Chapter 186: The Stranded Male Zerg × The Heavenly Garuda Emperor (7): Ulysses Is Covered Head-to-Toe by God’s Clothes

The readers on StarNet were dumbfounded.

[Wait... how did things end up like this?]

After recovering from the shock, the Zerg readers exploded with rage.

[Our Male Lord kindly offered to check his Psychic Domain, and what was that Heavenly Garuda doing?! Why didn't he just obediently lie there and let himself be examined? He actually wanted to climb over our Lord's head?!]

The Heavenly Garuda readers had something to say as well.

[A mere male with such a terrible temper, completely lacking in manners! His Majesty is already treating him so well, and he doesn't even spread his wings in gratitude! He actually dares resist? That's outrageous! A male like that deserves to be ridden until he cries!]

The flames of war intensified, spreading from inside the novel to outside it.

No matter which side the readers belonged to, everyone believed their own Lord or Emperor deserved to be the one on top.

They could afford to lose ordinary keyboard battles.

But when it came to deciding who held control over their Lord or Emperor...

Victory was mandatory.

Some Zerg readers had originally wondered, "Isn't this basically rewarding him?"

But as the conflict escalated, no one cared anymore.

They only wanted the representative of their own race to emerge victorious.

Meanwhile, the Heavenly Garuda had been waiting for this day for a long time.

Ever since the two protagonists had become stranded together on the deserted planet, they'd been looking forward to the day His Majesty finally devoured that high-ranking Male Zerg.

Unfortunately, unlike ordinary Heavenly Garuda who rarely ever saw a high-ranking male, the Emperor himself had little desire for Male Zergs.

He had delayed making a move for far too long.

Now...

At last.

The moment had finally arrived.

The Heavenly Garuda & Zerg readers alike:

Teach that high-ranking Male Zerg/Heavenly Garuda a proper lesson!

The cave gradually filled with the scent of battle.

Carl released his own pheromones as well.

There was a clear difference in rank between them.

But Male Zergs were naturally far more resistant to pheromones.

They could be attracted by them...

Yet they wouldn't lose their ability to act.

Instead, pheromones often stimulated them to fight even harder.

Females were the exact opposite.

Females had very poor resistance to male pheromones.

If several females were releasing pheromones nearby, they'd first fight each other for the exclusive right to claim the male.

But now...

Forget nearby.

He was the only female Heavenly Garuda on the entire planet.

Inside the cave existed only his own pheromones...

And the Male Zerg's.

No outsiders.

No foreign scent.

This was the perfect environment for reproduction.

Gradually, Ares found himself losing strength.

His attacks became riddled with openings.

There was such a difference in rank between them...

The Male Zerg's pheromones shouldn't have affected him this strongly.

Yet the scent filling the cave was unbelievably pleasant.

Sweet like fruit...

Yet carrying an intensely stimulating spicy note.

It made his mouth water.

Drawn toward that sweet spiciness...

He couldn't get enough of it.

Even when the Male Zerg bit the tip of his tongue...

He felt no pain.

The Male Zerg's kisses gradually lulled Ares into forgetting their competition.

All he wanted...

Was more.

Carl seized the opportunity and took the upper position.

While continuing to nibble at the Heavenly Garuda, he quietly checked.

The Heavenly Garuda's body had long since become fully prepared.

Pheromones overflowed everywhere.

Just as Carl was about to proceed, he suddenly remembered something.

Leaning close to Ares' ear, he asked a question.

Ares had already reached his limit.

His thoughts were muddled.

He couldn't understand why the Male Zerg had suddenly stopped.

He hadn't even heard the question clearly.

"Hm?"

"What?"

"Protection!"

Carl repeated.

"Do you have anything that blocks pheromones?"

Understanding what he meant, Ares immediately glared at him.

His eyes practically burst into flames.

How could such a thing possibly exist?!

If reproduction couldn't produce an egg...

What was the point?

Both Zergs and Heavenly Garuda were civilizations that placed reproduction above all else.

Among the Zerg, contraceptive products were nearly as rare as contraband.

Female Zergs had almost no right to choose.

Everything depended entirely upon the Male Zerg's wishes.

Females who loved hatchlings had even less reason to think about contraception.

Only in the rarest cases, when a Male Zerg deliberately wished to punish a female by refusing to provide pheromones afterward, would such items occasionally be used.

Even then...

It was exceedingly uncommon.

The Heavenly Garuda, however, actually manufactured and sold them.

Within Heavenly Garuda society, reproductive rights rested entirely in female hands.

If a female had no plans for offspring over the coming years...

Or wanted to focus completely on a career...

She would have the male use protective products just in case.

Heavenly Garuda males were also commonly shared among several females.

Different females had different intentions.

Some wanted hatchlings.

Some didn't.

Using medication on the male could affect the experience of the others.

Disposable protection had therefore become the standard choice.

In short...

The Heavenly Garuda were thoroughly familiar with such products.

But the decision belonged to the female.

Never the male.

Ares glared furiously at the Male Zerg sitting on top of him.

Once again, he wondered if he'd been far too accommodating.

Otherwise...

