"What are these slime and instrument fragments?"
Stelle walked to the center of the circular platform, surveying the chaotic scene before her. She crouched down, reached out, and pinched a bit of the slime scattered across the floor, her expression puzzled.
Wasn't there supposed to be a culture vessel here, and a big problem inside it?
Why is there just this unidentified liquid and debris everywhere? Where's the vessel?
Wait...
If these instrument fragments are what's left of the culture vessel... then this slime must be the liquid that was soaking the 'minor nuisance' inside.
That means... before I even got here, the 'minor nuisance' already broke out of the vessel and ran off somewhere...
"I'd better tell Ruan Mei about this," Stelle muttered to herself. The slime and vessel fragments clearly weren't fresh; they'd been there for quite some time.
As for that "minor nuisance," who knew where it had gone.
Adding to the eerie, unsettling atmosphere, Stelle, being less than a year old, couldn't help but feel a twinge of fear.
With that thought, Stelle decided not to linger any longer. She stood up, intending to find Ruan Mei and report what she had discovered.
"Huh?!"
But just as Stelle stood up and before she could take a step, she noticed a massive shadow that had suddenly appeared behind her, engulfing her in darkness.
Instantly, alarm bells rang in Stelle's mind. A baseball bat materialized in her hand, and with a zero-frame start, she swung it behind her without hesitation.
This size... it's definitely not Sister Lumina. So... SMASH IT!
Stelle mentally roared, swinging the baseball bat with all her might.
She could already imagine the colossal, unknown entity behind her being reduced to a puddle of mush under the Galactic Baseballer's super-powered swing.
Yet imagination and reality diverged. Instead of connecting, the super-powered strike was intercepted by a massive claw that clamped down on the bat.
Stelle: ...
Staring at the scene before her, Stelle's eyes filled with disbelief.
But as a Galactic Baseballer, she refused to accept her fate.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"
With a furious roar, the super-strong girl channeled every ounce of her strength, unleashing her superhuman power to break free from the shackles of fate and slam the super-bat into her enemy.
Yet ultimately, despite her monstrous force, the super-bat remained firmly gripped by the claw... and nothing changed.
[ Little Swarm (Simulated Swarm King): ] ?.?
Watching the foolish Stellaron Spirit roar incoherently, two massive question marks erupted in Little Swarm's eyes.
Though he couldn't understand what she was doing, he figured she must be suffering from some major illness...
Little Swarm gazed at the frail Stellaron Spirit, itching to crush her with a single swipe of his claw.
But these were just thoughts; Little Swarm only dared to imagine it.
After all, his claws could never match the speed of his creator's palm strike...
As for why Lumina became its creator, it was naturally because its power originated from her, and, of course, because she was exceptionally beautiful! o(* ̄▽ ̄*)ブ
Influenced by Lumina's power, this Simulated Starcrusher Swarm King, barely a few days old, had already become a beauty fanatic.
"Speaking of which, as expected of someone Lady Lumina values, she's truly beautiful."
Little Swarm sized Stelle up and down, unable to help but praise Lumina's discerning eye.
Aside from looking a bit dim-witted, she was practically the perfect beautiful girl!
"Why aren't you following the script?" Stelle demanded, her brow furrowing as she glared at Little Swarm. Despite exerting all her strength, she couldn't budge the baseball bat even an inch.
Little Swarm: ?.?
"According to the script, you're supposed to be crushed to death by my baseball bat on the spot, and then I, the Galactic Baseballer, become famous throughout the Space Station, famous throughout the entire Cosmos!"
Sensing the confusion in the Simulated Starcrusher Swarm King's eyes, Stelle even took the trouble to offer a helpful reminder.
As expected, this woman was a bit... off in the head.
Little Swarm didn't dwell on it. It had no interest in dealing with such mentally unsound individuals.
If it weren't for those two sentences my master spoke earlier, I would have crushed you with a single claw strike long ago...
"Hiss-haaaah!"
Little Swarm glared coldly at the somewhat deranged Stellaron Spirit before it, then opened its jaws and roared directly at her.
