A shriek could be heard deep within the forest. The ground shook and the trees moved slightly, as if something big had moved.
When one got closer to the source of the noise, they could see a giant beast closing its jaw as if crunching something with it.
The Rex had just found a different type of prey, and it savored the taste. With the extra ability it had, the prey could not escape from its jaws at all.
The prey also nourished his body, as if eating them caused a slow transformation in its body. All things considered, eating that particular prey was actually beneficial to itself.
‘Another one eaten. And it even used a strange method to make sure that my Gling cannot transform back into a cellular unit.’ The Queen saw the last thing on the creature’s vision before the connection was severed.
Ever since the special Glings entered the opponent’s planet side, she encountered giant beasts as often as possible. Perhaps it was because the wilderness was home to such beasts.
But one thing that the Queen noticed was the concentration of the Ether in the atmosphere. It was slowly increasing and it affected the living beings on the planet. Now, almost all of the environment was the Glings’ opponent.
That was why the Queen made a tactical move by moving to the place where civilization thrived. She had received the information from the Metamorphic God to conduct espionage by lowering the language barrier.
The first thing she did was to approach a certain kind of people. But first, she had to adjust her Glings. She modified them so that they could assimilate the memory of the thing the creatures devoured.
Clearly, the unknown race had a weak individual, unlike the wilderness where strong beasts roamed. So she did that and killed someone.
This caused her to get a preliminary understanding of the language as well as the organizational structure of the civilization she had to face.
After that, she looked into the rumors about the remnant of the Snatcher. Her victim was someone who knew about the hidden things inside the Qin Empire and realized that the remnant of the organization that haunted its civilians still existed.
Her objective was simple. To gain the cooperation of these remnants to cause chaos in the civilizations. She also learned what kind of race she was facing.
‘I have never heard of this race. Humans, they are strange.’ That was the Queen’s first impression.
She ordered her twenty-nine Glings to gather at the western and northwestern front of the Qin Empire to search for the remnants. After some time, all of them were scouring the area looking for the one the Queen was looking for.
She did this while having two fronts at the same time. Managing this was not easy but still the Queen was able to since she was an experienced one. The frontline was quite a mess since both the transcendent Glings and the transcendent group consisted of humans, clashed and casualties from both sides appeared.
After another day passed, she finally found what appeared to be her target.
The Glings were in their cellular unit so they could not be perceived by normal means. They also dispersed far enough that no purple mist could be seen. It was an improvement to get them to be more covert.
In the place the Queen observed, there was a meeting of several people.
“Even during the Star Battle, our movements are being observed. Damn them all!” a burly man with white skin cursed out.
“What can we do? They are influential after all. The fact that we still exist is a great opportunity. We should plan our next move since they started to get in our way. Ever since that incident, the entire civilization has gone all out in eliminating us!” an enchanting woman said.
“We cannot even move freely. But it looks like some guests are near us. Why don’t you go here and introduce yourself?” an old man with a walking stick looked outside the window of the new building. He looked directly at the location of the Glings that gathered.
As for why he could detect them? They still had life force, so for a transcendent like the old man, it was easy to see through.
The Queen then controlled the Glings to manifest themselves in the room where the meeting took place.
A small purple mist formed around the room before turning into a bipedal being with limbs that were quite thick, claws for hands and also a head that was barely considered humanoid.
“Hmm, looks like the otherworldly civilization has graced us with their presence here.” The old man reacted mildly, surprised to see that some could break through the fortified base near the Rift.
“I am looking for you people. What do you think about cooperation?” the Gling relayed what the Queen wanted through words that the people in the room understood.
“Cooperation? Tempting offer but what you can offer first is what will decide the flow of this discussion.” The old man spoke.
Even the Queen realized that the old man with the walking stick was the leading figure of this group. So the Gling focused its gaze on the old man.
“I can help you with your desire. You want to change the world order, correct?” The Gling spoke what the Queen wanted to say. She even knew the objective of the group of people in front of her.
“Ha. That was a good investigation of us that you have. In return for your support, I can assure you that we can create a place exclusively for my people.” The old man nodded. Since he was on his last legs and did not even have something big to rely on, he thought that it was better to rely on an external force.
Despite the fact that they had different goals, both had the same objective. They wanted to at least make a mess of the current government. They also gained benefits from this cooperation so both sides agreed.
