Read Novel Full Chapter 483
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[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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Chapter 483
Akira’s butler, Gotō Yujin, had served the same master for a very long time.
His duties went far beyond assisting the head of the family. He carried out assassinations, commanded shadow operatives, and performed tasks that could never be made public. More than once, he had barely survived situations where his life hung by a thread.
So when he witnessed the death of the Saint K family head, he did not panic.
Right after Walter self-destructed in battle against the Sea Demon, Gotō immediately withdrew from the battlefield and made his way to the temporary base at the ocean’s surface. On the way, he issued bombardment orders to the fleet stationed outside the planet.
He hadn’t even seen the true objective yet the Three-Headed Demon and already the commander of the entire operation was dead. His given orders had been absolute: no matter the cost, kill that three-headed monster. Even if it meant sacrificing their lives, at least that creature had to be destroyed.
And the Giga Cracker wasn’t the only weapon they had prepared for killing it. They had stockpiled hundreds of bombs acquired from the Star Union. If all of them were detonated, the resulting destruction would be enough to wipe out three or four entire planets.
No living being could possibly survive within a planet tearing itself apart. Not even a demon.
But it did not take long for Gotō to realize this belief was mistaken.
By the time he reached the base, not a single explosion had occurred.
“Why is it still silent after I gave the bombardment order?”
“We already dropped all of the bombs. But on the way down, every single signal disappeared.”
“What?”
Gotō could not understand what the sea-base administrator was saying.
“You mean the bombs didn’t malfunction or fail to trigger… they literally vanished?”
“It’s true. Look here.”
The administrator replayed a recorded map showing the tracking signals. A holographic projection appeared above the command room.
The signals marking the bombs advanced toward the designated target point, and then vanished all at once. They did not explode prematurely, nor did any machinery malfunction. The signals simply ceased to exist without reason.
“Signals disappeared? No way… could it be…?”
Gotō knew only one being capable of such a feat.
“The Three-Headed Demon!”
According to the data Akira had provided, the creature could manipulate detection systems and disrupt machinery. It was clear the monster had used that power to cut off the bombs’ signals.
“…The Three-Headed Demon has appeared.”
“What?”
“It can interfere with detection networks. If the bomb signals vanished, it was undoubtedly its doing.”
Gotō’s words sent a wave of unease through everyone present.
“We’ll...we’ll confirm the overhead! This is the temporary base calling command! Requesting orders! Temporary base requesting orders!”
The communications officer urgently attempted to reach the fleet.
But the only reply was static, indistinguishable from garbled human voices or meaningless noise.
“We need to move the base immediately.”
“B-but, we must first report to the family head ”
“With communications unstable, if we wait around for Walter’s instructions, we may fail to respond in time.”
Walter was already dead, but Gotō deliberately withheld that fact. Revealing it now would only throw the command structure into chaos.
The administrator, unaware, gave a grim nod.
“…You’re right. Everyone, prepare for relocation!”
“Switching to flight mode!”
Whenever Walter hunted, this temporary base was deployed precisely for its mobility. Originally an exploratory research facility, it had been modified to land on and lift from planetary surfaces under its own power.
As the control room staff entered commands, the entire structure trembled. The modular sections began shifting into new configurations, adapting for the next mission.
The temporary base transformed into a colossal warship and rose into the skies.
“There’s a strong chance our fleet is already engaging the monster. We must assist.”
“Though we lack defensive installations, the base carries squadrons of aircraft. I’ll see that they are combat-ready.”
“We might also utilize the Epsilon-class bombs in storage.”
“Good idea. I’ll have them loaded onto our aircraft.”
In the bridge formerly the control room the staff moved frantically, preparing for the imminent battle.
“As you’ve seen, that creature thrives on trickery. If we equip our fighter craft with combat androids, it will help counter its deceptions.”
“Hmm. Sensible. Replace the pilots with androids.”
“And furthermore ”
In the middle of their planning, the base shuddered violently.
“What happened?”
“An explosion outside!”
A live feed flickered into the hologram display. Missiles, plasma beams, and fighter squadrons clashed chaotically across the starry void. The base had already entered the battlefield.
“Th-there! It’s there!”
Someone pointed to a corner of the projection.
Against the black backdrop of space, a glaring white mass drifted like a phantom. Hundreds of writhing heads spread from its grotesque form as it effortlessly tore apart fighter craft.
“That’s the Three-Headed Demon…”
“Horrifying. No wonder they call it a demon.”
Even through video, a chilling dread radiated from the entity.
Yet its shape was not exactly as Akira had once described. It was far larger than the original records, its body several times the documented size and instead of merely three heads, it now bore countless more.
“Has it evolved again?”
Through evolution, the demon could strengthen itself endlessly. The one before them was clearly something much more powerful than the version Gotō had known.
“…But in the end, it’s still a living creature. It isn’t immortal.”
They had six Giga Crackers at the ready, protected by thousands of escort ships. Tracking arrays ensured there would be no escape.
And beyond that, reinforcements hovered nearby, prepared to answer at any summons.
All of its resources had been arranged by Walter Saint K and Akira Yujin.
