Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang-bang! Bang-bang! Bang-bang-bang! Bang-bang-bang!
"Ah! Ah! Ahhh! Ahhh! Ahhhhh! Ahhhhh!"
In the end, faced with Lumina's two choices, Little Swarm chose the latter... not for any particular reason, but simply because his Creator's gentle little fists, even when landing on him, felt gentle!
As Lumina's "gentle" strikes landed on the Simulated Starcrusher Swarm King, it erupted into a series of piercing shrieks. However, these screams didn't sound like cries of pain from the attacks themselves...
Instead, they resembled the ecstatic moans one might make during a particularly pleasurable massage or other stimulating activity—a blend of exquisite pain and pleasure, a state of blissful agony...
It seemed Lumina's attacks hadn't delivered the harsh lesson she intended. Instead, the Simulated Starcrusher Swarm King had taken them as a perverse form of enjoyment, relishing every blow...
"This thing... it was just created, yet it's already acting like those online perverts in the real world..."
The erudite Lumina naturally understood the meaning conveyed in the Simulated Starcrusher Swarm King's sonic roar.
Her eyes flashed with a hint of disdain.
If you were a beautiful girl, this personality would be a plus in Lumina's eyes... Ahem (crossed out).
If you were a beautiful girl, Lumina wouldn't have cared much. She would have just given her a few words of advice, telling her not to act like that in the future, as it was unbecoming and could ruin her image...
But if you're not a beautiful girl—in fact, if you're a hideous bug, and the target of your derangement is me?!
Lumina desperately wanted to stomp the Simulated Starcrusher Swarm King into "Starcrusher Swarm King Paste" right then and there...
However...
"It's actually developed self-awareness?"
Watching the Simulated Starcrusher Swarm King revel in her beating, Lumina realized a crucial detail she and Ruan Mei had overlooked from the start:
This artificially created Starcrusher Swarm King had developed its own self-awareness... and it was astonishingly pure!
Hmph... With masochistic tendencies like this, how could it not be pure? It's practically on par with those hardcore perverts.
In her heart, Lumina silently added a mental note, categorizing the Simulated Starcrusher Swarm King before her as a "perverted freak."
If it hadn't developed self-awareness, I could have crushed it without a second thought. But since it has... that means it's now a living being...
Lumina paused her actions, propped her chin in her hand, and stared intently at the Simulated Starcrusher Swarm King, lost in thought.
She harbored profound compassion for all life in the Cosmos. As long as they didn't commit heinous acts, she would shelter, protect, and heal them...
This principle applied equally to the self-aware Simulated Starcrusher Swarm King.
"Alright, the punishment ends here."
Lumina extended her palm, and a soft green light emanated from it, slowly drifting into the Simulated Starcrusher Swarm King's body, healing the injuries it had sustained from her earlier beating.
"Mmm~ ahh~" The Simulated Starcrusher Swarm King involuntarily let out a blissful moan as it felt the warm current surge through its body.
If you didn't know better, you'd think...
Lumina: ((╬ಠิ_ಠิ))
Maybe I should just crush it into goo after all...
Hearing that voice, a massive tic mark instantly appeared on Lumina's forehead. Her dainty, pink fists clenched tightly. If this damned bug dares utter another word, it won't live to see another dawn. Time for reincarnation...
Perhaps sensing Lumina's inner thoughts, the Simulated Starcrusher Swarm King obediently clamped its mouth shut.
It stared at Lumina with wide, adorable eyes, its face radiating what it perceived as irresistible cuteness.
"Can you shrink a bit?"
Ignoring its foolish expression, Lumina suppressed her urge to stomp the creature into oblivion. She glanced at Stelle, her eyes darting around as she conceived a clever idea.
Turning back to the Simulated Starcrusher Swarm King, she said calmly, "Can you shrink to the size of my fist?"
"Yes, yes!" The Simulated Starcrusher Swarm King instantly became entranced by the melodious voice of its Creator...
Snapping back to attention, it nodded frantically, confirming it could shrink.
Lumina sighed inwardly at the sight of the giant bug's incessant nodding, though she didn't dwell on it.
