mousepad-d2 Chapter 404 - 65 - Propagation
Chapter 404 - 65 - Propagation
This conflict, hailed as the most magnificent war the cosmos had ever suffered, managed to eliminate one-third of the current enemy forces within just the first month of its inception. For the living beings of the universe, this was naturally a rare and welcome piece of good news. The weaker the enemy, the better it was for the Alliance, and indeed, the entire cosmos.
But... if only things were truly that simple...
Rupert III and an incomplete Anti-Organic Equation alone were not enough to deal with the now-united peoples of the universe. After all, it was not a true god. And now... the only things that could pose a genuine threat to the cosmos were the [Gods].
Following the fall of Rupert III, Screwllum released a patch to counteract the Anti-Organic Equation across the entire universe. This patch had been developed long ago, but its use was conditional: it required the destruction of Rupert III, the actual source computer of the equation. Otherwise, the patch would be quickly broken by the source computer, which would then improve the Anti-Organic Equation by targeting its weaknesses.
The reason this patch could take effect so quickly was also because this version of the Anti-Organic Equation was incomplete. Truly self-aware inorganic lifeforms were not affected by it. Otherwise, the entire cosmos might have been plunged into another "purge" of inorganic life.
Rupert III had met its end once again. When facing a familiar enemy, having prior intelligence made dealing with it much more convenient, especially for the IPC, who had been major participants in the original Emperor Wars.
Through this crusade against Rupert III, the Astral Express's authority in the universe was elevated once more. With the addition of an [Emanator of Preservation] like Kevin, who could destroy a star with his bare hands, no other faction, no matter how bold, would dare to harbor any ill intentions towards the Astral Express.
Kevin himself became famous overnight. However, after the subjugation of Rupert III was complete, he vanished from public view. No one knew where he went, but the people on the Express knew he had returned to miHoYo Planet to continue his leisurely retirement.
These days, miHoYo Planet was teeming with hidden masters. A nameless old man fishing could be an [Emanator of Preservation], and a security guard in the monitoring room might be a once-infamous Stellaron Hunter...
The management company of the universe's number one idol, the main base of the Astral Express, Miss Himeko's dowry (crossed out), and so on, had all become a part of miHoYo Planet's identity.
Coupled with the assistance of a "capable minister who could govern a chaotic world," it was believed that in time, miHoYo Planet would surely grow into a power as vast as the Xianzhou Alliance or the IPC.
But that was all for the future. After ending the Third Emperor War initiated by Rupert III, the Star Ocean Alliance's focus shifted to the problem of the [Swarm Disaster]. After all, the conflict with [Destruction] was currently irreconcilable. Because Nanook of [Destruction] still existed, followers with an Aeon and a Path without one were worlds apart. The Alliance had reached a rare consensus on the principle of "picking the softest target first."
As long as they could eliminate the "Swarm Disaster," which had now lost [Propagation], the pressure from [Destruction] would be greatly alleviated later on.
But the Swarm was not as ostentatious as Rupert III. The Alliance had yet to confirm the location of their main hive and could only whittle down their numbers through chance encounters.
As long as they didn't have an Aeon, their numbers would return to normal, unlike the Swarm Disaster of the past, where infinite insects launched an endless invasion!
Thus, all the major factions began to accelerate their search for the Swarm's location. At this moment, the Alliance seemed more like a group of impatient "destroyers" than the Swarm itself.
---o---
Rather than searching for the Swarm, Wende was currently lying low on miHoYo Planet to let the heat die down. It was best not to show his face for a while.
The reason was simple. He had viciously insulted Nanook in the Simulated Universe and, in front of all the other Aeons, had derisively called him a "treacherous cur of three masters," a "high-born beast from a trash homeworld," and so on!
And Nanook, having been slandered by Wende wearing the Akivili skin, was like the historical strategist Wang Lang being verbally berated to death by Zhuge Liang on horseback. Although Nanook didn't die, he was genuinely enraged.
Consequently, he issued an order to the Antimatter Legion: any who follow the Path of [Trailblaze] were to be killed on sight!
Although this directive seemed somewhat redundant—as the Legion already relentlessly pursued followers of Trailblaze—the Lord Ravagers, despite their surprise, readily accepted this baseless command.
The most excited were the fanatics from the Annihilation Gang. This was the first time they had received a decree from Nanook! Were they finally going to be recognized?!
Of course, it was also possible that Nanook himself hadn't bothered to filter the recipients when he sent the message, essentially broadcasting it to the entire Path of Destruction.
So, the Annihilation Gang would remain unrecognized. After all, their methods were truly despicable, to the point where Destruction looked down on them and even Elation found them contemptible.
However, thanks to the existence of the Simulated Universe, Nanook was currently unable to see through the "Akivili" alt account to discover Wende. Otherwise... he might have ordered the Antimatter Legion to launch a direct boarding assault on miHoYo Planet!
In any case, it wasn't a huge problem. He just had to lay low for a bit!
"I told you not to show your face! Not even with an alt account! See! Now you've got their attention! If your main account gets exposed, it won't just be [Destruction] coming after you. [Harmony] might even join the fun and try to see if they can swallow you whole!"
Inside the miHoYo Building, Long, who had clearly lost all composure, was ranting at Wende. This was a classic case of "not listening to your elders will land you in trouble"!
"Alright, alright, it's not a big deal. I just need to lay low. You're being too dramatic. Besides, it's not like I can't hear the orders he's giving. The Antimatter Legion's main forces aren't in the central region right now, so his decree is just empty talk."
Wende waved his hand dismissively, looking completely unconcerned.
