Ch.237Labyrinth (3)

# Space Survival battles are typically quite chaotic.

In the sky, energy cannon fire rains down from hundreds of meter-sized ships, while on land, soldiers in power suits clash with various monsters.

Among players, some prefer to command from the flagship, while others like to fight directly on the battlefield. Regardless of which faction a player belongs to, war is like a brilliant and boisterous festival.

If anything, AMorph is rather unusual for encouraging ambushes and stealthy movements even into the mid-to-late game.

Come to think of it, I forgot one thing. Actually, there’s one more entity that fights as quietly as AMorph.

The Screamers.

Controlled by machines, they only speak when necessary and make almost no other sounds. The screams of wounded soldiers, the cries of those begging to return home—all the noises commonly heard on battlefields are completely absent.

Perhaps that’s why.

The place where we were fighting—the swamp lake inside the cliff—was surprisingly quiet. Dozens of Screamers moved to attack me, but there was no sound except for the rippling of water.

The parasitic tentacles that had been sleeping inside my thick back carapace all awakened at once.

Their targets were the Screamers positioned at the rear. The tentacles, with their six appendages spread wide, swam across the swamp like snakes stalking prey and seized them.

The Screamers closer to me drew their weapons.

They must have undergone modifications again while I wasn’t looking, as their appearances were overflowing with individuality. Some had multiple legs, others had become fat with sagging flesh, and some had multiple eyes.

When PS-111 first met me, it had five different species fused to it. And during its body reconstruction, it used materials like Blood River or Gallergorn’s talon blade.

The Screamers that came to the dragon’s nest were the same. They had strengthened themselves by attaching the remains of dead Screamers to their bodies.

‘They seem much more unstable than PS-111, though.’

They just had more applied genes, but they were a mess compared to PS-111, which had reconstructed its completely shattered body. Both in design and efficiency, they didn’t look very good. Their energy consumption rate would be excessively high, and with each having different specifications, maintenance would be difficult.

I suppose they’ve invested everything into short-term combat, focused solely on killing me.

‘Even so, they can’t defeat me.’

Even now, my friends are picking off Screamers one by one throughout the nest. They ambush from behind walls made of slime, or attack from behind while the Screamers are distracted by the fog created by the Smog Tower.

When enemies die, black slime absorbs their corpses and transfers nutrients to me. This is thanks to the nest-related trait “Human Sacrifice.”

‘Plus, there’s Blood River too.’

A Screamer charges toward me. It climbs onto my back and begins its attack.

It must have had Hellside Hornet genes implanted, as three or four of its legs had sickle-shaped claws. Each time its claws flashed, my back carapace suffered large gashes, and my parasitic tentacles received long wounds.

While it attacked, other Screamers rushed in. Normally I would have dodged, but there was no need now.

I pulled out a combat arm I had planted at the bottom of the swamp and grabbed an incoming Screamer.

As the “Predatory Leech Hand” effect activated, the flesh on its body shriveled dramatically. The Screamer instantly transformed into a high-calorie energy source. All that remained was its hard metal skeleton.

When one dies, another comes to life. The life force gained from the Screamer spread throughout my body. Broken carapaces and bleeding wounds returned to perfect condition as if they had never been damaged.

The Screamer attacking from atop my body hesitated. Perhaps the AI controlling its flesh couldn’t understand this phenomenon.

I stretched out my coiled tail. Combined with my snake-like lower body, the enormous tail—over 20 meters long—rose above the water’s surface.

The Screamer that had been scurrying on my back carapace saw my tail and tried to flee. After attacking freely all this time, it now wanted to escape, but I had no intention of letting it go.

I struck it hard with the pincer at the end of my tail. Colliding with my head carapace—one of the hardest parts of my body—its metal skeleton was completely shattered.

That wasn’t the end—I swung my tail widely from side to side. The approaching Screamers hastily retreated, but not all of them made it.

Some were hit by my tail and flew into the ceiling or walls of the cavern, while others were caught in my pincers. I could have torn them in half with my pincers, but I didn’t.

With my mouth wide open, I pulled my tail toward my body. The Screamers caught in the pincers realized what I was about to do and struggled, but their resistance was futile.