Two noble houses of Noble Capital had committed their full strength to putting down this single monster. No matter how powerful it became, surviving this encirclement was impossible.
“Energy reaction from the rear! Output spiking!”
“A Giga Cracker?”
Of the six colossal cannons stationed to the rear, two had already begun priming to fire. The escort fleet tightened formation around them, shields linked to ward off harm.
And then breaking from the lines an entire squadron peeled away and surged directly toward the demon.
“Unarmed transport ships and numerous patrol craft are closing in on it.”
“They must be trying to load bombs onto the transports to break its shield.”
“A simultaneous attack, then.”
The demon’s barrier reflected all energy-based attacks. Worse, its structure enveloped its entire form, making it an exceptionally difficult target.
But if it were truly invincible, there would have been no reason for it to keep running all this time.
Walter had anticipated that some weakness must exist, and devised a number of strategies. One of them was precisely this: a dual assault combining bombs and plasma beams.
In the projection, the Giga Crackers shifted shape, opening like colossal flower buds. They would soon fire their ion cannons. At the same time, the transports prepped for self-detonation had safely infiltrated the enemy lines under cover of patrol craft.
Just then, the Three-Headed Demon halted all movement. It raised two long appendages its tails and aimed them directly at the Giga Crackers’ position.
“What’s it doing?”
“Using its barrier? But what’s with the tails?”
One of its tails ended in a massive pincer, which it had been swinging like a mace to crush ships that drew too near. The creature hadn’t shown any signs of being able to strike over long distances.
But the weapon it chose this time was its other tail.
That tail bore a long, rod-like appendage. Weak-looking, almost flimsy compared to the armored pincer tail. Walter had once theorized it was just a vestigial organ something left behind by its erratic path of evolution. Gotō had thought much the same. During the entire battle, that tail had done little besides hang limply, giving the impression of uselessness.
But what if that wasn’t the case?
What if the highly intelligent beast had simply been waiting waiting for the perfect opportunity when the fleet massed together, like right now?
Unfortunately, this time, Gotō’s suspicions proved right.
“…What?”
From the tip of the rod-tail, something suddenly emerged something impossibly black. A sphere darker than the void of space itself. Not reflecting light but swallowing it, the orb shot outward at incredible speed.
“What is that thing?”
“A projectile? Can we analyze its composition, its elements?”
“We… we keep trying, but every system throws errors.”
As the base’s sensors scrambled fruitlessly, the unidentified sphere drew close to the fleet.
At the same moment, the Giga Crackers unleashed their ion cannons. Turquoise lances powerful enough to shatter planets surged forward to obliterate the demon.
But then the unthinkable happened.
The beams, which should have struck true, slowed mid-flight and twisted off course. And not only the beams the nearby ships themselves distorted and bent unnaturally. It was as though space itself had been torn and warped.
At the center of the distortion was the black sphere.
Vessels, though many times larger, were dragged helplessly into its grasp. From nimble aircraft to kilometer-long warships everything collapsed into the orb and vanished inside. Even the mighty ion beam of the Giga Cracker, warped grotesquely like strands of thread, was consumed as well.
The sphere devoured everything close, and with every meal, it grew. Its reach expanded with terrifying speed.
And thus, the massacre began.
Endless darkness rolled over the fleet. Some ships fired desperately at it. Others broke formation and fled at maximum acceleration.
None of it mattered. The ravenous blackness swallowed all without pause.
Even the pride of House Saint K, the Giga Crackers, were not spared. Their thick alloy shells, their gun crews, and their engines stretched, mangled like strands of spaghetti vanished into the dark beyond.
The slaughter did not relent until one-third of the entire fleet had been annihilated. Only then did the black sphere begin to shrink rapidly, collapsing in on itself until finally disappearing completely.
“……”
Silence consumed the bridge.
Every person who had witnessed the footage sat frozen, stiff as stone.
Terror suffocated them.
All of them had been through Walter’s hunts before. They had faced more brushes with death than they could count.
But nothing like this. Not even hardened veterans could endure a sight like what had just unfolded.
Gotō too felt the same horror.
‘This… This is impossible!’
Humanity had long since commercialized faster-than-light travel. Yet there remained vast domains of nature still unconquered.
One of them was the monstrous phenomenon that devoured all things the black hole.
Until now, the only power ever known to have successfully harnessed black holes was the Cult Empire. A few mega-corporate houses had been researching them in secret, but no useful results had been achieved.
Gotō knew this well, being close to Akira. He understood just how extraordinary and horrifying the demon’s display had been. The black orb that erupted from its tail and slaughtered the fleet was undeniably a black hole. The most awe-inspiring, most dangerous phenomenon in the universe, weaponized as though it were nothing.
Such a creature can’t exist…
“We…we have to run, now!”
A voice, splitting with terror, shattered the silence of the bridge.
“You want us to fight that thing?! We came here just to die like dogs?!”
“Th-that’s right!”
“This base is just a mobile platform, not a warship. Fighting it here would be suicide!”
“It’d be better to hide on a planet and wait for reinforcements!”
Others chimed in desperately, their commander Walter’s orders already forgotten under the crushing weight of fear.
“Wait! We can’t run now!”
