Ch.209Black and White (2)

I swung my wing arms vigorously to gain altitude in one swift motion. The dark clouds that had split during my battle with Ham Oort had already returned to their places.

Through the rain, snow, and occasional lightning, I could see a star floating majestically.

I flew quickly to Adhigh Orr’s side.

“Great One.”

[Zzzz zzzz (What happened?)]

“Kin” “Pursued”

[Zzz (Kin?)]

“I” “White kin” “Met” “Ham Oort” “Group”

Just as he said, Gallergorn were flying toward us while fighting. The fleeing White Gallergorn was covered in blood, while the ten Green Gallergorn pursuing it looked relatively unharmed.

Unless it was someone exceptional like Ham Oort, an ordinary White Gallergorn would struggle against ten opponents. Left alone, it would be hunted down and killed by the Green Gallergorn.

“Great One” “White kin” “Has something” “To say”

[Zzzzzz (Something to say?)]

“Important” “Trust” “Please”

I looked at him, wondering if he was trying to save his kin, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

‘Eating Green Gallergorn right now wouldn’t be bad either.’

The hunting representation had ended before my conversation with Adhigh. The predation effect probably wouldn’t appear, but I could still fill the Apex count for evolution conditions, so it wouldn’t hurt.

‘Though there are quite a few of them…’

I looked around. There were no other Gallergorn following beyond the ten.

[Zzz zzzzzz zzzz (Let’s clean them up first)]

“Agree”

“Let’s flap-flap and teach them a lesson!”

I spread my wings wide and glided toward them. Adhigh, flying beside me, shot past me at a speed rivaling his mother’s.

In the blink of an eye, he approached the Green Gallergorn group and began firing psychic breaths while moving rapidly.

‘Impressive.’

According to the settings, Gallergorn need to go through a charging process to fire psychic breath. This makes them pause before firing.

The same applies in reality. Even a skilled Gallergorn like Ham Oort would flinch momentarily when firing breath.

But Adhigh had no such weakness. He was bombarding them by firing short bursts of psychic breath while using hyper-acceleration.

The enemies were confused by this unprecedented attack method. They tried to stick to Adhigh using their acceleration abilities, but he was much faster.

While Adhigh drew their attention, the bloodied White Gallergorn also counterattacked.

‘They’re fighting well, but…’

A newly matured Gallergorn and a severely injured White Gallergorn couldn’t defeat ten enemies.

If the Green Gallergorn used their numerical advantage to surround Adhigh, he would lose his advantage. As if thinking the same thing, they began positioning themselves to encircle him.

‘I can’t let that happen.’

Though not as fast as Adhigh or Ham Oort, I could still fly quite quickly. I hid in the clouds and quietly approached the Gallergorn.

The Green Gallergorn were completely focused on the enemies before them. I waited until one flew near me, then lunged forward.

“?!”

The Green Gallergorn was startled when a being three or four times its size suddenly appeared from the dark clouds. The corruption tentacles on my back instantly wrapped around its body.

“Dan—”

It tried to emit a warning thought wave, but I was faster. I opened my elongated snout wide and tore out its throat.

I took the Gallergorn’s limp body with its broken neck back into the clouds.

–

Ragmard, a green-scaled male of the great Odd Grad’s group, was in a good mood.

He had never had a chance to mate until he grew from water-colored to green-scaled. This was because the great Odd Grad strictly controlled other males from finding companions.

The old black dragon was still so powerful that even the pure white elders were cautious. With his green scales, Ragmard was no match at all.

Eventually, he gave up and lived quietly, until one day an opportunity came.

Ham Oort, Odd Grad’s third mate and second in the group hierarchy, rebelled.

The white queen, powerful despite her young age, was a female Ragmard admired. She rejected Odd Grad’s rule and formed a new group.

At the time, Ragmard considered leaving the group too, but feared Odd Grad’s wrath and didn’t dare act.

His prediction proved correct. Those who followed Ham Oort couldn’t escape the black dragon’s anger. Most died, and the white leader was reduced to laying eggs until death.

If he killed the survivors of Ham Oort’s group, Ragmard might get the opportunity he desired.

The chance to mate with the white queen he admired. His dream was getting closer to reality.

A small troublemaker appeared in the middle, but he wasn’t worried.

The abnormally small white kin was very fast and strong, but that was all. Their green-scaled numbers were far greater.

It would take some time, but Odd Grad’s group would be the ones to survive.

Thinking this, Ragmard looked at his target. Two of his kin were fighting the white kin.

Just as he thought they were fighting well, Ragmard sensed something strange.

Because originally, three companions were supposed to fight the white kin.

“Ragmard!” “Target” “Surround” “Support!”

His kin called for him to help catch the small troublemaker. Looking at his companions, Ragmard realized something was wrong here too.

One was missing here as well.

“Question” “Kin” “Missing”

“Understanding” “Impossible”

“Kin” “Ten” “Now” “Eight”

“?”

His kin stopped in mid-air, not understanding his words. Just then, lightning struck in the dark sky.

The lightning spread across the entire sky along the clouds.

In that brief moment, Ragmard saw it.

