Chapter 263:

Chapter 263:

-

“What the hell is that?”

A thunderous explosion echoed in the distance, accompanied by smoke rising in the air.

Ino, who had only become an officer a day ago, was startled by the sight.

“What just happened over there?”

“We... we’ve lost contact with that side!”

“What? Try again!”

“Yes, sir!”

The Purge Operation against the contamination source was under the command of Kadun, the sub-boss with the greatest firepower in the Marcio Cartel. Ino hadn’t been too worried. At worst, he’d expected a few subordinates to die.

But things were taking an unexpected turn even before the battle started.

They had tried to soften up the contamination source by dousing it in toxic gas before engaging. While they had pulled the gas out of the area as they advanced, the air still carried toxic elements. Every pirate, including Ino, had to wear a gas mask.

Yet, even that didn’t seem to have weakened their opponent much.

“What about the sub-boss?”

Ino's question was met with a shake of the head from the pirate.

“...There’s only been one explosion. The ones with Kadun should be fine.”

Although they’d lost contact, it didn’t seem likely that anything had happened to the sub-boss. No matter how strong a monster might be, it couldn’t kill Kadun without a sound. He was probably on his way toward the source of the explosion as well.

If they continued heading toward the contamination source, they would naturally rendezvous with him.

“For now, we’ll head that way. They’re likely engaged, so we need to provide support.”

“...Damn it. Didn’t expect this.”

Despite their grumbling, the pirates followed Ino’s orders. It wasn’t due to his charisma but rather out of fear of Kadun, who stood behind him.

Ino and the pirates moved toward the source of the rising smoke.

All of them were seasoned in sneaking onto ships for raids, so they were adept at moving stealthily. They loaded their weapons and carefully watched their steps. Although their faces were obscured by gas masks, the tension was evident in their demeanor.

The pirates moved cautiously between the abandoned buildings.

The Corroding Cult symbols and abandoned churches seemed to be watching them. The eerie atmosphere made Ino feel inexplicably uneasy.

He had flown over this area several times while patrolling but had never felt like this before. The cold metallic structures, mere steel frames, now felt like living creatures, closing in around him.

It wasn’t just Ino feeling this pressure. The breathing of the gas-masked pirates grew more ragged.

“Distance to the target: 300 meters.”

The voice of the lead pirate snapped Ino back to reality.

Just as they were about to turn the corner of a building, the lead pirate suddenly raised his hand. Everyone tensed up instantly.

“Is that the target?”

“...There’s an unidentified creature at the intersection.”

An unidentified creature? Ino cautiously peeked around the corner.

“!”

The sight at the intersection made his heart stop.

“What... what is that?”

Could that even be called a living being?

What he saw was a creature with eight legs and a tail. Its long legs were covered in thick armor, each ending in jet-black hooked claws and eerie white scythes. The body alone, excluding the tail, was a massive 6 to 7 meters in size.

That was horrifying enough, but what truly shocked him was its head. Though it was partially obscured by long, thick cable-like hair, it unmistakably had a human head.

To put it mildly, it was a scorpion with a woman’s head.

“A... Hulk Mutant?”

Before joining the Marcio Cartel, Ino had been a researcher for the Megacorp. He had some knowledge of Hulk Mutants, more than most.

But even he had never seen a Hulk Mutant as grotesque as this.

Just then, the creature lifted its head. Ino's breath caught as he saw its face.

As expected, it had a woman’s face—skin pale as snow, flawless and beautiful.

But Ino was certain of one thing: no one would ever find those blood-red eyes, like orbs drenched in crimson, attractive.

The creature’s crimson eyes swayed slowly, following the movement of its head. Along with this, the thin cables hanging from its chin also swayed gently.

Ino, who almost locked eyes with the creature, quickly pulled his head back. Cold sweat poured down the back of his neck.

“Damn it, everyone, prepare for—!”

Before he could finish, a navy photon blast struck the building they were hiding behind. Despite the lack of maintenance, the structures in this area were made of a special alloy and boasted considerable durability. Yet, the church that took the navy energy blast crumbled like a sandcastle washed away by waves.

“What the hell?! It's a Demolisher!”

One of the members shouted in panic.

