177
Ep. 177
'Is it Gallagon by any chance?'
A faint psychic power was felt from the intruder.
However, if it were Gallagon, there was no way it would move so quietly. I lay down on the nest again to take a closer look.
After confirming that the auxiliary organ under the chin was connected to the nest, I focused my senses on a specific point. I mobilized all my physical senses and poured them into the epicenter of the vibration.
Sound, smell, and flow of special energy. Thanks to the nest and its various characteristics, my highly strengthened auxiliary organ absorbs the three elements. Aimorph's brain quickly interprets the refined information sent by the auxiliary organ.
'Small but refined footprints. soldier. Metallic smell. slightly different. A tool made from a special alloy mixed with several metals. And well-hidden psychic powers.'
When we put this all together, there was only one answer.
'Is this a cult regular army warrior group?'
It's not clear because of the distance, but they seemed to be quite capable people. Just looking at their equipment and movements, they were superior to the warrior group belonging to the carrier group that we encountered last time at the cult shrine.
'It looks like the Temple Guardians or the Eye of Revelation Priests. Moreover, this person at the forefront is….'
A person who draws out psychic power when destroying obstacles blocking the passage. He was an unusual person.
At first, I thought they were using a psychic power tool to clear the blocked passage, but when I looked again, that wasn't the case. He usually hid his psychic power and only used it briefly when necessary.
'Of all those I have seen, he is the most proficient in psychic power.'
Of all the beings I've seen so far, there are two who are the best at handling psychic powers. One is No. 26 and the other is Eugene's Shadow Code Black, which was fought in the T&C Special Trade Center.
However, that being is so powerful that he can easily surpass both of them on his own.
'At that level, it's almost at the level of Black Gallagon.'
A cult elite group that includes strong enough people to cause alarm in me. They were moving together and were divided into three groups at a crossroads.
I couldn't rest assured that the enemy had split up. Because all three groups are heading towards the nest.
'They're looking for us.'
Otherwise, there would be no way to move through the blocked ice passage.
"Why are you doing that?"
PS-111 asked me if he sensed a change in my mood.
"There's a cult intruder. "When I looked at the direction, it was coming this way."
"I can't detect it, but if that's true, it's probably a cult group located in Black Gallagon's territory."
"what?"
"The cult arrived on this planet 29 days ago. Their camp is currently within Gallagon territory."
When I heard those words, I felt my heart sink.
For Gallagon, territory is a kind of hunting ground. It is very important not only because it is a place to hunt for food, but also because it is a place where adult hatchlings are taught hunting.
Allowing cults to enter such an important place means that Gallagon and that cult group are in the same group.
An unidentified cult leader and Black Gallagon, who occupies a mid-to-upper rank position among Apex. If I fight both of them at the same time, I will inevitably lose in my current state.
"Could it be that Black Gallagon sent the cultists here?"
"Maybe so, maybe not."
"What does that mean?"
When I asked a question about the ambiguous answer, he began to explain in detail.
"According to reports from other intermediate terminals, the Gallagon swarm is currently divided."
"split? Wait a minute, is this a leader succession battle?"
"you're right. "White Gallagon, second in rank, is challenging Black Gallagon."
"White Gallagon challenged you? That's strange. "Unless you grow into Black Gallagon, you will never be able to win."
The difference in power between White Gallagon and Black Gallagon is the difference between heaven and earth. Black Gallagon is strong enough to kill 5 White Gallagons at once even if they attack at the same time. The other Gallagons also know the gap between the two, so they never follow White Gallagon until he grows into Black Gallagon.
"That's true, but White Gallagon is leading a large group of Gallagons to continue the challenge."
"For now, let's move on because it's not important. What does the war of succession have to do with cults?"
"The second-highest group is hostile to the cult. It has also been observed that Gallagon, supporting the challenger, has attacked the cult."
"hmm."
Listening to what he said, I think I know what the situation is. Although it is a difficult situation to understand, there is an ambiguous relationship between the invaders and Black Gallagon.
