Vitriel Star System, Daemos Galaxy, former Celestial One parent world.
Using the wreckage of a Titan-class ship, the remaining ten percent of the parent world's mass, and planetary construction materials provided by the Starforge Legion, a new celestial body was created.
In the planet's original position, a "Mechanical Celestial Sphere" constructed by a team led by Vill-V now hung high in the sky. This artificial planet was also given a name that was very fitting for its identity:
Cybertron.
At the very center of the Mechanical Celestial Sphere was a fusion reactor the size of a moon. Using Imaginary energy to maintain planetary functions was an extremely wasteful act; in comparison, nuclear fusion was far more efficient and clean.
Yes, clean.
The construction of Cybertron was only about eighty percent complete.
Within this mechanical planet, a large number of conscripted Imperial citizens of the [Machine Race] were stationed. They would be responsible for implementing the various designs and conducting related research. For the Machine Race, the minor potential leakage from a fusion reactor could indeed be considered a clean, "natural" energy source.
Above the planetary rotation axis, with the fusion reactor as its hub, were equally massive planetary engines strung together like a candied haw skewer, and situated atop them was the Stellar State Control Room.
Right now, within the completely zero-gravity Stellar State Control Room…
"The Swarm?"
"Did I hear that right?"
Sitting in the center of a spherical chamber, connected to a giant control apparatus by hundreds of intubation tubes, Vill-V listened with some surprise to the observation results from the edge of the star system.
"That's right."
"The Swarm, not the Antimatter Legion."
[The Swarm].
The retainers of Tayzzyronth, the Astral God of Propagation. When Tayzzyronth was still alive in the cosmic sea, the infamy of [The Swarm] was far more terrifying than that of the [Antimatter Legion]. However, after Tayzzyronth was besieged and killed by the other Astral Gods, although the scale of [The Swarm] remained enormous, it lost all its high-end combat power, including Grand Monarchs and Emissaries, drastically reducing its threat to top-tier civilizations.
Even so, for the swarms still active in certain corners of the universe, their lethality against medium and even large civilizations remained horrific.
"How could it be…"
Vill-V, who was in charge of the reception and reconstruction of the entire star system, frowned.
"Hua, let me see the situation on-site."
"The images have already been sent to you."
The Empire had not actually been the first to discover the Swarm.
The border regions of the Vitriel Star System were extremely undeveloped. Starships traveling to other systems visited so infrequently that there might not be a single one in a whole month, making it the equivalent of a bus terminal in the middle of nowhere.
It wasn't until a mechanical sentinel at an outpost self-destructed to send a warning to the Daemos Galaxy that they were alerted.
From the moment it was taken over by the Empire, the Vitriel Star System had been in a constant state of combat readiness. To ensure the reliability of the intelligence, Hua had taken the initiative to handle this reconnaissance mission.
Incidentally, there were a full eight Imperial Apostles currently stationed in the Vitriel Star System.
"This is…"
Vill-V immediately began to analyze the intelligence sent by Hua.
"An Overlord."
"Although it's not Star-busting level, it took two hits from my [Heaven Splitter] to kill it, so it wasn't weak."
While Vill-V was analyzing, Hua was already recounting her battle.
"This thing's combat power…"
"Is about the same as your standard level, which basically matches the intel we have on [Overlords]."
"...#"
Although Vill-V didn't say anything, it was clear that Hua had interrupted her train of thought… regarding the matter of being used as a benchmark for combat power.
The [Overlord] was a conventional unit of [The Swarm]. In non-star-system-level swarm expansions, it was typically used as the vanguard for attacking a star system. Its combat power was insufficient to destroy a star, but it could very quickly cleanse (corrode) surface (and subterranean) life and lay down creep carpets to provide a suitable breeding environment for the Swarm.
At the same time, to adapt to different planetary environments, Overlords came in all sorts of bizarre shapes and sizes. Their insides were also filled with various types of larval eggs and a large number of drones to aid in hatching.
"Are you sure you didn't misidentify it?"
"This thing's appearance is very similar to a local subterranean creature called an Ore-Eater Worm."
"I'm sure."
A large amount of comparative data flashed before Vill-V's eyes as Hua confidently denied her speculation.
"Within this galaxy, two planets have already been completely covered by creep."
