Chapter 198

Chapter 198

HEL SCANS

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「Are they here?」

It wasn’t long after I sensed the Crystalwing that the Sky Mother awoke. Although I didn’t see them directly, I sensed them through my auxiliary organs.

[ZZZZZ ZZ ZZZZ ZZZ (They are not visible, but I can feel it.)]

「They came sooner than I expected.」

[ZZZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZZ (Wake up PS-111 and have it on standby.)]

「Got it.」

The one whispering softly beneath me fell silent again. I sent a signal to Number 26.

[ZZZ ZZZ ZZZ (The flying one has arrived.)]

“Yeah.”

Number 26, which had been playing with the air, extended its tentacles from its body and began to wave them vigorously, attempting to attract attention from a distance.

During this, my auxiliary organs picked up on the electromagnetic waves flowing through space. This creature hunted by sensing electromagnetic waves, similar to radar. The detection of these waves indicated that it was getting closer.

Fixing my gaze on the sky, I waited. Something started to appear among the dark clouds. Two glowing orbs, faintly visible, looked like UFOs flying through the air.

‘There it is.’

The Crystalwing was close. They were hovering around, not descending to their nest.

‘They’re cautious.’

Considering they are apex predators, this cautious behavior made sense. Competing for food with Gallagons, they needed this level of vigilance to survive in the harsh natural environment.

As the creatures didn’t come down, Number 26 waved its tentacles even more energetically. Whether it was due to this effort or not, the glowing orbs in the clouds began to approach the peak slowly.

Through the swirling snowstorm, their forms became visible.

They were giant pterosaurs covered in metallic material. The Crystalwing’s appearance was reminiscent of the large pterosaur known as Quetzalcoatlus: elongated snouts, unusually long necks for pterosaurs, and wings so large they resembled those of an airplane.

‘Although their bodies are much larger.’

Their wingspans were at least 30 meters. Their wings were even larger than those of their rival, the White Gallagon.

Aside from their wings, another notable feature was their gleaming exteriors. Not only their wings but their entire bodies appeared to be made of diamonds. This was due to a bodily fluid that hardened into a gemstone-like form.

Having coated themselves in this fluid since they were young, their bodies shone like jewels in every corner.

The metal-like exteriors reflecting the dark clouds and snow made them look like gigantic mirrors flying through the sky.

“Kuuaaak.”

“Kuek.”

Two Crystalwings flapped their wings and approached the nest. Their gaze was fixed on Number 26, which was loitering around the nest.

‘Perfect.’

Focused on Number 26, they hadn’t noticed us hidden near the trees. I remained still, observing them closely.

Among the two Crystalwings, one had a distinctive crest on its head. Additionally, its wings were about 1.5 times larger than the other’s.

‘That one is the male.’

Male Crystalwings are responsible for providing for their families, making them much stronger in combat.

‘The female is being marked by the Sky Mother.’

The female would be taken on by PS-111 and the Sky Mother, while I, together with Number 26, would focus on the male.

“Over here! Come this way!”

As the Crystalwings approached, Number 26 prepared to move. Pink fins, which acted as legs, emerged from under its body. Using these fins, it quickly moved away from the nest.

“Kuuaaak!”

“Kueeer!”

The sight seemed to trigger the hunting instincts of the Crystalwings, causing them to let out a loud screech. Their voices were so powerful that the echoes reached the twin peaks on the other side.

After a mighty roar, the creatures dived toward Number 26, aiming to catch it atop the nest. The pressure from their wings, spanning dozens of meters, swept across the summit, causing the snow piled around the nest to scatter into the air.

‘They’re flapping in anger!’

The hundreds of eyes that had smiled at me now glared menacingly. The Sea Demon’s unique ability, “Abyssal Terror,” unfolded before the Crystalwing.

“Ku, Ku-aa...”

The creature, which had been incinerating the forest with its particle beam, halted its attack. The eyes of the Crystalwing, which had been glaring at Number 26, began to tremble.