"Black Gallagon did not help the cult. "We're just together for some reason, but our relationship isn't as strong as you might think."
"you're right. The cult groups also did nothing to help Black Gallagon."
However, even if this is the case, we cannot be sure. As long as this place is exposed, the fact that we are in a dangerous situation does not change.
After disconnecting from the nest, I woke up all the sleeping children. I explained everything to them who looked tired.
"A cult warrior group? Why are they here? ｣
[Zuzuzu Zuzuzu (I don't know why)]
｢…It's not easy to deal with someone as strong as Black Gallagon. "We have to get out of this place."
Upon hearing the situation, the Mother of Heaven proposed the idea of escaping from the nest.
As she said, the cult that alerted me was stronger than the priests, and there were dozens of excellent cult warriors who followed along with them. So, it probably means that we should retreat, look at the situation, and then fight.
"Similar" "Smell" "Similar" "Dangerous" "Very" "Dangerous"
Adhai, who sensed the psychic power getting closer, also agreed with Heavenly Mother's opinion. The sight of it bobbing its four-horned head looked quite unsettling.
｢PS-111. "Do you have any information about the cult group's capabilities?"
"This was handled by another intermediate terminal, so I don't have enough information. Based on insufficient information, it is presumed that he is a user of psychic power that surpasses that of a priest of the Cult Empire. Therefore, we advise you to flee."
PS-111, with only its head floating, also chose to run away.
"All the bad kids who mistreat the family should be punished!"
Number 26 was the only one who suggested fighting instead of running away.
He has a very strong sense of responsibility to protect his family. He will try to protect those here, even if it means sacrificing his life.
Each of the guys who gave their opinion looked at me. It must be an unspoken intention to follow the decision I made.
'What should I do?'
Although there are many opinions about running away, it cannot be a hasty choice.
They have immediately identified our location and are tracking us from a distance, even underground. Considering this, the enemy has some kind of tracking method.
'It's no use running away to another place.'
It is not safe to run away until the means of tracking have been removed or the other party's feet have been tied down. What if they plan to corner us? At that time, it will be like walking into the enemy's trap.
'There are other problems besides that.'
Adha and the Mother of Heaven are weak against cold. If they go to the ground and a snow storm hits again, their fighting power will undoubtedly be greatly reduced.
'Conversely, what about fighting here?'
Fighting against them underground also has its pros and cons.
The advantage is that since I have built a nest, I can actively utilize nest-related characteristics. Just like when you fought Muriel before, you can fight with the support of the nest.
Also, the other guys are familiar with the geography around here, so they don't have much trouble fighting. The thick darkness where not a single ray of light comes in is a bonus.
'But there are also disadvantages.'
First of all, in the underground space, it is difficult to use the transformation abilities of 'Bone Beast' and 'King of Monsters' among the cards I have. Unless it's a very large cavity like the one where I fought the Ice Horror, my movement will be quite restricted.
'And the ice ceiling is in an unstable state due to the fierce battle with it.'
If there is any further shock here, the frozen plain above may completely collapse. If I were in a transformed state, I would be able to withstand the collapse of an ice ceiling hundreds of meters thick, but not the other guys.
'No, wait.'
Suddenly a good idea occurred to me.
After furiously racking my brain and quickly making a plan, I finally made a decision.
[Zuzuzuzu Zuzu (let's catch it here)]
"Are you going to be okay?"
There was deep worry buried in the thought wave that the Heavenly Mother shot out. She would know that things are going wrong, so she would be worried.
After making eye contact with everyone, I quickly explained the plan I had just made.
"and! It's been a while since I hunted food with my eldest baby! It sounds fun!」
「Recognition」 「Interesting」
「…His devil-like personality doesn't change.」
「It's an interesting plan, but the risks are quite high. We need a way to increase our chances of success."
