Ch.231Dragon Mythology (3)

Odd Grad’s companion Cha Rumera couldn’t believe it.

That great black male was an invincible being. No matter what crisis came, the leader always led the pack to victory. Though Cha Rumera wasn’t particularly old, she had never seen Odd Grad defeated.

So she thought today would be the same.

That he would sweep away the traitors and feast on their blood.

But reality unfolded differently from her expectations.

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

Everyone present understood what this meant.

“Liar Odd Grad” “Lost!”

The small leader, protected by the black slaughterer, shouted.

“Great Odd Grad” “Defeat” “Impossible!”

“Defeat” “Impossible!”

The other companions charged forward, denying the female’s words.

Even if all companions combined their strength, they couldn’t defeat Odd Grad. The black slaughterer who had defeated Odd Grad must be much stronger.

Unfortunately, her prediction was correct this time.

One of the white companions exhaled breath toward the small female. The black slaughterer spread its wings to shield its leader.

The companion’s power couldn’t scratch its wings at all. While it was protecting, the small leader turned around and charged toward the companion.

The companion who had been exhaling breath tried to dodge belatedly, but the judgment came too late. The leader pierced through the companion’s body before it could escape.

Meanwhile, the black slaughterer moved to catch the young companion who was fighting two enemies alone.

The pure white queen with slowly moving wings due to injury and a small being using ominous power. The companion fighting those two had no idea the black slaughterer had appeared.

Originally a companion who enjoyed fighting, now it seemed half-crazed. Like immature kin intoxicated by blood during battle, that companion focused solely on attacking the pure white queen, Ham Oort.

The young companion who succeeded in approaching the pure white queen firmly grasped Ham Oort with its two front paws. The young companion who pressed its body close exhaled breath, and Ham Oort barely avoided that power by twisting her flexible neck.

Despite failing the attack, the young companion didn’t give up and gathered power again.

“Danger!”

Cha Rumera warned urgently, but she didn’t listen. The price for not heeding the warning was never light.

The black slaughterer appeared like a shadow behind the young companion. Its multiple arms grabbed the young companion. The power gathered around the companion’s mouth scattered like snow blown in the wind.

Then Ham Oort released the power she had gathered toward the young companion’s head. Though not strong for a pure white queen, it was enough to blow away a kin’s head.

Three had already died, not long after the black slaughterer reappeared.

Only then did Cha Rumera realize.

Odd Grad’s pack had lost the fight against that group.

Cha Rumera looked at the companion fighting alongside her. The two nodded in agreement.

“Probability of enemies fleeing: 93%.”

The metal-smelling creature riding on the white kin Nel Germa emitted waves along with strange noises. It was undoubtedly ordering them to pursue. The two fled with all their might.

Cha Rumera was the second fastest in this place after the small leader. The green kin and Nel Germa couldn’t chase her.

The companion fleeing beside her gradually fell behind, but Cha Rumera didn’t care.

She needed to quickly leave her homeland and escape to the stars above. Even they wouldn’t be able to follow her there.

At that moment, a snake appeared and swallowed the lagging companion.

Seeing the companion disappear with only the tip of its tail remaining, she thought her heart would stop.

There was a gigantic snake. A snake with thousands, no, tens of thousands of heads undulating, so large it covered the sky.

The moment she saw the snake’s tail section, she could recognize its identity.

It was a collective with an unimaginably massive amount of power.

No kin could wield such awe-inspiring power. Not even the great Odd Grad, the being she loved most.

The snake that devoured the sky flicked its tongue to eat her.

She fled with all her might, as if breaking out of an egg.

The snake drew closer behind her tail.

Cha Rumera didn’t want to die. She still had many things she wanted to do, things she wanted to eat. She couldn’t die here.

As she flew with such thoughts, she suddenly felt a strong impact in her chest.

Along with an intense pain as if pierced by something very small and sharp metal, strength drained from her body.

That was her last memory.

–

‘What’s this?’

The White Gallergorn fleeing from my psychic breath suddenly slowed down. I don’t understand why it suddenly gave up on life when it had been desperately fleeing just moments ago.

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

The output of the psychic breath I shot after obtaining the dragon’s heart exceeded my imagination. Until now, it had been in the form of a refined energy beam, but now its shape had changed. Perhaps because of the massive energy released at once, it was closer to the form of burning flames.

‘Thanks to Horizon of Nightmare, my firepower increased.’

