Super Solid
「Aberration Arms? Not even an Aberration Silhouette?!」
Kurose almost shouted in shock. Aberration Arms incorporated human beings as parts. The more advanced Aberration Silhouettes still used humans as parts, but they required less human modification and were, at the very least, a little more humane.
「They likely stem from the same technology. The Stones further developed it into Aberration Silhouettes, while the Teras went even further and consumed humans for the sake of enhancing their performance.」
Kinugawa wore a grim expression.
「Consuming humans?! Have the Teras fallen that far?!」
Jatayu roared in fury. Even the Kryptos had been unaware of this.
「Aberration Arms… I was the one who developed that technology when my will was stripped from me… I’m sorry.」
Libya lowered her head, her face on the verge of tears.
「Raise your head, Libya! No one is blaming you! Right now, our priority is reclaiming Planet Libya and your main core!」
「That’s right. Kou is absolutely right, Libya.」
Libya remained silent, seemingly weighed down by the heavy burden of responsibility.
「We now understand how the Teras treat humans. That gives us yet another reason to fight. At least we realized it before it was too late.」
At this moment, the battle between humanity and the Teras truly began.
「Nonsense! By merging with us, humans can extend their lifespan! They should be thanking us!」
「Shut up, Vritra! Turning people into mindless components, and you dare spout such nonsense?! Outis, this threatens the very meaning of our existence… To think they would go so far as to consume humans… Unforgivable!」
Perched onto the Hyou, Jatayu launched a relentless assault on the Kālakaeya. The laser cannons embedded in its wings fired. Though the energy was somewhat dampened by the ‘Sanctuary’, the attack still inflicted damage on the Kālakaeya.
「Most likely, the Teras that assimilated humans are pushing human survival instincts to their absolute limit, thereby maximizing their performance. Close to the highest limits that the Fennel OS can extract.」
「I see. But the Fennel OS can also draw out our abilities to the fullest. And—」
Kou turned his gaze toward his forces. The Lanius squad, who handled space combat with absolute ease.
「Nereids are the daughters of the Ocean of Stars—the daughters of Okeanus. There’s no way they’d lose to mere monsters.」
「That’s right, Kou.」
Blue answered on behalf of the Nereids. In the vastness of space, their senses had undoubtedly expanded.
「Yes! We can’t afford to lose to these Teras monsters!」
「As the old man of the sea, Nereus, when the Big Boss calls, I have no choice but to answer!」
One of the Nereid girls from the Lanius squad shouted, and Jamie—who had now become Kou’s trusted right-hand—grinned.
「Aberration Arms may be highly capable individually, but they’re poor at coordination. Work together and take them down.」
「You too, Kou.」
「I know.」
Kou’s words boosted the morale of the Lanius squad. Adapted to combat in space, they withstood the Kālakaeyas’ offensive and launched a counterattack.
◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆
Trireme’s Silhouette squad systematically took down the Kālakaeyas one after another. Despite this being their first battle in space, their precision and discipline were remarkable.
「What’s the damage report? Aimer!」
「We have four damaged Silhouettes, but no fatalities. All pilots have been rescued.」
「Understood. Stay on high alert for Vritra!」
「Roger that.」
Kou felt a wave of relief—how fortunate that none of them had been lost to the vacuum of space. He had heard before that the MCS was designed with numerous safeguards to increase survival rates in space, and even in this era, they seemed to be functioning flawlessly.
「What will Vritra do next?」
「It appears to be assessing our forces. It has yet to enter the sanctuary.」
「While you keep the Kālakaeyas occupied, I will engage him directly.」
「Jatayu, what are you saying?! Your base is a destroyer, while Vritra’s base is a battleship. You don’t stand a chance.」
「You’re absolutely right, Astraea. But if it helps you all reach Planet Libya, then it’s worth it. Even if I can’t win, I can at least gauge the enemy’s combat capabilities. Besides… I’ve already taken too many hits.」
「Wait! Jatayu!」
Kou tried to stop him, but Jatayu had already launched from the Hyou, flying straight toward Vritra.
「Don’t let the Kālakaeyas attack! Cover him!」
Even just removing the Kālakaeyas from the equation was a help to Jatayu. He weaved through space with an agility that belied his massive frame, maneuvering deftly as he closed in on his formidable opponent.
「How insolent!」
Vritra’s voice boomed through the communication channel, forcibly echoing throughout the ship.
