Ch.338Vortex One (2)

What is the most powerful single entity among the NPCs in Space Survival?

Most players point to the ultra-powerful Apex creatures that appear as raid bosses. The Red Gallergorn who united all Gallergorn, Voltex One who stole psychic power from Outspacers, the Sea Demon dwelling in the deep sea, the Arcane Orca living on giant gas planets, and so on.

These are extremely difficult to deal with due to their specs combined with the challenging environments they inhabit.

Let’s change the question then.

What is the most powerful species?

For this question, the answer tends to be unified.

The being with many nicknames such as “Demon of Space” and “Resident of the Deep.”

Voltex One.

However, according to the lore, Voltex One, who crossed over from another universe, is difficult to classify as a single species. This is because their appearance, powers, and habits are all different.

They are grouped together only because they are the only beings whose bodies are composed of the mysterious energy known as the “Power of Deep.”

Beings classified as Voltex One consistently demonstrate strength at the highest tier of Apex creatures. Even the weakest individual far surpasses a Black Gallergorn.

Moreover, each individual has vastly different characteristics to watch out for, so rushing in without knowledge will almost certainly lead to disaster.

I’ve been defeated several times fighting Voltex One before. Even when I was an adult form with multiple unique traits.

One of these dangerous beings has now appeared before me.

A black ring, about 1.5 times larger than me despite being half-broken, even in my “Bone Beast” state. The “Ring of Agony” that just appeared was floating in the sky without moving.

‘…I guess I should be glad it’s not the Masquerade.’

After seeing Isabelle’s summoning ritual, I had two candidates for which Voltex One might appear.

Of these, the more dangerous one is the being called “Masqurade.”

It specializes in mind control, making it extremely difficult to deal with. It can cast my unique trait “Herald of Great Chaos” on a planetary scale.

The Ring of Agony is weaker compared to the Masqurade. Plus, it was summoned incompletely, so it won’t be able to exert its original power properly.

‘That doesn’t mean it’s easy though.’

When facing the Ring of Agony, there are two main things to watch out for: the numerous arms attached to the ring’s surface, and the ring itself.

Each of those countless arms is one of its weapons. How those arms move determines the attack pattern and movement.

The next thing to be careful about is the ring itself, but fortunately it’s broken in half now, so I don’t need to worry too much about that.

‘Originally, it fired energy blasts from that ring.’

It can gather energy and fire it by rapidly rotating the ring.

The power is enough to easily split a planet in half. It’s extremely threatening because it can tear through most defensive abilities except for exceptions like Red Armor. When hunting it in the game, you had to defeat it before the ring started rotating.

‘Fortunately, there’s no time limit here…’

At that moment, the Ring of Agony that had been floating motionless in the sky moved.

“Big baby, big baby. Look over there.”

[Zzzzz (Be careful)]

No. 26 and I prepared for the attack that was about to pour down.

However, its movement was different from what I expected. The arms on the ring’s surface interlocked and stretched downward.

‘What?’

That posture is typically shown when it needs to move very quickly. As I thought, the ring’s altitude rapidly increased.

‘Where is it going?’

I was surprised since I expected it to attack me first.

Judging by its movement posture and upward trajectory, its target isn’t on the ground. It’s aiming for something outside the atmosphere, in space beyond the planet.

‘What could be out there… wait.’

Suddenly I recalled the scene I had witnessed earlier.

Isabelle performing the summoning ritual and Alshas watching with fearful eyes. I had guessed it wasn’t a summoning ordered by him. After all, Alshas couldn’t possibly defeat a Voltex One that even I would struggle against.

But Alshas didn’t react that way because Isabelle was acting impulsively.

‘Isabelle asked for Alshas to be killed in exchange for her life.’

Then why bring in such a dangerous monster?

‘It must be because of Alshas’s perk.’

He can create identical replicas of himself. I’ve even eaten the meat, and there was almost no difference from other Cults. In other words, even an AMorph with transcendent senses would find it difficult to distinguish if he’s a replica.

But with a Voltex One, it’s different.

As evident from their appearance, their cognitive abilities transcend ordinary physical laws. They can accurately perceive their target no matter how far away. No matter how good your concealment technology is, or how perfectly protected the sealed facility you hide in, you cannot escape from them.

That’s probably what Isabelle was aiming for. A Voltex One wouldn’t be fooled by replicas and would hunt down the original.

‘I guess I should be glad it didn’t fight me right away.’

It had already gone far away and was no longer visible. It won’t attack me until it achieves its goal.

‘But I can’t just leave it alone.’

