novelraw Chapter 182
Chapter 182
Chapter 182
The bombardment ended without much delay.
Everyone behind the Queen Bee was unharmed. The interior of Sarunzarek had sustained some damage, but it hadn't been penetrated. Disengaging the barrier.
"Hmph, so I was found out."
"I wasn't certain. But you did seem unwilling to interact with the Federation. That made me cautious."
"Seriously, you're so inflexible."
Looking at the Vengeance with exasperation, 'The One Who Can't Be Pronounced' said,
"Don't you have any sense of camaraderie?"
"We're not comrades. We are the same entity. Unlike Terapolapaneshio, we're more like tools—what you call terminals. Even if you kill me, the main body would only be mildly inconvenienced. At most, it might feel a slight pain in its fingertips."
"I see, so the main body just watches from a safe distance. Cowardly, isn't it?"
"If you're trying to provoke me into summoning the main body here, that wouldn't be a wise move. We terminals aside, the main body is stronger than the combined might of Terapolapaneshio."
Glancing at Terapolapaneshio, they looked displeased but didn't outright deny the statement.
'We don't know what would happen if we fought the main body. But it can do far more than we can. That's for sure.'
Terapolapaneshio doesn't lie. It calmly and clearly affirms the differences between them without exaggeration. In some aspects, 'The One Who Can't Be Pronounced' surpasses Terapolapaneshio. Terapolapaneshio acknowledges that. And that fact is significant.
"That's how it is. The solar system we created must have looked indistinguishable from the real one, right? Oh, that's right—your solar system isn't the original. It just looks similar, doesn't it?"
"Are you saying you made everything, even the sun?"
"Exactly. Are you familiar with an old Earthling philosopher's fascinating theory? It's called the 'Five-Minute Hypothesis.'"
Unfortunately, Kait didn't know that theory. But when 'The One Who Can't Be Pronounced' brought it up, it took on an unsettling tone.
"It's a hypothesis that says the world could have suddenly appeared five minutes ago in its current state, complete with all the false memories of a non-existent past. No one can disprove that possibility."
"Ridiculous. It can't be..."
"Ah, you've caught on already? Impressive. It's people like you who cause us trouble, so we sneak terminals into the Earthlings. If we don't eliminate you early, it becomes a problem later."
With a pitch-black face like darkness itself, it casually spewed words that made one want to vomit.
In other words, 'The One Who Can't Be Pronounced' was claiming they preserved a moment from the original Earth and recreated it in space.
"When?"
"Hmm?"
"When did you create the thirteen Earths?"
"Now when was it... I can guarantee it was after the year 1970."
If they got too caught up in conversation, a second shot from the Vengeance might come. They knew that, but it was too horrifying a topic to ignore or brush aside.
Perhaps understanding that, 'The One Who Can't Be Pronounced' twisted what looked like a mouth into a crescent and spewed words like sludge.
"Of course, we couldn't adjust the exact positions of the stars. So when we recreated it, we tweaked your perception a bit. You know, like the shapes of constellations. Some of them are ridiculously forced, right? People in the past sure had vivid imaginations... But if they truly believed that, don't you think it's a terrible misrepresentation?"
"I thought you said you weren't involved with our Earth?"
"Oh, that's right, that's right. My bad. You all just resemble our Earthling toys too much. I got confused for a moment."
Toys. Without a doubt, the dark figure before them had said that.
Without a word, Kait peeled off a Worker Bee from the hull and launched it at 'The One Who Can't Be Pronounced' without hesitation.
The steel plate, smaller than the ship but large compared to a human, struck 'The One Who Can't Be Pronounced' directly. With no resistance, it sliced the body clean in two.
"No hesitation at all. So cruel, so cruel."
It didn't seem to feel pain. Maybe it wasn't even a living being.
Like a shadow split by light and then restored when the light fades, 'The One Who Can't Be Pronounced' returned to its original form.
"Next time, we'll place terminals on the Earth created by Divin's group. This was a failure for us. But failure can be fun too."
"Next time? You think there will be one?"
"Of course. Though it may be difficult in this galaxy. Worst case, we'll beg our father to recreate time. And when we do, we'll ensure rigid orders like you, Terapolapaneshio, are wiped out the moment they arise."
