"Still no progress fixing the communications malfunction?"
"Well…"
Inside the indoor garden of the mobile base.
Gotō's question left the base's chief administrator looking troubled.
"The Giga Cracker's beam grazed the station. The faster-than-light relay burned out completely. Repairs will take quite some time."
"Hrmm."
Gotō let out a low growl as he admired a bed of exotic, brilliantly colored flowers.
Right after the successful hunt, he had compiled a full report for Akira. The demon's physical traits, its abilities, every detail of the battle nothing had been omitted.
The only task left was to send it. And now, of all times, the communications link has failed.
"I apologize. We're repairing it as quickly as possible. Just a little more time and—"
"Clicking my tongue. That damned demon, raising trouble even in death."
Though it had been Walter's command that kept him at the noble's side so long, Gotō was impatient. Akira's affairs were piling higher by the day: the CEO elections, post-war reconstruction, worsening tensions with the Cult Empire. All matters of grave importance.
He needed to return quickly. Wasting time here was not acceptable.
"Why not simply wait until the base is dismantled? You could travel back along with it."
Saint K's mobile bases lacked FTL drives. When the time came to leave a star system, they had to dismantle the base into modules, load them onto larger carriers, and transport them away.
Already, the base was preparing for that dismantling now that the hunt was over.
"On your way back, you could even use a Zhao-family relay satellite to reach Earth."
"Apologies, but that's not an option. This must be reported to my master directly."
Gotō well knew the Zhao satellites were spread across every system and that every bit of data flowing through them was captured by the Zhao family itself.
It would be one thing if another Saint K noble intercepted it but to drop sensitive information into the lap of outsiders? Unthinkable.
"In that case, perhaps you could arrange a ship bound for Earth?"
"Well… as luck has it, we do have an auxiliary cruiser scheduled to head back."
"Auxiliary cruiser?"
"Yes. It houses a genetics research lab, used for condensing captured prey into samples. This time it's carrying the secured specimens back to the household."
"And if there's a laboratory, then there's surely a stasis capsule available?"
"Of course. I'll see to it you're boarded on that vessel."
Not a bad suggestion. Gotō gave a curt nod.
"Good. I'll rely on you then."
"Yes, sir. Ah, and if you happen to meet Lady Akira… might you perhaps speak on our behalf?"
"You need not worry. The Yujin house will be forming its own dedicated team for acquiring biological samples."
With Walter Saint K's death during the hunt, the personal hunters of the family had uncertain futures. Whoever was chosen as the new head, for most here, unemployment seemed inevitable.
Gotō intended to bring them under his own house's employ.
"You'll be hearing from us soon. We'll discuss the details when the time comes."
"Ahh… That's a relief to hear. Honestly, I was hoping to raise the matter with you on the journey back, but—"
Just then, the garden door slid open. A technician in a suit resembling a space-welder's work gear entered.
Hmm?
"Administrator, I've got a request regarding the relay repairs."
"Repairs?"
As the man approached, Gotō's brow creased slightly.
An odd smell. Weak, but distinct. Like the faint decay of rotting flesh.
So faint, in fact, that even with his engineered senses, he nearly missed it.
"Why bring that to me? Speak to the repair chief."
"The chief said it required authorization from the overall administrator."
"…Is that so?"
Clearly, the administrator smelled nothing. He continued talking as if nothing were amiss.
Other than the smell, there's nothing strange.
The man's face, his work gear—completely ordinary. Maybe he had just come straight from a repair session, Gotō reasoned.
"In any case, I won't intrude. I'll take my leave."
"Ah, Gotō! Don't forget our request, please! We're counting on you!"
"Yes. Until then."
Gotō brushed it off as nothing and departed the garden.
Soon after, he boarded a transport shuttle that ferried him to the auxiliary cruiser introduced by the administrator.
"Gotō Yujin, is it? Word's already reached me. I'm Campbell, captain of the Invader."
"A pleasure."
Gotō disembarked and shook the hand of the uniformed captain.
"The ship is scheduled to depart in thirty minutes. We've prepared a stasis capsule for you in our research lab. Will you be making use of it now?"
"Yes. Please."
"We'll show you the way. Follow us."
One of the researchers led him and the captain through gleaming corridors into the genetics laboratory.
"So this is it?"
Research Lab, onboard the Invader.
Gotō examined the stasis capsule—an older model meant for genetically modified humans.
Among Walter's forces, no such altered individuals existed. It made sense, then, that this capsule was a relic seldom used anymore.
A pity, but it can't be helped.
Stripping bare, Gotō stepped into the capsule.
"We'll begin the synchronization process."
As cold liquid enveloped him, he closed his eyes.
Once I return to the house, the first task will be to summon the Shadows. With Saint K headless, this is the perfect chance to extend our influence…
Planning his next moves as the adjustment proceeded, Gotō eventually drifted into sleep.
How much time passed, he couldn't tell.
But eventually, he stirred awake. Through the fluid, he felt faint vibrations—the ship had already departed.
Is the calibration over?
No researcher greeted him. Whoever had overseen the synchronization hadn't bothered to wake him.
Click of annoyance. Unthinkable in House Yujin.
Irritated, Gotō climbed from the capsule, dressed, and left the lab.
Dim corridors waited, sparsely lit, eerily quiet.
"…Sleep hours?"
No one had even told him where he would be lodging for the journey to Earth. The discourtesy gnawed at him.
I'll have words with the captain on the bridge.
Every starship had at least minimal staff stationed at the bridge. He would demand an explanation there.
But as he walked, something pricked at his senses.
A smell. Familiar. The same one he had caught earlier from the technician in the garden. It hung faintly across the passageway.
'Animal stench?'
The Invader was an auxiliary cruiser, carrying captured prey for processing. It wasn't rare for the scent of carcasses to cling to the hull. Gotō knew Yujin's own lab ships had suffered the same problem.
Still, without his genetically heightened senses, such a faint odor would have gone unnoticed.
"Tch. Sometimes a sharp nose is nothing but trouble."
Thankfully, the bridge wasn't far. Before long, he stepped inside.
"So you must be the esteemed guest the captain mentioned."
A crewman at the holomap console rose when Gotō entered.
"How may I assist you?"
"I wasn't assigned quarters, The researcher handling me seems to have vanished."
"I see. Please wait—I'll arrange it right away."
The crewman adjusted his commline, speaking to someone over the channel. Meanwhile, Gotō sat and let his eyes wander.
Then his stare froze on the holomap.
"You. A question."
"Yes, sir?"
"Our destination—it is Earth, correct?"
"Yes… Though there is a scheduled stop en route."
"Who charted this course? The navigation chief?"
"Er… Why do you ask?"
Gotō's expression hardened, his gaze sharp.
The plotted path was not what he expected.
"Someone set this course incorrectly."
"I—I don't understand?"
"This ship is not bound for Earth. Its trajectory points elsewhere entirely."
"I'll report immediately!"
The crewman scrambled to contact his superiors.
Soon enough, Captain Campbell and several senior officers assembled on the bridge.
"…When I heard the report, I thought it impossible."
"Captain, was this your navigation input?"
"When I programmed it, the course was correct. Someone has altered it."
"Who has the authority?"
"Only myself—and the navigation chief."
The moment the words were spoken, everyone scanned the bridge. All the senior officers were present—except the navigation chief.
"He was contacted, wasn't he? Why isn't he here? Try again."
"For now, please just change the course."
"No. Until we've spoken to the man himself, we can't know what intent lies behind this."
Rejecting Gotō's request, Captain Campbell used his personal communicator. His face immediately twisted.
"Hmm?"
"What is it, sir?"
"Communications Chief. You have your line? Try reaching the navigation chief."
"Y-yes, Captain."
The comms officer fumbled with his personal unit—then mirrored Campbell's expression.
"What? T-this makes no sense!"
Panicked, he rushed to the bridge computer, frantically keying in commands.
"What's going on with you two?"