If I let the Ring of Agony kill Alshas, I’ll lose the chance to get his replica-creating perk. Honestly, it’s an extremely tempting perk that I want to get my hands on somehow.

‘Plus, there’s information too.’

Having gambled on Isabelle, I need to secure some insurance. Alshas, who seems to have lived in this world for quite some time, would make a useful source of information.

So I need to eat him before the Voltex One does.

‘If I follow it, I’ll quickly find where the original is, so that’s not a problem.’

The real problem is when I kill Alshas, or when I interfere with its attempt to kill him. The Demon of Space never forgives those who interfere with it.

‘Could I win if we fought here?’

In the game, definitely not, but the situation is slightly different now.

Due to being summoned incompletely, its most powerful attack method is sealed. The chance of dying instantly from a surprise attack is low. This is the perfect opportunity to catch a Voltex One.

‘Then what about my side? Am I prepared enough?’

By game standards, not at all.

Decay Mold or Acid Breath can’t damage it at all, and even the “Medusa Organ” would struggle to deliver a critical hit.

Close combat won’t be easy either, as the Ring of Agony excels in melee combat. The arms attached to the ring are definitely not just for show.

‘But.’

I have important variables now.

The unique traits created by the transcendence system.

Traits belonging to the “Space Monster” type don’t exist in the game. If I use these traits, I can gain the upper hand in battle.

‘And I have others too.’

In the game, I prepared for and hunted Voltex One all by myself.

But here, I have companions to help me. Sea Demon No. 26, Red Gallergorn Adhigh, and even the Sky Mother who was a ranker.

If I utilize all of this, I definitely have a chance of winning.

‘Alright.’

[Zzzz zzzzzzzz (I’ll catch it)]

“Big buzzy is dangerous.”

[Zzzzzzzz zzzz zzzzzzzz (The more dangerous, the tastier)]

“Really?”

[Zz zzzzzz zz zzzzzzzz (Yes. Eating it will make us stronger)]

“I like eating tasty things with big baby! I like getting stronger too!”

No. 26 on my back extends its tentacles and waves them like it’s cheering.

‘I don’t know if that’s really true though.’

I’ve never seen a Sea Demon eat a Voltex One before. So I don’t know what will happen to it.

‘We’ll find out later.’

I spread my wings wide and lifted my body above the sand.

Before following the Ring of Agony, I should first bring along the others from that water fortress.

–

Captain Alshas, commander of Beryan02’s defenders.

She had one thing that set her apart from others.

In the real world, she was a born actress.

Moreover, her beauty was not bad. To be precise, nine out of ten people would find her beautiful.

Beauty and acting skills.

She realized early on that if she utilized these two talents appropriately, life would be easier.

Beauty in front of wealthy men, acting in front of those with whom she needed to maintain long-term relationships.

Feeling no guilt about exploiting others, she was living quite a successful life until she came to this world.

Working at a famous financial company, she was a trusted employee among colleagues, and her fiancé was a successful businessman.

Behind that success were countless humans who had fallen for her. They were seduced by her beautiful and sociable charm, squeezed dry, and then discarded. Among the victims were friends, lovers, clients, and even colleagues.

But being an excellent actress, she hid this fact very well. No one knew that disgusting filth was festering beneath the enchanting flower.

Anyway, her life was on the fast track. That is, until she fell into the world of Space Survival the day before her wedding.

This world was completely different from where she had lived.

By human standards, the Cult race has many beauties. There are Cults far more beautiful than her everywhere.

Her acting skills also didn’t shine. In a class-based society where rank and occupation are determined by the shape of horns, her position was predetermined. Additionally, being a soldier meant constantly facing life-threatening situations.

The world of Space Survival appeared as hell in Alshas’s eyes.

Even after living in this world for nearly decades, her thirst for success didn’t subside. Despite achieving great accomplishments, she could only become the captain of an Imperial Mothership because of her horns.

That’s why Alshas aligned herself with those aiming for return. If she could go back to her original world, her unfulfilled aspirations could be resolved.

And now, not much time remained until the grand plan of the returnees was completed. If successful, her dream would soon be achieved too.

That’s what she thought.

“Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!”

Alshas, piloting a small spacecraft, continuously spat out curses.

She had never experienced such a major crisis before. It was an even worse crisis than when she nearly died during the Outspacer invasion shortly after coming to this world.

Back then, there were people like Captain Nern to help her, but now it was completely different.

Immediately after the replica disappeared, she left the monitoring center’s control room.

Isabelle had specifically requested the Voltex One to kill her. Unless there was an elite fleet or an Outspacer legion remaining, it would be difficult to catch it with just the forces currently at the monitoring center.

