Became an Evolving Space Monster - Chapter 209

HEL SCANS

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I vigorously flapped my wings, swiftly gaining altitude. The clouds that had been torn apart by my fight with Ham Ort had already returned to their original positions.

In the midst of the snow, rain, and occasional lightning, I could see a star floating majestically.

I flew quickly to approach Adhai.

｢Big adult.｣

[ZZZZ ZZZ ZZ (What happened?)]

 

｢Kin.｣ ｢Chased.｣

 

[ZZZ (Kin?)]

｢I.｣ ｢White kin.｣ ｢Meeting.｣ ｢Ham Ort.｣ ｢Pack.｣

As she said, the Gallagon were flying this way and fighting. The White Gallagon being chased was covered in blood, while the ten Green Gallagon chasing her appeared relatively unscathed.

Even if it was Ham Ort, a distinguished Gallagon, it would be difficult for an ordinary White Gallagon to face ten of them. If left alone, she would be hunted and killed by the Green Gallagon.

｢Big adult.｣ ｢White kin.｣ ｢Has something to say.｣

[ZZZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZ (Has something to say?)]

｢Important.｣ ｢Trust.｣ ｢Request.｣

I looked at her, thinking she wanted to save her kin, but that didn’t seem to be the atmosphere.

‘Eating the Green Gallagon right now wouldn’t be a bad idea either.’

The Symbol of the hunt had ended before I spoke with Adhai. Although the effect of predation might not appear, it wouldn’t be bad to fulfill the evolution conditions.

‘There are a lot of them….’

I looked around. Other than the ten, there were no additional Gallagon following.

[ZZZ ZZZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZZ (Shall we clean this up first?)]

｢Agree.｣

｢Let’s beat them up!｣

I spread my wings wide and gilded towards them. Adhai, who was flying beside me, dashed ahead with a speed as fast as her mother.

In the blink of an eye, she approached the group of Green Gallagon and began to move quickly, shooting Psychic Breaths.

‘Impressive.’

According to the setting, Gallagon needed to go through a series of charging processes to shoot Psychic Breaths. Because of this, they would stop their body before shooting.

The same goes for reality. Even a Gallagon with exceptional skills like Ham Ort would flinch slightly when shooting a Breath.

However, Adhai had no such drawbacks. He was firing short bursts of Psychic Breath in a rapid-fire manner while using super-acceleration.

The enemies were bewildered by the unprecedented attack style. They tried to cling to Adhai using their super-acceleration ability, but Adhai was much faster.

While Adhai drew attention, the blood-soaked White Gallagon also fought back against the enemies.

‘She’s fighting better than I thought, but…’

A newly grown Gallagon and a severely injured White Gallagon can’t defeat ten enemies.

If the Green Gallagons used their numerical advantage to encircle Adhai, it would be hard for her to exploit her strengths. It seemed the enemies had the same thought, as they began to position themselves to surround her.

‘I can’t let that happen.’

Although not as fast as Adhai or Ham Ort, I could also fly fairly quickly. I quietly approached the Gallagon, hiding in the clouds.

The Green Gallagons were completely focused on the enemy in front of them. I waited for one to fly near me and then darted forward.

｢?!｣

The Green Gallagon was startled when a creature several times its size suddenly appeared from the black clouds. The corrosive tendrils on my back quickly wrapped around its body.

｢Wa…｣

It tried to send out a warning telepathically, but I was faster. I opened my long snout wide and tore into its neck.

I carried the limp body of the Gallagon with its broken neck back into the clouds.

Lagmard, a green-scaled male gallagon belonging to the pack of the great Odd Grad, was in a good mood.

He had never had a chance to mate until he matured from blue to green scales. This was because the great Odd Grad strictly controlled the males, ensuring none but himself could have a mate.

The old black Gallagon was still so powerful that even the pure white adults were wary of him. A green-scaled Gallagon like Lagmard was no match at all.

One day, while he was quietly living in resignation, an opportunity came to him.

Ham Ort, the third mate of Odd Grad and second in rank in the pack, rebelled.

