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[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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Chapter 460
One of the Empress’s finest creations, Todes, had never known fear.
Deep within the swarm in ages past, the Empress had used the finest gene-essence to craft her and her sisters.
The Four Queens, hunting in the Empress’s name, had slain countless worthy foes and consumed entire planets. Their power rivaled the deadliest predators in the cosmos. None had ever stopped them.
Naturally, Todes had never experienced panic or fear in battle. The only ones that could instill any dread in her were her creator and the Grand Empress herself.
At least, that’s what she’d thought until today.
Now, on the boundary between planet and open space, crimson beams and white light tangled violently. Todes’s sister, Tyrann, was locked in a ferocious struggle with a mysterious foe.
Tyrann was a colonial organism, her “body” composed of swarms of miniature creatures sharing a single consciousness.
Her snake-like shape was simply the configuration her components favored; in combat, they could disperse like a cloud or restructure to match the situation.
Now, too giant fish formed from the little entities blocked the advance of the red intruder.
Right before collision, Tyrann’s form shattered into many pieces.
The fragments quickly reformed, this time as clusters of spikes narrow, sharp, with serrated edges like drillbits.
｢We pierce.｣
Spiky projections spread out in all directions, then spun rapidly and stabbed in at the target.
They aimed for wing membranes, the thin abdomen Todes had observed that this creature looked much like a Gallagon. If so, perhaps the weaknesses were the same.
｢!｣
But this was no ordinary Gallagon. None of the spikes so much as scratched their foe; in fact, some were shattered on impact, damaged by their own attack.
All because of the barrier around their opponent. An energy shield coating the crimson scales blocked Tyrann’s every assault.
Todes, a master of energy manipulation, tried to disrupt it, but it wasn’t easy. The shield wasn’t psychic power but some unknown energy.
And the Gallagon’s speed was absurd before Todes could even try to break the barrier, she struggled to even keep up with its position. Of all the creatures she knew, only her sister Kriege was as fast as this and perhaps not even her.
With a flick of its wings, the Gallagon flung the spikes away, then fixed its violet gaze on Todes. It was as if it was announcing that she was its next target.
Tyrann dove back in, but nothing changed. The two of them together simply could not stop this being.
｢We are in danger.｣
｢Retreat is impossible. Movement is being blocked.｣
Todes aimed her sensors at a distant spot on the battlefield, far behind the Gallagon.
There was something there: a composite organism, part living tissue, part metal, with an intricate mechanism. The being had been scattering special microparticles since the fight started.
Todes recognized them: the kind the Empress loathed, manufactured by the ‘metal puppets’ , a warp-jamming field that shuts down FTL travel.
｢Dispel it for us.｣
｢Impossible.｣
｢?｣
When the Empress made her, Todes was given a power specifically to disrupt those particles to jam their movements and break their field.
So Tyrann had demanded she use it, but Todes shook her head.
｢I’ve been trying since the battle began. But that being counters me faster every time.｣
Every time Todes tried to disrupt the particles, that being meticulously recalibrated each one, correcting their movement individually.
This, even Todes with transcendent intellect could barely fathom. Whoever she faced now was her equal in calculation power, if not her superior.
She had fought countless enemies, but never one whose abilities so closely matched hers and never had she been so thoroughly outclassed.
｢We did not understand.｣
｢That one surpasses me. So I’ll give my power to you.｣
But the gift from the Empress didn’t end there. Tyrann was startled; she knew what this “power” meant.
｢Really?｣
｢Yes.｣
Of the Four Queens, Todes was weakest in raw fighting strength. She couldn’t split and morph her body like Tyrann, nor race at lightning speeds like Kriege.
But she had been given a unique power her sisters did not possess.
｢Use that power to break the obstacle.｣
With those words, Todes began to prepare her trump card.
***
White flashes barraged from every side. The spiky swarm surged in on Adhai, even more menacing their surfaces bristling with thousands of tiny vibrating blades.
Thousands of monsters lunged. Yet in the storm’s eye, Adhai was calm. The crimson-armored Gallagon faced the oncoming throng with unshakable composure.
From her tentacled “mouth,” a psychic breath burst forth a violet globe, edged in red, that struck the incoming horde. With a roaring blaze, she vaporized a swath of foes in a single blast.
Those lucky enough to escape swung around to attack from behind and the flanks.
Adhai simply spun with her four outstretched wings; her “Red Armor”-coated wings sliced through the attackers like razor-sharp blades.
｢Almost done…｣
Just then, a fragmented mental wave arrived from faraway PS-111.
｢Don't go... too far...｣
｢Don’t worry. I know my range.｣
As the faint message reached her, Adhai smashed another spike-monster with her tail.
