Ch.432Arcane Orca (4)

Inside a factory on AG-01.

Conveyor belts, small drones, and industrial robots move busily.

In the middle of this mechanical kingdom devoid of humans, there was a being with an alien appearance.

A woman’s face cast in metal, a body mixing warm flesh and cold components. Resembling an unfinished grotesque exhibit, its identity was PS-111.

Currently, she was using the factory’s machines to fuse the remains of the High Commissioner and parts of the new Prometheus with herself. Despite her face appearing peaceful as if asleep, all her functions were focused on the assembly work.

‘Core component transplant complete. Compatibility simulation in progress and error response simulation using sub-brain running simultaneously. Time remaining until completion: 9 minutes 45 seconds.’

The work that had taken a full 4 hours was reaching its final stage.

PS-111 sent a message to the “Middle Child” outside the planet. She told it to prepare for battle as not much time remained until the work was finished.

The sub-controller AMorph’s target dangerous creature had appeared earlier than expected. AMorph was currently facing an unclassified dangerous creature, “Arcane Orca.”

The Middle Child said that even AMorph would have difficulty handling the Arcane Orca.

That’s why she had prepared.

To help AMorph, to defeat the dangerous creature, she decided to upgrade herself.

‘Simulation complete. Final test needed. 17 minutes 31 seconds required to complete 5-stage test.’

The newly transplanted auxiliary brain announced the transition to the final stage. She answered without hesitation.

‘I will substitute the test with direct verification through movement.’

As soon as she made the decision, her “new body” lit up. The drones and robots around her quietly retreated.

PS-111, upgraded with a new appearance, slowly began to move.

–

‘How many times is this now?’

Was it the 59th time, or the 60th? Having experienced excruciating pain throughout my body numerous times over several hours, I can’t remember clearly.

‘I wish this would end soon.’

I shook my body to shed the burnt scales and body fragments.

I can see new flesh growing from the wounded areas. I’ve seen similar sights hundreds of times already.

And the being that reduced me to this mess is still going strong.

The sky has darkened without my noticing. Light gathers there. The mass of light instantly transforms into golden whale bones.

The Arcane Orca, having recovered from injuries through “quantum displacement,” looked similar to when I first encountered it. The difference was the color of the energy skin protecting its bone-shaped main body.

The transparent skin that had a blue-green tint is now paler. Evidence that its energy reserves have significantly decreased.

‘By my estimation, I’ve worn it down about halfway.’

If I repeat what I’ve been doing one more time, I can kill it.

The fortunate thing is that everything is proceeding as I experienced in the game. Unless new variables emerge, I should be able to finish this hunt without much trouble.

I maintained flight while preparing for the enemy’s next attack. But the Arcane Orca didn’t move.

‘Why is it doing that?’

Until now, it always counterattacked with powerful strikes after regenerating. It had never just stayed still without attacking or evading like now.

‘Is it afraid?’

The Perk effect used by No. 26 was released long ago. Even after that, it continued its fierce offensive. There’s no reason for it to suddenly feel fear.

‘Whatever the case, let’s approach first.’

Since it’s not coming to me, I have no choice but to attack. I accelerated and quickly approached it. Seeing me approach, it created energy spheres.

More than hundreds of light orbs fly toward me. As I brace for the impact, the spheres divert their course. They pass by me and fall toward the ground.

‘What’s going on?’

What the Arcane Orca was targeting soon became apparent. Craters formed all over my nest as if meteorites had struck it.

‘Could it be?’

The recent attack oxidized numerous Hiveformers with high-temperature energy.

The Arcane Orca created energy bullets again. This time too, it targeted the Hiveformers in my nest rather than me.

‘It’s trying to block my means of recovery!’

Is it because this is reality and not a game? This is the first time I’ve seen it act so intelligently.

There are many important things in the ground nest besides Hiveformers.

Around when the Perk effect ended, I had placed No. 26, whom I’d hidden in my left mouth, in the nest. Ten young Volfs are watching over him, having moved him deep inside, as he barely clings to life.

I can’t afford to lose a ranker, if nothing else. Without hesitation, I charged toward the enemy.

After quickly closing the distance, I thrust my combat arms. Just as I was about to tear apart the main body hidden inside the transparent skin, the pale skin color suddenly deepened.

“Pain Reduction activated!”

Along with that, the temperature rose dramatically, vaporizing my arms in an instant.

I almost screamed but gritted my teeth and endured. I swung my pincer tail instead of my lost arms.

The tail’s pincer is one of the hardest parts of my body. The biological flail made of carapace and bone smashed into the enemy’s side.

I can see broken golden bone fragments floating inside the vivid blue-green skin. It’s not a fatal wound, but based on precedent, this is when it should use quantum displacement.

However, it showed a reaction different from my expectations. Far from fleeing, it headbutted my abdomen.

“Pain Reduction activated!”

‘Oh no!’

The Arcane Orca’s body is currently like a sun condensed to tens of meters in size. If I’m not careful, my body could be separated into upper and lower halves due to the extreme heat. I quickly retreated.

As the distance between us widened, it immediately fired light orbs as a pursuit attack. It was showing a hostility incomparable to before.

‘It fears me.’

When do wild animals become most ferocious? When they feel their lives are threatened, when they feel fear.

The same goes for the Arcane Orca. Its survival instinct must have awakened due to fear.

‘…This won’t be easy.’

It’s an unwelcome situation when an already powerful creature moves differently than expected.

I used the “Hydra Division” I had been saving.

