Him and their stars.

Chapter 2136: All Price to Bear

Inside the command center, there was a deathly silence.

Everyone stared in disbelief as the light representing the space station's signal on the screen completely disappeared, momentarily losing the ability to think.

The general staggered, his face drained of color.

"Heh...heh..." He let out a laugh that sounded more like crying, leaning against the control panel to keep from collapsing: "What have we done? What will the Empire do now?"

He muttered a couple of words, then suddenly drew his pistol and, before anyone could react, pressed it against his chin and pulled the trigger. His body slumped to the ground against the control panel.

This general, who came from an ordinary family and wasn't even a psionicist, ultimately didn't choose to let the fortress self-destruct. It's unclear whether he had lost that authority or simply couldn't make a similar decision.

On the screen behind him, the fortress began another round of main gun bombardment. Beams from positron cannons pierced another space station of the same specifications in outer orbit.

Its intended target, however, began to move towards the densely packed space city.

Earthlings seem to have no interest in this largest celestial fortress in the heavens.

……

Inside the main gun control room of the fortress, the floating scorpion-like queens used their flexible and powerful claws to sweep away the remaining human limbs on the control panel as if they were playing with a toy, and continued operating.

Their cold, compound eyes reflected the complex control interface.

This complex data is not knowledge that ordinary insect swarm individuals can comprehend, but it is sufficient for them to serve as information receiving units and operational terminals.

As "magical units" within the swarm, the Overlords, now under the command of a higher will, are quite adept at acting as artillery operators. Their strong, powerful claws move with surprising agility, appearing even more skilled than the best technicians.

"Destroy target number 3." They calmly reported to the central will, while simultaneously beginning to search for other targets, behaving exactly like a group of emotionless elite gunners.

Lord 005, who was striding down the corridor with an air of indifference, let out another low growl full of information, transmitting his message once again through his mind to all the imperial soldiers in his direction who would sense his will.

"Look! This is true imperial tyranny, they don't even spare their own people! You should repent."

The remaining morale of the fortress garrison dissipated, vanishing even faster than ice disappearing under the blazing sun.

Some of the fleeing soldiers dropped their weapons and began to wail. They were, of course, not to be treated like prisoners of war, and were quickly slit in the throats by passing, emotionless, loveless jumping insects.

Of course, there must have been some clear-headed people who noticed the blind spot, but it's too late now.

Lord 005 watched the bursting fireworks through the huge observation window, instantly transmitting his senses to the museum in the city center of Gelrogin, two astronomical units away.

The Overmind of the Zerg gained Lord 005's complete vision, watching as the space city vanished as if it were right there in the middle of it. Immediately afterward, as a psionicist, she did indeed feel a distinct sense of relief, as if the invisible gloom that had been weighing on this galaxy had suddenly lessened.

“Before the main cannon energy hub of the Hand of Glory is destroyed, we will complete at least six more bombardments.” The girl looked at the High Priest of Norddos with her hands in her pockets, her tone like that of a calm tactical advisor: “Afterwards, the Silent One and the Earth Fleet will advance and destroy the other units. The space-locked array you deployed in this system will be destroyed little by little.”

"Why is that? I have some confidence in my Closed Array, but it's only mystical in nature. It only works on psionicists below the Saint level, and has no effect on warships or fighter jets." Chief Stargazer expressed his doubts frankly: "At most, it might restrict the Seventh Ring. But that general is already a demigod, and he has always been skilled in spatial manipulation. My pre-arranged setup cannot restrain Lan Jiufeng and the snake, and of course, it cannot restrain him either."

He paused for a moment: "The capital's defense array is also made with the people's hard-earned money. It's meant to deal with psionic terrorists, so why waste it?"

“Who knows? Probably just to be on the safe side.” Shirley shrugged. “I’m just fulfilling my duty as an ally. Haha, maybe that guy is fulfilling a vow.”

Shirley was just talking nonsense, of course, but the High Priest seemed to be deep in thought, perhaps recalling some blind spot from the past.

She crossed her arms and examined the old man's profile until his gaze returned to focus before picking up the exhibit on the table in front of her—a round object that looked exactly like a robot vacuum cleaner.

“Well then, now that this matter is settled, I can head home.” Shirley clapped her hands and magically put the exhibit away. “So, what are your next moves? Will you stay here and observe this predetermined final act through this false starry sky?”

The High Priest of Norddos slowly raised his head, still maintaining his gentle smile, but his eyes held a deep solemnity. The temperature inside the museum dropped rapidly, and tiny ice crystals condensed on the walls.

Shirley looked at the ice crystals on the wall, then at the frozen window, and lifted her leg, which immediately produced a crisp sound as if the ice was being torn apart.

"I knew it would be like this. The nobles of the empire, heh heh~~~" A mocking smile appeared on the ruler's face, as if he were mocking his class enemies.