‘The remaining Imperial Motherships alone aren’t enough!’

Although the firepower of an Imperial Mothership ranks among the top five of all Cult vessels, there’s a problem. After unleashing its firepower once, its combat effectiveness drops dramatically.

The Cosmic Bolt is a delicate mechanism, requiring a long rest period after firing. This is true even if the power is reduced as in fleet battles.

That’s why a fleet is needed to support the mothership, but they were all destroyed because of the AMorph. The remaining vessels belonging to the mothership squadron cannot solve this predicament.

‘And if the Masqurade appears, I’m finished!’

The Voltex One Masqurade, as its name suggests, can turn everyone into clowns. All creatures touched by the waves it emits fall into madness to the extent that friend and foe cannot be distinguished.

This might seem like something that could be avoided with care, but the problem is that it’s very difficult.

Even if she were lucky enough not to fall into madness, the crisis wouldn’t end.

Because other crew members remain. Everyone at the monitoring center, Imperial Mothership, and Beryan02 would rush to capture her alone.

‘I can’t die here!’

The spacecraft crossed the interior of the monitoring center at tremendous speed. She quickly arrived at the exit leading outside.

“This area is currently off-limits.”

“I am Captain Alshas of ‘Beryan02’s Defender’! Open the door now!”

“Excuse me? Please wait a moment…”

“Damn it! Can’t you open the door faster!”

Just as she shouted into the communicator inside the spacecraft, a loud siren suddenly sounded from outside.

“Unidentified entity approaching! Unidentified entity approaching!”

“It, it’s here! It’s here!”

Between the blaring warning sounds were intermittent booming explosions. It was the sound of the main guns of ships defending the monitoring center and fortress cannons mounted outside the facility firing.

‘I, I shouldn’t go out!’

A terrifying demon of space is approaching to kill her alone. If she went out now, she would be immediately killed by it.

She had no choice but to turn the spacecraft around.

‘Please let a miracle happen…!’

How wonderful it would be if an unknown ranker were at the monitoring center to deal with that Voltex One. It was truly an absurd imagination, but she was that desperate now.

Even as the spacecraft wandered, the sirens and explosions didn’t stop.

Rather, now the entire monitoring center building was vibrating. The control tower where the control room was located shook, and various debris fell from the ceiling.

Contrary to her expectations, it was approaching very quickly.

And after just a few minutes, the lights inside the monitoring center went out. Emergency power came on, and a red light covered the entire structure.

In that place that looked like a sea of blood, only the spacecraft carrying Alshas floated lonely.

‘…Contact! Yes! If I contact the Empress, she’ll come to rescue me!’

Rising from the passenger seat, she hurriedly picked up a communication monolith. The Empress already knows that she is important within the returnee faction. They will surely come to rescue her, as they value useful talents.

Just as she was about to pull out the wires inside the spacecraft to connect to the monolith, a strong impact hit the monitoring center and her spacecraft.

“Wh-what?”

Startled, she looked at the front glass of the spacecraft.

There was a ‘demon’ there.

The outer wall of the monitoring center collapsed, and a huge ring with tens or hundreds of thousands of arms attached to it.

‘R-Ring of Agony!’

The Voltex One, tearing through the outer wall using its numerous arms, was a being she knew. It was better than the Masqurade, but the fact that it wasn’t a monster she could handle remained the same.

Alshas hurriedly returned to the passenger seat and grabbed the control stick. She accelerated the spacecraft rapidly, trying to escape behind the black ring.

But the demon of space had no intention of letting her go. Some of the numerous arms moved nimbly and caught the spacecraft.

“L-let go! Let go of this!”

In a state of panic, she grabbed the control stick and screamed. There was not a trace of the dignity of an Imperial Mothership captain proficient in psychic power in that appearance.

Another arm moved leisurely. A hand as large as the spacecraft covered the front glass. On the inside of the palm was a mouth in the form of a vortex.

Soon that mouth would swallow her spacecraft whole.

Just as she thought that.

The body of the ring twitched. Something that appeared behind the torn outer wall was firmly grasping the ring.

“Grrrr”

“Grrrrrrrr”

“Grrrrrrrr”

Then a familiar growl was heard, and the Ring of Agony began to be dragged outside the monitoring center. She, caught in the demon’s hand, was also dragged into the black sea.

Thanks to the suddenly appeared savior, her life was extended, but she was not at all pleased.

Because she knows who that being with a body as huge as the Voltex One is.

The infamous 5th ranker, AMorph.

A monster as fearsome as the demon reached out to capture her.