Became an Evolving Space Monster - Chapter 277
Only Noblemtl
Episode 277 – Collapse (2)
The psychic power emanating from the Staghorn Cult pressed hard against my body.
No. 26 used ‘Binding’ and ‘Gravity Control’, an advanced psychic technique, in quick succession. It was probably to block my movements and then unleash a powerful attack technique.
Of course, there was no need to necessarily match the other person’s intentions. I tried to respond, but No. 26, who was hugging my chest, stepped forward before me.
The psychic power of the Sea Demon exploded and removed the psychic power that had engulfed me. Feeling my body become lighter in an instant, I spread my wings and flew up to the silo.
Almost simultaneously, rainbow-colored orbs passed under my tail. They narrowly missed, colliding with the shield surrounding the command center and disappearing.
The skill fired by the opponent is Color Bomb. It is a skill that randomly causes negative effects to the opponent it hits and deals great damage.
Hanging upside down in the middle of the silo, I adjusted the angle of the bio-cannon on my back. The target was the cult ranker and the transport ship. Two spores filled with explosive sap fell down.
But this time, my attack was also nullified. The spores disappeared as soon as they hit the purple mandala my opponent had unleashed. The sight of a sand castle being swept away by waves was similar to when psychic breath disappeared.
‘It’s not just about blocking energy.’
After exchanging blows, we fell into a lull.
The opponent knows my identity. That’s why he’s probably carefully examining the information he can get from the fight just now.
I was the same way as her. I hung on the silo and watched her closely.
‘Why is the cult ranker here?’
According to rumors I heard before coming to Kesha Arma, this fortress has been in the hands of pirates for quite some time. If it were a cult fortress like in the game, it would be understandable, but it seems unnatural for a cult ranker to be present in the current situation.
‘Not like Muriel, not even a pirate.’
If that were the case, Kadoon would have said that his leader was a cult pirate.
‘Or is it one of the colleagues Jason spoke of?’
Jason remembers two cult rankers. One of them is from a different faction, so he doesn’t know the details, and the other one is said to be active within the Empire.
The opponent also happens to be a member of the Staghorn Cult. It’s highly likely that Jason knows them.
‘She said her name was Cynthia.’
Staghorn Cult, Cynthia has a strong defensive ability that is even better than Jason. That’s why she mainly plays the role of support whenever they move together.
Not all rankers are skilled in direct combat. While some players like Jason prefer to use aggressive techniques, others specialize in supporting and protecting their allies.
‘A ranker specialized in defense.’
A purple mandala covers her, the pirates behind her, and even the transport ship.
Jason said that the ability was superior to the defensive techniques he deployed.
In fact, the purple mandala not only blocked psychic breath, which is an energy-based attack, but also nullified explosive spores. According to what I’ve heard, it can block various other types of attacks as well.
In addition, the mandala can be adjusted by the user to easily defend against attacks from various angles. She is currently forming the mandala into a dome shape to protect herself and those around her.
‘Is it an installed technology like a complex spectrometer?’
In the game, there are very few skills or traits that are installed and have defensive effects. Even then, they are mostly exclusive to boss-level creatures. There are some defensive skills and traits that players can use, but most of them have very strict restrictions or are very ineffective.
‘The problem is weakness… .’
Unfortunately, Jason wasn’t fully aware of the perks of that female cult.
There was a problem with his memory when he became a human-faced beast, and since he was arrogant, he didn’t pay attention to those weaker than him, so he didn’t know much about them. Given his personality, it’s possible that he thought of the deer horn cult as a convenient vending machine for buffs.
‘I have no choice but to see it with my own eyes.’
After quickly gathering my thoughts, I started looking at the enemy’s clothing.
‘The armor is ordinary.’
She was wearing something that looked like a wide stola, which is the type of clothing that the cult nobility usually wears on a daily basis.
It seemed that, apart from knowing my identity, they didn’t expect me to come here.
It’s not really strange. In the game, Kesha Arma wasn’t a place that helped Eimorph evolve much. I wouldn’t have thought of coming here if I hadn’t gotten the information from the slave market.
‘It’s fortunate that we met the enemy when he was still weak.’
“Big baby. That kid is scary.”
At that moment, No. 26, who was hugging my chest, sent out a shallow wave as if whispering. No. 26 is more sensitive than me when it comes to detecting and operating psychic power.
Actually, I’m thinking similarly to him. You can’t be reassured just because his outfit is shabby. Even if he’s an opponent specialized in the support series, a ranker is a ranker. He’s definitely not an easy opponent.
