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[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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Chapter 463
If you were to pick the species that hates the Vortex One the most in Space Survival, it would definitely be the Outspacers.
It makes sense they only crossed over into this universe because of the Vortex One.
The Outspacers came here after having their home taken by the demons of the universe. Even their ending condition is deeply tied to the Vortex One.
For two species of deadly enemies to move together like that it’s not normal.
‘Come to think of it, their appearance is a bit different too.’
Just like its name, the Wings of the Heavens has an immense number of wings, with a torso covered in countless eyes at their center.
But this one has a human woman’s face in place of the many eyes on its torso.
｢Amorph?｣
At the moment I was observing the distant enemies, a familiar energy signature was detected.
｢Amorph, it’s you, right?｣
｢Have you finished growing?｣
｢Big baby!｣
Number 26 flew over holding the Screamer sisters with its fins.
｢Big Adult?｣
Just then, Adhai, who had been fighting alone, spotted me. The ones who had separated while I was sleeping gathered once again.
｢Wow! Big baby’s so cute!｣
｢You say it’s cute?｣
｢Yeah! Cute!｣
As soon as Number 26 came near, it gently caressed my tentacle arms with its own tentacles. It seemed very pleased and repeatedly glowed brightly. It clearly liked my octopus-like new appearance.
｢Interesting. Worth imitating.｣
PS-111 also showed interest in my greatly changed form.
Of course, not all feedback was positive.
｢Now you can’t be Amorph anymore.｣
｢Really?｣
Isabel is the only one among the three who knows what I looked like in the game. Seeing how drastically I changed, she shook her head in disbelief.
In contrast, Adhai had a strong reaction. She rubbed her amethyst-like eyes with her front paws as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She seemed quite shocked.
｢Big Adult｣｢weird｣｢Ugly.｣
｢No, big baby became cute.｣
｢Denial. Big Adult. Cocoon. When? Enter?｣
As she said, synthesizing the unique trait does change the body, but how the form turns out afterward is unpredictable. It’s possible I might transform into something Adhai wouldn’t like.
‘Of course, if I tell the truth, she won’t like it.’
Just as I was about to say I’d try, the surroundings began to shimmer like a heat haze.
I quickly gathered the others with my tentacles and retreated.
Soon cracks like broken glass veins appeared in the space where we were. It was an attack from the Wings of the Heavens. If caught in those cracks, your body gets shredded like the ships did.
[ZZZ ZZ ZZ (Let’s talk later)]
｢Yeah!｣
｢Agreed.｣
Behind me, as I moved holding the kids, the space crushed repeatedly.
But none of the attacks touched me. I could see all incoming attacks beforehand.
‘Thanks to the auxiliary organ.’
The auxiliary organ under my jaw has gone through multiple evolutions, greatly improving its performance. Because of it, the otherwise imperceptible attacks from the Vortex One can be clearly sensed.
An attack that cut a warship in half doesn’t matter if it doesn’t hit me. I easily dodged the Vortex One’s assaults.
｢Detection ability, excellent.｣
｢Be careful. The enemy is not alone.｣
No sooner had Isabel finished speaking than the Outspacer group near the Vortex One disappeared. From the shimmering space around me, they suddenly popped out.
‘Annoying.’
That too is a power of the Wings of the Heavens. Both splitting the warship and instantly moving the Outspacers come from one ability.
‘It connects specific coordinates to an unknown dimension.’
Simply put, it creates a small, short-lived wormhole. The sudden splitting of Megacorp ships happened because it sent parts of their hulls into another dimension.
‘This can’t even be blocked by defense.’
Adhai in Red Armor dodged instinctively, knowing it can’t be stopped.
Anyway, the objects sucked in can be released again when the Wings of the Heavens wants. It’s how it sent Outspacers toward me.
‘It’s a bit different from how it was used in the game.’
Intelligent beings who return from the dimension get a debuff called ‘Dimensional Madness.’ When inflicted, they lose their minds and attack nearby lifeforms.
In the game, the Wings of the Heavens used this to divide players attacking it.
However, lower-level Outspacers without intelligence and android-like drones following orders don’t get Dimensional Madness. That’s why the Outspacers chasing me aren’t mad.
[ZZZ ZZ ZZZZ ZZ (Why are the Outspacers obeying the Vortex One’s orders?)]
｢That’s not the Vortex One.｣
Isabel wrapped the approaching Outspacer and crushed it, replying:
[ZZZZ (It’s not true?)]
