Episode 18 – Choice (3)
“This is…”
Through the tendrils that reached her ears, Siera caught a glimpse of the massive hive mind that the Queen effortlessly projected, and instantly froze, struck by immense shock.
While the Queen had been accustomed to it since her birth, the hive mind’s spiritual world, formed by countless interconnected entities, was far from something a being with a normal sense of self could endure.
In a careless moment, one could lose oneself and drift endlessly within this vast spiritual world.
Siera was no different.
In that brief moment, as her thoughts gradually grew numb and began to fade, she was on the verge of losing herself, assimilating into the collective.
“I’m not doing this to create a selfless puppet.”
It was the Queen who caught hold of Siera as she faltered. Shaking, Siera looked at the silver-haired woman who clutched her arm and barely regained her composure.
“What do you want from me?”
“There’s an experiment I’d like to conduct. If you participate, I’ll grant you one wish.”
To Siera, who had been prepared to give up everything, this was an unimaginable proposition.
“At best, we’ve only attacked a few goblin villages, but we will continue to fight. We’ll fight more, consume more, and cover this land with countless soldiers beyond count.”
This was not an empty boast. It was a declaration to surpass even the Demons, the dominant species of the Demon Realm, and become the true rulers.
Siera instinctively understood this through the vast spiritual world she was witnessing.
This mysterious group of monsters, whose capabilities seemed endless, indeed possessed such potential.
“I offer you the chance to join us. Devote your body, your mind, and your soul to us, and become one with us. In return, we will grant you power beyond imagining.”
“And then…”
“Use your own hands to exact your revenge. Against those who eradicated your family and humiliated you.”
The Queen, her eyes gleaming, instructed Siera to become her knight.
If she was willing to discard everything and be reborn, then in return, she would be granted the opportunity to rise anew.
“Revenge…”
Siera’s eyes wavered. A heart long since broken began to reignite with an unexpected glimmer of hope.
There were only two choices to begin with.
Accept the Queen’s offer and become part of the collective, or be killed and reduced to mere fertilizer.
Though Siera had once wished for death, this situation was different.
“I will do it.”
Finally, with a vacant tone, Siera chose the path of rebirth, letting go of everything she once knew.
“It’s still impossible to fully decode the genetic data of creatures like vampires or Superior Demons, making it difficult to reconstruct everything as I’d like.”
The Queen intentionally rendered Siera unconscious, then gently lifted her into her arms.
The original plan was to convert her entire body into her own cells while maintaining her outward appearance. That way, her damaged body could be easily repaired, and she could become part of the Legion without additional effort.
However, due to the lack of data on the bodies of vampires and higher Demons, such alterations were currently unfeasible.
Thus, the Queen devised an alternative—creating a suit made from her own cells to envelop Siera.
“By integrating this suit into her skin and injecting a probe directly into her central nervous system, she’ll still be under my control.”
The Queen gazed down at Siera’s exposed figure with her crimson eyes.
With this suit woven from her own cells, Siera’s broken body would not only be repaired perfectly but would also gain powers beyond her prime.
Why? Because the Queen intended to channel all of the collective’s accumulated mana into her.
[Given the current level, there is a limit to the amount of mana that can be infused into the cells. To create a body capable of holding the intended amount, it would need to weigh several times more than it does now.]
“Then, use the maximum amount possible.”
Though there were still clear limitations, the amount of mana accumulated by the collective was more than enough.
“Be reborn as our soldier, not as a vampire.”
Smirking, the Queen extended her tongue slightly before dropping her saliva onto Siera’s flesh held in her embrace.
The rapidly multiplying cells began bubbling over Siera’s skin, spreading quickly until her fragile frame was completely enveloped by a black, leather-like substance.
*
“The only way we can currently use the mana extracted from our enemies is by imbuing it into each of our cells. Therefore, more cells equate to more mana.”
It took Siera a bit of time to regain consciousness after her temporary body modifications.
Though her face appeared slightly pale as she realized what had happened to her body, she knelt with a determined look, as if she had made her peace.
“Do you understand?”
“…I’ve never heard this before, but I think I understand its meaning.”
She nodded. Though the concepts of cells and such might be alien to her as a resident of the Demon Realm, we already shared one collective consciousness. Sharing my knowledge with her instantly was far easier than explaining it verbally.
“At our current level, we need a larger and heavier body to hold more mana. However, if we were to make your form into a bulky monster, it would make it impossible for you to utilize the abilities of the vampire I partially recreated within you.”
“That’s correct.”
It was evident that I lacked the capability to fully absorb the abilities of a vampire. However, through an intermediary, it could be possible—Siera, who retained her selfhood.
“In order to further our development, I will crush all our enemies here, as per the Queen’s command.”
“I also look forward to the results of this experiment.”
I smiled at her resolute answer, then knelt to meet her eye level.
As I tilted her chin up and made direct eye contact, the black tendrils flowing from my hand gradually covered her face.
The presence of Siera Merteus, vampire, no longer exists in this world.
There is only the Knights of the Legion, masked beneath black armor and projecting crimson light from her visor.
“Kerberos, a 4th-tier monster. Seems like just the right opponent.”
Kerberos wasn’t as colossal as a two-ton truck but was still a named Mana Beast.
Not only that, the problem was its ability to spew fire from its three heads. Kerberos’ kind was notoriously resistant to flames, making them hard to defeat.
[Siera and the soldiers are attacking Kerberos.]
Even with a significant number of troops, it was impossible to surround and attack effectively, which was why 4th-tier creatures like Kerberos were not typically hunted.
That creature was now targeted directly by Siera, who had merged with us and regained her combat prowess.
‘Is she happy?’
Through the connected consciousness, I could share in her emotions. With her new body and new powers—courtesy of my integrated cells—Siera was extraordinarily excited.
[Kerberos is releasing flames.]
Aiming directly at Siera, who drew the creature’s attention, streams of hot flames were let loose.
Simultaneously, Siera naturally accessed the mana I had compressed into her body.
‘Now I can see.’
The moment Siera used the mana through my cells, I, having boosted my processing power through the auxiliary brain, could also perceive how she was utilizing it.
With Siera’s effort, the mana manifested as a reddish shield to defend against the fire.
Breaking through the flames, Siera then kicked off the ground with surprising strength and leaped high into the air before swinging her giant spear directly at the startled mana beast’s head.
This spear, personally crafted by me from the hardest chitinous armor infused with mana, pierced straight through the creature’s brow with a brilliant crimson glow.
“Even better than expected.”
A truly exceptional elite soldier, whose actions I didn’t need to control.
Through her perspective, I watched the three heads of the mana beast pierced one by one before collapsing slowly onto the ground, its lifeless body now proof of her capability.
With Siera leading the charge, there would be no need to squander more forces on mere goblin villages.
[Achievement unlocked: The Secret of Mana (1). Reward: 1 Special Point.]
Even the system recognized her growth.
After confirming the reward points received for making Siera part of the collective, I immediately invested it into strengthening my consciousness.
「Consciousness Enhancement 3-1」
I had no intention of stopping here.
[Our scouts have discovered something.]
“More goblins?”
I’ve had scouts dispersed in all directions for a long time.
Though many of the scouts capable of flying have fallen prey to flying mana beasts, those who survive continuously provide far more information in a short period.
We’ve uncovered over 30 zones so far.
It’s lamentable that no more points are awarded for uncovering additional zones.
