Chapter 253:

Chapter 253:

The battle had resumed.

Ships under the control of cyborgs and androids rushed in like swarming ants. We pulled out all our weapons to respond.

As the APDs approached to contain the Gallagons, a support ship managed by PS-111 blocked their path. Torpedoes loaded into the ship’s cannons were fired, disrupting the movements of the drones.

The patrol vessels maneuvered to evade the torpedo explosions and strike the support ship. The support ship had a limited supply of torpedoes, making it difficult to fire indiscriminately. As the support ship found itself in danger, a small craft emerged from the hangar.

The Mother of the Sky, transformed into a griffion beast, took to the skies to draw the attention of the patrol ships.

While the craft itself had ordinary specifications, its pilot was on another level. She expertly executed evasive maneuvers, breaking through the torrential barrage of torpedoes. Not only that, but she also opened fire with the storm gun mounted on the craft, targeting the bridge of the patrol ship.

Though the storm gun couldn't inflict significant damage on the patrol ship, it was enough to divert the enemies' focus. Some of the patrol ships strayed from formation to pursue the Mother of the Sky.

While the pilot's skills far surpassed those of the patrol vessels, the specs of the ships were overwhelmingly superior. With her tail in a precarious position, the small craft was getting increasingly dangerous, when suddenly, a savior appeared.

A red queen, adorned with red markings on her head and wings, accelerated like a comet and pierced through the patrol vessels. The surviving patrol ships fired their torpedoes, but the Mother of the Sky shot them all down with her storm gun.

While the patrol vessels were stalling for time, the destroyers had moved into effective firing range and attempted a concentrated attack.

I unleashed a psychic breath towards the clustered patrol ships near PS-111 before flying toward the destroyers.

The destroyers shifted their target to me, unleashing a torrent of torpedoes.

Thanks to the double and triple layers of my protective carapace, the pain wasn’t severe. The explosions were bothersome, vibrating my auxiliary organs beneath my jaw. I charged forward, taking the barrage head-on.

Tentacles erupted from my back, reaching out to ensnare different destroyers. I pulled the tentacles forcefully. The destroyers, larger than me, shook violently and collided with one another. Some attempted to escape but crashed into another destroyer while accelerating recklessly.

The ships positioned at the rear launched torpedoes, but I used the destroyers as shields to absorb the attacks. The ships caught in my tentacles exploded, and cyborg crew members were ejected into space.

‘They’re holding their own.’

Everyone was showcasing combat skills that exceeded our expectations. None of the Gallagons had sustained injuries, and both PS-111 and the Mother of the Sky were fighting valiantly.

Moreover, we weren't the only ones fighting against the Star Union's fleet. I gazed toward the distant location of the white planet, where flickering lights danced.

The Megacorp battleships brought by Ji-Hyun Yujin were also engaging in combat against the Star Union's forces.

‘Thanks to their distraction over there, our burden here is lighter.’

However, it was uncertain how long this reprieve would last.

While it seemed advantageous for us at the moment, the reality was different.

Over there, numerous ships were still operational, and even more were expected to join the fray. It was fortunate that the Grand Sovereign was not present; his arrival would drastically tilt the tide of battle against us.

‘We need a breakthrough.’

Since the engagement with the Fifth Fleet began, I had destroyed four battleships carrying Warp Finders. There were still at least six confirmed left, along with several hidden Warp Finders.

‘Destroying them with breaths won’t be easy.’

The enemies weren't foolish. They had only been caught off-guard a few times; now, the moment they sensed I was preparing to unleash a breath, they immediately scattered.

Yet charging in as I had done until now, destroying one ship at a time, was time-consuming. The vessels carrying Warp Finders had begun to flee in every direction to evade me.

I thought as I hurled the half-destroyed destroyers toward the enemies. What weapons do I have that could be useful against their ships?

‘The Abyssal Hue is out of the question.’

The psychic breath enhanced by the "Abyssal Hue" specialized in destroying organic matter, while the augmented "Watcher of Terror" was only effective against non-organic entities. The psychic reflective armor wouldn’t hold up against their torpedoes, as the enemy primarily used projectile-based weaponry.

‘Should I go back now and consume the Priest’s Golden Spear?’

The Priest’s Golden Spear becomes exponentially more powerful the more blood it absorbs. By utilizing the effect of the "Plunderer's Abnormal Polyhedron," I would likely acquire its unique characteristics.

