Ch.279Collapse (4)

“…Are you refusing because I’m a spy? If so, I can explain in more detail.”

Cynthia, caught off guard by the unexpected response, finally managed to speak.

Unlike her misunderstanding, I wasn’t refusing because of her espionage activities.

Space Survival is a cruel dystopian world. No matter how good the conditions or Perks you receive, survival isn’t easy. In gaming terms, it’s like trying to reach the ending with just one life.

In such harsh conditions, to claim she survived this long without any deception? That’s the real lie.

My refusal stems from an extremely simple reason.

Her faction consists of people aiming for the ending. And the Cult Empire’s ending conditions include hunting AMorphs.

The final quest that the Cult must complete before seeing the ending is “killing the monster threatening the universe.” They need to hunt either an adult AMorph, a top-tier Metallic Gremlin, or one of the ten queens commanding the Outspacers.

Conversely, AMorphs must also prey on the leaders of races belonging to “three major categories” to achieve Ascension. Like the High Priest, who is considered the emperor-in-waiting in Cult society.

I don’t know how powerful Cynthia’s faction is. But they’re probably not impressive enough to fulfill such demanding conditions.

‘If they were, they would have seen the ending already.’

In this situation, recruiting me as a comrade? I can only think they see me as livestock for slaughter.

Well, I understand their thinking. I’ve done similar things myself.

When I decided to save the Sky Mother, I considered her as insurance. Volf also belongs to one of the “three categories” that AMorphs must hunt.

Of course, my thinking has changed considerably now. Instead of using her as a sacrifice for Ascension, I’m looking for another way. That’s why I removed the parasite.

But my heart changed because I had continuous interactions with her. If my feelings hadn’t changed, her fate wouldn’t have either.

So what about them and me?

At this point, there’s no mental connection between us. And they have more power than I do.

Collaboration happens between equals. Joining their faction now would likely result in becoming their slave.

Just look at Cynthia herself.

It’s clear she doesn’t enjoy killing other players. Yet she’s working as a spy among player hunters. That gives me a good idea of what their faction’s atmosphere is like.

“Do you think you can see the ending alone? Even the top-ranked player failed…”

“We won’t know unless I try.”

“Has becoming an AMorph driven you insane?”

“Sorry, but right now I’m being perfectly rational.”

“Rational? Ha, rational you say. You know nothing.”

“Yeah. That’s right. I know nothing. Not yet.”

From now on, I’ll learn. Especially since I have a good source of information.

Cynthia’s expression turned ice-cold as she understood my meaning.

“Disgusting. You’re no different from Jason. Murderers who’ve forgotten reality, lost in this game world.”

I didn’t respond.

Me, who has taken countless lives for survival; Jason and Muriel, who killed others for personal desires. Even with different motives, the results are the same. If the real me saw “current me,” he’d consider me an insane murderous monster.

However, at least I don’t treat those who are with me as objects.

Whether this world is a real game or reality doesn’t matter. They are precious to me and must be protected.

‘Negotiations have failed.’

I examined Cynthia’s condition with my auxiliary organs.

Her breathing was becoming increasingly unstable due to oxygen deprivation.

The Cult’s physical abilities are inferior to humans. Her perception is already a mess.

She has no way to escape from me.

“…I admit it. I can’t defeat you. I have no means or strategy to kill you.”

Cynthia glared at me with bloodshot eyes.

“But I can still make things difficult for you.”

‘Huh?’

With those words, she pulled something from her chest. In her hand was a small silver orb.

‘What’s that?’

As soon as I saw the unfamiliar object, I spread my wing arms and jumped backward. It’s unlikely she’d pull out a lethal weapon at this point, but you never know.

“This wasn’t meant for me to use, but…”

Her voice resonated with the silver orb. The small sphere, about the size of three fingers, briefly glowed before turning a dull black.

She clearly did something, but nothing seemed to happen. Just as I thought that, alarms began blaring throughout the fortress.

‘Alarms? Could it be?’

There are only two reasons for hearing that sound in a space fortress.

Either a group of Outspacers is attacking, or…

“In five minutes, a horde of Metallic Gremlins will storm this place.”