Kesha Arma was a cult’s space fortress. Everyone here had seen the Demolisher stored in the primary armory. They knew not only what it looked like but also the extent of its power.

“Scatter!”

“Damn it! Why the hell is a Demolisher here?!”

Cursing, they scattered in all directions.

The last remaining subordinate seemed to have the same thought, and they both broke into a sprint.

Taking this mission had been a mistake. When Kadun gave him this task, he should’ve ignored it and left the fortress.

‘No, I can still run. There's still a chance.’

He thought he could still recover from this mistake. If he could just reach the patrol ship, he would leave the fortress immediately, never returning to the command post.

He could flee to some planet in the farthest reaches of space. Forget everything he had done and live quietly from now on.

“Gah!”

But in the midst of that thought, his subordinate fell. A long, white scythe-like object was embedded in the subordinate’s back.

Realizing what had happened, something caught Ino’s leg. It was the same hooked claw that had tried to sever his neck earlier.

The owner of the claw lifted his leg into the air. Despite the claw tearing into his flesh, he felt no pain—his overwhelming terror had already numbed his senses.

As he dangled upside down, a pale face approached him.

“N-No! Please, don’t!”

Did it understand his plea? The crimson eyes, like camera lenses, scanned his face for a moment before gently placing him back on the ground. Instead, it grabbed the subordinate with the gaping wound in his back.

“Wh-Why me...? G-gahhh!”

None of Ino’s subordinates survived. Now, only he remained.

Of course, that didn’t mean he could relax. It wasn’t as if that monster had spared him out of affection.

‘The reason’ slowly approached him.

“This one’s brain likely contains valuable information.”

「■■ ■■■■ ■?」

“The human brain is a delicate organ. If you don’t open it carefully, it will die, so you must proceed with caution.”

「■!」

Earlier, 「it」 had been as large as a building, but now it had shrunk to less than a meter. Long tentacles extended from its round, pink body, drawing closer to him.

“H-ha ha ha. Hahahahaha...”

One subordinate had died with a crushed skull, another’s body had twisted and broken, and yet another had suffocated, poisoned by gas. And now, there was him.

Who had the better death?

In the end, it didn’t really matter to Ino.

He had no choice in the matter.

---

“Second-in-command! We need to retreat!”

“Damn it, where the hell is the attack comi—Aargh!”

“Damn! How do you hit something faster than a bullet?!”

“Second-in-command!”

Before Montana Marcio took him in, Kadun had lived moving from one fighting pit to another.

Sometimes, he killed his own kind, and other times, he fought and killed beasts far stronger than himself. He had faced death countless times, and more than once, he had actually died and been revived.

But now, his instincts were warning him.

This place would be his grave.

“......”

The voices of his subordinates grew fainter. The high-speed craft that had confronted them upon landing was drawing them away.

He should rush to help them and fight the craft, but there was a reason he couldn’t move.

A wolf stood just a few meters away from him.

She had the head of a white raptor with two horns, stunning amber eyes, and a magnificent golden mane. She was a female wolf, wielding a radiant golden spear and a black dagger, blocking his every move.

‘...She’s strong.’

Thanks to his experience fighting countless strong opponents, Kadun could usually gauge an enemy’s strength. But he couldn’t get a read on this female wolf.

It could mean only one of two things. Either she was absurdly weak, or she was overwhelmingly powerful.

The last time he had felt this kind of uncertainty was when he faced the woman Montana worshipped with utmost reverence.

“Gulp.”

Without even realizing it, he swallowed hard and activated the advanced combat suit he was wearing. He also injected every enhancement drug embedded within it.

Kadun knew the drugs had serious side effects, but now wasn’t the time to care about that.

“Grrrr...”

His physical abilities dramatically boosted, Kadun growled. The female wolf, too, gave her golden spear a sharp shake and assumed a combat stance.

He didn’t know how strong this mysterious female wolf was. But he believed in his victory.

“Grrrraaahhh!”

The white-furred tiger wolf roared loudly and charged forward.

The prophecy his clan chief had spoken of—the journey to reclaim the divine stature.

The battle Kadun had once dismissed as mere superstition had now begun in this cosmic fortress.