Chapter 426: Transition (7)
Reincarnator – Chapter 427: Transition (7)
Rumble!
“… I’ve always known, but you really are insane, Pompeion,” K-Ukatan Pael mumbled as he looked at Pompeion before him.
He had thought that he himself was crazy, but the man standing before him was truly something else. If he weren’t, then he wouldn’t have allowed his enemies the possible control of his heart.
Thump! Thump!
Through the hole on Pompeion’s chest that his hand had gone into, he could feel the heart thumping. He hadn’t beaten Pompeion. He had simply grasped his heart.
That was the agreement Pompeion and the three clan heads had reached.
There was for them to lose. Pompeion had to use all of his might if he didn’t want to die, and since he wouldn’t attack them from behind, the three clean heads could now focus on the fight below, and that was what happened.
Booooom!
Kakakaka!
An even more intense torrent of flames rained down from the heavens. All s.h.i.+ps were on the verge of overloading as they attacked. The same could be said for Ukatan Pael, the other clan heads, and Pompeion as well.
Boooooooooom!
A terrifying amount of flames exploded from Pompeion. More specifically, from the Flame’s fragment that had been given by the man. The explosion was strong enough to easily suppress the three clan heads.
‘This b.a.s.t.a.r.d! He really was holding back!’
Cold sweat ran down K-Merrow Nell’s back. They were attempting to do what they needed before a man that strong? If things went bad and Pompeion decided to attack them, they would easily be killed.
K-Merrow Nell, who had a grim expression, suddenly smiled.
‘No, this is good.’
Though the blade was dangerous when sharp, it was good that the sharp blade was now in their hands. They had Pompeion’s heart, so now, that was good.
‘We finish the guy below us like this, and control Pompeion to deal with Hansoo.’
The guy called Hansoo was already withstanding an absurd amount of energy while doing his best. There was no way that his body would be fine. Hansoo would be a mess once he came back up.
The reason why they were so afraid of Hansoo was because he could attack them while they tried to fend off Hansoo after the battle, which was even more easily achieved by having a companion who could teleport.
However, as long as Pompeion was under their control, the story was simpler. They just needed to use their remaining strength to kill him. Even if Hansoo ran, that would be fine. As long as Hansoo remained on the planet, they would find him.
‘Even if he goes up, that is fine as well.’
K-Merrow Nell smiled. The situation was a bit funny. The three of them were simultaneously holding hands inside Pompeion’s chest because they were scared of losing out to the other two.
If only one of them had Pompeion’s heart and used it to attack the other two, things would turn bad. However, as long as they were like that, it was fine.
‘The one who gets scared first is the one who loses.’
K-Merrow Nell laughed.
The one that got scared, or the one who backed off first would lose. Look at what had happened to Pompeion. He had taken a step back, and now he was like that.
‘I’d rather die than have this happen to me.’
At that moment…
Rumble!
… A different kind of sound rang out from below. It was different from the previous energy collision they had heard. It was much more sinister.
And, as K-Merrow Nell and the other two clan heads heard and felt the shockwaves, they knew this was all over.
It was the sound of the man being shoved deep into the ground.
If the man had had a hidden card, he wouldn’t have held it up to that point, so that had been the sound of the final struggle.
Boooooooom!
[What the?! Hansoo!]
[What the h.e.l.l is going on!?]
The terrified voices of the humans could be heard over the communications device. That was how powerful the shockwave was. It was enough to turn everything below to dust, and that made K-Merrow Nell feel even better.
‘The heavens are helping us.’
If Hansoo was swept up by that explosion, they wouldn’t have to deal with him at all. He would die at that point. However, it would be better if things were done properly.
Thump! Thump!
K-Merrow Nell felt Pompeion’s beating heart and spoke with a smile, “Let’s see. It seems things are finished below, so… ready yourself, Pompeion.”
K-Merrow Nell put some pressure on the heart, a fragile organ that could be blown apart with just a bit of pressure. Their strength came from their souls, which allowed them to control the Flame, so their bodies were naturally weaker.
“Finish them for us… with your own hands.”
Pompeion smiled coldly and looked at the three before him.
‘Yeah, I need to finish things.’
It had to end now.
To gather the seeds that he and the man below had scattered…
‘Sigh! This is actually a bit scary.’
… Pompeion felt his heartbeat as he prepared himself, mumbling.