They flailed their legs to avoid being eaten. Three synthetic claws pierced my snout, and flames from their bodies burned my palate.

The pain was momentary. Each time a wound appeared, the nest healed my body.

Having neutralized their resistance, I closed my snake-like jaws in one motion. The upper bodies and heads of the Screamers that protruded from the pincers were crushed as they flowed down my throat.

‘Tastes awful.’

It was like eating mint candy, orange juice, and yokan simultaneously—a terrible flavor. Perhaps because I’d recently eaten delicious food like Gallergorn, the threshold seemed even worse.

Without savoring it, I simply swallowed and threw the headless, limbless remains into the swamp. The retreating Screamers unleashed various projectiles at me.

From Star Union’s conventional weapons like cluster bombs and high-velocity impact rounds to energy weapons like concentrated psychic power energy rounds. Some of their weapons wounded me and caused pain.

But that was all.

Even if they destroy my body, I won’t die. To attack an AMorph that has completed all preparations on its nest, they would need stronger weapons.

While taking the enemy’s attacks head-on, I prepared my next weapon.

The tentacles hanging limply below my neck writhed and raised their heads. Thanks to the heart obtained from the black dragon, psychic power charged rapidly.

The monster’s tentacles, instantly filled with energy, spewed fire.

The dragon’s breath consumed everything. The purple-gleaming metal skeletons, the rough breathing from mouths buried in flesh—all of it.

The thieves who had invaded the dragon’s cave tried to flee as they watched their comrades burn to death.

Behind those escaping from the cavern, I spread my wing-arms wide. Like the night god from Slavic mythology unfurling his garment, my wings filled the space above the swamp lake.

No one can leave this place without my permission.

No one.

–

PS-005, who remained outside the nest, knew the battle situation was turning unfavorable.

All communication had been cut off from the four teams—98 Screamers in total—that had entered the cave on the opposite cliff. It could be a simple communication failure, but the AI embedded in his head didn’t think so.

This was because of the messages the Screamers had left before communications terminated. It was unusual for all environmental factors, enemies, and other elements to be unpredictable.

It wasn’t difficult to guess what would happen to those caught in the trap. Most would likely not return.

Of the 209 units deployed to attack Gallergorn’s Nest, they had suffered near-total casualties. Now only he and another PS model beside him remained.

Even in a situation where anyone but a machine would have fled long ago, he waited for Pyrrha Eleven’s orders.

And soon, the awaited response came.

“Preparing to retreat.”

“Confirmed.”

The information obtained before communications with the infiltration team were cut had already been transmitted.

Although they had lost nearly 200 units, it wasn’t a complete loss. They had acquired at least some information about Special Target A, which could be used to formulate a new strategy.

After terminating communications with Pyrrha Eleven, they left the cliff.

The half-biological, half-mechanical beings with multiple metal legs crossed through the forest. Though considerable time had passed since leaving the cliff, the forest interior remained dark.

Of course, this level of darkness meant nothing to them, who could switch between various vision modes. Switching to infrared detection, they moved quickly, frantically working their awkwardly protruding legs.

As they ran toward the Ice Gorge where Pyrrha Eleven was located, PS-005 heard a sound.

The slight cracking of frozen soil. Native creatures on this planet make such sounds when moving.

The two Screamers stopped running and surveyed their surroundings. They had no choice but to be cautious.

There are no wild animals in this forest. Before attacking Gallergorn’s Nest, they had eliminated all living creatures in the forest.

In other words, that footstep came from something that shouldn’t be here.

While maintaining vigilance, PS-005 released small reconnaissance drones. The drones moved between trees and began their survey.

As he watched for any moving targets synchronized with the drones, the drone’s view suddenly shook violently.

With synchronization forcibly terminated, PS-005 drew out the biological weapons implanted in his body, while the nearby Screamer also prepared for combat.

They moved to where the drone had been destroyed. Not far away, they found the wrecked drone.

Strangely, the drone’s remains weren’t on the icy soil but on a tree.

It had been impaled through its visual sensors by a metal spear that had come from somewhere.