I asked number 26 while keeping an eye out for enemies.
[Zzuzuzu zuzuzu zuzuzu zuzuzu zuzuzuzu (Can you catch him like you catch the others?)]
“I’ll try.”
The guy’s psychic power secretly emanated and seeped into the silo’s metal walls. Like a predator hiding in the reeds, the psychic power that had been creeping stealthily awaiting its prey all at once covered the top of the mandala’s dome.
However, just like the previous two cases, No. 26’s psychic powers were also blocked by the dome and disappeared.
[Zuuuuu (It’s not working)]
“That squeaky noise is bothering me.”
I patted the sullen little guy with my small arms.
‘Even though it’s the same attack, if it’s fired from the inside, it passes, but if it’s fired from the outside, it doesn’t.’
The mechanism itself is the same, except for the total amount of psychic power used in the binding written by No. 26 and the binding written by the other side. However, seeing that it doesn’t work, it seems to be a method that only allows the user’s attacks to pass through.
‘There is nothing perfect in this world.’
Even this command center is protected by a shield that can withstand my psychic breath, but it eventually gets breached. The same goes for that defensive technology. Even if it has ridiculous performance, there’s bound to be a weak point somewhere.
I spread the flaps of my folded wings wide again. My body, free from the metal wall, glided into the silo.
Let’s take a look to see if there are any weak points in the fortress Cynthia built.
–
“Excuse me, what is that?”
“… is the monster that attacked this fortress.”
“Rain, damn it! Where did that monster come from….”
“He is a very powerful enemy. You must never leave this energy field.”
“Is there anything we can do to help?”
“It would be helpful for me if you would just stay still.”
Unlike Montana, who was shocked from behind, Cynthia’s insides were not very good.
‘Fuck….’
Even though I tried to keep my cool, the situation was so dire that it was difficult to pull myself together.
This is only her second time competing against a 5th place Aimov ranker. This is her third time.
Although I have little direct experience fighting Aimov, I have heard enough about his legendary notoriety to warrant me a mention.
Jason, who was killed every single day for months for interfering with evolution, eventually posted an apology to the community.
Akira was defeated and lost three colony planets while fighting that guy.
Jubaka, who was unable to advance to the rank of Grand Commander for two weeks due to the bastard annihilating the Machine Committee.
All members of the ‘ruling faction’ harbor a grudge against Aimov that borders on fear.
The problem is that it’s not just the ruling faction members who are afraid. Members of the ‘Returning Faction’, the real faction she belongs to, have also warned her.
Never ever encounter that guy again.
If it looks like you’re going to get into a fight, run away no matter what.
The member who left that warning was the one who had fought Aimov more than anyone else. Although he was ranked lower than 5th, he had defeated him many times with his genius brain play.
Even such an outstanding person told me to run away unconditionally.
‘If I could run away, I would have done so long ago.’
As soon as he revealed himself, he immediately targeted the transport ship. I don’t know who he was targeting, but he was trying to block it from retreating.
If it weren’t for her special ability, the ‘Phase Defense Mantra’, she wouldn’t have been able to block it so easily.
The Mantra of Phase Defense, which creates a protective shield made of purple mandalas in a certain area, is a very powerful defensive technique. It defends against not only physical attacks, but also energy system attacks, and even undefendable attacks such as Vortex One.
Thanks to this ability, Cynthia mainly participated in the role of support when the ruling faction members hunted players. The shield’s range is not that wide, with a maximum radius of 10m, but it was enough to protect a small number of members.
Of course, it is not without its drawbacks. Aside from the narrow range, the mantra of phase defense has one fatal weakness.
Of course, she wasn’t worried about that part. It was a weakness that the players she worked with also realized quite late. It was unlikely that Aimov would notice it after only a few minutes of meeting him.
Rather, we should be concerned about something other than the mantra of phase defense right now.
She has the strongest shield in her hand, but her weapon is not very good. It will not be easy to kill him with her strength.
‘And the pet he has with him.’
A small pink creature held in Aimov’s chest. The creature that resembles a bubble amoeba is actually a sea demon.
There is nothing more foolish than engaging in a psychic battle against a sub-boss-level creature that is adept at controlling psychic powers.
In fact, she is constantly casting psychic techniques on Aimov, but they are all neutralized by the Sea Demon.
Meanwhile, he was using all sorts of traits to attack her shield.
The biological bombs that flew from the cannon on its back and the thorns that were fired from the inside of the pincers on its tail were features that we had seen before in the game.
