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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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Chapter 344
｢I can float too!｣
｢Slower｣｢I｣｢much｣｢faster｣
｢I'll learn and be able to float quickly too.｣
The moment when Number 26 gained the ability to fly was an entirely unexpected change. It swam smoothly inside the hangar, as though the inside were the ocean.
｢Isn't it amazing? Isn't it awesome?｣
[ZZZZ (That's impressive)]
When I expressed my admiration, it seemed pleased and began to glow. The tentacles in the shape of arms constantly changed their forms depending on its mood sometimes forming into hands, sometimes turning into the previous saw-like tentacles. Each of its tentacles rapidly transformed at an extraordinary speed.
‘That seems like a new ability’
It had tentacles that were originally responsible for mutations, but now, unlike before, it could change all of its tentacles. The transformation speed had also dramatically increased, so much so that the forms could change rapidly in response to its emotions.
"All tentacles can transform, and it can fly now..."
At first glance, it didn’t seem like it would be particularly useful, but that wasn’t the case. Number 26 was the least mobile among us, so its weakness had now been compensated. The ability to change the shape of its tentacles also had great potential.
｢I can too!｣｢I can!｣｢I'll show you.｣
[ZZ (Okay)]
I nodded, and it spread its wings. Adhai, with her plump body, took off. Her appearance was quite cute, but since she was serious, I didn’t laugh.
｢Open it.｣
｢Okay.｣
As Number 26 leisurely floated inside the hangar, it lightly pressed the switch next to the door. Adhai nodded at me and flew out of the Gigacracker.
‘What’s she trying to show me?’
Had Adhai, like Number 26, enhanced her flight ability? Or had she gained a new kind of power?
I followed her outside into space.
An endless expanse of stars stretched out, resembling a vast shrine. At the center, a rose-colored nebula burned like a campfire.
Under the watchful gaze of the stars, Adhai stood on top of the Gigacracker.
｢Star Power｣｢Gained｣
[ZZ (Really?)]
｢Before｣｢Unavailable｣｢But｣｢Now｣｢I can｣｢I'll show you｣
Saying this, she focused while keeping her wings spread. The white scales adorned with red markings turned crimson, much like when she used Red Armor.
‘Has the range of Red Armor increased... huh?’
The wings and markings released a scattering red light, which gradually shifted in color. The mix of red and purple hues resembled the color of the distant nebula, watching us from afar.
‘A deep purple light, and…’
The energy flow sent a shiver through my Auxiliary Organ and my entire body. I had felt this before.
It was similar to the last attack launched by the evil tyrant who had oppressed Adhai's people her father, Odd Grad just before he died.
‘Starflame!’
My prediction was confirmed when Adhai tilted her head upward. In an instant, her once-plump body became slim, and an energy sphere was fired from the tentacle in her mouth.
The purple sphere continued flying without stopping. Its trajectory led toward a cluster of floating rocks in space.
When the small sphere Adhai shot collided with the cluster of rocks, a brilliant flash of light exploded. A massive explosion, as bright as the sun, swept through the rocks. Rocks ranging from tens of meters to several kilometers in size were engulfed by the violet energy blast.
When the light faded, only a small amount of rock debris remained.
The destructive power was so immense that it was hard to believe such a small sphere smaller than her head could have caused it. Although she had aimed it at a cluster of rocks for testing, a similar result would occur if she fired it at a planet several hundred kilometers in diameter.
‘The power itself is identical to the Starflame I know.’
The Red Gallagon's ‘Starflame’ possesses about 0.8 times the power of the Gigacracker's Ion Cannon. While that might seem weaker compared to superweapons, it’s far from it.
‘They excel at rapid-fire attacks.’
The Cosmic Bolt takes a long time to charge, and unlike the Ion Cannon, which charges quickly but requires a long rest after firing, Starflame has no such limitations.
The only downside is that its heat ray’s glow is so bright, it can be seen even from a great distance.
‘The problem is that Adhai’s Starflame takes the form of a sphere.’
And its size is as small as a compact exercise ball. At that size, it's nearly impossible for even a ship equipped with cutting-edge detection systems to avoid it.
‘I don’t know if it’s because of consuming the Vortex One, or if it’s a mutation.’
Perhaps the former was just a form of awakening, and the latter might be the truth. After all, the psychic breath it uses is shaped like a small energy orb, not a purple heat ray.
｢Big one｣｢Power｣｢Similar, right?｣
[Z ZZ ZZZ (It seems stronger)]
｢Really?｣｢Really?｣
[Z ZZZ (Yes, good job)]
Upon hearing my praise, the creature bounced around on the outer wall of the Gigacracker. Its once-plump belly had now slimmed down considerably.
‘...But the issue might be energy consumption.’
If it loses weight just from firing once, it won’t be something we can use freely, like the Red Gallagon in the game. To be precise, rapid fire is possible, but the power will be significantly reduced.
‘It should be kept as a trump card.’
Essentially, I’m carrying a small Gigacracker with me, which is a huge advantage.
‘Everyone has gained a lot from hunting Vortex Ones.’
Now, if PS-111 can successfully transfer Isabel into its new body, all of my planned goals will be accomplished.