“What?”

That alarm sounds when a large group of Metallic Gremlins appears.

The orb she’s holding seems to be what summoned the Metallic Gremlins.

‘Is she planning to self-destruct with me?’

When Metallic Gremlins attack Kesha Arma, Cynthia is in more danger than I am. I can survive falling into space, but she can’t.

Yet her face wasn’t that of someone who had given up. Seeing that, I realized:

‘She’s targeting the ones I’m with!’

“You don’t have time to waste. If you don’t want to see your precious ‘pets’ die, you’d better hurry.”

She mocks me while literally dying from oxygen deprivation.

Unfortunately, she’s right at the moment.

No. 26 and PS-111 are strong, but not enough to overwhelm a horde of Metallic Gremlins in space.

Moreover, the Sky Mother hasn’t completed her Incarnate stage advancement. If she’s attacked before finishing her growth, she’ll die 100%.

In the end, I had no choice but to postpone capturing Cynthia.

But that doesn’t mean I’ll just take this lying down.

I unleashed a psychic breath toward the floor, which wasn’t protected by the shield. The floor, barely holding up after continuous battles, finally collapsed.

“!”

As the floor gave way, both the transport ship and she began falling to the lower level.

With the shield in place, neither the ship nor she would be harmed. However, escaping through the silo would be impossible. She’d need to find another means to leave this fortress.

“You’d better hope I don’t come back.”

After warning her with a completely distorted expression, I spread my wings. My body rapidly ascended, flying up the long silo above the command center.

As soon as the cold steel rails ended, a sea of stars greeted me. Below my feet lay the panoramic view of Kesha Arma, the massive space structure built by the Cult.

Normally, the city’s appearance should be clearly visible through reinforced glass. But now, the entire fortress was covered with shield walls in preparation for battle. The massive turrets at the top and bottom of the fortress were also busy moving, ready to fight the incoming enemy.

One of the turrets aimed at me and moved up and down. Seeing the turret move like it was nodding, I could tell who had control.

‘It’s PS-111.’

With the Second Command Center destroyed by my hands, there’s a leadership vacuum. The First Command Center must be in chaos due to No. 26, whom I sent earlier.

‘I asked him to go with Adhigh Orr and occupy it.’

With mutants and madmen wandering around, plus Seed Demons and Gallergorn, they must be overwhelmed defending the First Command Center. Taking advantage of that chaos, PS-111 must have taken control of the fortress’s defense facilities.

Leaving the rear to him, I focused on the dark front.

At the end of that pitch-black space, blue flames ignited.

Starting as small flames, they expanded to a size that could engulf an entire mountain, even an entire city.

What remained after the fierce blue flames subsided wasn’t ash but countless particles.

Looking like raw rice scattered on black paper, those were the Metallic Gremlin horde.

A massive group, numbering at least ten thousand, was flying toward Kesha Arma.

–

‘Damn it…’

Cynthia cursed inwardly.

Thanks to the AMorph who played her to the end, her plan had completely fallen apart.

The name of the Orb she used as a last resort was the ‘Orb of Barbarism.’ It’s an item designed to allow one to command ‘specific monsters’ if certain conditions are met.

Created by the strongest player in Space Survival’s past, Cynthia had been holding onto it. She needed to fulfill the item’s usage conditions.

‘I finally succeeded in controlling a Metallic Gremlin horde!’

She had even committed player murder for that. And now it was wasted like this. An artifact meant to be used for the ‘Return Faction’s’ grand plan had been squandered.

Originally, the Orb of Barbarism was meant to be used by “one guided by the Return Faction.”

While Cynthia waited at Kesha Arma, her comrades were guiding the rightful user of this item to come here.

If she had waited just a few more days, that person, or rather “she,” would have participated in the auction to be held at the fortress, following the Return Faction’s guidance. Then, Cynthia would have handed over the Orb of Barbarism to “her” and guided her to find a new artifact.

That was the Return Faction’s scenario, but it was ruined by an unexpected obstacle. To reactivate the now-black orb, she’d have to get blood on her hands again.