However, the bubbles that were fired while the bastard’s body was turned into an ominous color sent a chill down her liver. Fortunately, the ominous bubbles were blocked by the shield and dissipated.
As if he had expected it, he continued his next attack without giving up. As soon as the specific effect wore off, he flew close to her. Instead of wings, one of his many arms scratched at her shield.
“Grrrrr”
Aimov’s claws that touched the shield disappeared like melting ice cream.
She fought the bastard and wounded him for the first time, but it was still too early to feel relieved. She quickly extended her left hand toward the bastard. A huge scythe made of purple energy landed on the bastard’s head.
The name of this scythe is ‘Ripper’s Hand’. It is a psychic technique specialized in cutting down heavily armored enemies, and can easily cut through the front armor of a battleship. This could easily break the skull of the thing.
Just as the scythe was about to slice the creature’s head in two, the creature turned its head slightly to the side. The scythe collided with the creature’s asymmetrical horns and disintegrated into pieces.
‘The Horn of Gallagon!’
I thought that only defensive techniques among psychic techniques could be disabled, but I didn’t know that it could be applied in that way. She panicked and tried to counterattack again, but the bastard was one step faster.
The creature’s hideous maw opened wide and a green liquid poured out like a fountain. She flinched for a moment as a glob of pus dripped down onto her head.
“What the fuck is that?!”
“… It’s disgusting.”
Despite the physiological disgust they felt, the mantra of phase defense remained intact. Not a single drop of the liquid reached her and spilled onto the surrounding floor.
The metal floor, unprotected by the mantra, melted, emitting toxic smoke.
‘… it’s an acidic liquid.’
Acid Breath was a trait that even Cynthia had never seen before. While she was trying to remember the new trait, she swung her Ripper’s Hand again.
This time the target is the bastard’s legs. The purple scythe flies in, cutting through the thick smoke. The bastard spreads its huge wings and flies backwards, dodging the attack.
‘good!’
She predicted that the bastard would dodge backwards. As soon as she fired the Ripper’s Hand, she blasted the prepared Color Bomb at the bastard. The bastard tried to dodge, but it was so big that it couldn’t dodge completely. The Color Bomb hit the bastard’s abdomen and destroyed part of its shell.
“Grrr!”
“Well done!”
“That dog!”
Aimoff’s short groan and the voices of those cheering from behind rang out simultaneously. The one who had been hit by the colored night staggered slightly and hung on the silo.
‘Okay. If we just do this…’
For a moment, she was happy to have been hit in the head. She realized that the bastard looked different than before.
‘There’s no sea demon?’
The pink creature he was holding to his chest disappeared without a trace.
The moment she noticed that, the floor she was standing on began to shake violently.
‘no way?!’
Melted hole, disappeared sea demon.
It was clear that the bastard was aiming for a place that the shield could not protect.
Sensing his intentions, she quickly readjusted her phase defense mantra. In a split second, the floor cracked and debris shot upward.
Several holes the size of a human head appear, and pink tentacles rise from them. Just before they wrap around her legs, the shield’s tuning is complete.
The tentacles lost their strength and fell to the ground with an eerie sound of flesh being sliced off. The dome-shaped protective shield transformed into a sphere, cutting off the tentacles that had invaded inside.
‘It was almost dangerous…’
Just as she was about to feel relieved, she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen. When she lowered her head, she saw that the cloth covering her stomach was dyed red.
“You’re crazy! What are you doing!”
“Oh, Lord, I have to kill you, Lord, I have to kill you, I have to kill you!”
As she looks back blankly, Montana and the bodyguard come into view.
A bodyguard is mumbling strange words while holding a Gauss rifle tightly, and Montana is having a hard time holding the bodyguard back.
Upon seeing this, she used her binding technique without hesitation and pushed the bodyguard out of the protective shield.
“I’m going to kill you! Kill you? Kill, kill, kill me! Hehe! Hahaha!”
The mindless bodyguard dashed into the shield and was instantly destroyed.
Cynthia quickly used her recovery technique, distracting the guard. The pain gradually subsided as the bleeding stopped and the puncture wound healed.
“Hey, what the hell is going on right now?”
“… It seems like that guy, that guy did it.”
She glared at the monster hanging from the silo.
The tentacles attached like a mane to the back of the monster’s head and neck swayed as if the wind was blowing, then stopped.
“That’s too bad.”
The first voice I heard since the battle began.
Cynthia knows that the voice that seems to come from anywhere is stolen from someone. She experienced it once while fighting the bastard.
But the moment she heard it directly, a certain emotion grew quickly in her heart.
It was ‘horror’.