The necks on both sides became mushy like purple jelly and separated from my body. The jelly falling to the ground quickly transformed into AMorph’s form. The left and right heads, completed just before crashing into the ground, spread their wings wide.

The right head, soaring up like a launched rocket, rammed into my enemy. The impact split its main body in two. The Arcane Orca, having suffered a fatal wound, immediately used quantum displacement.

The left head flew after the enemy regenerating at a distance.

While the two heads bought time, I headed toward where the young Volfs and No. 26 were.

‘I need to move them underground.’

My nest extends deep underground. If I evacuate them there, I can buy time while fighting.

Flying at high speed, I landed in front of a massive isolated structure. A gigantic tower several kilometers in size, spewing clouds through its upper ejector. It’s a terraforming machine that regulates the planet’s atmosphere and weather.

As soon as I landed, a Volf with a jackal’s head jumped out from inside. If I remember correctly, a Volf named “Tane.”

“Bring everyone inside out.”

“Yes! God!”

Answering energetically, he hurried inside. Shortly after, he came out with other Volfs carrying the half-dead ranker.

I hid them in my mouth and crawled into a large pit prepared near the facility. The mucus filling the underground nest welcomed me. I swam downward with only my head exposed.

At that moment, the dark surroundings brightened in an instant. And I felt a strong impact on my back and tail.

‘Damn it!’

The Arcane Orca had followed me underground.

Due to the intense heat it emitted, the mucus pooled in the ground evaporated and the nest began to collapse. Despite the interference from my doppelgangers that followed, it targeted only me.

I had no choice but to escape from the collapsing nest.

‘I didn’t expect it to pursue me this far.’

If I had known this would happen, I should have transferred them to my doppelganger instead. The enemy’s unexpected behavior made it impossible to relocate the Volfs.

‘What should I do?’

If I continue fighting like this, not only No. 26 but all the Volfs will burn to death. But with the Arcane Orca targeting me, it’s impossible to put them down.

‘In that case, maybe I should just swallow them.’

At least I could get the Perk.

The Volfs in my mouth remained still, unaware of anything. Perhaps because they trusted me, I couldn’t sense any fear from them.

‘…Is there no other way?’

The Arcane Orca is preparing to attack. There’s no time. Just as I was about to make a decision, I saw something in the night sky.

What looked like starlight or a satellite grows larger. A ship with its front split into three parts like a trident, a Jax Beta class battleship.

‘Jax Beta? Could it be?’

The Arcane Orca also recognized the suddenly appearing battleship. Perhaps because it was a completely new enemy, half of its light spheres targeted the new enemy instead of me.

The situation is once again flowing differently from my expectations. Instead of swallowing what was in my mouth, I bent my neck sharply toward my abdomen. Then I pulled out all my remaining corrosive tentacles and threw them at the incoming light orbs.

Meanwhile, other energy bullets were rapidly closing the distance with the battleship.

White cloud-like objects poured out from the battleship, which appeared as small as a finger joint from this distance. The guided missiles controlled by the Arcane Orca struck the cloud-enveloped battleship.

Even a Jax Beta class battleship cannot withstand the attack of a top-tier Apex. However, contrary to expectations, the battleship remained intact. Although the front part with the main gun was shattered, it was in relatively good condition considering the tremendous assault it had endured.

‘Now’s my chance!’

Thanks to the Jax Beta, the enemy’s attention was divided. I approached closely and grabbed the bone-shaped main body with my wing arms. My doppelgangers bit it from behind.

The Arcane Orca, having suffered a fatal injury to its lower body, tries to escape using quantum displacement.

Just before its entire body turned into particles and scattered into the air, its skin flickered like it had noise. After flickering a few times, all parts except where my doppelgangers had bitten disappeared.

“You can’t escape anymore.”

A familiar voice is heard nearby.

Looking back, there was a being with an unfamiliar appearance floating in the air.

[Zzzzzz(PS-111)]

The identity of that thing, which looked like a fusion of a round disc-shaped spaceship and a Screamer, was PS-111.

[Zzzzzzzz(That appearance?)]

“Due to unavoidable circumstances, I fused Prometheus V2 with my body.”

PS-111 and Sky Mother, who moved separately from me, aimed to capture the High Commissioner alive. This was because the High Commissioner knew how to operate Prometheus and the location of key components needed during assembly.

But now she had completely merged with Prometheus. It was clear that an unexpected variable had arisen during the operation.

[Zzzzzz zzzz zzzzzzz zzz zzzzzz zzzzzzzz(Let’s talk about the details later. First, let’s deal with it)]

“Yes.”

While we were talking, the Arcane Orca completed its quantum displacement.

But its body wasn’t intact. The wounds inflicted by my doppelgangers on its tail bone area remained slightly.

The warp particles emitted by Prometheus’s reactor perfectly control faster-than-light navigation within a specific area. Even the Arcane Orca cannot escape the influence of warp particles. Even if it succeeds in moving, its injuries won’t fully recover due to the interference of warp particles.

In other words, with PS-111 merged with Prometheus present now, its infinite vitality is effectively sealed.

‘Moreover….’

The Jax Beta with its broken front approached us, leading a swarm of white clouds, or rather, drones of a design I’d never seen before. Sky Mother, who had taken control of the ship, had come to help.

The confused enemy generated many guided missiles, but there’s nothing to worry about. The tide of battle has already turned in our favor.

Afterward, the Arcane Orca met its death during its ninth attempt at quantum displacement.