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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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Chapter 372
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"Six 'Pile Flies' approaching from the rear."
｢Got it!｣
At PS-111’s report, Mother of the Sky flapped her massive wings with force, accelerating forward at high speed.
Behind her, a swarm of creatures with broad, dragonfly-like wings gave chase.
Their identity: ‘Pile Flies.’
These carnivorous insects primarily inhabit volcanic or rocky planets.
They soar on thermal currents like gliders, but when they spot prey, they fire massive biological spikes from their abdomens to capture it.
Despite being only 3 to 4 meters in size, relatively small for this planet, teeming with all manner of monstrous creatures, Pile Flies survive thanks to these biological spikes. The sheer velocity and penetration power of their projectiles allow them to kill even heavily armored beasts like Vulcarox.
And now, those same deadly spikes rained down upon the thunderbird with black wings.
Mother of the Sky dove sharply toward the ground, narrowly avoiding the barrage. The spikes whizzed past, grazing the black feathers covering her back.
If she were to fly faster, she could shake them off but that wasn’t an option. Not with PS-111 hanging from her hind legs.
Clutching onto her legs with hooked claws, PS-111 aimed its long tail backward. The demolisher at its tip activated, firing rounds of matter-disintegration shells.
"Kiieek!"
One of the massive dragonflies, riding the airflow, lost a wing and spiraled down. The next wave of deep-blue energy rounds struck three more, hitting either their wings or heads.
Of the six pursuers, four plummeted to the ground.
Yet, despite losing over half their numbers, the remaining Pile Flies showed no signs of retreating. They simply kept firing their spikes relentlessly.
For a predator lower in the food chain to behave this way was a clear anomaly.
"This will never end at this rate."
｢I know, but— tch!｣
At that moment, three or four biological spikes shot straight toward her wings. It was too late to evade or intercept them. Just as they were about to pierce her wings, black arms sprouted from her feathers and deflected the projectiles.
It was the functionality of Obsidian Arms, the equipment Mother of the Sky was wearing.
As she focused on controlling the black arms, PS-111 continued firing its demolisher, finishing off the remaining pursuers.
But there was no time to relax.
The real threat had yet to reveal itself.
Mother of the Sky glanced down. Below her, a mass of beasts had gathered, their instincts completely suppressed.
Above them, an eerie figure hovered.
Salman, the Wolf-Ranker who had transformed into the mythical beast Simurgh.
But he no longer looked as he had in their previous fight.
The fundamental features remained the head of a canine beast, the body of a peacock but his wings had grotesquely enlarged. His 10-meter-long frame now seemed small in comparison, giving him a shape more akin to a butterfly or moth.
Moreover, the emerald and lapis lazuli feathers covering his wings and tail were continuously breaking apart and vanishing.
Taking their place were particles of light and concentrated masses of energy.
His wings, now completely transformed, retained their shape but shimmered with unstable, chaotic fluctuations within.
Then, as the swirling light grew increasingly turbulent, it finally erupted outward.
'Dangerous!'
Sensing the threat, Mother of the Sky urgently flared her wings and ascended.
At the same time, hundreds of heat rays shot toward her like tendrils.
Each beam was as thick as a grown man’s waist, falling like a torrential downpour. She executed a series of dazzling evasive maneuvers, weaving through the relentless bombardment.
However, carrying PS-111 made it impossible to dodge as flawlessly as before.
Ultimately, one of the beams grazed PS-111 as it hung from her hind legs.
'Tch!'
PS-111’s body was highly durable, but even it couldn’t withstand Simurgh’s energy attacks unscathed. Especially now when his attacks had been amplified by some unknown factor.
Without hesitation, Mother of the Sky disappeared into the clouds, putting as much distance between them as possible.
The enemy, which had been relentlessly firing heat rays, ceased its attack once she withdrew. Instead, it simply sent in new subordinates.
“■■■■■■!”
“Kiiiiik!”
The screeches were incomprehensible, utterly unnatural.
As Salman howled like a beast, the Pile Flies circling around him took to the air.
Mother of the Sky increased her altitude, concealing herself within a nearby storm cloud.
｢Are you alright?｣
"Two of my arms have been damaged due to high-velocity unidentified particle energy. However, analyzing the nature of these particles and their acceleration conditions could prove extremely useful"
‘…Seems like it’s fine for now.’
For an ordinary creature, losing two out of eight limbs would be a severe injury, but PS-111’s body was mostly mechanical. Losing weapons was painful, but it didn’t seem to hinder its movement significantly.
