Chapter 286:

-

The human collective known as Megacorp thrives around the Solar System, governed by seven noble families.

Five of these families are based on Earth as part of the Noble Capital, while two families are based in the Martian colonies under the Prime Capital.

Once a massive corporate federation, they now exist in the form of these noble houses.

And now, the interests of the seven families have shifted from the Solar System to another star system: the A-11 system.

In this system, one of the first conquered by Megacorp after the Solar System, there exists a crucial facility—the headquarters of the Megacorp Dispute Mediation Team.

Located on a terraformed planet, this branch operates directly under the CEO of the Dispute Mediation Team, existing to mediate disputes that arise between the families within Megacorp.

In Megacorp, the role of "law" is to effectively protect the interests of the seven families. As such, the laws of Megacorp are determined through closed-door meetings among the heads and senior members of the seven families.

Of course, no matter how much time is spent crafting these laws, they will never be perfect. Contradictions can arise within the laws themselves, and interpretations can vary depending on one’s position. This is precisely why the Dispute Mediation Team exists.

A grand auditorium that can accommodate thousands.

In the center stood the head of the Dispute Mediation Team.

“Thus concludes the 17th meeting regarding the drafting of the ‘Temporary Ceasefire Mediation Proposal for the T&C–Edgerton Armed Conflict.’”

His voice echoed throughout the auditorium via the microphone.

Typically empty, the auditorium was filled today with lawyers dispatched from the seven families and journalists from major media outlets.

They had gathered, as the head of the Dispute Mediation Team had indicated, to resolve the armed conflict that arose between Noble Capital's T&C and Prime Capital's Edgerton, triggered by the downfall of the T&C Special Trade Hub.

Once a mediation request is filed with the Dispute Mediation Team, the involved families must reach an agreement. Any family that refuses to settle risks losing its status within the higher capital.

Naturally, losing the capital status is far more detrimental than losing a dispute, so no family has ever refused to settle.

However, the disadvantages that come from settling are not insignificant—they can shake a family's power to its core.

As a result, the lawyers participating in the mediation meetings must win at any cost. Bribing the opposing lawyers is just the start; if necessary, threats, kidnapping, and even torture are on the table. This is the Megacorp way of mediation.

“I will accept objections again in 24 hours.”

As the head of the Dispute Mediation Team finished speaking, the people sitting in the auditorium began to leave like a receding tide.

Watching from a hidden room at the back of the auditorium was Akira Yujin, who switched off the monitor. Behind him stood an elderly butler.

The long-standing civil war had finally come to an end.

In the early stages of the conflict, the T&C family lost an entire space city and, during that process, one of their heirs. The losses were astronomically high, leading many to predict that Edgerton would emerge victorious in the civil war.

Moreover, Edgerton had recently succeeded in mass-producing a new class of warships, further tipping the initial balance in their favor.

Had Edgerton not lost its head, the civil war would have concluded long ago with T&C's defeat.

“This situation has turned into a blessing in disguise for T&C.”

“It seems that losing their head was fatal for Edgerton.”

“Indeed. Edgerton is still in a state of instability.”

Denver Edgerton, known as the Black Lion of Mars, went missing when the T&C Special Trade Hub collapsed. Edgerton's vassals and elders were so absorbed in their own interests that they neglected the war with T&C.

As the civil war dragged on, the balance began to tip toward T&C.

The chaos in command and issues in the production process led to Edgerton’s defeat.

Although the mediation proposal has yet to be finalized, the tide cannot be reversed. T&C will extract all kinds of benefits from Edgerton based on that proposal.

“Thanks to this, the influence of the Yujin family has reached Edgerton as well, but it seems we won’t see any significant benefits from it.”

“...”

Akira knew that his family had supported Edgerton during the civil war, and the butler quickly lowered his head, sensing his master’s discomfort.

Akira had not supported Edgerton out of favor; rather, it was to check T&C’s growing power, which threatened the Yujin family.

He had secretly sent shadows to sabotage T&C while providing covert support to Edgerton’s Hulk mutants. Thanks to his assistance, Edgerton had managed to sustain itself to this point; otherwise, the losses would have been much greater.