She curled her slender fingers into a fist, extended it toward the creature, and said, "Then shrink to the size of my fist."
"Yes, yes, right away!" Hearing these words, the Simulated Starcrusher Swarm King, like a lackey, nodded obsequiously and spoke with utmost respect.
Its massive form gradually shrank, eventually condensing into a fist-sized creature.
Now fist-sized, the Simulated Starcrusher Swarm King immediately tried to fly into Lumina's arms, eager to bask in her gentle embrace. However, a single stern glance from Lumina stopped it in its tracks.
Ignoring its crestfallen expression, Lumina turned to Stelle, who was looking particularly endearing and pleasing to the eye, and explained:
"Stelle, let me introduce you. This is a construct co-created by Ruan Mei and me—the Simulated Starcrusher Swarm King. You can just call it Little Swarm."
"I'm truly sorry for my oversight that nearly caused you great harm. Please forgive me."
Lumina displayed completely different attitudes toward the Simulated Starcrusher Swarm King and Stelle.
Toward the Simulated Starcrusher Swarm King, she was cold and indifferent, treating it like trash, her disdain palpable in every gesture.
Toward Stelle, however, she was gentle and Holy, nurturing her like a precious treasure, overflowing with tolerance.
In this moment, Lumina's blatant double standards were laid bare, revealing the full extent of her bias...
However, because both Stelle and Little Swarm held Lumina in such high regard and admiration, they failed to notice her blatant double standards.
"An apology must come with sincerity!"
Stelle, who was not March 7th, placed her hands on her hips, a wide smile spreading across her face as she demanded an apology gift from Lumina.
"Of course, an apology wouldn't be complete without a gift," Lumina replied with a gentle smile, reaching out to pat Stelle's head before turning her gaze to Little Swarm. "This Emanator-level Simulated Starcrusher Swarm King is no longer of use to Ruan Mei and me. It's yours now."
"No! (No!)"
The moment Lumina finished speaking, two voices rang out in perfect unison, their protest echoing with remarkable synchronicity.
"Hmm? Why not?"
Though both voices protested, Lumina ignored the other one and turned her gentle gaze to Stelle.
"It's so weak and useless, and it's ugly too. It's not even one ten-thousandth as good as the trash in a dumpster," Stelle declared, planting her hands on her hips and slapping several labels onto Little Swarm with unwavering seriousness.
Little Swarm: ...
"You..."
"Just treat it like a dog. Make it do all the dirty work and heavy lifting. Turn it into a nonstop workaholic."
Little Swarm was about to object, but before he could utter more than a syllable, Lumina's voice cut him off.
She reached out and gently stroked Stelle's head, her tone warm as she spoke words that sent a chill down Little Swarm's spine.
"Hmm... I suppose that might actually work." Hearing Sister Lumina's words and feeling the tender touch on her head, Stelle couldn't help but let her imagination run wild.
With this Little Swarm, I could order it to bring every trash can in the Cosmos right to me...
Even if it's weak, Sister Lumina calls it an Emanator...
As an Emanator, even if it's weak, it couldn't be so useless that it can't even collect trash cans, right?
Realizing this, Stelle stopped dwelling on the matter. Sister Lumina was right—though she was indeed terrible at combat, she could still be quite useful as a tool, to be ordered around as needed.
With a serious expression, Stelle nodded at Lumina and solemnly declared, "Sister Lumina, I accept your apology gift!"
"Good girl," Lumina replied with a nod, her face radiating satisfaction at having such an obedient child.
"Hey! What about my opinion?! What about my opinion?! I don't want to be this idiot's tool!" Little Swarm erupted in fury when he heard Lumina and Stelle casually decide his future in just a few words.
"Little Swarm, from now on, you'll follow Stelle's orders. Do exactly as she says, no arguments allowed. Understand?" Lumina ignored Little Swarm's protest and turned to him, her tone flat and unwavering.
"Understood, understood!" Little Swarm immediately adopted a servile posture, bowing and scraping like a servant.
In the end, Little Swarm, enraged, completely lost his temper...
After all, one had to obey one's Creator, right?