After the agreement was made, the Gling was stationed to the group’s side for communication purposes. As for the rest, they were spread around the western and the northwestern side of the Qin Empire.
The group then started to prepare for something quite big as their first move. In this manner, two months passed by.
Chikara was observing her Queen make the preparation and could not help but increase their effectiveness.
Should I activate the Auxiliary Ability Card that I have?
That question lingered in her mind as she watched the progress of the infiltrators. If she activated the card, it should give her an advantage along with the collaborators.
But the active card was just like it suggested, an active card that needed to be activated. Furthermore, once the card was activated, it would disappear, making it a one-time use. She needed to time it right before she activated it.
She knew that she had no way to deal with the undead element and the Undead Race. There was also the matter of the human race using some kind of weapon that was effective against the Glings.
If she lost in this move, she had no way to win the Star Battle. She could completely include the Elves, but their contribution was to delay the advancing forces instead of being the decisive factor.
In other words, this move was the only way for her to completely throw the game into her favor.
She looked at the system panel in front of her.
[Name: Red Moon of the Rage
Rank: E
Type: Auxiliary Ability Card (Active)
Effect: When the Red Moon appears on the field, which can be chosen depending on the Planet Master's need, the Core race of the Planet Master will be able to increase their strength by 50% but lose their intelligence. The farther the race’s unit is from the designated field, the weaker the effect of the enhancement.
Note: The Red Moon will permanently become part of the environment after activation.]
Core race was actually the first race that gained sentience and created civilization on the planet so it could not be changed. This differed from Acquired race, which could only get a partial effect of the Auxiliary Ability Card.
As for the field the information panel showed, it was actually the side of the Planet Master’s original planet or the opponent.
Chikara knew that even if her core race’s strength increased by fifty percent, it would not change the fact that her defeat had been undergone since the humans had a way to deal with her core and acquired race.
That was why her only chance was causing the disturbance at the rear, then pushing through the other front and gaining success in her overall operation. Only then could she turn defeat into victory.
“I hope that this is enough. Knowing about this race through the Queen gives me the chills. Just what the heck is the Planet Master of such a race thinking!?” Chikara muttered slightly loudly for the Elf beside her to look at her.
-
The Hunters spread around the designated area with fervent vigor. But the reality disappointed them as they could not find what they were looking for there.
But Long Wu found a clue. An important clue that zeroed in on the target that he had longed for.
‘The Right Hand of the Snatcher is here!’ Long Wu exclaimed in his mind. His gaze became sharper as he let out a faint killing intent.
His chest felt like a volcano ready to erupt, but he held it in. He needed to stay calm and share his findings with the others.
Even though the Hunters did not discover the traitors or the infiltrators, they managed to unearth some clues that both roamed around the western border.
“Track them! We need to find them at all costs.” Long Wu gave the unified command to all the Hunters. Even transcendents who went with him obeyed his order.
There was a transcendent for every small group to ensure their safety. Their distance was also calculated so that they could reinforce each other if one group was attacked.
Long Wu moved separately since it was the best move for him. He knew that his target was roaming around but recent clues showed that he and the traitors had moved to another place.
‘There is only the Central Plain City if we move further from the western border. The northwestern border has not given us any reading of the infiltrators. Is their target actually inside the Empire?’ Long Wu thought about it and if both collaborated, then it would make sense that they went deeper into the Empire’s territory.
‘Damn it, Central Plain City is the hub for the logistics that the Qin Empire has sent for Star Battle.’
Long Wu then realized another possibility. It was that of depriving the soldiers of their supply, cutting it off and making them lose their fighting capabilities.
But he was also worried about the possibility that perhaps both wanted to achieve more than that.
‘Did they also want to eliminate the officials of the Empire? No, not just that but also the people of the Cerulean Defense Force? There are several movements that confirm the meeting that will take place in the Central Plain City…’
Decapitation and also assassination…
Long Wu’s thought became faster and faster at processing the clues he currently had with the recent event, making a unified guess about the enemies’ movement.
On the other side of the planet, Tatsumi was training in the training field of the academy. Months of being unable to go back to the Hinon Federation made him spend his time training.
Ever since the appearance of the Mist Gling, he kept training according to the notes and books left behind by Long Wu. With partial knowledge about the concept, he tried to realize it.
Specifically, about the Technique part. Tatsumi realized that most of his moves were quite crude even with the extensive knowledge he possessed. With the notes, he tried to improve in this aspect.
