CHAPTER 787: CONFRONTATION

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The tension between the Bug Empress and the Human Council was so thick, you could cut it with a knife.

As eager as the Bug Empress was to claim the area where the doors to the Unstable Heavenly Domain were about to manifest, she had to respect the councillors.

She might be a step stronger than any one of them, but they’re all here and will not hesitate to team up against her.

"You all know what I want." The Crimson Womb Mother’s voice was low and cold; gone were her playful words and seductive stares. She was standing on business now.

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way," she continued. "This isn’t the first time we’ve been in this situation. You know what I can do, and I know what you can do."

"Let me have what I want, and I swear I won’t go crazy here. Refuse, and well...you know what happens next."

The councillors’ faces turned savage at her blatant threat, yet none of them spoke right away. Even Patricia, who wanted nothing more than to endlessly curse her entire existence, reined in her temper and remained silent.

Had it been someone else, they wouldn’t have taken this threat seriously. But she wasn’t just someone else; she’s the empress of the Horde—the Bug Empress, the Crimson Womb Mother.

She was right. This wasn’t their first rodeo.

The human race and the Horde had been at each other’s throats for billions of years now. Peace was impossible when they saw each other. The Horde claimed so many human lives throughout history that the resentment runs incredibly deep. And as the ones sitting upon the throne of the Human Council, they have the responsibility to answer to their people’s expectations.

Anybody could run, surrender, forfeit, or give way to the Bug Empress, but not them. Not the councillors.

But at the same time, the Bug Empress’ threat was serious. Like what was stated earlier, this isn’t their first confrontation. The councillors knew what she can do, and she knows what they can do.

Her threat was even more foreboding in this situation since she’s quite literally inside the human territory. If she went crazy here...

The Bug Empress looked at the Human Sovereigns. Even though they didn’t say a word, their body language was clear. They’re not backing down here.

Her vision turned misty for a second. And within that time frame, a series of broken images flashed past her memory.

They were blurry, random, and incredibly confusing. Like distant memories she had long since buried within and couldn’t remember clearly anymore. Yet even so, it provoked strong emotions within her.

Her chest suddenly flared with pain, and her mind turned clouded. A strong resentment rose from her chest, clouding her sanity and reason.

"Alright. I see how it is!" Her tone suddenly changed from calm and indifferent to vile and venomous. "Very well, ask and you shall receive!"

All of a sudden, the Bug Empress’ body twitched as if she were being possessed. A dark, foul, and ominous aura exploded from her, dousing every cosmic realm around her in fear and existential dread.

Then, her spine bent backwards and her stomach suddenly swelled impossibly large. It then popped like a balloon from the inside; from there, an ocean of bugs tumbled out, all letting out excited screeches as if celebrating their birth.

The further they crawled out of their mother, the faster and bigger they got. They came in all varieties: big, small, bigger, smaller, humongous, tiny, fast, slow, light, heavy, etc.

Some had fangs; others didn’t. Some had wings; others have none or more. Some looked familiar; others looked like amalgamations of nightmare fuel. Some acted on their own; others charged in groups. Some served as carriers for others, while others produced more bugs.

The ocean of bugs turns into a tsunami because of this, and they brought nothing but a promise of pain, misery, and nothingness.

The sight could traumatize even the most jaded warrior in this chaos realm. The Bug Empress didn’t bring any of her children with her because, frankly, she doesn’t need to. She could create them on the fly.

And when she creates them, she doesn’t settle for hundreds or thousands at a time, no. She unleashes millions at once. And those millions multiply on their own.

The most terrifying part is she could do this as much as she wants. This is what she was made for. She was the Bug Empress, the Crimson Womb Mother, and she will give birth to her children as many times as necessary.

And her children? They know what to do. The moment they are born, they are connected to the hive mind. They know their purpose, they know what their creator wants, and they will do their best to help her achieve her goals.

They don’t have a sense of individuality. They also don’t care about their well-being. If their lives were needed as a sacrifice to achieve their mother’s goal, they’d gladly build a bridge with their corpses.

Their mother’s orders were divine gospel to them, one that must be done whatever the cost.

"Tch. She’s gone nuts again." Patricia sneered, her fury simmering under her skin.

Despite the terrifying tsunami of bugs heading their way, approaching them like an unstoppable doomsday, she wasn’t afraid, and neither were the rest of her allies.

Anybody else could run away from this and hope for the best, but not them. They, as human sovereigns, had to stand their ground. They sit on their thrones for a reason.

This kind of sight wasn’t new to them. Again, this isn’t the first time they’ve had a confrontation with her. She had done this before, and they lived through it. This time won’t be any different.

Boom!!!

A strong and suffocating spiritual pressure exploded from Patricia. The explosion swept through the incoming horde, freezing some of them in place.

Then, in a surprising turn of events, a good chunk of the bugs who were rushing forward suddenly started baring their fangs towards their own.

Patricia turned them against each other. She did it by disturbing their connection with the hive mind and replacing it with a fake one. She mimicked the voice of the Bug Empress and ordered them to kill their fellow bugs.

Again, the orders of the Bug Empress were akin to divine gospel to these bugs. They don’t ask questions, just straight-up action and undying obedience, and Patricia took advantage of that.

Despite this, however, there are just too many bugs here. Patricia, despite being incredibly powerful on her own, can’t possibly influence every bug she sees. Some will be resistant to her methods, and that’s to be expected.

Patricia knows that she wouldn’t be able to control all of them in the first place. Causing distress and distrust among them was the goal.

Beside her, Gibson and Urek simultaneously took action. Using methods unique to themselves, they took advantage of Patricia’s act and amplified the chaos within.

Gibson controlled his nano-machines to infiltrate some bugs and forcibly take control of their bodies, turning them into puppets. Urek weaved incredibly realistic illusions that fooled the dull sense of the bugs into creating more chaos.

Because of their actions, the bugs were dealing with themselves. Their advance not only slowed down, but their numbers dropped at an alarming rate too.

It’s due to this that the bugs aren’t able to cause too much disturbance in their surroundings.

But like what was stated earlier, not all bugs were affected by their methods. Those who had sharp instincts and pure devotion to their creator resisted their control and continued marching forward.

Their goal is to swarm the doors to the Unstable Heavenly Domain.

Time was running out. Soon, the doors to the Unstable Heavenly Domain will complete its manifestation. Once it’s there, the first one to touch it will be the winner.

If the bugs of the Horde touch it first, humans are done for. But if humans touched it first, then their hope will burn even brighter.

For the sake of the race, humans must not fail. But they’re outnumbered here. And the bugs’ devotion to their creator was something that human faith could compare to.

The bugs will literally do anything for their empress mother. So it’s safe to assume that they won’t stop or slow down unless they’re forced to.

The Human Sovereigns are managing to hold the bugs off, for now. But this won’t last because the Bug Empress was becoming crazier.

She’s unleashing more bugs than ever; her body twitched nonstop along with the strong discharge of her children straight out of her womb.

The situation was grim, and soon, even the councillors would find it difficult to contain all of this.

And knowing her, she will play dirty. She will force them to make a choice between standing their ground and preventing her and her children from occupying the unstable Heavenly Domain and their people and territory.

If they stay, she will lay waste to the Heavenly Star Chaos Realm. If they made way, humans would be doomed the moment she came out of that place.

The overall situation was not looking good.