[ZZ ZZZZ (Shall we head back?)]
｢Me｣｢Big one｣｢Together｣｢Flying play｣
[ZZZZ (Flying play?)]
Adhai dashed over to my side. It seemed like she wanted to spend time flying with me.
‘PS-111 will likely need more time.’
It wouldn’t be bad to fly around the Gigacracker with her and let her digest.
｢Why are only the two of you playing?｣
At that moment, Number 26 appeared from the hangar. It swam through the zero-gravity space, its fins and tentacles fluttering.
｢Little one｣｢Food｣｢Storage｣｢Keep it｣｢Not doing it?｣
｢The little one will eat too, so do it together.｣
｢Me｣｢Busy｣
｢Storing is more important than playing.｣
｢No, playing is more important.｣
[ZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZZZ (Let’s all stay together and go back)]
｢Alright.｣
｢This isn’t right.｣
Adhai seemed displeased by Number 26 joining us. However, to help the still-unfamiliar Number 26 fly as it wished, consistent practice was necessary.
‘Adhai is fast, so she probably doesn’t like it.’
But here, it’s right to consider Number 26’s feelings.
[ZZZZ (I’ll help)]
｢Great!｣
｢Wait｣｢Me｣｢Teach｣｢Better｣
｢I’ll learn from the big baby.｣
｢Me｣｢Flying｣｢Skills｣｢Excellent｣｢Me｣｢Study｣｢Teach well｣
[ZZ ZZZ (That’s true)]
｢This way｣｢Fly over here｣
｢Okay.｣
｢Pain!｣｢Why｣｢Hit me?｣
｢It was a mistake.｣
So, we enjoyed some flying under the guise of practice before returning to the hangar.
“Welcome.”
As soon as we entered the hangar, a familiar voice greeted me.
‘Finally successful… Huh?’
I stared at PS-111 and, after seeing the changes in the others, I was taken aback for the first time.
Its appearance had changed significantly since the last time I saw it before I fell asleep. Just yesterday, its body was full of muscle and flesh inside a metallic shell, with noticeable volume in its legs and torso, but now, that wasn’t the case.
Like other mutant screamers, its body had become so emaciated that its metal skeleton was fully exposed. It seemed as though most of its flesh had been stripped away.
But the reason I was truly startled wasn’t just because of its condition.
“I apologize, I used more than planned during the experiment.”
It held up a ‘lump’ with a familiar face, gripped by its hooked claws.
“I’m sorry. Please, let me live. I won’t do it again. Please, just don’t cut that part….”
The lump was none other than Alshas, with only his head and upper torso remaining. Various life-support devices were attached to his remaining body, and she muttered apologies in a delirious state.
“I told you to leave the head intact, didn’t I?”
“I didn’t touch the head.”
“Is that so? Then why is it like this?”
“She was shocked seeing her body being severed. I’ve administered a proper dosage of sedatives, so she should recover soon.”
Among us, PS-111 is the smartest when it comes to genetic manipulation and bioengineering. Furthermore, given that half of its brain is computerized, it should have known how Alshas would react.
‘Half of it is an experiment, and half is revenge.’
PS-111 didn’t remember Isabel, but it clearly cared for her. Perhaps it was the unconscious influence of its original form, Penelope, the 18th-ranked.
In that case, it makes sense why Alshas would be treated this way. After all, Alshas was the one who enslaved Isabel, her sister, and led her to death.
‘It’s a bit different from what I expected, but at least it spared her.’
It’s a strange situation where the promise wasn’t fully broken, nor fully kept, but I don’t feel like punishing it for this. After all, it was me who handed Isabel over to it, so I must bear some responsibility.
Besides, what Alshas thinks, or the pain he endured, isn’t really important. Either way, he’s meant to end up in my belly.
‘Once she regains her senses, I’ll interrogate her. If not, I’ll just eat her and turn her into a humanoid insect.’
I had already decided her fate in my mind and turned to PS-111.
“Seeing that you’ve returned Alshas, does that mean Isabel is ready?”
“That’s correct, but…”
“Hmm?”
The red camera lens wandered through the air before shifting to the side.
“What’s wrong? Did you fail?”
“The physical body is complete, and the brain transplant was successful.”
“So, what’s the issue?”
“….”
“Is there a problem?”
Despite my persistent questioning, it didn’t open its mouth. The camera lens that replaced its eyes blinked continuously.
‘I’ve never seen it act this way before.’
Normally, PS-111’s face is covered by metallic skin, making it difficult to read its emotions. But today was different.
It was clearly anxious.
“Don’t worry if there’s a problem. We’ll help you.”
After a long silence, PS-111 finally spoke up.
“‘Sister’ refuses to awaken for an unknown reason.”
“Refuses?”
“Yes. I’ve confirmed that all the tests adaptation, immune response checks, and bio-signal reception are normal. Based on this, the results indicate that there’s an 88% chance that she has chosen to remain asleep on her own.”
Isabel, lying in her new body, refused to awaken.
This was an outcome I hadn’t anticipated at all.
——————
HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
Join our Discord for release updates!
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
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