"There's a problem with the ship's communications network."
"What?"
"Captain, I think we'll have to check the comms room directly."
"Wait!"
Gotō cut the man off as he tried to leave in haste.
"…Captain. This reeks of something suspicious. We should all go together."
Unauthorized changes to the course, sudden communications failures—anyone could see the pattern. Even Campbell found himself nodding grimly.
Together, the entire bridge staff headed for the communications chamber.
Unfortunately, their instincts were right.
"What in the world—?"
"Comms watchman! Where is the duty officer?!"
The chamber was in shambles. Precision electronics lay smashed, scattered across the floor.
Gotō felt a grim spark of recognition. It was the smell—the same stench he had caught faintly in the corridors, only far stronger here.
"Can this be repaired?"
"R-repair? Impossible… It'd be faster to build a system from scratch!"
"Surveillance Chief. There are cameras in these hallways, aren't there? Check who did this."
"Y-yes! Right away—"
"It'll be useless."
"What?"
Following the rank odor, Gotō strode deeper into the chamber.
The captain and officers trailed behind—then froze.
Pile upon pile of broken machinery filled a corner like a mound. And from beneath that heap seeped something coppery and foul.
As Gotō pulled the pieces aside, the stench of blood poured out.
"This is—!"
"God above…"
"U-uurgh!"
What lay there was the husk of a human body. Not a corpse—more like an emptied shell. All the organs, all the flesh within, gouged away, leaving only skin.
"Crisis Response Chief! Lock down the entire ship immediately!"
"Y-yes, sir!"
"Uwaagh—hurk!"
Some officers scrambled with their personal devices, hands shaking. Others collapsed, vomiting bile onto the deck.
Through it all, Gotō alone kept his composure. Kneeling, he examined the shredded skin.
Changed though the features were, he recognized them.
"…The technician I saw earlier. In the garden."
The man who had supposedly gone to repair the relay station on the mobile base—here he was, gutted like refuse.
The meaning was unmistakable.
It's still alive.
The thing they thought was destroyed by the Giga Cracker—the "Three-Headed Demon."
That abomination was here, on this ship.
———
There was an uninvited guest aboard the ship.
Once Gotō and the chiefs confirmed this, they immediately returned to the bridge to prepare their response.
"Captain, the alert has been issued. With the communications network down, orders were broadcast over speakers near the crew quarters."
"Good. And the rally point?"
"The officers' mess hall, nearest to the bridge."
"Once they've assembled, divide the troops immediately and deploy them to guard critical facilities."
"Yes, sir."
"Security Chief—link every camera aboard so the bridge can monitor them directly. Communications Chief find a way to restore the network."
"Understood."
Outside, the muffled wail of the alarm echoed faintly, while the chiefs set to work quickly. As Walter's veterans, their efficiency was impressive.
"Gotō Yujin."
The bridge's sole guest also had his role to play.
"Earlier, you said this was the doing of the Three-Headed Demon. Tell us how it could have infiltrated this ship."
"Yes. The demon can disguise itself as a human."
"As a human?"
Campbell himself had witnessed it fighting House Saint K's fleet, towering dozens of meters high. The idea that such a monster could appear as a man beggared belief.
"First, it releases a special pheromone that scrambles human senses. Anyone exposed perceives it as a human form."
"Hmm… A pheromone that deceives perception—I know some species with such tricks. But what of its size? That it cannot mask."
"That creature can compress its body. To about two meters."
"Two meters?!"
Campbell's eyes widened. A hundred-meter monstrosity, reduced to man-size? Had it not been Gotō speaking, he would have laughed it off.
"That's really possible?"
"Once reduced to nearly human proportions, the pheromone completes the deception."
"…Unbelievable, but no that's not the point right now. In short, through two abilities, it disguised itself and boarded this ship."
"Precisely."
"And so what do you suggest we do?"
Gotō glanced at the holographic screens where the ship's cameras now streamed.
"The creature's power only corrupts human perception. It cannot alter its body itself. With androids and cameras watching, its movements can be tracked without illusion."
"True… Still, I wonder if we have the force to subdue such a demon."
"That need not concern you. It is greatly weakened."
"Weakened?"
"Yes."
Clearly, the moment the demon had shifted into human form was when the Giga Cracker's beam struck it. It had slipped into the mobile base through its ruined hull, then stowed away aboard this ship.
'Why would a being able to wield black holes and warp across systems reduce itself to hiding in one fragile vessel?'
Gotō reasoned: the Giga Cracker had grievously wounded it. Wounded so deeply it could not warp under its own power. Thus the desperate ruse.
"It must intend to seize control of this vessel and flee to safety."
"Then this is our best chance to kill it."
"Even if we fail, the advantage remains ours. As soon as we reach a safe star system…"
"…We summon reinforcements. And then victory will be certain."
Campbell stroked his beard, nodding heavily.
"Very well. Then we'll follow your counsel."
"My thanks."
The demon had escaped by sheer luck, but here it would end. In this place, there was no sanctuary for it to hide. Victory might take time, but it would come to their hands.
Amid the rising clamor of the bridge, Gotō believed it.
***
"What the hell, what's going on?!"
The barracks, silent until now, roared with blaring alarms. Soldiers groaned and cursed as they rose from their bunks.
"Wasn't the mission already done? Why the hell are we on alert again?"
"Who cares, gear up fast!"
Complaints aside, they donned their combat suits quickly and filed out of the quarters.
The corridor outside was awash in pulsing red from the emergency lights.
"Orders from above?"
"Static."
Their commander pointed up at the wall-mounted speakers.
｢All crew, ckshhhk… assemble at—kshhk… hall… kshhhk… officers' dining area… kshhzzzzk｣
"They mean the officers' mess?"
"Has to be. It's the only one near the bridge."
"Better confirm it for sure."
A comm tech fiddled with the receiver in his helmet, but shook his head.
"No response at all. Comms are totally dead."
"And ship broadcast's cutting out like that? Did something blow up?"
"Damn it. Let's just head to the officers' mess. We'll know what's up once we get there."
"Middle of the night, and they pull this shit…"
The squad of armored soldiers marched down the crimson-lit corridor.
The siren's wail mingled with the heavy clang of their boots, echoing up and down the alloy walls. None spoke now; an oppressive tension pressed on them all.
It wasn't just the emergency. Unspoken, every man felt it an ominous dread. As if the corridor they walked wasn't a passage, but the gullet of some vast beast closing around them.
"Shit… this is creepy as hell."
"No kidding. And where the hell are the officers? Not a damn one in sight."
They had just reached the corridor near the FTL engine room when it happened.
"Hey. What's this?"
"Why stop walking?"
"Wait a second…"
There, between their steps, a strange sound. Splashes—like water.
The point man crouched, pressed a gauntlet to the floor. When he lifted it, syrupy liquid clung and stretched in sticky strands.
"What is this? Water?"
Another brushed the wall. Same result—thick fluid smeared across his hand. The stuff oozed everywhere, walls and floor alike.
"It's dripping from the ceiling?"
"What's leaking in here?"
It made no sense. These corridors were forged from high-grade alloys, seamless. No place for a leak. Yet the fluid was real. Searching for cracks, the lead soldier pressed close to the wall—
"Huh?"
His fingers sank in.
Right through the metal plating. From the spot oozed ropes of slime.
"You guys saw that? The wall just—"
"Hey. Look."
A soldier in back spoke, voice low.
"Someone's there. From D-quarters, I think."
"What?"
At the corridor's end, before the engine room doors, stood a figure in combat suit, stock-still.
"D-quarters are by the armory. Why's one of them here?"
The squad leader wiped his hand on his thigh and strode toward the lone soldier.
"Hey, you! You're supposed to be headed to the mess hall. What are you doing here?"
The man's head moved slowly.
"Guard here."
"What?"
"Engine room… guard. Guard… me guard."
The voice was clear, but the cadence was all wrong—mechanical, broken, like a malfunctioning android's speech.