I must give my all, but I can't harm you... Then I'll just have to scare you away.
Little Swarm unleashed its full power. A blue radiance instantly enveloped the entire area, transforming it into a miniature blue sun suspended high in the sky.
"Emanator... I won't disturb you. I'll just be going now, ha..." Sensing the overwhelming aura emanating from Little Swarm, Stelle forced an awkward smile, retracted her baseball bat, raised her hands in surrender, and began backing away, desperate to escape.
What a joke! Ruan Mei really is a wicked woman!
Stelle retreated, cursing Ruan Mei relentlessly.
Having examined the experimental records from the previous sites, Stelle knew Ruan Mei had been conducting an Emanator-level experiment...
But she never imagined Ruan Mei would actually create an Emanator...
An Emanator... Even with three heads and six arms, she wouldn't stand a chance!
The sheer power of Phantylia, Jing Yuan, and Lumina was still vivid in Stelle's mind. No infant, even one less than a year old, could possibly defeat them.
Stelle felt like crying but couldn't shed a tear. She desperately wanted to run to Sister Lumina.
"Go on, get out of here..." Little Swarm nodded his insectoid head in satisfaction, watching Stelle's retreat.
Lady Lumina, the great creator, had ordered him to unleash his full power, but she never forbade him from letting Stelle escape, did she?
Little Swarm chuckled inwardly. Though the great creator's commands were sacred, he had no confidence he could unleash his full power without harming even a single hair on this foolish Stellaron Spirit before him.
Thus, Stelle's "retreat without a fight" spared Little Swarm's life.
Heh heh, once all this is over, I'm going to rest properly in the embrace of the Great Creator!
Ever since the Simulated Starcrusher Swarm King received Lumina's power, its entire body and soul seemed to have transformed into Lumina's likeness.
Bang!
"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!"
But just as Little Swarm was basking in this blissful thought, Stelle, who had been slowly backing away to leave the arena, suddenly collided with something, producing a deafening bang. Stelle clutched her head in pain, crouching on the ground and repeatedly crying out, "Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!"
As Stelle cried out, a gaze as cold as death fell upon Little Swarm, making him feel as if he had been plunged into an icy abyss.
Y-y-you're... you're alright, aren't you?! The Simulated Starcrusher Swarm King, witnessing Stelle's state and sensing that deathly gaze, instantly panicked.
Little Swarm hurriedly flew to Stelle, his voice trembling with concern and fear.
Oh, great-grandmother! You can't get hurt! If anything happens to you, I'll probably have to reincarnate too... I'm not even a year old yet! I don't want to die! ╥﹏╥
"Hmph! You insolent creature! Are you here to mock me?" The foolish Stellaron Spirit, of course, couldn't detect the Little Swarm's genuine concern and fear.
As Stelle observed the mysterious blue barrier that had suddenly appeared, enveloping the entire scene, she instantly deduced the culprit. After all, the azure shield was unmistakably connected to the all-blue insect before her!
I had no intention of fighting, but since you insist, don't blame the Galactic Baseballer for showing you no mercy!
Two blazing flames erupted in Stelle's eyes as she glared at the Simulated Starcrusher Swarm King.
Little Swarm: ?
Wait, where did this blue shield come from?
Feeling Stelle's furious gaze and staring at the blue shield that even her full power couldn't shatter, Little Swarm was utterly bewildered.
"Hmph!" Stelle glared at the panting Simulated Starcrusher Swarm King before her. Ignoring the throbbing pain in her head, she slowly rose to her feet, her eyes burning with unwavering resolve.
"Perhaps it's because you're a newly born Ruan Mei's Creation, completely unaware of my name—the Galactic Baseballer... But no matter, I'll make sure you learn it today!"
Stelle stroked the ring on her finger, and her baseball bat materialized in her hand once more.
Her voice and eyes were icy cold as she raised the bat, aiming it squarely at the Simulated Starcrusher Swarm King.
"Come on! If you won't let me leave, then I'll just blast you to bits!"
"Friend or foe. Choose!"