Chapter 429: Chapter 429

[Translator – Seraph]

[Proofreader – Draxx]

Pisces deflected the intruder's attack to the side and dodged in the opposite direction. The Screamer’s hand—made of hook-like blades fused together like fingers—stabbed into the wall behind her.

Having evaded the first strike, she activated the Nano-Spartan module embedded in her body. Her human-female-shaped form instantly turned a deep navy blue.

This module, powered by nanomachines, greatly amplifies the physical capabilities of cyborgs or androids. With her enhanced fist, Pisces smashed the Screamer's hand embedded in the wall.

A thunderous shockwave ripped through the air. Her fist was damaged, and the enemy’s hooked claws bent under the blow.

But the result was unexpected. The hook didn't break as she had hoped—instead, it was her fist that took more damage.

The Screamer yanked its bent claw back and spun its entire body, flinging its tail toward her with the recoil.

Rather than dodging, Pisces activated the shield module implanted in her chest. A violet barrier shimmered in front of her, absorbing the tail’s energy on impact.

While the shield held, her left arm split open, revealing the plasma rifle concealed within.

She intended to counterattack—but was a beat too late. The Screamer raised its cylindrical arm and unleashed a blast of white-hot flame.

Judging from the intensity and heat, it was likely plasma-grade at minimum. The shield couldn't hold up forever. Pisces leapt to the ceiling to escape the inferno.

The luxurious carpet below was instantly reduced to ash. The metallic walls and floors began to melt. The entire room became an ocean of fire.

Pisces realized this wasn’t a fight she could afford to prolong.

Her body, as a High Councilor, was far more durable than any standard android’s. But it was built for survival, not combat.

The Screamer finally ceased its fiery assault. Steam hissed from the pipes atop its spider-like body—cooling down the superheated systems.

Now was her chance to escape. The ship’s armory had a usable Monster Walker. She had to get there.

Still clinging upside-down to the ceiling, she crawled toward the collapsed wall.

“Where are you going?”

Just as she exited the room, a projectile formed from psychic energy sliced across her back.

While the nanomachines repaired the damage, she sprinted down the hallway.

A shrill metallic clatter echoed behind her—eight legs clanging in pursuit. The Screamer was coming.

This massive ship was crawling with pirates. Soon, they'd show up to restrain the intruder.

And yet, from the far end of the corridor, multiple footsteps approached.

It had to be the crew coming to stop the Screamer.

But what emerged from the far hallway was not what she had expected. The pirates’ reinforced suits were soaked in blood, their faces pale with terror.

“Hurry! We need to get out before it—guh!”

The lead pirate was crushed mid-sentence—his body mangled like scrap metal in a compactor. The others quickly followed, leaving behind only a pool of dark red blood.

Even a High Councilor couldn’t make sense of what she was witnessing.

But one thing was clear:

There was another intruder aboard this ship besides the Screamer.

Pisces immediately changed course. She would go not to the armory, but to the hangar bay—where the ship’s crafts were stored.

If the enemy was stronger than expected, using a walker was meaningless. Escaping to a nearby planet and hiding there would be far more rational.

She diverted into a side corridor and forced power into her reinforced legs. But she stumbled after only a few steps.

She looked down at her twisted legs. Even though the nanomachines were still functioning, they weren’t repairing the damage. It was because of the strange amber particles floating around her lower body.

“You were told you cannot escape.”

The Screamer crawled toward her, its voice flat. With a twisted claw, it tore off her left arm—along with the plasma rifle mounted inside.

Behind the Screamer stood a second intruder.

A female Wolf, with a bird-like head. But unlike a typical Wolf, this one had wings made of glowing amber particles extending from her back.

The situation had turned dire. The particles were blocking the effects of the Nano-Spartan module. Escape was no longer an option.

So she revised her plan.

“I am Pisces Twelve, envoy of the dangerous entity known as the Amorph. I request negotiations.”

“You’ve come for the core components of Prometheus V2, haven’t you? Am I wrong?”

“If you destroy me, you may find the parts—but you won’t be able to operate the machine.”

The Screamer paused, claws twitching midair.

“Prometheus V2 cannot function without an active High Councilor. Without me, the weapon is useless.”

That was one of the reasons Prometheus V2 couldn’t be mass-produced or fielded easily.

Its functionality far exceeded the original model. Ordinary ship AIs couldn’t control it. Only a mind on the level of a High Councilor could operate it properly.

The Screamer had already demonstrated its cognitive capacity by launching a cyber-assault on her. It surely understood the benefit of accepting her proposal.

But the response once again defied her expectations.