"What unit are you with? Who ordered you here?"
"Guard. Necessary."
"…Take off your helmet."
"Helmet. Take off?"
"Take it off, you bastard!"
The squad leader rammed the muzzle of his rifle into the man's abdomen. But this time he recoiled—the rifle sank deep, swallowed by the body like it was piercing a sack of flesh.
"What the hell's your body—?"
He tried to wrench the rifle back, but it wouldn't budge. Instead, the "abdomen" churned wildly, rippling like boiling water.
And then—the helmet visor unlatched, hissing open.
"You… interfere?"
Inside was no human face. The interior swarmed with thick, writhing pink tentacles, tangled and knotted together, filling the helmet to the brim.
"Interfere… and die."
In the next instant, a torrent of tentacles erupted, overwhelming the soldier.
***
"Crisis Response Chief! Report the damage!"
"W-we're still investigating, Captain, but with comms down, details are scarce—"
"Damn it! Tell me whatever you know so far!"
"Y-yes, sir! Firefights are breaking out in D-quarters, the armory, and the engine room!"
"Three sectors at the same time?! What in hell is happening here?!"
Captain Campbell's eyes blazed as he glared at the hovering holomap at the center of the bridge.
The feeds from internal cameras played in frantic succession.
"Those aren't even demons, the crew are fighting each other!"
Campbell slammed his chair with fury.
In the hologram, the soldiers weren't firing at monsters. They were gunning down men dressed just like themselves, same armor, same rifles.
Crew who just hours ago had shared quarters and meals were now trying to kill one another. It wasn't a hunt anymore, it was mutiny.
"We...we're broadcasting commands on the emergency channel, but it's no use! They ignore every order to cease fire!"
"Gotō Yujin! You said the demon was at work here—so what is happening?! Tell me!"
"..."
Campbell's roar filled the bridge. But Gotō said nothing. He was just as rattled.
'Parasites? Is it using parasitic creatures? But when—how—and in such numbers?'
Gotō knew, from Akira's files, that the Three-Headed Demon could parasitize humans through living spawn. Yes. But only a handful at most.
And yet here were dozens under its thrall.
Worse—how long had it even been aboard this ship? A few hours at most. In that time, it had spread its brood into scores of people.
'Has it… evolved again?'
If so, then all the data Akira had provided was obsolete.
The only thing Gotō could cling to was this: the demon was weakened. Now, before it regained its strength, they had to escape to a safe star system. Warp out. Immediately—
"—!"
He froze. His tongue wouldn't move. Pain exploded in his skull, blinding and raw.
'Thi—this pain?!'
Gotō had endured countless trials across his life...physical tortures, genetic modifications, nerve enhancements. He had long since made peace with agony.
But this...this was different. This was inside him. Like his own neurons were being wrenched, his brain crushed by invisible jaws.
'The brain?'
The realization dawned like doom.
The parasites. The demon's spawn. They weren't just in the others. One of them was him.
'But when…? Wait…!'
He remembered, at last.
After the synchronization in the stasis capsule, when he awoke—where was the researcher who'd overseen him? He had assumed the man had gone home. But no.
The demon had struck then. During calibration. That was when he'd been infected.
Later, when the corpse was discovered, all eyes turned to it—never once did he think about the missing researcher again.
And so he had never suspected that while he slept, he himself was compromised.
By the time he understood, it was too late.
"Gotō Yujin! Quickly, give us a plan—"
He no longer heard Campbell. He no longer heard any of the frantic voices around him.
In the perfect silence of his skull, only one voice spoke.
The whisper of his true master.
Kill them. Every last one on this bridge.
Gotō Yujin—who had lived his whole life as another man's servant—chose the path he had always known.
To obey.
——
The blaring alarm finally went silent.
At the same time, reports streamed in from the underlings I had scattered across the ship. Every threat that might pose a problem for me had already been taken care of.
'That wrapped up more smoothly than I expected.'
It had been about three hours since I infiltrated the ship and began the hijack attempt. In the real world, this was the fastest takeover I had ever pulled off.
For a warship guarded by soldiers, specifically the pursuit squad Akira himself had organized, the outcome felt almost anticlimactic. In truth, sneaking aboard had been harder than wresting control of the vessel.
'When I finished disarming the bombs, I nearly jumped out of my skin seeing six Gigacrackers lined up.'
Being hit with the firepower of six supermassive ion cannons is instant death for anyone, no matter how fortified your country or ship may be. Even with a Complexity Prism, deflecting that much would be a near impossibility.
Fortunately, they were convinced I would deploy the prism, so they acted cautiously. That gave me the chance to fake my own death. As a bonus, in the process I wiped out two Gigacrackers using the Black Devourer Cannon.
Having tricked the enemy, I used a pre-prepared corpse to assume the identity of the Unknown hijacker and infiltrated Megacorp's orbital base. Inside, I swapped skins into that of a technician and wandered the facility.
Because restrictions were placed on superluminal jumps, I needed a new ship as a ride. That was when I found the Invader, a vessel prepared to send Akira's underlings to Earth.
It was the perfect chance to secure both a source of information and a means of transport. So, following Akira's subordinate, I boarded the Invader… and the hijack began.
'I moved carefully, given they knew me well.'
To confuse them, I deliberately introduced a few variants into my usual methods. As it turned out, the job ended so quickly that those variations weren't even needed.
'Well, no complaints. It worked out.'
Plenty of survivors still remained aboard, but most were just ordinary soldiers. Not the least bit dangerous. They'd simply be snacks saved for later in the journey.
'In that case… time to shed this skin.'
I hooked my fingers into the corners of my mouth and pulled. Thin false flesh tore apart, revealing the real head beneath: the degenerated cranial shell and stubby snout of an Amorph.
Once divested of the disguise, I stretched out the folded arms I had tucked against my torso.
A secondary organ beneath my jaw caught a familiar scent: the toxic gas emitted by an Amorph's nest. One wall of the superluminal engine room, where I currently stood, was already slick with black mucus.
While under the guise of the Unknown hijacker, certain Amorph abilities had been suppressed. Likely a function of that infiltration-specific body. I had been unable to excrete mucus or form a nest.
'If I can't make one myself, I'll just plant it directly.'
The nests scattered throughout the vessel hadn't been my own doing but spawned by Contamination devices. Though I couldn't personally secrete mucus in that form, nothing stopped my created organs from doing so.
The organs themselves fell under the corporeal category, not nest-species. No restrictions applied. Of course, that also meant none of the nest-enhancing attributes carried over, but that wasn't a problem right now.
An Amorph's nest is inherently hostile to humans. As a deterrent, it was perfectly adequate.
I seeded contamination devices throughout the ship's vital points near the FTL engines, the reactors, and other key facilities. Anyone who got too close or tried tampering with systems would instantly alert me.
With that, all threats had been purged. My act as the Unknown hijacker is complete. Now it was time to consume the ship itself.
My body ballooned, expanding within seconds to tens of meters. Tangled tentacles and a coiled tail struck against the ceiling, sending faint tremors through the chamber.
Right then, a soldier in a powered suit heard the noise and entered the engine room.
"…What the—?"
The soldier froze upon seeing me. Surprisingly, there was no fear in his voice.
And I wasn't surprised either. I knew exactly who it was.
The one standing before me was Number 26, who had infiltrated the ship alongside me.
Normally, I kept it shrunk down and carried it directly. But this time was different.
Now it sported a full-body exosuit designed to resemble a human. Inside, its tentacles and fins were jammed into the arms and legs to simulate human movement.
Number 26 staggered closer, its steps awkward and uneven. Without a skeleton, its limbs swung unnaturally with each gait.
'Better at walking than I expected.'
Number 26 had never tried bipedal walking before, yet it was surprisingly skillful. When it stayed still without moving, it looked indistinguishable from an ordinary soldier.
While I installed the Contamination devices around the ship, it wandered alongside me, helping where it could. None of the soldiers who passed by suspected its true form.