How had this Male Zerg become bold enough to make such a request?

Carl refused to back down despite the glare.

He absolutely refused to lay eggs with a Heavenly Garuda.

"...You don't have one?"

"If not..."

"I'll make one myself."

Carl looked around.

His gaze landed on the waterproof sheet nearby.

He reached toward it, preparing to tear off a piece.

Ares nearly smashed the entire camp bed with a single slap.

If that Male Zerg actually dared put such a thing on him...

He'd kick him straight out of the cave.

Send him flying a hundred thousand miles away.

"Enough!"

Seeing the Male Zerg still wrestling with the military waterproof sheet, Ares angrily pulled a package from his spatial storage and threw it directly in front of him.

Carl picked it up and looked it over.

He was genuinely surprised.

The Heavenly Garuda actually had them.

Not just one, either.

An entire strip of individually wrapped packages.

Quite a lot.

Suddenly...

Carl didn't feel very enthusiastic anymore.

"...Who were these originally meant for?"

"Shut up."

Ares replied coldly.

"Get back here before I run out of patience."

...What kind of attitude was that?

Carl felt irritated.

Yet...

He wasn't entirely comfortable with his own reaction, either.

There was no reason for him to care about this Heavenly Garuda's past.

After all...

The two of them had absolutely no relationship.

Thinking that, Carl tore open a package.

Still harboring his irritation, he proceeded.

The essence of breaking through a military female's defenses during Psychic Soothing was to help the female relax.

To lower resistance.

To reduce vigilance.

Making Psychic Soothing easier.

But these two had fought from beginning to end.

It had been more like a battlefield than anything else.

Forget lowering their guard.

Their defenses and combat readiness had remained at maximum the entire time.

In the end...

The Psychic Soothing failed.

And the brood pouch received no pheromones either.

Neither of them was satisfied afterward.

Carl...

Because he still hadn't managed to enter the Psychic Domain he wanted to inspect.

Ares...

Because his brood pouch had opened...

Yet ultimately received nothing.

Meaning...

There would be no egg.

He truly did have an imperial throne to inherit.

And he genuinely intended to have an egg someday.

Doing everything...

Yet having no chance of conception...

Made the entire experience feel meaningless.

Wearing a dark expression, Carl stood up, put on his outer robe, and left to wash himself.

Ares lay flat on the camp bed.

Facing the cave ceiling.

One hand covered his forehead.

His eyes rested on the stone walls and the glowing crystals.

His brood pouch...

And even his heart...

Both felt strangely empty.

As though a fire burned inside him.

Making him want to drag the Male Zerg back...

And burn together with him.

Yet in the end...

He simply lay there quietly.

Doing nothing.

Only the rise and fall of his chest gradually steadied his breathing.

A dark light flickered deep within his eyes.

The comment section remained silent for quite some time.

Only after a long pause did readers finally begin posting again.

[So... this counts as mutual destruction?]

[Yeah... they really fought hard.]

[At least our Male Lord didn't lose! He neither performed Psychic Soothing for that Heavenly Garuda nor gave him an egg!]

[But our Lord originally wanted to inspect the Heavenly Garuda Emperor's Psychic Domain because his mental condition was unstable. Now I'm really worried about our Lord's safety afterward.]

The Zerg readers remained relatively calm.

Their primary concern was the Male Zerg.

The Heavenly Garuda, however, reacted far more intensely.

[Despicable Zergs!]

[Since when does a male get to decide whether there'll be an egg or whether protection gets used?!]

[A male who's only responsible for enjoying himself doesn't deserve any choice!]

[If the female wants an egg, the male should obediently provide pheromones! It's not like males raise the hatchlings anyway! Females lay the eggs, females raise them, so only females have the right to decide!]

[As if your males don't have to provide follow-up pheromones and incubate eggs afterward. (eye roll)]

[Zergs and Heavenly Garuda are different! Our Male Lord would never lay eggs with a Heavenly Garuda!]

[If he ever returns home while carrying an egg, wouldn't that just increase the Heavenly Garuda's military strength? An SS-rank Heavenly Garuda Emperor and an A-rank Male Zerg would only produce an exceptionally gifted hatchling. Don't let the Heavenly Garuda get such a bargain!]

[The rank of Heavenly Garuda males has deteriorated even worse than the Zerg's. Giving them a high-ranking male hatchling for nothing would be an incredible profit. Don't hand them that advantage!]

[Stop talking... If a male hatchling ended up being taken back to the Heavenly Garuda, who knows what kind of hell he'd suffer there? Poor little Male Lord.]

[Our Male Lord refusing to lay eggs with the Heavenly Garuda is for the sake of future male hatchlings, for the nation, and for the Federation!]

[Though most importantly... it's because he hates the Heavenly Garuda. Bleh.]

The Heavenly Garuda became furious...

Then immediately began offering advice to the Emperor inside the novel.

[Just pin the Male Zerg down and do it! Stop holding back! He'd never be able to resist. Don't give him a chance to use protection.]

[I have an even darker idea... poke holes in it...]

[???]

[Wait, what? Where did you even learn something like that? You're Heavenly Garuda! Do you really need to go that far?]