｢What's unique about these enemies?｣
｢Opponent... you're fighting... can absorb energy.｣
｢Absorb?｣
｢Steals strength, uses it to fuel and maintain the colony.｣
For a creature to not only survive colliding with her Red Armor but remain unscathed it was unheard of, especially for such small beings.
Just as PS-111 predicted, those swarming monsters were stealing Gallagon's strength to empower themselves. That was how they had survived crashing against her Red Armor.
｢Enemy like Little One｣｢What’s their trait?｣
｢Interference, manipulation of force. They’re even jamming our conversation.｣
｢Annoying.｣
Adhai glared past the swarming spike creatures at the other monster, one who watched the battle languidly, and closely resembled Little One, Number 26.
Not just the appearance, but the powers were similar too. Every time Adhai tried to attack, it missed her psychic breath's trajectory twisted invisible, just like the tricks Number 26 had shown before.
｢Enemy｣｢Weakness｣｢Tell me｣
｢Current opponent… absorbs power, but has limits.｣
｢Limits? It’s not infinite?｣
｢Restriction…｣
Suddenly, PS-111’s psychic wave was cut off. At the same moment, all the spike creatures stopped and began merging together.
｢?｣
Thousands of creatures fused into one, growing larger not just in size, but in the amount of energy that radiated from them.
Something was wrong. Sensing the danger, Adhai tried to retreat. But a massive tentacle from the fusing creature shot out and wrapped around her foreleg.
｢Let go!｣
She slashed at it with her Red Armor-coated wing as before, but the result was completely different this time. All it left was a tiny scratch; the tentacle was untouched.
Other tentacles seized her in no time, binding her tightly. Adhai’s body was pinned, completely immobilized.
｢So strong! Why?｣
No matter how she struggled, she couldn’t break free. Even her psychic breath had no effect. It was as if the enemy now possessed Red Armor too.
｢Danger｣｢Stay calm｣
Imprisoned in a living cage of tentacles, Adhai forced herself to stay collected. She focused her sensory tendrils outside the cocoon.
The first thing she felt was an alien energy: tendrils of power extending from the monster holding her.
These streams all led straight to the spectating creature like Number 26. Clearly, that one was orchestrating things.
But there was something even more important.
From the opposite direction, she sensed a familiar movement: small spike creatures were heading straight toward PS-111.
｢Bad!｣
PS-111 was a bad match for those creatures; they could even absorb Adhai’s power. She wouldn't last long alone.
Adhai fired off a frantic psychic warning, but no answer came, just brief bursts of energy that suggested her friend was still fighting and refusing to run.
PS-111 was smart. She had to know her disadvantage; it had to be that the other monster was actively interfering.
With their communication jammed, asking for help was impossible.
It was a true crisis. Only Adhai herself could break this deadlock.
｢Problem｣｢Enemy｣｢Solution｣｢Think｣｢Think｣
Pressed by the translucent tentacles, Adhai thought desperately. PS-111 had said the enemy could only absorb so much power there was a limit.
If she used her strongest weapon, she might be able to shatter this cage.
But if she did, she’d get caught in it herself. Red Armor or not, even she wasn’t invincible against the true power of stars.
Just then, a memory sparked something from long ago. The friend she called Ugly, Mother of the Sky, once taught her a technique: how to turn a small body into an advantage.
After Adhai finished growing, she never used it; she thought it pointless now that she was strong. But now, that forgotten past offered a way out.
Maintaining her Red Armor, Adhai now gathered her latent energy. The dragon power Gallagon's name “star force” responded to her will and awakened.
Normally, it would form in her mouth and blast outward. But this time, it spread through her entire body.
The Red Armor fused with it. Her scales and hide tore and shuddered as the tidal dragon power met her crimson outer shell.
｢No problem｣｢Nothing’s impossible!｣
Blood welled from her wounds, but she kept focus.
In the past, she used psychic power for body-shrouded hyper-acceleration; now, only the energy type has changed.
And the true master of the star’s power was herself, Adhai, daughter of the falling star. In her mind, she commanded it: Obey.
A moment later, Adhai’s whole body glowed as red as a burning star. Her trembling Red Armor stabilized in the brilliance.
｢You like eating power?｣
｢?!｣
The captor finally reacted, realizing too late what prey it had dared to target.
｢Then eat till you burst.｣
Adhai unleashed all her hoarded energy at the entity trying to spit her out.
Every scale blazed, red lightning surging out a storm, a star-slaying force, erupting against the tentacle prison from every direction.
The star power dyed the translucent tentacles in pink and crimson. Whatever energy they absorbed, it was futile.
For the rage of the queen of space dragons cannot be quenched so easily.
The monster's body melted away, like a sandcastle swept apart by the tide. No fish-monster fragments broke away and swam off; nothing remained at all.
The creature that bound Adhai was completely annihilated, its form lost within a storm of red lightning surging into space.
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[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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