Chapter 174

Deep within the Cryptid territory.

The deep bowels of a cave teem with vibrant green slime and unidentified plants. Within the impenetrable darkness, a humanoid figure strides confidently.

Ktuk, ktuk.

Each measured step resonates with intelligence and purpose, not the chaotic, instinct-driven pace of the wilderness.

After a while, the sounds of footsteps lead to an immense underground chamber where the ceiling disappears into shadows.

– Grrlugh.

– Kyaaaah-

Among the gathered Cryptids, low growls and rumbling echoes fill the cavernous expanse.

Remaining indifferent to the noises around her, the figure ascends a towering, grotesque throne at the center. The moment she takes her seat, every Cryptid lowers its head in unison, showing clear signs of submission.

In sync with these movements, a line of Brains—positioned lower than her throne—spread their arms wide and bow deeply.

Her cold gaze pierces through the Brains.

Through a shared hive consciousness, her thoughts are relayed directly to the Brains.

– So, no problems, right?

– …

The Queen’s inquiry swiftly prompts a response from the Brains. Their collected thoughts flow back to her through the same hive consciousness.

Wave after wave of memories, teeming with the experiences and observations of countless Brains, flood her mind.

“Hmm.”

Even in the face of startling revelations, the woman remains composed, betraying no surprise.

She sifts through this deluge of memories with a detached, businesslike demeanor until her movements suddenly halt.

“What? Is that it?”

A verbal command escapes her lips, breaking the silence of the hive consciousness.

The Brains visibly flinch, detecting a change in her demeanor but still unable to fully comprehend her words.

“Ah, damn.”

Clearing her throat, she concentrates deeply on focusing her thoughts once more. They are relayed through the hive consciousness, reaching the Brains.

– Is that all? No more?

The Brains respond with a slight bow, signaling their affirmation.

Simultaneously, her face twists into a frown.

‘What? Is this all?’

For the first time, she looks directly at the Brains gathered before her.

Only then does she realize the stark truth—five of them are missing.

‘Five are absent? Seriously?’

Revisiting the thoughts passed to her through the hive consciousness, she recalls two specific missions.

She had assigned four Brains to supervise the creation of Nameds through battles among the Cryptids. Another Brain was sent to oversee the aerial swarm.

Matching the missing Brains with the unreported locations, the woman abruptly rises from her throne.

– Mobilize the swarm! It’s an attack!

The directive, driven by instinct yet infused with unwavering certainty, surges through the hive consciousness. The Brains, who had been kneeling, immediately ascend into the air.

– Grrrrrr…

– Kyaah! Kyaah!!

The faint awareness of the Queen’s intentions spreads through the collective consciousness of the Cryptids, filling the cavern with a cacophony of harsh cries.

Fangs bared, the primal instincts of the hunters within the Cryptids awaken, rising from deep within their monstrous forms.

The Brains lift their spindly arms high, their movements reminiscent of an ancient ritual. In the same moment, the weakening hive consciousness regenerates instantly. The will of the woman is strongly transmitted to all the Cryptids under her dominion.

– Kyaahaaaaaa!!!

– Keeeheeeee!!

Roars of battle-ready ferocity blast through the air, and the woman confirms her connection to the entire swarm and hive. She issues her command.

– Annihilate and assimilate them all!

Her order is brief and decisive.

At the same moment, the invisible reins binding the massive underground army of Cryptids are released.

The ground shakes violently, as if an earthquake has erupted.

Countless hordes of monsters surge rapidly towards the surface.

…

“Se-ol?”

“Yes!! Big Mama! It’s me, Se-ol!”

The cold, regal air that usually surrounded her vanished. Now, Se-ol beams brightly, her gentle laugh echoing around.

Her feminine charms swing rhythmically with her animated movements.

Oh…

“Little Mama?”

“Ah, cough… cough…”

Mesmerized by her movement, I snap out of the trance at the sound of her voice near my ear.

