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[Proofreader – Draxx]

Chapter 251

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Captain Valtazei of the 8th Fleet, previously part of the Redtail Fleet but now temporarily assigned to the scouting unit, was currently very excited.

Was it because of the impending battle? Or perhaps the fact that this was a massive operation involving four elite fleets?

No, none of those reasons applied. Valtazei was a veteran soldier who had fought through countless battles. He wasn\'t some rookie who’d get worked up over something like this.

The real reason for his excitement was that the Great Elder himself was participating in this battle.

There were very few instances where the highest authority of the Star Union personally stepped onto the battlefield. Even among the elite cyborgs more exceptional than Valtazei, there were almost no cases of them having fought alongside the Great Elder.

But today, Valtazei had the honor of treading the battlefield alongside that magnificent leader.

‘Today is truly a glorious day.’

｢The planetary encirclement is being deployed.｣

“Good. Activate the Warp Finder first, and power up the system monitoring radar for the star system. Report any abnormalities immediately.”

｢Confirmed.｣

Despite the thrill surging within him, his rational mind remained ice-cold. Failure was not an option, especially since this battle had the Great Elder himself involved.

With his consciousness linked to the ship’s computer, he began his duties as part of the scouting fleet.

As he processed the data being transmitted through the cables and issued commands, something caught his eye.

On the 3D map of the star system, two unfamiliar red markers had appeared.

‘What’s this?’

He wondered if he was seeing things, but no—one marker remained stationary, distanced from the target planet.

And the other one was…

“Enemy attack! Enemy attack! All units, prepare for battle!”

｢Confirmed. Orders relayed.｣

A crimson light rapidly approached the ship that had been initiating the encirclement.

Soon, that light began to split into many fragments.

---

[ZZZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZ (Avoid unnecessary attacks.)]

｢Concern｣｢Unnecessary｣｢Comrades｣｢Strong｣

Beside me, Adhai radiated a wave of pride through her telepathic signal. The other Gallagons following behind us emitted a wave of agreement, scattering their thoughts in harmony.

[ZZZ ZZ (Focus only on the targets.)]

｢Yes.｣

｢Ham Ort｣｢Remembers｣

I was currently cutting through the vacuum of space, flying with fifteen Gallagons.

This was the same lineup that fought against Pyra Eleven: Adhai, now empowered by the Red Gallagon’s strength; Ham Ort, the Black Gallagon; and thirteen White Gallagons, all following my lead.

And at the end of my trajectory, there were the enemy ships.

Thirty-three massive vessels, accompanied by numerous patrol ships protecting their perimeters. Their numbers were large enough to be considered a regular fleet rather than just a scouting unit.

The moment they spotted us, the enemy quickly formed a battle formation.

Among the dark expanse of space, dotted with starlight, flickers of light began to shine. Torpedoes and drones launched by the enemy raced toward us.

The Gallagons, including Adhai, instinctively moved behind me without needing any instructions. Normally, I wouldn’t be able to conceal all fifteen Gallagons with my body, but that was only in my usual state.

The body I now used in this zero-gravity environment was far larger than normal.

After hunting down the Ice Horror in the past, I had acquired a fusion trait related to my body called "Bone Beast." This fusion trait allowed me to transform into a giant beast for 60 minutes.

Back when I fought against Jason, combining the Bone Beast with the special state of "King of Monsters" from the Organic Evolution trait had allowed my body to grow to nearly 300 meters in length.

Of course, my current form wasn’t that large. The cooldown of the Organic Evolution trait hadn’t ended, so I couldn’t use it yet.

‘Still, an 80-meter-long body is more than big enough.’

Unlike the battle against Jason, this time, I also had wings. My wingspan alone was well over 100 meters, making my breadth even greater than my length.

The black carapace that covered my body was now doubly reinforced with the white exoskeleton from the Bone Beast transformation. Anyone looking at me would probably think I was draped in the bones of a gigantic monster, like the Ice Horror.

‘Alright, let’s get started.’

I spread my massive wings, shielding the Gallagons as I turned my snout toward the incoming torpedoes and drones.

Even though there was no wind in this void, the tendrils sprouting from my neck swayed gently. It wasn’t the wind moving them but the psychic power emanating from within me.

