Ch.240Jagang Ducheon (8)

Pulsating white feather.

Swan.

He is an outer god who failed to possess Zernya, and later attempted to use Adelbein but ultimately failed.

Since then, he had been unable to spread his wings properly due to Eidel’s interference.

Bruce Isoph.

This man lacked both the power and meticulousness of Adelbein, but he was an excellent alternative due to his outstanding skills.

“There are no more chances, Swan.”

Crunch.

Swan gnashed his hundreds of pairs of teeth.

Last chance.

If he couldn’t kill Eidel von Rheinland here, he would literally be eaten by the Queen.

Outer gods are immortal beings.

He couldn’t die so pathetically.

Swan spoke to Bruce.

“I shall grant you power.”

“What kind of power?”

“The power to breathe new life into all your creations, organic matter, without exception.”

“…You’re giving me the power to create monsters?”

Kekeke.

Swan flicked his forked tongue and nodded.

“Don’t you want it? Is it too much for a human?”

“Of course not!”

Bruce shouted, spreading his arms wide.

“I’ve always wanted to unite with an outer god! This is exactly what I want! What wouldn’t I do to be embraced by the Queen!”

Swan was surprised.

The Queen.

This man already knew this much.

He thought Bruce was just an old man consumed by revenge and inferiority, but it seemed his mind worked well.

If he succeeded, he would be worthy of becoming a vessel, with insight to spare.

Tap.

Swan giggled and touched Bruce’s head.

This was going to be more interesting than expected.

***

Meanwhile, at that time.

Sonia returned to Eidel’s laboratory after completing her delivery.

“Young master, I’ve returned after following your orders.”

“Ah, Sonia. Good work.”

While handing over the USB, Sonia had several questions.

First, how did Young Master Eidel know the location of Bruce Isoph’s hideout?

Second, why send such a provocative video?

Third, what kind of bad blood existed between them that he knew him so well and showed as much interest in him as in his research?

The first question was surprisingly easy to answer.

Pina had provided the location.

The problem was the second and third questions.

When asked about them, Eidel answered concisely.

“The laboratory will soon be attacked by monsters.”

“Monsters? You mean outer gods will invade?”

“Similar but different. Bruce will lead Darwin’s Legion to attack this place.”

She couldn’t understand.

Black holes had been disappearing for over three months, but besides that, there were no signs of an outer god invasion.

Rather, everyone had become complacent due to the repeated black hole disappearances.

Eidel ran around announcing:

“We will increase the laboratory’s defenses tenfold. Researchers should always be familiar with the locations of shelters and underground bases, and perform daily self-health checks recorded on these sheets.”

“Why so suddenly?”

“There’s a high possibility of a monster attack.”

The researchers looked confused.

Few people simply accepted and followed.

Everyone knew the shelter locations, but that was normal. Anyone researching on a frontier planet should know that much.

The surprising part was something else.

Ireh Hazlen.

She followed Eidel’s instructions.

“What are you doing?”

“Loading holy bullets.”

“You’re acting like war is about to break out.”

“Because it likely will.”

She didn’t understand.

Come to think of it.

Young Master Eidel and Ireh would sometimes nod at each other. There was a look of trust between them. Something different from how he treated his wives or the androids.

A side of the young master she didn’t know.

She wanted to know it.

At the same time, she felt jealous.

Why did Ireh Hazlen know things about the young master that she and his two wives didn’t?

“Have you contacted Rustila and Zernya?”

“Rustila is assigned to a nearby unit. She’ll come to support the laboratory as soon as something happens, without me having to say anything. Zernya is at a nearby hospital, so there’s no need to mention her.”

“Really, you act first and think later. Don’t you care about your safety?”

“I have Ireh with me.”

“You… what are you saying?”

Ireh clicked her tongue while storing the holy bullets.

It wasn’t obvious on the surface, but Sonia could tell.

Ireh was playing hard to get.

Without even realizing it herself.

“Sonia.”

“Yes? Yes, young master.”

“Assist me with Pina. If something happens, you two and Ireh are the only ones I can trust here. Especially you, Sonia. As my personal assistant, I believe you’ll handle emergencies well.”

“Yes, understood.”

Personal assistant.

Trust.

For some reason, her uncomfortable feelings melted away like spring snow at those words.