If that were the case, I could gain devastating offensive capabilities in this battle, which was already producing mass casualties.

‘But the downside is, if I do that, it’ll become difficult to heal should I sustain serious injuries.’

Thanks to the "Dragon’s Heart", energy wouldn’t be an issue, but healing from wounds posed a separate problem. To heal quickly when injured, I would need the "Leech of Devouring Hands."

If I consumed the Priest’s Golden Spear, I would have to forgo the Leech of Devouring Hands.

‘The remaining option is...’

As I clamped my jaws around a nearby battleship, I checked the text box with my eyes.

‘The Great Infector.’

The fourth space monster type trait, "The Great Infector", can enhance up to three effects among the infection and nesting categories, based on their type.

Since I hadn't experimented with it yet, I was unsure how much enhancement it would provide.

‘Then now is the time to experiment.’

I selected the "Gremlin Moss" as the enhancement target, a fusion trait related to infection.

This trait secretes microorganisms that disrupt machines. The enhancement process began.

「"Gremlin Moss" enhancement settings are complete.」

‘Is that it?’

Despite the message in the text box, I felt no significant change in my body.

I activated the enhanced Gremlin Moss, and the mutation occurred not within my body, but externally.

The blunt claws that had been on my body vanished entirely. In their place, cylindrical, bio-pipe-like organs sprouted.

From the holes in these pipes, something began to flow out.

It resembled smoke billowing from a factory chimney. Thick, smog-like clouds poured out from the pipes, spreading around my body and into the surrounding area.

‘What is this?’

I had acquired a similar trait when I became an adult, where bio-tubes formed on my back, emitting smoke to protect the main body. This was to compensate for the increased target area resulting from my larger size upon becoming an adult.

However, the phenomenon occurring within my body now was on an entirely different level than the effects of the traits I gained upon maturation.

The wide-spread smoke clouds clung to the nearby ships, causing their lights to extinguish completely.

The ships, now devoid of light, ceased all movement and came to a complete stop. Even when I approached, there was no reaction from them.

‘So this is the effect of spreading Gremlin Moss!’

The trait had been enhanced from temporarily incapacitating machines that touched my body to generating a cloud that disabled contacted machines.

‘With this, things change significantly.’

In a situation where I was battling machines, this was the ultimate trait. The only downside was that I couldn’t directly control the movement of the smoke clouds.

The Crystal Battery within the weapon began to emit a chilling light and spun rapidly.

---

On the XAX01-class battleship piloted by the commander of the Fifth Elite Fleet, the Nemea Fleet, a member of the Machine Council, Nemea Five, sat upon a throne forged of steel.

His body, twice the size of a standard android, was adorned with numerous cables resembling flowing hair. Nemea Five, with his unusual appearance, had his eyes closed.

Currently, he controlled the entire fleet through the long cables draping around him. In this metal and machine-constructed mental world, vast amounts of information were flowing back and forth.

「Nemea Five. Report from Arrow Nine. The 9th fleet is prepared for superluminal travel.」

「Report from Europa Two, Redtail Eight. Fleets 2 and 8 have achieved 80% energy charge.」

「Menebbo report! Failed to analyze the substance being ejected from special target A!」

「Kazansky reports. It is presumed to have an effect equivalent to EMP.」

「Shimurabi requests! Please allow the use of the ship's main cannon!」

「Nemea Five. Denied. Special target A possesses resistance to energy-type weapons. It is deemed effective to buy time until fleets 2, 8, and 9 arrive.」

Nemea Five's focus was currently concentrated on special target A.

The fleet he commanded was being obliterated in real-time as if caught by metallic gremlins.

Or perhaps that was indeed the case. They were using EMP attacks to incapacitate the Star Union's ships. The moment a ship came into contact with the fine particles he dispersed, all its functions ceased immediately.

Whether it affected machines directly or not, even torpedoes controlled by AI could not hit him properly. The clouds of fine particles wrapped around his body caused them to halt mid-flight.

As a result, the losses for the Fifth Fleet were severe. If no other fleets were on their way, they would have had to retreat.

「Report from Arrow Nine. The 9th fleet will enter superluminal travel in 1 minute and 12 seconds.」

「Report from Europa Two, Redtail Eight. Fleets 2 and 8 are prepared for superluminal travel.」

In a few minutes, Nemea Five would achieve victory. If he could secure the corpse of special target A, deep research would become possible.