She appears identical to the White Queen from AOE that I remembered.

“Hehehe…”

She looks at me and smiles brightly.

A scene I had never witnessed in the game: the smiling White Queen.

Despite the slight sense of unease, a smile forms uncontrollably on my face.

Of course, it’s natural.

The girl standing before me is indeed the White Queen, but also the Se-ol that I and Nisia know well.

“Se-ol has grown so much.”

“Yes!!”

“That’s great. But who is this girl—?”

Just as I was about to continue the conversation,

Baby suddenly appeared beside us, while Gir stood across from us, scanning the surroundings.

“Hmm?”

That’s when I finally noticed the subtle changes around us.

Gur-r-r-ruk, gur-ruk.

An unsettling sound emanates from all sides. The constant movement of walls and ground becomes more violent. Swollen tumors begin to appear and pulsate everywhere.

Pak!

With an explosive sound, the tumors reach their limit and burst, splattering scarlet blood everywhere.

Upon confirming it, my gaze met Nisia’s in the air.

“Edo, this is…”

“Looks like you’re right…”

A final piece of evidence confirming our suspicions echoes throughout.

– Keeeiiiiiiii—

The piercing cries of the Cryptid nest.

“Baby, Gir! Take Se-ol and leave ahead!”

Obeying my command, Baby nodded and took the red-haired girl from Se-ol. Gir, who had grown physically larger, carried the now much-taller Se-ol in both arms and retreated along the original path.

“We should go as well!”

“Yes!”

Nisia follows close behind them.

Even as we move, the collapse of the nest accelerates.

Tumors burst everywhere, spraying fountains of blood.

The ground and walls swell as if filled with gas, collapsing in some parts and dissolving in others.

‘So, that red-haired girl must have been the core of this nest or something crucial.’

I had experienced a sense of unease when I first spotted the nest, but never voiced it.

It was due to how large the nest was.

Compared to the nests in AOE, this one belonged to a far bigger and more majestic flying-type Cryptid.

While games rarely have detailed settings for structures like these, and their in-game sizes often vary from set designs, the enormity of this nest stood out even within the game world.

Pak!

Another tumor bursts, splattering red blood onto my body. The pristine white military uniform I wore turns crimson.

“Edu?! Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, it’s not my blood.”

“…I’ll try to move faster. Hold on tight!”

“Wait, it’s—!?”

Without waiting for my reply, Nisia speeds up, zipping through the landscape so rapidly that tears well up in my eyes from the cold wind rushing past.

Still, our efforts pay off, and soon enough, we escape outside.

“Hey, sister? That blood—is that—?”

“It’s not mine, hurry and retreat!”

Turning around, I find the originally large Cryptid nest now grotesquely expanded.

Rather, it had swelled to an abnormal size, far larger than when we first saw it.

Red blood fountains spurted from various ruptures as the nest’s trembling motions grew faster and more erratic.

The nest pulsed like a runaway train, its life force rushing toward an inevitable end.

“Everyone, take cover behind me!!”

Mili stops her Armored Suit and makes a move behind its back. Large metal plates emerge from the suit’s arms and, after clunking together, form a giant shield.

“I’ll help!”

Nisia climbs onto the Armored Suit’s shoulder.

At that moment, a pitiful wail reverberates through the air.

– Keeeiiiiiiii!!!

A brief silence.

At its peak, the nest bursts like a fully inflated balloon, sending a crimson wave of blood spraying everywhere, accompanied by a shockwave.

Hooohhh—

“Duck!”

Rough winds rush past, slicing through the atmosphere.

As enormous blood droplets rain from above like a crimson storm, Mili extends the suit’s arm over us like an umbrella, shielding us from the downpour.

Plop, plop, plop, plop.

The ground is bathed in red rain.

After an extended deluge of scarlet droplets, the rain subsides, and Mili carefully lowers the raised arm of the Armored Suit after scanning the surroundings.

“Heew, well, somehow we’re safe.”