And then, the most powerful psychic breath I’d ever unleashed erupted toward the targets.

As the violet beam surged, it ignited a dazzling display of explosions. The torpedoes of the Star Union were rendered powerless before the flames of my amplified psychic power, boosted by both the Bone Beast and the “Heart of the Dragon” ability.

The Anti-Psycho Defense (APD) weapons managed to hold up for a moment, but they couldn’t avoid the torpedoes detonating at point-blank range. Drones caught in the blast either exploded or malfunctioned, tumbling through space.

I nullified the first wave of attacks in a single strike and charged towards the enemy ships. The special wavelengths radiating from the membranes of my wings allowed me to maneuver with exceptional agility even in space.

The Gallagons followed, utilizing their psychic power as propulsion to keep pace with me.

The enemy attempted to barrage us with more firepower, but by then, I had already closed the distance between us and the scattered fleet.

The corvettes around the destroyers fired ultra-vibration torpedoes at me, but they were useless. Even as the vibrations seeped through, the layers of my carapace blocked them from reaching deeper.

Trusting in my defenses, I landed atop one of the corvettes. I could only imagine the panic inside. To them, a massive creature gripping their vessel would have been nightmarish.

I grabbed the corvette and hurled it toward another corvette that was launching torpedoes. The ship spun wildly through space before colliding with the other, and the ensuing impact created a flash of death.

The X10-class destroyer, which had been protected by the corvettes, tried to retreat upon witnessing this destruction.

“Where do you think you\'re going?”

I extended my corrosive tentacles. Enhanced by the \'Bone Beast\' effect, the tentacles had grown to the same massive scale as my wings and body, reaching out to grasp the fleeing destroyer.

Compared to me, the destroyer was about five times larger, but that didn’t deter me. As its turrets began aiming at my tentacles and body, I pulled myself flush against it.

“Is this where the bridge is?”

I pushed my head against a slight protrusion on the upper section of the ship, where dozens of small cameras stared back at me from the alloyed exterior.

Opening my maw wide, a torrent of green liquid gushed from my throat, flooding over the destroyer\'s outer hull.

The Star Union’s ships were all heavily armored, but even they couldn’t withstand such an overwhelming volume of acid. As my size increased, so did the amount of acidic fungi I could release.

In a matter of moments, the hull melted, revealing the half-ruined bridge. I saw the cyborgs within scream in terror. Whether it was from seeing me or from the vacuum exposure, I wasn’t sure.

To end their suffering quickly, I unleashed a powerful psychic breath.

A massive bubble, nearly 10 meters in diameter, seeped into the ship. The cyborgs who were struggling to survive became prey to the greedy bubble.

As they melted in silent agony, I couldn’t help but think of an old sci-fi creature feature from Earth. It depicted a pink ooze from outer space that destroyed an entire town—quite similar to what was unfolding here.

“Well then, let’s…”

With the bridge destroyed, rendering the destroyer’s controls useless, I tightened my grip on it with my tentacles and flung the ship toward other enemy vessels.

The destroyers rushing in to provide support collided with the incoming ship. The psychic breath I had injected into the first ship transferred to the others, consuming new prey in the process. This paralyzed the destroyers, making them unable to mount any effective attacks.

To finish things off, I released a regular psychic breath at the disoriented enemies.

“That’s one down.”

One of the destroyers I took down had a Warp Finder aboard.

According to PS-111, the five Warp Finders were spread across three XAX-5-class fast battleships and two destroyers. Now, with one destroyed, four remained.

As I battled the corvettes that attempted to swarm me, I observed how the others were fighting.

In the distance, red, black, and white stars were gliding across the sea of stars.

The red star, leading the meteor shower, streaked toward the corvettes. One by one, the ships pierced by this star exploded, decorating the black canvas of space.

Smaller corvettes fired torpedoes and drones to pin it down, but they were too slow. Like a true \'meteor,\' the red star moved at incredible speed, cutting through the enemy ships.

To deal with the rampaging red star, a destroyer began aiming its turrets. But this was a trap. A black star, scales as dark as the universe itself, pounced on the destroyer.

