Xyrin Empire
Chapter 430 - Chapter 430: Chapter 430: Insider

Chapter 430: Chapter 430: Insider

Beat me to death, but I never imagined Pandora would use this method to “capture” an enemy alive.

Three thousand hardened iron hammers, with a hardness surpassing titanium alloy by hundreds of times and speeds nearing a hundred times the speed of sound, relentlessly tracked their prey through space jumps, and actually knocked the famed Blade Queen unconscious…

I admit the Blade Queen is formidable. Her forehead is harder than the armor plate of a battleship. But to be struck in the face over ten thousand times within a minute by three thousand such brutal hammers… damn it, just thinking about it makes my head hurt for her! If Pandora hadn’t pulled her punches, I reckon right about now Taville would be slowly reconstructing Kerrigan’s body from the cellular level…

This is what an overwhelming victory looks like under absolute power advantage, huh, mouthful! Seriously, Pandora, what were you thinking at the time?!

Of course, the Blade Queen did initially hit back. Faced with such a nonsensical tactic, she was stunned for less than a second before she began to fight back. A mighty spiritual storm tore apart the first few dozen reshaped cannon turrets that attacked her, and her own astonishing mobility caused many of the hammers to miss their mark. However, with three thousand of such an incredible number and Pandora’s almost demonic fire control system directing them, she was eventually hit in the head by the first hammer. After that, it was a symphony of bangs and clangs as Pandora seemingly treated this as a game, full of malice. After each “hammer” hit its target, it would immediately space jump back to Pandora’s personal space, making room for the next “hammer.” Using this relentless barrage, Pandora succeeded in “capturing” the Blade Queen alive.

And to think, the Blade Queen was taken right under the noses of the billions-strong alliance of the three races, knocked out cold by a 1.2-meter tall Little Loli who then shouldered her and flew all the way back…

If I were Kerrigan, once I woke up, I’d shave my head, become a nun, and light incense for life–I couldn’t live with the embarrassment!

“Strange, they’re retreating.”

With disbelief, I watched through the surveillance equipment on the bridge as Pandora brought the severely unconscious Blade Queen back to the flagship, and Big Sister lifted her head to glance at the holographic projection at the edge of the battlefield, then couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise.

“They’re retreating?” I was taken aback, then looked up.

Indeed, they were retreating–no need to look at the holographic projection showing the edge of the battlefield. Right in the inner ring where the intense fighting with our assault fleet was happening, the enemy had begun a large-scale retreat.

Rewinding the footage of the entire battlefield, I discovered the retreat started with the Insect Race. After the Blade Queen was knocked out by Pandora, all of the Insect Race began a massive withdrawal. It was a true rout, without any command or overall planning. All the units of the Insect Race turned tail to flee the battlefield simultaneously, completely ignoring the Xyrin battleships bombarding them from behind, not even dodging when attacked. They behaved as if they had no thought, solely reacting to pain on a basic instinctual level like primitive creatures.

The retreats of the other two allied races were completely reactive. Once the insectoid cannon fodder and meat shields massively routed, the human and Protos fleets were fully exposed to the superior firepower of the Xyrin warships. Even the most delirious warrior knew what fate their forces faced under these circumstances. Any further resistance was meaningless. The combined human and Protos fleet began a planned withdrawal, using the chaotic insects and the suicide-attacking Viking fighters as cover, quickly distancing themselves from our range of attack. Visca was originally planning a pursuit–we were almost certain we could encircle and annihilate at least half of those routed soldiers–but Sandora stopped the reckless move of the youngster. The former’s sharp wartime instincts seemed to sense something off, hence the decisive choice to let the battered Three Races Alliance go.

“Sandora, what’s wrong?”

I curiously looked at Sandora, who had been frowning ever since we captured the Blade Queen.

“The Insect Race’s withdrawal–they would retreat so easily?”

The golden-haired girl’s face didn’t have a trace of relief after victory; instead, it was filled with doubts.

“This should be easy to figure out,” I hesitated to say, “The Blade Queen is the only spiritual leader of the Insect Race. Her loss of consciousness naturally led to the Insect Race’s loss of control. It’s natural for the insects, reduced to mere survival instinct, to choose to flee under our attack.”

“If they fled like that, it would actually be abnormal,” Sandora explained, spreading her hands, “For a dangerous race that can traverse the stars, how could their societal structure be so fragile? Just because the Blade Queen fell unconscious the entire race degenerates into ordinary insects? Smashing their mastermind with a bunch of hammers would take down the entire Insect Race, this process is too… ”

While speaking, Sandora’s face took on a strange expression, it was clear that Pandora’s tactics also made our calm and wise Queen feel waves of frustration.

“Moreover, for the leader of a race to risk danger alone by challenging the entire Imperial Fleet–” Big Sister switched into strategist mode, “I think the Blade Queen came on a suicide mission.”

