The Final Desperation

Aposynthesi was the General of Decay under the Parasite King. On this day, he received news that the Celestials had deployed a large force to exterminate a Zerg nest. Just from the sound of it, Aposynthesi knew this would be a drawn-out battle. Zergs are the most troublesome race to exterminate.

Their endless swarm of soldiers meant that the battle would never end unless they killed the queen. It was futile to fight a battle of attrition; their reserves were sufficient to fight for days on end without issues.

Some of the stronger queens could even last months, having subjugated multiple queens under their rule. Such queens had legions so terrifying that the battlefield bestowed them with the title of Empress.

Empresses are among the strongest forces on this battlefield. Due to their subordinate queens, they rarely expose themselves, making it nearly impossible to track them down. In fact, they conceal themselves so effectively that their true appearances remain unknown.

Whenever it seemed an empress had been slain, it would turn out to be a subordinate queen acting in her place. This pattern has repeated throughout history, and each time, the attacking force was met with a fierce counterattack that ultimately left them weakened enough to be obliterated by other factions.

Aposynthesi mounted a parasitized pterosaur and headed for the provided coordinates. It was time for him to get involved. As he approached, he noticed numerous ships aligning their energy cannons on him. This was a critical operation, and they wouldn't want to take any risks.

However, before they could charge their attacks, Aposynthesi extended his palm toward them. A purple glow flashed, breaking down all the energy and disrupting the attack.

"!?!"

Everyone on the main ship became alarmed at this sight. Only one individual possessed that ability, but why would he be here? This was a highly secretive attack, so there should have been no leaks. Could this be a coincidence or...

Aposynthesi's mount flew past the docked ships and headed for the frontlines. They circled above the intense battle, waiting for the right moment to intervene. Many snipers noticed him and attempted to shoot him down, but a simple energy attack was sufficient to counter-kill.

This soon escalated into a fierce exchange of energy projectiles that ended tragically for the snipers. His decaying ability was enough to break down the shots as they approached, rendering them ineffective against his robust armor. As for his attacks, it was impossible for the prone snipers to evade them. Soon, only a few straggling snipers remained, causing them to panic and scramble.

After that, Aposynthesi paid them no more attention. Why should he care if a few ants survive when his plan is to exterminate the colony? While observing the battle, he noticed the Zergs becoming sluggish. They halted their ferocious advance, and some even froze in place. This was a clear sign that the queen was distracted.

"Interesting. They managed to engage her. I wonder how they evaded her mental scan."

Watching the Zergs being slaughtered by the Celestials, Aposynthesi knew the battle was reaching its conclusion. The longer the queen remained distracted, the worse the overall situation became. If it lasted too long, she would have no army left, and the nest would be destroyed. Recognizing this, Aposynthesi leaped off the pterosaur and clasped his hands together.

"Summoning Circle Open: Rain of Worms."

He chose to intervene at this moment. There was no chance for the situation to worsen, so he might as well capitalize on their depleted energy.

A purple magic circle formed above him, encompassing everyone in the area. His pterosaur quickly flew outside the circle's range as it charged up. When it reached its peak brightness, a bracelet on Aposynthesi shattered, infusing the circle with its remaining energy.

'There goes a month of energy.'

The circle flashed before transforming into a large, dark portal connected to a world where these parasites were bred. Then it began to rain—not water, but small worms of various colors. These worms darkened the sky, capturing the attention of the victorious soldiers. But by the time they looked up, it was too late.

*Boooom*

Aposynthesi created a small crater upon landing, propelling the nearby soldiers into the air. Then a flood of parasites rained down upon the army. Upon contact, the worms burrowed into their flesh, biting and wriggling to find a suitable location to lay their eggs. This frenzied struggle for a new habitat inflicted immense pain on their hosts, causing them to writhe in agony and scream.

Several Celestials experienced the unsettling sensation of microscopic worms digging beneath their eyelids or into any available opening. It was unsettling and not for the faint of heart. Yet the parasites soon encountered an obstacle: there wasn't enough room for all of them. The majority would perish without a host, so they desperately burrowed into hosts, intensifying the competition for a patch of flesh to inhabit.

This intense struggle quickly ended with the host's death, resulting in the extermination of all worms within. This fate befell all soldiers in the area, marking the end of the battle.

Aposynthesi remained unaffected by it all. His body emitted the scent of a superior species, deterring all such infestations. How ironic it would be if he were to perish from parasites despite being a general under the Parasite King.

'I've completed my task. Let's return.'

He produced a whistle to summon the pterosaur and leave the lifeless battlefield. As he ascended, he observed all the Zergs collapsing and dying, signaling the queen's demise. With the ruler gone, the subjects would follow. Such was the life of a Zerg.

 

---

 

"This... What happened?" Genji asked as he emerged from the dying nest.

