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| The Beloved Little Mother Insect (LITTLE MOTHER) |
In the interstellar era, the Narga, one of the five great empires of the Star Alliance and ranked first in overall power, formally named themselves Narga a millennium ago when they signed the peace treaty and joined the Star Alliance. Their full name is the "Narga Hivemind Imperium."
In ancient Narga language, "Narga" means "guardian," and their core purpose is to protect the Hive Will, to protect the Insect Mother, and to protect their one and only King.
Each generation of the swarm would welcome a King who would guide, dominate, and belong to them.
But as time passed, the once-prosperous Narga Empire entered a low point—
The Hive Substance entrenched in the underground caverns of the central star dried up, the guardians of the Hive Substance vanished, and the Mother Insect, who served as both "King" and "Mother," disappeared without a trace, as if they had never left a mark in the history of the Narga Empire.
This was the frozen period of the Narga.
The first century after losing their King—
The swarm of the Narga Empire waited for a miracle, placing their hopes in the Hive Will, yearning to sense the call and pulse of the "Mother" in the vast, empty psychic link.
They held onto their faith, restrained their desires, and firmly believed the King would be born.
The second century after losing their King—
Without the "Mother's" pacification, the swarm's descendants fell into the turmoil of Frenzy Syndrome.
Pain and madness followed them like shadows, tormenting this once-mighty race that had conquered the stars into wretched, beaten dogs.
They suppressed their madness, restrained their greed, and buried their doubts about their faith.
The third century after losing their King—
The crisis brought by Frenzy Syndrome intensified. The shadow of death from psychic collapse loomed over the swarm. To prevent further tragedy, the Narga Empire, after a central conference, decided to activate the "Trial Ground Program," using violent release to curb the psychic loss of control of high-ranking Narga.
At that time, some members of the empire erased their expectations of the Hive Will.
The fourth century after losing their King, rebellion erupted within the swarm.
The high-ranking Narga who still believed in the Hive Will united as Protectors, controlling 90% of the Narga Empire's power and territory, living like the walking dead in the depths of the vast universe.
The rising new generation no longer placed their hopes in the Mother Insect, who had been missing for centuries.
Another faction, who abandoned their faith and embraced the frenzy, were exiled to the Lost Starfield, willingly becoming degenerate filth.
They despised the Narga's instincts and loathed the vanished Mother Insect.
They swore that if they ever found this irresponsible "Mother," they would devour them, chew their flesh and bones, and keep them in their bellies, merging them with their crazy descendants.
Like the "Devil in the Bottle," the long, hopeless wait split the Narga Empire's swarm and led them down two entirely different paths.
Now, it is the 416th year since the Mother Insect's disappearance, and also the day the Beast Trial Ground opens once again.
The live broadcast will transmit everything from the trial ground in real time. This is their chance to compete and showcase their strength, and also to tell every citizen loyal to the Narga Empire—
"One day, when you reach the peak of power, you too will be shackled and become warriors fighting against madness."
Either suppress the frenzy and be reborn, or be assimilated into degeneration and buried here.
This is the trial ground of the high-ranking Narga, a notorious Irradiated Wasteland famed for its intense planetary radiation.
The Beasts inhabiting this land, severely affected by the radiation, have become mindless killing machines—making them perfect prey to withstand the violent outbursts of the high-ranking Narga.
Year after year, it was the same.
When the countdown ended, the Radiation Storm arrived.
The high-ranking Narga, having landed in different zones, reverted to their true forms. Sniffing the dry air, their keen psychic senses pulsated, ceaselessly hunting for targets to slaughter—the only means to curb their madness.
In the eastern zone of the wasteland, Olovikin, leader of the Royal Guard, spread his golden insect wings and swooped down from the sky. In the instant he raised his pincers, he shredded the body of an avian Beast.
Thousands of meters away in the southern zone, Xagai the Bloodburner, built like a tank, sensed movements in the air. Swift and sharp, he lifted his pincers and reaped the lives of an entire horde of rodent Beasts.
At the edge of the northern zone, Hui, the first to detect a strange, sweet fragrance, grew restless.
Once again, he crushed the hard skull of a Beast while searching for the source of the scent amidst the blood-soaked environment.
…Not far now.
Meanwhile, in the barren depths of the western zone, Ega the Stalker, further consumed by frenzy, swung his tail stinger, effortlessly piercing the vital point of a giant serpent-like Beast.
But the moment the cold, hard scales shook off droplets of blood, the matte-black insectoid froze briefly. Like an aging machine, his massive head creaked as it turned, his inorganic eyes fixing on the distance while his mouthparts silently grinding and emitting a low hum.
For a moment, he seemed to catch a scent that set his blood boiling.
So intoxicating.
When he tried to pinpoint it, he found nothing, causing him to grow increasingly irritable. He smashed a towering weathered rock beside him with his tail stinger, trying to ease the restless agitation.
Not enough… still not enough…
He had to find this fragrance.
Ega, skilled in stealth, lowered his tail stinger and swept across the desert like a raven in the night, leaving only a dark shadow in his wake.
