Cosmic Insect Swarm - (4)
Long-range high-speed transport with an anti-gravity engine—whatever it was called, an Aerometal or something—Yuna leaped from it. Thanks to pouring every ounce of Cosmic Power into her descent, she managed to inflict some damage...
Kaang!Kang!
"What the—no way! Why is its skin this tough!!!"
The situation wasn't looking good. The soldiers, boosted by the avatar's intervention, might not realize it, but the thing was just too damn sturdy.
An exoskeleton evolved to survive any environment. A body that could devour anything and convert it to nutrients. Overbrimming vitality from endless mutations. This city-devouring insect was on a whole different level from the monsters she'd crushed effortlessly before.
The Cosmic Power she'd always relied on as invincible wasn't working properly. At best, it peeled off a bit of its carapace—no meaningful damage at all. A crushing sense of helplessness. Her attacks probably felt like a slight sting to the cosmic insect. And not even piercing the skin—just scraping off some dead flakes.
Was the power from her constellation weak? Ridiculous! From one of only two Galaxy Spirits in the universe—how could it be weak?
Kaang!
"Eeeek!!!"
"Avatar Yuna! We'll provide support! Firing gravity rounds!"
"Pry open that carapace and widen the wound! Load the anti-kaiju cluster bomb!"
The problem was with her. She couldn't draw out her true power! Even if she pierced this tough shell, could one person really hurt something the size of a small city? It'd be like pricking it with a toothpick, right?
—
She might be thinking something like that. Yuna, gritting her teeth with a half-crying face as she pounded the cosmic insect. That expression said it all—self-recrimination in her eyes. Anger. Frustration. Lamenting her own powerlessness.
Logically, one person taking down a small-city-sized monster was impossible. Even for a superhuman avatar, it'd take dozens piling on. Especially one this heavily armored, which required full military support to fell.
Kwa-kwa-kwang!!!
Kieeeek!!!
"Save me!!! Kyaaak!"
"Avatar! Dodge to the side! Tachyon particle cannon firing soon!"
"Shelter! Where's the shelter...!"
Specialist avatars or federation-famous veterans might manage, but... well, then. Why not make her one?
Cosmic Power—no different from my own cells. She wasn't wielding it properly. The most she'd ever output was when she blew up a building at the Central Avatar Research Institute.
Kwajik—Kaang!
"Heok. Heuk... Hoo..."
I could tell. That's not how Cosmic Power works. It's obvious to me, since it's so familiar. No limit to the power itself—just the channel delivering it. If her body was barely at its limit...
The body sets limits, but the mind does too. So...
The constellation Whispering Star Cluster says not to set your own limits.
"C-...Constellation?!"
The constellation Whispering Star Cluster affirms that its first apostle can pierce the bug's skin.
* * *
"Hoo... Ha."
Did she see my messages? She halted her assault, catching her breath. Advanced gear wrapped around her body urged her to resume, but she stopped atop the cosmic insect anyway. Looking almost injured, a frantic voice crackled from her earpiece comms.
"Avatar! Are you okay?! Emergency evac—"
"No. I... I need to get inside it. Concentrate fire just enough for one person to slip in."
"Too dangerous! The insect's internals are full of hyper-toxic fluids and..."
"Casualties are mounting like this. It's ignoring artillery and rampaging— we can't stall forever!"
The cosmic insect had paused at the military barrage and her strikes, but now it realized these puny bugs couldn't hurt it. Ignoring everything, it focused on devouring the city. High-yield weapons were en route, of course.
But Yuna looked desperate. Instinctual hatred for the monster. The dire situation might be clouding her judgment. Not that she had a choice.
Kieeeek!!!
"Uwaaak!!! Save me!"
"H-Hiiik?!"
It'd been less than five minutes since it crashed into downtown, and the city was already half-destroyed. A perfect demo of why cosmic insect swarms were called disasters. Sure, blast 'em with firepower, but you can't missile a city-center drop.
Even if you kill a planet-fallen one in ten minutes, five means city annihilation. Plus pollution and stench afterward. But with so many dying, my emotions weren't stirring much. Like watching ants get eaten by an anteater. Even with lingering humanity, I'd half-expected this...
Then, some heavy weapons arrived. Barrage concentrated on its head.
Fighter-like craft streaked overhead, raining multicolored bombs.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang!!Chiiik—Kieeeek!!!
Like flaying a finger joint off a human—damage, but not fatal. Head wound's making it thrash, probably.
Ttak!
"Bet it won't like a ruckus inside!"
Yuna dove through the slightly opened wound. Human-sized intruder? Felt like dust to it.
Puhwak—
Her body shifted to cosmic hues, radiating pure white light. Each punch burst flesh with a thud-thud, spraying vile fluids. She blocked the toxins with Cosmic Power, charging toward its heart.
But she'd overlooked one thing...
Kwajik. Seureuk.
"...Ha."
The cosmic insect's insides were tough too. And it regenerated.
* * *
Simple logic, really. If punching holes and rampaging inside—or tossing bombs through—killed it, why call a giant bug a "disaster"?
Obviously armored inside and out, with regen. Fleet main guns barely crack egg-shells. Stealth to breach planetary nets. Weird powers, constant evolution. That's why the federation fears 'em.
"Ha."
Detonating Cosmic Power to blast away surrounding fluids, Yuna gritted her teeth. Her entry path had already sealed. Fluids and internal parasites swarmed—a dire spot.
"Constellation!!! "
My apostle's cry. Unlike other tiny things, connected to me, with attachment. Yeah. Can't let others die, but you especially can't.
Drenched in insect fluids and sweat, she bellowed.
"Rip my body apart if you have to. Give me... more power!"
The constellation Whispering Star Cluster asks if you know avatar contracts grant power only once.
"Heok... But. You can. Do it. Right?"
Gazing at the blood-veined ceiling, a faint smile. Never doubting I couldn't. I get her thinking, but I won't let her die. Or sacrifice herself here.
The constellation Whispering Star Cluster smiles.
"...Eh?"
The portion of power I'd first granted her. A fragment of my body. One cell-sized. As she grew familiar wielding it in this form, I poured more into the interdimensional channel.
AI info-body glitching? Guess I'll snag another near the dimensional wall.
Too strong for a mortal avatar to handle.
Cannot grant more power to an already-contracted mortal avatar.
This unit's channel limit reached...
I ignored the messages, pumping power into the link. A normal mortal avatar couldn't endure this. But Yuna's different.
Already mutating physically as my first apostle. Taking an Outer God's cell changes the body. Beyond mortal, to another race. Looks human, but absorbing and emitting Cosmic Power means the shift started long ago.
When I descended, her asking for a photo together? Part of it. Unconscious affinity and desire to impress a top-tier being.
The constellation Whispering Star Cluster smiles.
Paaaat—
"U. Uwaaaah!!!"
Cosmic Power overflowed from her body. Glowing eyes blazed; limbs turned to light. Swarming fluids crumbled. The insect's solid innards shattered.
My apostle, incorporating my cell, mutating into a higher being. She can handle this much. At least once.