"Not going to play human anymore?"
[ZZZ ZZZ ZZZZ (I'm done with it now.)]
"Then I'll stop too."
The armored suit that had been standing like a person instantly deflated and collapsed to the floor. From the cracked visor, Number 26 seeped out, spilling its tentacles into the open.
｢Playing at being human is uncomfortable. Fun, but exhausting.｣
[ZZZZ ZZZ ZZZ (You're just not used to it yet.)]
Its fins, which had served as makeshift legs, twitched as if sore.
Watching it, I felt a strange kinship. After all, I too was still adapting to my combat arms having taken on tentacle form.
｢Big One, are you used to it because you studied a lot?｣
[Zzzzuu (That's right.)]
｢Amazing!｣
I nodded at its admiration, but then another thought came to me.
'Wait. If I think about it, haven't I spent more time not walking on two legs?'
Aside from my early fluid stage and larval youth, I had almost never walked upright. Most of the time, I either turned combat arms into legs or slithered across the ground like a serpent.
The human memories… yes, I had to discard them. Those weren't mine. They had been implanted by Beomho. My true memories began the day I awoke inside a spaceship's cargo hold.
｢I'll study more so I can play human with you, Big One!｣
Number 26 hurled itself against my chest.
'Big One, huh.'
It was right. If I counted only the years as an Amorph, I was only a few years old. Through its eyes, I was practically an infant.
'…No point in worrying about it.'
So what if I was an Amorph carrying the memories of a human? I was still me. To some, I was the Big One. To others, I was the Grown One. Even if most of my memories were fabricated, that truth didn't change.
[ZZZ ZZ ZZ (Let's play together a lot from now on.)]
｢Yes! Let's play a lot!｣
I stroked Number 26 with the small arms extending from my chest. It shimmered, then produced a small pink tentacle. I recognized that tentacle it was the one it used when establishing communion. Thinking it wished to connect again, I lowered my head.
But instead of reaching for my main head, it touched one of my auxiliary organs.
'…Hm?'
The first sensation was like pressing into pudding soft and elastic. But almost immediately, that gave way to a peculiar euphoria.
How to describe it? Like sinking into a cloud-like bed while every fiber of one's body is massaged at once. In all my time as a human or Amorph, I had never known such a feeling.
｢Grrr…｣
｢Grrr…｣
The complex, delicate bliss wasn't mine alone. The heads along my sides growled and groaned on my behalf.
The pink glow running through 26 grew brighter and brighter as it pressed against my organ.
[ZZZ (Enough)]
If I let this go on, that endless pleasure would consume us both. Quickly, I tore the pink tentacle away. 26, which had been glowing like a beacon, soon dimmed back to its usual color.
｢Big One doesn't like it?｣
Its hue darkened, as if disappointed. It mistook my rejection as dislike.
Like it? It was the opposite. I liked it too much. I shook my head emphatically.
[ZZZ ZZ ZZ (No. I like it, very much.)]
｢Then why stop?｣
[ZZZZ ZZZ ZZZ (Because there's work to do. We'll do it again later.)]
｢Later?｣
[ZZZ (I promise.)]
｢Okay! It's a promise!｣
I wanted to continue communing, desperately so, but not now. I set Number 26 down onto the floor.
'Then… let's begin.'
Smothering the lingering ache of the broken communion, I moved my Invasive Tendrils. It was time to resume the task I had delayed.
Oozing black mucus seeped from the tendrils and swallowed the engines. Metal and flesh churned together in a roiling vortex, until something new was born.
A black heart pulsed slowly in the darkness, declaring its will. The Megacorp warship Invader… was now mine.
***
The grinding sound of clattering teeth echoed inside the cramped cabinet—
"Ck–kk, ck–kk…"
Terrified, the navigation officer clamped his trembling hands over his own mouth.
Beyond the cabinet walls, alarms wailed, tangled with faint gunfire and screams.
'Why? Why is this happening?!'
The Invader was under attack by unknown beings.
They looked like humans… but were not humans. Monsters wearing human skins.
He had seen it with his own eyes, a technician suddenly rending his own face apart.
From within that shredded mask emerged a pale creature, white as bone, which nonchalantly tore into a watch officer. Within less than a minute, the creature departed wearing the officer's face as its own.
He had only survived because he stumbled across this horror on the surveillance cameras. And seeing it drove him into the pit of terror.
Monsters disguised as crew. How many more were hidden aboard? No one could be trusted.
His very first act was to alter the ship's course.
They could not… must not… bring something like that to Earth. If they did, the Solar System's quarantine forces would immediately destroy them, killing every last crew member.
Better instead to stall for time to give the crew a fighting chance while he stayed hidden until it was all over.
It was not a rational choice. But in panic, he failed to realize that. So he crawled into the toolroom's cabinet, curled up, shaking, praying only for this nightmare to pass.
Time bled away. And then, abruptly, the alarms fell silent.
"D–did… did it end?"
After a moment's hesitation, the navigation officer slipped out.
The toolroom corridor lay cloaked in oppressive silence. No monsters. No people. Nothing.
"…"
Silence after an alarm was never a good sign. It could only mean the bridge had been seized… or something worse.
'The escape pods! I'll use the pods!'
He had no weapons. No battle armor. Sitting idle was suicide. His only chance was escape.
Gripping his flashlight, he staggered toward the hangar. His legs rattled beneath him, while every nerve bristled toward the possibility of a creature springing from the dark.
But it was not a monster that finally stopped him.
"Kh…ugh! What is—?"
A stench struck him, vile beyond description, so acrid it felt impossible to breathe.
And with every step, his boots squelched against the floor.
"Khk! Khek! This… this is near the engine room…?"
His eyes fixed on the door ahead—the engine room, glowing with a dazzling light spilling through the gaps.
As if bewitched by it, he stumbled forward, pressing to see inside.
That was his second mistake.
What he saw was not an engine… but a colossal nest of serpents.
Pale-white snakes, far larger than human beings, knotted together, filling the vast chamber.
They had no eyes, no noses—only mouths yawning across obscene, fleshy coils. They writhed and twined, a wriggling festival of ivory flesh.
At the heart of this obscene revelry stood the crowned one—the Serpent King. Unlike the others, it bore a pair of beastly horned heads at its sides that bowed in reverence toward it. The crowned serpent gleamed with eyes and great whiskered tendrils, worshiped as a sovereign amidst its thrashing kin.
And clasped within its coils was a radiant pink sun.
No—not clasped. They were joined.
The King and its Sun reveled in each other. The serpent entangled it with whispering whiskers beneath its jaw, while the Sun's radiant rays twisted as tentacles to grope and tease in return. The two entwined intimately, like lovers making sacred union.
'Ah… eh… ah, ah, ah…'
The officer's breath collapsed into broken syllables. His mind began to shatter before the sight.
No. It couldn't be real.
The brain refused to accept what the body's senses delivered.
Everything within the engine room—every shape, every presence—was wrong.
"Ah…?"
Something warm trickled from his nose and ears.
When he touched it, he realized it wasn't blood. It was something far more vital.
Understanding what was dissolving, the navigation officer staggered back, tearing himself away from the door. But after only a few steps, he collapsed against the corridor floor.
"..."
He tried to scream, to shriek for help—but no sound came.
Had his mouth ceased to function? Or were his ears destroyed, stealing sound away at its source?
In truth, the answer no longer mattered. His brain was melting.
Crumbled in the corridor, the navigation officer twitched once, twice, then moved no more.
From under his body seeped a tide of black mucus, swallowing him whole.
And when it was done—there was nothing left.
——————
The Invader was originally a ship meant to journey to Earth. It had been fully prepared for a long voyage.
Because of that, the amount of stored energy on board was immense enough to reach the destination without a single resupply.
It had been a week since I last used the 'Horizon of Nightmares'. We arrived at the star system that held the Gallagon's homeworld.
