Became an Evolving Space Monster

Chapter 231:

-

Cha Lumera, Odd Grad's mate, could not believe it.

The great black male was an undefeated force. No matter what crisis arose, the leader always led the pack to victory. Though Cha Lumera was not particularly old, she had never seen Odd Grad lose.

So, she assumed today would be no different.

She believed they would crush the rebels and feast on their blood.

But reality took a different turn from what she had imagined.

The male she loved was nowhere to be seen, and instead, a black star appeared. The creature, with wings like a blizzard, stood beside a diminutive female.

Everyone present knew what this meant.

｢Liar Odd Grad｣｢Defeated!｣

｢The great Odd Grad｣｢Defeated?｣｢Impossible!｣

｢Defeated?｣｢Impossible!｣

The other mates lunged, denying the female's words.

Even if all the mates joined forces, they could not defeat Odd Grad. The black slaughterer that had overpowered Odd Grad must be far stronger.

Unfortunately, this time, her prediction was correct.

One of the white mates exhaled towards the small female. The black slaughterer spread its wings to shield its leader.

The mate's attack left no mark on its wings. While it provided cover, the small leader turned around and charged at the mate.

The mate, who had been exhaling, tried to dodge at the last moment, but it was too late. The leader pierced through the mate before it could escape.

Meanwhile, the black slaughterer moved to capture a young mate who was struggling against two enemies alone.

The mate, fighting the slow-moving snow-white queen with a damaged wing and a small creature using ominous power, had no idea the black slaughterer had appeared.

Though originally a mate that enjoyed fighting, it now seemed half-crazed. Like a fledgling intoxicated by blood, it focused solely on attacking the snow-white queen, Ham Ort.

The young mate managed to get close to the snow-white queen and grasped Ham Ort tightly with its forepaws. As it exhaled while pressing its body against hers, Ham Ort twisted her flexible neck just enough to avoid the force.

Despite the failed attack, the young mate did not give up and began gathering its strength again.

｢Danger!｣

Cha Lumera urgently warned, but she did not listen. The price for ignoring the warning was severe.

The black slaughterer appeared behind the young mate like a shadow. Its many arms grabbed the young mate, scattering the force it had gathered around its mouth like snow blown by the wind.

Then, Ham Ort released the energy she had gathered toward the young mate's head. Though not particularly powerful for a snow-white queen, it was enough to blow off the young mate's head.

It hadn't been long since the black slaughterer reappeared, and already three had perished.

Only then did Cha Lumera realize.

Odd Grad's pack had lost the battle against this group.

Cha Lumera glanced at the mate she had been fighting alongside. Sharing the same thoughts, they nodded at each other.

"Probability of the enemy escaping: 93%."

The metal-scented creature riding atop the white compatriot, Nel Germa, emitted waves along with strange noises. It was undoubtedly commanding them to pursue. The two fled with all their might.

Cha Lumera was the fastest here, second only to the small leader. The green compatriots and Nel Germa couldn't keep up with her.

The mate fleeing beside her gradually fell behind, but Cha Lumera didn't care.

She had to escape to the stars above, far from home. Up there, they wouldn't be able to follow her.

At that moment, a serpent appeared and devoured the lagging mate.

Witnessing the mate disappear, leaving only the tip of its tail behind, she felt her heart stop.

A colossal serpent was there. With thousands, no, tens of thousands of heads writhing, it was a serpent so massive it covered the sky.

The moment she saw the end of the serpent's tail, she recognized its identity.

It was a being composed of an unimaginable amount of power.

No other compatriot could wield such an awe-inspiring force. Not even the one she loved most, the great Odd Grad.

The serpent that swallowed the sky flicked its tongue, aiming to devour her.

She fled with all her might, just as she had when breaking out of her egg.

The serpent closed in behind her, its presence growing closer with every beat of her wings.

Cha Lumera did not want to die. There were still so many things she wanted to do, so many things she wanted to eat. She couldn't die here.

As she flew with that thought, a sudden, powerful impact struck her chest.

A sharp, intense pain, as if she had been pierced by something small and metallic, drained the strength from her body.

That was her last memory.

---

‘What the...?’

The white Gallagon fleeing from my psychic breath suddenly slowed down. I had no idea why the creature that had been desperately running away a moment ago suddenly seemed to give up on life.

‘Because of that, I couldn’t aim properly.’

After gaining the Dragon's Heart, the power of my psychic breath exceeded my expectations. Previously, it had taken the form of a refined energy beam, but now it had changed. Perhaps due to the sudden release of massive energy, it resembled more of a blazing inferno.

'The Horizon of Nightmares must have boosted its power.’