Although the male Crystalwing has a stronger resistance to psychic powers than the female, it is not strong enough to completely overcome the power of the Sea Demon.

However, things in this world never go that smoothly.

The creature, trembling as it looked at Number 26, turned its head to look behind it. There, the Sky Mother and PS-111 were fighting against the female.

“Ku, Kuak! Kwaaak!”

Perhaps it was the desire to protect its loved one. The creature let out a powerful roar and began preparing to fire its particle beam again.

「You can’t!」

“Kuak!”

Before it could shoot the particle beam, Number 26 launched a Demon Crash by gathering wood fragments and hurling them at the creature. Annoyed, the creature shook its head.

Meanwhile, the saw-like tentacles of Number 26 flew toward the Crystalwing, attempting to entangle it. However, the creature had already regained its composure. The particle beam incinerated the tentacles and the surrounding trees.

Despite the pain of losing its tentacles, Number 26 immediately counterattacked with its binding ability. The tips of the Crystalwing’s wings crumpled like paper, but it was equally tenacious. It sacrificed its wings to dive in and pecked at Number 26 with its beak.

As these apex predators fought fiercely, I examined the area where the turquoise beam had struck me. The fur had long since evaporated, and the carapace had fallen off entirely.

‘I need a body strong enough to overwhelm it.’

The “Intelligent Weakling” mode has served me well so far. But now, it was time to return to the quasi-saint form of the Amorph.

‘And activate the Symbol of Hunt.’

Initially, I had planned to incapacitate the enemy with Number 26’s Abyssal Terror before attacking, but things had deviated slightly from my expectations. I had no choice but to proceed as is.

As I deactivated the Intelligent Weakling mode, I activated the “Symbol of Hunt.”

My body, which had been only 5 meters tall, began to grow rapidly. As my body expanded at an astonishing speed, the internal skeletal structure also changed. The centaur-like form transformed into a shape resembling a snake, and the four combat arms, which had served as legs, returned to their original function.

The countless hairs that covered my body fell away, revealing the carapace and synthetic scales underneath. The human-faced spiders hidden within the fur, as well as the corrosive tentacles within the swirling membranes, also became visible.

With six mighty horns, an elongated head reminiscent of a large theropod dinosaur, a massive body resembling a mythical serpent, and six arms covered in a tough carapace, complete with a heavy pincer at the end of my tail.

Although it had only been a few days since my transformation, it felt like I was returning after a long absence.

But my body was not yet in a state to rest. To align with the transformation mode of the “Perfect Organism,” the Symbol of Hunt, I had to reconfigure my body.

My head carapace, which was already large, became even more massive in this state. The thick carapace covered my eyes, and my split lower jaws became even more extreme.

The four auxiliary organs located beneath my well-developed jaws were now encased in bone carapace, just like my eyes.

The carapace covering the auxiliary organs was thin and sharp like blades. These organs, which had previously only functioned as sensory tools, had now become weapons capable of slicing through flesh.

The human-faced spider that had been on my back had moved to my head. Two additional arms equipped with bio-scythes had sprouted, and the blunt claws attached to my lower body and tail had extended like the legs of a centipede or spider.

Optimized for hunting and slaughter, every part of my body now looked menacing.

Among these familiar changes, there was one new aspect.

‘What is this?’

Thanks to the effects of the Abyssal Hue, the monster’s tentacles had become even more impressive. Previously, the bundle of tentacles had covered only the back of my head and the entire neck area. Now, they extended down to my lower jaw. I looked as though I had a beard and hair made of tentacles.

It was almost like the depiction of an evil god from an out-of-print horror anthology.

‘...I’ll worry about the appearance later.’

Having completed all my evolutions, I slowly stood up. The treetops, which had been towering high above my head just moments ago, were now right in front of me.

“Kuak?”

「Big Baby is back!」

The Crystalwing was astonished to see me emerging, pushing through the trees.

‘Your essence will be mine.’

With a powerful roar, I declared my intent to the enemy before me, or rather, to my prey.

HEL SCANS

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