Novel Full Chapter 350: The Genesis Hive.
Chapter 350: The Genesis Hive.
The moment Kael realized that there would be beings coming to hurt his daughter, he clenched his fists in anger as his eyes turned frosty.
Attacking his little Ria…?
He would crush every single one of those bastards into tiny little pieces with his own hands.
“Father…?”
Imperia, who sensed her father’s emotions, tilted her little head in confusion.
“I am alright, don’t worry about it.”
Kael smiled lightly, patting her head. Then, he began telling her about what he read and the Mission that was given to him.
“So this is why I felt like it was calling me.”
Imperia muttered, staring at the Brood Chamber with an unreadable expression on her face. Soon, however, she lowered her head.
“Does this mean I won’t be able to fight with you…?”
She questioned, disappointed that she wouldn’t be able to spend time with her father like she expected to.
“Maybe it is because you and your synergy with me is so perfect that the Trial thought instead of you, I am the one who needs to be trained.
It is your fault for being such a perfect little angel, really.”
Kael chuckled softly, trying to lighten her mood.
Imperia, however, kept her head down. She really did not like this. She was honestly jealous of how Vita got to spend time with Kael. The fact that the Fox didn’t shut up about it didn’t make it any better.
What’s worse was that because of the Fox’s constant flaunting, Cirri too began talking about her time with her father in the Tempest Throne, and sometimes, even their big brother Igni got swayed by the flow and started talking, making Ria feel even more left out.
“Don’t worry, we will spend a lot of time together when we leave this place.”
Seeing that his words didn’t make much of a difference, Kael tried something else.
“Father is already busy outside.”
Imperia shook her head. She didn’t wish to be a burden.
“It won’t be for long, I promise.”
Kael spoke lightly as he once again rubbed her head with his finger. Imperia closed her eyes and—
“Mm.”
She nodded lightly.
For a while, the father and daughter stayed like this. It didn’t look like there was any time limit to when Imperia was supposed to enter the Chamber, so Kael didn’t rush into things either.
After a while, the little Ant finally turned towards the Brood Chamber again. Then, a determined look appeared on her face.
“I am ready.”
She spoke.
Kael nodded as well. However, before Imperia left, a frown appeared on her face.
“How do I give my powers?”
She questioned.
Kael paused for a moment as his eyes fell on the screen again.
[Swarmmind Link: To protect her, the Mother of All Ants has granted you her Power. You are now mentally linked to all ants in the Hive, allowing you to issue real-time battlefield commands.]
“Are you not getting any instinctive answers?”
He questioned. This was how it usually went. His children seemed to know what they shouldn’t know, so he was expecting something similar.
Imperia, however, shook her head.
“I am not.”
Kael turned silent again. Then, he just shrugged as he clenched his fists ferociously.
“You just enter. I will crush all those bastards myself.”
And Imperia…
“Language, Father.”
She corrected her father, and Kael couldn’t help but laugh out.
“Yes ma’am.”
Imperia laughed.
Kael then walked towards the Brood Chamber with Imperia on his shoulder. As they got closer, Imperia suddenly felt something and—
“Father, let me move from here.”
She muttered. Kael just nodded.
“Be careful.”
“You too, Father.”
Imperia nodded as she jumped off and walked into the Chamber.
Then it happened—
The amber shell peeled open, almost as if it was waiting for her. The vines made a gateway for her, releasing a soft glow in her welcome.
It was beautiful. The sight almost made Kael tear up for a reason he did not know.
As the Ant walked in, the vines moved, sealing the chamber behind her.
And then—
Something changed.
Kael… he could…
He could sense these Ants.
Thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of these ants—he could sense every single one of them. He could sense their intention. He could sense their readiness.
He could sense… their wait for his orders.
He could feel everything—
Their thoughts, their emotions, their movements, and even the tension they felt.
They were his now.
The power of the Mother of All Ants—the Swarmmind Link—was now his to wield.
But—
Not everything was good.
No, in truth, it was far from good.
“Haaaaaahhh!!”
The instant he fully received the Swarmmind Link—
The pain came. It felt like someone had slammed a hammer right on his skull with all their might.
