang out in succession, striking the airborne Carapace Lord directly.
With the sound of its hard carapace denting, the creature lost its balance and plummeted to the ground.
[That hurts!!]
The Carapace Lord howled.
Its pretty, humanoid face distorted with rage and pain as it let out a manic scream.
No matter how much of a named monster it was, it seemed unable to withstand the firepower of AP-5 Ammunition.
[Kaaaaaaak—!!]
As its red eyes glowed, the fleshy trees on the cave walls reacted.
Dozens of tentacles flew toward us like whips. The nest's instinctive defense had begun.
"Cover the Commander—!"
Arva stepped forward, swinging her monomolecular blade at the tentacles.
Tu-tu-tu—!
"Kyahaha—! I don't have any holes to be fucked by a hideous monster like you!"
Simultaneously, Pomen's minigun erupted in flames as the explosion effect clicked into place over time.
The other ECHOs also concentrated their firepower on the tentacles approaching from all directions.
Silva's precision fire, Cordelia's support fire, and the desperate defense of the mass-produced ECHOs.
It was a situation I had expected since discovering the fleshy trees, but with tentacles swarming from all sides, an overwhelming tension began to fill the cave.
Bang! Ba-bang!
I also raised the White Tiger and aimed for the bodies of the tentacles.
As I severed a few tentacles with accurate shots, green slime splattered everywhere.
"Tsk. A flamethrower would be perfect for a time like this…."
Still, I had something similar.
"Pomen—!"
"Yes, Commander!!"
She caught on instantly.
"Aim for the tree trunks!"
At my command, the two rocket launchers mounted on Pomen's shoulders clicked as they finished preparing, then flew straight toward the trunks of the fleshy trees.
Kwaaaaang! Boom!
Massive explosions shook the cave.
As flames and debris erupted everywhere, the tentacles withered and slumped, seemingly having taken significant damage.
Arva didn't miss the opening and moved quickly.
Her monomolecular blade sliced through the air in dancing ripples, shredding the remaining tentacles to pieces.
Her movements, clearing the tentacles with efficiency that didn't waste a single inch, were so overwhelming that the only word that came to mind was absolute.
[Kuuuuuugh—!]
Meanwhile, Noah and Helena were pinning down the Carapace Lord's legs.
The horror of this creature lay in its ability to create a nest like a queen ant and pour out numerous high-ranking zombies from within.
Fighting alone without troops, as it was now, was actually disadvantageous for it.
Thump! Tu-tu-thump!
Of course, its shell was hard enough to easily withstand Helena's firepower.
However, that didn't mean it was a strong enough individual to take down all of us on its own.
In a metaphorical scenario where there were no soldiers to protect the queen, it should never have revealed itself to us.
That's why we have to catch it here.
Bang! Ba-bang!
I still had plenty of AP-5 magazines left.
So, I pulled the trigger of the White Tiger toward the Carapace Lord without hesitation.
To restrict its movement, I continuously aimed for its lower body.
Tu-tu-tu-tu-tu!!
Along with the sound of casings dropping, hazy heat and smoke rose from the handguard.
The heat from the rapid fire warmed my palms, but I didn't stop pulling the trigger until the magazine was empty.
[Kiaaaaaak—!]
The Carapace Lord, hit once again in a vital spot by my attack, staggered.
And just as the rage-filled creature turned to look at me, baring its teeth—
Puuu-uck!
At that moment, Noah, who had been waiting for a gap, dove in.
Her uppercut struck the creature's jaw precisely. It was a blow so powerful that the shockwave sounded like it was tearing through the air.
[Kyaaaaaak—!]
A strike so intense it made even the observer's jaw ache.
The Carapace Lord's upper body snapped back, and its body, launched into the air, slammed into the ground with a heavy thud.
Amidst the rising dust, the creature staggered and tried to push itself up.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Helena immediately rushed in and stomped on its shoulder.
With the sound of bones crushing, a kick soon followed, sending the Carapace Lord's head flying to the side.
[Kyaaaaaak!!]
The Carapace Lord's scream echoed through the cave.
The sight of it writhing in agony was wretched. But in Helena's eyes as she looked down, there wasn't a shred of sympathy.
Thump!!
Then, her shotgun was slammed into the Carapace Lord's abdomen, and she fired point-blank.
With its belly half-blown open by the buckshot, the creature coughed up blood and went limp.
That was the end.
Fortunately, its level wasn't significantly different from when we encountered it in Hongwei-7.
I approached the creature while keeping the White Tiger aimed right at its face.
[W-Wait—! P-Please…! Spare me!]
For the first time, a desperate cry erupted from the Carapace Lord's mouth.
Its pretty face distorted with pain and fear, and hot tears streamed down from its red compound eyes.
The dignity of the manic monster had shattered, and it had turned into a miserable being consumed by its animalistic instinct for survival.
Its body trembled violently as it prostrated itself on the ground.
[I-It hurts— It hurts so much! I-I was wrong! S-So please spare me! I'll do anything!]
The Carapace Lord pleaded in a cracked voice.
Before I knew it, the thick cock attached to its lower body contracted grotesquely and disappeared.
In its place, a soft and pretty female genital was exposed.
[I-I'll prepare myself so you can fuck me whenever you want! My mouth, my pussy, my ass! N-No, I'll offer all the other human women and ECHOs too! S-So just spare me…. I-I will absolutely obey your orders…. Ki…hihi! P-Please…!]
Was a zombie's survival instinct always this strong?
Fuck, I didn't know the game settings were this detailed….
Its sobbing filled the cave.
Then, it crawled to my feet, rubbing its face against me and started wailing like a wronged child.
The pretty female genital began to open, as if offering its body to me of its own accord.
Click!
I aimed the White Tiger at the space between its eyebrows. The muzzle was so close it almost touched its forehead.
[A, aaaah—]
Its crying stopped instantly. Its eyes, filled with terror, looked up at me.
"There's one thing I want to ask."
My voice was cold and commanding.
I could feel the ECHOs watching in silence around me. Their gazes held a deep trust in me.
[W-What is it? I'll answer anything!]
The creature answered desperately.
Its body lowered even further, its servility reaching its peak.
"Cry for me. Cry and prove your innocence."
[???]
"Just kidding. When the other women and ECHOs told you to stop, what did you do?"
[…….]
Realizing the meaning of my words, the Carapace Lord's expression distorted fiercely.
Amidst the fear, its madness began to creep back to life. But it was already too late.
Bang!
The bullet pierced exactly through the space between its eyebrows.
As its red compound eyes went vacant all at once, the Carapace Lord's body went limp.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Ark 72, thousands of kilometers away from Ark 69.
Deep within the dark labyrinth that had now become the Crawler Queen's nest, her red eyes blinked.
The sensation of the Carapace Lord's connection being severed crept in.
…Why did the link with my child disappear?
The Queen tilted her head, wrapping her body with a giant tentacle.
A faint question crossed her mind, but she soon dismissed the thought.
After all, she had scattered over ten Carapace Lords, and only one young individual had vanished.