At that moment, a report came in from the cyborg captain of another ship.

An unidentified flying object was launched from a megacorp ship, and it was moving toward them.

Nemea Five concluded that it was an EMP torpedo. The patrol ships, having received his orders, moved to intercept the torpedoes.

They would be shot down, and the megacorp ships would be dealt with as soon as the other high-ranking officials arrived.

This reasoning seemed sufficiently logical, but what followed surpassed his calculations.

“Kazansky! Unidentified flying object emitting unknown wavelengths—”

The cyborg captain’s report was abruptly cut off. Then, countless reports and messages ceased all at once.

It was as if there was an issue with auditory functions; only silence lingered. He issued another command to confirm the situation, but no one responded.

Something was wrong. Nemea Five urgently sent his consciousness into his dormant physical body.

Once the transfer was complete, he opened his eyes wide atop the steel throne. The situation captured by his camera-like eyes was entirely different from usual.

The Cyborgs meant to assist him lay sprawled on the command room floor. An analysis through the lenses confirmed that all had ceased functioning.

The command room was a grave for the Cyborgs.

No, perhaps this was not the only place like that.

He synchronized the ship’s external cameras with his visual functions. All the cameras of the XAX01-class battleship became his eyes.

Thanks to that, he realized that this situation was not confined to his ship.

Numerous vessels under the Fifth Fleet were deviating from formation and moving erratically.

All this was due to the sudden deaths of the Cyborg Captains. With their commanders gone, the ship AIs were stuck repeating their previously issued orders. This behavior was exactly as reported by the Cyborg Captain. The Fifth Fleet suffered near-total devastation due to an unidentified weapon fired by the megacorp.

Nemea Five immediately contacted the other fleets. He ordered them to halt superluminal travel and remain on standby. Most importantly, he emphasized that the High Commander must not come here under any circumstances.

Then came a communication from the High Commander, who seemed confused.

“Me! What’s going on?”

“Nemea Five reporting. Chairman, an unidentified wavelength has spread here. It is presumed to inflict fatal damage on cyborgs.”

“What do you mean by that?! Who did this?!”

Nemea Five’s gaze, connected through the cameras, caught a glimpse of special target A. The Creature paused for a moment at the chaos surrounding it, then unleashed an overwhelming amount of flames.

Was this what it felt like facing the sun? It poured forth nearly infinite psychic power, turning the ships into scrap metal. Nemea Five struggled to influence the ship AIs, but the clouds of fine particles emanating from the creature obstructed his efforts.

After incinerating most of the battleships, the creature ceased its attack, cleared the clouds of fine particles, and turned its body. The Gallagons, who had been battling with patrol ships elsewhere, retreated alongside special target A.

“Nemea Five. I recommend we first ascertain the cause. I propose we halt operations.”

“Arrow Nine agrees.”

“Redtail Eight agrees.”

“Are you telling me to let it go when it’s right in front of us? Do you really think that makes sense...!”

The High Commander Jubaka, expressing intense anger, fell silent after reviewing the video data shared by Nemea Five.

The second high-ranking official, Europa Two, quickly analyzed the footage and sent a communication.

“Europa Two agrees. Chairman, there are currently wavelengths present in this area that pose a lethal threat to cyborgs. I recommend that you ensure your safety before advancing.”

In this place, there existed threats to both androids and cyborgs. Special target A had the capability to incapacitate both androids and ships, while the unidentified object fired by the megacorp had an instant-kill effect on cyborgs. With both present, proceeding with operations would incur excessive damage.

Thus, the four high-ranking officials effectively decided to suspend the mission.

They were machines that existed for the preservation of the Star Union. They had an obligation to protect Jubaka, the most important entity in the Star Union, at all costs.

Of course, if the High Commander insisted on proceeding, they would have no choice but to comply. However, none of the high-ranking officials believed Jubaka would act in such a reckless manner.

He wasn’t a fool. He couldn’t possibly be unaware that the issues arising here were far from ordinary. Moreover, he knew better than anyone what could happen if his safety were compromised.

“Damn it! That bastard Amorph is right there! Блять (Damn it)!”

With a shout that was either a roar or a scream, Jubaka's voice faded from communication.

Meanwhile, in Nemea Five's line of sight, special target A, the Gallagons, and the Megacorp battleship were engulfed in blue light.

Moments later, nothing remained at their previous location but blue particles.