While the battle lulled, she quickly reassessed the situation.
‘What the hell happened?’
After being struck by the spear and crashing down, Salman had suddenly transformed.
The Priest’s Golden Spear was a weapon that became sharper and deadlier the more blood it absorbed. It was a tool meant to kill, not to mutate its target.
Nor did the armor Salman wore have any connection to mutation.
‘That leaves only one possibility.’
The modified Psionium he had likely ingested.
That was the most probable cause.
PS-111 had mentioned that taking a stimulant similar to Psionium could cause complications.
A Psionium ampoule could temporarily elevate the user’s state by one tier. For instance, if a Wolf were to ingest it, their level of divinity would increase by one.
However, if consumed at the highest possible state such as the Incarnate stage the ampoule would have no effect.
In other words, a being at the threshold of its final evolution would gain nothing from it.
She had never seen an instance where taking the drug resulted in bodily collapse and distortion.
‘If not for that armor, he’d be dead already.’
Mother of the Sky fixed her sharp gaze on Salman, who now looked no larger than a speck from her vantage point.
A thunderbird’s eyesight far surpassed that of a griffon.
From this height, she could clearly see what was happening to him.
His entire body was undergoing grotesque mutations except for one part. The golden armor encasing his torso and head remained untouched.
Embedded in the chest plate was the Priest’s Golden Spear she had thrown.
That equipment was designed to rapidly heal its wearer when injured.
The only reason he was still alive, despite his chest being pierced and his body breaking apart, was that armor.
‘If his bodily collapse is a side effect of the drug…’
Then once the effects of Psionium wore off, his body should return to normal.
Whether his mind would recover was uncertain, but there was a chance.
Either way, the longer they delayed, the higher the chance that Salman would escape.
｢We’ve already revealed too many of our cards. We have to finish him here.｣
"How about this? I act as bait to draw his attention while 'Middle One' moves in to subdue the target."
｢I thought about that too, but it won’t work. It’s too dangerous for you.｣
Even though the Mountain Crawler had fallen, many monsters still guarded Salman on the ground.
Creatures like the Lava Raptors were far faster than PS-111.
If she failed to capture Salman, it could cost PS-111 its life.
"The target’s potential threat level is extremely high. If we fail to subdue him, the number of unobservable dangers will increase significantly."
｢…….｣
"Even if it costs me my body, securing the target is the optimal course of action."
Hearing PS-111’s cold, calculated words, memories resurfaced in her mind.
That day, when they had fought Muriel—her mate, Father of the Earth, had said something eerily similar.
That as long as she severed the enemy’s throat, he was willing to take the blow.
Back then, she had expected Muriel to arrive wielding a dangerous weapon.
She hadn’t known he was Thunder God, but she had suspected he possessed a weapon of comparable power.
No matter how strong her mate was, she doubted even he could withstand the firepower of an orbital-class weapon.
‘This is just like that time.’
Back then, she had chosen to stay by his side.
And that had been the wrong decision.
Father of the Earth had suffered devastating injuries while shielding her from the Thunder God's flames, and that ultimately led to their defeat.
Would things have been different if she had made another choice?
‘…I don’t know.’
Once again, she stood at a crossroads.
But perhaps because of the weight of the past, she hesitated.
As she sank deeper into thought, the Pile Flies closed in on them.
"There is no time. You must decide quickly."
｢I know.｣
｢Time｣｢Gone?｣｢Why?｣
｢I know we have to act before he escapes! But… huh?｣
As Mother of the Sky wrestled with indecision, a familiar presence cut into her thoughts.
Her elongated, pterosaur-like snout lifted slightly.
Ahead, the Philefly swarm was preparing to strike. The biological spikes growing from their abdomens took precise aim at her and PS-111.
The moment before the spikes were fired—
A crimson flash tore through the storm clouds above them.
"Kiiek?!"
"Kyaaak!"
The Pile Flies struck by the red light shattered like insects caught in an electric fly swatter.
Their remains painted the gray clouds in streaks of red.
And then, the source of that crimson light soared forward, landing right in front of her.
｢Ugly friend｣｢Thinking hard?｣
The small Gallagon called her by one of its usual bizarre nicknames.
But this time, that insolent voice was a welcome sound.
The Crimson Menace, Adhai, had come to her aid.
——————
HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
Join our Discord for release updates!
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
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