Fanatics' Fire and the Roach Resurgence
"Fire is a gift from the gods! This liveliness, this heat! It's the great creation bestowed by the hand of fire among our six hands!"
"Ha, but we lit the fire ourselves..."
"You blasphemers! It's because the god bestowed it that we can create fire with our meager power!"
"I-is that so...?"
No, why are they buying it? Fire's just a natural phenomenon. If you call the laws of physics in the universe 'gods,' then sure, but... right now, I'm watching in real-time how a cult grows its power and recruits believers. They captivate people with stories that sound plausibly convincing, making them believe. The difference? Real cults have leaders who lie to suck blood from their followers. These guys genuinely believe in a six-handed elf god.
Fire is a sacred gift from the god. The hand of judgment drops lightning, and the hand of fire wraps it to create flames.
...They're attributing every natural phenomenon to some hand. At this rate, they'll have a hand for storms, a hand for the sea, a hand for water... turning it into a thousand-armed Guanyin instead of six hands. What's scarier is that these guys learned the coastal village's language in an instant to preach the god's greatness. Can't proselytize if you can't communicate.
"Is that the sea? It looks like a massive pond."
"We don't know where it ends either. It's so vast and deep."
"And it's salty. When it dries, you get sea salt—sprinkle it on fish or food, and it's delicious."
"We can offer a new tribute to the great god!"
No, that's all you have to say after discovering the sea and salt? Think of the dietary changes, the dawn of the trade era... the endless possibilities the ocean opens up.
Then again, these maniacs are the type to hop in a dugout canoe and sail across to spread the god's glory. The fanatic leader's name was Lordri, right? I'd been thinking of him as just the head crazy, so I forgot his name.
Anyway, he gives off that vibe like he'll stick it out to the end somehow. He doesn't have Rasl's or Mu-wan's exceptional talent or charisma... but what can I say, he feels like he'll build an equally massive force. Like that?
Seeing this, it's clear not just the smart, charismatic ones succeed. Mu-wan's hegemony, Rasl's technology, Lordri's religion... feels like it'll be an entertaining three-way battle.
The largest organization in the universe, dividing a region roughly 20 billion light-years in diameter into 24 sectors for management.
Considering the observable universe is about 100 billion light-years across, it's relatively small, but they're the only ones managing a space this vast.
Of course, they don't perfectly control every inch of that 20 billion light-year diameter. There are unexplored spaces they can't manage and races they can't keep in check.
Most hostile races were exterminated or nearly wiped out before being persuaded to join. But some resisted.
The Galactic Union's sole stain, led by the Rubaran tribe: the Kapteri tribe. Born with incredibly tough exoskeletons for defense and attack, they have insane reproduction rates—kill them all you want, and they repopulate from somewhere.
Without Rubaran plasma or nanoparticle weapons, their exoskeletons take minimal damage, making annihilation tough. Even one survivor flees to some planet, devours its resources, and breeds again.
Like giant, human-shredding cockroaches with unbreakable shells.
The Rubaran tribe and Galactic Union have long tried to eradicate these pests that harm cosmic society. But they always miss a few, which breed again; hunt them down, and they flee and breed more...
Surprisingly, these instinct-driven bugs have high intelligence. Thanks to ultra-fast evolution paired with rapid breeding: newborn larvae are pure instinct monsters, but in a few years, their brains develop enough for basic thought. After 10 years, they match most races' intellect.
Then evolution branches: brain-focused become commanders, exoskeleton-focused become shock troops, and so on.
When first discovered, they were swarming with near-final evolutions: building-crunching giants, flyers, burrow ambushes, commanders outsmarting Rubarans.
Now reduced to mere space pests, but initial encounters demanded all-out war from the Rubarans. The Union's establishment brought aid from other races for victory; Rubarans alone would've lost to the numbers.
But the war isn't over.
"Kirik. Krurruk."
"Kkigik..."
Reduced to tough space pests, the Kapteri kept fleeing, evolving.
Life evolves faster under harsh change and crisis. Soon, larvae hatched with near-race-level intelligence. Evolution accelerated; they gained patience to hide and build strength instead of devouring resources.
Unimaginable for instinct-born planet-eaters. Hiding in undeveloped zones beyond Union eyes—especially Sector G's remote corner—they swelled their numbers.
"Kigik... Revenge."
"Union bastards. Devour them all."
For the day they'd avenge the Union.
Total five planets. More like full-on roach hives now. I avoid using my powers for civilization sims, but cockroach dens next door? Can't tolerate.
They're diligently plotting Union revenge, scaling up. Feels a bit sorry killing diligent avengers... bullshit. Exterminate pests!
They'd be useless here anyway—always eating planet resources and locals. Time to teach what cosmic horror really is.
Feel the might of a trans-universal outer god no mere bug can defy! Heh heh heh, finally doing some proper cosmic horror shit. Might as well make it terrifyingly scary.
I hated bugs in my past life too—mosquitos, roaches, flies... ugh, just thinking creeps me out. Past life's bugs had no brains for fear, but these smart ones will tremble at overwhelming threat.
Kuhuhu, channeling past-life rage—make 'em suffer max terror. Perfect stress relief.