‘…I’ll think about the aftermath after I get out of here.’

The one fortunate thing is that the enemy chose to attack the Metallic Gremlins rather than her.

He seemed to value the Seed Demon he had with him. When its tentacles were injured by her shield, he immediately retreated it.

Moreover, he was visibly upset when she used the word ‘pet.’

‘Filthy pervert.’

Anyway, thanks to the AMorph’s departure, her life was extended a bit longer.

However, she couldn’t completely relax yet.

The number of Metallic Gremlins coming here isn’t small, but you never know. If he massacres them all and returns, she’s definitely dead.

If she wants to survive, she needs to escape this fortress somehow.

“C-Cynthia, ma’am. Has the monster left?”

A familiar voice called her from behind. Turning around, she saw Montana and his bodyguard disembarking from the transport ship.

“Not completely.”

“Th-then what should we do?”

Who would think that this man, trembling in a state of panic, was ruling the space fortress just tens of minutes ago?

Cynthia said to the half-ruined Montana:

“We should head to the First Command Center. The transport ships there should be intact.”

“I see! Excellent choice!”

Cynthia cast a psychic technique on Montana and his bodyguard, allowing them to float in the air, then jumped over the hole created by the AMorph.

Descending directly to the first floor, she searched through the blood-soaked reinforced suits. She took out oxygen capsules from there and put one in her mouth.

“Phew.”

This slightly delayed her time until death. After handing a capsule each to Montana and his bodyguards, Cynthia exited the command center.

Due to the shield walls deployed to fight the Metallic Gremlins, a deep darkness had settled inside the fortress. The only light came from fires rising here and there.

It was truly apocalyptic. Kesha Arma, once a symbol of glory, was no more. Only collapsed ruins remained.

“This can’t be…”

Montana, who had lost everything in an instant, let out a deep sigh.

“We don’t have time for this. If you want revenge later, you need to survive now.”

“Ugh, you’re right.”

Cynthia boarded a nearby hover bus with Montana, who was gritting his teeth. The interior of the bus was a complete mess. All the glass was broken, and the floor was filled with dismembered corpses. The engine’s energy was also completely depleted.

If she were human, there would be nothing she could do, but she is a Cult. And not just any Cult, but a powerful antlered Cult.

When she placed her hand on the engine, the hover bus rose into the air.

“The road is dangerous with enemies, so we’ll take this.”

“Can’t you protect us with that special barrier of yours?”

“I can’t move while using that ability.”

After briefly answering Montana’s question, she began piloting the hover bus toward the First Command Center. She deliberately slowed down to minimize noise. Instead, she could faintly hear explosions and people’s screams from below.

Look at what that game-obsessed monster has done. How is he any different from a mass murderer?

What’s even more frightening is that someone with such a mindset is also skilled. Cynthia, who had fought him directly, felt this fact deeply. Without the orb or if he didn’t have pets, she would surely have died.

‘…I need to revise the plan.’

The Return Faction members are considering the 5th-ranked player as part of their plan. But after experiencing it firsthand, she realizes how reckless that is.

As Cynthia’s mind grew increasingly complex, the First Command Center appeared through the broken window. From a distance, the cylindrical shield wall still seemed intact.

“The shield wall at the entrance, can it be deactivated from outside?”

“Of course. I’ve set up all the major facilities in this city to be accessible through my eye recognition.”

“We’ll arrive soon. Everyone be ready to run as soon as we disembark.”

Just then, the hover bus, about to land, collided with something and was destroyed. As the vehicle split in two, the three inside were thrown out.

‘Oh no!’

Rapidly falling toward the ground, she hurriedly used her air levitation technique. Just before colliding with the ground, her body stopped in mid-air.

Unlike her, the other two had no such abilities. Falling from tens of meters in the air, their bodies were shattered.

Especially Montana, with his unusually bulky physique, ended up in an indescribably terrible state. The end of one of the most powerful bosses among the Space Dog cartels was truly miserable.

“……”

There was a more pressing issue than Montana’s death.

Whatever attacked the bus was nearby. She quickly deployed the ‘Mantra of Phase Protection.’ A purple mandala, spread in a dome shape, covered the metal floor where she stood.