Despite her young age, the powerful white queen was a female Lagmard admired. She rejected Odd Grad’s domination and formed a new pack.

At that time, Lagmard had considered leaving the pack, but the fear of Odd Grad’s wrath prevented him from acting on it.

His prediction was correct. Those who followed Ham Ort could not escape the black Gallagon’s fury. Most were killed, and the white queen ended up laying eggs until she died.

If Lagmard could kill the remaining members of Ham Ort’s pack, he might gain the opportunity he had always desired.

That was the chance to mate with the white queen he admired. His dream was gradually becoming reality.

A small nuisance had appeared and caused some trouble, but he was not worried.

Although the abnormally small white kin was very fast and strong, that was all. Their green-scaled group was much larger in number.

It might take some time, but the ones who would survive here would be the pack of Odd Grad.

Thinking this, Lagmard looked at the target. Two kin were fighting against the white kin.

Just as he was about to think they were fighting well, Lagmard sensed something was wrong.

It was because there were originally three kin assigned to fight the white kin.

｢Lagmard!｣ ｢Target!｣ ｢Surround!｣ ｢Support!｣

A kin called out to him to catch the small nuisance. Lagmard, looking at his kin, realized that something was wrong here too.

There was one missing here as well.

｢Question.｣ ｢Kin.｣ ｢Missing.｣

｢Cannot.｣ ｢Understand.｣

｢Kin.｣ ｢Ten.｣ ｢Now.｣ ｢Eight.｣

｢?｣

The kin who didn’t understand him stopped in midair. Just then, lightning struck the dark sky.

The bolt of lightning spread through the clouds and across the entire sky.

In that brief moment, Lagmard saw it.

A massive shadow within the dark clouds.

As soon as the lightning passed, the owner of the shadow emerged. Countless heads grabbed one of the kin. The kin was dragged into the black clouds without even making a sound.

The cloud that swallowed one of the kin drifted away as if nothing had happened. No trace was left where the cloud had passed.

Watching this scene from start to finish, Lagmard felt an emotion he had never experienced before.

Not even when he witnessed Odd Grad’s fury up close had he felt this emotion that surged through his scales.

It was a chilling sensation throughout his body—overwhelming fear.

｢Enemy!｣ ｢Enemy!｣ ｢New enemy｣ ｢Discovered!｣

Realizing this, Lagmard involuntarily screamed, his telepathic shout echoing his feelings.

Sensing Lagmard’s panic, the kin quickly assumed defensive positions. The small white nuisance had disappeared. Their target was also nowhere to be seen.

Perhaps the thing in the clouds had eaten them all.

That terrifying and greedy presence was now targeting them.

At that moment, a purple flash shot out from the clouds. It was the breath of the small white nuisance. One of the green-scaled kin quickly retreated to avoid it.

｢Danger!｣ ｢Be on guard!｣

｢Up…?｣

At that moment, a dense darkness engulfed the kin trying to evade. The kin was attacked from behind and couldn’t even resist. Something, with wings as black as the night sky or rather looking like darkness itself, fluttered and disappeared back into the storm clouds.

｢Black kin!｣ ｢Danger!｣

｢Odd Grad…｣ ｢Necessary!｣

｢Impossible!｣

｢Calm… Everyone… Gather… Necessary.｣

Lagmard called his panicked kin to gather. If they assembled in one place, even that hidden “something” wouldn’t be able to attack them easily.

As he thought this, lightning struck again.

Unlike the previous white flash, this time it was a vivid golden lightning.

｢?｣

It wasn’t just the color of the lightning that was strange. Oddly enough, the lightning, which should have branched into fine streaks, instead concentrated and flew in a specific direction.

It was heading right towards the clustered Lagmard pack.

The snake of lightning, as fast as light itself, tore through his kin.

Amidst the spray of blood and flesh, he saw the being beyond the lightning.

Sitting on the throne of the sky was the black king of death. The many heads of the king were holding onto Lagmard’s kin.

