——————
HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
Join our Discord for release updates!
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
——————
Chapter 345
After hearing from PS-111, I headed towards the modification factory where Isabel was.
The modification factory is a facility created by merging unnecessary spaces like medical rooms and cargo holds. Before we went to Verzan-02, PS-111 and I combined our efforts to build it. Its original purpose was to maintain and repair PS-111 and the MPS series, but I never expected it would be used this way.
As I passed through the wide hallway and arrived at the modification factory, I saw mini screamers buzzing around busily.
Among scattered wires, mechanical parts, and the blood and flesh of living creatures, there was something I had never seen before.
Sleeping with numerous wires and cables attached, ‘it’ looks nothing like a normal screener. Even compared to its creator, PS-111, it bears no resemblance at all.
The first thing that stood out was its body shape.
While PS-111 and the mutant screamers typically have a human head with a spider-like body and a scorpion tail, this one resembled a snake or a centipede.
Its long, snake-like body was covered in alloy, shining in chrome. The length was about 8 meters, which was similar to PS-111's 7-meter body, excluding the tail, so it could be considered twin-like.
The segmented body grew thinner towards the tail, which had a white blade attached to the end. It seemed that a Gallagon's claw blade had been implanted there.
Each segment had a thin arm covered in alloy scales, with varying lengths and thicknesses. The only thing identical was that each segment had four hook-shaped fingers.
When I looked towards the front of its long body, I saw a familiar face of a woman. Aside from the fact that her eyes were closed, it was almost identical to PS-111's face.
The body, with a woman's head on a snake or centipede-like form, reminded me of mythological figures such as Medusa or Lamia, beings that were half-human, half-serpent.
Perhaps it was a fitting comparison. This was a being that had lost its physical form due to a curse from the Cosmic Demon and had been reborn in a new body.
Isabel, the Coldblooded Ranker, and PS-111’s twin sister.
She was now lying asleep in her artificially created body.
"She hasn’t woken up since the transplant?"
"Yes. I tried stimulating her with an electric signal, but she remains in this state."
｢What happened?｣
A familiar wave of energy came from behind.
Mother of the Sky, hearing the sound of my movement, arrived at the modification factory. In her griffon form, she was startled upon seeing the sleeping Isabel.
｢That... could it be?｣
"Yes. This is Isabel's new body."
｢...I feel a little uneasy saying this now, but I don’t think she’ll be very pleased.｣
"We designed it to be capable of surviving in various environments. Simulation tests showed it to have high strategic efficiency."
She looked at me with eyes that clearly disagreed.
Honestly, Isabel’s new body wasn’t bad. As PS-111 said, it looked sturdy.
‘I think it’s based on the Ice Horror with traits of several apex creatures mixed in.’
Judging by its appearance, the body resembled an ‘Ice Horror’, and the arms mimicked the ‘Ring of Agony’. The tail even had a Gallagon’s claw blade attached. I guessed that the features of the strongest enemies she had encountered were incorporated.
‘I like how it looks.’
The neatly arranged metal scales had no imperfections, and the body had a smooth, well-shaped form. The varying lengths of the arms were a concern, but that could be adjusted later.
‘Well, this is just my opinion, and I can’t generalize it.’
As the Mother of the Sky reacted, it was clear that not many women would be fond of a snake or centipede-like body. It was even rarer for someone to be happy about transforming into a centipede-like monster.
It was unlikely that Isabel would calmly accept her new form, but that wasn’t the issue right now.
｢Survival doesn’t seem to be a problem. But what’s the deal with her?｣
"I don’t know how Isabel feels about it. She hasn’t recovered from the sleep state."
｢Could it be because of the body?｣
"I don’t think so. She’s never woken up since being transferred to this new body."
｢...She hasn’t woken up at all?｣
After transplanting part of her brain and body, she’s been in this state the entire time, so it’s still unclear how she feels about her new body.
‘The cause is unknown, but I have to wake her up somehow.’
I saved Isabel by transferring her into this new body to make her a companion I could travel with. While she had organized and left behind information about the Rankers she knew, it would be too wasteful to give up on her now. Her ability to read an opponent’s information has endless potential.
‘It’s not good for this state to persist.’
The centipede-like screamers body was also something PS-111 created. There might be an error or issue that it missed. The longer she remains asleep, the bigger the problem becomes.
‘I can’t afford to lose her now.’
“Why not try creating a new body and transferring her into that?”
