Became an Evolving Space Monster - Chapter 178



Only Noblemtl

Ep. 177

‘Is this Gallagon?’

A faint psychic power was felt from the intruder.

However, if it was a Gallagon, it wouldn’t move so quietly. I lay down on the nest again to examine it more closely.

After confirming that the auxiliary organ under my chin was connected to the nest, I focused my senses on a specific point. I mobilized all my physical senses and poured them into the epicenter of the vibration.

Sound, smell, and special energy flow. My highly enhanced auxiliary organs, thanks to the nest and various characteristics, absorb these three elements. The refined information sent by the auxiliary organs is quickly interpreted by Aimorph’s brain.

‘Small but refined footprints. Soldiers. The smell of metal. Something different. A tool made of a special alloy mixed with several metals. And well-hidden psychic powers.’

When all this is said and done, there is only one answer.

‘A cult regular army, a warrior group?’

It’s not clear because of the distance, but they looked like they were quite skilled. Judging from their equipment and movements, they were superior to the warriors from the mother ship squadron I encountered at the cult shrine last time.

‘It’s probably the Temple Guardians, or the Eye of Revelation Priests. And the one leading the charge is… .’

A person who draws psychic powers when destroying obstacles blocking the passage. He was an extraordinary person.

At first, I thought he was using a psychic power tool to clear the blocked passage, but upon closer inspection, I realized that wasn’t the case. He usually kept his psychic power hidden, only using it in short bursts when necessary.

‘Of all the beings I’ve seen, he is the most adept at psychic powers.’

Among the beings I’ve seen so far, there are two that are the most skilled at handling psychic powers. One is Number 26, and the other is Eugene’s shadow, Code Black, who we fought at the TNC Special Trade Center.

But that being is powerful enough to easily surpass both of them on his own.

‘That’s almost like a Black Gallagon.’

A cult elite force that included a strong enough force to make me feel alarmed. They were moving together, but at a fork in the road, they split into three groups.

I couldn’t rest easy knowing that the enemies had split up, because all three groups were heading towards the nest.

‘They’re looking for us.’

Otherwise, there would be no way to move through the blocked ice passage.

“Why are you doing that?”

PS-111 asked me a question, sensing that my mood had changed.

“There’s a cult intruder. Looking at the direction, they’re coming this way.”

“I can’t detect it, but if that’s true, it’s probably a cult that has taken root in Black Gallagon territory.”

“what?”

“The cult arrived on this planet 29 days ago. Their camp is currently within Gallagon territory.”

When I heard those words, my heart sank.

To Gallagon, a territory is a kind of hunting ground. It is very important not only for hunting food, but also because it is a place where adults teach hatchlings how to hunt.

Allowing cultists access to such an important location means that Gallagon and that cult group are in cahoots.

An unidentified cult leader, and Black Gallagon, who occupies a mid-to-upper rank even within Apex. If I fight them both at the same time, I will definitely lose in my current state.

“Could it be that Black Gallagon sent the cultists here?”

“Maybe so, maybe not.”

“What does that mean?”

When I asked him again about his vague answer, he began to explain in detail.

“According to reports from other intermediate terminals, the Gallagon horde is currently divided.”

“Division? Wait, is this a battle for the succession to the leadership?”

“That’s right. This is a situation where the second-ranked White Gallagon challenges the Black Gallagon.”

“White Gallagon challenged? That’s strange. He would never win unless he grew into a Black Gallagon.”

The difference in strength between the White Gallagon and the Black Gallagon is like heaven and earth. The Black Gallagon is so strong that it can kill five White Gallagons at once. The other Gallagons also know the difference between the two, so they never follow the White Gallagon until it grows into the Black Gallagon.

“That would be the case, but White Gallagon continues the challenge by leading a large group of Gallagons.”

“Let’s skip that for now since it’s not important. What does the Succession War have to do with a cult?”

“The second-ranking group is hostile to the cult group. Gallagons supporting the challenger have also been observed attacking the cult.”

