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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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Chapter 359
｢Bad one hid inside the soft, squishy part.｣
｢Black ground.｣｢Warning.｣
"Continuous gas emissions are making it difficult to detect vibrations."
"Sis, be careful. Dreadsong is good at deception."
Since we didn’t know when Dreadsong would ambush again, everyone got off my back.
Number 26 entered combat mode, growing its size before floating into the air. Above it, Adhai and Isabel flew upward, away from the range of the thick sulfuric mist.
PS-111 raised its arms, which each had hooked claws and blade-like nails, ready to strike when the enemy appeared. Its tail, equipped with a demolisher, was also prepared to fire at any moment.
As everyone took their combat stances, Mother of the Sky approached me. She apologized when she saw the hole in my wing-arm, which was the size of a human head.
｢I’m sorry.｣
[ZZZ (It’s okay.)]
Just now, Dreadsong’s tongue strike was a very basic attack. It’s a simple strike with a tongue covered in saliva.
The problem is that the strength of its tongue is very high, and the tongue itself is incredibly tough. Even a simple tongue strike has terrifying destructive power. Not to mention that its saliva is as acidic as ‘Carcass Catfish’ level.
It’s no wonder that even my tough exoskeleton, which can endure ultra-fast travel, has a hole in it.
‘Still, this isn’t a serious injury.’
Considering my size, a hole the size of a human head isn’t much of a problem. It’s more like the feeling of being pricked by a pushpin, with a bit of blood flowing. Honestly, it’s not painless, but it’s something I can endure.
I pushed the pain aside and scanned the surroundings.
‘They’re keeping an eye on us.’
Dreadsong resembled a giant frog from prehistory, with multiple eyes and a body protected by rock-like skin. It had the feeling of a monster.
The point is, its body type isn’t very suited for close combat. That giant toad is significantly weaker in close-quarters combat compared to a White Gallagon. Dreadsong’s cunning comes from exploiting this physical weakness.
‘Besides, it has a weapon more terrifying than its tongue.’
[ZZZZ ZZ ZZ (Anything visible from up top?)]
｢Nothing visible.｣
"The thick gas makes it hard to confirm anything."
After conducting a brief reconnaissance from above, Adhai and Isabel descended again. I looked at the dense poisonous gas that obscured vision to the point where I could barely see an inch ahead.
‘It wasn’t a coincidence that it targeted Mother of the Sky.’
It knew exactly who first detected it and prioritized attacking that target.
Since the ambush failed, its next move would be one of two things: it would either attack Mother of the Sky again, or...
‘It will target the weakest one.’
In that moment, its tongue shot out from the molten surface, as fast as a bullet leaving a gun. At the tip of the monster’s tongue was a griffon with golden fur.
‘No, that’s a trick.’
Dreadsong doesn’t repeat the same attack. Except when it wants to deceive the enemy.
I raised my wing-arm and tried to strike the approaching tongue at high speed. However, the tongue swiftly changed direction as if it had already predicted my move. Instead, it targeted the massive pink jellyfish, Number 26.
Number 26 was nearly as large as I was, but its exoskeleton wasn’t as tough as mine. It must have seen that weakness and adjusted its target.
‘How foolish.’
Sea Demons and Dreadsong live in completely different habitats, so they never meet. However, no player would ever rank them on the same level. Sea Demons are far more dangerous.
‘And 26 isn’t just any ordinary Sea Demon.’
Just as Dreadsong’s blunt tongue was about to make contact with its outer shell, a purple tendril sprouted from the pink surface. The tendril, formed by some unknown force, quickly arranged itself into a geometric pattern.
It was small in size, likely due to the short time it took to form, but it was more than enough to defend against the enemy’s attack. When Dreadsong’s tongue collided with the shield created by Number 26, it shattered like an egg hitting a rock.
Blood sprayed into the air, and the tongue convulsed in pain. Seeing Dreadsong falter from the pain, PS-111 rushed forward.
"I’m defending for the Main Controller."
Its hooked claws glinted. The gas in the air split open, and Dreadsong’s tongue was severed, falling to the ground.
"Keek!"
A painful groan from the monster echoed from a distance. Its tongue quickly disappeared into the sulfuric mist.
PS-111 aimed its demolisher attached to its tail in the direction of the sound and fired immediately. Though it resembled a scorpion's tail, instead of venom, it fired a dark blue energy pellet.
The sound of the energy pellet exploding could be heard, but since the monster's scream wasn’t heard, it seemed to have missed.
｢I’ll punish the bad one!｣
Enraged, Number 26 deactivated its shield and began to use its psychic power.
The chains of psychic energy, emanating from the demon of the deep sea, burrowed into the black ground spewing gas. The surface cracked open, and the red lava that had been boiling beneath it erupted like a blood fountain. It intended to flip the entire area over with psychic power.
The enemy didn’t seem to expect this, as something large was moving hastily beneath the ground. Adhai, watching from the air, noticed the ground shaking and immediately unleashed a psychic breath.
Unlike normal Gallagons, Adhai’s unique psychic breath, which took the form of small orbs, struck where Dreadsong was hiding. The ground sank, and lava mixed with another liquid poured out, but the monster did not stop.
Its presence soon vanished. It must have intended to retreat and look for another opportunity to ambush us. It was, as usual, a troublesome opponent.
‘In the game, I would have lured it with bait or gone straight into the lava to catch it.’
In my case, I usually caught it by entering the lava and relentlessly chasing it. After about a day of continuous pursuit, its stamina would run out, and it wouldn’t be able to escape.
‘Now that I think about it, that was a crazy thing to do.’
