Star Rank Hunter

Original and most up to date translations are posted at volaretranslations.

Translator's Note: Oops, I accidentally posted the 124 meme 1 chapter earlier, so have this one and think on how much you want to kill Carranio now. RIP kitties on planet Skull.

Chapter 125: There is No Struggle; There is Only Despair

Although they had found the way to hunt down Cillin, fear continued to envelop them.

Excluding those who were roaming outside Sector Z, Poison Fang numbered almost one hundred thousand people on this planet. But now, Carranio suddenly noticed that there were only less than fifty thousand people left before he realised it.

No one could’ve thought that Cillin, a mere kid; a kid who had absolutely no fame in the galaxy at all could destroy more than fifty thousand people on this planet, although of course the majority of that fifty thousand victims had been food for worms. Aside from the ‘Birds of Paradise’, after the research base had been desertified, upgraded versions of the suppressant were no longer available. This caused the parasites that were initially spread to slowly grow resistant to the basic suppressants. Therefore, it was plain that the infected Poison Fang members would not hold out for long. The ‘Birds of Paradise’ were not needed here. An infected person was like a live sack of nutrition who would eventually be sucked dry by those tiny parasites.

Plenty of Poison Fang members who chased after Cillin collapsed halfway and never stood up again. With every passing minute, a huge amount of tiny parasites were born in the host’s body through asexual division. The tiny parasites that had developed a resistance were like starved refugees who had suddenly found a table full of delicious foods in front of them.

Therefore, the period between weakness to death lasted only a few minutes for the infected, but they would feel distinctly every second of their debilitation as their life slipped through their grasps, as if the devil’s own hand had gripped onto their souls and led them slowly towards hell.

There was no struggle. There was only despair.

My research base. The blow was no doubt a stab in Carranio’s heart; the biggest slap to the face he had ever endured in his life.

In reality, there were many factors that contributed to the destruction of Poison Fang’s research base. The scarlet desert environment had sped up the speed of the desertification process, and the research base had failed to discover the threat in time. By the time the desertification hit the research base it was already too late to stop it. No one could have imagined that there was a cyborg who could burrow into the ground and block the scan signals of this place.

Therefore, Carranio still had no idea how the destruction of his research base could’ve happened even until now. However, since what had happened had happened, it was too late to question the cause already. Right now, Carranio was pouring every energy he had into hunting Cillin.

Night slowly descended at the cross field. Once, night time was Poison Fang’s favorite time of the day. There was nothing more they loved than slaughtering their preys and listening to their fearful and despairing screams under the cover of the night. However, the current situation was far from their expectations. Cillin was like a silent catcher waiting in the dark and pushing them step by step towards the brink of no return. What would happen then when the night had descended completely?

The Poison Fang members did not dare to imagine the outcome.

The night belongs to the devil.

The difference of temperature between day and night on this planet was huge. Although their thick protective suits could keep them warm, the Poison Fang members couldn’t help but feel unusually cold; a cold that made their very scalp tingle. Every one of their pores were permeating with cold air, stimulating their nerves to tighten even tauter than it was before.

The ‘pets’ had traced Cillin’s scent to the cross field, but they halted uncertainly around the edges. They were unable to confirm Cillin’s position or even lock down a particular direction to go to. This was without a doubt yet another blow to Poison Fang.

Fifty thousand people silently gathered around the edge of the cross field and surrounded the place in a circle. However, they were unable to obtain any results at all. No matter how hard they searched for Cillin, they could not find a shadow of him even after they rummaged through the entire cross field once.

Like madmen, they searched through every inch of ground within the cross field for Cillin. The failure of their efforts, however, was like a cold joke that’s ridiculing their ineptitude.

Pu——

Yet another person collapsed onto the ground.

There were people collapsing every passing second on this cross field. The place felt like a demon’s domain that was sucking at their souls at every moment.

Under the dark night, amidst much blood and many crosses, man fell one after another.

The ‘sinners’ who were tied to the cross but not removed for many days, and the native beasts who were eaten by the ‘Birds of Paradise’ until all that was left was a couple of damaged bones, laughed scornfully at the people around them through the howling wind, seemingly awaiting them to join them in death.

One hour later, two was subtracted from five, and thirty thousand men remained.

Twenty thousand people had collapsed just like that. There were neither epic gunfights nor bloody slaughter. They had collapsed on the ground just like that.

The Poison Fang members had never experienced such a feeling of helplessness and powerlessness. The hands holding their guns shook for the first time in their lives. They had killed and walked through this bloody desert many times as they watched their prey struggle pointlessly against their fates before perishing under their guns and blades. They had thought themselves capable of facing hell without fear. But it was only now they realised that true hell need not be filled with desperate screams or embellished with firearms. The hands of the grim reaper could grip their throats in this quiet land and take away their souls just the same.

Half an hour later, ten thousand men remained. The footsteps of death quickened even further.

The Poison Fang members who were still standing were without a doubt elites. Their high genotype rank enabled them to resist the infection for a little longer, but in the end, without the suppressants, they were simply slowing down their footsteps towards hell.

So what if they had rank A genotype? Defeat was the only option before these tiny organisms that were so small one could almost not notice with one’s eyes.

The current Poison Fang was no longer an entity that Carranio to control. Poison Fang was an uncontrollable organisation in the first place.

Poison Fang was neither an army nor a Hunter regiment. The reason they had gathered as one was purely to kill and enjoy the satisfaction of reaping another’s life. So when Cillin pushed them again and again and again, their taut nerves finally reached a breaking point. The point, of insanity.

The remainder of Poison Fang had turned insane. If they were going to die regardless, then they might as well enjoy this last bit of madness.

The people flying inside spaceplanes began to open fire towards the ground. Fiery light illuminated the flesh and blood sent flying through the air, and the ‘Birds of Paradise’ hopping amidst them. The slaughter excited the people as the evil grins on their faces grew increasingly madder. Those who lost their sanity raised their guns and either shot at others, or at themselves.

There were perhaps many people who never thought that they would take their own lives with their own hands.

Carranio watched the civil war on the land and on air so quietly it was like he was an outsider. There were shredded people lying on the ground around him, and he wasn’t wearing a protective suit right now. However, no ‘Birds of Paradise’ dared to go near him.

This was the true Carranio. Not even the ‘Birds of Paradise’ dared to approach them.

The Poison Fang members knew that Cillin could repel the worms, but they didn’t know that their king can too.

Carranio knew that Cillin was watching here quietly from a certain spot.

Who was more despicable, and who was more cruel?

Everyone who knew Poison Fang called them a bunch of lunatics, but Carranio thought that Cillin was colder, crazier, and more like the devil than Poison Fang.