"Fine, fine, fine! If something happens, you better not say I taught you! Don't you dare sell out your master!"
"Tsk. Even if I told them I was screwed over by Long the Permanence, they wouldn't believe me!"
Wende rolled his eyes. He was willing to bet that if he went out right now and mentioned Long of [The Permanence], everyone would think he was joking.
After all, as one of the most ancient Aeons, [The Permanence] had long since vanished into the river of time. Its life or death was un... oh, right, it was alive, but not quite dead, just squatting inside someone else's body... Such was the current state of the legendary Long the Permanence!
Rebutted like that by Wende, Long fell silent, perhaps out of exasperation, or perhaps because Wende's actions were so outrageous that he didn't know what to do.
This aggro-drawing... could only be described as perfectly executed!
If any historian were to record this great "operation," Wende's actions would surely go down in history as a magnificent feat. He had successfully drawn the enemy's fire, allowing the main forces to avoid a potential confrontation with the Antimatter Legion!
But on second thought, there weren't many real historians in this universe, mostly just Fictional Historians...
So never mind. Even if this event were recorded, Wende feared the story would be completely distorted by then.
---o---
Hisss...
A pure white insect staggered back to its "mother." It had lost one of its living carapaces, but it had no time to worry about that now. Fanatically and obsessively, it burst into the hive, waving its limbs at the giant statue in the center, trying only to crawl faster to Its side...
Finally, this insect of unwavering faith was brought before the statue.
Its crimson compound eyes looked up at the massive statue with utter piety. Then, its body leaned forward, as if in prostration.
Afterward, it offered itself to its [God]. Like the final piece of a puzzle, it merged itself and the life essence it had collected into the statue...
Crack...
In that instant, the insect's body was devoured by the others. In that instant, the statue before it seemed to come alive, shedding its pale base color. The entire sculpture became vivid and lifelike... and then, It moved.
Amidst the prostration of all the Swarm, amidst the death of all the surrounding insects, It... was quietly resurrected!
The body shattered by the great hammer was rebuilt at this moment! The pulverized heart began to beat anew! The annihilated Path was reignited!
This was the tenacious life force of the insects. As long as the concept of [Propagation] existed within the instincts of living creatures, then Its Swarm could seek out Its DNA scattered across the universe and, on some future day, piece It back together!
[The Aeon of Propagation] Tayzzyronth was resurrected here! Although It did not possess even a tenth of the terror of Its peak, the shadow of the Swarm Disaster was once again about to envelop the cosmos...
The moment Tayzzyronth was resurrected, countless gazes converged on this planet. The ancient colossus, Qlipoth, in a rare move, paused the hammering of its great wall and looked down at its old friend of countless Amber Eras, seemingly puzzled.
The laughter of Aha echoed throughout the universe. Resurrection from the dead, now this was great fun! Wasn't this a direct slap in the face to the Aeon who had personally taken action?!
Xipe of Harmony began to call upon all its followers to unite once more to face the coming threat.
And this was all within the calculations of Nous the Erudition. The only difference was, It offered no interpretation this time, acting more like a silent observer.
Yaoshi of Abundance remained as aloof as ever, as if nothing in this world could capture Its attention.
As a relatively "newborn" Aeon in the cosmos, Lan of the Hunt, upon learning the news, pinpointed the location of Tayzzyronth's resurrection and, without hesitation, drew back and fired an arrow of light!
One look was all it took. This was an existence even more disgusting than Abundance. Absolutely intolerable! Attack!
As for Nanook of Destruction, who had been infuriated by a certain "Akivili," he suddenly retracted the kill order on the followers of [Trailblaze]. In a complete reversal, all Antimatter Legion forces were to immediately halt their original plans. First, they would wipe out this swarm of insects!
Although the Lord Ravagers were baffled by this, once they recalled their god's recent temper, they quickly began chanting the slogan "Make Lord Nanook Great Again," turning their fleets towards the planet marked as harboring the Swarm.
The arrow of light symbolizing the Hunt traversed countless galaxies and finally reached the planet where Propagation had been reborn!
Just as the arrow was about to execute the still-weak Tayzzyronth on the spot, an unseen hand gently tipped the scales of fate, slightly nudging the arrow's trajectory. The arrow, carrying the majestic might of an Aeon, "grazed" past the planet and detonated on another Swarm colony in the same system! The entire planet was instantly turned to cosmic dust...
The strange actions of the Aeons naturally attracted the attention of mortals. But when they learned that Tayzzyronth, the symbol of [Propagation], had returned, all organic life fell into a panic after a brief, stunned silence.
After all, anyone with a slight understanding of cosmic history knew that three of the most terrifying wars had occurred in this universe!
First was the most ancient Twilight War, then the Emperor Wars, and finally, the Swarm Disaster!
Compared to the great purge of the Anti-Organic Equation, the last thing organic life wanted to see was the return of the Swarm Disaster. The reason was simple. It would sever the psychological defenses of organic life at its very root. It was the most terrifying existence of all!
Within the cosmos, a magnificent figure once again appeared before the eyes of the world. It was Fuli, the symbol of [Remembrance], and Its appearance represented that a moment worthy of being remembered had occurred in the universe. These "moments" were often "major events" concerning the very survival of the cosmos.
And Fuli's deliberate, observable appearance this time undoubtedly proved the existence of such an event.
But... was It truly reappearing because of the resurrection of [Propagation]? No one could know for sure.
Not long after the rebirth of Propagation, Wende, far away on miHoYo Planet, suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with shock, as if he had seen something incredible.
What kind of figure was that? It was a figure that words could not describe, as if all the beauty in the world was bestowed upon it... But... why would She appear here?