Ch.277Collapse (2)

The psychic power emanating from the Antler Cult pressed heavily against my body.

In that brief moment, they deployed “Binding” – No. 26’s favorite technique – followed by “Gravity Control,” an advanced psychic skill.

No. 26, nestled in my chest arms, stepped in.

The Sea Demon’s psychic power exploded outward, dispelling the psychic energy enveloping me. Feeling my body suddenly lighten, I spread my wing arms wide and soared above the silo.

Almost simultaneously, rainbow-colored spheres passed beneath my tail. The narrowly missed spheres collided with the barrier wall surrounding the headquarters and vanished.

The technique they used was “Color Bomb” – a skill that inflicts random negative effects and significant damage upon impact.

Hanging upside down in the middle of the silo, I adjusted the angle of my biological cannon. My targets were the Cult ranker and the transport ship. Two spores filled with explosive fluid dropped downward.

But once again, my attack proved futile. The spores disappeared the moment they hit the purple mandala deployed by my opponent.

‘It doesn’t just block energy.’

After exchanging attacks, we reached a stalemate.

My opponent knows my identity. They’re likely carefully analyzing the information gained from our brief exchange.

I’m doing the same. I remained hanging from the silo, closely observing her.

‘Why is a Cult ranker here?’

According to rumors I heard before coming to Kesha Arma, this fortress has been in pirate hands for quite some time. Unless it was a Cult fortress like in the game, the presence of a Cult ranker seems unnatural.

‘She doesn’t look like a pirate either, unlike Muriel. Or is she one of the companions Jason mentioned?’

Jason remembers two Cult rankers in total. One belongs to a different faction that he doesn’t know well, while the other works with him in the Empire.

Coincidentally, my opponent is also an Antler Cult. There’s a high chance she’s someone Jason knows.

‘Was her name Cynthia?’

Cynthia possesses stronger defensive abilities than Jason. That’s why she primarily served as support whenever they moved together.

Not all rankers excel at direct combat. While some players like Jason prefer offensive techniques, others specialize in ally support and protection.

‘A ranker specialized in defense.’

The purple mandala covering her, the pirates behind her, and the transport ship.

According to Jason, her ability is superior to his defensive techniques.

Indeed, the purple mandala didn’t just block my psychic breath but also neutralized my explosive spores. Based on what I’ve heard, it can block various types of attacks.

Moreover, the user can adjust the shape and angle of this mandala. Right now, she’s formed it into a dome shape to protect herself and those around her.

‘It seems like an installation-type technique, similar to a complex spectral body.’

Installation-type techniques with powerful defensive capabilities are extremely rare. Most of them are exclusive skills of boss-level creatures.

‘What’s its weakness?’

Unfortunately, Jason didn’t have complete knowledge about this female Cult’s perks. The human-faced beast’s memories weren’t perfect.

Or rather, considering his personality, he might not have cared much to begin with. He probably just saw Cynthia as a convenient buff dispenser.

‘I’ll have to confirm with my own eyes.’

After quickly organizing my thoughts, I first examined her attire.

‘Her armor is ordinary.’

She wore a garment resembling a loose stola. It’s clothing commonly worn by Cult nobles in everyday life.

It seems she didn’t expect me to come here.

That’s not particularly strange. In the game, Kesha Arma wasn’t a place that significantly helped AMorph evolution. I wouldn’t have come here either if I hadn’t obtained information from the slave market.

‘It’s fortunate that I encountered her when she’s in a relatively weak state.’

“Big one. I’m scared of her.”

No. 26, nestled in my chest arms, sent a shallow wave as if whispering. He’s more sensitive than me when it comes to detecting and manipulating psychic power.

His judgment is correct. I shouldn’t be reassured just because her attire is shabby. Even if she specializes in support, a ranker is still a ranker. She’s not an easy opponent.

[Zzzzz zzz zzzzz zzz zzzzz zzzzzz (Can you hold her down like you did with the others?)]

“I’ll try.”

His psychic power secretly emanated and seeped into the metal walls of the silo. Like a predator hiding in reeds to stalk prey, the stealthily moving psychic power suddenly pounced on top of the mandala dome.