“You are also a noble of the Empire, my lady.” The High Priestess let out a full laugh, but it also carried a metallic clang.

"So, what are you planning to do now? Cleanse all the filth that has defiled the Holy Land of the Empire. And I, the Overlord of the Swarm, am the one who needs purification the most right now? I've already said the lines for you."

“You think too highly of me.” High Priest Norddos forced an awkward and embarrassed smile. “I don’t have that much responsibility to the Galactic Empire. I am indeed His Majesty’s subject, but I’m not sure if I’m still loyal now. I’m not qualified to discuss defilement and purification. Madam, I’m just very interested in your existence.”

Although the other person was still smiling, Xia Li could clearly feel that the viscosity in the air had become so obvious that even ordinary people could see it with their naked eyes.

“I know you must be a descendant of Count Salvin, and I also know that I have received some mysterious gifts and had strange experiences. But I am just an ordinary person after all, and I only regard them as a kind of power.”

"Many people think this way, but none of them can take it."

"I have no such wish. I only hope to do some research. Your spiritual connection with the Zerg swarm must also be the future of the evolution of mysticism."

“Snakes have said those things. And they’ve done them,” Shirley sneered.

"So, you think too highly of me. Madam, I simply want to see how the swarms of insects throughout the universe would react if you were to perish here. Just observing this scene up close is enough for me to gain a great deal. I am a Star Seer, and I am very skilled in the mental realm. Compared to those clumsy serpent heads, I should be better at capturing this possibility." The old man bowed frankly to Shirley: "I have been stuck at this level for almost a century, and I am also eager to improve. Miss Overlord, I long to become a new god."

If I were just a human psionicist, I would probably think the same thing.

However, if a psionicist reaches a certain stage and can no longer progress, will they all go insane like this?

Shirley believed she could imagine this possibility. In the realm of demigods, who wasn't a genius, who didn't harbor the ambition to challenge the very edge of truth?

The cruel problem is that you've seen that scenery, but you just can't seem to touch it.

If Yu Lian had been stuck on the Eighth Ring Road for a hundred years, would he have gone mad like this too?
Thinking of this, Xia Li suddenly felt a sense of superiority and even laughed out loud.

Such a smile caused Norddos to pause for a moment, but this could not stop what happened next; the powerful psionic energy continued to surge outwards like a tangible tsunami.

The high priest raised a hand, palm facing Shirley, and a complex matrix of auras instantly formed at his fingertips. Countless tiny, sharp crystals, like fragments of starlight, appeared in the air, emitting high-frequency vibrations that locked onto the space where the girl was located.

The closed array, capable of covering the entire galaxy, now requires no medium, no support, no preparation; it is simply compressed here, forming an impenetrable cage. Of course, the first step before hunting is to restrict the prey's movements. The High Priest of Norddos seems like a seasoned and skilled hunter.

Shirley's pupils slowly changed, revealing pupils resembling those of a dragon, and a near-maniacal laugh erupted from her face. The air around her began to distort, and an invisible energy field instantly unfolded.

This is a power completely different from psionic energy; it is a surging rhythm composed of the harmonious resonance of billions of cells, a power unique to the swarm's ruler.

Although she is a psionicist, she doesn't need psionic powers at all to be able to fight against those high and mighty gods.

The forces of biofield and psychic energy were locked in a fierce struggle, producing a sickening hissing sound as they pulled at each other.

"So, old man! Am I now your evolution material?" Shirley's petite body lowered slightly, like a beast poised to pounce.

The High Priest explained with great patience, like a diligent teacher: "I prefer to call this destiny. Yes, I have been stuck in this field for a hundred years. I have pondered deeply, and I have longed for the spirit of the universe to give me guidance. Fortunately, I have finally understood. Every demigod needs such an opportunity, such destiny. Lan Jiufeng ascended the peak by stepping on the corpse of Duke Sadulan, and I... now also thank the spirit of the universe for its gift."

Shirley grinned, revealing an even more maniacal smile. Her body was swelling: "You are seeking an opportunity, but each of you can become nourishment for me. High Priest, I now long to taste your genes."

Maybe swallowing this old man will allow me to prepare an even more powerful lord's number? Thinking about this, Shirley was actually a little excited.

Thinking of this, her body suddenly swelled up. Or rather, only her upper body began to swell.
In the blink of an eye, her upper body swelled into a sphere, hiding her head inside, and of course, tearing her white dress to shreds.

Sometime during its life, the surface of this sphere had become covered with carapace and barbs. If you ignored the two legs supporting the sphere, it would look like a large morning star.

But then, those legs seemed to be riding on wheels of fire, moving so fast that the running frequency was no longer visible. Dragging the upper body of the giant Morning Star, it hurtled towards Norddos with the force of a battering ram.

