Chapter 38: Hive Replacement
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 38: Hive Replacement
After confirming everything was in order, Thanatos used Shadow Return to slip back into Cecilia’s shadow.
At that moment, Cecilia was still engrossed in the battle. She had somehow produced a handful of melon seeds and was snacking on them while she watched, completely devoid of any sense of crisis despite being on a battlefield.
Clang—!
The duel between the two men was exceptionally fierce. Under Julius’s increasingly savage assault, Atoris was gradually being overwhelmed.
After retreating into a corner, Atoris suddenly felt a violent surge within his body.
I can’t suppress the Chaos power much longer. If this keeps up, things will go exactly as that fellow desires.
Clang—!
As he parried one strike after another, Atoris realized he had to make a choice, and quickly. He would either ascend as a twisted, chaotic Demigod, or he would die here and now.
Clang—!
Julius’s attacks grew more relentless. Atoris was forced to the brink.
Should he choose to become a Demigod of Chaos, crushing the Empire and his enemies alike to achieve a long-overdue revenge? Or should he face death head-on, leaving the future of the Empire entirely to its people rather than its Emperor?
"Heh. Roland, I hope your health holds up."
Clang—!
After blocking the latest strike, Atoris did not counterattack. Before the eyes of the onlookers, the Emperor who had guarded the Empire for three hundred years chose to plunge his Crimson Greatsword into his own chest.
He personally pierced the Chaos Seed lodged in his heart.
Pfft!
As Atoris spat out a mouthful of blood, Julius halted his offensive.
The result was clear. There was no longer any need for Julius to continue the fight. Facing an Emperor who had lived for three centuries and yet chose to seek death, the warrior chose to show respect.
Looking at the silent Julius, Atoris let out a bitter laugh.
"Heh... What? Are you disappointed... that I didn't die by your hand...?"
Faced with Atoris’s mockery, Julius shook his head.
"Your fate should have ended a hundred years ago. As a latecomer, I have no right to decide your destiny. Since you have made your own choice, I must fulfill my duty for losing the wager."
Atoris looked confused. "The duty of the loser... You're a member of the Chaos Church, what duty could you possibly have to fulfill... Cough!"
Watching Atoris’s strength fade, Julius spoke slowly.
"The Chaos Seed should have caused you to collapse twenty years ago, but you endured it through sheer will. This only caused the seed to bind even deeper with your soul. Even though you have chosen to die, it will continue to grow until it devours your corpse, turning you into an even more maddened Demigod."
Cr-crack... Snap...
Julius watched as Atoris’s body began to twist and deform, his face contorted with unwilling rage and agony. He raised his Pitch-Black Heavy Sword.
"But since you chose death, I will fulfill my duty as the loser of our wager by ensuring that choice is carried out to the very end. Therefore..."
Julius paused, then raised the Pitch-Black Heavy Sword high, pointing it at the mutating Atoris.
"Monster that should not exist in this world, I shall strike you down with my own hands."
*
Thump...
Suddenly, Roland’s heart missed a beat. As a high official who had served the Empire for nearly two hundred years, he felt the passing of a certain someone.
However, he had no time for grief. At this moment, Roland was centered around the Void Insect Hive, unfolding a massive ritual.
[Hive Replacement Ritual]
Roland was puzzled as to why there were no other options—such as directly exiling the hive or sealing it completely. But since there were no better alternatives, he followed the ritual blueprints and activated the complex, gargantuan array.
Although he was currently the world’s strongest Alchemist, his understanding of rituals was only superficial. If he were to recklessly alter any part of it, the entire ritual might fail to activate. Furthermore, this ritual was incredibly bizarre; his skills, Universal Reconstruction and World Analysis, had no effect on it whatsoever. This made Roland even more hesitant to attempt any modifications.
Hum—!
A moment later, Roland successfully triggered the ritual. Suddenly, a massive suction force appeared at the ritual’s center.
"What?"
Roland realized that the ritual required an astronomical amount of energy—so much that it was inconceivable for a mere replacement ritual. However, the activation was at a critical stage, and he couldn't afford to overthink it.
[World Tree End Branch]
He produced a verdant staff and pointed it toward the sky. Using the staff as a medium, he activated Void Extraction.
With a thunderous shriek, turbulent Void power erupted from the rifts in space. Roland began funneling this nearly infinite energy into the ritual. Surprisingly, the chaotic Void power was absorbed by the ritual instantly, without even needing refinement, and without causing a hint of instability.
Hum—!
Having absorbed all the necessary energy, the ritual began to operate. From Roland’s perspective, a blinding white light filled the world. The massive Void Insect Hive vanished, replaced by a brand-new, reddish-gold hive.
Seeing the reddish-gold hive, Roland’s eyes widened.
"This is... the Gold-Devouring Insect Race?!"
For a moment, Roland didn't know whether to feel lucky or cursed. The good news was that the difficult Void Insect Race was gone. The bad news was that they had been replaced by the Gold-Devouring Insect Race, the natural enemy of all alchemy machinery.
"The Gold-Devouring Insect Race isn't much better, but at least they lack the damage reduction of Voidification. I can use large-scale annihilation methods to wipe them out."
With that, Roland raised his verdant staff. As the greatest Alchemist, he might not be an expert in rituals, but when it came to magical prowess, he was among the top in the world.
In the next instant, a multi-colored elemental storm swept through the Gold-Devouring Insect Hive.
Whoosh—!
The Gold-Devouring insects had barely begun to swarm out of the hive before they were torn into a blizzard of chitinous fragments by the elemental storm. For a time, the insect race was completely suppressed.
Seeing this, Roland finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Phew... That should keep the insects down for a while. I can set this aside for now."
Roland quickly stowed his staff and activated a Directional Teleportation Array set for Carlos Lilanka, vanishing from the spot. For Roland, there was something far more important that required his immediate return.
*
After Roland left, a petite figure emerged from the shadows.
"I didn't expect them to be so useless just because the species changed. It looks like I’ll have to find a way to buff this Gold-Devouring Insect Race..."
The speaker was Xie Bai. She had been lounging in her nest but had decided to come out for a walk after a long time. She just happened to witness Roland activating the replacement ritual.
Before she could finish critiquing the Gold-Devouring insects, a message arrived from her shadow.
"Hmm? Atoris has already ascended to a Demigod?"
Listening to the request sent by Thanatos, Xie Bai quickly grasped the situation on the battlefield.
"To think that even with him and Julius working together, they can't win. It seems this Demigod is indeed quite strong."
Xie Bai stretched lazily.
"Mmm... It’s been a while since I’ve been in a fight. I might as well go take a look."
With that, Xie Bai stepped into the shadows, leaving behind the Gold-Devouring Insect Race, which was currently trembling in fear.