Shouldn't they have won the war now that the queen has perished? So why is everyone dead, their flesh chewed away by this sea of worms? Where did these worms even come from?

Carefully navigating the hazardous battlefield, Genji soon found himself back at the ships, which were preparing to take off. Spotting him from above, the door opened, and a rope ladder dropped down.

"Can we consider this operation complete?" He asked after he climbed up.

Yet Genji knew the answer as soon as he saw the grim faces of the people in charge. The commander of his fortress shook his head, and they spent the rest of the trip in silence. The lively mood from the beginning had shifted to somber silence due to the disaster that had unfolded.

Given how everything had ended, the commanders decided to rest at a nearby fortress for the day and contact the council. After this event, they would need to redeploy their forces, so splitting up would only complicate the transition.

After landing, they entered a conference room and initiated a meeting with the council. The projection machine established a connection, and holographic images of seven people sitting around a table appeared. From the blue sky in the background, Genji could tell they were speaking from a different planet, possibly the Celestials' home planet.

"We've heard about the disaster. Can this realm member share your side of the story?"

The older man at the front asked Genji, and he complied. After a few minutes, he explained everything he had encountered.

"If I may ask, why did you volunteer to enter the nest?" After Genji finished his story, a different council member inquired.

"It was the best move considering the situation. If things continued at that rate, we would have to retreat." The person narrowed his eyes but decided not to pursue this further.

"Did you find any of the machines we were looking for?"

"None." Genji felt the council's gaze grow colder upon hearing this.

"What about these biocrystals? Can you provide us with a sample?"

"No. I was focused on the mission, so I didn't dare get too close." Genji wasn't about to give up his only reward just because someone asked. In fact, it would be more suspicious if he brought one out given his story.

"I see. You can rest now. We'd like to discuss some military orders."

"What do you think?"

The council asked after Genji left. Everyone in the room was confused about whom the question was directed at until the air at the back distorted. Seconds later, a hooded figure appeared, alarming everyone and causing them to draw their weapons, except for Genji's commander.

"Calm down. He's a field analyst we sent," the council reassured the tense group.

The hooded figure bowed to the screen before uprighting himself.

"I think he's a traitor," the hooded figure answered their previous question.

"How can that be?" Genji's commander shot to his feet when he heard this conclusion.

"Elaborate," the council waved to dismiss the commander's outburst.

"Yes. There are multiple reasons why I think so, but things can be summed up by one point: everything was too coincidental. Let's start at the beginning when he became involved in this operation. At that time, our main army was attacked by three factions, which forced us to select a weaker team for the exploration because our main forces needed to repair the hole in our defense.

Yet, during that period of weakness, a Zerg swarm and two Sentinels slipped through. Keep in mind that this was the same swarm that had attacked the fortress he was at. This situation enabled him to showcase his capabilities and subsequently join the exploration team.

Later, as they were returning, they encountered two Sentinels. It's important to note that these two Sentinels were alone as if they had moved ahead of their robot army. This was an uncharacteristic action considering their normal behavior. Nonetheless, it was enough to halt the team before they could board their ship. Without their army, the encirclement was compromised enough to allow one person to escape.

This same person then joined the second expedition, which also got wiped out. By the third time, things got even more coincidental, especially when he entered the Zerg nest."

"Hey! Didn't you hear his reasoning? He clearly did that to give us a chance of victory," the commander burst out again. He couldn't tolerate how this person was slandering such a hero who had done so much for them.

"That's one thing, but there's no reason for him to risk his life like that. He's a realm member. As long as he waits out his time, he would be able to leave this place. I also find it suspicious how he emerged safely from such a dangerous place.

Moving on, let's discuss the coincidences. The moment he entered, we encountered an attack by the General of Decay, which instantly wiped out our forces. Yet he happened to be in the nest, which seemed to shield him perfectly from it. And just as the General left, he emerged from the nest. Don't you think that's too many coincidences?

He's been on three expeditions related to this ruin, and in all three cases, he's been the sole survivor. I don't count the snipers that retreated ahead of time, as they would have perished if they hadn't fled."

"I-uh," the commander didn't know how to counteract this. Everything had been laid out clearly, and the logic was sound. Even he was beginning to suspect something was wrong with Genji when Sinclair presented it this way.

*Sigh*

"I understand you want to defend him, but I've been telling you he was suspicious since his second expedition. It's a shame we didn't realize it in time."

"Very well. Have the soldiers bring him back for a trial," the older man in the head seat said, somewhat convinced by the explanation. Regarding further actions, they needed to question Genji about his responses before taking any additional steps. Arresting a hero solely based on someone else's speculation would be unwise.

'It's my win, Enigma.'