‘Who is it? Who did this?’

Her eyes frantically scanned the surroundings.

The ground around her was a mess, as if an earthquake had struck. All the buildings had sunk into the ground, and the roads were all flipped over.

On top of the ruined area lay the corpses of people and monsters.

She had felt an eerie sensation while flying in the hover bus, but standing here directly was completely different. Even she, who had seen people die many times, had never felt such a chilling sensation.

‘It’s just a game after all. Nothing to be afraid of.’

While reassuring herself, a red light quickly passed over her head. It was too fast to see properly.

She hurriedly prepared a color bomb. Meanwhile, something else flew in. She heard the sound of flapping wings from above.

‘AMorph?’

The thought crossed her mind, but she immediately denied it. The sound when he flies is louder than this. Whatever is flying is a smaller entity.

The sound of flapping wings grew rapidly louder. The red light approached her at tremendous speed. The color bomb in her left hand was belatedly fired at the enemy, but it was far too late.

The creature with red horns and wings rammed its horns into the shield she had deployed.

Normally, not just the opponent’s horns but its entire head should have disappeared, but surprisingly, it was unharmed.

“Galler-gorn?”

The snake-like monster with four wings tilted its head and then disappeared before her eyes. The moment she realized the identity of the ambushing monster, she felt a sharp pain in her right hand.

“Huh?”

A thin pink tendril that had emerged from the floor was piercing her right hand.

She habitually used her right hand when deploying the Mantra of Phase Protection.

Because her right hand was injured, adjusting the shield was slower than usual. Even so, it was just a moment’s delay—the blink of an eye.

But even that delay was enough time for someone. The pink tendril that had pierced her right hand struck her eye with lightning speed.

“!”

She tried to scream at the pain, like a needle piercing the center of her eye. But the pain didn’t last long.

Cynthia thought the world was rapidly darkening.

It wasn’t the fortress lights going out, but the signal of a life fading away, though she would never realize that fact.

–

While taking the little one to fulfill the big one’s request, she spotted a ‘bad person’ in her sight.

The ‘bad person’ who had been bothering the big one was wearing a strange shell and heading toward a large chunk of rock.

When she mentioned this, the little one angrily stomped its plump appendages on the ground.

Anyone who bothers the big one deserves punishment.

Anyone.

So she punished them.

She transformed her tentacles to be very thin and hid them in the ground, then pulled them out through the bad person’s body. With holes in their body, the bad person hung their appendages and didn’t move.

“Thanks” “to” “me” “we” “won”

The little one landed next to the bad person.

Being young, it often says incorrect things, but this time it was right. Without the little one, she couldn’t have punished the ‘bad person’ so easily.

So this time, she decided to yield to the little one.

“You’re right, little one. This time, you eat.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

The little one wiggled the part with many tentacles. After a moment, the little one said:

“Enemy” “strong” “I” “alone” “difficult” “so” “let’s” “eat” “together”

“That’s okay.”

“Thanks” “to” “small” “adult’s” “power” “we” “won” “big” “adult” “likes” “eating” “together”

Saying that, the little one gently pushed her tentacles with its tentacle-covered part.

Seeing it generously yielding despite being young made her feel good. So she gently stroked the little one with her tentacles, just like the big one does.

“Well done!”

“Don’t” “like” “that”

Even though it likes it when the big one does it.

She almost got upset, but she held back. She’s more mature than the little one, so it’s right to be patient in these situations.

So the two began eating their jointly hunted prey.

“Delicious!”

“Not bad”

“Eating makes me feel good.”

“Agree” “star” “power” “stronger”

The ‘bad person’s’ meat was quite good. With each bite, she felt her body filling with strength. The little one seemed to like it too, eagerly waving its ‘flap-flaps.’

While eating, something round and hard entered her body, but she didn’t pay much attention. Once it’s in the stomach, it will be digested anyway.

“If you’re done eating, let’s go.”

“Okay”

After devouring their prey without leaving anything, she and the little one set off again toward the large chunk of rock.

There was no trace that a ‘bad person’ had ever been there.