The Kavite captain's last living memory was a beautiful scene of light flooding in from every direction.
=What?!=
By the time he regained his senses, the captain had already been violently ejected from his body.
The ground flowed like a rippling wave. His soul shot toward the cathedral faster than a bullet.
Talent. Anyone who beheld the most beautiful light in the universe would be mesmerized without exception. The more tenuous their physical form, or the weaker the bond between their body and soul, the harder it was to resist.
The souls of the Ancient Race, the captain included, lost their reason and were sucked in like moths drawn to a flame. Countless other souls followed suit, hurtling toward the Talent until they finally touched it.
As a result, the very catastrophe that the priests of the Ellahu-Praga Church so desperately guarded against—the disaster they fought tooth and nail to avoid—fell upon the Ancient Race.
Fwoosh!
Agonizing screams erupted.
The disembodied members of the Ancient Race felt their minds slowly collapsing, crumbling to pieces. Sharp shrieks rippled outward in countless layers. Souls that had maintained their reason right up until they separated from their bodies now twisted and contorted.
They roared fiercely in their torment. They belatedly realized that the radiant light they thought would lead them to paradise was, in fact, hellfire. Even that realization was fleeting. Once they became complete wraiths, they lost the intellect to even dwell on that fact.
After that, there was nothing but screaming and begging.
=It hurts... I hate this... I want to escape.=
=Aaaagh! Ah, stop... It hurts...=
=It's not fair... What sin did I commit... Please...=
=I shouldn't be here. Send me where I belong.=
=Ah... Ahh... Aaaagh!=
The wraiths danced in agony. It was a desperate thrashing to escape even a fraction of the torment within the flames burning their spiritual bodies. But having already sunk deep into the Talent, they had nowhere to run.
With all their mental activity completely consumed by processing and reacting to the pain, they had no presence of mind to listen to the echoes that burst forth one after another.
The wraiths didn't notice, but that mental wave closely resembled the spiritual wave carried by the light that had seduced them.
*
The command and control room of the Kavite Battleship was in absolute chaos.
The survivors were in a state of panic. Through ship-to-ship communications, they learned that similar phenomena had occurred on other vessels. It was the same on Todd's end.
Only a handful of young, utterly inexperienced soldiers had survived, while the entire command echelon had been wiped out.
Those who suddenly inherited command felt like they were going mad. Naturally, they had never imagined a day like this would come—let alone in the middle of a battle!
The adjutant listened to his surviving peers screaming at him to do something, anything. He wanted to curse right back at them, but he didn't have the luxury.
What were they supposed to do? Retreat? Or continue the mission?
The AI urged the temporarily appointed captain to make a decision. Holograms detailing his options flashed and popped up incessantly in front of him. Given an unprecedented field promotion, the Kavite felt a strong urge to swipe all those screens out of his sight.
That was when a voice tore through their minds, scrambling their thoughts.
="Listen!"=
The Kavite felt a crushing pressure. Someone was squeezing and shaking his mind. Clutching his throbbing head, he looked around and saw his comrades having the exact same reaction.
The AI blared sharply.
- Warning! Warning! Special Grade 1 mental interference wave detected!
Special Grade 1?
A mental interference wave?
He recalled what he had learned during junior officer training. An ability classified as a Special Grade 1 mental interference wave had only been observed in one person throughout the Committee's history. It was a brainwashing wave so powerful that the suggestions implanted in today's prisoners couldn't even begin to compare.
The one who possessed such a power was...
"Asiph-1?!"
He couldn't gather his wits at all. The myriad of hologram windows that had popped back up to obscure his vision the moment the interference wave was detected only added to the confusion.
He barely managed to grasp the core of the information. According to the AI's hypothesis...
"A completed Asiph-1 is somewhere out here?!"
The AI pointed out that the wave it just recorded was nearly identical to the ones observed when Asiph-1 was fully intact.
The adjutant froze.
"Command got it completely wrong! Asiph-1 has already been reconstituted to a near-perfect state!"
The only saving grace was that the recent attempt had failed to brainwash him and his comrades.
The Ancient Race hadn't been sitting idle since they shattered Asiph-1's soul. Realizing exactly how threatening his power was, they had developed technology to shield soldiers from mental attacks. The mental protection system, prioritized for frontline troops, had just somewhat proven its worth. The soldiers all seemed fine.
However, the AI urgently warned him. Their tech still hadn't fully caught up to Asiph-1. If they were repeatedly exposed to that wave for an extended period, they would eventually be affected in one way or another.
"We have to do something before that happens!"
The adjutant made his first real decision since inheriting command.
"Fire! Buy us time to retreat!"
Their superiors had made a massive miscalculation. Asiph-1 had resurrected, and at this rate, they were all in danger of being brainwashed.
Following his order, the blue energy rippling in the Battleship's muzzle thrummed even more violently. The AI began its countdown.
- 5, 4, 3... to Photon Cannon discharge.
That was when the hull jolted.