The Horizon of Nightmares enhances the effects of the unique trait it possesses. Seeing how much the breath's power had increased, it was clear that the Dragon's Heart was also benefiting from it. Not only does it supply nearly infinite energy, but it also boosts the firepower of psychic attacks. If I acquire a new trait that consumes psychic power in the future, it will likely benefit from the enhanced Dragon's Heart as well.

‘The power might be about half that of the Divine Spectre?’

Even if the firepower is slightly weaker, this is much better. Unlike the Divine Spectre, I can fire this repeatedly.

‘This will be great when fighting fleets.’

It's a shame that I lost the enemy's genetic essence, but I'll count it as a valuable experience.

The tentacle I had used to fire the breath drooped, and as I turned my head, Ham Ort approached me. Her amethyst-like eyes gleamed with interest. She was likely surprised, as she had never seen a psychic breath of such strength before.

｢Black kin, your strength is very, very impressive.｣

[ZZZ ZZ ZZZZ (How’s your body?)]

｢No issues. The small one, Ham Ort, helped.｣

Mother of the Sky peeked through the broken horn of Ham Ort.

｢What was that just now? It was a psychic breath, but why was it so powerful?｣

[ZZZZ ZZZ (I obtained the Dragon's Heart.)]

｢But can that alone make it so strong? Is it because it’s combined with the Symbol of Hunt?｣

[ZZZZ (Maybe.)]

｢I thought so... But that's not the point. You insane Amorph!｣

She paused, letting out a short sigh, before bombarding me with a rapid stream of telepathic words.

｢You deliberately delayed your detection to avoid precognition, didn’t you? Do you know how much trouble you caused us?｣

[ZZ ZZ ZZ ZZZZ (I would have left the spear behind.)]

｢How would we know just by you leaving the spear? We had to search the entire area to figure out where the battle would take place!｣

[ZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZZZ ZZZZ ZZZZ (I thought you’d see it once I started fighting anyway.)]

｢Ugh, I should just stop talking.｣

Her amber eyes, nestled deep within her eye sockets, trembled slightly, reflecting her emotions. This was the first time she had reacted so emotionally since the battle with Muriel.

'...Maybe I went too far?'

There was no other way to catch Odd Grad. My strategy had worked, after all.

But regardless, it was clear that Mother of the Sky was upset by my actions. If she had done something similar, I would have been equally unsettled.

[ZZZZ ZZZZ (I’ll be more careful next time.)]

She shook her birdlike skull, back and forth.

｢I understand why you did it, but please consider our feelings too. I can handle it, but it’s not the same for them.｣

She pointed behind me with her finger. When I turned around, I saw Adhai and Number 26.

｢Great One｣｢That’s cruel｣｢I｣｢Really｣｢Hate being abandoned｣

Hearing her sincere telepathic waves, I found myself at a loss for words. When I remained silent, it approached and scratched the shell of my head with its claw.

｢But｣｢I didn’t really｣｢Abandon you｣

I suppose this was her way of letting me off the hook.

I wanted to convey my gratitude, but just then, Number 26 sprang up from her head.

｢Bad little one! Really, really bad little one!｣

Number 26 extended its tentacles, growing them to their original size, radiating an intensity I had never seen before. It then smacked me on the head with full force.

‘Ack?!’

The blow was so strong that I thought my neck might snap. A message appeared before my eyes indicating that pain reduction had been activated, and a dent formed in the shell of my head.

｢Bad little ones who hurt their family and abandon them deserve punishment!｣

As it spoke, its body turned pale white.

The last time I saw it like this was long ago when it was forcibly injected with Salonium aboard the Megacorp research ship. My departure had been that much of a shock to it.

In the face of its fury, there was only one thing I could say.

[ZZZ (I’m sorry)]

Did it understand the sincerity in my apology? The tentacle poised to strike again paused mid-air.

After a moment, its body gradually returned to its usual pink hue. Shrinking its tentacles, it moved from Adhai’s head to mine.

｢Are you going to stop doing bad things now?｣

[ZZZ (Yes)]

｢If you do bad things again, I’ll punish you. I’ll hit you hard.｣

[ZZZ (Okay)]

It curled the tip of its tentacle into a ball, shaking it as if to emphasize the warning.

‘Mother of the Sky was right.’

They aren’t my slaves, nor are they tools to be used at my convenience. They are beings who move alongside me of their own will. They are truly precious to me.

I’ve lived alone for most of my life, whether in the game or in reality, but not here.

The strategy I used this time involved manipulating their emotions. While it yielded the desired outcome, it also hurt them.

‘In the long run, this isn’t good.’

Not for me, and not for them.

Odd Grad was a peculiar opponent, but there’s a good chance I’ll face more enemies with foresight abilities in the future. When that happens, I’ll reconsider the tactics I used yesterday. I’ve survived this long by using any means necessary.