Horizon of Nightmare enhances the effects of unique traits. Seeing the increased firepower of the breath compared to the game, the dragon’s heart must have received that benefit too.

It doesn’t just supply nearly infinite energy, but also increases the firepower of psychic power attacks. If I gain new traits that consume psychic power in the future, I think they’ll receive the same benefit.

‘Is the power about half of God’s Whip?’

The firepower is lower, but there are advantages. Unlike God’s Whip, this one can be fired consecutively.

‘This will be very useful when fighting fleets.’

It’s a shame to have wasted the enemy’s genetic essence, but let’s consider it a good experience.

As the tentacles I had moved to fire the breath went limp and I turned my head, Ham Oort approached me. Her amethyst-like eyes had a strange gleam. She must be surprised because she had never seen such a powerful psychic breath before.

“Black kin” “Power” “Very” “Very” “Strong” “Amazing”

[Body?]

“Problem” “None” “Small being” “Ham Oort” “Helped”

The Sky Mother poked her head out between the broken horns of the creature.

“What was that just now? It’s a psychic breath, but why is the output like that?”

[I obtained the dragon’s heart]

“Even so, does it get that strong? Is it because it overlaps with the Hunter’s Emblem effect?”

[Maybe]

“I see… No, that’s not the important thing. You crazy AMorph!”

She paused, sighed briefly, then unleashed a barrage of thought waves.

“Did you deliberately make us realize late to avoid precognition? Do you know how much trouble we went through because of you?”

[I left the spear, didn’t I?]

“How are we supposed to know just from the spear? We need to know where the battle will take place too. We searched this entire area because of that!”

[I thought you would see it anyway when I fought]

“Sigh, I’ll stop talking.”

The amber eyes inside her eye sockets trembled, reflecting her emotions. This was the first time she showed such an emotional response since fighting Muriel.

‘…Was I too harsh?’

There was no other way to catch Odd Grad. In fact, my strategy succeeded.

However, it’s also true that the Sky Mother was shocked by my actions. If she had acted similarly, I would have been quite confused too.

[I’ll be more careful in the future]

She shook her bird-skull-shaped head.

“I understand why you did it, but I wish you’d consider us too. I’m fine, but not for them.”

Her finger pointed behind me. Turning around, I saw Adhigh Orr and No. 26.

“Great one” “Too much” “I” “Being abandoned” “Very” “Very” “Hate”

Hearing his sincere thought waves, I was speechless. As I remained still, he approached and scratched my head carapace with his claws.

“But” “Really” “Not” “Abandoned”

That must mean he’s forgiving me.

As I tried to convey my gratitude, No. 26 jumped up from his head.

“Bad baby! Really really bad baby!”

No. 26 emitted an unprecedentedly intense wave and extended his tentacles. With tentacles expanded to their original size, he struck my head.

‘Ugh?!’

He hit so hard I thought my neck would break for a moment. A message appeared before my eyes saying pain reduction had activated, and my head carapace was dented.

“Bad babies who bully children and abandon family get punished!”

As he said this, his body had turned pale white.

This is the first time I’ve seen that appearance since long ago, when he was forcibly injected with Psyonium on the Megacorp research ship. That’s how shocking my departure was to him.

There was only one thing I could say to him as he thrashed about.

[I’m sorry]

Did he understand the sincerity in my apology? He stopped just as he was about to hit me again with his tentacles.

After a while, his body gradually returned to pink. He made his tentacles smaller and moved from Adhigh Orr’s head to mine.

“You won’t do bad things anymore?”

[Yes]

“If you do bad things, you’ll be punished. I’ll hit you hard.”

[Okay]

He curled the ends of his tentacles like clenched fists and shook them. That must be a warning not to do it again.

‘The Sky Mother is right.’

They are not my slaves or convenient tools. They are beings who move with me of their own will. They are truly precious to me.

Whether in the game or reality, I’ve always lived alone, but not here.

The strategy I took this time was a method that exploited their feelings. Although it was right in the result, I ended up hurting them.

‘It’s certainly not good in the long run.’

For me or for them.

Although Odd Grad is a unique being, there’s a good chance we’ll encounter enemies with precognition abilities in the future. When that time comes, I’ll reconsider the tactics I used yesterday. I’ve survived until now because I used any means necessary.

But knowing the risks of this operation now, I don’t plan to do the same again. From a long-term perspective, maintaining a positive relationship with them is beneficial for me too.