The heart started to thump faster, and the three thought of that as an indication of fear and smiled. However, Pompeion simply smiled back.
‘Well… at least, there are three to go with me.’
They were going to die anyway, so it was better if they knew why.
Pompeion smiled at K-Merrow Nell, who had the largest smile of the three.
“You guys might not know, but I met that alien man a bit earlier than you.”
“… Don’t speak nonsense! Do your job!”
Puchi!
K-Merrow Nell got a bad feeling from Pompeion’s words and stabbed the heart with his thumbnail, but Pompeion didn’t even flinch. He only continued to speak.
“He gave me half of his soul as a symbol of trust. Maybe that was what he had thought would make us trust him. It was the same for you as well, right?”
The three clan heads stopped and nodded. It had been exactly as he had said. Right now, half of the man’s soul was within Pompeion’s body, and the other half was spread out between them. And that was why they had made a contract with the man: because they had thought they could have killed him whenever.
However, Pompeion chuckled and said as he saw the clan heads nodding, “But isn’t that too weird? His soul is the symbol of his strength, and he parted with it that easily?”
The three clan heads frowned. It was weird indeed. There were much better ways to make contracts. The contracts he had made had placed the worst conditions on himself. The man had had nothing to gain.
Pompeion smiled as he continued, “Maybe you wouldn’t know since you only have a sixth of it each, but I have a bit of his memories as well due to receiving half.”
And among them, was the method of reproduction of their race, Parasitic Soul: They detached a part of their soul and embed it in another race’s soul. It didn’t matter what race or how large of a part it was. Even a tiny piece of it would be fine.
As long as they accepted the soul, the success condition was met. The opponent’s race would gain the ability to use power and technology at a terrifying level. That way, they would use the soul over and over again, drunk in their newfound strength. And if they did that, the soul that was responsible for all that strength would grow and grow.
No matter how tiny, it would grow. And once the soul grew big enough to form the original owner of the soul…
“… Then, the embedded soul pushes the original owner of the body out and takes control.”
And once the original soul changed, that race would not be the same. Their personalities and goals also changed.
A parasitic race that reproduced through seeds within souls…
“… That is their true form. The fake Nerpa were born like this as well”
“What the…”
They realized why the man had made such a disadvantageous contract. He hadn’t chosen death. He had chosen the reproduction of his race.
“You know why you and I must die now, right?”
It was only a matter of time.
Sooner or later, as long as the seeds remained, a second or third version of the man would appear.
“Let’s… Go!”
Boooooom!
A tremendous amount of energy started to run amok around Pompeion. The soul inside him had started to overload, and the three clan heads freaked out.
“You crazy b.a.s.t.a.r.d! I… I don’t want to die!”
“Ahhhhh!”
Kacha!
Pompeion coughed out blood. He felt his heart get crushed under the angered expression of Ukatan Pael’s face. He saw K-Merrow Nell and Adelaia Ron curse out and run off, but it didn’t matter.
As he used every bit of the strength he had to make himself a bomb, none of the struggle, even from those attempting to protect their bodies, would matter. The power of the bomb was strong enough to burn way the three rats that crawled into their trap…
… And the seeds within them.
‘Sangjin, my friend, stay well and… I am sorry.’ There was nothing he regretted as his plans unfolded, except one thing. ‘Well, no can do for both of us.’
With a bitter smile…
Booooooooooom!
… A terrifying explosion burst out from Pomepion and swallowed the surroundings.
………
‘Dumba.s.ses! I told you to not come!’
A few people could be seen as they jumped out from the cloud: Sangjin and Mihee, Kiriel and Samuel.
Whooooos.h.!.+
The remnants of the Flame rushed toward them.
“Eeeeek!”
Kiriel clenched her teeth at the tremendous amount of energy that swept through her. She had come over to save him, but it was more than she had expected.
‘He was withstanding all of this?’
At that rate, she would melt before she could use her skill again.
But at that moment…
Whoooos.h.!.+
… The Flame’s power around them settled down.
‘What the…?’
While Kiriel was shocked, Sangjin, his face contorted in a struggle, said, “I can’t hold on for long! Hurry… Move!”
“You!? How are you doing this?”
Sangjin mumbled with a bitter expression, “I.. have it as well.”
Inside Sangjin’s body…
Kiiing!
… The final seed on Angkara struggled.