He staggered, his vision blurred, and the agonizing, stinging pain rose even further as a storm of thoughts rushed in all at once, forcing him to grab his head with all his might, as if trying to stop it from exploding.
“Haaaahh… Haaahhh… Haaahhh…”
He couldn’t breathe.
His chest tightened like it was being crushed under a boulder.
His heart pounded so hard it shook his ribs.
The Ants…
He could feel them all—yes, every single one of them. It was like all of them now existed inside his head.
Too many minds.
Too many voices.
Too much.
His vision blurred even further, his ears rang, and his nose began to bleed. Even his regeneration did not seem to work—how could it?
His very mind was overloaded.
He opened his mouth to scream, but all he could do was desperately gasp for breaths, and then—
His legs gave out.
Thud
Kael collapsed to the ground, falling to his knees and then to his hands. His arms shook, his fingers dug into the ground beneath him. He felt like vomiting, like his skull was cracking.
The flood of the Swarmmind was too big, too loud, too wild.
Every ant’s movement, every thought, all slammed into his head without end. It felt like someone had grabbed his mind and tried to stretch it far beyond its limit.
He wanted all the flow of information to stop, even for a second, even just a little—after all, he needed time to adjust to it all.
But…
Time was on his side.
Ba-dump
Kael heard a heartbeat—no, it wasn’t his.
It came from the Chamber Imperia was in, resonating throughout the hive. Kael glanced at the Chamber and noticed its walls had hardened, as if sealing Imperia inside, making it impossible for him to see her.
And then—
Ba-dump
A sudden burst of raw, ancient power pulsed out from the chamber.
Rumble Rumble Rumble
It rippled through the Hive like a shockwave, shaking the walls, causing dust to fall from above. Kael’s mind was overwhelmed by the Ants’ reverence. Every single one of these Ants was staring at Imperia, showing absolute respect and loyalty.
They all could feel it—
Their Mother was growing.
But…
They weren’t the only ones who felt it.
Others, outside the Hive, felt it as well.
Outside the Hive, across the dark tunnels, in hidden nests, deep pits, and hollow chambers—
The Predators moved.
Their ferocious eyes opened in the darkness, their unhinged jaws moved as their limbs began to twitch.
Beings that had slept for centuries were now drawn by the energy Imperia’s evolution was releasing,
And—
[Wave 1 – The Firemaw Beetles]
Kael, in his messy state, saw a message—and before he could even focus with his blurry eyes and see what it was—
RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE
The ground trembled.
Kael gritted his teeth, still on his knees. Even though he couldn’t read the message, he knew what was happening. And the worst part…
He was in no situation to stop it.
But the enemies did not wait.
“SCREEEEEEEEEECCHH!!!”
A horrifying, eldritch scream that no human could remake was heard through the tunnels.
WHOOSH
Then came the river of flames.
A wave of heat surged forward, rolling down the tunnels like a firestorm.
And behind it—
They came.
Tens of thousands of chitin-armored beasts with glowing red shells and blazing maws, their jaws dripping with molten saliva that hissed as it hit the stone.
The Firemaw Beetles.
Each one the size of a horse, their legs sharp and serrated, their mandibles glowing like forged steel. Their eyes were black pits filled with rage. Their backs hissed with vents of fire that blasted open as they charged, spraying the walls with scorching heat.
They were fearsome, horrifying entities.
*Picture*
And to Kael, who could only see a blurry picture, they were even more dangerous. But…
These dangerous entities were here for his daughter. There was no way in hell Kael could let it happen.
He forced himself to stand up and took out his sword, ready to cut these monsters into pieces, but then—
“Haaaaaahhhh!!!”
He collapsed on the ground again as he sensed the emotions of hundreds of thousands of ants he was connected to. Some were scared, some wished to protect their mother, some wanted to eradicate the enemies, some wanted to go rogue and plunge themselves into death while taking out the enemies—
All these emotions, Kael felt every single one of them, instantly overwhelming his mind and… sealing his body functions.
The horrifying beetles jumped on top of him.
He tried slashing a few of them the best he could, but very quickly—
He was torn into pieces.
The battle hadn’t even begun—
And it was already over.