｢It’s a female king with Vortex One genes applied.｣
‘A queen?’
Isabel possesses the special ability Omnipresent Clairvoyance, allowing her to read the opponent’s information. Her assessment must be correct. Yet one question remains.
‘Even so, she shouldn’t be able to use the exact same abilities.’
Amorph and Outspacers absorb genetic essences from other creatures to imitate their traits. But there are limits to that imitation.
For example, just because I devour the Red Gallagon several times doesn’t mean I become exactly like Adhai. The Dragon Power is unique to the Red Gallagon and cannot be obtained, and techniques like Red Armor are weakened or distorted.
The same applies to the Vortex One. Acquiring the prior trait Demon Machine doesn’t mean they can use all of its abilities unchanged. The ability to create wormholes, which the Wings of the Heavens possesses, is an identity trait it’s impossible to perfectly reproduce it.
But that queen escaped those limitations and wields Vortex One power at will.
What this means is obvious.
[ZZZ ZZ (It’s a special ability)]
｢Exactly.｣
[ZZZ ZZ ZZ (Could that be the 4th ranker?)]
｢No. Different ranker.｣
Now that I think about it, I’ve heard before that the Outspacer return faction has another ranker besides the 4th. It seems this one came to raid the secret base instead of the 4th.
[ZZZZ ZZ (What about the others?)]
｢Ranker alone. But there’s a strong queen.｣
｢Right! There’s a strong bad friend!｣
Number 26 answered the question, pointing its tentacles toward where the Wings of the Heavens was.
Behind the widely spread black wings was an Outspacer with teal skin.
‘So that’s the one.’
Judging by the appearance, it’s clear why Number 26 called it a friend. It’s an Outspacer created by inserting the Sea Demon’s genetic essence.
｢Enemy｣｢Attack｣｢Keep missing.｣
“When the little one was exploding, I tried to catch it so it couldn’t escape, but it was electrified and I couldn’t grab it.”
“Prometheus-like ability confirmed. Uses bio-signals to control energy. The control level matches mine.”
“The planetary defense fleet was quickly overwhelmed because of that.”
An energy manipulation ability.
That teal individual has a pretty troublesome power.
‘It complements the ranker’s weakness well.’
The Wings of the Heavens’ weakness is low defense. Its only defense is the Vortex One’s tough carapace.
So as long as we deal damage, it’s an opponent that can be taken down. But the energy-manipulating Outspacer covers that weakness.
‘We need to handle that one first…’
The problem is it surely knows that. It will do everything to protect itself.
That will probably drag the fight out unnecessarily.
‘A prolonged battle isn’t good right now.’
We’re in enemy territory. PS-111 currently blocks faster-than-light travel, so reinforcements can’t come, but we can’t be complacent.
‘Even if Megacorp doesn’t come, more Outspacers will.’
Using wormhole creation, they can infinitely supply low-level Outspacers. Long fights favor them, so it must end quickly.
‘For now, seal off energy traits. Need to go for melee.’
Approaching isn’t a good choice either. The wormhole generation speed of the Wings of the Heavens is linked to perception range. The closer it is, the faster wormholes form.
Wormholes are already forming rapidly now. Getting closer makes evading harder.
‘If I get caught, it’s over.’
Unless I have a way to disrupt the ranker’s perception, I can’t get close like this.
‘What to do?’
While dodging attacks and thinking, something occurred to me.
A newly acquired unique trait. I hadn’t yet checked it in the rush here.
‘Let’s see.’
I activated the semi-transparent text box. The moment I read it, my eyes unconsciously widened.
‘What’s this?’
A new unique trait, a complex battle situation, and a tricky opponent.
I suddenly thought of a way to connect and use these elements together.
[ZZZ ZZZ ZZZ (I just got a good idea)]
｢Good strategy?｣
｢Please share.｣
I explained the plan I just thought of to everyone, while my gaze remained locked on the text box:
｢Gluttonous Maw Pouch: You are a true predator who can eat everything. After greatly inflating your body, you suck in and swallow objects in front of you. Anything swallowed is immediately digested. The size and number of objects you can swallow is proportional to your own size.
Larger Maw: When using the trait to increase body size, the growth effect doubles.
PS: Eating is the most basic instinct of all life.｣
The eleventh synthesized unique trait, Gluttonous Maw Pouch.
It’s the key to overcoming the current crisis.
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[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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