Then, the white lion sent by the black kin spewed a purple flame at him.

‘It was easier than I thought.’

I was slightly worried because there were ten of them, but it resolved more easily than expected. Perhaps because they were inexperienced young ones, they quickly became scared. If there had been a White Gallagon among the enemies to lead them, it wouldn’t have ended so quickly.

‘Maybe one or two of them escaped and went to fetch reinforcements.’

After that, an endless cycle of battle would await, with Gallagons relentlessly attacking until I died.

‘I’m glad that didn’t happen.’

After dealing with the green Gallagon pack, we descended back to the ground.

‘A new Gallagon, huh?’

[ZZZ ZZZZZ ZZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZZ (The pieces of the bodies have fallen over the forest)]

｢So, you want me to collect them? Got it.｣

[I’ll help too, Middle One.]

｢…Can’t you change that name?｣

[Insufficient authority, conditions not met, unable to comply.]

While the Mother of the Sky and PS-111 went to the forest, a White Gallagon approached me.

｢Nel Germa. Black kin. Thanks.｣

The female White Gallagon, who introduced herself as Nel Germa, expressed her gratitude to me.

‘Is she one of Ham Ort’s followers?’

I looked over the injured Gallagon. Covered in wounds, she was in a very weakened state. If I attacked right now, she would die quickly.

‘Should I ask about Adhai first, then deal with her?’

As I moved the monster’s tentacles to ask questions, Nel Germa sent a telepathic wave first.

｢Daughter of the meteor.｣ ｢Ham Ort.｣ ｢Message.｣ ｢There is.｣

｢Message?｣ ｢For me?｣

｢Odd Grad.｣ ｢Pack.｣ ｢Attack.｣ ｢Kin.｣ ｢Most.｣ ｢Dead.｣

｢!｣

｢Young kin. Few. Left. Rest. Dead.｣

Nel Germa’s words shocked both me and Adhai. The creature, with eyes like amethysts, opened its wings and trembled. Furious at the news of the young kin being brutally killed.

｢Odd Grad. Bad! Young kin. Pitiful!｣

However, in my case, the feelings were a bit different.

‘He made the first move.’

It seems that while Ham Ort left with Adhai, the black Gallagon attacked their nest.

Without a leader on this side, and with a leader on their side, a black Gallagon even stronger than a white one, what happened next was predictable. There must have been a massacre.

The reason Ham Ort rushed back in the middle of our fight must have been because of that. She intended to join her kin, even if late, to fight against the black Gallagon.

‘But it looks like she failed.’

Anyway, if she attacked the nest and slaughtered the Gallagons, it’s a significant loss for me too. The number of genetic essences I can acquire would decrease.

‘No, more than the genetic essence, the evolution conditions are the problem.’

To evolve into a Saint, I must personally kill an Apex. Eating the remains of a creature killed by another does not fulfill my evolution conditions.

I asked Nel Germa.

[ZZZ ZZZZZ ZZZ ZZ (What happened to Ham Ort?)]

｢When I left, Odd Grad and Ham Ort were fighting.｣

Nine out of ten, Ham Ort is dead. Even if she’s stronger than a typical white Gallagon, he can’t surpass the color difference.

｢More importantly, the Daughter of the Meteor.｣

｢?｣

｢Ham Ort said, ‘Savior’, ‘Condition.’｣

｢Black kin already devoured the Sky King.｣

｢So white kin, devour necessary.｣

｢Devour kin?｣

｢Ham Ort wants to sacrifice herself for the Daughter of the Meteor’s growth.｣

｢Impossible! Impossible!｣

Adhai, listening to Nel Germa, reacted with disbelief.

｢Ham Ort abandoned me! Sacrifice? Lies!｣

The idea that the mother who once abandoned her would now sacrifice herself for her seemed unreal to her.

Even if they are kin, it’s hard to trust someone who once abandoned you. I could understand her feelings, having had a similar experience.

‘She probably has it much worse than I did.’

Leaving the nest on this harsh ice planet without hunting skills means certain death. The group that abandoned Adhai clearly wanted her to die.