The far edge of space, barely recorded on maps. Nothing there but useless ice and rock. Nothing except for one planet where the seed of life had sprouted.
A frozen star where daylight only comes once every thirty days. Adhai calls it 'White Stone'.
'We've arrived.'
Through the sensory field that expanded as I connected with the ship, I scanned the surroundings.
White Stone looked just as I remembered. Even the stolen Gigacracker was still orbiting as before.
'Nothing's really changed, has it?'
PS-111 had hurriedly ejected me and Number 26 toward the sea planet. I never knew what became of Adhai or the Screamer Sisters afterward. That's why I worried—maybe they were in danger.
'At least this place seems safe—'
But before I could feel relief, the Gigacracker's orbit suddenly shifted. It began gathering energy, as though charging up an ion cannon.
'No way…'
Had the pursuers reclaimed the Gigacracker while I was gone? But there were no battle scars nearby, no signs of a fight.
'Forget it. No time to think deal with this first.'
The ion cannon had to be stopped before its charge was complete. I reshaped the ship I had infested into a combat-ready form.
｢Big one, what's wrong?｣
Number 26, who had been asleep above my head, stirred at the vibrations.
｢Is this Little one's home?｣
[ZZZ ZZZZ ZZZ (Sort of, but there's a problem.)]
｢?｣
[ZZZ ZZ ZZZ (An enemy may have appeared.)]
I shaped massive pincers at the bow of the ship and pushed forward, intent on smashing into the Gigacracker before the ion cannon could fire.
The artificial fortress, swollen with energy, loomed closer by the second. In just a few moments, my pincers would drive into its hull.
Then, a craft emerged from the Gigacracker somewhere between a carrier-borne craft and a small frigate.
'That type… I know it.'
It was a famous ship, the 'Wandering Ghost'. The most coveted pirate vessel among Spacedock players.
'A pirate ship here…? Oh.'
I realized who must be aboard. It had to be the Mother of the Sky the one who had set out to find a way to resist the Storm of Madness. She had returned to White Stone before me.
The Wandering Ghost darted through space, but instead of attacking, it circled around me. Number 26 immediately sensed it and bounced with excitement.
｢Middle one!｣
The Mother of the Sky saw me, then returned to the Gigacracker. The ion cannon, which had been gathering energy, powered down and went dormant.
｢Not an enemy! What a relief!｣
[ZZZ (Looks that way.)]
The Gallagons' location had not been exposed after all. A relief but I still couldn't lower my guard.
'She didn't know I had jumped here…'
She only recognized me after checking directly. That was strange why hadn't PS-111 detected it?
'Something must have happened after all.'
PS-111 had severed communication after sending me and Number 26 to the sea planet. I had assumed that was a mistake, but now… this uneasy feeling was setting in.
I drew near the Gigacracker and released the "Horizon of Nightmares."
[ZZZZ (Let's go.)]
｢Yes.｣
After gathering Number 26 and what we needed, I left my ship and flew into the Gigacracker's cargo hold.
But the cargo hold I remembered once overflowing with ores was now completely emptied.
In its place stood a massive, mutated Mountain Crawler.
｢Wow! It's Toughie!｣
｢Grooh?｣
｢Hello, Toughie!｣
｢Groooh…｣
Number 26 waved its tentacles happily at the Mountain Crawler it hadn't seen in so long. The creature answered by blinking its four large eyes.
｢You both made it out safe!｣
｢Hello, Middle one!｣
And then, the Mountain Crawler's master appeared as well. Entering the cargo bay, the Mother of the Sky rushed to Number 26 and embraced it tightly.
｢I was so worried since I couldn't reach you, but thank goodness!｣
｢Hehe, that tickles! This is fun!｣
｢Are you hurt anywhere?｣
｢Nope! Nothing hurts!｣
She gently stroked Number 26, checking it all over. Number 26 twitched with joy, clearly pleased by the soft, downy caress of her talons.
At last, her mesmerizing amber eyes turned toward me.
｢And you… you've changed.｣
[ZZZ (So have you.)]
She seemed a little startled at my altered form, brought on by the 'Gluttonmaw Pouch'.
I felt the same way. Her appearance was far different from when she had left the Gallagon's world.
The most striking change was in color. Her crest of feathers once white like an osprey's now burned crimson, as if masked in red.
Her fiery mane, which had once blazed like flame, had turned black, flowing down past her waist instead of her shoulders.
And the golden shine of her body's fur had dulled until it was nearly white.
Red crest, black mane, platinum coat the combination made her presence even fiercer than before.
[ZZZ ZZZ ZZ (You've gained the power of the Barong.)]
｢That's right.｣
The Mother of the Sky had gained the ability to transform into one of four phantom beasts other than a griffon, thanks to her unique trait: the 'The camouflage of the Huntress', Chimera, Wendigo, Thunderbird, and now—
The newest addition: the red-maned lion known as Barong, modeled after the holy beast of Indonesian legend.
｢Typical Amorph you even figured this out. I didn't expect you to know right away.｣
[ZZZ ZZZ (It's the phantom beast you needed most right now.)]
She was right. Barong was a rare choice in the game, picked by only a handful of players.
Not because it was weak, or ugly Barong's power was unique.
Its gift was the stabilization of thought and perception. It negates all effects that tamper with the mind, mental domination, distortions of awareness, even abilities like 'Mimicry Organs' that worked through pheromones.
And in beast form, it could share this stabilizing effect with allies in range. Against foes that assaulted the mind, Barong was the ultimate support.
'And it looks damned impressive too, like a living lion-mask.'
Yet few players ever chose it, for a single reason. Its full usefulness only appeared much later.
While a player was still growing, they almost never faced enemies who controlled or scrambled the mind. And physically, Barong's beast form wasn't all that strong.
So few Wolf players ever picked it.
'Of course, for the Mother of the Sky, that's irrelevant.'
Thanks to the Camouflage of the Huntress, she could draw out every advantage while avoiding the drawbacks. Her lack of direct combat buffs didn't matter at all.
[ZZZ ZZZ (So now the energy field doesn't affect you?)]
｢That seems right. Maybe I need to stay like this longer to be absolutely sure, but for now—I don't feel a thing.｣
[ZZZ (Good.)]
｢But tell me… the energy field hasn't grown stronger, has it? From the look of the human you brought, I'm concerned.｣
Her beak tipped toward the human I had dragged along—the lone survivor from the Invader. He had collapsed on the floor, drooling mindlessly.
[ZZZ ZZZZ ZZ (The field is unchanged. That condition is from parasites.)]
｢Parasites? He must be someone important then.｣
[ZZZ ZZZZ (That's Akira Yujin's butler.)]
｢…I'd heard he went to the rubbish planet, and now you say his butler? What in the world happened there?｣
[ZZZ (Huh?)]
Her eyes widened. Her reaction was strange like she had never been told what occurred on the Garbage Star at all.
｢Middle one.｣
Number 26 tapped her with a feeler.
｢Where's Little one? And her friends? Where are Small one and the others?｣
Come to think of it, they were nowhere to be found. Not even the MPS units who worked within the Gigacracker.
｢…PS-111, Isabel, Adhai… none of them have returned. No more accurately, they cannot return.｣
[ZZZ (What?)]
Her thought-waves carried unease, heavy with dread like something terrible had happened.
She set Number 26 down and walked to the corner of the cargo bay, retrieving something.
It was the mini-Screamer she had taken with her when she set off to gain Barong's power. But now the tiny creature, once buzzing with energy, lay utterly motionless, as if dead.
｢Every Screamer has stopped functioning. And what's worse every control device PS-111 ever built has gone silent.｣
Her nervous voice, her words, it all made sense now. Why none of the others had come to help me and Number 26.
The beings that knew our location… were gone.
[ZZZ ZZZZ ZZ (You mean PS-111 is dead? Maybe the link just got severed.)]
