Chapter 264:

Chapter 264:

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With a single powerful step, Kadun instantly closed the distance between himself and the female wolf. His fist, larger than a grown man's head, shot toward her face.

Born with an inherently strong body, now boosted by the effects of the enhancement drugs, his punch was like a thunderclap. Even a glancing blow would cause her head to burst.

Kadun fully expected to see the head of the alluring female fly off, but the result was different.

The female wolf simply twisted her waist to the side, easily dodging his punch. Kadun's fist struck nothing but air.

Using the momentum from her spin, she thrust the golden spear she held in her right hand.

“!”

Kadun hadn’t anticipated that she would evade and counterattack simultaneously, catching him off guard.

But he was a seasoned fighter. He quickly raised his wrist and deflected the spear upward.

As the spear collided with his wrist guard, made from a highly durable metal alloy, sparks flew with a thunderous sound. Even as the flames flared between them, neither of them so much as blinked.

Having successfully deflected the spear, Kadun used the moment she faltered to launch a kick at her thigh. His leg surged forward like a flash of lightning cutting through storm clouds.

The female wolf, however, used the force from the spear being deflected to propel herself into the air. She had utilized his own power against him.

His foot narrowly missed her leg, grazing it as she leaped back, creating distance between them.

“Tch.”

Kadun glanced at his wrist guard. Even though he had perfectly parried the spear, a large scratch had formed.

‘A scratch on my Megachrome alloy?’

Megachrome is a special metal used to build the outer walls of massive space structures like city-sized stations. It’s incredibly strong and heavy, and rarely used in armor.

Even for someone with Kadun’s exceptional physical prowess, pure Megachrome was too cumbersome, so he had an alloy version for his wrist guard. It was still durable enough that he never had to worry about it breaking in combat.

‘That spear... I need to be careful.’

He didn’t know what it was made of, but it was far sharper than anything ordinary.

‘But...’

Even though he acknowledged her strength, Kadun still felt confident. His eyes locked onto the spear and her ankles.

Frost was beginning to form where their bodies had collided.

Kadun was known among other cartels as "Snowclaw." True to his nickname, his body could release cold energy, one of the abilities he had gained when he transformed into a beast.

This freezing ability was one of the reasons he hadn’t brought any long-range weapons with him, even while wearing his advanced combat suit. Any opponent who fought him in close quarters would soon find their body freezing rapidly. If they didn’t have a way to maintain their body heat, even the largest beasts would freeze to death within moments.

And the female wolf was wearing nothing like protective clothing. She wore only a sapphire necklace around her neck, with black wave-like markings visible on her exposed body.

‘Primitive woman.’

Kadun had always despised wolves who maintained primitive cultures. While it was true that she had an extraordinarily beautiful body, his resolve remained unshaken.

After a few more close engagements, she would freeze to death.

The female wolf shook off the frost gathering around her ankles, adjusting her stance. She lowered her body and pulled her spear back. Her amber eyes, once calm, began to glow with a blue flame.

‘What is that?’

As Kadun made eye contact with her flaming blue gaze, he felt as though he had inhaled a potent drug. His sense of reality began to slip away, and strange whispers echoed in his ears.

“I’m hungry!” “Kill!” “Rip out their guts!”

‘A mental attack!’

Realizing the situation, Kadun immediately activated his second ability, following the cold release.

“RAAAAARGH!”

He let out a powerful roar, shaking his very mind. The whispers that had been creeping into his thoughts vanished in an instant.

But he couldn’t relax yet. The female wolf had somehow closed the gap between them while he dealt with the mental assault.

Her spear was now flying toward his neck. He quickly bent backward to avoid it, but not completely.

White fur and droplets of red blood scattered through the air. Had he been any slower, there would have been a hole in his neck.

The problem was that her assault wasn’t over. The sharp edge of her spear was now thrusting at him repeatedly, like a barrage of bullets from a storm gun.

He swiftly crossed his arms in front of his chest. While other areas might not matter as much, damage to vital organs like the heart would be deadly. Her golden spear struck against his wrist guards again.

“Gah!”

The protective brace shattered quickly, and large holes, three or four at a time, pierced through his wrist. Instead of blocking, he fell back as if collapsing. A spear grazed his protruding snout. Lying on the metal floor, he kicked his legs vigorously into the air.

His left leg fiercely struck the opponent's right hand, which was holding a short spear. Though the enemy did not let go of the spear, his upper body shook violently. Before the opponent could regain their stance, his right leg smashed into their abdomen.

