Became an Evolving Space Monster

Chapter 282:After the metallic gremlins withdrew, the barrier protecting the fortress deactivated. The Mother of the Sky and I returned to the fortress through the military port.

「Where should I go?」

Once inside, the Mother of the Sky transformed from her winged griffon form back to her humanoid appearance.

Her back, still adorned with wings interwoven with dense muscles, was significantly smaller than in her griffon state, now only reaching down to her thighs when folded. The movement of her wings retained the same flowing, jade-like sheen.

With the golden spear of the priestess resting on her shoulder, she asked me.

‘Under normal circumstances, we’d head to the second command center...’

I doubted Cynthia would be idling around the ruined silo; she had likely moved to catch a transport from another command center.

‘She’d have gone to the first command center.’

Being a cult ranker, she would know the layout of Kesha Arma just as well as I did. There’s no way she wouldn’t understand the implications of her recent oxygen shortage, realizing that I’d already seized the third command center, which oversees the fortress’s life-support systems.

She would likely have moved to the first command center, which she’d judge as the safest option.

‘She’s probably already battling with them by now.’

In the heat of battle, I’d asked Number 26 to accompany Adhai to target the first command center. If Cynthia headed there, they would have encountered her by now.

‘Together, they won’t win easily, but they won’t lose either.’

Both Number 26 and Adhai are formidable psychic creatures—the Sea Demon and the Red Gallagon. Against the cult, they’re practically the worst matchups imaginable.

If Cynthia possessed the overwhelming firepower of someone like Jason, it’d be dangerous, but she lacks that kind of offensive capability.

[ZZZZ ZZ (Let’s head to the first command center.)]

I sent a wave of communication to the Mother of the Sky, retrieving the membrane concealed in the armored segment of my winged arms. Since ‘Bone Beast’ was still active, my body remained massive. Like sails on a ship, the membrane unfurled widely, and everything around me was forced back by its sheer breadth.

「You’re really huge.」

With a small expression of awe, she spread her own wings alongside me. Though smaller than in her griffon form, her wings were still breathtaking as she took off ahead of me.

Following her lead, I began to flap my wings as well. My enormous wingspan, over 100 meters, sent everything beneath me scattering.

Each wingbeat shattered ruined buildings, lifting fallen corpses into the air. Among the debris, there was even a hover bus, split in half, which crashed onto a nearby structure.

It didn’t take long for a long, cylindrical building to come into view as we flew over the devastated areas. We landed in front of the first command center, enclosed by a barrier.

「Looks like they’re already fighting inside?」

Just as she said, there was a large drill-like hole in the barrier, and faint screams of pirates and gunfire drifted from within.

‘I should probably widen the entrance...’

Just as I gripped the edge of the hole with my winged arms to expand it, the sounds from within abruptly stopped. An all-too-familiar wave and thought pulse emanated, tickling my monster’s tendrils.

「It feels like the Little One!」

「Big One」 「Right」 「Let’s go」

「Yes! Let’s go!」

Moments later, they appeared. Number 26, likely in the midst of battle, was in its larger form, while Adhai’s head and front legs were stained red.

「Little One is huge!」

「Big One」 「Transformation?」

[ZZ (Yes.)]

Having seen me use ‘Bone Beast’ a few times, they weren’t surprised by my massive size.

But it was their first time seeing the Mother of the Sky with wings, and both showed signs of awe.

「Does the Medium One have wings too? Do they grow in after evolution?」

「Yes. Just like you said, the wings developed after growth.」

「Fascinating! I want wings too!」

「Ugly friend」 「Slightly」 「Improved」

「Maybe you could drop the ‘ugly’ part now.」

「Tail」 「Thin」 「Still ugly」

「...You promised to protect me, and yet you just up and left with comments like that?」

They had managed to trap Cynthia all on their own, without my help or guidance. That meant something significant.

There was no telling how many more Rankers we would face. Right now, I was up against two factions: Jason’s faction and Cynthia’s, known as the “Returners.” I didn’t yet know how many members they each had, but it was likely no small number.

‘If they can reach Ranker-level skill, future fights will be much easier.’

That practical realization coexisted with a hard-to-describe feeling.

Once, long ago, as a child, I had imitated an actor in front of my parents.

My mother, who was a famous actress at the time and a strict person, had been different that day.

For once, the usually expressionless woman looked at me and, without a word, smiled. Not the performative smile she showed to reporters or wore on set, but a real, genuine smile.

‘...I was really happy back then.’

Why was I thinking of that rare smile of hers now?

Maybe this feeling I had was similar to what my mother felt watching me back then.

「So, are there no more threats now?」

It was the Mother of the Sky’s telepathic message that snapped me out of my reflection.

[ZZ ZZZ ZZZZZ (Yes, the Ranker is dead.)]

「Judging by the state of this fortress, it looks like the crew hunting for the gene essences is also taken care of. Now we just need to deal with the remaining pirates.」

[ZZZ ZZZZZ ZZZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZZZ (PS-111 has taken control of the life-support system. They won’t last much longer.)]

「...You did the same thing here as in the game?」

[ZZ ZZZZZ (It’s efficient.)]

The remaining pirates and survivors in the fortress were effectively on borrowed time. Anyone in an enhanced suit would have oxygen capsules to hold out a bit longer, but even then, only for a few extra minutes.

Once they were dealt with, there would be no reason to stay here.

‘The conditions for adult evolution are already met.’

Thanks to plundering the underground storage, I now had all the unique traits needed to create the two I needed for synthesis. Once complete, I could finally evolve into my adult form.

‘Ah, speaking of, I remember a certain trait from earlier.’

Thinking about the traits triggered a memory I’d nearly forgotten.

I had managed to get a trait from a Warp Boy while trying to capture a Titan Boss.

Because of Cynthia, I hadn’t had the time to confirm it. There were only a few minutes left before the trait would automatically cancel.

I opened the message box right away.

「Devour effect activated! ‘Warp Creature’ gene essence successfully obtained.」

「Acquired the biological trait ‘Warp Creature’ from ‘Warp Boy’.」

「Would you like to apply ‘Warp Creature’?」

‘Oh?’

In such a short time, yet another unexpected twist.

The ‘Warp Creature’ trait was practically essential for an Amorph, an incredibly useful trait. It drastically reduces the time needed to prepare for faster-than-light travel.

‘An invaluable trait for escape.’

Now that I had the ‘Monster’s Reinforced Wings’, I could perform solo faster-than-light travel. But I avoided using it during combat because preparing for faster-than-light travel was incredibly slow—nearly five minutes of being completely immobilized and vulnerable to attack.

Obtaining the Warp Creature trait would cut that preparation time in half.

‘To get such a valuable trait here, of all places.’

The chances of getting the Warp Creature trait from a Warp Boy were low, so I hadn’t expected much, but I gladly accepted it.

And then....

「‘Jason (Jason Tunningham)’’s special attribute in the Token Storage can be fused with ‘Warp Creature’.」

「This trait qualifies for the Trait Enhancement System. Would you like to use it?」

The message box displayed yet another unexpected option.