Chapter 310

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[Translator – Seraph]

[Proofreader – Draxx]

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Chapter 310

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It had been five days since Alshas’ kin, Alcardi, passed away.

The death of the blood relative of the captain of the Imperial mothership “Defender of Verzan 02” was an unprecedented event, setting the entire planet into motion. Investigators from the Surveillance Agency, Cult operatives with tracking capabilities, warrior units from various organizations everyone joined the search.

Added to this were the Eyes of Revelation priesthood and the Prophets’ Assembly, both responsible for defending Verzan 02.

The involvement of the priesthood and the Prophets was highly unusual.

These two groups typically acted to eliminate beings that violated the natural order. Their focus was internal issues, such as hunting down Vortex One cultists or spies within the Empire, not external threats.

Their decision to intervene in Alcardi’s case had one clear reason.

While not widely known, Outsiders had recently begun employing peculiar methods to infiltrate and weaken the Empire.

Previously, Outsiders’ attacks centered around generating “bio-portals” on abandoned planets to summon vast hordes. Since such portals produced immense energy upon activation, the Empire could usually prepare countermeasures in advance.

But the situation had evolved.

The Outsiders had now developed a parasitic organism derived from modified “worker drones.” These parasites were forcibly implanted into captured Cult members and intelligent beings, turning the infected into slaves used to infiltrate planets and prepare for assaults.

Thankfully, the infected exhibited dramatically reduced intelligence, and no successful operation had been recorded yet.

Of course, there was no guarantee this would remain true indefinitely.

The priesthood, upon learning of these parasites, had begun preparations to counter such infiltrations. They distributed parasite-tracking equipment and psychic techniques to identify infected individuals among their members.

The reason the deputy commander “dealt with” Alcardi and why the priesthood became involved in the investigation stemmed from these circumstances.

Despite these efforts and the large number of participants, discovering who had implanted the parasite proved elusive.

Alcardi’s behavior deviated significantly from typical infected individuals. Until his death at Kisos’ estate, he had acted perfectly normal. Finding suspicious activities in his records was a daunting task.

Moreover, Alcardi’s dealings extended into gray areas beyond legitimate business. Many of his transactions were handled covertly, leaving little evidence, further complicating the investigation.

Four days into the investigation, a critical clue finally emerged.

For about three weeks before his death, Alcardi had sent containers carrying live organisms to an abandoned building in the “Glory District” every three days. While Alcardi was known for his obsessive collection habits, there was no reason for someone like him to send animals from his collection to such a desolate area.

The Outsiders’ bio-portals required a massive amount of organic material for activation. The priesthood and the Prophets concluded that the abandoned building a hover bus terminal was likely an Outsider hideout.

However, Alshas and others experienced in combating prior Outsider offensives dismissed this theory. Many had witnessed the Outsiders’ parasites firsthand, and the entity that emerged from Alcardi’s body bore no resemblance to those parasites. Its appearance and capabilities were far too advanced.

This led some to speculate that Vortex One cultists might be involved instead.

This debate presented a significant issue: determining the enemy would dictate the task force’s composition.

Outsiders, resistant to psychic power but unable to wield it themselves, required high-powered psychic weapons and heavily armored physical defenses to counter.

Vortex One cultists, however, were highly unpredictable. Their combat styles varied drastically depending on which Vortex One they worshipped, necessitating reconnaissance and tailored equipment for each encounter.

The inability to narrow the suspect led kisos to mediate.

He persuaded Alshas to prepare for a possible cultist conspiracy and requested the Prophets to stand by as reinforcements. Should anything suspicious arise during the hunt, the reserve forces could be deployed immediately.

Kisos even offered to cover half the costs of maintaining the reserves, prompting the Prophets to accept his proposal.

While some among the priesthood resented splitting their forces, they could not defy orders from higher authorities. Thus, Kisos’ mediation plan was implemented.

On the fifth day, the task force entered the Glory District to begin their hunt for the monstrous entity.

「Task force advancing toward the ‘hideout.’」

“It’s finally starting.”

Nern muttered, responding to the transmission from the Imperial mothership hovering above.

The room where they gathered was a command center in one of the defensive facilities within the “Fortress of Water.” Alshas stood among several soldiers, observing the operation unfold.

“...I should have gone myself.”