“hmm.”

Listening to him, I think I know what’s going on. It’s a bit tricky, but there’s an ambiguous relationship between the intruders and the Black Gallagon.

“Black Gallagon didn’t help the cult. He’s just with them for some reason, but their relationship isn’t as close as you might think.”

“That’s right. The cult groups also did nothing to help Black Gallagon.”

But that doesn’t mean we can be sure. As long as this place is exposed, the fact remains that we are in a dangerous situation.

After disconnecting from the nest, I woke up all the sleeping ones. I explained the whole story to them who looked tired.

“A cult warrior group? Why are they here?”

[Zuz …

“… It won’t be easy to deal with a Black Gallagon-level strongman. We have to get out of here.”

After hearing the circumstances, Heavenly Mother suggested that they leave the nest.

As she said, the cult that alerted me is stronger than the priests, and there are dozens of excellent cult warriors following them. So, it must mean that we should retreat, observe the situation, and then fight.

“Same race” “Smell” “Similar” “Dangerous” “Very” “Dangerous”

Adhai, who sensed the psychic powers coming closer, agreed with the Heavenly Mother’s opinion. The nodding of her four-horned head looked quite unsettling.

“PS-111. Any information on the cult’s abilities?”

“I don’t have enough information since it was handled by another intermediary terminal. Based on the limited information I have, I suspect that he is a user of psychic powers that surpasses that of a Cult Empire priest. Therefore, I advise you to flee.”

PS-111, whose head was floating, also chose to escape.

“All the bad kids who make their families miserable need to be punished!”

Only No. 26 suggested fighting instead of running away.

He is a guy with a very strong sense of responsibility to protect his family. He would protect those here even at the cost of his own life.

The guys who had each expressed their opinions looked at me. It must have been a silent sign that they would follow my decision.

‘What should I do?’

Although there are many opinions that we should run away, it is not a choice we can make rashly.

They are tracking our location from a distance, and even underground. Given this, it seems the enemy has some kind of tracking device.

‘It’s no use running away to another place.’

It is not safe to run away until we remove the means of tracking or tie up the other side’s feet. What if they plan to corner us? Then we will be walking into the enemy’s trap.

‘There are other problems besides that.’

Adhai and the Heavenly Mother are weak to the cold. If they go to the ground and a snow storm comes again, their fighting power will definitely be greatly reduced.

‘On the contrary, what about fighting here?’

Fighting them underground has its pros and cons.

The good thing is that since I have a nest, I can actively utilize the nest-related characteristics. I can fight with the support of the nest, just like when I fought Muriel before.

Also, the other guys are familiar with the geography around here, so they don’t have much trouble fighting. The thick darkness that doesn’t let in even a single ray of light is a bonus.

‘But there are also disadvantages.’

First of all, in underground spaces, it would be difficult to use the transformation abilities of the ‘Bone Beast’ and ‘King of Monsters’ cards that I have. Unless it’s a very large space like where I fought the Ice Horror, my movements would be significantly limited.

‘And the ice ceiling is in a precarious state due to the fierce battle with that bastard.’

If there were any more shocks here, the frozen plain above might collapse. If I were in a transformed state, I could withstand even a ceiling of ice hundreds of meters thick collapsing, but not the others.

‘No, wait.’

Suddenly a good idea occurred to me.

After thinking furiously and quickly coming up with a plan, I finally made a decision.

[Zuzuzuzuzuzuzuzu (Let’s catch it here)]

“Are you okay?”

The thought wave that Heavenly Mother sent was filled with deep concern. She must have been worried, knowing that there was no end in sight.

I looked at everyone for a moment and quickly explained the plan I had just made.

“Wow! It’s been a while since I’ve hunted for food with my big baby! It’s going to be fun!”

“Recognition” “Exciting”

“… That devilish personality doesn’t change.”

“It’s an interesting plan, but it’s not without risks. We need a way to increase our odds of success.”