[Zuz zuzu zuzuzu zuzu zuzuzu (I have something to say about that. Follow me)]
I picked up the PS-111 with my fingers. Next, he packed his backpack containing the weapon and came out of the nest.
"You said earlier that you wanted to feast on the Blood River, right?"
"you're right. With three, you can restore and enhance your combat capabilities."
I took out a deactivated Blood Reaver from my backpack.
"It's hard to trust you completely. And this Blood River is something I need too."
"But one is not enough. "Large amounts of organic resources are needed to construct a body that reflects the characteristics of the Blood River."
"Can't we make up for it with those resource creatures?"
"I don't understand what you're saying."
Instead of answering, I activated the tooth fairy nest. Small man-eating fleas crawled out of the holes near my waist and between my stomach shell.
"I will provide the resources necessary for body transformation."
"It is believed to be a very efficient energy supply method."
PS-111 was impressed.
I handed him the Blood River.
The guy opened his mouth wide, like someone with a missing jaw. Thin tubes protruding from the mouth wrapped around Blood River and pulled it inward.
"Absorption of Kirik Blood River completed. Absorption of organic matter Kirik for reconstruction of Kirik's body structure begins."
PS-111's body twists as it feasts on Blood River and the Tooth Fairies.
I smiled as I watched it change into something even more bizarre than before.
–
A group of people were walking inside a frozen structure filled with cold.
Despite the extremely cold temperature, they were wearing only body suits covered in scales. The reason they were equipped with only light weapons in a barren environment was because they were highly skilled psychic power users.
If there is someone who is sensitive to psychic power, you will notice that their entire body has a light purple aura.
Various types of horns rising from the temples of an ivory bodysuit.
The identity of those walking through the frozen underground passage was the Temple Guardians of the Cult Empire.
Even within the cult empire, only warriors who have proven to have outstanding skills can join the Temple Guardians. Their role is to assist important figures or subdue entities that threaten the safety of the empire. In the empire, the only group with more power than the Temple Guardians is the Eye of Revelation priesthood, an affiliate of the Prophets' Society.
People with such great skills were moving forward with stern faces.
"Alia, do you think Jason distrusts us?"
"Chatting during missions is prohibited."
When Alia, the leader with yak horns, pointed out in a cold voice, the members fell silent. It wasn't an attitude one would take during a mission, but Alia didn't bother to point it out.
Because she was also quite dissatisfied with this situation.
'I know the three-headed devil is a dangerous being, but…'
After being guided down to the basement by Gallagon, Jason was more nervous than she had ever seen him before. Even she, who was Jason's personal bodyguard and lover, had never seen him like that before.
That didn't look good to the temple guards at all. Because it felt like I was doubting their skills.
The Temple Guardians are a group that hunts monsters that harm the empire. Since he has caught hundreds or thousands of monsters, he can be said to be an expert in monster hunting.
Of course, the enemy is a powerful enemy among powerful enemies who destroyed the imperial carrier and carrier battle group. It is probably one of the five most dangerous enemies the Temple Guardians have faced.
But all the cultists here were ready to fight and risk their lives.
'There's no way Jason wouldn't know that fact.'
That wasn't all. Her lover even made an incomprehensible request to the temple guardians.
'If you feel like you're going to lose in a fight, commit suicide?'
He didn't seem to have any idea that the Temple Guardians would win against him.
In addition, he even gave specific instructions on how to commit suicide. He said that if you fight him and die, you must not leave at least his head.
He went so far as to say that if he felt like he was going to die, he should focus his psychic power on his brain and explode it.
'Why on earth?'
In cult societies, suicide is usually treated as a taboo unless it is self-sacrifice for a special purpose. This is because when an individual ends his or her life for personal reasons, it is considered to be a rebellion against the implementation of great 'providence.'
I asked him separately through telepathy, but he did not explain. Since he wouldn't know even if I told him anyway, I just told him to commit suicide.
When a priest, who can be said to be the most honorable person in the empire, behaves like that, the morale of the high-ranking temple guards is bound to drop.