“Transplanting the brain repeatedly in a short period of time is dangerous. The failure rate is estimated at 72%, with a 67% chance of side effects occurring after a successful transplant.”
“Alright, what about medication?”
“I’ve tried all the medications available on the Gigacracker.”
While the Gigacracker isn’t a warship, it’s an extremely important vessel for Megacorp, so it has a variety of drugs stored on board. If there’s something we don’t have, we’d have to go to the Solar System or a Megacorp space station to get it.
As I was deep in thought, I felt a tap on my shoulder.
｢Wait a moment. It might not be a physical issue.｣
“What do you mean by that?”
｢It could be a psychological factor that’s preventing the awakening.｣
She looked at Isabel with a serious expression.
｢I’ve seen patients who failed to recover after the surgery because they lost their will to live.｣
“Do you think Isabel wants to die? She now has the chance to be with her lost family. Could she really want that?”
｢Let’s wait and see until we summon Vortex One. That bastard... ahem, Alshas, made us fight him on purpose, so it’s possible she sacrificed herself to avoid causing us harm.｣
“Right.”
｢She still doesn’t know that we’ve won, so she may have given up on everything.｣
“Are you saying she gave up on life to avoid being a burden to us?”
The Mother of the Sky nodded silently.
‘Considering her personality, that’s a plausible theory.’
Even when Isabel was living in slavery, she saved 40 of her kind that her sister had left behind, showing how deeply she cares about family. If the contract had gone wrong, she would have done everything in her power to avoid becoming an enemy to her sister. Perhaps, in her mind, if she disappeared, everything would be resolved.
There were some parts that couldn’t fully explain the situation, but it wasn’t beyond reason.
However, if the reason she hasn’t woken up is truly psychological, things will get complicated.
‘That would mean I need to use psychic power, specifically mind control techniques.’
There are only two people who can control minds here: me and Alshas.
‘Alshas won’t work.’
She has lost her mind because of PS-111. There’s no guarantee he would follow my orders properly. Even if I tried to infect her with a parasite and attempt it, the risk would be too high.
Using a parasite on Isabel, now a screamer, is also problematic. Enhanced parasites devour the brain and take over. What I need is a ‘companion who thinks for themselves’, not a slave controlled by a parasite.
‘What should I do?’
I looked down at Isabel, who lay with her eyes closed. Despite the situation, she looked remarkably peaceful, as if silently asking not to be awakened.
Beside the sleeping screamers were Number 26 and Adhai. Adhai, seemingly curious, circled around, tapping Isabel’s arms with her front paws. Number 26 approached her face and gently caressed her surface with its tentacles.
｢Feeling｣ ｢Unique｣ ｢Sick child｣ ｢Similar｣
｢My friend’s family also ate a lot, so they grew strong.｣
｢Sick child｣ ｢Family｣ ｢Appearance｣ ｢Different｣ ｢But｣ ｢Feeling｣ ｢Same｣
Watching the three interact, old memories suddenly resurfaced.
There was a time when mutant screamers attacked the Dragon’s Nest, and Adhai’s kin were killed. Adhai, feeling guilty for not being able to protect her group and was comforted by her mother, Ham Ort.
‘And Number 26 was there too.’
I remember seeing Number 26 sitting between Adhai and Ham Ort, connecting them with its tentacles. They didn’t speak, but just silently stayed with each other.
‘The next day, Adhai recovered instantly.’
At the time, I didn’t think much of it, but now I wonder why it’s coming back to me.
‘Now that I think about it, even Adhai, who used to hate Ham Ort, was different with Number 26.’
Objectively speaking, it’s hard to say that Number 26 is an eloquent speaker. While it certainly possesses intelligence far surpassing that of typical Sea Demons, it is not human. Its way of understanding concepts and conveying them is quite different.
Convincing a creature so fundamentally different from itself would not be an easy task. Unless it used some method I’m unaware of, it would be close to impossible.
‘Unless it's a power that directly influences the mind.’
Coincidentally, Number 26 is one of our most powerful psychic users. While I have the upper hand in terms of destructive power and output, its precision and finesse are far superior. It can even read someone’s thoughts or alter them using its psychic abilities.
I called out to Number 26.
[ZZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZZ (Can you feel Isabel's thoughts?)]
｢Yes.｣
[ZZ ZZ ZZZZ ZZZ ZZZZZ (Can you check what she's thinking right now?)]