I wasn’t planning to do that here. I had allies to help me, so why bother with something like that?
I looked at the area Dreadsong had claimed, now resembling the underworld. From the surface that Number 26 had overturned, sulfuric gas and lava continuously erupted, as if the monster had no choice but to keep spewing them out.
‘Wait.’
As I watched it, a good idea suddenly came to me. I called for Mother of the Sky first.
[ZZZ ZZZZ ZZ ZZ ZZZZ (Can you control pressure particles? Can we use them now?)]
｢Of course. Why?｣
[ZZ ZZZZ ZZ ZZZ (Can you send them underground?)]
She nodded subtly with a knowing look.
｢It would be impossible to catch it using pressure-controlling particles. It would notice immediately and try to avoid them.｣
She said it apologetically, but that was fine. I had just been asking to check if it was possible to control underground pressure.
‘That’s fine.’
The next one to ask was Number 26.
When I asked, its body began to glow pink, flickering with energy.
｢Since the big one asked, I’ll give it a try!｣
[ZZ (Alright.)]
I gently patted Number 26, which had taken a fighting stance with its two tentacles raised. Then, I explained to both Mother of the Sky and Number 26 what needed to be done.
｢…It’s certainly not a bad plan. Looking at the scale, it might be possible.｣
｢Do I just squish it really hard?｣
[ZZ (Yes.)]
After hearing my explanation, they immediately set to work.
First, Mother of the Sky spread her brilliant agate-colored wings wide. Particles resembling jewels mixed with the foul-smelling mist. Some of these particles had even penetrated deep below the fractured ground.
While she was setting up the groundwork, I gripped PS-111 with its combat arms.
[ZZZ ZZ ZZ ZZ (Don’t touch the ground with your feet)]
"Is that so?"
Mother of the Sky continued to scatter the particles over the black earth.
Maybe it was because Dreadsong had been dealt with harshly before, but it didn’t attack us, even though it was surely nearby.
‘It’s about time for it to strike again.’
The moment I thought that, a sudden whistling sound came from somewhere. My auxiliary organs and the monster's tentacles quivered. It wasn’t because we sensed something. The air around us had shifted, creating a powerful airflow that caused the tremors.
"Amorph!"
The sulfuric mist was swept away by the wind and gathered in one place. Isabel, seeing this, urgently warned us.
In the spot where the air and gas were concentrated, the monster was there. Dreadsong, with its large, flat head and relatively short, clumsy forelegs, had its feet on the ground and was sucking the gas in forcefully. Behind its four eyes, an area resembling gills trembled, producing a whistling sound.
At last, Dreadsong unleashed its trump card. The technique fittingly of its name ‘Song of Terror’.
[ZZZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZ (Adhai, Isabel, get above!)]
I warned those above, then quickly spread my wings to protect the members on the ground.
Almost simultaneously, Dreadsong expelled what it had inhaled. The sulfuric gas, volcanic ash, lava, and magma inside its body were released all at once, exploding with the terrifying force of an orbital weapon. The destructive power was greater than several Thunderstrike attacks combined. Even a mature Amorph would suffer significant damage if struck.
Dreadsong’s ‘Song of Terror’ crashed down on me. My exoskeleton, which had been fine when passing through the volcanic ash, cracked and shattered. The membrane on my wing-arms was punctured and torn in several places.
｢Pain relief activated!｣
I had experienced the overwhelming pain of burning before, but it was still unfamiliar. The one good thing was that the monster’s song wasn’t long.
After unleashing its devastating flame attack, Dreadsong retreated underground once more.
[ZZZZ (Now!)]
Once I confirmed that it had hidden, I immediately sent out a psychic wave to Number 26. Protected inside my wings, it began to unleash its psychic power.
｢Bad one! I’ll punish you!｣
The enraged Sea Demon released its psychic power at full force. The earth, stretching hundreds of meters, even kilometers, quickly turned purple.
While Number 26 spread its psychic power, Mother of the Sky began her actions as well. Through the agate-colored particles that had seeped below the ground, she exerted her divine power to control the pressure.
The gas that had been spewing wildly stopped immediately, and the liquefied earth hardened rapidly.
From the surface, it seemed as if the environment had stabilized, but it wasn’t so. While the surface was being firmly held by the intense psychic power, below, the pressure fluctuated wildly due to the sacred power of the Griffon.
｢Uuuuu!｣
"Amorph! I can’t hold on much longer!"
[ZZZ ZZZ (Just wait a little longer)]
A few minutes later, the ground shook like an earthquake. My auxiliary organs faintly detected Dreadsong's movement.
It was stuck, unable to move because of the psychic power pressing down from above and the particles rampaging beneath the earth.
[ZZ (It’s done)]
As soon as I sent the wave, Number 26 immediately released its psychic power.
A black wall appeared before us.
It was the planet's crust. Fragments of the broken crust below had been released all at once and shot upward.
｢Enemy｣｢Detected!｣
Among the flying debris was Dreadsong. Covered in blood, it was helplessly flying through the air, unable to resist.
Seeing this, Adhai moved to intercept it. But there was something faster.
With her long, slender body, Isabel shot straight toward the target in the sky. She smashed through the obstacles in her way and grabbed Dreadsong with many of her large hands.
‘It’s done.’
Since Isabel had captured it, the operation was a success.
Just as I was about to relax, Mother of the Sky tapped me lightly with her foreleg.
｢Those fragments that flew.｣
[ZZ (Huh?)]
｢...They’re about to fall.｣
The pieces of the crust, which had flown up tens of kilometers into the sky, were about to start their freefall, turning into a shower of rocks.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
Join our Discord for release updates!
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
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