Even though they were divided into three groups of 12 people each due to a fork in the road, the members' dissatisfaction did not go away easily. Although Alya gave a brief warning, hostility towards Jason's rude behavior still remained in the members' eyes.
"Elijah! "Movement is detected ahead!"
At that time, the member in charge of reconnaissance shouted loudly. In response, 12 members of the Guardians, including Alia, drew their weapons.
"…."
They were moving at a fast pace without saying a word, but in the mental world connected by a telepathic link, an endless conversation was in full swing.
'Jaxtal Nessian is in charge of the ceiling. The enemy might attack from above.'
'Stavran Bilone will come up front and Brenz will take over the back.'
'Something is interfering with the telepathic link. Check it out.'
'okay.'
Originally, warriors could use a telepathic link, but they were aided by a helmet designed to amplify psychic power.
However, the temple guardians train each other to converse without any special tools. This is to avoid being exploited during battle.
They were moving in perfect harmony with each other and entered a cavity that was quite large. There didn't seem to be anything special about it other than the fact that there were four paths.
'Where should I go?'
'Due to radio interference, the shape of the underground cavity cannot be determined.'
'It looks like the enemy is nearby. Everyone be careful.'
They moved forward slowly, looking around with their weapons in hand. As Alya crossed the hollow and got closer to the four paths, she felt something strange.
'huh?'
It feels like something is qualitatively different from before. I looked around, but couldn't see any special elements other than the ice and rocks that had turned black due to the darkness.
But Alya, a veteran warrior, wondered why she felt that way.
And it wasn't long before she came up with the answer.
'smell!'
This cavity smelled different from the ice passage I had walked through so far. In other words, something of unknown composition is mixed in the air.
Alya, who noticed this, urgently fired a telepathic call.
'Everyone activate their dragon uniforms…!'
Just as Alya was about to give the order, dozens of movements were detected around the ground where they were standing. And from the ground, strange creatures the size of Cult's face jumped out all at once.
"It's an enemy attack!"
"Everyone respond!"
The members immediately counterattacked the small monsters that flew in. Spears and long swords cut through the monster with air, and arrows and bullets pierced the monster's head. Their response was as fast as lightning falling in the sky, and dozens of monsters were eliminated in an instant.
'What are these guys?'
'Jason said it was the offspring of a three-headed devil.'
One of the Guardians who heard this picked up the monster's corpse. The monster looked like a scarab with a black carapace, and it had human-like teeth protruding from its face.
The guardian clicked his tongue at that disgusting sight.
"It looks so fucking horrible…"
He was about to curse briefly, but stopped. This is because he saw something behind him through the vision shared through Soul Link.
Next to his shoulder.
"Kigeek."
Where there should have been only thick darkness, there was a face as white as snow.
'be careful!'
"huh?"
'It', which resembled the face of a human woman, opened its mouth wide like a snake. The bright red mouth was filled with hundreds and thousands of teeth.
Immediately afterwards, the sound of bones crunching was heard in my ears. That was his last memory.
"Brentz has been defeated!"
"Start counterattack!"
The monster, which had the head of a human woman and the body of a giant insect, bit off Brenz's head and began to run away. It moved its many legs in bizarre movements, climbed the wall, and disappeared into one of the four passages.
"Kigeek, keygeek, keygeek, keygeek, keygeek, keygeek."
Beyond the dark passage, only the bastard's taunting sound echoed eerily.
"shit! I'll chase him! "Everyone, prepare your camp!"
"Hey, Alya? I can't see Villone."
"what?"
After hearing that, Alya hurriedly checked the Soul Link.
It was just as the member said.
One of the remaining 11 Soul Links was moving unusually fast.
While Brenz was being attacked, Villone, who was guarding the front line, was kidnapped.
'no way?'
Their target is a three-headed demon.
The devil has a friend.
They are not alone in this frozen maze now.
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