Chapter 74: I! Am the Swarm!
Without a unified command and immersed in the grief of losing their connection to the Hive Mind, the Genestealers became easy prey.
The Genestealer cultists within the entire Patriarch's hall were swiftly slaughtered.
And as the Genestealer Patriarch's hive network was devoured, a new power seemed to appear within Lucan's body.
Lucan discovered that while his Xel'Naga projection was devouring the Patriarch's psychic energy, it was also kneading and shaping this power with its own energy.
A new life seemed to be born in its hands.
Lucan examined it carefully.
"A larva? An egg? Wait a minute! It couldn't be a Zerg larva, could it?!"
And when that larva was fully formed, it transformed into a stream of psychic energy and was directly injected into the Genestealer Patriarch's body.
And in the material universe, the Patriarch's body began to convulse continuously. Its autonomous consciousness was devoured by the injection of this power.
Everyone around watched this scene nervously.
"My Lord! Get down from there, quickly!"
The Raiders called out to Lucan, who was standing on the Patriarch's body. They thought the Genestealer Patriarch was about to enter a second phase.
Only the High Priest stood to one side without a word, although he too had no idea what was happening.
But death was descending upon the Genestealer Patriarch. He could feel it. He could even feel the Mark of Death he had left on the Genestealer disappearing.
This only happened when a target was about to die or was already dead.
And as the priest sensed the Genestealer Patriarch's death, Lucan, however, sensed a new life gestating within the Genestealer Patriarch's massive body…
A moment later, the Genestealer Patriarch stopped moving completely. Although its flesh was still functioning, it had utterly lost its self-awareness. In a sense, it was already dead.
"It's over! You did it, Rogue Trader!"
A smile appeared on the High Priest's face. The Genestealer Cult they had fought for over a hundred years was, at this moment, truly annihilated.
And the High Priest's words ignited the emotions of everyone present.
"We won! We won!"
"For the God-Emperor! For the Rogue Trader! Long live the Mongorte Dynasty!"
For these soldiers, they had destroyed a powerful xenos faction with their own efforts.
This sense of honor and accomplishment was beyond words.
"The battle isn't over yet! There are still a large number of xenos in the hive bottom! Everyone, immediately join the subsequent operation to exterminate the xenos! All officers, lead your soldiers to the battlefield!
High Priest, your people are more familiar with the hive bottom. I must trouble you and your cultists to guide my soldiers!"
"It would be my honor to serve!"
Lucan sent away all the non-warped-in Raiders. Watching everyone else leave, Lucan had these warped-in units completely seal off the area, allowing no one to enter.
Lucan jumped down from the Genestealer Patriarch's body. He could feel that a life was about to be born.
And that he himself had a close connection to this life.
"My Lord, why are you here looking at this monster's corpse?"
Damon walked to Lucan's side, looking at the body with lingering fear.
But before Lucan could speak, the Genestealer Patriarch's stomach area began to bulge, as if something was about to burst out from within.
This scene made Lucan's heart panic. Why did this look so much like the movie Alien!
It wasn't going to give birth to a screeching xenomorph, was it? He hadn't loaded the Alien game!
With a series of tearing sounds, the Genestealer Patriarch's stomach was ripped open.
An extraordinary amount of psychic energy spewed forth from the opening. The sheer magnitude of this energy was even stronger than that of the Genestealer Patriarch.
And accompanying this psychic energy was a voice.
"I! Am the Swarm!"
Hearing this voice, Lucan's mouth dropped open… How could he not know what this phrase represented?
Kerrigan, the Queen of Blades, the master of the Swarm, an entity who eventually ascended to become a Xel'Naga in the story.
Damon and the assembled Raiders had an even stronger reaction than Lucan.
Lucan had only played the game, but they had personally experienced the terror of the StarCraft Zerg and witnessed Kerrigan's power.
Everyone couldn't help but raise their gun muzzles. Although she was Raynor's old flame, it was hard to say which era's Kerrigan had appeared here; she was known to kill humans without the slightest hesitation.
"Wait a minute… why does this voice sound so child-like? Isn't Kerrigan's voice full of queenly authority?"
As the psychic energy subsided, Lucan mustered his courage and climbed onto the Patriarch's body again, looking into the rupture.
Lucan peeked his head in. He did not see the Zerg Queen of Blades, but rather a naked five- or six-year-old little girl…
At this moment, after releasing the psychic energy, the little girl seemed very weak. She actually began to tear off large chunks of flesh from the Genestealer Patriarch's body and stuff them into her mouth.
Lucan just watched quietly, just as many newly hatched creatures eat their eggshells to replenish nutrients.
The Genestealer Patriarch's massive body was being devoured by the little girl at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Lucan couldn't figure out how such a small body could possibly fit so much food; it was simply incredible.
Lucan did not stop her, just watching quietly. An hour later, the Genestealer Patriarch's body had completely disappeared, leaving only a skeleton devoid of any flesh. The little girl seemed uninterested in the bones. And after eating her fill, she even let out a small burp.
The little girl stood up and looked at Lucan. The surrounding Raiders had also witnessed the scene just now. Although it wasn't the Queen of Blades who had emerged, eating an entire Patriarch's corpse was no different from being a monster.
The little girl walked towards Lucan.
Damon immediately moved to protect Lucan.
"My Lord! This is a monster! You must leave, quickly!"
But Lucan pushed Damon aside and, tearing a piece of clothing from a nearby Genestealer corpse, draped it over the little girl.
Lucan knew she posed no danger; his soul was connected to the little girl before him.
Lucan crouched down and carefully observed the little girl's appearance.
Though very young, she bore a striking resemblance to Kerrigan from the StarCraft games.
"Could this be the Queen in her childhood form?!"
"Do you know who I am?" Lucan asked tentatively.
"I know! You are Father!"
"Huh?!"
Lucan, who was only 20 in actual age, hadn't expected to suddenly have a daughter before even being in a relationship. And this was even a form of self-reproduction; he had personally witnessed his own Warp projection create her.
The little girl's face showed little expression, and her tone was devoid of any emotion, instead sounding like a machine reciting information from a system default.
"Then what is your name?"
"I have no name. Whatever Father calls me, that will be my name."
"Then from now on, your name will be Kerrigan!"
"Thank you, Father. From now on, my name is Kerrigan!"
After receiving a name, Lucan was surprised to see the little girl actually smile.
This indicated she was not some machine without self-awareness.
"Can you tell Father what abilities you have?"
"Abilities? I can use the biomass or energy I absorb to create Zerg larvae."
Saying this, Kerrigan's palm began to writhe. Her palm began to split, producing some flesh that then began to coalesce. In a short while, a Zerg larva, almost identical to the one in the game, appeared before Kerrigan.
And Kerrigan then pointed at the Zerg cocoon, looking at Lucan as if showing off to him.
(End of Chapter)