After hearing my apology, No. 26 didn’t get angry anymore. Though some resentment remained as he tapped my horns with his tentacles.

“I don’t particularly object. ‘AMorph’s’ choice ultimately produced the best result. I believe there are aspects to learn from.”

“…Don’t learn things like that.”

For now, Odd Grad and his companions are all dead.

What remains is his pack, but they’re Gallergorn who withdrew from the fight. The ones watching us from a distance flinched when they felt our gaze.

‘What should I do with them?’

Consuming them all would be a great benefit to me, but I’m not sure what Adhigh Orr thinks.

At that moment, a lean White Gallergorn flew toward us.

“I” “Sha Belmarg” “Odd Grad” “Defeat” “Acknowledge”

The one who introduced himself as Sha Belmarg was the first Gallergorn from Odd Grad’s pack to refuse combat.

“Sha Belmarg” “New leader” “Serve” “Request” “Mercy” “Beg”

As his surrender thought waves spread gently, other Gallergorn also relaxed their combat stance and approached.

I examined the remaining Gallergorn. There weren’t many White Gallergorn; most were Green Gallergorn.

Currently, I’ve completed all the Apex conditions. I could get decent traits from White Gallergorn, but not from Green Gallergorn. There aren’t any new traits worth taking from them.

‘And there’s not much time left on the Hunter’s Emblem.’

Even if I catch them now, I won’t get much genetic essence.

After finishing my deliberation, I looked at Adhigh Orr.

[You decide]

“Great one” “Stronger” “I” “Right” “None”

[You’ve been worrying since being expelled from the pack. It’s time to end that worry]

“!”

Adhigh Orr opened his eyes wide, understanding my wave.

The reason I gave him the choice is simple.

Even after joining me, Adhigh Orr occasionally showed signs of suffering from his past of being expelled due to his disability.

I plan to keep Adhigh Orr with me in the future. So far, his past pain hasn’t directly caused problems, but there’s no guarantee it won’t in the future.

So I want to give him a chance to heal his pain.

If he chooses war to release his hatred for the pack, it’s not particularly disadvantageous to me. I might not fully enjoy the emblem effect, but I could get a genetic essence or two from catching so many Gallergorn.

Conversely, if he chooses forgiveness?

That’s not bad either. Gallergorn are powerful combat creatures. While I can’t always drag them around, there’s nothing more reassuring than having them as allies during important planetary conquests.

Adhigh Orr’s gaze moved from me slowly. He looked at each member of our party.

No. 26 on my head, me, PS-111 and Nel Germa, the Green Gallergorn behind them, and Ham Oort and the Sky Mother.

After making eye contact with everyone, he finally made his decision and vigorously turned his head to face Odd Grad’s remnants.

“I” “Ham Oort’s daughter” “Adhigh!” “Odd Grad’s descendants” “Obey!” “Obey!”

“Sha Belmarg” “Great Adhigh” “Serve”

“Zercapcha” “Great Adhigh” “Serve”

“Odd Ziaga” “Great Adhigh” “Ser…”

Starting with Sha Belmarg, all the Gallergorn at the scene bowed their heads to Adhigh Orr. That posture was similar to when Adhigh Orr first saw me.

It was a posture of worship toward the new queen.

–

“Secondary supplementary target life response lost.”

“Confirmed suppressed by Special Target A. Dangerous creature ‘Gallergorn’ combat terminated.”

“Based on temporary logic, confirmed Special Target A has merged with the ‘Gallergorn’ pack.”

“Combat simulation results: if combat continues in current state, probability of eliminating Special Target A is 17%.”

“Reporting current situation to Main Controller Pyrrha Eleven.”

In a dark forest where sunlight barely penetrates.

There were small lights twinkling like fireflies. But such clusters of light were never a natural phenomenon on this ice-covered planet.

Originally, hundreds of blood-red lights flashing and making unknown sounds couldn’t possibly be a normal natural phenomenon.

“Confirmed modified orders from Main Controller Pyrrha Eleven. Will preemptively strike the enemies’ base.”

“Supplementary mission remains unchanged. After strike, collect some of the needed energy sources.”

“Confirmed. Request command sharing.”

“Confirmed.”

As if something had been decided, the cluster of lights disappeared at once. The voices that came with each flash of light also stopped abruptly.

Instead, sharp metallic sounds echoed, and the undergrowth and trees began to shake.

Eerie and ominous movements inside the forest.

It was a sight that could never be seen from the sky above.