｢A month ago, Isabel sent me a brief message. She said she was heading into Star Union… to save her sister.｣
[ZZZ ZZ ZZZZ (So that's why she wasn't here.)]
The Mother of the Sky nodded silently.
｢Did… our friend die?｣
Number 26 finally understood. Its body flushed to a pale, washed-out white. I hadn't seen it suffer like this since the old days, when it was tortured in the research labs.
And I understood it all too well. I felt the same.
PS-111 and I had survived countless perils side by side. It wasn't just an ally it was a trusted comrade, a friend.
That such a precious being could die without me even knowing… if I said I wasn't hollowed out, I'd be lying. If I had a human body, I'd already be sobbing aloud.
'But still…'
It wasn't the time to grieve. Not yet.
[ZZZZZ ZZZ ZZZZ (You said Isabel went to Star Union, right?)]
｢Yes. I think she means to heal her sister.｣
PS-111's body was more machine than flesh. It often rebuilt and modified itself.
If the right tools and facilities could be found… perhaps resurrection wasn't impossible.
[ZZZ ZZZ ZZZZ (You think she's heading for Zak-01?)]
｢Probably. That's where they manufacture the Supreme Council.｣
The Supreme Council, the highest-ranking androids that rule all of Star Union. Every one of them is created in the factories of Zak-01. If one reached that factory, perhaps PS-111 could be restored.
But Zak-01 is the capital world of Star Union. Getting onto the planet alone is no easy feat. And infiltrating the Council's production facilities? Far harder still.
[ZZZ ZZZ (Two alone can't possibly infiltrate.)]
｢Which means there must be others already there, clustered in force.｣
A Ranker like Isabel would know this. If she still went, it was grief guiding her hand… clouding her judgment.
｢Still, the fact she left me a message means she hasn't lost her reason entirely. She must be moving with caution.｣
[ZZZ ZZ (That makes sense.)]
｢Then we have to go before it's too late. We can't risk losing Isabel and Adhai too.｣
She was right. If we hesitated, we might lose them both the same way.
'Seems our next destination has already chosen itself.'
The kingdom of machines, forged by cyborgs and androids alike: Star Union.
-x-X-x-
｢Can we really bring our friend back?｣
Number 26, who had been listening quietly, asked the question in a careful, almost trembling voice.
｢Yes. I can't say for certain, but it's possible.｣
｢Wow!｣
At those words, Number 26's body immediately regained its glow. It bounced in place joyfully, shining brightly again.
｢Big one! Let's go right now!｣
[ZZZ ZZZ (Not yet.)]
｢Why not?｣
Star Union was the faction with the least direct contact with me, the Amorph. I had fought many Cyborg Rankers, but actually entering the capital of Star Union that had only happened two or three times.
'And never through stealth. Every time had been during open war, charging in head-on.'
I knew the locations of Zak-01's anti-air systems, but little beyond that. It remained an almost completely unknown territory.
[ZZZZ ZZZ ZZZ ZZZZ (If we want to help them, we need preparation. Just hold on a little longer.)]
｢Okay…｣
Number 26 drooped, its bright glow dimmed again. Still, it wasn't as pale as before. I stroked it gently to comfort it.
'Before preparing, I should call Shinobu.'
The Spacedock Ranker Shinobu had once taken commissions from Akira Yujin and the Grand Elder. He even received support from the Supreme Council and new model Prometheus units; his ties to Star Union ran deep.
He was bound to know the inner workings of Zak-01 better than anyone. I needed to hear the state of things there.
[ZZZ ZZZ ZZZZ ZZ (Where's Shinobu now?)]
｢Shinobu?｣
[ZZZZ ZZZ ZZZ (I need to ask him about Star Union.)]
The Mother of the Sky's eyes widened. She hesitated, then answered.
｢Ah… he's already dead. It's been a while.｣
[ZZZ (Dead?)]
｢After parting ways with you, I went to the black market Shinobu managed. He'd kept the material to unlock Barong hidden in his private vault.｣
A secret vault for storing pure genetic samples that fit Shinobu's special trait well.
｢But while he was away, other pirates staged an uprising. They detonated an EMP bomb right in the market square.｣
PS-111 had installed a control implant in Shinobu's head. When the machine it linked to died, its wearer soon followed.
｢After the EMP went off, every pirate in the market rushed for his vault. Shinobu went berserk too.｣
[ZZ Z ZZZ ZZZZ (Because he didn't realize he was already dying.)]
｢Yes. Fighting him and the pirates at the same time… it wasn't easy. In the end, I had no choice but to put him down first.｣
A Ranker in his own stronghold, armed with his genetic vault—and a horde of pirates lunging for her throat it must have been a brutal battle.
｢After Shinobu's death, I barely managed to escape. If the Wandering Ghost hadn't been in that vault, I never would have made it here alive.｣
[ZZ ZZZ ZZ (So that's how it was…)]
I had suspected as much. The famous pirate ship here made sense—but that its master had died, I hadn't expected.
'He could have been useful… that's why I spared him before.'
｢…I should have been more careful. I'm sorry.｣
Her thought-waves carried an apology, steeped in genuine regret.
'It can't be helped.'
The uprising in the black market had been an unforeseen variable. If she had slipped even once, she might have been lost too. Blaming her would serve nothing.
[ZZZZ ZZZ ZZ (It's fine. What matters is that you returned safely.)]
｢That's right! If Middle one got hurt, I'd be so sad!｣
Number 26 suddenly piped up, waving a tentacle to pat the Mother of the Sky's head.
｢Good job not getting hurt. Brave one!｣
｢….｣
The Mother of the Sky froze and accepted the awkward praise with an uneasy face.
Losing a valuable information source was unfortunate. But it wasn't a complete loss.
She had said it herself because she finished Shinobu with her own hands, his special trait had transferred to her.
[ZZZ ZZZ (What happened to his trait?)]
｢Just as you'd expect it passed to me.｣
[ZZZ ZZZ ZZZZ ZZ (And how did it change? Is it the same as his?)]
｢No. It's very different so different it may as well be called another trait entirely.｣
[ZZZ (Show me.)]
｢I can't right now. To trigger it, I need a sample. I'll have to fetch some from the support ship first.｣
So the requirement remained the same: her new ability still demanded genetic samples to activate, even if its effects had changed completely.
｢Middle one, where are you going?｣
｢Just stepping out for a bit. I'll be back soon.｣
｢Going to Little one's home? Then I want to go too!｣
Number 26 followed after the Mother of the Sky as she set out toward 'White Stone'. It seemed eager to make sure the Gallagon hatchlings were safe. The two of them left the cargo bay together.
｢Grooooh…｣
The Mountain Crawler yawned widely as its master departed, the alloy-plated floor trembling faintly from the vibration.
'So much for using Shinobu. That option's gone. I'll have to find another way.'
My gaze drifted toward the collapsed human butler of Akira Yujin.
He had been the closest aide to the Megacorp CEO, entrusted with countless secrets and intelligence. Chances were, he knew a fair deal about Zak-01.
'But how much of it can I trust?'
It wasn't his lies I feared, but the possibility that the Grand Elder of Star Union had deliberately fed him falsehoods.
'Just because the leaders are allied doesn't mean the factions are truly friendly.'
They had entered the pact only to hunt me down. Before then, they'd clashed sporadically, each seeking its own advantage and antagonistic coexistence built on deception.
'A lot of what's in that butler's head could be planted with misinformation.'
And false data is worse than ignorance. Until I could cross-check it, his knowledge was best set aside.
'No answers for now. No point brooding alone.'
Instead of chasing empty thoughts, it would be better to review my arsenal and see what could be useful for infiltration. I opened the text-box.
'Gremlin Moss, Shadow Shroud, and Stranger's Usurpation… these might come in handy.'
Shadow Shroud and Stranger's Usurpation worked in almost every covert op. Gremlin Moss, strengthened by the Great Parasite bonus, was devastating against machines.
But most of my other abilities weren't as promising here.
