Star Forge Titan

Obviously, Hercules in this form likely lacks any real combat capabilities. If we were to use the Digi-O-Bay as an analogy, he'd be nothing more than a juvenile, freshly hatched from a Digi-Egg. While he'd actually just been planted in a pot, the two are pretty much the same idea.

It is likely that it will have to go through several similar metamorphosis processes before it can become the once powerful Twelve Ghosts of the Zerg again.

"It's the big bug, meow! Great! The bug is back!!!"

White ran over with a happy look on his face, lifted up Hercules, who couldn't even speak at the moment, with his two furry little hands, and then habitually put the round fat beetle on his head, just like he had run around and busy himself with the flower pot before.

The latter who was lifted up subconsciously curled up his limbs into a ball. When he came to his senses, he lowered his head and made a "chirp" sound to greet White.

The picture looks very joyful, just like the furry lion holding a hydrangea in the New Year pictures, cute and funny.

"Well, what else can I say?" Alvin shook his head, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth instinctively.

After all, they were companions who had fought together. Even though they couldn't even speak the same language at this moment, he was still happy about Hercules' return.

The familiar magical wavelengths showed that this was not a new individual from scratch, but a regenerated individual that inherited the consciousness of the original Ghost in the Shell Hercules.

After realizing this, Ivan felt a surge of curiosity and emotion towards the civilization created by the giants. It also heightened his assessment of the Zerg's strength. Inherited consciousness encompassed not only emotions like love and hate, but also lessons learned from battle.

For a soldier, that is the most precious wealth.

An individual who has multiple chances to start over is like a player who has mastered the SL technique in the game. Unless he is hopelessly bad, as long as he goes through enough time, he will eventually reach a remarkable height that will attract everyone's attention.

Just as he was thinking, Alvin suddenly saw Hercules spread his small transparent wings that were inconsistent with his body, and flapped them at high speed to fly to his side.

"Chi--" The mouthparts that had not yet fully grown could not use the common language and could only make monotonous calls similar to those of ordinary insects. However, Alvin felt that he seemed to understand something from it, but the details were not very clear.

Could it be that Hercules in this state also has the ability to fight?

Looking at the fat beetle flying unsteadily in the air with some uncertainty, Ivan was a little surprised for a moment.

Realizing that this method would not be able to convey the message, the young Hercules simply folded his transparent little wings and dived into Ivan's hand in a spherical shape.

Keeping this in mind, Ivan felt the magic power within him stir. After a moment's thought, he released a portion, which was then absorbed by Hercules. Feeling the raw power's fury, even the rhinoceros beetle, a baby version of Ghost in the Shell, trembled with excitement. Then, its entire carapace began to change shape, accompanied by crisp metallic sounds, like machinery turning and slots snapping.

As a member of the Machine Race, Ghost in the Shell Hercules naturally has a mechanical structure that is perfectly integrated with the biological part of his body.

It was precisely relying on these mechanical structures that it transformed into a pair of deep red gauntlets covering the five fingers and fists in a very short time. Golden patterns could be vaguely seen on the edges. The originally towering horn of the rhinoceros beetle extended from the elbow backwards, turning into a short blade with a slight arc, as beautiful as a crescent moon.

This change made the nearby cat White's face turn into an "oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh" expression. Ivan took the opportunity to pluck a handful of fur from its tail and blew it onto the blade. The light cat hair swept across the blade and was silently split in two.

Obviously, this blade inherited the single-molecule self-sharpening effect of the Zerg melee weapon and has unparalleled sharpness.

"I never thought that Ghost in the Shell from the Swarm would have this feature."

Seeing this sturdy yet flexible red arm armor, Alvin was more and more impressed by the amazing technological strength of the Giant Kingdom, which was worthy of being the direct descendant of the Uranus civilization.

He felt that his magic power could flow very smoothly in the arm armor, and was even strengthened to a certain extent.

At the same time, Ivan was secretly astonished at the sheer scale of the giants' preparations for war. This once-leading civilization on the continent had created living combat weapons—insect swarms—that could even wield infant individuals as weapons.

One cannot help but ponder what kind of enemy the Giant Kingdom is facing that would lead to such a paranoid attitude.

Alvin also wanted to understand more and more what kind of past this desert was buried in.

Perhaps, in the past hundreds or thousands of years, someone has asked the same question.

It is precisely because of the existence of these curious people that explorations of the past are launched again and again from different points in time.

However, the results of exploration are not necessarily good.

