Dispatch #4: The Lord of the Invaders
The entity classified as C-grade threat, the lord of the invaders, made its entrance with dignified poise. But it was swiftly bisected by Iris's beam, meeting a pathetic end.
Beyond the now-silent screen, the otherworldly man stared mutely at the lord's corpse. His expression behind the helmet was obvious without seeing it. Is this real? He'd probably be standing there with his mouth agape.
Anyway, I'd hoped to chat briefly since a high-intelligence lord had appeared, but Iris's cold efficiency in eliminating it outright was a bit regrettable. There must've been a reason, though.
"Iris."
> Affirmative.
"Why'd you kill that lord just now? There was a reason, right?"
> Ugly. Elimination target.
"...Any other reason?"
> None.
"......"
> Joke. In truth, the lord's hostility was intense. Judged communication impossible.
I glanced sideways at the allies' chat. Just as Seo Dan-bi said, Iris seemed to have acted emotionally. Whether from Melody Fox's buff or not, this Iris had been talking more lately and showing hints of emotion.
"Iris. You didn't get mad just because the lord called you ugly, right?"
"Answer casually. The lord's hostility was real anyway, so I won't nitpick the emotional elimination."
Emotions were mixed into the judgment, as expected. Since she was honest, I let it slide.
"Oh. And don't put someone on the elimination list just for being ugly. That's looks discrimination, and not a valid reason to kill."
After talking with Iris, I addressed the man still standing there dumbstruck.
"Hey. You're not passing out on your feet, are you?"
"......"
"Hey?"
"Ah, uh... yes!"
He'd finally snapped out of it. Makes sense. Seeing the leader of the planet-destroying invaders get one-shot would rattle anyone. His reaction was perfectly normal.
I spoke to him again.
"Now, mind guiding us to where the survivors are?"
"Yes! Right away!!!"
Following the man's lead, we headed to the last remnants of humanity—about 700 survivors. Of course, I hadn't decided between invaders or natives yet. Just meet them first and think it over.
Descending a steep mountain path, a weathered cliff base came into view. The man approached the face, clearing vines and moss to reveal a hidden massive steel door. That must be the underground bunker.
"Um... Since Iris resembles the invaders in appearance... they might misunderstand and be rude if we enter. Please forgive us."
> I do not resemble invaders. Very different appearance.
"S-sorry!"
The man deftly operated a concealed control panel around the massive door. With a heavy kuuung!, mechanical groans echoed as it slid inward. Emergency lights flickered on sequentially, illuminating deep into the bunker.
"Come on in."
Sruung!
As the man and dispatch team entered, the heavy door sealed shut automatically. Confirming it, he slowly removed his helmet. A bushy beard covered his face. The features beneath matched Earth's humans perfectly.
"Come to think of it, I haven't properly introduced myself. Name's Amuterso. I'm the search team leader for the survivors."
"Search team leader? Then the other members..."
I trailed off. Probably all dead on this run.
"The other search team members are resting in the bunker. I went out alone today."
Not the case, then. I swallowed my condolences.
"Alright, follow me. I'll guide you to the survivor quarters."
As expected, arriving at the survivor quarters sparked chaos. People screamed and fled from Iris. Others grabbed guns and aimed. Bad reactions everywhere. Amuterso barely calmed the uproar.
He explained from the start: how we rescued him, Iris being a different species from invaders, me being a god on her screen, one-shotting the lord by chance, and more. It took quite a while to relay everything outside and introduce us fully.
Of course, few took the search leader's word at face value. Most doubted the lord-killing claim especially.
As suspicions dragged on, Iris broadcast the evidence footage. She'd recorded the lord elimination.
"Wh-what... the lord's really dead...?"
"Killed the lord? Impossible..."
"Could be edited footage?"
"Search leader saw it himself. No reason to fake it to fool us."
"Unless the leader betrayed humanity, no reason to lie."
"Uh... chance the leader got possessed...?"
"If so, we'd all be dead by now. Seen invaders bother with this charade?"
"Right. Killing us is easier than squashing bugs. They'd only do this tedious crap to toy with us."
Divergent opinions converged—toward trusting us.
That proves we're not enemies, at least...
Once tensions eased a bit, I gathered everyone and briefly explained the altar: offer tribute periodically, and I'd help them.
Suddenly, an eerie voice cut in. Iris, already aware, slowly panned her view.
"Gr-Grand Lord?!"
"How's the grand lord here...!"
"See? Told you! Search leader betrayed us!"
The crowd stirred at its appearance. Terror-struck, they trembled without even grabbing weapons.
That the grand lord?
It must've sensed the lord's death and tailed the search team secretly. Iris had noticed but stayed silent—A-grade threat, no danger.
Grand lord coming to us? Perfect timing. Wanted to talk to the invaders' top after survivors.
Invaders and natives' reps together. Constructive talk with the grand lord seemed possible. Not attacking rashly and tailing showed it gauged the power gap unlike others.
The grand lord bowed politely to Iris.
Raising its head, the grand lord introduced itself.
Pruru—no, Bururu continued.
"Yeah. Planned to offer survivors first, then your kind if they refuse."
"True. But what can you offer?"
The grand lord pointed at the survivors.
"Pruru."
"Anything but lives..."
I trailed off, sighed, and called the Black Magma Slime.
"...Nah, forget it. BlacSlime."
Sruung?
"Kill it."
Sruung!
Hearing lives as tribute killed any desire to deal with them. Better to take a loss—no transactions with invader scum. Their thinking was rotten from the core.
Sruuung!
The Black Magma Slime's magma engulfed the grand lord.