In response to my request, it brought its tentacle to Isabel’s forehead. The tentacle glowed a faint purple, and its body color constantly shifted.
｢She’s scared and lonely. But she probably wants to be alone.｣
[ZZ (Why?)]
｢I’m not sure. She just wants to be alone.｣
It seemed capable of reading emotions, but explaining them was difficult. If the hypothesis presented by the Mother of the Sky is true, Isabel's emotions would be far too complex for Number 26 to understand properly.
I asked it an important question as it withdrew its tentacle.
[ZZ ZZZZ ZZZZ ZZZ ZZZ (You helped Adhai and Ham Ort before, right?)]
｢Before?｣
[ZZZZ ZZZZ ZZZZ (When Adhai’s family died)]
｢Yes.｣ ｢Little adult.｣ ｢I helped.｣
As Number 26 remembered its encounter with Adhai’s memories, it waved its tentacle.
｢Yes! I helped before.｣
[ZZ ZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZ (Can you do what you did back then for me now?)]
｢Do you want to reconcile with your friend's family, Big Kid?｣
[ZZ (Yes.)]
“I request this as well.”
PS-111 intervened between us.
“My sibling maintains a deep connection with my original. There is an 82% probability that my existence will help in persuading her.”
[ZZ ZZZZ (Could both of them work?)]
｢I’m not sure, but I’ll try!｣
With Number 26’s approval, PS-111 moved to lie next to Isabel’s head. The two identical faces staring at each other made it feel as if I were looking into a mirror.
I moved to join them, but Mother of the Sky sent me a thoughtwave.
｢Amorph.｣
[ZZ (Yes?)]
｢While I’m not sure how you’ll connect with her, if the situation allows you to convey any words...｣
She spoke, her amber eyes glowing.
｢Please tell her this: She has worked hard until now, so don’t give up here.｣
[ZZZ (Understood.)]
In fact, those were the words I wanted to say. I’ve put considerable effort into trying to save her. The cost for making me struggle like this will certainly be paid.
To do that, I need to bring her out of that head somehow.
｢Shall we go?｣
As I brought my central head closer to Isabel and PS-111, Number 26 entered the center. From its pinkish body, three slender tentacles extended, moving with eerie precision.
Number 26’s tentacle made contact with the tentacle attached to the back of my head. Its tentacle gently entwined with my cluster of tentacles.
Is this how it feels when a beloved lover lightly kisses your neck?
The moment I thought it felt both ticklish and strange, the sensation from my body quickly vanished. That feeling was similar to when I linked with the nest. My mind and senses traveled through the monster’s tentacle and crossed into Number 26’s body. As I passed through its body and reached Isabel’s forehead, my vision went black.
When I opened my eyes again, I found myself in front of a city.
‘Where is this?’
I wondered if I had somehow entered reality like when I experienced a vision, but it wasn’t that. The ivory-colored buildings, designed with geometric shapes, were the same ones I had seen not long ago.
I was now in the middle of the cult’s great metropolis.
‘Is this Isabel’s memory?’
Bowing my head, I saw small arms near my chest. The heads on either side of me were still intact, so it seemed that I had entered her memory in the form of an adult Amorph.
‘Though I seem to be a bit smaller.’
I, who would usually tower over buildings, now had to look up at them. I flicked my tail over the sidewalk, but it had no effect.
‘Is this because it’s someone else’s memory?’
I quickly confirmed the situation and looked around. It was definitely a large city, but strangely, there were no cult members in sight.
‘Where’s PS-111?’
If it had successfully entered Isabel’s mental world, it would surely be somewhere here.
As I began searching for it, I saw a group running between the buildings. They were reptilian-headed, human-shaped being the Coldbloods.
‘What should I do?’
After a moment’s hesitation, I decided to follow the Coldbloods.
As I moved out from between the buildings, the scenery abruptly changed.
The once-intact metropolis had now turned into a ruin. Looking up at the sky, I saw various warships and imperial battleships floating above.
The broken roads were littered with corpses. Upon closer inspection, the bodies were of Coldbloods and Cult members wearing Dragon Scale Clothes.
‘…Could it be?’
I checked the faces of the corpses, and when I looked up again, I saw someone fighting in the distance.
A Coldblood was fiercely battling against two Cult members.
I recognized who the two Cult members were. And I also knew who was fighting them.
‘Rank 18, Penelope.’
The memory I was witnessing was from the day Isabel’s twin sister died.
——————
HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
Join our Discord for release updates!
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
——————
