Bugs… Bugs had actually appeared on Earth?
What was going on? Why would the Swarm appear inside a residential building?
Seeing this scene, the countless audiences across the multiverse were baffled.
Judging by the sheer number of pupils visible in the footage, the number of these bugs was staggering, and yet they had appeared in a densely populated residential area.
This was clearly not normal. Even if the atmosphere was surrounded by the Swarm and technology was being blockaded, it should be impossible for them to operate so conspicuously in a heavily populated region.
---o---
Light Curtain Commentary
[Ace Pilot of the Death Squad]: "How did this happen? How could bugs native to Earth suddenly appear? How is that possible?"
[Yukino Yukinoshita]: "Did they bypass the barrier set up by the Ultramen? How could these tiny bugs, smaller than humans, break through a shield that even hundreds of millions of Swarm units couldn't conquer?"
[Durandal]: "Could it be like Zero, entering through a space wormhole or via quantum tunneling?"
[Detective Conan]: "Unlikely. If the Swarm possessed quantum tunneling or spatial abilities, they wouldn't have waited until now to appear on Earth."
The fact that the Swarm lacked intelligence was no longer a secret.
Therefore, if these creatures, which followed their biological instincts, had a way to breach Earth's defenses, they would have done so without hesitation.
But the result was that the main Swarm force outside had made no move, while bugs had appeared within Earth's interior.
[Jing Yuan]: "The strongest fortresses are often the most vulnerable from within. Isn't the truly terrifying thing about the Swarm precisely their ability to effortlessly collapse a fortress from the inside, often without paying any price?"
[The Sage of Youkai]: "Are you referring to… those children born from the concept of the Swarm? Although the light curtain only mentioned it briefly, those pregnant women were indeed giving birth to bugs."
[Earth's Cancer]: "Giving… giving birth to bugs. That's… that's horrifying. Just picturing those bugs crawling out gives me goosebumps!"
[Ace Pilot of the Death Squad]: "But GUYS knew about this. Would they really just let those dangerous bugs run loose?"
[I Don't Talk About Normal Love]: "It's very possible… there was an oversight. After all, those bugs are tiny and fast. Even the most sophisticated equipment can miss something."
---o---
Light Curtain Footage
As the audience speculated, the light curtain gradually revealed the true answer on screen.
"Bugs…!!!"
Before he could even scream, Hīrukawa Mitsuhiko was engulfed by a countless swarm of insects.
The tiny coleoptera opened their maws, using the sharp blades on their forelimbs to slice through his clothes and skin, frantically drawing nutrients from his body.
After struggling for a few seconds, Hīrukawa Mitsuhiko fell silent.
Not a single drop of blood was left on his entire body. Even the fabric of his clothes and the ID card hanging from his chest had been devoured by the ravenous Swarm.
"Honestly, I've told you all so many times. Don't eat so fast. Why do you never listen?"
A female voice echoed from within the house. This sudden human sound made the audience outside the screen widen their eyes in disbelief.
As the camera panned, a woman, her hair messy but her features still carrying an air of elegance, appeared before them.
Judging by her age, the woman was likely not yet thirty. Her house clothes were filthy, but they couldn't hide her sagging abdomen.
She was a new mother… with a receding hairline, a drooping belly, and wrinkles on her face, she was clearly a woman who had just given birth.
And her children… were probably the bugs that had just torn Hīrukawa Mitsuhiko to shreds.
The woman's steps were unsteady, like someone just learning to walk again, as she slowly approached the Swarm.
She used her own clothes to wipe the blood from the corners of their mouths.
"You just had a full meal, and you're hungry again?"
Speaking as if to her own children, the woman brushed back her unkempt hair.
"You need to chew your food slowly, wear shoes when you go out, you can't go barefoot, and you have to tell Mommy before you leave, understand?"
The bugs chewed on the fresh flesh while listening to their "mother's" teachings.