A massive shadow within the dark clouds.

As soon as the lightning passed, the shadow’s owner emerged. Numerous heads grabbed one of his kin. That kin was dragged into the black clouds without even making a sound.

The cloud that had swallowed his kin drifted away with the wind as if nothing had happened. No trace remained where the cloud had passed.

Having witnessed this from beginning to end, Ragmard felt an emotion he had never experienced before.

An eerie sensation flowed through his scales, unlike anything he’d felt even when witnessing Odd Grad’s anger up close.

The creeping chill throughout his body was overwhelming fear.

“Enemy!” “Enemy!” “New enemy!” “Found!”

When he realized this, Ragmard screamed without knowing it. His thought wave was saturated with his emotions.

His companions, sensing Ragmard’s panic, quickly took defensive positions. The small white troublemaker had disappeared. Their target was also nowhere to be seen.

Perhaps “something” in the clouds had eaten it too.

That fearsome, greedy being was now targeting them.

At that moment, a purple flash shot out from the clouds. It was breath fired by the white troublemaker. One of the green-scaled kin quickly retreated to avoid it.

“Danger!” “Caution!”

“Dan—?”

Then deep darkness pounced on the retreating kin. Attacked from behind, the kin was defeated without a chance to resist. The “something” with wings as dark as the night sky hid behind the dark clouds again.

“Black kin!” “Danger!”

“Odd Grad” “Need!”

“Impossible!”

“Calm” “Everyone” “Approach” “Necessary”

Ragmard gathered his panicked kin. If they stayed together, the hidden “something” wouldn’t be able to target them so easily.

As he thought this, lightning struck again.

Unlike the previous white flash, this was a distinct golden lightning.

“?”

The color wasn’t the only strange thing. Oddly, the lightning that should have scattered was instead converging and flying in a specific direction.

Directly toward Ragmard’s group, who had closed their distance to each other.

The serpent of lightning, as fast as light itself, tore his kin to pieces.

Amid the shower of blood and flesh fragments, he saw the being beyond the lightning.

The “something” sitting on the sky throne was the king of black death. The king’s numerous heads were holding Ragmard’s kin.

And the white messenger sent by the black king spewed purple flames at him.

–

‘That was easier than expected.’

I was slightly worried about facing ten of them, but it resolved more smoothly than anticipated. Perhaps because they were inexperienced young specimens, they quickly became frightened. If there had been a White Gallergorn among the enemies to command them, they wouldn’t have been defeated so quickly.

‘Probably one or two escaped to call for reinforcements.’

What would follow would be an endless hell of wave attacks. Gallergorn would keep coming at me until I died.

‘Fortunately that didn’t happen.’

After clearing out the Green Gallergorn group, we descended back to the ground.

“A new Gallergorn.”

[Zzzzzz zzzz zzzzzz (Corpse fragments fell on the forest)]

“You want me to collect them? Got it.”

“I will help too, Middle Child.”

“…Can’t you change that name?”

“Insufficient authority, conditions not met, request denied.”

While Sky Mother and PS-111 went to the forest, the White Gallergorn approached me.

“Nel Germa” “Black kin” “Thanks”

The female White Gallergorn who introduced herself as Nel Germa expressed her gratitude to me.

‘One of Ham Oort’s subordinates.’

I examined the injured Gallergorn. Covered in wounds, she was in a very weakened state. If I attacked now, she would die quickly.

‘I’ll ask about Adhigh first, then deal with her.’

As I was about to move the monster’s tentacles to ask questions, Nel Germa sent thought waves first.

“Meteor’s daughter” “Ham Oort” “Message” “Has”

“Message?” “Me?”

“Odd Grad” “Group” “Attack” “Kin” “Most” “Dead”

“!”

“Young kin” “Few” “Remain” “Rest” “Dead”

Nel Germa’s words shocked both me and Adhigh. He opened his amethyst-like eyes wide, then trembled his wings. He was angry at the news of young kin being mercilessly killed.

“Odd Grad” “Bad!” “Young kin” “Pitiful!”

However, my emotions were somewhat different.

‘He beat me to it.’

It seems that while Ham Oort left the group with Adhigh, the Black Gallergorn attacked their nest.

With their leader gone and facing a leader from the other side—a Black Gallergorn even more powerful than a White—what followed was predictable. There must have been a massacre.

That must be why Ham Oort urgently returned during our fight. He intended to rejoin his kin and fight the Black Gallergorn.

‘From the situation, it seems he failed.’

Anyway, if he attacked the nest and slaughtered the Gallergorn, it’s a big loss for me too. It reduces the genetic essence I could obtain.

‘No. Beyond genetic essence, the evolution conditions are the problem.’

To evolve into an adult, I need to kill Apex creatures myself. Eating the remains of creatures killed by others doesn’t fulfill my evolution conditions.

I asked Nel Germa:

[Zzzzzz zzzz zzzz (What happened to Ham Oort?)]

“I” “When left” “Odd Grad” “Ham Oort” “Fighting”

In all likelihood, Ham Oort is dead. Even if he’s stronger than an ordinary White Gallergorn, he’s not strong enough to overcome the color difference.