[Zuzu zuzu zuzu zuzu zuzu zuzu (I have something to say about him. Follow me)]

I picked up the PS-111 with my fingers. Then I grabbed my backpack with weapons and left the nest.

“You said earlier that you wanted to prey on the Blood River?”

“That’s right. Three of them can restore and strengthen your combat capabilities.”

I took out a deactivated Blood River from my backpack.

“It’s hard to trust you completely. And this Blood River is something I need too.”

“But one alone is not enough. To construct a body that reflects the characteristics of Blood River, a large amount of organic resources is needed.”

“Can’t those resources be supplied by living things?”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

Instead of answering, I activated the Tooth Fairy Nest. Small, man-eating fleas crawled out of the holes between my waist and my back.

“I will provide the resources needed for body transformation.”

“I think it is a very efficient energy supply method.”

PS-111, who was impressed.

I handed the guy the Blood River.

The guy opened his mouth wide, as if his jaw had fallen out. Thin tubes protruded from his mouth, wrapping themselves around the Blood River and pulling it inward.

“Kirik, blood river, absorption complete, kirik, organic matter for body structure reconstruction, kirik, absorption, commence, kirik.”

PS-111’s body twists as it preys on Blood River and the Tooth Fairies.

I smiled as I watched him transform into something even more bizarre than before.

–

A group of people were walking inside the frozen structure filled with cold air.

Despite the extremely low temperatures, they were wearing only bodysuits covered in scales. The reason they were lightly armed in such a harsh environment was because they were highly skilled users of psychic powers.

If you are sensitive to psychic powers, you will notice a faint purple aura surrounding their entire body.

Ivory bodysuit, with several types of horns sprouting from the temples.

Those walking through the frozen underground passages were the Temple Guardians of the Cult Empire.

Only warriors who have proven themselves to be exceptionally skilled within the Cult Empire can join the Temple Guardians. Their role is to assist key figures or subdue entities that threaten the safety of the Empire. The only group in the Empire with a greater force than the Temple Guardians is the priesthood of the Eye of Revelation, an affiliate of the Prophet’s Society.

People with such great skills were moving forward with stiff, frozen faces.

“Alia, do you think Jason distrusts us?”

“Chitchat is prohibited during missions.”

The leader with the yak horn, Alia, pointed out in a cold voice that the members were silent. It was not the attitude to take during a mission, but Alia did not point it out.

She also had quite a bit of dissatisfaction with this situation.

‘I know the three-headed demon is dangerous, but…’

Since coming down to this underground place under Gallagon’s guidance, Jason had been more nervous than she had ever seen him before. Even she, who was Jason’s personal bodyguard and lover, had never seen him like that before.

This sight was not a good one for the Guardians of the Temple, as it felt as if they were questioning their abilities.

The Temple Guardians are a group that hunts monsters that harm the empire. They can be considered experts in monster hunting, as they have caught hundreds or thousands of monsters.

Of course, the enemy is a formidable enemy that has destroyed the Imperial Carrier and the Carrier Fleet. It is probably one of the top five dangerous enemies that the Temple Guardians have faced.

But all the cultists present were ready to fight with their lives on the line.

‘There’s no way Jason wouldn’t know that fact.’

That wasn’t all. Her lover even made a difficult request to the Temple Guardians.

‘If you feel like you’re going to lose a fight, commit suicide?’

He didn’t seem to have any idea that the Temple Guardians could possibly defeat him.

He even gave specific instructions on how to commit suicide. He said that if you fight the guy and die, you absolutely must not leave your head behind.

He even said that if he felt like he was going to die, he should concentrate his psychic powers into his brain and detonate them.

‘Why on earth?’

In cult societies, suicide is usually considered taboo unless it is a self-sacrifice for a special purpose, because for an individual to take his or her own life for personal reasons is seen as a rebellion against the fulfillment of a great ‘providence’.

I asked him separately through telepathy, but he didn’t explain anything. He just told me to kill myself since I wouldn’t understand anyway.

When a priest, who is arguably the most honorable person in the empire, behaves in such a way, the morale of the lofty temple guardians cannot help but drop.