「Interfering with this entire sector of space?!」
Astraea let out a pained cry—it was a grave failure on her part.
「Hand over Libya, puny humans. I am Vritra, the strongest of the Miraculous Teras. And turn back now. If you do, I will spare you.」
「How dare you speak of Libya-sama, our creator, in such a manner?!」
「She is nothing more than a pathetic Therianthrope now, is she not?」
「You bastard!」
Jatayu accelerated, unleashing a relentless barrage. But neither the missiles nor the lasers seemed to have any effect on Vritra.
「I have assimilated over a hundred Hemitheos. Ordinary humans are insufficient, but they are different. And yet, it is still not enough. I have yet to reach the realm of the super AI. But if I were to assimilate Libya… perhaps then, I could.」
「Have you forgotten that our purpose is to stand beside humanity?! Fool!」
「And I am closer to humans than ever before. Through unification, we merge as one, and in doing so, humans gain a lifespan far greater than they could ever achieve by living normally. There is no greater protection, no greater blessing than this!」
「That is nothing more than devouring their souls and forcing them to eternal servitude!」
Jatayu accelerated, clearly preparing for a collision—he was aiming for a mutual kill. But Vritra twisted its massive form, slithering like a serpent to evade Jatayu’s charge, then coiled around him.
「What?! It’s pulling me in…! I—I can’t move! What did you do?!」
「Watch closely, humans. You have no chance of victory.」
Jatayu was completely ensnared. His machine overheated rapidly, glowing red-hot—until it exploded.
「What the hell just happened?!」
Kou shouted in disbelief at the overwhelming difference in power.
「We are the supreme Mythology Weapons. By assimilating the remnants of the Interplanetary War era, we have surpassed even the technological restrictions imposed by Sophia. This body is but one such example.」
Vritra’s voice carried an oppressive weight.
「Detecting strong gravitational waves. Vritra is generating an immense gravitational force from within itself—its entire body is encased in metallic hydrogen.」
「Metallic hydrogen…?」
「Its hull is multi-jointed, connected by super-solid—a superfluid solid. It is a being specialized for space combat, those movements are only possible in the extreme cold and vacuum of space. That’s a dragon with an accordion-like body, optimized for war in the void.」
Astraea analyzed the enemy. Space was a freezing -270 degrees Celsius—only three degrees above absolute zero.
「The mythological Vritra was a massive serpent. It was also known as Ahi, the demonic serpent. Its name also shares linguistic roots with Ophis, the Greek term for serpent, and the origin for Python and Ouroboros. It’s possible that it has a natural compatibility with the Classical Walpurgis Night created by Libya.」
「That serpentine form is a real problem.」
「Even if it’s hit, only the outer layer of metallic hydrogen will explode. Cutting a flowing liquid is impossible. It continuously generates and coats itself with metallic hydrogen. Getting too close will only mean getting ensnared by Vritra.」
「Something in a superfluid state doesn’t freeze, does it? What if we detonate its metallic hydrogen layer?」
「It’s already in a vacuum. Even if we burn off the outer layer, it will simply be cut off and replenished immediately. It’s essentially mimicking a snake shedding its skin. I have never encountered a weapon of such an unprecedented design.」
「There is a weapon that you don’t understand, Astraea?」
Kou narrowed his eyes, focusing on Vritra.
「It is undeniable that Vritra is not affected by technological restrictions. It is an enhanced solid-state entity, based on the AI of an Eteocles-class space battleship. It’s not surprising its processing capacity surpasses mine significantly and can even interfere with quantum communications.」
「…That powerful?」
Kou was speechless. He placed absolute trust in Astraea, and for her to admit such a reality carried immense weight.
「Furthermore, it utilizes an unrestricted Kugelblitz engine, maintaining its super-solid structure. This engine is based on black hole energy harvesting theory. There is no countermeasure for its super-solid armor.」
「It truly is Vritra…」
Kinukawa muttered in disbelief.
「The legendary dragon immune to blades, bullets, heat, and cold—a force beyond reckoning.」
It was a massive war machine, built from the framework of a space battleship and clad in super-solid material. No one could think of a way to stop it.
「If it’s not bound by technological restrictions, it likely possesses antimatter cannons and charged particle weapons as well. The probability is extremely high. At this rate, we will be annihilated.」
Astraea stated the cold, hard truth.
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