A vulgar, grating laugh escaped its mouth. Ugh, what a headache.
Had Dan and the others obediently left Sarunzarek as instructed? Hopefully they weren't thinking of stopping the Vengeance.
"Right, even though they were created at the same time, each Earthling walks a slightly different path. The 4th-Earth that called itself Divin was a prime example."
'You tampered with Divin, didn't you?'
"It's boring when everything progresses the same way. Add a few tweaks, and you get fascinating changes! We mixed in traits of winged insects into Divin's wings. Somehow, it led to a stronger power structure—what a delightful surprise!"
It seemed like the story was connected, but it wasn't.
They claimed to cut out the same moment, yet said each path diverged. Then they said they intentionally altered them. It all felt meaningless.
Every time it spoke, it felt like talking to someone entirely different. The complete opposite of the unified Terapolapaneshio.
"Kait, Third-Rank Citizen, Enec Lagif!"
Nijerio approached, looking either flustered or troubled.
"What's the matter?"
"That ship appears to be preparing a second shot. The first barrage didn't penetrate, but if we take a second one, a hole in Sarunzarek's wall is inevitable."
"Whoa."
If a hole opened in Sarunzarek, Divin wouldn't survive. That must be why the unsettling conversation had continued.
'The One Who Can't Be Pronounced' grinned. It made no move to stop Nijerio. Kait stopped thinking and decided to leave the matter to Terapolapaneshio.
"Can I ask you to handle that?"
'Of course, Kait, Third-Rank Citizen. Leave the ship to me.'
"Understood!"
The Queen Bee didn't run on fuel. Even when accelerating, it didn't release harmful substances. In that sense, it was the perfect choice for this situation.
Flying straight toward the Vengeance, Kait sent a transmission to Nijerio.
"Representative Nijerio, open the port!"
'Of course! Go right ahead!'
Light appeared in his line of sight. And standing before it was a massive humanoid silhouette.
"Seriously... I told you to stay outside."
Kait chuckled at the ever-disobedient Dan. The target was the cannon muzzle. He couldn't see it, but he'd done it once before. No problem.
"Representative Nijerio. Once the Vengeance and I are out of Sarunzarek, move the main body of Sarunzarek downward."
'You must have a reason, right? Understood!'
As the light burst open, it suddenly vanished.
Perhaps recognizing him, the Kissinger χ standing in the way turned to look at him.
"Things have changed. Stay here. Guard the inside."
'Mr. Crouch!'
"Thanks for covering me. You saved me. But unfortunately—"
With both hands extended from the Queen Bee, he grabbed the Vengeance and dragged it toward the port exit. The Vengeance resisted, but the ship itself was made by Divin. It couldn't withstand the Queen Bee's full force and was dragged out of the port.
To Kissinger χ, who tried to follow,
"Right now, you'd only get in the way."
Kissinger χ flinched and stopped. The port closed, and Sarunzarek receded downward from Kait's view.
Once enough distance was gained, Kait refocused his mind.
The shot that should have been fired seconds ago was now released, slightly off from its original trajectory.
'So you are the final obstacle, after all.'
"That might be true. Because your end comes today."
A cracking sound echoed as part of the Vengeance broke. Perhaps because the Queen Bee had still been touching it, the stress had transferred directly.
He let go and moved away. Then, from nowhere, 'The One Who Can't Be Pronounced' appeared near the Vengeance and splattered against the hull. Apparently, Terapolapaneshio had teleported the surrounding space.
He looked around. 9th-Terra, Sarunzarek. There was too much here worth protecting.
He wanted to move, but the enemy wouldn't allow it. Here, they had a massive advantage. It made more sense to leave defense to Terapolapaneshio from the start to avoid chaos.
"Everyone, please defend Sarunzarek and Earth."
'What about you, Kait, Third-Rank Citizen!?'
"These guys are my prey. ...If I fail, I'm counting on you."
Facing an opponent said to be stronger than Terapolapaneshio, Kait felt no lack of challenge. Staring down at the Vengeance, which had begun an eerily organic writhing, Kait resolved to go all out for the first time in his life.