“Where is she now?” I turned to ask Sivis.

“She’s locked up in the Zero Point Cage, three layers of independently operating spatial barriers have segmented her into a different dimension. Until she evolves the ability to smash laws with her biceps, there’s no way she’s escaping.”

Uh… Regarding our previously calm and stern female officer, who taught her all these slippery modal particles?

The Blade Queen, or rather, Kerrigan, just as Sivis had said, was imprisoned alone in a cell with the highest level of confidentiality. Her location didn’t belong to any known space, not even a spatial crack. It was at a crossover point between the “Imperial Admiral” Other Space Ghost Energy Well and the Main Material Plane. Being close to the Void, it existed in a state that hovered between matter, energy, time, space, and concepts. All eleven dimensions were negated there, and matter’s state of existence was more akin to a string of data on a hard disk–vivid and lively on screen but essentially just an abstract description.

This type of “space” would only appear under one condition: the very moment the Universe was born. Not a femtosecond earlier, nor a femtosecond later. It was a theoretical infinite time origin point, fabricated only after the Xyrin People swapped the concepts of time and space on the edge of the Void to create such a formidable prison.

Normal life forms couldn’t possibly survive in this damned “place”; not even a regular Xyrin Apostle could. Therefore, to enter and exit this cell, one had to go through a phase change. Only by being in another phase different from the present world could you safely remain in the “Zero Point Cage.” Each cage’s anti-phase frequency was unique and constantly changing, and the entrance only appeared when you found this frequency.

Such a formidable and frustrating prison, even more secure than the spatial cages we had seen before, had once held the most dangerous creatures in the Universe. For the Blade Queen to enjoy such a “privilege” as a carbon-based life form, she could consider herself very fortunate indeed…

Sandora, myself, and Uncle Reynolds, who had been dragged along, arrived together at the verification space of the “Zero Point Cage,” which was filled with dense white mist just like any ordinary spatial prison. The mist suddenly dispersed after our authorization was confirmed, transforming into a vast circular hall.

A dazzling white light ball floated quietly in the center of the hall. Looking at the familiar scene in the hall, I suddenly remembered the frustrating main control computer in the Azeroth prison.

“Hello, everyone, I am…”

“If you dare say you are the Main God, I’ll dismantle you right now!”

As soon as I heard the other party’s opening words, I was completely certain this was the same old computer that had read too many infinite loop novels! These few words have almost become its catchphrase!

After my rebuke, the white light ball in the center of the hall seemed to flicker awkwardly before calming down and leisurely stated, “Hello everyone, I am the Main God 2.0…”

“Bang!” “Bang!”

It was almost exactly the same scenario. Pandora flew forward with a side kick, decisively caving in that annoying light ball, but unlike with Azeroth, this time Visca was in perfect sync with her…

So when the Xyrin Prison Officer came to check on the mainframe after we left, he was horrified to find a gourd floating in the middle of the hall…

Kerrigan was still unconscious, bound within the space by several energy chains. These chains, to my eyes, were even twice as numerous as those used against Valimas. I really wondered how vexed the prison wardens would have ultimately gotten had the prison remained idle like this…

At my suggestion, a strong signal was directly sent into the Blade Queen’s spirit sea. Her spiritual power was very strong, so we weren’t worried that such a rough awakening would harm her.

“Kerrigan, this should be our first meeting.”

As the Blade Queen gradually came to, I casually said so.

Hmm, while seriously studying the chitinous layer covering her body, I genuinely wanted to know what kind of extreme tastes Reynold and those fanboys had to accept a girl covered in chitin…

“But for me, it’s not the first time I’ve seen you, the infamous conquering emperor,” the Blade Queen said with a slight, cold laugh, her voice carrying a strange resonance as if it wasn’t produced by vocal cords but rather simulated through a series of tubular organs, “Your legions have destroyed countless planets of mine… Ah, just as I thought, in this place, that detestable thing has finally vanished from my mind.”

Sandora and I exchanged glances, the same thought emerging in our minds.

“You mean that revelation!?”

“Yes, it seems you know everything too. Zeratul finally did something right,” the Blade Queen twitched slightly, those weightless energy chains somehow still uncomfortable psychologically, “That annoying thing has been squatting in my head for too long. Here, it has finally quieted down… No wonder it, possessing the power to control the minds of the three races, would fear you so much.”

Because of the Blade Queen’s somewhat cryptic opening remarks, clouds of doubt formed in my mind, but Big Sister was the first to express skepticism: “If you’re troubled by that revelation, too… a Protos native can rid themselves of it with a single deep meditation session. Are you saying your spiritual power can’t even match that of an ordinary Dark Templar?”

Now that you mention it, that was true! According to Zeratul, the Protos, a race with strong spiritual power, could free themselves from the “revelation” with just one meditation session. How then was it the Blade Queen, the most powerful psychic entity in the star zone, was affected and even up until now controlled to this extent, despite full self-awareness?