“That’s right. Thanks, everyone.”

“Hehe, not at all…? Hmm?”

“Milli?”

Mili suddenly stops talking mid-sentence.

In a moment, her Armored Suit pivots towards us, the hatch that had been closed opens.

“Oh, sister! It’s an emergency!”

“What’s wrong?”

“K-K-Kryptid army…!”

“Kryptid army?”

In the middle of our conversation, an alert sounds from my ID.

[ Transmission from Balder received. ]

Given the urgency, a contact through ID, which was rarely used during military operations due to security concerns.

“Connect it.”

[ Code confirmed. Connecting with Balder. ]

The calm voice of ID resonates as a face filled with numerous large and small wounds appears before me.

[ Sir! You survived…]

He abruptly stops speaking and stares wide-eyed at me.

The source of his gaze is the blood-soaked military uniform I wear.

[ Sir! You’re injured!! All ships prepare for descent! Hurry, medical personnel—]

I clarify the misunderstanding before it escalates further.

“Calm down, Balder! It’s not my blood!”

[ …What? I, is that so? ]

“Yes.”

Everyone’s overreacting to something trivial.

With that thought in mind, I query Balder, who seems to have momentarily forgotten the reason for his call.

“So, what’s the matter?”

[ Ah, this is dire news, Director! Enemies are appearing around us…!]

“Enemies nearby mean…the Cryptids?”

[ Exactly! This isn’t in the tens of thousands unit! At least hundreds of thousands, maybe more than that…! ]

Balder’s image disappears, replaced by a video feed showing the ground.

First, the sight of a massive Cryptid army darkening the earth as they emerge in droves.

Then, a radar screen showing the entire world bathed in red.

“Oh…”

I thought they were biding their time, waiting, only to find that their numbers were even greater than expected.

But I don’t feel any fear.

“Wow! They’re truly terrifying!”

[ …Sir? Is there a strategy you have in mind? ]

“Yes.”

I nod briefly.

With a genuine smile on my face, I respond.

“Now that we’ve done what we wanted, let’s go home and rest?”

…

– Kyaaaaaahh!!!

– Keeeheeeeee!!!

Through tunnels carved in various places, the massive Cryptid army emerges rapidly to the surface.

Across the grotesque greenery and slime-covered ground, merciless hunters sprint.

Lower-tier Cryptids advance swiftly, covering the landscape like carpets.

Oooohhh!!

Next appear the larger Cryptids, roaring and declaring their presence in every direction with thunderous footsteps.

Thud, thud. Thud!

Unrelenting march.

The number of Cryptids that started in the thousands soon multiplies into the tens of thousands, and even behind the already massive force, countless more follow in their wake.

A disaster beyond ordinary measure.

The aimlessly scattered Cryptids suddenly falter, then turn towards a single direction.

The experiences of the lower-tier creatures from earlier, having encountered enemies, spread through the hive-mind. The entire Cryptid horde redirects towards the flying nest.

And then, the marauding beasts spot their hated foe.

The suspended white spacecraft.

– Kyaaaaaaahh!!!

– Keeeheeeeee!!!

Fierce hostility ignites.

Just as the Cryptids advance from all sides, a voice sounds from the white spacecraft.

[ Well, goodbye, everyone~ ]

A voice that sounds free, as if shedding all previous constraints.

Simultaneously, the white spaceship lifts its nose high and soars into the vast sky.

Higher, higher, even higher.

The vengeful stride of the Cryptid army gradually slows as they look up toward the heavens where the white spaceship has turned into a distant star.

…Keek?

…Kyaaak…

The Cryptids look around, confused and unsure.

But all that’s left are the corpses of the flying swarm scattered on the ground, and the shattered remains of the destroyed nest.

… .

… .

The massive Cryptid army stares up at the sky, like a dog chasing chickens who suddenly looks at the roof.

A strange, indescribable silence engulfs the heart of the army as if forming a quiet vortex.