Like a hunting hound gripping its prey’s throat, the black star clung tightly to the destroyer and unleashed its violet breath.

No matter how sturdy the destroyer’s hull was, there was no surviving a dragon\'s breath at such close range. The elongated vessel was torn in two.

Cyborgs and androids spilled out from the fractured ship, thrashing in the endless expanse before going still.

The other vessels tried to scatter and encircle the two dragons, but they wouldn’t be granted such an easy victory. The 13 white dragons, vassals of the \'Daughter of the Great Meteor,\' unleashed their psychic breaths to keep the enemies at bay.

“They’re fighting well.”

The destroyer Ham Ort just destroyed also contained a Warp Finder. That makes two down.

“Three left…”

At that moment, a torpedo far larger than any fired before shot toward me.

I quickly wrapped my tentacles around the debris of a nearby destroyer and hurled it to intercept the incoming torpedo. While the AI-guided projectile was clever, it hadn\'t expected me to use the Star Union’s own ship as a shield. The powerful explosion rippled through the void, shaking the empty black space.

“Well, that worked out nicely.”

Beyond the explosion, a series of enemy ships came into view. A massive vessel, larger than a destroyer, was aiming at me while being escorted by corvettes.

The ship that attacked me was one of the XAX-5-class battleships containing a Warp Finder.

Sensing my gaze, the enemy, now fully reloaded, fired another volley of torpedoes in my direction.

The torpedoes, massive and terrifying even at a glance, sped towards me. Even I would sustain considerable damage if one of those hit.

"If I hadn’t used Bone Beast, that is."

Just before impact, I rammed the torpedo with my head carapace. The immense force and flames engulfed my body.

---

“H-Ha… hahaha! We did it! We killed that damn monster!”

Valtazei cheered as he watched the explosion through the battleship cameras mounted on the outer wall.

He had been horrified earlier when he saw the \'Operational Target\' throwing a destroyer at his comrades. Even as a veteran soldier, he\'d never seen such a monstrous display.

Especially when that creature had fixed its gaze on them after fending off the first attack, he had felt a chill run down his spine.

But none of that mattered now. The beast was finished, having been struck by the battleship\'s primary torpedoes.

“All remaining ships, maintain the Warp Finder and—those other monsters too—”

｢Warning: ‘Operational Target’ confirmed alive.｣

“What?!”

Valtazei’s eyes widened at the ship\'s computer\'s urgent report. Real-time video feeds transmitted via cables directly to his eyes.

“No… no way?!”

From the black flames, long, slender arms emerged. Each time the membranes attached to the arms fluttered, the flames and smoke swayed violently.

Then, the elongated snout and large horns of the creature\'s head became faintly visible. Despite taking a direct hit from the torpedo, it appeared unscathed, save for some minor damage to its head.

Its eyes, dull like a dead fish, stared back at Valtazei—eyes of a demon.

“R-Reload the main guns! Kill it now!”

｢Acknowledged.｣

As Valtazei shouted, the \'Operational Target\' moved again. Its black wings, absorbing all light, unfurled, and the creature’s form grew rapidly larger. It approached with such speed that it seemed to magnify in an instant.

The Corvettes and destroyers assigned to protect Valtazei moved to intercept, hoping to buy some time.

Unfortunately, this was a fatal mistake. Six tentacles shot out from the creature’s back, seizing the approaching corvettes. It swung them like blunt weapons, smashing the others that dared approach.

The destroyers attempted to keep their distance while firing, but it was futile. From the cluster of tentacles around the creature\'s neck, purple heat rays shot forth, obliterating the destroyers.

“I… I need to retreat…!”

Valtazei\'s orders were to stall until the main fleet arrived. But they still needed more time to get here.

“Fire the main cannon, then retreat at full speed—”

Before he could finish his command, the entire ship shook violently. It was a force that one might only expect from a direct hit by another battleship\'s main cannon.

Thrown forward in his chair, Valtazei looked up just in time to see the creature\'s head. It was pressing its face against the ship\'s camera, its jaws gaping wide.

“N-No! Please—!”

His overwhelming fear didn’t last long.

The purple flames melted the entire bridge and Valtazei’s frail, cybernetic body with it.

[Proofreader – Draxx]