Gotō cut them off, firmly.
“What are you saying? That we should fight this monster?”
“It’s a living organism. There’s no way it can unleash such power repeatedly. That black hole must have cost it a vast amount of energy. Right now, when it’s weakened we have our chance!”
“B-but…”
“I’m not the only one who thinks so.”
He pointed to the hologram. As he said, despite the grievous losses, the fleet was choosing to press the attack instead of retreating.
Every gun turned on the demon. And Gotō’s theory seemed true that the monster did not raise its barrier. It did not counterattack, barely able to dodge the incoming fire.
“You see? It’s weakened. If even a single Giga Cracker lands a clean hit, victory will be ours.”
“Y-you mean…?”
“Wait, it’s moving toward us!”
“What?!”
Just as the crew began to relax at his words, the monster shifted course heading straight for the mobile base.
“We...we have to leave right away!”
“…No. We can’t outrun it anyway. Let’s use the bombs.”
“Bombs?”
“If we deploy all the Epsilon-class bombs stored here, even that monster will feel it.”
Gotō knew killing it outright was unlikely. What he wanted was to draw its attention long enough for the Giga Crackers to take their shot.
“D-damn it! Launch all craft, prepare for deployment!”
There was no choice. The mobile base lacked faster-than-light jump capability. Any attempt to escape at normal flight speed would only get them caught.
Every single fighter in the base launched at once. Aircraft carrying the bombs dove straight toward the demon. Explosions lit space, consuming its grotesque form in searing flame.
“Please, let it work…”
Someone whispered. Everyone silently echoed the plea.
Through the inferno, the monster drew closer its enormous neck reaching forward until its maw filled the hologram. Jagged fangs, glistening, almost closed around the base’s cameras and outer hull.
But just before it struck, a turquoise flare burst behind it. The Giga Cracker’s particle lance surged through the void at the demon.
Moments later, the relay feed cut off, and the entire base shuddered violently.
“Waaaah!”
“Kyahhh!”
People screamed and toppled amid sirens and alarms. Only Gotō, his body enhanced, remained standing and composed.
“Central computer! Status report!”
｢Outer hull at communications chamber: 32% structural damage. Target ‘Three-Headed Demon’: signal lost.｣
“The demon… disappeared?”
Quickly, Gotō switched to other camera feeds.
The projection showed only wreckage and flames drifting across empty space. The many-headed abomination was gone.
“Any traces of a jump signature?”
｢Residual warp particles not detected.｣
No. It hadn’t warped away to another star system. It had simply vanished, right there as though annihilated by the Giga Cracker’s beam.
“Could it be… did we succeed?”
“We...we survived! We’re alive!”
“Wooooo!”
The survivors, sprawled on the floor moments ago, now leapt up in wild celebration.
“…Any craft that saw what happened to the creature up close?”
｢No reports, none detected.｣
“Gotō! Sir, we...we killed that accursed monster!”
“This has to be reported to Lord Walter immediately ”
The bridge swelled with relief and exultation.
But Gotō still felt a knot of unease in his chest as he kept checking the data.
Yet no trace of the demon could be found.
***
“…Hah, just look at the state of this place. Completely screwed.”
Inside the communications control room of the mobile base.
Two technicians in space suits let out weary sighs as they surveyed the gaping hole torn into the outer wall.
“It’ll take forever to patch this mess up.”
“That’s not all. The entire communications array’s been melted.”
“Melted? What the hell hits hard enough to melt the inside too?”
“They say a Giga Cracker’s shot grazed us. If a weapon that shatters planets glances off, this much damage is nothing.”
“This is gonna be a nightmare… can it even be fixed?”
“I’ll do what I can, but honestly, it’ll be hard. Swapping in a whole replacement module would probably be faster.”
“Anything else busted that needs priority repairs?”
“I’ll have to check further wait, huh?”
One of them trailed off, eyes going wide. In the corner, two figures in deep-sea combat exosuits lay collapsed on the floor.
“Those exosuits… aren’t those hunters?”
The technicians rushed over to the fallen hunters. One fiddled with the wrist display on the armor, rerouting the comm system.
“Hello, can you hear my voice?”
“Yes. I hear you.”
“You were part of the operation, weren’t you? What are you doing here?”
The conscious hunter staggered to his feet, swaying.
“My partner was injured, so I came back. On the way to the infirmary, the whole base suddenly moved.”
“The infirmary? But isn’t that far from here?”
“Is it? I don’t really know this facility’s layout.”
“This place is the communications control room. Getting to the infirmary means taking a long detour.”
“I see.”
“But… is your partner alright? He doesn’t seem responsive at all.”
Unlike the coherent one, the other hunter lay unnaturally silent.
“We’ll help you carry him.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
“It’s no trouble at all. If we take him on our transport, it won’t take long to get to the infirmary.”
They reached out to support the figure.
“Huh?”
“What the what is this?”
The body under their hands felt disturbingly pliant, as if the exosuit were filled with water or some kind of soft-bodied creature.
As the technicians froze in confusion, the other hunter’s helmet hissed and opened.
“You’ve already helped us more than enough.”
What looked back at them inside was not a human face.
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[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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