As a result, many within Edgerton had begun to support Akira, but he remained unsatisfied.

The butler thought Akira was frustrated because he had failed to weaken T&C, but that was only part of the truth.

While that was one reason, there was another factor troubling Akira.

It was the catalyst of the civil war.

After investigating the cause behind the collapse of T&C’s space city, Akira Yujin discovered who had instigated the conflict.

‘The Amorph!’

That damn shapeshifter had contaminated the city using the same method from the game. Having lost a space fortress because of it, Akira understood all too well the threat it posed.

「Grrrr...」

The addition of two heads did not mean my intelligence had increased, nor could I hear their voices within my mind.

When considering the sensory connections linked to the two heads, it seemed they had brains but were treated as body parts, similar to my arms and legs. If I had to make a metaphor, I would say they possessed self-awareness but functioned as biological robots obeying the commands of the main body.

‘I’ve often been frustrated by these heads in the game.’

There had been times I failed ambushes because the AI moved independently when I didn’t give precise commands. However, that didn’t mean the three heads possessed minefield characteristics.

Even if the central head, the main body, were destroyed, I wouldn’t die, as one of the remaining heads would inherit the consciousness and control the body.

‘I wonder if it’s the same here.’

And while the two heads lacked eyes, they did have auxiliary organs. Thanks to the three heads having these organs beneath their jaws, my senses had heightened beyond compare.

‘...I think it will take some time to get used to this.’

It felt like I could sense events happening several kilometers away, which was more bothersome than I anticipated. In the game, the observable minimap merely expanded, so I hadn’t expected this.

I made an effort to block out the information conveyed from the two heads.

「Grr?」

「Grrrr...」

「That tickles!」

As my consciousness withdrew, the two heads began to move independently. They lowered their necks and approached Number 26, licking her with their tongues. She seemed to enjoy it, sparkling brightly in the midst of the desolate planet.

「Me too!」「Me too!」

「Grrrr...」

「Feels...」「Weird...」「Amazing...」

“I’m also very curious about what that sensation is like. Please, do it to me as well.”

「Grrr?」

“Thank you. That was very helpful.”

「Oh, I don’t have to do it.」

「Grr.」

‘It’s like a retriever.’

I couldn’t tell if this behavior was purely instinctual or if my emotions were being distorted in their transmission, but the two heads exhibited a friendly demeanor towards the children. For anyone familiar with the Amorph, this would be an utterly unbelievable sight.

‘Anyone seeing me in this state would likely faint.’

Aside from Mother of the Sky, the others seemed to be having a great time playing with the two heads.

‘Normally, I’d want to talk about the visions I experienced in the chrysalis...’

Thinking back, Mother of the Sky had never reached this stage. None of the visions she experienced involved her competing with herself.

I had wanted to ask Jason, now a human-faced bug, about it, but seeing the others enjoying themselves made me set that thought aside.

Instead, I began checking the rest of my transformations.

The six horns on my central head had grown larger, my winged arms had expanded to match my body’s growth, and my outer skin had thickened like the walls of a space fortress. The muscles supporting my combat arms and legs had grown so thick they could be considered a biological armor.

‘Oh, is this another change worth noting?’

The biological cannon that had been on my back had moved to my tail due to a newly acquired unique trait.

As a result, I now had two tails. The two tails split from the pelvis, formed by my changing body shape, and each extended for several dozen meters.

The shapes of the tails were different. One tail had pincers, while the other featured the biological cannon. The part with the cannon was a result of one of the two unique traits I secured just before my evolution.

‘That’s enough for the body check.’

Now it was time to confirm the two unique traits I had gained before my evolution, as well as the level two benefits from my cosmic monster type.

‘Let’s start with the benefits.’

What would I receive at level two? With anticipation, I opened the translucent text box.

‘What’s this?’

I was taken aback by the contents of the text box that appeared.

「Level 2 Reward

Double Helix Monolith: You can implant your held traits (excluding unique traits) into friendly creatures. The implanted traits apply permanently, and up to 2 traits can be implanted per creature. The traits available for implantation are affected by the cosmic monster type’s level progression.

*Note: Whether you become a savior or a destroyer is entirely your choice.」