“More” “Important” “Meteor’s daughter”

“?”

“Ham Oort” “Said” “Savior” “Condition”

“Sky king” “Already” “Eaten”

“Next” “Condition” “White kin” “Eat”

“Eat kin?”

“Ham Oort” “Suicide” “Meteor’s daughter” “Growth” “Sacrifice” “Wanted”

“Trust” “Impossible!” “Impossible!”

Hearing Nel Germa’s words, Adhigh showed disbelief.

“Ham Oort” “Me” “Abandoned!” “Sacrifice” “Lie!”

It seemed unreal to him that the mother who once abandoned him would now sacrifice her life for him.

Even blood relations can’t easily trust someone who once abandoned them. Having experienced something similar, I could understand his feelings.

‘Maybe even worse than mine.’

Being forced to leave the nest without hunting abilities on this harsh ice planet means certain death. The group that abandoned Adhigh clearly wanted him dead.

“Truth” “Ham Oort” “Sacrifice” “Impossible” “Instead” “Nel Germa” “Sacrifice”

“Trust” “Impossible!”

“Time” “None” “Odd Grad” “Remaining young kin” “Will find”

As he shook his head vigorously, Nel Germa desperately tried to convince her.

While watching them, No. 26 approached me. He pulled out a tentacle and poked me.

“Big Child.”

[Zzzz (What is it?)]

“Big flap-flap. Small Child’s mother?”

[Z zzz zzzz zzzz zzzzzz zzzzzz (Yes. It was in the past, not anymore)]

“Once a mother, always a mother.”

Honestly, I didn’t want to discuss such a worthless topic with No. 26 in the current situation. So I remained silent, but he continued his wave.

“Flap-flap said when running away.”

[Z (Huh?)]

“Please take care of Small Child.”

I was going to ignore this nonsensical talk, but something occurred to me.

When Ham Oort retreated after deceiving me, she sent me a short wave. At the time, I was too preoccupied thinking Adhigh was in danger to hear properly.

“She said she hoped at least Small Child would live.”

[Zzz (That’s)]

“Is it because Big flap-flap is a mother?”

I couldn’t say anything to No. 26’s words.

‘…That makes sense when I think about it.’

It explains why Ham Oort so easily gave up her important daughter.

When she spoke with her kin, she must have realized the nest was under attack. Plus, I had already taken the Sky Whale, so Adhigh’s growth was already compromised. So she entrusted her daughter to me and went to defend the nest.

‘That’s not all. She thought I alone wasn’t enough, so she took out insurance.’

She knew how strong I was, but judged me weaker than the black dragon. So during the fight at the nest, she told a White Gallergorn to go to Adhigh.

‘Whether Adhigh wants to eat her or I kill Nel Germa and feed her to him, it’s the same.’

Either way, if Adhigh becomes stronger, she could survive against the black dragon, so Ham Oort took one last gamble.

‘Hah. Clever indeed.’

I don’t think I’ve met an enemy as smart as her in this world. Including Megacorp’s Noble Capital, Star Union’s androids, and even the players.

‘Maternal instinct…’

It’s ridiculous to apply human standards to a Gallergorn, but there’s no more appropriate concept to explain this situation. A mother’s desire for her daughter’s peace and happiness.

Or perhaps Ham Oort wanted to atone to the daughter she once abandoned.

Understanding No. 26’s wave, Adhigh’s spirit seemed to deflate. Confused emotions leaked from his head.

‘Tsk.’

It’s meaningless to think about Ham Oort’s intentions. She’s dead anyway, and we still have the Black Gallergorn as a powerful enemy.

Forcibly organizing the thoughts stabbing at a corner of my heart, I called to Nel Germa.

[Zzzzzzz zzzz zzzzzz (Is Odd Grad that strong?)]

“Odd Grad” “Mysterious power” “Has”

[Zzzzzz (Mysterious power?)]

“Odd Grad” “Opponent” “Mind” “Reads” “Thanks to that” “Injury” “Doesn’t receive”

As far as I know, Black Gallergorn don’t have such abilities. They’re like flying natural disasters, but they don’t have mind-reading abilities or invulnerable skin.

‘No. Maybe. He might have powers I don’t know about.’

If this already powerful creature also has unknown powers, he’s certainly not an easy opponent. Beyond him, I need to consider his group too. He’ll surely mobilize his subordinates when fighting me.

‘Then I need reinforcements too.’

I’m not strong enough to fight right now. So I need to fill in the gaps somehow.

[Zzzz zzz zzzz (I have a question)]

“Black kin” “Question” “Will answer”

[Zzzzzz zzzz zzzzzz zzzzzz zzzzzzzz zzzzzz zzzz (Eating white kin. Are there no other conditions?)]

“Probably” “That’s it”

Nel Germa nodded.

‘That’s good.’

Right now, I need more and stronger allies.

Killing Nel Germa here would be less beneficial than using her in the fight against the other side. Apparently, Adhigh can eat any White Gallergorn to grow.

If that’s the case, the answer is clear.

‘I just need to find another one.’

From Odd Grad’s group.