This bizarre scene sent a chill down the spines of everyone across the multiverse watching. Their minds felt as if they'd been doused in ice water, a strange sense of dread lingering in their hearts.
In the footage, the woman, without the slightest hint of unease, picked up a few of her now slightly larger children and returned inside the house.
From beginning to end, she paid no attention to Hīrukawa Mitsuhiko, as if she hadn't noticed him at all.
In her eyes, it seemed there were only her children, who had now transformed into bugs.
She was raising these children as if they were her own, pouring her heart and soul into teaching them to walk, wear shoes, eat, and even speak.
She's insane… this woman has completely lost her mind.
Perhaps it was a hallucination induced by the bugs' secreted powder, or perhaps she had collapsed under the reality of giving birth to insects.
Whatever the reason, this woman… was utterly beyond saving.
She gave her maternal love, without reservation, to the most frenzied and merciless of creatures—the Swarm.
Time passed, and the screen shifted to the interior of the house.
In the nearly two-hundred-square-meter home, the furniture was arranged neatly. Posters and picture frames adorned the walls. From any angle, it looked like a warm and harmonious home.
If not for the insects that had nearly overrun the entire house, many people might have wanted to live there.
The cozy home was crawling with bugs—on the walls, on the floor, and flying through the air.
Countless insects gathered together, creating a demonic, chaotic dance.
"There are so many children now, the house is getting a little crowded."
The woman murmured to herself, unsure of what to do.
Since her husband's death, the family had lost its source of income. She was now relying entirely on her late husband's savings to raise these children.
But even after spending all their money and savings to feed them, she still couldn't sate their hunger.
The biggest one wasn't even a meter long, so why were their stomachs like bottomless pits?
The woman couldn't understand it, but she could feel that her children were starting to want to leave their mother's embrace. They wanted to fly to a much more distant sky.
"Don't leave, my children, I'm begging you… don't leave."
Her eyes grew moist, and a few tears fell. The woman looked at her children with extreme reluctance, unwilling to let them go.
However, this time, the bugs didn't listen to her. By the window she hadn't noticed, several fingernail-sized insects quietly flew out of the house.
And this was only the beginning…
---o---
Light Curtain Commentary
[Himouto Umaru-chan]: "My… my SAN value is dropping like a rock! What's wrong with this woman? Has she gone crazy?"
[Old Man, Time for You to Die]: "The vileness of these bugs is on par with the ones raised by Zouken Matou."
[Aizen Sousuke]: "To treat insects as her own children is indeed horrifying, but it is something a human might do. The most important issue right now isn't this woman."
[What is it that you protect?]: "Is it the bugs? True, even though they haven't displayed great combat power yet, they are still a threat."
[Absolutian Tartarus]: "No, you've misunderstood his meaning. The problem isn't the threat of the bugs."
[Absolutian Tartarus]: "The Swarm acts on instinct. Their intelligence is extremely low, making them nearly impossible to be controlled or manipulated by anyone."
[Absolutian Tartarus]: "So the question is, why was Hīrukawa Mitsuhiko devoured without a single hair left, while that woman remains perfectly unharmed?"
Though not a good person, Absolutian Tartarus was undoubtedly a brilliant villain from the Ultra universe. His intelligence far surpassed that of his two companions, and he saw the core of the problem at a glance.
The bugs lack the capacity for thought. They act on instinct and cannot be tamed by humans like cats or dogs. So why don't they harm the woman in the video?
Is it because the Swarm sees her as their true mother? Or is it that the bugs instinctively know this woman can accelerate their propagation?
[Yukino Yukinoshita]: "Could it be… because of that woman's physical constitution? People's bodies are all different. Just as some people are naturally attractive to cats and dogs, perhaps she is naturally attractive to bugs?"
[The Sage of Youkai]: "Is she the only one in the entire galaxy with such a constitution? A regular human? That clearly defies logic."
[The Sage of Youkai]: "However, based on the light curtain footage, the bugs haven't changed much. So it might be related to the woman herself."