But just like the previous two attempts, No. 26’s psychic power was blocked by the dome and disappeared.

[Zzzzz (It’s not working)]

“That beep-beep thing is interfering.”

‘The same attack passes through from inside, but can’t enter from outside.’

Whether it’s the binding used by No. 26 or the binding used by the other side, they only differ in the total amount of psychic power, not in the mechanism itself. The fact that it doesn’t work suggests the barrier only allows the user’s attacks to pass through.

‘Nothing in this world is perfect.’

Even this headquarters, protected by a barrier wall that can withstand my psychic breath, eventually got penetrated. The same applies to that defensive technique. No matter how incredible its performance might be, there must be a flaw somewhere.

I spread the membrane of my folded wings wide again. My body detached from the metal wall and glided inside the silo.

I need to examine where exactly the weakness lies in the fortress Cynthia has created.

–

“Wh-what is that?”

“…It’s a monster attacking this fortress.”

“D-damn! Where did such a monster come from…?”

“It’s a very powerful enemy. You must absolutely not leave this energy field.”

“Is there anything we can do to help?”

“Staying put is the most helpful thing you can do for me.”

Unlike her reassuring words to the alarmed Montana behind her, Cynthia was feeling very uneasy inside.

‘Damn it…’

Despite trying to maintain her composure, the gravity of the situation made it difficult to calm her mind.

She had faced an AMorph ranker only twice before. This would be her third time.

Still, she had heard about its legendary notoriety enough times to make her ears callous.

Jason, who had to post an apology on the community after being killed every single day for months for interfering with its evolution.

Akira, who lost three colony planets while fighting it before ultimately being defeated.

Jubaka, who couldn’t advance to Grand Sovereign for two weeks because the creature annihilated the Machine Council.

All members belonging to the “Dominance Faction” harbored resentment bordering on fear toward AMorph.

The problem was that it wasn’t just the Dominance Faction members who feared it. Members of her actual faction, the “Return Faction,” had also warned her.

Never to confront it.

The member who left that warning had faced AMorph more times than anyone else. Though ranked lower than 5th, he had defeated the creature several times through his genius tactical play.

Even such a skilled player advised avoiding combat at all costs.

‘I would have fled already if I could.’

The moment it appeared, it immediately targeted the transport ship. It was trying to cut off their escape route, though she didn’t know who exactly it was after.

If not for her perk, “Mantra of Phase Defense,” she wouldn’t have been able to block it so easily.

The Mantra of Phase Defense, which establishes a protective barrier made of purple mandalas in a certain area, is an extremely powerful defensive technique. It defends against not only physical attacks but also energy-based attacks and even supposedly unblockable attacks like those from Voltex One.

Thanks to this ability, she often participated as support when Dominance Faction members hunted players. The barrier’s range, with a maximum radius of 10 meters, wasn’t particularly wide, but it was sufficient to protect a small number of people.

Of course, it wasn’t without flaws, but she wasn’t worried. Even players who had worked with Cynthia only realized its weakness later. The chances of AMorph figuring it out after just a few minutes of encounter were slim.

Rather, she should be more concerned about something other than the Mantra of Phase Defense right now.

She had the strongest shield in her hands, but her weapons were inadequate.

‘And that pet it’s carrying.’

The small pink creature nestled in AMorph’s chest. The identity of that creature, resembling a bubble amoeba, is a Sea Demon.

Nothing could be more foolish than engaging in a psychic battle against that semi-boss level creature skilled in controlling psychic power.

In fact, all the psychic techniques she had been continuously casting at AMorph were being neutralized by the Sea Demon.

Meanwhile, the creature was using various traits to attack her barrier.

The biological bombs launched from the cannon on its back and the barbed stingers fired from inside its tail pincers were traits she had seen often in the game.

But the unpleasant colored bubble masses it fired made her blood run cold. Fortunately, the ominous bubbles were blocked by the barrier and dissipated.

As soon as the sphere’s effect disappeared, the creature flew to her close proximity. Among its many arms, one that wasn’t a wing clawed at her barrier.