“I confirmed it through simulation. A high-performance computer is needed to run it stably. The missing part in the warehouse… is you.”

“If I subdue you and extract your memory drive, I’ll learn how to control it. There's no need for negotiation.”

There was only one path left to Pisces.

“Activating incineration protocol. Ten, nine…”

｢Wait—no way, is that…｣

After Pyra Eleven was decommissioned, all High Councilors were fitted with internal self-destruct devices—to prevent intelligence leaks in unforeseen situations.

｢A self-destruct timer!｣

As the countdown began, her stored data was rapidly deleted. Her cognitive functions deteriorated just as quickly.

The last thing Pisces saw before her brain shut down was a mass of slithering cables creeping toward her.

“2, 1… Incineration protocol suspended, su-su-su-su…spendeeeed.”

The Mother of the Sky let out a sigh of relief as the Supreme Councilor halted just in time.

‘That almost ruined the entire operation.’

The reason they had come here was to secure the core component of Prometheus V2—the Supreme Councilor.

Originally, PS-111 was to infiltrate the ship alone. Meanwhile, the Amorph and she would move between planetary outposts, battling Rankers.

But the plan changed after PS-111 raised a critical question:

Could an ordinary person really assemble and disassemble a machine as complex as Prometheus V2?

That superweapon was so delicate that one mistake during assembly could break it—or cause it to go berserk. Even with the goal of keeping it from enemy hands, reassembling it every time it was needed seemed highly impractical.

PS-111 theorized that a Supreme Councilor—or at least someone of that level—was maintaining Prometheus V2.

It was a convincing hypothesis. So, at the last moment, the Amorph and she altered the plan.

If a Councilor-class android was aboard the ship, PS-111 might not be able to handle it alone. She would join the infiltration.

And their judgment was spot on.

｢I didn’t expect the Supreme Councilor to trigger a self-destruct protocol, though.｣

She hadn’t seen anything like it since the mutant Screamer self-destructed back on Adhai’s homeworld. Even then, the countdown had been 20 seconds. This time, it was only 10.

If PS-111 hadn’t acted immediately, the consequences could’ve been dire. She glanced over at PS-111, who had inserted its cable into the back of the Councilor’s neck.

｢Thanks. You saved us.｣

PS-111 didn’t answer. Its red lens-eye just darted back and forth.

“Due to the incineration protocol, 90% of the Supreme Councilor’s memory data has been lost. That includes the control method for Prometheus V2.”

The Mother of the Sky recoiled as if struck by lightning.

｢There’s no way to recover it? Not even by using the ship’s systems?｣

“It was a total wipe. Even if partial recovery were possible, fragmented memories could do more harm than good.”

PS-111, seemingly frustrated as well, began poking the Supreme Councilor with its hooked claw.

｢We came here to get the superweapon, and now this. What a loss.｣

｢Still, eliminating the Councilor as a variable is… wait, what are you doing now?｣

“I am revising the plan.”

She thought it was just venting its frustration. But that wasn’t the case. PS-111 was disassembling the Supreme Councilor’s body.

“I will implant Pisces’s components into my body to attempt control of Prometheus V2.”

｢What? That’s possible?｣

“Yes. Although the memory storage is destroyed, portions of the data-processing unit remain. I can connect my brain to those systems and make use of them.”

The Mother of the Sky wasn’t a technician, but even she could tell PS-111’s plan wasn’t simple.

｢…What if it fails? You told us yourself: if you mess with it, the weapon could go berserk and explode.｣

“That risk does exist.”

｢And you're still going to try it?｣

“If it succeeds, I will become a more advanced being than I am now.”

PS-111 nodded and continued the disassembly, then spoke again.

“My goal has always been to discover who I am. To do that, I must protect those who know something about my past—about ‘Penelope,’ a part of me.”

｢So you're saying… you need to become stronger? To protect us?｣

“Correct. I believe the Little One would understand my decision.”

The Mother of the Sky locked eyes with the machine—amber irises meeting a crimson lens.

It was a camera-eye. It shouldn’t have expressed anything at all.

And yet, she felt something.

A presence. A certainty.

In that glowing red eye… she sensed conviction.

｢Saying it like that—you really think you won’t fail, huh? Anything you need from me?｣

“Once the transplant is complete, please prepare for immediate descent to the planet.”

With that, the Mother of the Sky turned to seize control of the bridge.

“Failure is not an option.”

Now alone, PS-111 stared at the freshly extracted processing unit from Pisces, reaffirming its resolve.

[Translator – Seraph]

[Proofreader – Draxx]