Chapter 28

Chapter 28

The dim, fragile stars represented the insectoids' yet unyielding submission to the owner of the psychic sea, a black-haired woman with red horns.

The psychic sea of insectoids is a highly secretive domain, through which distant queens can issue commands.

Rei, unfamiliar with these basics, had gradually regained knowledge of primitive instincts from her time among the insectoids.

"Who are you?" Rei asked again.

The other, pale with shock, trembled, her psychic sea showing signs of fracturing.

[Her condition seems off... Perhaps she lacks the strength to manipulate the will of other insectoids?] murmured conversations echoed from beyond the psychic sea.

Dagmar clung to the last shreds of her lucid mind, struggling to think, then said, "If you desire, you can take this psychic sea."

Their similar mental powers briefly collided, exchanging some basic information.

Rei watched her quietly, seemingly indifferent to Dagmar's tangential words, waiting for an answer to her question.

Witnessing the vast stars at her feet crack open ominously, as if a smooth mirror ready to shatter, plunging into the abyss to return to reality.

Rei let out a long sigh, having not found enough surprises in this bizarre adventure.

Pure white silk threads spread out in curves, gently mending the enormous cracks threatening to crumble, like stitching a torn garment.

This also calmed down Dagmar, who was on the verge of mental collapse.

[The psychic stability has suddenly improved... Perhaps it was just a minor peak fluctuation? Better check to be safe.]

Another voice from the outside world.

Under Rei's cleansing power, the psychic sea revealed several high-hanging blood-red supports, with slender, intersecting blades suspended in the air. These structures differed from the emotional-induced cracks earlier; they were the "bones" supporting Dagmar’s psychic sea.

Ordinary humans or typical hybrids couldn't achieve this, hinting at the black-haired woman's brutal transformation.

The remaining white threads dispersed into a faintly glowing dust, floating behind Rei and forming a swing. Rei sat on it, narrowly avoiding the ominous blades.

The swing gently rose, and Rei, with her eyelids lowered, looked down at the shattered psychic sea below, inadvertently hearing deeper layers of information.

Upside-down and boundless, the psychic sea stirred from its core, ripples passing through alluring illusions, as if forcibly awakening the owner’s primal memories.

Dagmar, her face contorted with pain, glared hatefully at the “outside,” resentful of the amoral insectoids who tampered with her mind.

Inescapable transformation, overwhelming dread of a natural predator, endless bizarre appetites, until gaining a modicum of influence... fragmented memories flickered sporadically.

"I want freedom," Dagmar murmured softly, "Even if my body dies, my consciousness will fragment and live within these insectoids."

The white-haired girl in light-colored clothing, sitting on a swing made of white mist, had eyes clear as water. Her insectoid-born cruelty also carried an indescribable purity, devoid of greed, anger, or sadistic pleasure.

She might be communicable... Dagmar thought vaguely. This true insectoid queen, who forcibly kept her in the psychic sea, also deceived external observers, seemingly unnoticed by any insectoid.

Rei idly swung back and forth: "Human psychic strength truly isn’t sufficient to bear this power. You’d be completely devoured."

“……”

"Are you also a hybrid?" Rei inquired.

Dagmar, taken aback, replied instinctively, "No, I am a [Queen]."

Hearing this, Rei didn’t comment further but scrutinized Dagmar curiously, falling into deep contemplation.

"'The one behind you must be from the Monst insectoids,' Rei stopped the swing's motion, 'Lend me your body temporarily; I need to observe their situation. In exchange, I'll find you the best way out.'"

"'During this time, your consciousness will be in a deep sleep.'"

"Dagmar's expression was solemn, and a tear fell from her pure-blooded eyes."

"This was a huge gamble for her."

"Could she trust the insectoid in front of her? It was just a brief conversation."

"But she had no better option. Even following Simon's command, she would become the perpetrator of humanity's demise."

"Dagmar suddenly realized, in a blur, that in her interactions with other insectoids, she always maintained an attitude of superiority, her decaying brain hardly capable of thinking beyond consumption."

"Yet in Rei's presence, she felt a trivial resurgence of her humanity."

"'Alright,' Dagmar said, resignedly closing her eyes."

"In an instant, countless white lines climbed upon Dagmar's body."

*

"The black-haired female sitting on the throne reopened her eyes, curiously surveying her surroundings and tentatively trying to control the unfamiliar body to stand up, only to feel a sharp pain."

"Rei's sturdy spirit remained unshaken, but this body seemed to struggle even with basic movement."

"She cautiously controlled her strength to avoid damaging the fragile body."

"Stepping on cold, white bones, several bones rolled onto the ground with her movements, rumbling softly."

"The enclosed space had no doors."

"Rei looked up at the eyes peering into the space, realizing that the insectoids outside could control Dagmar through some technological means."

"'What are you doing?'"

"A strange, three-eyed insectoid re-entered the lab, its eyes filled with a fierce intent to kill."

"'Simon?' Rei recalled important information Dagmar had shared with her before leaving the mental sea."

"The highest brain of the Monst insectoids."

"A displeased Simon, oblivious to the subtle changes in 'Dagmar's' demeanor, was about to attack, saying, 'If you hesitate, your self-consciousness is no longer necessary.'"

"But in the next second, Simon's three eyes, divided in consciousness, for the first time reached the same emotion, the shock too overwhelming, revealing his primal beastly pupils."

"Rei held a blade formed from thin air, piercing Simon's arm with precision and efficiency."

"Thick blood dripped onto the puppet's head below."

"The power of Dagmar's blade form burst forth for the first time in an unmatched peak."

"Rei frowned at the blade in her hand, feeling it awkward to use, and glanced at the red eye in the middle of Simon's forehead, feeling a faint sense of disgust."

"Not bothering to ponder further, Rei followed her own desire, kicking Simon to the ground with immense force."

Sharp fragments grazed his cheeks, drawing blood, as an invisible force pressed upon him, stripping him of his defenses like an animal deprived of its claws, leaving him devoid of any means to attack.

This is wrong! She shouldn't possess such power.

A part of Ximon's mind, still entirely rational, raced through thoughts.

Rei entered, slowly crouching down, finding the splash of red too glaring. Raising the semi-transparent black blade high, she plunged it down thrice.

Each stab drew blood.

A vivid pool of blood spread across the floor.

“Such ugly eyes,” Rei commented disdainfully, casually tossing the blood-soaked blade aside.

Unexpectedly, the red eyes still moved, looking at Rei with a pitiful and wronged expression, tears mingling with blood, creating a grotesque yet laughable sight.

Feeling a subtle tremor in his chest, Ximon finally realized that certain parts of the black-haired woman were now beyond their control.

“Who are you?” Ximon narrowed his eyes slightly, summoning the last of his strength to conjure a shadow that devoured everything from the walls, the ground, even the air, towering over Rei's figure, swaying menacingly behind her.

Rei, with pupil-less, pure red eyes, looked at Ximon, her gaze carrying a childlike yet cruel innocence. Suddenly thinking of something, she smiled slightly and said, “I am Dagmar.”

“I am your [Queen].”