“Grrrr”

AMorph’s claws touching the barrier melted away like ice cream.

She had inflicted damage on it for the first time, but it was still too early to feel relieved. She quickly spread her left hand toward the enemy. A giant scythe made of purple energy fell on AMorph’s head.

The scythe’s name is “Reaper’s Hand.” It’s a psychic technique specialized in cutting through medium-armored enemies and can easily slice through the frontal armor of battleships. It should easily destroy that hard head carapace.

Just as the scythe was about to split its head in two, the creature slightly tilted its head to the side. When the scythe collided with its asymmetrical horn, it immediately disintegrated.

‘Gallergorn’s horn!’

She thought it only neutralized defensive psychic techniques, but she didn’t know it could be applied like that. As she was startled and tried to counterattack again, the creature was one step faster.

Its hideous maw opened wide, and green liquid gushed out like a fountain. Seeing the pus-like mass falling toward her head, she flinched for a moment.

Regardless of her physiological disgust, the Mantra of Phase Defense remained intact. Not a single drop of the liquid touched her, instead pouring onto the floor.

The metal floor, not protected by the mantra, melted with acrid smoke.

‘…Acidic liquid.’

Even Cynthia had never seen an acid breath trait before. While noting the enemy’s new weapon in her mind, she launched another Reaper’s Hand.

This time her target was the creature’s legs. The purple scythe cut through the thick smoke as it flew. The creature spread its massive wings and flew backward to avoid the attack.

‘Good!’

She had predicted it would dodge backward. Immediately after firing Reaper’s Hand, she launched a Color Bomb at the creature. It tried to dodge, but due to its massive size, couldn’t completely avoid it. The Color Bomb hit its abdomen, destroying part of its carapace.

“Grrrr!”

“Well done!”

The creature’s brief groan and the cheers from those behind her echoed simultaneously. Hit by the Color Bomb, the creature staggered slightly and clung to the silo.

‘Good. If we keep this up…’

Her moment of satisfaction was brief. She realized the creature’s appearance had changed from just moments ago.

‘Where’s the Sea Demon?’

The pink creature it had been holding against its chest had vanished without a trace.

The moment she noticed this, the floor beneath her began to shake violently.

‘No way?!’

The melted hole, the missing Sea Demon. Reading the creature’s intentions, she hurriedly readjusted her Mantra of Phase Defense. In the brief span of a few seconds, cracks formed in the floor and fragments shot upward.

Several head-sized holes appeared, and pink tentacles rose from them. Just as they were about to wrap around her legs, the barrier’s recalibration was completed.

With a gruesome sound of flesh being completely sliced, the tentacles lost their strength and collapsed to the floor. The dome-shaped barrier had transformed into a spherical form, cutting off the tentacles that had invaded inside.

‘That was close…’

Just as she was about to feel relieved, she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen. Looking down, she saw the fabric covering her stomach area stained red.

“Are you insane?! What the hell are you doing?!”

“I, I must kill, must, kill, must kill!”

Turning around in a daze, her vision captured Montana and a security guard.

The security guard was tightly gripping a Gauss rifle and babbling strange words, while Montana was struggling to restrain him.

Seeing this, she used a binding technique without hesitation, pushing the security guard outside the barrier.

“I’ll kill! Kill? K-k-kill! Hehe! Hahaha!”

The deranged security guard charged at the barrier and immediately disintegrated.

Ignoring the guard, Cynthia quickly used a recovery technique. As the bleeding stopped and the penetrating wound healed, the pain gradually subsided.

“Wh-what just happened?”

“…It, it seems to be the creature’s doing.”

Gritting her teeth, she glared at the monster hanging from the silo.

The tentacles attached like a mane to the back of the creature’s head and neck area fluttered as if blown by wind, then stopped.

“How disappointing.”

For the first time since the battle began, she heard the creature’s voice.

Cynthia knew that this commonplace voice was stolen from someone else. She had experienced it once while fighting against it.

But the moment she heard it directly, a certain emotion rapidly grew within her.

That emotion was “fear.”