“You, of all people, know why you couldn’t. Kisos spared you that burden for your sake.”

The Imperial mothership Verzan 02, under Alshas’ command, was not participating in the current operation.

Alshas was directly affected by the unidentified entity that claimed the life of her family.

If an ordinary soldier were consumed by vengeance, it would be troubling enough. For the captain of an Imperial mothership, however, such emotions could jeopardize the entire mission. Therefore, another Imperial mothership had been assigned to the task in her stead.

Nern pointed this out, but Alshas shook her head.

“That’s not it. What worries me is the possibility that the enemy might not be a simple Outsider. You know this as well as I do.”

Nern couldn’t disagree; he had the same thought.

Even if the priesthood’s claim that the attack was orchestrated by Outsiders was correct, there were too many inconsistencies.

The Empire’s war with the Outsiders wasn’t a recent development. The Outsiders had to know that Verzan 02 was a difficult target to breach. Attacking planets in the Empire’s outskirts first would have been a far more efficient strategy.

“And targeting Alcardi specifically seems suspicious as well.”

Her brother was the captain of an Imperial mothership, and she herself was a prominent figure in the Glory District. Infecting someone so heavily scrutinized by the public eye was a foolish move.

“They may be monsters, but they’re no fools.”

Despite the priesthood’s fervent insistence, Nern found their explanation lacking.

To him, the Outsiders were either hiding something the priesthood didn’t know, or they weren’t involved at all, and a third party was behind the attack.

Still, he chose not to voice these doubts.

“There’s no helping it. You’ll just have to point out anything suspicious as it arises.”

“Do you think those prideful priests would even listen to me?”

“They’ll have no choice. You’ve fought those creatures countless times before, after all.”

Alshas averted her gaze slightly, as if embarrassed by Nern’s straightforward compliment.

Currently, Alshas was participating in the operation as an advisor authorized by the planetary governor and the council. Though prohibited from taking part in combat herself, she was allowed to relay her insights to the task force on the ground.

The priesthood did not object to this arrangement. They knew full well that Alshas was a seasoned veteran with unparalleled combat experience.

“That goes for you as well, doesn’t it?” she asked.

“But you, unlike me, brought weapons despite not planning to fight.”

Nern glanced down at the two black axes propped against her chair. Alshas picked them up, cradling them carefully.

“One of these was a gift from a friend of mine in the Prophets’ Assembly.”

“A Prophet who wielded axes? That’s unusual.”

“It wasn’t their weapon. To be precise, it was something they received from another and then passed on to me.”

Her gaze was laden with complex emotions, hinting at the weapon’s significance.

“Did your friend from the Prophets offer any advice regarding this operation?”

“Unfortunately, they cannot. The Providence claimed them some time ago.”

“...I’m sorry.”

Nern immediately recognized her expression as one of sorrow. When he hastily apologized, Alshas shook her head to indicate she was fine.

“They gave their life for the greater cause. I’ve said goodbye to many of my comrades over the years, but I believe the day will come when their sacrifices will shine.”

“...You...”

The collapsed ceiling was now mixed with the debris of abandoned buildings. The vibrations in the underground had caused some of the structures above to crumble.

Despite this, the creature continued to take the hits. Whether it was aware that its attacks were being reflected or not, it kept spewing acid until the ceiling finally gave way.

For several minutes, it remained motionless, then ceased its attack and vanished deeper into the passage.

“My God, it’s incredibly tough.”

“With our current weapons, it’s not enough. We need to increase firepower.”

“How’s the communication status?”

“It’s back to normal.”

At the communication officer’s report, the senior priests exchanged glances.

“A creature that disrupts communication while spitting acid this is unlike anything we’ve seen before.”

“...A new hybrid. This is bad.”

“Report this to command and request reinforcements.”

“What should we do? Should we leave it to the ships from here on?”

“If it has a jamming ability, it might be difficult to track with the ships. Let’s continue pursuing it, just in case.”

Following the decision of the senior priests, the task force resumed tracking the creature.

Surprisingly, they encountered it again quickly. In the narrow passage, the creature had hidden its body but was peeking its head out.

“It’s toxic fungus!”

“Priests, prepare for Air Impact! Make sure the fungus doesn’t spread in the air!”