[Utaha Kasumigaoka]: "Speaking of which, is there an expert who specializes in this field who can explain?"
[Ruan Mei]: "…It is the Path. The Aeon of Propagation carved out its own Path in that universe. Its progeny are all Pathstriders."
[Ruan Mei]: "That woman sees the Swarm as her children. She birthed the Swarm, she cares for the Swarm, and though she has not undergone insectification, she has willingly come to see herself as a bug. In a sense, she has already become a part of the Swarm, and has stepped onto the Path…"
---o---
Light Curtain Footage
The screen shifted to Stelle.
Completely unaware that the Swarm had already infiltrated Earth's interior, Stelle finally reached her destination under Leo's guidance.
"Father of Ultra?" Stelle asked uncertainly, looking at the old man with the white beard before her.
The old man in front of her was quite different from what she had imagined.
The kind-looking man appeared to be in his twilight years, but his body was hale and hearty, and his spirit was far more vigorous than that of an ordinary old man.
Looking at the middle-aged, almost elderly human form of Ultraman Leo beside her, Stelle nodded thoughtfully.
Even Master Gen Otori was aging from a middle-aged man into an old one, so it was no surprise what Father of Ultra's human form looked like.
However, based on an Ultraman's lifespan, he should be far from the human equivalent of seventy, middle-aged at best.
Stelle shook her head, pushing aside these useless thoughts.
After a brief chat with Father of Ultra, Stelle got straight to the point.
"Um, Grandpa Father of Ultra, I heard from Master Leo just now that the Ultra Brothers can no longer transform?"
Stelle's expression was a bit grave. An Ultraman who cannot transform is, in most cases, only slightly stronger than a normal human. They can't even defeat a common monster.
Therefore, the loss of the Ultra Brothers' ability to fight was a massive blow to their combat strength.
Gazing at Stelle, Father of Ultra fell silent for a moment before letting out a deep sigh. "The Space Garrison has suffered heavy losses. It will be difficult for us to help you now."
"Among all the Ultra Brothers, besides Leo and Astra, only Mebius still has the strength to fight."
Father of Ultra's expression was bitter. Although Zero's arrival was guided by Ultraman King, they were no longer in a position to help him.
The same was true for Father of Ultra himself. The old wound on his waist, left by Alien Empera, was still throbbing with pain.
On top of that, he had to maintain the barrier protecting Earth. He no longer had the strength for another battle.
And the only one who could still fight, Mebius, was still a growing warrior. Despite his great potential, he currently lacked real combat power.
"Zero, what do you think?" Seeing that the reinforcements Ultraman King had sent for had lost their ability to fight, Stelle spoke to Zero inside her.
"It can't be helped. I guess I'll have to handle it myself. The King-Bug is dead anyway, so there's not much left that can threaten me."
Zero shrugged. His original plan was to find Belial first, but that was vetoed by the old man, Ultraman King.
Since he was on Earth now, he might as well help them deal with the Swarm threat first.
Zero wasn't boasting. With the King-Bug gone, there were very few in the current Swarm who could stand against him.
A single arrow from the Aegis of Palagye could wipe out an entire star system's worth of Swarm. As long as the "Swarm King" Stelle mentioned didn't show up, Zero could move through the Swarm unopposed.
"Zero…" Stelle rubbed her head, a little troubled, and sighed. "You're thinking too simply."
"What's wrong?" Zero asked, confused. Was he not strong enough? Or did that Swarm King have some other tricks up its sleeve?
Stelle organized her thoughts and explained, "Zero, it's true you're strong enough to defeat an Emanator of the Swarm King. But have you considered the possibility… that the Swarm King doesn't just have one Emanator?"
"Although my knowledge of the Swarm King is limited, I've heard that due to the unique nature of Tayzzyronth, the Aeon of Propagation, its Emanators… might be the most numerous of all the Aeons."
"In other words, the King-Bug you eliminated was just one of many Emanators, and the Swarm King still has at least double-digits worth of them…"
Zero: "What…!!!"