Sonia asked:

“Young master, if Bruce Isoph is a threat, couldn’t we just ask the military to subdue him now that we know his location?”

“That would be a poor strategy.”

“Please explain in detail.”

“That person has teleportation abilities.”

Outside the laboratory in the park.

Eidel and Sonia were taking a walk. Eidel reached for a falling leaf. Naturally, the leaf, affected by Eidel’s gesture, escaped his hand.

“Bruce is like the leaf I just tried to catch. No matter how we try to chase him, he’ll escape. There’s a reason no one has caught him yet.”

Whoosh.

Another leaf fell.

This time, Eidel simply held his hand still in the leaf’s path.

Catch.

He caught it.

“Don’t try to catch what can’t be caught; rather, wait for it to come to you.”

“So you had me provoke him for that reason?”

“That’s right. Originally, I didn’t want anyone but me to see that cute dance of yours.”

“Cute…”

Sonia was speechless.

Cute.

How many times had the young master complimented her looks or actions?

Feeling awkward and embarrassed, she fidgeted with her sideburns.

And.

Eidel’s prediction was correct.

“Eidel von Rheinland, I’ve come——!!”

Bruce Isoph.

He appeared at the Delaus Outer God Research Institute.

And he brought countless monsters that covered the ground.

“A-attack!!”

“What’s going on! What are all these things…!”

“I saw it! They suddenly appeared out of nowhere with a pop!”

The researchers panicked.

But the confusion didn’t last long.

Thanks to Eidel’s warnings, they could quickly escape to the underground shelter… or so one would hope for an easy resolution.

“Kyaaaah!”

“There are monsters in the basement!”

Teleport.

Using dead constellations for spatial jumping was Bruce’s signature ability. Eidel hadn’t overlooked this point, but there was no other option.

“Damn it.”

He didn’t want to cause trouble for the researchers.

But Bruce was clever, and would obviously attack both him and the laboratory simultaneously. If he had fled first, the researchers would have been annihilated, even if he himself survived.

Because.

In one of Ireh’s previous cycles, there had been such a bad ending.

At this point, he had no choice but to share the laboratory’s fate.

Fortunately, order was maintained thanks to the troops he had deployed in advance.

“Ireh! Please clear the basement with the examiners!”

“What about you?!”

“I’ll find and rescue isolated researchers!”

“You can’t do that alone! You stupid idiot who only knows research!”

“It’s fine! You know what my constellation is!”

“Even so!”

“I’m going! Sonia, Pina, follow me!”

“Hey!”

Eidel headed to the fourth floor with the two androids. He believed everyone above the fourth floor had already evacuated, but there might still be stragglers.

As expected.

“Help us!”

Three people in white coats.

They fled toward Eidel, escaping from monsters that had appeared in the corridor.

“That coat…! You’re the head of the Rheinland family, right?”

“My goodness, stars above. The constellations haven’t abandoned us yet.”

“My thesis, my thesis…!”

Eidel looked around.

The way back was beginning to be blocked by monsters. Bruce was continuously sending monsters into the laboratory.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoooosh!

Swishing sounds came from all directions.

Humanoid monsters with six arms.

“Clusters!”

“They’re C-grade! If you stay calm, you can defeat them even without fighting experience!”

There was a reason they were C-grade.

Like zombies in movies, they walked slowly and their attacks consisted only of hitting or biting people.

Though numerous, they could be handled even by those without professional examiner training.

The researchers gathered around Eidel. He asked:

“Can everyone fight?”

“We have to! My doctoral thesis is on the computer in room 414!”

“The swordsmanship course at Academia wasn’t for nothing.”

“B-but they look…! Ugh!”

What made Clusters threatening wasn’t their attack power but their appearance.

Their heads.

Looked like dicks.

Not metaphorically, but literally.

They dripped white fluid that smelled like animal musk when it hit the floor. Everyone except Eidel held their noses and gagged at the smell.

Eidel said:

“You mentioned your doctoral thesis is in room 414?”

“Yes? Yes!”

“Don’t you have a backup?”

“I have a USB, but it’s also in the drawer there…!”

“Alright then.”

Shing.

Eidel drew his calipers.

“Let’s go retrieve the future doctor’s thesis.”