Some things are buried because they inherently pose terrible dangers.

Throne area, Palace of the Witch-King.

Heidi, who was suddenly summoned by the second wizard king Menis after a few days, was trying hard to maintain a calm smile on her face.

Unlike their last meeting in the Glass Pavilion, a pyramid-shaped palace made entirely of glass, this time the place where the Witch King Menes summoned Heidi was another palace that she would only use when she was in charge of important affairs.

This palace occupies a much larger area than the 'Glass House' and is constructed from large blocks of rock, creating an extremely solemn and awe-inspiring atmosphere. Even its name carries a chilling aura.

The ancient language that named the palace directly translates it into the meaning of the cold night in the desert, so it is also called the Sand Night Palace.

The unique architectural style of the desert resulted in very few windows in the entire building, and the window sizes were extremely small. In addition, the Witch King Menes hated to place too many candles and magic lamps in this palace, resulting in the huge Sand Night Palace having only a few sources of light.

In the dim environment, Heidi noticed that in addition to herself, many city-state nobles were also summoned. They were basically the Witch King's confidants and often held high positions on weekdays.

The nobles talked in low voices until they heard bursts of rapid breathing like wild beasts in the darkness, and they immediately became as silent as the dead.

The panting sound gradually approached, and a dim light the size of a bean slowly lit up in the stone corridor leading deep into the palace.

When the light came closer, the nobles couldn't help but bow their heads deeply.

It was a lantern hanging high up. Following the faint light, one could see an extremely large sedan chair below.

There are three layers alone, and each layer is decorated with luxurious silk and various precious jewels. The wooden frame of the sedan itself is also carved with intricate reliefs narrating ancient myths.

But what really makes people feel breathless are the people carrying the sedan chair.

No, perhaps it should no longer be called human.

Although their body proportions were still roughly human, the creatures carrying the sedan chair had hunched backs and their muscles bulged to an abnormal degree.

It looked more like a manic beast in a crude humanoid form than a human.

But even such a beast that exuded a restless aura was now obediently carrying the heavy and magnificent sedan chair.

Because the one riding in the sedan chair was the tyrannical ruler who ruled the entire city...

The Witch King - Menes!

Chapter 49: Finding Fun

For 99 percent of the city-state residents, although the Witch-King is the supreme ruler, most of the time he is closer to a symbol or a symbol than a concrete object.

Unless an extremely rare accident occurs, all the bloody and brutal acts associated with the Witch King are like a flash of red light glimpsed from a distant distance, and do not have much direct impact on the daily lives of ordinary people.

Instead, it was the farmers, tax collectors, and ordinary city guards, these little people whom the Witch King himself might not even know, who impressed these ordinary residents more.

However, the city-state nobles, the Pamirs who are high and mighty in the eyes of ordinary people, are like the hunting dogs and vicious eagles raised by hunters. They are the only individuals who can truly come into contact with the Witch King.

But this is not necessarily something to be boasted about. Any city-state noble who has survived a year in the Witch King's court knows how dangerous their powerful and irresistible ruler is.

The so-called Witch King is not just an emperor or a ruler. His existence is more like a monster holding a scepter with its sharp claws, and the golden scepter is always flowing with never-ending blood.

Slaves, commoners, nobles, all lives in the city-state are always the same in the eyes of the Witch King.

Yes, there is not much difference between slaves and nobles.

But this is not equality, but a ruthless overlooking from the height of indifference beyond the mountain top.

The noble Pamirs, the nobles who can see the great wizard king in person, are most familiar with this.

Facing the woman sitting in a tall sedan chair, who looked like a god and was full of terrifying aura, they were all like completely tamed dogs. Their waists and pride were as hard as steel in front of ordinary people, but now they bent down humbly and quickly, as if they were practicing yoga every day in their luxurious homes.

In fact, except for important matters, the Sorcerer King Menes rarely summoned his subordinates on such a large scale, and this rare meeting was therefore called the "Holy Council".

"I humbly present myself before the Lord who rules over the southern deserts, Sister of the Bright Moon, Spokesperson of the Ennead, Ruler of the oasis cities of Ismailia, Merciful Lord who bestows living waters, King who sits upon the glazed throne, Wind Rider who summons the raging storms with a single hand, Master and Protector of our servants, King of Tranquility and Sleep."

The city-state nobles called out the title of Longchang, which was so long that it made people doubt whether the entire huge Shaye Palace could accommodate it.

