At the vast spaceport in Apoptology, two researchers are smoking cigarettes as they gaze up at the stars.
“They’ve already repaired the landing strip that was destroyed by Lemegeton.”
“New Ark sent construction vehicles to help.”
“New Ark Corporation? Aren’t they too busy cleaning up our own mess?”
“Well, they’re the Foundation’s primary sponsor, so they’re helping us out. Is there any harm in a huge corporation like that sending us a few construction vehicles and supplies?”
The scene visible from the spaceport is calm, as though a storm has just passed through.
“What did they do with the dead personnel?”
“New Ark took care of that too. Accidental deaths, disappearances . . . I suppose they’ve just written them off as people who never existed. Only the chief knows for sure.”
“Jeez, what a mess over just one failed subject.”
“That’s right. Who would have thought they’d go so crazy over just one mistake?”
“Anyway, this time we absolutely have to succeed with the chimeraz project.”
“This new ruler is a success story. That’s for sure.”
“. . . Hey. What’s that over there?”
“What is it?”
The two researchers were gazing up at the stars scattered across the cosmos.
One area of the starlit sky, which had been shining like stars scattered across a sheet of black paper, had become a gaping black hole, as though someone had scooped all the stars out of it.
And this black hole was growing larger and larger.
“There’s something there. . .”
“A black hole . . . ?”
“No, it’s not.”
It wasn’t a gaping black hole.
Something huge was blocking out the starlight.
Something huge was approaching, and more and more starlight was being blocked out as it drew nearer.
Red dots spread out from that location like nightmare dust, gradually drawing closer.
All of those red dots were the single eyes of the Cresecter horde.
“Holy crap! . . . Those are all eyes . . .!!”
“Run!!!”
Warning messages blared throughout the facility, one after another, announcing the impending disaster.
━𝐇𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐀.
𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘮! 𝘙𝘢𝘵-𝘢-𝘵𝘢𝘵-𝘵𝘢𝘵!
The railguns on the outer wall of Apoptology fired a barrage of superheated armor-piercing shells and plasma bolts. Blue and crimson streaks of light shot out towards the approaching red eyes in the distance. At the same time, unintelligible blobs of dark red plasma shot out from the other side and struck the outer wall, causing explosions.
Space fighters and armed vessels deployed around the facility quickly gathered, and a pitched battle ensued.
━𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧:
━𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞. 𝐍𝐨𝐧-𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐃 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐜𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲.
━𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐭: 𝐇𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐀. . .
𝘒𝘈𝘉𝘖𝘖𝘔!!!!!!!!
The deafening explosion drowned out all other sounds, and the air in the facility burst into violent flames. The outer wall shattered, causing air to escape and all moisture to freeze. People exposed to this environment froze to death before they could even be burned by the flames.
𝘊𝘙𝘈𝘊𝘒! 𝘉𝘖𝘖𝘔!
The Lemegetons, which had broken free from the battle in space, forced their way into the spaceport with their snouts pointed downwards.
𝘉𝘖𝘖𝘔!!!
As the snouts opened, all sorts of grotesque creatures spilled out and flooded into the facility.
“Deploy everything we’ve got!”
“Hold them off!!”
Infantry in combat suits, humanoids, war machines, multi-legged tanks, drones, and so on were immediately deployed to respond.
However, the chimeraz they now faced were not the chimeraz they had known in the past.
𝘚𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘦𝘦𝘦𝘤𝘩!
A horde of bloodthirsty Hounds rushed forward, competing with each other to get to the front.
𝘝𝘞𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘔!!!!
A swarm of disgusting Cust flew over the heads of the Hounds.
𝘕𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘖!!!!!!!
A massive horde of Kabanas charged forward, taking human fire head-on.
𝘏𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘴. . . !
A towering horde of Tritulas lined up in formation and fired bone spikes from the rear.
𝘒𝘈𝘉𝘖𝘖𝘔!!
Cresecters that had entered from space flitted around the ceiling and bombarded the interior with plasma blasts.
It was complete and utter chaos.
The side that was being overwhelmed by the enemy’s numbers and firepower had changed.
The forces deployed to defend the spaceport were annihilated in an instant, and the chimeraz horde that had emerged from the snouts of the Lemegetons quickly broke through to Experimental Wing A.