However, this incident has made me aware of the risks associated with this strategy, so I won’t repeat it. Maintaining a positive relationship with them is beneficial to me in the long term.

Having heard my apology, Number 26 no longer seemed angry. Though it still tapped my horn with its tentacle, a hint of lingering resentment remained.

“I don’t have any particular objections. The Amorph’s decision ultimately led to the best possible outcome. I believe there are things to be learned from this.”

｢…Don’t learn those things.｣

Odd Grad and his mates are all dead.

What remains now are the Gallagons who withdrew from the battle. When they felt our gaze, they flinched.

‘What should I do with them?’

Devouring them all would be a significant gain for me, but I wasn’t sure how Adhai would feel about it.

At that moment, a slender White Gallagon flew towards us.

｢I｣｢Sha Velmag｣｢Acknowledge｣｢Odd Grad｣｢Defeat｣

The one who introduced himself as Sha Velmag was the first Gallagon among Odd Grad's group to refuse to fight.

｢Sha Velmag｣｢Serve｣｢New Leader｣｢Request｣｢Mercy｣

As his telepathic waves of surrender gently spread, other Gallagons also relaxed their battle stances and approached us.

I surveyed the remaining Gallagons. There weren’t many White Gallagons left; most of them were Green Gallagons.

I’ve already met all the Apex conditions. While I could obtain some decent traits from the White Gallagons, the Green Gallagons didn’t offer anything particularly valuable.

‘And there’s not much time left on the Symbol of Hunt.’

Even if I took them down now, I wouldn’t gain much genetic essence.

After contemplating, I turned to Adhai.

[ZZ ZZ (You decide.)]

｢Great one｣｢Stronger｣｢I｣｢No right｣

[ZZZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZ ZZZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZZZ (You’ve been struggling with your past ever since you were cast out of the pack. It’s time to put those struggles to rest.)]

｢!｣

Adhai’s eyes widened in understanding.

The reason I passed the decision to her was simple.

Even after joining me, Adhai occasionally struggled with memories of being cast out due to her disability.

I plan to keep her by my side in the future. Although her past pain hasn’t directly caused problems yet, there’s no guarantee it won’t in the future.

So I’m giving her a chance to heal her wounds.

If she chooses war to release her resentment towards the pack, it wouldn’t be a disadvantage to me. Although I won’t fully benefit from the Symbol’s effect, taking down that many Gallagons might still yield a couple of genetic essences.

But what if she chooses forgiveness?

That wouldn’t be bad either. Gallagons are formidable combat creatures. While I can’t take them with me everywhere, they’d be excellent allies in critical planetary invasions.

Adhai’s gaze shifted from me to others. She looked at each member of our group.

Number 26 on my head, PS-111 and Nel Germa, the Green Gallagons behind them, and then Ham Ort and Mother of the Sky.

After meeting everyone’s eyes, she finally made her decision, turning decisively to face Odd Grad’s remnants.

｢I｣｢Daughter of Ham Ort｣｢Adhai｣｢Descendants of Odd Grad｣｢Submit!｣｢Submit!｣

｢Sha Velmag｣｢Great Adhai｣｢Serve｣

｢Zercapja｣｢Great Adhai｣｢Serve｣

｢Odd Zhiaga｣｢Great Adhai｣｢Serve…｣

Starting with Sha Velmag, all the Gallagons present bowed to Adhai. Their posture was similar to how Adhai had once bowed to me.

It was the posture of reverence toward a new queen.

-

“Subsection 2 confirms the loss of target life signals.”

“Special Target A is confirmed to have subdued them. Combat with the dangerous species ‘Gallagon’ is concluded.”

“According to logical analysis, Special Target A has merged with the ‘Gallagon’ group.”

“Combat simulation results indicate a 17% probability of subjugating Special Target A if combat continues.”

“Reporting the situation to Main Controller Pira Eleven.”

In the dark forest, where sunlight barely penetrated, small lights flickered like fireflies. However, such a sight was anything but natural on this frozen planet.

It was certainly not a natural phenomenon for hundreds of blood-red lights to gleam and emit strange sounds.

“Confirmed: Main Controller Pira Eleven’s revised orders. Preemptively strike the enemies’ base.”

“Secondary missions remain unchanged. After the strike, recover some of the necessary energy sources.”

“Confirmed. Requesting order dissemination.”

“Confirmed.”

As if something had been decided, the cluster of lights vanished at once. The voices that had accompanied the flickering lights ceased abruptly.

In their place, sharp metallic sounds reverberated, and the undergrowth and trees began to shake.

The eerie and ominous movements deep within the forest were a sight that could never be seen from the sky.