PS-005 replayed in his head what he had last seen before the view was cut off.

Before the heat-detection system drone stopped, a streak of light had flown toward it. After confirming where the spear had come from, he ended the replay. PS-005’s gaze turned to where the light streak—or rather, that golden metal spear—had originated.

“Verification needed.”

“Will verify.”

The Screamer beside him crawled toward where the spear had come from.

Meanwhile, PS-005 switched to a detection system that could anticipate physical projectiles.

Since arriving here, he had never seen a creature using such primitive weapons. With its extremely capricious climate conditions, this planet was not suitable for civilization to develop.

Whoever it was, capturing them would be enough. Even if they didn’t want to talk, their genes would have the answers.

After switching detection systems in a matter of seconds, he looked ahead.

He could see the Screamer who had gone ahead to investigate the traces of whoever threw the spear.

Or more precisely, he saw the Screamer with its body and head separated.

And in front of it was a massive wild animal walking on four legs.

Its head resembled an Earth raptor with pointed horns, while its body was like a large feline predator. Its body was covered in deep golden fur with black wave patterns.

It crushed his comrade’s head with its large front paw. Amber eyes, gleaming brightly even in the dark forest, glared at PS-005.

A being he had never seen anywhere on this planet. PS-005 knew who this creature was.

“77% match with Special Target C.”

Though not as high priority as Special Target A, Special Target C was also on the kill list.

PS-005 chose to retreat rather than fight. There was no guarantee he could kill it alone, and more importantly, reporting this to Pyrrha Eleven took precedence.

Quickly retreating, PS-005 reactivated communications with Pyrrha Eleven. While frantically moving his multiple legs, he prepared to transmit the information he had just seen to the commander.

Perhaps because of this.

He neglected the fact that he had switched his detection system to a mode for detecting physical projectiles. Only when he saw the purple heat ray flying from between the trees on the opposite side did he realize his mistake, but by then it was too late.

–

“I thought it was strange that the nest suddenly disappeared, and sure enough.”

Sky Mother didn’t return to the dragon’s nest with Nel Germa. Since Ham Oort’s wounds hadn’t completely healed, she stayed with him at the nest created by AMorph.

After resting for another day, Ham Oort’s body had almost recovered. She had planned to stay for two more days before heading to the dragon’s nest, but suddenly the nest stopped expanding and began to wither.

She knew what it meant when AMorph’s nest declined.

Having fought AMorph several times, she knew there were limitations to nest installation. When the limit of maintainable nests was exceeded, the earliest installed nest would automatically be released.

Seeing the black swamp in the small cave dry up, she realized that AMorph had set up a new nest. And that it was related to the crisis facing AMorph’s group.

Morph-boy doesn’t act like a human but rather as if he were born an AMorph. Such a person wouldn’t carelessly spread nests everywhere.

And in this area, there was only one place where AMorph would deploy nests to the limit.

“Daughter of the Meteor” “Is it safe?”

“I think he’ll be fine. Morph-boy… the black kin will definitely protect it.”

“I’ll trust that”

She knew how powerful AMorph was in its nest. Even in the game, she had seen clans get destroyed in similar situations.

‘Judging by their movement away from the dragon’s nest, they must be stragglers.’

Sky Mother, having returned to her griffon form, approached a Screamer that had lost half its body.

It was fortunate that she had flown slowly because Ham Oort’s wings weren’t fully healed. Thanks to this, they were able to spot Screamers moving under the trees while flying toward the nest.

She crushed the head of the twitching, completely broken Screamer with her front paw.

Thinking of PS-111, Screamers could be dangerous even with just their heads intact. They could either escape alive or activate their incineration system to harm her.

“You have to crush their heads. Otherwise, they’ll self-destruct, so be careful.”

“Understood”

After warning Ham Oort, Sky Mother retrieved the Golden Spear of Shaman embedded in the tree. Holding the spear in her beak, she climbed onto Ham Oort.

“I understand how you feel, but there might be more fleeing ones like this. Please go a little slower.”

“Alright”

Even as Ham Oort soared through the branches, her amber eyes remained fixed on the forest below.