Everything around them, including the consoles they were operating, violently shook. The Kavites, who had just managed to collect themselves and prepare to act, lost their balance, collapsing or tumbling across the deck. It felt like gravity was hurling them in the wrong direction. Their weight suddenly shifted to one side as the floor tilted. The bow seemed to have pitched upward by about fifteen degrees.
Barely managing to brace himself, the adjutant realized the hologram he'd been watching was displaying a bizarre sight.
'Why is it looking at that?'
The screen that had been locked onto the pillar of light wrapping the cathedral—the Photon Cannon's target—was now pointed at an entirely different location.
'No, no!'
Only then did the adjutant deduce the cause behind the ship violently jolting like it had been hit by an earthquake.
'Someone' had abruptly twisted the hull of their Battleship. By force, with immense power.
The adjutant remembered the entities he had momentarily forgotten after the jump. It was a realization that made his nerve cords shrivel and his bodily fluids freeze.
'Those bastards!'
The monsters bred as body renewal vessels for the Endelion, the ones gripping their ship from above as if embracing it.
'Don't tell me?!'
The soldiers had mental defense systems implanted in their bodies. But had those monsters been given the same treatment? If they had, the Committee's suggestions wouldn't have worked on them in the first place.
And could the suggestion implanted by command... truly withstand Asiph-1's brainwashing attack?
"Stop!"
The moment the Kavite let out a sharp scream—
- ...2, 1!
A laser erupted from the naval gun, which had already crossed its critical threshold. A blindingly cold flash burned through the air, splitting the void.
Instead of firing toward the ground as originally aimed, it shot forward on a slightly elevated trajectory.
The Photon Cannon pierced through another Battleship held by a different monster. It was an incredibly precise shot, completely missing the kin's body while cleanly punching through the Battleship's fuselage beneath it.
Immediately after the light blew a hole in the combat vessel:
Boom! Ka-boom!
Fierce explosions ripped the sky apart.
*
Asiph-1 still had his arm raised on the balcony. Pure joy spread across his face. He shouted at the sky with both his voice and his mental wave.
=Yes, this is it!=
An electrifying thrill coursed through his veins.
In truth, the AI had miscalculated Asiph-1's intent. The brainwashing wave the system detected was never aimed at them to begin with. Minjun had thinned their numbers, sure, but brainwashing all the remaining members of the Ancient Race would require a colossal amount of power.
Because of that, Asiph-1 had decided to use his abilities a little more economically.
The AI had no choice but to misinterpret his intentions because the wave had been detected from so close. However, the Ancient Race weren't the targets; they were merely standing in the path to the real targets.
Rather than the people aboard the ships, Asiph-1 had actually targeted those in physical contact with the vessels.
Woooooo!
Asiph-1 watched as an Endelion, bound to a ship, twisted its body with all its might.
Woooooo!
As the Endelion exerted its strength, the rigid restraints crumpled and creaked. Chains made of metallic fibers pulled taut.
Screeeech! Screeech!
Normally, thrashing around while wearing those restraints would bring about agonizing pain. The mechanics were similar to how certain species tamed beasts much larger than themselves. Animals abused since birth remain unaware that they have the strength to kill their masters, submitting to them purely to avoid immediate pain.
So, the pope intervened in the tentacle monsters' minds, making them numb to the pain. He shattered the Committee's suggestions implanted in their heads and replaced them with his own whispers.
It is always easier to conquer a fortress that has already fallen once. What was more, there were only 167 tentacle creatures. Compared to the thousands of soldiers still left, with at least dozens on each ship, they were a tiny minority.
Asiph-1 yelled in glee.
="Yes, listen! You too!"=
Obeying the command, the tentacled monster detached the Battleship clinging to its abdomen and 'lifted' it. The bow tilted, snapping upward.
Right after that, the Photon Cannon erupted in a blast.
The beam launched at the steepened angle and struck another Battleship carried by a different tentacle monster.
Deafening explosions echoed as blazing flames blanketed the sky. The tentacle creature holding the detonated ship was knocked backward. However, other tentacle monsters were already gathered along its flight path. None of them were listening to the Ancient Race's orders anymore. They caught the flying tentacle monster using their backs, the sides untouched by the Battleships. They used their own bodies as shock absorbers.
="Good, just like that!"=
Down on the ground, Asiph-1 repeatedly waved his hands at the sky. His energetic movements looked as though he were conducting an upbeat symphony. Following the sweep of his arms, the tentacle monsters danced like sprouting musical notes.
The tentacle creatures coiled around the Battleships moved once again. Two of them locked eyes.
In their single eyes, which had been dazed as if drunk just moments prior, fierce rage and a crystal-clear sense of purpose now coalesced.
They knew exactly who their tormentors were. They also grasped the current situation—that the lives of their abusers could be snuffed out with a single flick of their tentacles.
That rage and understanding translated into decisive action.
Creeeak! Creeeeak!
The restraints bent like taffy. They shoved the Battleships, which had been pressed flush against their abdomens, away from their bodies. Wrapped in their long tentacles, they dangled the ships loosely beneath them like mere pendants.