The Second Sorcerer King, Menes, sat expressionlessly on his high sedan chair, oblivious to the respectful eulogies that emanated from both sides. The twisted figures carrying him silently and swiftly placed the three-story-tall sedan chair on a pedestal at the rear of the palace.

The sedan chair and the base fit together, transforming into a throne full of oppression.

It was not until this moment that the Witch King Menes slowly opened his eyes.

Her eyes were wide open, making people ignore her face as beautiful as a flower, and instead feel a creepy strangeness.

"Speak." Menis's cold voice rang out in the dim Shaye Palace. The space was so wide that one could even faintly hear a slightly distorted echo.

The Witch King's words were extremely simple, but the nobles who were familiar with her style of doing things also knew what they should do.

Thus, all the recent events were reported to His Majesty the Witch King, who had an expressionless face.

Naturally, complicated matters will not occur at the seldom held holy councils.

The First General, a member of a military aristocracy, began to discuss recent unusual movements discovered by the armies of several other Sorcerer Kings. Only military intelligence of this magnitude would be reported directly to the Holy Council. Several other ministers in charge of various areas also began to share related matters.

The ministers' voices gradually faded until complete silence returned.

Because the noble ministers heard a sudden chuckle in the palace.

The elderly nobles with white hair and beards widened their eyes, because the laughter actually came from the Witch King Menes.

As far as they could remember, His Majesty hadn't smiled in nearly ten years. Although all the desert dwellers knew that the Witch King was an immortal, this unusual behavior still filled them with fear.

After all, compared to a bloodthirsty tyrant, a mad king whose next move is completely unpredictable is more terrifying.

In the dead silence of the palace, Menes' laughter grew louder.

“Interesting! Interesting! Interesting!!!”

The Witch King with long platinum hair stood up from the tall throne. His already wide-open eyes were now bloodshot with excitement, and his face, which was as calm as a lake on a windless day, now revealed a twisted smile.

"The secret magic of the Witch King, the relic of Sened, I never thought it could be like this before! Yes, it can be like this!" She murmured in a low voice, words that others could not understand.

The next moment, all expressions suddenly disappeared from Menis's face, and she returned to her usual indifferent attitude like a puppet with the restore button pressed.

But everyone could feel the invisible pressure pressing on their backs, and the nobles' already humble posture became even more respectful.

"The boring days are over." Menes spoke again.

Along with her cold voice, a faint red light suddenly lit up in the originally dim hall. The nobles' bent bodies began to tremble, and cold sweat overflowed from their foreheads.

Beside them, patches of blood-red flowers quietly bloomed, and the red light that illuminated most of the palace came from these strange-looking plants.

"I want to see a big noise."

The Second Witch King's inexplicable words made the nobles, who were terrified by the unusual scene, subconsciously look up, revealing expressions of inexplicable astonishment.

"Announce to the whole city, the secrets of the Sorcerer King are in my possession. Anyone who wishes to claim them may come before me!"

The expressions on the nobles' faces at this moment were no longer one of astonishment but of panic.

But the Witch King's next words made their faces show uncontrollable ecstasy!

"I want an heir." Menes' voice was emotionless.

"As for how to select..."

The slender Second Wizard King Menes gently raised his arm and slowly extended his index finger.

The fingers looked extremely slender, giving people the feeling that they could be broken easily.

"Boxing!"

A voice with a hint of madness suppressed in its coldness was transmitted in the spacious hall of Shaye Palace.

"Let's fight~" The expression on Menis's face began to change again.

It was an intoxicated smile, a terrifying smile that was intoxicated by something unknown.

"I want to see a fight. I want to see the most vicious, evil and powerful boxers fighting each other."

"The winner gets the secret technique."

As he spoke, Menes opened his arms, as if to embrace the boundless darkness and the increasingly bright red light in the palace.

"The winner will become my successor."

The palace was shrouded in silence, followed by an unprecedented uproar!

At the same time, in the land port outside the city, a young Ghost in the Shell, who had just finished a hearty meal and completed the first stage of metamorphosis, was now being forced onto a cold high stool.

Brush, a bright and dazzling light shone from the front, illuminating its insect-like face and allowing it to complete a difficult confused expression.

"Say!"

"Meow!"

Not far away, a man and a cat shouted at the same time.

"How did you go from a catalpa bug to a rhinoceros beetle!?!"

A big question mark popped up above Ghost in the Shell's Hercules' head.

"Haw?"

Chapter 50: Advance Preparation

In the morning it is an insect, at night it becomes a butterfly.

Zerg, isn't it amazing?