Sinclair was confident that as long as Genji was brought back, he could manipulate the situation and portray Genji as a traitor. As for why he approached this in such a roundabout manner, it had to do with one of the rules set by Eternal Void.

{Rule 178 of the Spatial Battlefield: Members cannot disrupt the internal workings of their faction if it undermines their cause.}

In this case, both Genji and Sinclair were held in high esteem. If they were to exploit their positions to create trouble for each other, it would be considered a violation. That meant Genji couldn't report Sinclair, and Sinclair couldn't use his position to accuse Genji.

Either of those outcomes would have prompted the higher-ups to pause their commands to investigate, resulting in disruption. At best, Sinclair could cast doubt on Genji, as he did before.

However, the current situation was different. With the higher-ups already investigating this incident, Sinclair wasn't deemed disruptive; rather, he was providing input.

In reality, Sinclair had only been involved in the most recent incident where the General of Decay was

dispatched. Yet he had never imagined that Genji would survive the encounter by entering the nest. What kind of person would take such a suicidal risk?

As he reveled in his victory, Sinclair was doused with disappointment.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE DESERTED!?!!" Sinclair screamed in disbelief. Why was this person so difficult to deal with? Couldn't he play by the rules for once? How could he constantly avoid these traps as if he knew about them?

 

---

 

Genji had stolen a map and a scouting ship as he fled the fortress. He had long noticed the figure hiding in the corner of the room. The invisibility cloak might have been able to deceive most of the Celestials' senses, but it couldn't fool him. His own cloak boosted his stealth as well, and he was more than familiar with the tactic. This became especially apparent when Sinclair stared at him for so long.

During the questioning, he noticed that the council didn't seem pleased with him. Since this was the first time they had met, something must have influenced their mindset. This could either be the streak of unfortunate teams he had been in or the influence of someone else. As for who, only Sinclair had a motive.

When he was told to leave and Sinclair was allowed to stay, he became suspicious. So, he decided to probe the council's attitude by leaving without notice. If he lost contribution points, then that meant the higher-ups were somewhat neutral toward him.

[Due to your actions, the Celestial Faction now sees you as a traitor. You will now be hunted down by them.]

Yet, this notification more than confirmed his suspicions. The higher-ups had lost all trust in him under Sinclair's influence, putting him in a desperate situation. So desperate that he saw no way of surviving. With his strength, it would be difficult to survive within the faction, let alone by himself.

"What a move. I'll admit that you've bested me again, but if you think I'm going to give up, think again."

Genji pulled out Cassava's Treasure, hoping this epic consumable could give him a chance.

[Cassava's Treasure]

Effect: Upon use, get a reading of your fate

 

It was a very vague description, but this was the best thing he could do. Soon, the small orb dissipated as he was presented with a message.

"The Zergs are looking for the item aligned by five stars and illuminated by the pearl in the night."

Like all prophecies, things were incredibly vague. The only thing Genji understood was the first part about the Zergs.

"Why did it tell me this? What use would this have in helping me survive?"

Genji thought about it for some time before an idea came to him.

"Could it be that-"

[Warning: It has been detected that you have thoughts of joining a different faction. This is against the agreed-upon rules. Should you continue, a heavy punishment will be imposed.]

"You say that, but what about Sinclair? Isn't he from LuminalRealm and in your faction?"

[The member in question is a Celestial. Due to ethical reasons, he is placed in this faction.]

Genji would be a fool to believe that. Sinclair's presence felt nothing like the Celestials. He didn't even have the energy markings that all the Celestials had. How could he possibly be a Celestial? Since that's the case, it must mean he did something to pass off as one. Just what kind of operation was this?

"Yeah, I doubt that. Look, we have a traitor in the faction. Do you really think you're going to win this war like that? And who knows what that Shepherd guy is planning? This situation is too complicated, and your plan isn't working. How about you let me do things my way, and we'll see how it turns out?"

Genji didn't know if EverRealm was sentient, but he figured it didn't hurt to try bargaining with it. His life depended on this, so he had no other options. If EverRealm was going to kill him because he broke some rules, then this only sped up the process.

[A heavy punishment will be imposed should you continue.]

It was the same response, but Genji knew that he had a chance. The message only mentioned a "heavy punishment," not execution. Since he had a chance, it would be foolish of him to give up.

"I'll take that as a yes."

[As you have made your choice, EverRealm is not responsible for your actions. All consequences will be borne by you alone.]

Seeing this, Genji knew his plan is feasible. EverRealm had removed its association with him, but that didn't mean it had given up on him. Despite the warning, he hadn't received a single punishment from EverRealm.

This told him a lot about EverRealm's attitude toward him. If Genji had to guess, EverRealm needed to follow the rules of the war, but it was secretly encouraging him to go through with it. It made sense, considering the war was fought over something, but the opponents were playing dirty by forcing a "Celestial" into their faction.