'Parasite Swarm' and 'Mimicry Organs,' two of my most frequently used traits, would be nearly useless. Parasites and pheromone-based disruption simply had no effect on androids.
'Anything that influences minds or exploits organic tissue won't shine in Star Union's mechanical realm.'
What I truly needed was a new weapon. Something unseen. A unique trait that could tip the balance.
I called up the synthesis formula I had unlocked previously.
'Transcendence' Recipe (New!): Parasitic Humanoid Host, Hive Parasite, Predatory Nest, Zombie Fly, Horror Stalker
This had appeared alongside the Gluttonmaw Pouch. I hadn't crafted it yet for one reason. The ingredients. Two of them were the core traits I relied on most.
'At least I can rebuild Parasite Swarm by fighting Outspace creatures…'
The true sticking point was Faceworm Host.
Its value lay in storing the genetic codes of intelligent species—humans, cultists, and others. That stored data enabled Mimicry Organs, or recalling the memories of the dead.
'If that trait disappeared, every gene sample would vanish too.'
When I had turned the "Humanoid Parasite" trait into "Humanoid Parasite Host," the genetic archive had transferred intact. Likely because the two abilities shared the same core mechanism. Whether that would remain true in forging a Unique Trait was impossible to know.
'Besides, it's under ban on seals already.'
Ever since acquiring the "Twisted Abomination," certain traits had been locked under taboo. Faceworm Host was among those sealed.
And the only way to undo that restriction… was to create a new Unique Trait, reshaping the very structure of my body.
'And if I succeed in creating this one… my "Cosmic Monster" type advances to the next stage.'
So far, I've secured a total of 11 Cosmic Monster traits. Once I gain the 12th, my type will advance from Stage 2 to Stage 3.
Each stage advancement of the Cosmic Monster type grants a special reward—so this time, too, I should expect something new.
A type reward, and a Unique Trait. The price will be casting away the Faceworms' stored memories.
'What's the right move here…?'
As I pondered the text-box, a faint stir came from outside.
The heavy freight gate rumbled open, and three of Megacorp's massive construction mechs, MCAE (Multipurpose Construction Auxiliary Equipment), trundled into the cargo bay.
｢Groooh…｣
The Mountain Crawler, until now sprawled on the floor, rose slowly at the sight.
'Feeding time.'
Piloted by Coldbloods in spacesuits, each MCAE carried a cart laden with ore. They left the carts by the gate without bringing them inside—because my energy field covered the cargo bay.
From a distance, the Coldbloods bowed deeply toward me.
They were the ones Isabel had saved, continuing her elder sister's will. Now they lived at the White Stone camp, hunting side by side with the Gallagons and maintaining the Gigacracker.
To them, I was the one who had given them a safe shelter. Every time they saw me, they showed reverence.
'They really don't have to do that.'
Coldbloods, being tied to Vortex-One, possessed natural resistance to psychic assaults. But resisting didn't mean immunity; even at this range, my field had to be agonizing. Still, they bowed.
'Tch.'
I dipped my head quickly in return, and only then did they straighten and slowly withdraw.
'…Wait.'
A memory stirred.
Long ago, following Adhai's lead toward the former Dragon's Nest, I had devoured a Star Union supply ship.
'There were Coldbloods aboard that vessel too.'
When Star Union creates cyborgs, they almost always use humans as base material. Wolf-folk or Coldbloods aren't the norm. At the time, I had been too focused on gaining traits to dwell on it.
But in hindsight, maybe that ship was carrying Coldbloods to be processed—raw stock for producing Mutant Screamers.
'A supply ship…'
The Dominion Faction always threw hordes of Mutant Screamers into battle against me. Which means, of course, they had facilities to mass-produce them. And if that was the case, then supply ships carrying Coldbloods still existed.
If I could exploit that, it might become my route into Zak-01 itself.
'It's worth a try.'
｢Groooh…｣
I decided I would bring this up once the Mother of the Sky returned.
Until then, I stayed at the edge of the bay, watching as the Mountain Crawler began its meal, and waited for her to come back.
——————
After about an hour, the Mother of the Sky returned.
[ZZZ ZZZ ZZZ (Number 26 went to see the Gallagons, didn't it?)]
｢Yes. They all liked it, especially the caretakers.｣
Just as I expected.
Because of its time with Adhai, Number 26 was good with Gallagon hatchlings. Even the usually unruly Blue Gallagons became docile in its presence, so the nest always welcomed it warmly.
[ZZZ ZZZZ ZZ (No doubt it feels good to be held by it.)]
｢That's tru… wait, what?｣
[ZZZZ ZZZ (Anyway, did you bring the samples?)]
｢Oh, right. Hold on.｣
She gave me a strange look, then pulled out something from her med-kit, a genetic injector for transferring harvested samples.
[ZZZZ ZZZ ZZ (That's all you need? Nothing else?)]
｢Yes. Just injecting it straight into the body is enough.｣
Normally, gene modification required stabilizers, advanced capsules, and complex machinery. But her trait made all of that unnecessary.
She pressed the injector into her arm. Refined genetic fluid flowed into her veins.
Within moments, her body began to shift. Her head once like an osprey's grew elongated, bat-like ears, and her torso and arms swelled with corded muscle.
'Looks like… a Cavegoyle?'
Those winged beasts from the underground, half-bat, half-ape.
[ZZZ ZZZ ZZ (Did you just transform into a Cavegoyle?)]
｢That's right though it's more like I added on.｣
She leapt upward in a single bound, clinging barehanded to the flat ceiling. Opening her beak slightly, she lost a burst of inaudible sound that rippled through the bay.
｢This new trait is called Reincarnative Adaptation. With it, I can use the powers of whatever creature the sample came from.｣
Climbing across ceilings, echolocation all classic Cavegoyle abilities, now seamlessly hers.
[ZZZ ZZZ (So the creature's traits apply to you?)]
｢Yes, but it feels different. More natural, as though they were my own body. Like when I transform into a phantom beast.｣
[ZZZ ZZZ ZZ (What if you transform now?)]
｢I tested that. When I shift, those abilities adapt along. If I became a Thunderbird now, for example, its wings would grow far larger.｣
That explained why she had said it was an addition.
'The exact opposite of Shinobu's trait…'
Instead of luring rare beasts, she absorbed their strengths directly. The only similarity was the use of genetic samples.
'Impressive. Really impressive.'
With this, she could wield the strengths of any creature. If she injected a Vortex-One sample, she'd essentially become a pseudo Vortex-One herself. In many ways, this surpassed even Amorphs or Outspacers.
'So powerful… it almost worries me.'
Space Survival's rule of balance was ironclad: great power always came with a price.
[ZZZ ZZ (How long does it last?)]
｢Ten minutes. Injecting more doesn't extend it.｣
[ZZZ ZZZZ (And other creatures' samples?)]
｢Same. They do nothing until the ability resets. That takes three days.｣
As expected, the price was steep.
'Ten minutes active… with a three-day cooldown.'
The duration wasn't the real problem. In battle, ten minutes was an eternity, if timed well.
The greater drawbacks were the long cooldown and the sample cost.
And strong creatures' samples were rare. Apex beings' samples, even rarer still.
'And it's not like any of us can refine genetic stock on our own right now.'
Until PS-111 returns, every sample must be used sparingly.
[ZZ ZZZ ZZZ (Then it's best saved as a trump card.)]
She dropped lightly from the ceiling, landing without a sound, and nodded.
｢Yes. The number of samples I have is limited, and no one here can make new ones.｣
[ZZZ ZZZ ZZ (I have something to say about that.)]
｢?｣
[ZZZ ZZZZ ZZ ZZZ (When we go to Star Union, I want the Coldbloods' help.)]
｢Coldbloods?｣
[ZZZ ZZZ ZZ (I need to ask them about the supply ships.)]
｢Supply ships… oh! You mean the ones we saw back then?｣
[ZZZ (Exactly.)]
