Chapter 239:

Chapter 239:

I explained the situation to the late-arriving Mother of the Sky and Ham Ort.

I told them that there was a Screamer attack and that many of the Gallagons had been killed.

As soon as Ham Ort heard this, she rushed off to where Adhai was. Number 26, who had been with us just moments before, followed her to the other side of the cave.

「I suspected it, and it turned out to be true.」

Mother of the Sky also mourned the loss of the Gallagons. Her amber eyes, now in her griffon form, were filled with sorrow.

[ZZZZ ZZZ ZZZ ZZZ (It seems like it will need time)]

「...Indeed.」

She closed her eyes, forcing herself to calm down. When she opened them again, her gaze was cold with anger.

「So, where exactly is this place?」

"Below the canyon located beyond the Ice Plains."

"There’s only one Ice Plain around here. You mean the place where we captured the Ice Horror and Jason?"

"Yes, that's correct. If you move in the opposite direction from the forest, you can verify it."

It said that Pyra Eleven and its ship were in the exact opposite direction of this place, where the forest and mountain range are located.

‘The canyon, huh.’

One of the Apex candidates I considered for Adhai's training was a creature that primarily inhabited the Ice Canyon. However, since it was a flightless creature, I chose the Hellside Hornet instead for her flight training.

‘I had planned to retrieve its genetic essence later, but I didn’t expect things to turn out like this.’

「If it’s the canyon, could it be a Gigantarium?」

[ZZZ (Possibly)]

The Gigantarium, like the Ice Horror, only inhabits regions with extremely low temperatures. It’s a creature that looks like a mix of an elephant, a bear, and a gorilla.

"The Screamers have already eliminated the 'Gigantarium.'"

"Really? It doesn't seem like they integrated it."

The Gigantarium, true to its name as the 'Giant Beast', is massive and incredibly strong. Its trunk and tusks, resembling those of a mammoth, are particularly striking.

Among the Screamers I’ve seen, none had the biological characteristics of the Gigantarium.

In response to my doubt, PS-111 nodded.

"The flesh and genes of the Gigantarium were entirely used in the restoration of Pyra Eleven."

"That means Pyra Eleven is a Screamer too, right?"

"At this point, that seems to be the case."

「At this point? Does that mean it wasn’t before?」

"Pyra Eleven suffered fatal damage after arriving on this planet and was in a dormant state. During the repair process, its damaged body was replaced with resources available on the planet."

The resources it mentioned likely refer to the biological tissue of various creatures like the Gigantarium.

‘From what it says, it sounds like Pyra Eleven was originally an android and became partially Screamer.’

Given the image of Screamers from Star Union, Pyra Eleven definitely wouldn’t be a cyborg. A cyborg would rather choose death than become a Screamer.

On the other hand, an android, which prioritizes efficiency, wouldn’t mind changing its body.

‘An android leading an army of mutant Screamers.’

Even in the game, there was an android that led a Screamer unit.

"A High Commissioner, perhaps."

Officially, Screamers are not meant for combat. Their stated purpose is to reform criminal cyborg offenders, essentially serving as an educational tool.

“If we find rare metals, I can upgrade. I will join you.”

After sending them off, I headed toward the entrance.

In my haste to return to the nest, I had left the bodies of the White Gallagons outside. I couldn’t just abandon the valuable spoils I obtained from fighting Odd Grad.

‘There’s also something I want to test.’

I retraced my steps, gathering all the bodies over the course of half a day.

I hadn’t consumed them because I wanted to experiment to see if the Gallagons could grow stronger from them. Just as Adhai grew, other White Gallagons might also evolve into black dragons by consuming the corpses of White Gallagons.

By the time I returned with the bodies, night had fallen. The area, already dim due to the overcast sky, was now even darker with the night’s shadow.

As I crossed the cliff with the bodies, I noticed someone on the opposite side.

A Gallagon with wings glowing bright red even in the darkness, and a body as white as snow—Adhai.

Next to her was another White Gallagon with a wounded wing. It was Adhai’s mother, Ham Ort.

From what I know, Adhai has mixed feelings toward the mother who abandoned her. But right now, the two didn’t seem to be on bad terms. Ham Ort was wrapping one of her wings around Adhai.

‘Did they reconcile... huh?’

Upon closer inspection, there was a small pink figure between them. Number 26 had extended two thin tendrils, connecting with the tendrils of the two Gallagons.

‘Is it mediating between them?’

Or perhaps it was comforting the two in their grief. Whatever the case, it seemed that Number 26 had positively influenced their relationship.

I considered approaching them but decided against it.

The pain of losing family or kin isn’t something I can console. Someone like Number 26, who has experienced something similar, or Mother of the Sky, could offer better advice.

Certainly better than someone like me, who ran away rather than confronting reality.

‘...Pointless thoughts.’

Shaking my head, I turned and entered the cave.

—

A canyon of ice, hundreds of meters deep.

A place where light should never reach, where only darkness should reign.

Yet, the bottom of the canyon now glowed bright red.

「Pyra Eleven. Record verification complete.」

In the red glow, hoses of flesh and metal writhed.

Calling them ‘hoses’ didn’t quite capture their essence. Ordinary hoses aren’t casually tens of meters long, with a minimum thickness of several meters. The sight of multiple such hoses in motion resembled a group of Ice Horrors coiling together.

With every movement of the massive body, the red light flickered.

「Pyra Eleven. Conclusion reached. Utilizing the S and PS models for the mission is disadvantageous. Alternative methods are necessary for mission completion.」

「Pyra Eleven. Proposing an alternative method. Reinvestigation of the supervolcano is required.」

「Pyra Eleven. Denied. Threats have not yet been eliminated. Further damage is unnecessary. The investigation will be assigned to the Screamers.」

The immense entity, or rather Pyra Eleven, continued its self-dialogue as if it had multiple minds.

「Pyra Eleven. Proposing an alternative method. Based on the information relayed by the S and PS models, bodily restructuring is required for the direct construction of Special Target A.」

「Of the remaining Screamers, it would be beneficial to absorb all but 10 S models and 2 PS models for exploratory purposes.」

「The auxiliary brain for gene manipulation will utilize the ship’s AI.」

As the red light intensified, the colossal hoses began to move with agility.

Soon, sparks flew from beneath the canyon with the sound of welding. Even as the red light deepened, there was no scream from the Screamers.