Wherever it passed, the ice crystals that had formed on the ground shattered, and even the binding force field that had been suspended in the air was crushed into dust.

It's hard to say whether this is caused by a biological force field or brute force.

Of course, this style of play may be very effective, but it is not really befitting of a master.

This utterly undignified fighting style was probably a bit unexpected for Norddos. He was silent for half a second before being struck squarely by the giant keratinous boulder that Shirley had transformed into.

The high priest wasn't instantly overwhelmed, but he was sent flying backwards like a kite with a broken string.

His body knocked over several exhibits along the way, even knocking off the imperial emblem affixed to the wall. After hitting the ground, he bounced around a couple of times like a salted fish before finally going limp.

Xia Li was slightly taken aback, feeling that everything was going too smoothly and there must be something fishy going on.

Her judgment was correct. In the blind spot where the Sovereign's senses and intuition intersected, the figure of another High Priest had already reformed.

He raised his other hand, his fingertips shimmering with a spiritual light, as if overflowing with fragments of stars.

The matrix of spiritual light expanded in an instant. Within this small space, countless rays of light served as both shackles and an endless barrage of projectiles.

"Bang!" After a slight explosion, more like a firecracker exploding, Shirley shuddered, and the bio-force field surrounding her instantly dissipated. The power enveloping her body was rapidly dispersed, disintegrated, and even absorbed. Every star formed by the spiritual light flickered at a high frequency, turning the dominant power into pure light fragments, which then disintegrated into the void.

"Gurgle~~" Shirley let out a muffled groan. The giant ball she had transformed into seemed to have been hit squarely by an invisible racket, and bounced back forcefully. It slid for more than ten meters before crashing through the museum hall and a large number of artifacts before finally landing on the lawn outside.

Surrounded by a simulated blue sky and white clouds, the shell-covered sphere bounced a few more times on the lawn like a large bouncy ball, knocking over a bunch of flowers and plants.

On the surface of the sphere, the deep red, sturdy bio-armor had developed fine cracks, and even a faint smell of burning was slowly wafting out.

However, with a slight tremor, the large ball suddenly began to extend along the crack, stretching out its limbs and body like a Bomb Ball.

Standing three meters tall, with sixteen spider-like bone wings on its back, its long hair transformed into countless tentacles, and clad in biological armor, the true form of the Overlord appeared before Norddos, resembling a true demon god.

“A vast and primal power, neither technology nor mysticism,” Norddos remarked, his eyes even carrying a scholarly curiosity and longing. “But before absolute mystery, pure power still needs refinement. What a pity, young girl, if we had met earlier, I would have been willing to help you progress. But now…”

He suppressed his emotions and said, "I'm the one who wants to improve. I'm getting old, and I really want to improve."

A hint of ferocity flashed in Xia Li's dragon eyes, and she was about to launch an attack when a loud but not harsh notification sound rang out throughout the scene.

"Warning! Warning! The Dragon Fleet has breached the Hand of Glory's defenses! Warning! All citizens, please stay home and do not move around! Warning! Warning! This is just a technical adjustment; please do not worry. His Majesty the Emperor stands with all the people; our mighty fleet is about to arrive. All citizens, please stay home and await rescue..."

"..."

The two stared at each other. At that moment, they both felt a little deflated.

"How fitting for the occasion!" said the official in charge of the star viewing.

"How shameless!" said the Little Overlord.

"Why didn't you evacuate the citizens of the capital?" Xia Li couldn't help but ask.

“Because there’s no need for that,” Norddos said. “How many people have died in the capital so far? Thirty thousand? Fifty thousand? Were there any civilians?”

“As expected, those sky cities are uninhabited,” Shirley said.

"They are the carriers and mediums of the Celestial Mystic Defense Line, which is why he asked you to destroy them," the Star Seer said. "And as you can see, although the Celestial Realm is burning, there isn't that much bloodshed. Everything is a price that can be paid."

“A price that can be paid for everything?” Shirley repeated.

“His Majesty believes me,” the High Priest said. A fleeting look of gratitude crossed his face before his expression returned to its grim and cruel nature.

Shirley pursed her lips, knowing that this was the second round.

But at that moment, the space behind Norddos rippled violently, like water rippled after a stone was thrown in. Without any warning, a figure stepped out from the center of the ripples.

"How interesting! What do you mean by 'price'? Can I have a detailed interview? So you know that although I am the best director in Agomi, I became famous for documentaries. Even now, I am still a military newspaper reporter."

That was Fina Lee's voice. Most people only knew her as the woman of the dragon, a renowned genius director, and an ordinary, unremarkable psychic.

However, the High Priest of Norddos tensed up completely, becoming much more alert than before.

At that moment, Miss Dominator felt somewhat insulted.