Hua sent a new holographic image to Vill-V. The surfaces of the seventh and sixth planets were now completely enveloped in endless clusters of purple crystals. These high-temperature crystalline structures were clearly Hua's handiwork.
Compared to slowly clearing the creep or individually checking for survivors not yet infected by the colonies, direct "high-temperature extermination" was the standard method most civilizations used when facing [The Swarm].
"I originally thought," Vill-V interrupted Hua, her attention having shifted to the new image, "that the Monarch sent you here because we needed someone with a lighter touch among us."
"But it seems…"
Hua's expression didn't change at Vill-V's words.
"One must always distinguish priorities. The 'Announcers' of the 'Mechanicus Church' are restoring order on the fifth planet. It's the only one we might be able to save."
"...Tch, Haxxor Bunny's personal guard."
Evidently, among the Imperial Apostles, Vill-V and Haxxor Bunny did not get along very well.
"What about your own subordinates?"
"They are not skilled in this type of rescue, and they have more important missions to carry out."
"Fine."
Vill-V stopped what she was doing.
"Done."
The analyzed intelligence was sent back to Fu Hua.
"The Swarm?"
"The Swarm."
Vill-V wasn't just confirming Hua's guess.
"And it's a large, star-system-scale swarm."
"This Overlord that destroyed three planets was nothing more than a scout sent ahead."
"The brain bug inside it sent out a 'contact' signal before it died."
If an [Overlord] was in a lost state—many small swarms gathered by individual [Overlords] were scattered across the universe after the death of the Astral God of Propagation—it wouldn't have something like a brain bug inside it.
"Which means…"
Hua's expression grew much more serious upon hearing this.
"Yes, there's a [Hive Mother]."
"Ahhh~" Vill-V dragged out the sound. "If I remember correctly, there have been very few sightings of those things in the entire universe since Tayzzyronth died. To think we'd run into one."
"Should we call it bad luck, or—"
"It was probably calculated from the start."
"…"
"We can only guess."
Faced with Hua's quick answer, Vill-V did not offer a definitive opinion.
"In the battle that destroyed the Astral God of Propagation, do you think the Astral God of Destruction participated?"
"I don't know."
"It concerns Astral Gods, after all. Even if we could get in touch with their core retainers, that information isn't easy to obtain… Neither Eden nor Griseo has submitted reports on this matter."
"But well," Vill-V, as a scientist, was far less "rigorous" with intelligence than she was with machines, "looking at the state of the Antimatter Legion now, I'd say anything is possible."
"The problem now," Hua finally summarized, "is whether this massive swarm wandered here by chance, or was 'guided' here by the Antimatter Legion."
"There are no such coincidences in the world." Vill-V stretched languidly. "Besides, why couldn't it be… that the Antimatter Legion is 'operating' the Swarm to attack as their vanguard?"
Beep!
Beep!
Just as Vill-V finished speaking, a series of alarms suddenly blared within the Stellar State Control Room. On the edge of the newly redrawn star system map, countless red dots, large and small, appeared!
"…"
"I and my big mouth!"
Hua ignored Vill-V's banter. "How many directions?"
"What directions? This is a full-scale invasion!"
Vill-V casually sent the tactical map to Hua.
"Sixty-four Overlord signals…"
"I'll take care of these ten."
Hua casually assigned herself a target.
"Hey! Don't be reckless! There are Star-busting level bugs in there. You should have seen the data I scanned on the [Havoc Vanguards]. They're no easier to deal with than these things."
"Don't worry."
On the communication channel, Hua had already turned around. Her tied-up, silver-gray hair began to transform into a shimmering silver that burned with starlight.
"I am not a mere unit of combat power."
Swoosh—
"...#!"
Vill-V didn't even have a chance to get angry before Hua unilaterally cut the connection.
At the same time.
Swish!
A new communication screen opened.
"The twenty Overlords over here will be handled by me and the War Legion."
The Temple of War made a brief appearance, carving out twenty Overlords and their accompanying swarms on the map as if dividing up an inheritance.
Without giving Vill-V any chance to speak, he hung up the "call" with lightning speed.
"....##!!"
"Hmph."
"The rest are mine."