The Observation Sphere trailing him pursued, emitting sharp warnings.
【Warning! You have deviated from your assigned zone!】
【Warning! Continued deviation will activate electroshock mode!】
The receding shadow paid no heed.
Even as the shocks from the Observation Sphere grew stronger each time and electricity crackling around him, the notoriously resilient brute only staggered slightly but still stubbornly pressing onward toward the northern zone.
He would crawl there if he had to.
The live-stream comments monitoring the situation grew panicked—
【Wait, that’s the direction of the northern zone, right? Isn’t that Lord Hui’s territory?!】
【Damn, two frenzied high-ranking Narga are definitely going to fight!】
【There are way too many anomalies in this trial ground! If two high-ranking Narga actually meet, it’ll be a true carnival of violence, won’t it?】
【Trash! Shut up!】
The audience quickly descended into chaos, comments jumbling together in disarray.
Their militaristic nature destined these formidable cosmic beings to prefer settling disputes with fists.
【Wait, that new variant is also in the northern zone. Could this be related to him?】
A comment starkly different from the others was buried under the verbal brawling, and the one possible truth ignored entirely.
While arguments raged on one side, the feed from Observation Sphere No. 8 drew shock and awe—
【Holy shit! This new variant is insane, turning a sure-death situation into a shot at survival! What’s his deal, anyway?】
【Could it be some kind of purification-type Beast? I've never heard of such a thing!】
Ten minutes earlier, the StarCloud Hound affected by the radiation storm had pinned Pearl to the ground.
Those sharp fangs once again pressed toward the Artificial Human's neck, yet froze rigidly in midair at the final second.
In the Beast's pitch-black pupils flowed both murkiness and faint light, chaotically wrestling against each other, while the creature itself emitted pained growls.
As reason struggled against instinct, the lethal teeth pressed against Pearl's pulse gradually withdrew.
Just as this Beast that fiercely suppressing its predatory urges, prepared to retreat and abandon its prey, Pearl—whom it had deemed weak—suddenly raised his arms and tightly embraced the StarCloud Hound's neck.
He had once held a panting stray dog with dark eyes like this.
And that dog had gradually calmed in his embrace.
A rich fragrance washed over them as a soft embrace pressed against the Beast's snout.
The previously ferocious, snarling Beast stiffened and its chaotic eyes instead gaining a trace of soothed tranquility.
Pearl didn't dare move.
He was afraid, terrified, yet inexplicably persistent.
Like a newborn creature stubbornly clinging to its pacifier, he tightly encircled the Beast's neck as his thin, youthful chest nearly pressed against the StarCloud Hound's jaw. The inferior heart belonging to this Artificial Human thumped loudly, startling the Beast into momentary bewilderment.
The swirling darkness in its eyes seemed to slightly recede, then released a thread of faint light.
This scene was nothing short of miraculous for a radiation-corrupted Beast.
But the StarCloud Hound itself remained unaware, the little blind Pearl still trembling as he clung to his "big dog," and the live-stream comments limited by camera angles remained ignorant. Only the dark Mycelium floating around the Beast pulsed in clusters as their tips revealing a faded, pale quality.
This made the StarCloud Hound resemble a massive black wolf dusted with snowflakes.
The now-tamed Beast gently nuzzled the trembling little Artificial Human with its snout, its movements surprisingly delicate as if attempting to comfort this frightened young creature it had terrified.
Even the pale-edged Mycelium brushed against the Artificial Human's skin, subtly providing the security he needed.
Pearl, with his eyes tightly shut, perceived this gentleness.
His lashes fluttered as he gradually opened his vacant, misty eyes.
Those pale blue pupils were hazy, and when he strained to widen them, scalding tears finally spilled uncontrollably.
After mustering every ounce of courage to embrace the potentially frenzied "big dog," Pearl's last reserves of strength drained away. He curled up completely within the Beast's shadow, appearing utterly pitiful and terrified—yet though he trembled and wept, he made no sound.
Mustn't cry aloud, mustn't...
Pearl bit his lip fiercely, suddenly grateful for the "big dog's" fluffy fur that could at least hide his forbidden sounds.
The surroundings suddenly grew quiet.
Freed from the radiation storm's influence, the Beast gathered the trembling little Artificial Human against itself and awkwardly nuzzling the top of his head as if learning to comfort a youngling like a mother creature.
The Mycelium long fused with the StarCloud Hound extended their faded tips, carefully reaching where Pearl had buried his face. Like thieves, they glided over his damp cheeks, thirsting like roots to absorb every trace of moisture.
So sweet.
So... beloved.
The Beast with its pupils glowing faintly, suddenly developed a peculiar attachment to this young creature.
At this moment, the dimly lit Irradiated Wasteland fell into an instant silence.
As Pearl curled up in the Beast's embrace to absorb its warmth, the pale Mycelial Carpet that had been entrenched deep beneath the planet's surface spread throughout the caverns, emitting subtle tremors after centuries of stillness.
Behind the interwoven Mycelium, a pair of eyes abruptly opened, revealing silver-white, vacant vertical pupils.
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