In that state, they charged straight at each other.
As the distance between them closed, the Ancient Race aboard the out-of-control ships watched the monster and Battleship ahead of them grow larger and larger.
They thrashed and tried to engage their combat engines to escape, but the tentacles were too strong. The Battleships' engine thrust couldn't overcome the physical grip and supernatural powers of the tentacle creatures. No longer feeling any pain, the Endelions accelerated via telekinesis and flew.
And then, impact!
KABOOM!
A flash of light and a firestorm devoured the sky. In the face of the Endelions' might, the Space Motherships' armor was shredded and crushed like wet paper. The passengers were vaporized in the amplified blast, leaving not a speck of dust behind.
The two ships vanished without a trace, but the strands of tentacles merely rippled and tangled together. Their bodies, tough enough to survive dimensional leaps bare-fleshed, boasted overwhelming durability.
Only then did the survivors realize it. The positions of themselves and the tentacle monsters had been completely flipped.
Just moments ago, they had shackled those monsters to their ships using pain and mental suggestions as weapons. But now, it was the ships that were caught by the monsters.
="Listen."=
Asiph-1's whisper seeped into their terror-stricken ears. It was a voice urging their surrender.
="If you want to keep your lives, shut down the Battleships' operating systems."=
Even as they hesitated, the ships were crushed and detonated one by one. No one knew who would be next.
They were plunged into a hellish agony of indecision.
The temptation to abuse their captain's authority and turn off the Battleships' AI sounded sweet. If this situation continued, the AIs would conclude the battle was unsalvageable and initiate self-destruct sequences.
The Ancient Race members acting as temporary captains on each Battleship ultimately made a choice that true captains never would have.
"I can't... I can't die like this. I haven't even undergone body renewal once yet. Why should I die here?!"
Succumbing to Asiph-1's temptation, the adjutant shut down the AI. The same choice echoed across the other Battleships.
A moment later, voices declaring unconditional surrender broadcast one after another from the Battleships, now free of system surveillance.
The battle was over.
*
"Ohhh! O avatar!"
"Glory! Infinite glory to you!"
"At last, we dream of you within your dream!"
The ground became a melting pot of frenzy once again. Everyone had heard the declarations of surrender together. Witnessing the miracles unfolding in the sky, they hugged each other, wept, and prayed.
"Oh God! Oh God!"
The roars overlapped and resonated, turning into a massive tidal wave. The congregation cheered for the god on the spire's roof. With his back to the sun, Minjun's face was cast in shadow.
Was their god smiling down at them with satisfaction right now, or was he peering down in arrogance?
It didn't matter either way. Just his reigning presence up there was enough for the faithful to understand the reason this world existed, the reason they existed, and the reason they must praise their god.
"Hmm."
Glancing at the fanatical crowd, Asiph-1 turned away from the balcony. The former acting pope, who had been stabbed in the neck, still hadn't regained consciousness, but Asiph-1 didn't have the luxury of worrying about that now.
Swish!
He leaped nimbly from the balcony and lightly dashed up the near-vertical wall of the spire.
He went straight to the top and paid his respects to his creator, who had been waiting with an impassive expression.
The pope marveled.
"...Wow."
Beside the mother staring at the sky with worry and concern—tracking the movements of the creatures that looked exactly like her—stood the father.
Behind that creator, yet another portrait of hell unfolded. Freshly minted wraiths swarmed in incalculable numbers.
'Why haven't you thrown them to the shadows as food yet?'
The mad ghosts thrashed in agony, clawing and tearing at one another. Of course, the dead couldn't die again, and they lacked the caliber to permanently shred each other to pieces. They were merely attacking the closest targets in reach to try and forget their own pain.
The wraiths bit off each other's fingers, smashed skulls, and ripped open bellies, scattering entrails everywhere. Naturally, since these weren't real bodies but illusions mimicking their spiritual bodies, they quickly restored themselves.
Shouldering this permanently sustainable hell on his back, Minjun cast a calm gaze downward. Anticipating the question, Asiph-1 reported. A sharp smile hung on his lips.
"We destroyed nine out of the 167 ships, leaving 158."
Dell, whose attention had been wholly captivated by her kin, flinched at those words and snapped her head around.
158 ships?
There are... 158 Space Motherships?
Her kin were slowly approaching the earth, Battleships in tow.
With the Ancient Race having secured internal command and issuing the orders directly, all systemic defense measures had been completely disabled across the 158 Space Motherships.
'Oh my god!'
Dell felt a shudder run through her entire body.
She turned her eyes back, this time looking at the faithful gathered below the cathedral. She took in the sounds of their wailing and cheering. Shouts and prayers mixed together, thrashing like a tempest. Several had already fainted, and blood was smeared everywhere.
These were zealots who would charge at the enemy without hesitation at a single command from their god.
The Space Motherships, their systems already offline, would not resist whoever took the helm. Even if, for example, those fanatical three-eyed ones were to replace the original crew.
Minjun smiled faintly.
"Now, all that's left is to gather them in one place."
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