He tried to swing the sword with the smallest force but caused the biggest cut to the training dummy made from wood. His wooden sword hit the dummy and it created a small cut. Tatsumi tried again and this time he could not successfully emulate the first attempt.
‘This is not going to work. Technique is something that each individual possesses but each one has a bit of difference. Looks like I need to fine-tune my every movement.’ Tatsumi thought as he regulated his breath while noticing every movement he made.
Then, with trained limbs, he made another slash at the training dummy. His swing was more focused on the cut aspect rather than brute force. Then, a shallow cut appeared on the body of the training dummy.
“That works!” Tatsumi clenched his hand, finally finding some clues for the technique aspect that he lacked. But it was still far from the point of satisfaction, so Tatsumi tried several times before finding the silver lining.
‘New information has spread. It looks like your teacher went after someone he had a grudge against.’ Goto reminded Tatsumi since it was Tatsumi who wanted to be informed if a new important development occurred.
‘Shouldn’t he be part of the Hunters? Why would he chase after them?’ Tatsumi asked.
‘Because there are our people who turned traitors.’ Kudungga replied.
‘What!?’ Tatsumi was shocked to hear that. It was because betraying a race was far more dangerous than it might seem but then he calmed down. The possibilities always exist that some people would betray after all. To hear that, however, was another matter.
‘Then the reason why Teacher went after them is to catch them all in one fell swoop.’ Tatsumi realized that the situation could become dangerous since the enemy had prepared for this while his teacher was chasing the tail of someone who had planned for this.
“I need someone who can act immediately.” Tatsumi then quickly placed back the wooden sword to its rack, went to the bathroom to clean himself and then continued to go to the Headmaster's Office.
After knocking on the door and being permitted to enter, Tatsumi walked in.
“What’s wrong? Your face showed me that the things you want to say are serious.” Kushina was sitting on the chair behind the large desk with papers on top. Her long red hair swayed freely even without the wind.
“The situation is like this, the Hunters are tasked to find the infiltrators as well as the traitors but they would likely face resistance. The Hunters will likely be troubled and the scheme of the opponent’s civilization will come to fruition. I ask that someone be sent to reinforce them.” Tatsumi said.
“So there really are traitors among the three races. It is likely the remnant of that but this is the matter of the Cerulean Defense Force. I cannot one-sidedly send reinforcement.” Kushina replied but shook her head in disappointment.
“What should I do to be able to send reinforcement?” Tatsumi knew that the situation was urgent, so he caught a bit of the implication. There were others who needed to get manpower, too.
“Sharp. Well, nothing much. Just show them your progress in transcendent training.” Kushina spoke as if it were not a big matter.
“That’s it? Show off my capability?” Tatsumi was surprised to hear that. He did not expect the solution to be that simple.
“How about a spar with someone to show your capability? Those people need to see that a new change is bound to occur.”
Tatsumi agreed and had to find someone who could be included in the special sparring. Just as he went out from the Headmaster’s Office, he met with Ame.
‘Is this the answer to my question?’ Tatsumi mused internally. But he felt that he relied too much on her so he did not have the confidence to tell her.
“Tell me what’s on your mind.” Ame suddenly said. She realized that Tatsumi had a contemplative look when his gaze met hers.
“Here is the situation: I need a sparring partner to show off to some people. The purpose is to let them permit me to use some of the manpower as reinforcement. I need them for something important at the Heavensend Continent.” Tatsumi said in one breath.
“I see. I can help then. Besides, I have reached the first heavenstage. I want to see what I can do with that.” Ame replied before she continued with admiration, “It is also because of you that I learned the pathway necessary for becoming a transcendent with Ether. I am doing this to repay your favor.”
Tatsumi looked at her closely and realized that she was smiling. To him, that was when she was the most beautiful.
“Good. Then we need to prepare for the show.” Tatsumi then gestured for Ame to follow him to prepare their set of equipment.
While the two of them did so, Kushina made an appointment with the people involved and said that she wanted them to watch over the future of the civilization and see for themselves the one who could command them.
It had happened in an hour but it made the people who refused to send their manpower to act as reinforcement struggle.
They wanted to see what kind of person could give such a command, and on the other end, they wanted to see the potential in the next generation of humans as well as transcendent.
So they accepted Kushina’s proposal and decided to watch. According to what they had heard, it was actually the first transcendent who used the new transcendent energy source.
Then after the place and time were announced, both the people who watched and participated were ready.