Even though they were split into three groups of 12 each due to the fork in the road, the members’ discontent did not subside easily. Despite Alya’s brief warning, the members’ hostility toward Jason’s rude behavior still remained.

“Elijah! Movement detected ahead!”

At that moment, the member in charge of reconnaissance shouted loudly. In response, twelve Guardians, including Alia, drew their weapons.

“… … .”

Although they were moving quickly and silently, they were having a constant conversation in their mental worlds connected by a telepathic link.

‘Jackstall, Nessian, take charge of the ceiling. The enemy might attack from above.’

‘Starbran, Billone will take the front, and I and Brent will take the rear.’

‘Tern, something is interfering with the telepathic link. Check it out.’

‘okay.’

Although the original warriors can use telepathic links, they are aided by a helmet designed to amplify their psychic powers.

However, the Temple Guardians are trained to communicate with each other without special tools, so as not to be exploited during battle.

They moved in perfect sync with each other and entered a large space. There didn’t seem to be anything special about it other than the fact that there were four paths leading out.

‘Where should I go?’

‘The shape of the underground cave cannot be determined due to radio interference.’

‘It looks like the enemy is nearby. Everyone, be careful.’

They walked slowly, weapons in hand, scanning the surroundings. As they crossed the common and approached the four-way intersection, Eliya felt something strange.

‘huh?’

It felt qualitatively different from before. I looked around, but there was nothing special to see except ice and rocks that had turned black due to the darkness.

But Alya, a veteran warrior, wondered why she felt that way.

And soon enough, she came up with the answer.

‘smell!’

This joint smelled different from the ice passages they had walked through so far. It was as if there was something of unknown composition mixed in the air.

Alya, who noticed this, urgently shot out telepathy.

‘Everyone, activate the Dragon Scale Clothing!’

Just as Elya was about to give her order, dozens of movements were detected around the ground they were standing on. Then, out of the ground, monsters the size of the Cult’s face burst forth all at once.

“It’s the enemy!”

“Everyone, respond!”

The members immediately counterattacked the small monsters flying towards them. Spears and long swords cut the monsters with the air, and arrows and bullets pierced the monsters’ heads. Their response was as fast as lightning striking the sky, and dozens of monsters were instantly eliminated.

‘What are these guys?’

‘Jason said that it was the offspring of a three-headed demon.’

Upon hearing this, one of the Guardians picked up the monster’s corpse. The monster looked like a black beetle with a black shell, and its face was covered in what looked like human teeth.

The Guardians clicked their tongues at the disgusting sight.

“What a fucking horrible appearance….”

He was about to spit out a short curse, but stopped talking. This was because he saw something behind him through the shared vision via Soul Link.

Next to his shoulder.

“Kikki.”

In a place where there should have been only thick darkness, there was a face as white as snow.

‘be careful!’

“huh?”

‘It’, which resembled a human female face, opened its mouth wide like a snake. Inside its bright red mouth, hundreds, thousands of teeth were tightly packed.

The sound of bones crunching was heard right next to his ears. That was his last memory.

“Brentz got hit!”

“Start counterattack!”

The monster, with the head of a human woman and the body of a giant insect, bit off Brent’s head and began to run away. Its many legs were waving, and it moved bizarrely as it climbed the wall and disappeared into one of the four passageways.

“Kigk, kigk, kigk, kigk, kigk, kigk, kigk, kigk.”

Beyond the dark passage, only the bastard’s laughter echoed eerily.

“Damn it! I’ll chase that bastard! Everyone, prepare your camp!”

“Excuse me, Lady Alya? I can’t see Villone.”

“what?”

After hearing that, Alya quickly checked her soul link.

It was just as the unit leader said.

One of the remaining eleven Soul Links was moving unusually quickly.

While Brentz was being attacked, Billone, who was guarding the front, was kidnapped.

‘no way?’

The three-headed demon is their target.

That devil has company.

They’re not alone in this frozen maze now.