｢So you intend to infiltrate Star Union aboard their supply lines.｣
As expected, with how long we've worked together, she grasped my intention at once.
｢But… I'm not sure if the Coldbloods here would know. They've lived in hiding too long. Even during the time with Isabel, they barely ever left their burrows.｣
[ZZZZZ ZZZ ZZZZ (It's fine. If they don't know, then nothing can be done.)]
｢Alright. When the resident council meets, I'll bring it up.｣
[ZZZ ZZZ ZZ (Resident council? There's such a thing now?)]
She nodded.
｢Yes. It started while we were gone. The Coldbloods, the Wolven, and the Gallagons gather to talk.｣
[ZZZ ZZZ (The Gallagons attend too?)]
｢Sometimes. Nel Germa brings a few along.｣
The camp now held fifty people—enough to be called a small village. Different species and different cultures lived together. Holding regular meetings for survival and communication made sense.
But Gallagons attending that was unexpected.
[ZZZ ZZ ZZZ (Did something happen to their brood?)]
｢No. They attend because they want to help. The council's whole purpose is to find ways to aid us.｣
[ZZZ ZZ (Aid us? Why?)]
｢Because they're grateful.｣
She said it firmly.
｢Everyone on White Stone shares the pain of being persecuted and driven from their homes by greater powers. We gave them shelter, safety. Of course they're thankful.｣
[ZZZ ZZZZ ZZ (Fair enough. You and Isabel protected them, after all.)]
｢Why do you exclude yourself? They're just as thankful to you. They only can't come close because of your energy field.｣
[ZZZ (I see…)]
Her words made me recall the Coldbloods earlier bowing deeply despite the torment of my field.
｢And besides, everyone knows. A great storm is coming.｣
Her griffon-eyes gleamed with gravity.
｢To survive the war ahead, they need a strong refuge. A fortress that cannot be broken. Helping us strengthen the walls is how they ensure their safety.｣
I'd heard something like this before.
Isabel had told me my growing strength had reached a scale that influenced the cosmos itself. And because of that, a following naturally formed around me. From then on, survival was no longer mine alone. Others' lives would also rest upon me.
And that wasn't necessarily bad. For the protection I gave, I received aid in return.
'An Amorph with a following…'
In its own way, wasn't that another form of evolution? A new weapon, like the extra arms and tails that had once grown upon me.
The only difference being that these weapons couldn't be regrown if lost.
[ZZZ ZZZZ ZZ (Isabel said much the same. She said she would entrust her life to me.)]
｢She did?｣
In return, she had begged me to protect PS-111 and she had confessed all she knew of Beom-Ho and Si-Hyun Yujin.
'Another reason I must save PS-111.'
The Mother of the Sky tilted her head, beak sharp, eyes narrowing slightly.
｢Just what kind of situation drove her to say something like that?｣
The Mother of the Sky, who hadn't been there for any of it, widened her eyes in disbelief.
Come to think of it, I had heard her story but not shared mine. I hadn't told her what really happened on the way to Megacorp's scrapyard, who I met afterward, or the dangers I'd stumbled into.
So I began to recount it all.
By the time I finished the tale, even after the effect of her Reincarnative Adaptation had long expired, a heavy silence lingered.
｢…So that's what happened.｣
She exhaled thought-waves like a sigh, after listening wordlessly for so long.
｢Are you alright?｣
[ZZZ ZZZ ZZ (Of course. No aftereffects at all.)]
｢No—I don't mean aftereffects. If what the Seventh said was true, then you…｣
Her gaze settled on me with quiet worry.
Her telepathic pulse faltered and went silent, but I knew what she had meant anyway.
'My true nature.'
Until now, I had judged and acted as though I were human. And yet, the truth was that I was an Amorph—one implanted with human memories.
Who wouldn't be shaken, having their very existence denied? When I first heard it, I had been. The shock was real.
'But still…'
[ZZZZ ZZZ (Whatever I am...I am me.)]
To Number 26, I was the Big one it loved. To Adhai, a respected elder. And at my core, an Amorph who valued evolution and survival above all.
Nothing I had seen, endured, or chosen until now had changed. Once I realized that, the confusion melted away.
｢I see.｣
Sensing the steadiness in my waves, she nodded. The worried edge left her eyes.
｢I'm relieved. You really are steady—good.｣
[ZZZ ZZZZ ZZ (You don't seem very surprised.)]
｢Why would I be? You're the same Amorph I've always known. Nothing about you has changed. And besides…｣
The griffon-wolf shrugged casually.
｢Actually, I prefer you like this. In the game, you didn't have any humanity at all.｣
Her eyes softened briefly before sharpening again.
｢Then our biggest problem is the Seventh.｣
[ZZZ (Exactly.)]
｢The one who tried to seize your body, but failed… he's not dead yet, is he?｣
[ZZZ ZZZ (He's still alive.)]
Though Number 26 and I had shattered his prison, we hadn't destroyed the entity that birthed the illusions. Beom-Ho himself had not died.
[ZZZ ZZZZ ZZ (We must find him before he strikes again.)]
｢Which means we'll need Isabel.｣
[ZZZ (Yes.)]
｢…That won't be easy. Her ability isn't omnipotent. If the Seventh truly means to vanish, finding him will be harder still.｣
[ZZZZ ZZZ Z (We'll start with places he's likely to be.)]
In my mind were maps of Cult players' haunts, their hideouts and strongholds. Somewhere in those records, traces of his presence would remain. That was where I planned to begin.
｢Hm. That could take a long time. Even if we help Isabel, it'll still take ages. And if he's determined to hide…｣
[ZZZ ZZ (There's no other choice.)]
She scratched her beak with a claw, deep in thought, then spoke.
｢What about that 'Information Function Body' you mentioned before? Maybe it knows something.｣
[ZZZ ZZ ZZZ (Information Function Body?)]
｢I don't know whether it's trustworthy or not but its connection to the Seventh is undeniable.｣
True enough.
It was after following its words that I'd fallen into Beom-Ho's trap. And Beom-Ho himself had clearly known of it, too. A link existed between them.
'The problem is I have no way to summon it.'
I'd entered cocoons several times during trait fusions, but it had never appeared. Perhaps it only came if it chose to, or if other hidden conditions were met.
She knew that as well. And yet she brought it up because she had a reason.
[ZZZ ZZ ZZZ (You think this time will be different?)]
｢Yes. Once you gain one more trait, your Cosmic Monster type rises to the next stage, doesn't it? Perhaps then it will finally appear.｣
I had thought as much myself. But the cost had always kept me from acting the risk of losing the Faceworms' memories stored inside me.
'But a new trait is the key here.'
Would I simply acquire it, and nothing more? Or would I evolve to the next stage? A coin flip, the outcome unknown.
While I weighed the choice, she waited silently, patient for my decision.
At last, I chose.
[ZZZ ZZZ ZZZZ (I'll enter the cocoon again.)]
｢Good. Meanwhile, I'll see what further aid the residents can provide.｣
Together, we left the Gigacracker for White Stone.
｢Good luck.｣
Through ice and cold I made my way underground, until I had traveled far enough to nest and prepare safely.
There, at the bottom of a frozen pit devoid of heat or life, I began my evolution.
｢'Transcendence' Ingredient List (New!): Parasitic Humanoid Host, Hive Parasite, Predatory Nest, Zombie Fly, Horror Stalker｣
｢Do you wish to use the Transcendence System?｣
'Confirm.'
Black ichor seeped from between my scales and plates, steaming as it struck the frozen ground. My body and mind unraveled, dissolving into threads that sank into the cocoon.
The process was the same as always or so it seemed.
When I opened my eyes, I was standing again.
Before me stretched an endless black plain, barren, without light or color. I knew it well. I had come here three times before.
And across from me stood the figure I had half-hoped, half-feared to see—
A being shaped like my 'real-world self', yet utterly other. The long-absent Information Function Body, at last revealing itself.
"Long time no see."
—————