“At first, I thought I had shaken it off,” the Blade Queen’s face showed a look of hatred, “But I had no idea it would be so cunning. It circumvented my will using the ordinary psychic threads of the Insect Race. By the time I realized, my mind was no longer my own… and worse, it seemed to specifically target me. I wasn’t beguiled; I was controlled! However, it seems to be very afraid of you, and now it seems my gamble was the right choice.”

“To cleanse your mind of that deeply ingrained thought, you actually chose the risky path of walking right into the trap–despite knowing that our initial goal in coming here was to annihilate the Insect Race,” Sandora looked coldly at the Blade Queen, who met her gaze with an equally rigid stare, “Do you think we are all fools?”

Sandora’s interrogation did not cause the Blade Queen any panic. Her voice remained calm, “Your purpose here is indeed to eliminate the Insect Race, but now, perhaps we have a common enemy–the entity that has manipulated three races to confront you. It is undoubtedly our current shared enemy. I know you are very powerful, that no one can stop the might of your planet battleships, but… if the sole goal of this hidden mastermind is to weaken or divert your attentions, its objective will certainly be achieved–so before that happens, what is stopping you and me from cooperating?”

“Do you think it’s right to cooperate with us?” I shook my head noncommittally, “Compared to the Xyrin Empire that came to eliminate the Insect Race, another power that, although it has used you, seems at least to be helping you wipe out enemies, looks more suitable for an alliance, doesn’t it?”

“No, that power has no intention of helping us. I once had a lucky glimpse into its essence and what I saw was the destruction of the entire Kepulu Star Zone. Facing such a peculiar thing, I find ‘people’ like you, who can be reached, to be more reliable.”

In fact, had the course of events shifted another direction, we too would have destroyed this star sector.

We did not respond immediately to the Blade Queen’s words but had already started a heated discussion in our spiritual connection.

“Can she be trusted?”

That was Sandora’s voice. She had limited understanding of the “original” story and little interest in learning more, so she assessed Kerrigan’s words from a fresh perspective.

“While she’s the Blade Queen, she cannot be trusted,” Big Sister’s voice replied. “Betrayal is what the Blade Queen does best. Every choice she makes is for her sole objective, and as long as she is Insect Race, she is our enemy. However, cooperating with her now is the optimal choice. She clearly knows a lot, which can keep us from being mired in the wars of this star sector. If there really is a hidden hand trying to strike at us, finding a way to extricate ourselves from this designed conflict is imperative… As for the Blade Queen’s betrayal, it shouldn’t take us long to find a way to turn her back into a human. She’s only changed due to the Insect part affecting her thinking.”

“Fine, I decide to tentatively trust you, but you have to understand this: this is not cooperation, nor is it an alliance. You are merely a valuable source of intelligence allowing you to survive temporarily. I hope the information you bring will help us find the value in pardoning you. Of course, just pardoning you alone; we will still eradicate the Insect Race. Such a dangerous species is quite harmful to other forms of life in the universe, and you don’t need to make an effort on that front.”

In the end, I chose a rather compromising solution, or rather one quite disadvantageous to the other party. For Kerrigan, still in the state of the Blade Queen, I couldn’t afford to place too much trust. Yet, the secrets she held might be key to unraveling the current enigmas. Until Taville could reverse-transform this Beetle Big Sister into a human, I could only maintain her in this awkward position–fortunately, I believed that with Taville’s skill, it wouldn’t take long to find a means for reversal.

Faced with such stringent conditions, the Blade Queen unexpectedly offered no objection but nodded calmly, “This indeed is the optimal choice for now. You don’t trust me, and to speak the truth, I don’t particularly trust you imperials who have suddenly appeared… So, let’s keep this mutual distrust going; it benefits us both.”

Lilina had always maintained a cold observer’s stance from the beginning, which had always been her role and duty: as a professional in psychology, she needed to find loopholes in the speech of everyone who spoke with us. Now, as our conversation neared its end, the Fake Lolita Priestess voiced her biggest doubt: “So there’s just one more issue you need to clarify: are those Insects still under your control?”

Lilina’s words suddenly reminded me: according to the social structure of the Insect Race, all units, including commanders like the Brain Worms, should be under the Blade Queen’s mind control. But could the Blade Queen still control them now?

Look at the exasperating security measures around us! If it were normal spiritual power, how strong would you have to be to connect what’s in your brain to the outside?!

If the entire Insect Race had completely lost control, then the Blade Queen’s usefulness to the Xyrin Apostle would be very limited–of course, that’s probably what Kerrigan was thinking.

“They remain under my control,” the Blade Queen had again said something unexpectedly, “When that being first appeared in the void of space and started to invade the minds of all the sentient beings of the entire Kepulu Star Zone, I had already started this plan…” (To be continued. For more, please visit www.NovelFire.net. More chapters are available and supports the author, supports genuine reading!)

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