This time, not even a communication screen appeared. Amidst a brief "SOUND ONLY" message, the last thirty-four Overlords were claimed by "that man" who didn't even show his face.
".....###!!!"
Swish!
Before a new communication screen could even appear, Vill-V, as the "overall commander," was already reflexively preparing to speak—
"V2V."
Alright, this time it was Haxxor Bunny.
Facing this old rival (one of them) (in her own mind), Vill-V forcibly controlled her emotions.
"The Overlords have all been claimed. Haxxor Bunny, are you going to try and deal with the Hive Mother?"
"No."
"My mission is to stay in Daemos to protect you and Cybertron, to prevent any potential decapitation strike by the enemy…"
Haxxor Bunny didn't give Vill-V a chance to be grateful (at least on the surface), immediately adding:
"After all, the last time, V2V was almost instantly killed by a Havoc Vanguard."
"...####!!!!"
"Beluga and Golem have gone to investigate the Hive Mother's intel. They will report to the 'Commander' at the first opportunity. Over."
Swoosh—
---o---
Morigan Galaxy.
The Quantum Legion, which had long been on standby, rushed to the coordinates to provide support as soon as they received the report of the attack.
The one leading them was, naturally, the familiar Legion Commander Raven: Natasha.
"Move as close to the planet's low orbit as possible. Maintain a relative coordinate between the fleet and the Swarm to prevent friendly fire. Weapons-free range… one-quarter of an astronomical unit."
Hua's calm and orderly voice was transmitted accurately to the fleet.
In her normal state, she had the power to crush an Overlord. Now, facing ten Overlords in her semi-Honkai Beast "Overweight State," it was more than enough.
Of course, not all the Overlords on the other side were planet-wipers. Two of them, large, irregular spheres with over a hundred tentacles and three extra pairs of "eyes," were "elite" Star-busting level Overlords.
Faced with such foes, Hua should logically fight in her Collapsed State.
But!
The vast majority of battles Hua had experienced were against stronger opponents, not to mention she was facing the tactless Swarm. The retainers of the Astral God of Propagation either had no brains, or the ones that did only knew how to use brute force. In a one-on-one fight at the same level, there were almost no opponents they could beat.
However, the most terrifying aspect of the Swarm was never its individual strength, but its near-endless numbers. Hua needed to conserve her Honkai energy as much as possible to face the vast, endless Swarm whose borders couldn't even be reached by her senses.
And also, the yet-to-appear Antimatter Legion.
"Understood!"
The Quantum Legion had years of experience fighting Quantum Beasts.
As a frontline legion, they knew very well how to fight against a large-scale opponent and how to protect themselves during a clash of high-level combatants.
In fact, even without Hua's orders, the Quantum Legion knew how to effectively protect the planet while annihilating the Swarm.
"Legion Commander!"
"The latest scan results are in. This is the updated intel on the Swarm."
On the bridge of the Quantum Legion's flagship, the [Spear of Gothia], Raven accepted the information from the observation room.
"Overseers… smaller versions of Overlords. Monitoring and boarding-action Zerg. They carry a large number of Zerglings and Hydralisks. So this is the Swarm's main 'landing' unit, right?"
Rich combat experience was one thing, but this was the legion's first encounter with [The Swarm]. Raven did not issue commands directly—the legion's staff on the bridge were not just for show, a fact made clear by the composition of the Plague Legion.
"Yes, ma'am! But before we deal with the [Overseers], we must first take out these escort swarms called [Corruptors]."
The staff officer pointed to an amber-gray, semi-translucent creature on the bridge's projection, shaped like a mutated, multi-eyed tadpole with a carapace.
"The 'goo' they spit can bypass most starship shields and directly corrode structural armor… The key is that while they can't perform FTL jumps on their own, they move very quickly in space."
"Spitting?"
"Does that mean their range isn't very far?"
"That's correct, ma'am. But they are surrounded by hidden [Spine Serpents]. They can deploy a very special shield that affects the accuracy of beyond-visual-range strikes… a very serious effect."
"…"
"I understand."
Raven did not take long to think.
"Fleet! Move into low planetary orbit and await orders from the Apostle!"
"Since all of these bugs' 'evolutions' are for 'melee combat,' then we'll just have to teach them…"
Raven paused.
"...what close combat really is!"