With a loud crash, the female wolf was hurled backward. She landed safely after flying nearly ten meters.

Seeing this, Kadun was astonished.

'She definitely got hit by the ice blast, didn't she?'

Both her wrist and abdomen had taken a direct hit. The cold should have penetrated her bones by now. Yet, she didn't seem much different from when they first exchanged blows.

Fixing his gaze on the female wolf, Kadun slowly rose to his feet.

"Do you have some kind of special ability?"

Despite his question, the female wolf remained silent. She only glared at him with her amber eyes, devoid of any emotion.

"...No matter."

“W-Wait, wait, wait, wait...!”

I gulped down the pirate I was holding in one bite.

That’s the last of the pirates who jumped off the patrol ship I raided. I figure the others have probably wrapped things up by now too.

Walking away from the burning wreckage, I saw PS-111 and Number 26. The two of them were huddled together, talking intensely.

‘What are they up to?’

“Have you returned?” PS-111 greeted me.

「We punished the bad ones!」

As I approached, they welcomed me. Surrounding Number 26 were pieces of the dead pirates’ bodies.

It wasn't that she had broken them down to eat. After all, Number 26 can simply absorb them by enlarging its body and swallowing the corpses whole.

‘You said you were studying with PS-111.’

After leaving the Dragon’s Nest, it seems Number 26 has become increasingly curious about other living creatures. It used to move by following my lead or imitating me, but recently, it’s been diving into much more complex subjects.

Things like the behavior, habits, and even the anatomy of living organisms.

[ZZZZ (Studying?)]

「Yes! I’m studying!」

“The main controller has shown significant interest in the behavior and reproductive activities of biological species,” PS-111 added.

When I asked, Number 26 responded with a lively pulse.

To become a great hunter, it’s important to know a lot about your prey. I also became the best Amorph by accumulating a vast amount of knowledge.

‘The more you know, the better.’

Is this what it feels like to watch a child eager to learn? I stroked it gently with my wing-arm. It shimmered brightly and climbed onto my arm.

[ZZZZ ZZZZZ (Let’s go find Adhai.)]

「Okay.」

“Understood.”

「I’m done.」

Just as I was thinking about Adhai, a white-and-red streak fell from the sky. It was Adhai, having activated the Red Gallagon’s power, ‘Red Armor’.

The redness of her body wasn’t just from the Red Armor. Blood stained her pure white scales, which gleamed like a pristine dress.

「I’m tired. Carry me.」

「You just ate, Little One. You’re not tired.」

「Tired. Carry me.」

“You may ride on me, Little One,” offered PS-111.

「No. It’s uncomfortable.」

With a dejected look, PS-111 stood aside as Adhai climbed onto my back, folding her wings and settling down lazily.

‘Not so bad once in a while.’

There were no threats left in this area anyway. The subordinates implanted with parasites had sent signals of the complete annihilation of the cartel members.

‘Looks like the fight over there is finished as well.’

After the pillar of fire disappeared, there had been a few loud crashes, but now everything was quiet. I carried Number 26 and Adhai as we headed toward where the Mother of the Sky was.

In the center of the burning streets, a beast with the horns of a goat, the head and upper body of a lion, and the lower body and tail of a dragon stood.

It was the Mother of the Sky, transformed into a Chimera. She had one of her massive paws pressed on a large, blackened lump of charcoal as she turned her head toward us.

「It’s done. Took 10 seconds longer than expected.」

[ZZZ ZZZZ (Seems like you’ve gotten rusty.)]

「...It’s just because it’s been a while since I transformed, okay?」

She narrowed her amber eyes slightly as she moved her paw. The blackened lump beneath her twitched and coughed violently.

That creature, now completely charred and missing all four limbs, was the offering that would raise her deification stage.

The offering, or rather the Marcio Cartel’s sub-boss, barely opened his eyes and glared at us.

「You, you bastards... cough! What are you... cough!」

I looked toward the Mother of the Sky instead of responding.

「I just need to take out the heart and finish him. Until then, do whatever you want.」

[ZZZZ (Good to hear.)]

I approached the half-dead white tiger.

「W-What the...?!」

[ZZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZ (I have many questions for you.)]

His eyes widened in terror as he saw the black parasite wriggling out from my combat arm.

If he hadn’t come here—no, if he hadn’t even been in this fortress, he wouldn’t be in this miserable state today.

He chose the wrong path.