𝘉𝘖𝘖𝘔! 𝘉𝘖𝘖𝘔! 𝘉𝘖𝘖𝘔! 𝘉𝘖𝘖𝘔! . . .
𝘚𝘘𝘜𝘌𝘈𝘒! . . . 𝘚𝘘𝘜𝘌𝘈𝘒. . .
Xenoteras poured out of the snouts of the Lemegetons like a waterfall. Above them, Hydras swung their heads around as they collected human resources.
𝘊𝘓𝘈𝘛𝘛𝘌𝘙!
Next, a massive creature with four legs scanned its surroundings with its glowing eyes.
It’s tough skin was made of dried organic tissue, and curved bones protruded from it at regular intervals. Vents that spouted hot steam like geysers covered its body.
Its head resembled a double-bladed axe lying flat, and its eyes burned with a hellish yellow light. It had a savage body and disproportionately large forelegs that supported it.
Kreion, who was following behind this creature, gave the order.
“Phlegeth.”
“Grruuuuh . . . Gruuuh . . . Gruuuugruuuugruuuuh . . .”
━𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬. . . !
“Calm yourself.”
━. . . 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐝.
Kreion pointed his gaze at an empty wall to the right of the passage where the horde was headed.
“Break through there.”
━𝐀𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝.
Phlegeth opened its mouth towards the wall that Kreion had indicated. Its jaw joints creaked loudly as they opened unnaturally wide, and the vents on Phlegeth’s body transformed into intake ports, sucking in the surrounding gas.
“RAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!”
An explosion occurred inside Phlegeth’s body, and the blood vessels glowed brightly. Crimson flames then erupted from its mouth.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! . . . !!!!!”
The crimson flames grew even hotter, turning blue and then purple, heating the air in their path to the point of plasma.
The intense heat, which destroyed the molecular structure, caused the wall to melt and then vaporize.
“That’s enough.”
“Huuuh . . . Grrrruuuh . . . Grrrruuuh . . .”
Half of the chimeraz horde rushed through the newly opened passage.
━𝐀𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞.
Ludwig’s horde possessed the most common instincts among the chimeraz.
And Nazar’s horde, as a survey herd, emphasized curiosity, cautiousness, composure, and observation skills.
━𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞, 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐭. 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞.
Phlegeth’s habitat was a volcanic planet with extremely high temperatures. As a result, its energy metabolism was rapid and the hordes beneath it were highly active.
That was why Phlegeth’s horde had become the vanguard, possessing a combination of unyielding savagery and courage. When fighting under Phlegeth’s command, the horde would always let out bloodcurdling roars and engage in excessive slaughter and destruction.
Such characteristics would instill a sense of powerlessness and fear in their enemies and any third-party observers.
“Phlegeth. Find the facility’s fusion reactor or nuclear weapons. We will use them to blow up this facility as quickly as possible.”
━𝐖𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐞’𝐯𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐭?
“We can’t wait that long. We need to destroy the facility by targeting only its critical sections and then leave immediately.”
From the very beginning, the only target of this invasion was Apoptology. The goal was to destroy Apoptology and the Darwin Foundation headquarters, thereby neutralizing the enemy known as the Darwin Foundation.
━𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬. 𝐇𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫, 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲’𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐥𝐲.
The battle in space had not yet been resolved, and yet they had already entered the facility. Kreion was in a greater hurry than he had originally planned.
That was why Phlegeth couldn’t help but feel a sense of regret.
━𝐖𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐲? 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝟏𝟖 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬.
“No. Now that I’m here, I see that there’s something strange going on.”
This was the long-awaited moment of revenge, and by all accounts the chimeraz had an overwhelming advantage.
━𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐭?
Kreion refused to be intoxicated by the situation and instead looked beyond it.
“. . . The number of enemy ships and soldiers is too small. . . Much smaller than I expected.”
━𝐈 𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥-𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦?
Phlegeth couldn’t understand what Kreion was wary of.
Not until it heard the next words.
“Most of the Darwin Foundation forces that were here have moved somewhere else.”
━𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧 . . .
“We’ve gotten ourselves into a fight where neither side can afford to lose. Perhaps. . .”
And although Kreion didn’t know the word for it, this situation could be described more simply as an Elimination War.
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