[No need to make it complicated. Just use them faster. Once they're all gone, the Male Zerg won't have any options left.]

[As expected of Heavenly Garuda who carry an entire stack of protection with them. Truly cunning.]

[What's wrong with carrying them? Unlike your females, who have no choice at all. When your military females receive Psychic Soothing from military-assigned Male Zergs, I bet they aren't even issued any protection. Then imagine ending up pregnant with a Psychic Soother's egg on the front lines. No male to provide pheromones. No male to incubate the egg. Good luck dealing with that.]

[A Psychic Soother's egg? You mean... that Lord...? (blushing)]

[Oh my God... If I could carry that Lord's egg, my life would be complete.]

[Too bad our Lord doesn't perform one-on-one Psychic Soothing anymore.]

[Even if he did, it wouldn't help. Everything happens inside the treatment room. You're in and out in less than a minute. Military females drag you away immediately afterward. You don't even get time to say an extra sentence, let alone make physical contact.]

[The thing we're desperate for... and the Heavenly Garuda are actually bringing protection?]

[Out of everything those Heavenly Garuda said, that's the one sentence I liked best. May I become pregnant with the Psychic Soother Lord's egg. (blushing)]

The Heavenly Garuda:

[???]

Having absolutely no Psychic Soothers of equivalent rank...

They simply couldn't understand these Zergs.

...

The Prince quietly closed the novel.

Feeling awkward, he looked away and cleared his throat.

Watching his younger brother's... battle scenes...

Didn't seem entirely appropriate.

Especially with other Heavenly Garuda standing nearby.

Then again...

Ares really did treat battle like battle.

They fought quite fiercely.

The novel hadn't used particularly explicit wording.

So it wasn't especially uncomfortable to read.

The Prince put away the holographic screen and asked the military female standing nearby,

"Any news yet?"

The black-haired military female lowered his head respectfully.

"Not yet. The frontline forces are conducting a full-scale search."

Exactly as expected.

"Very well."

"Novel time is over."

"It's time to think about how we're going to fool everyone and stabilize the situation."

The Prince sighed softly.

If the Heavenly Garuda Emperor remained absent for too long...

Rumors would inevitably spread throughout the Empire.

People's loyalties would begin to waver.

After a moment's thought...

A sly smile appeared on the Prince's face.

"How about we simply announce..."

"...that His Majesty is preparing for pregnancy?"

The military female froze.

"But... with whom?"

Every male in the Empire was registered.

Especially those who had reached adulthood and were awaiting marriage.

If His Majesty had taken one away...

It would be immediately obvious.

There had always been rumors involving His Majesty...

And the Prince.

But now the Prince was in the palace...

While His Majesty was on the frontier.

Separated by half the Heavenly Garuda Star System.

The story no longer held together.

"Didn't the Zerg Federation lose a high-ranking Male Zerg?"

The Prince smiled faintly.

His eyes shimmered.

"We don't need to say it outright."

"Let them guess."

The mixed-blood military female became momentarily dazed by the Prince's smile.

Only after the Prince looked at him questioningly did he hurriedly lower his head, accept the order, and depart.

Watching his retreating figure, the Prince fell into thought.

...Perhaps the marriage that had originally been planned...

Could be postponed a little longer.

After all...

He found such things disgusting.

He didn't want to form an intimate relationship with any Heavenly Garuda.

Nor did he want a "Female Lord" standing above him.

If even a Heavenly Garuda whom he personally chose and trusted could end up hurting him...

Then it was better to stop at the very beginning.

Never taking another step forward.

...

Zerg Federation.

Capital Star.

Ulysses felt as though he were drowning.

An SSS-rank Zerg could survive in the vacuum of space and travel through hyperspace.

Naturally...

A mere pool of water posed no threat.

If he wished, he could live beneath the sea like a fish.

Swimming freely through the deepest ocean.

Yet now...

Water poured into his body from every direction.

Along with dense foam sealing him in completely.

God kneaded and scrubbed him.

Covering every inch of him in fine white bubbles.

Every squeeze forced great amounts of water and foam from his body.

The moment God's hands released him...

Even more water soaked back in.

His body grew unbelievably heavy.

Not a single place was spared.

God's hands lingered on him longer than ever before.

Applied more pressure than ever before.

Again and again...

He was lifted from the water.

Wrung dry.

Then submerged once more until completely soaked.

Without the slightest covering.

Ulysses' skin gradually flushed crimson with shame.

Who knew how much time had passed...

Before he was wrung dry once again...

And placed into a cold machine.

God departed.

Leaving him behind.

Neglected.

...

An Ruo discovered that his own clothes had gotten wet.

Even though he'd rolled up his sleeves while washing the plushie...

The splashing water had still soaked the hem of his shirt.

He changed into fresh clothes.

Since it was only one shirt, he didn't bother giving it to the maintenance robot.

He washed it by hand himself.

Then placed it into the dryer...

Together with the Ulysses plushie.

Completely covered beneath God's clothes...

Breathing in the faint fragrance lingering upon them...

Ulysses' face slowly turned red.