Unlike before, the creature had now spewed out a mass of malignant fungi rather than acid. It slithered its neck, firing the disgusting projectile toward them.

“Ow, it hurts... it hurts!”

“Ugh... ughhh...”

“Deploy disinfectants! Hold on!”

The area touched by the fungus rapidly began to rot. Some were fortunate to survive with first aid, but others did not.

Perhaps it was the sudden change in its attack style, but there was now a casualty. As with before, the creature kept attacking for several minutes before retreating.

Once it vanished, communication was re-established, but this time, with casualties, they had to spend even more time clearing the passage than before.

While the other team members worked to assist the wounded, the senior priests discussed the second encounter.

“Did you see it just now?”

“I did. Its head was different.”

“Yeah. It didn’t have eyes, and the horns looked different too. The shape of its head changed when it shot the acid.”

“Is it capable of transformation?”

“I’m not sure. We should report this.”

What they had confirmed so far was that the creature’s size, its communication disruption ability, and the presence of at least two types of attacks were key features.

After reporting the information to command, they resumed their mission.

The third encounter would prove even more deadly.

The creature attacked in a spacious underground area that wasn’t quite as large as the central hub but still considerable.

This time, it did not use its fungal projectiles or acid. Instead, it launched a much simpler attack.

The creature moved so fast it was nearly invisible, charging at the task force with its head, knocking them down.

As they had seen before, its exoskeleton was extremely tough. Those who collided with it were shattered into pieces.

The task force tried to fight back, but it was difficult even to spot the creature. It blended with the walls, as if it had melted into the ground.

After tearing apart ten of the warriors, the creature sped off through the passage.

“Damn it... It’s too fast, I couldn’t even get a good look. Did anyone see anything?”

“I saw it. There was something strange. Its size seemed to shrink.”

“Size?”

“Yeah. It didn’t seem like it was even 10 meters, let alone 40.”

“What’s going on? Could it be that there’s another creature here?”

“I’ve finished the support request. Once the reinforcements arrive, we’ll move out together.”

Although about 180 members remained, they decided to wait in relative safety. Given the unpredictable nature of the creature, acting hastily was too dangerous.

Before the reinforcements could arrive, the fourth ambush occurred silently.

A voice called out to them from across the passage, where they had just passed. It was someone asking for their help, saying they would move the injured out first and wanted them to come over.

At first, no one thought it was suspicious. The team assumed that part of the reinforcements had arrived, and they began to follow the voice, assisting the wounded.

Had the senior priest not been with them, and had the communication officer not checked the transmission, they would have been caught in a trap.

Because the creature was there.

The creature was hiding behind debris piled up in the middle of the passage, exposing only its head and neck, calling out to them. This time, its head was different again. Although its appearance was similar to the first encounter, it was now pink.

The creature, imitating the voice, crushed all the injured soldiers before retreating into the debris.

When the real reinforcements finally arrived and searched the area, they found nothing. A few small holes, only a few centimeters in diameter, were discovered, but there was no way such a large creature could hide in them.

In the end, they returned to their comrades, having lost only the injured soldiers.

“Imitating voices? Is that even possible?”

“...Whatever it is, I think we’ve figured something out.”

“Yeah. It’s clear now that every time it changes its head, its abilities change too.”

“What kind of monster has the queen created?”

“No, at this point, we might not even be dealing with a regular creature. It could really be connected to the cult.”

“If you’re talking about ‘The Masquerade,’ I doubt that’s the case. If it were, we would have already faced a massive disaster.”

Now, with the reinforcements included, there were 250 members, but the senior priests couldn’t shake their sense of unease.

The fear that an unknown enemy might be hiding somewhere in the underground, watching them, was suffocating.

Then, a communication from above only deepened their anxiety.

“Please repeat what you just said. What did you say?”

「The advisor has suggested that the creature you're dealing with has a similar appearance to ‘The Three-Headed Demon.’」

“We’re aware of the creature. Does it have the ability to transform? Wait, how did it even get here...”

「That part is being investigated by the Prophet Order and the Temple Guard, and we’ll have results soon... crackle, retreat... crackle.」

“The communication’s unstable!”

“......”

Though they had gathered some information about the creature’s identity, no one was pleased by the discovery.

The fifth ambush from the demon was already approaching the task force.

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[Translator – Seraph]

[Proofreader – Draxx]

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