｢Actually, Ham Ort can’t be the sacrifice. Instead, Nel Germa is the sacrifice.｣

｢Impossible!｣

｢No time. Odd Grad will find the remaining young kin.｣

As she shook her head, Nel Germa desperately tried to persuade her.

While watching the two, Number 26 approached me. It poked me with one of its tentacles.

｢Big One.｣

[ZZZ ZZZZZ ZZ ZZ (What is it?)]

｢Is the big flapper the little one’s mom?｣

[ZZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZZZ (Yes, but that’s a long time ago.)]

｢Once a mom, always a mom.｣

Honestly, I didn’t want to engage in such trivial conversations with Number 26 in this situation. So I stayed silent, but it continued.

｢When she fled, she said something.｣

[ZZZ ZZ ZZ (What?)]

｢She asked to take good care of the little one.｣

I was about to dismiss it as nonsense when something suddenly came to mind.

When Ham Ort deceived me and retreated, she sent me a brief signal. At the time, I was too preoccupied with Adhai being in danger to properly hear it.

｢She said she hoped the little one would survive.｣

[ZZZ ZZ (That…)]

｢Is it because the big flapper is her mom?｣

I couldn’t say anything in response to Number 26’s words.

‘…If I think about it that way, it makes sense.’

Why Ham Ort handed over her supposedly important daughter so easily.

When she communicated with her kin, she must have realized that their nest was under attack. Moreover, since I had already taken the Skywhale, Adhai’s growth was no longer possible. So, she entrusted her daughter to me and went back to defend the nest.

‘But that’s not all. She thought it wouldn’t be enough with just me, so she took out insurance.’

She knew how strong I was, but judged that I was weaker than the Black Gallagon. So, she told the White Gallagon fighting at the nest to send Adhai to me.

‘Whether Adhai eats her or I kill Nel Germa and feed her to Adhai, it’s the same.’

Either way, if Adhai becomes stronger, she can survive the Black Gallagon. It was her last gamble.

‘Ha. Clever.’

Of all the enemies I’ve faced in this world, none have been as smart as her. Not MegaCorp’s Noble Capital, not Star Union’s androids, not even the players.

‘Maternal instinct…’

It’s ridiculous to apply human standards to a Gallagon, but there’s no better concept to explain this situation. A mother’s desire for her daughter’s peace and happiness.

Or perhaps Ham Ort wanted to atone to the daughter she once abandoned.

Understanding Number 26’s signal, Adhai’s spirit seemed to deflate. Confusing emotions spilled from her head.

‘Tsk.’

It’s pointless to dwell on Ham Ort’s intentions. Anyway, she’s dead, and we still have a formidable enemy in the Black Gallagon.

Forcing myself to clear the lingering thoughts in my heart, I called Nel Germa.

[ZZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZZ (Is Odd Grad really that strong?)]

“Odd Grad has a mysterious power.”

[ZZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZZ (A mysterious power?)]

“Odd Grad reads minds. Thanks to this, he doesn’t get injured.”

As far as I know, Black Gallagons don’t have such abilities. They are like flying natural disasters but don’t possess mind-reading or invulnerable skin.

‘No, maybe there’s a power I don’t know about.’

If such a powerful creature also has an unknown power, it won’t be an easy foe. The enemy itself is a problem, but we also have to consider its group. They will certainly use their minions when fighting me.

‘In that case, we need reinforcements too.’

I lack the strength to fight right now. So, I must somehow make up for what I’m missing.

[ZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZ (I have a question.)]

“Ask, black kin.”

[ZZZ ZZ ZZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZZ (Besides eating the white kin, are there other conditions?)]

“Probably not.”

Nel Germa nodded.

‘Good.’

Right now, I need more and stronger allies.

It would be more beneficial to use Nel Germa in the fight against them than to kill her here. Anyway, Adhai can eat any White Gallagon to grow.

Then the answer is clear.

‘I need to capture another one from Odd Grad’s group.’

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HEL SCANS

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