The instant Titania reached out to stabilize the passageway, the three remaining Propagation Emanators abruptly sensed something unusual.
As Emanators of Propagation, their perception of their Path naturally ran deep.
Until now, they'd felt an overwhelming power emanating from the planet, believing Titania was safely cocooned and nurturing herself.
Yet, the act she had just performed clearly revealed her true state.
[She actually hasn't cocooned herself yet...?]
The Starcrusher Swarm King, already having entered the Swarm's core region, suddenly accelerated its pace.
Its current strength had recovered to around eighty percent. Normally, it wouldn't dare face Titania head-on in this condition.
But since Titania hadn't strengthened herself further, this was undoubtedly the optimal moment to strike.
With its decision made, Starcrusher surged forward, its immense azure body streaking brilliantly across the starry sea, leaving a conspicuous trail through space.
As Starcrusher traveled, another consciousness reached out through the boundless Swarm, querying its intentions.
It was the Calamity Swarm King.
Calamity embodied the concept of the Swarm itself—all drones served merely as extensions of its limbs.
Naturally, the moment Starcrusher entered this core region, Calamity immediately sensed its arrival.
Calamity quickly relayed everything that had happened around Titania, seeking guidance on their next course of action.
[...Should we reseal them completely?]
Starcrusher paused briefly, considering Calamity's question before finally responding:
[A newborn Propagation AEON cannot easily transfer its power. Too many insignificant ants gathered there might actually become her strength.]
For Propagation, converting life into one's own power was an effortless matter.
Thus, Starcrusher issued its command to Calamity:
[Since that's the case, indulge that one's desires for now. Allow most of those ants to escape—just keep a small number encircled.]
Calamity was momentarily puzzled by Starcrusher's instructions.
[Why retain a small number? Wouldn't letting all of them go minimize the threat posed by the newborn deity?]
If those ants—unrelated to the newborn AEON—were all allowed to escape, wouldn't it severely reduce her available strength?
Why intentionally hold some back?
[Because those ants will serve as anchors restraining her.]
Starcrusher explained its reasoning patiently. [If she cares this deeply about mere ants, they must hold extraordinary significance to her.]
Therefore, keeping a handful would effectively tie her down.
But there was yet another reason…
[Moreover, leaving behind such a minuscule force means she'll have no way to overturn the situation.]
If all those trapped ants remained, this newborn AEON could potentially stage a comeback.
But with only a tiny fraction left, even attempting to leverage her power of Propagation would be futile.
Calamity, occupied with commanding every drone in this core region, hadn't grasped this nuance at first.
What made Starcrusher formidable wasn't merely brute strength but also intelligence—
Otherwise, it wouldn't have become the most feared and respected among all Propagation Emanators.
After Starcrusher spelled it out, Calamity understood the intent clearly:
Either leave all the ants here, granting Titania the resources to put up a strong fight—
Or strategically leave just a handful, guaranteeing Titania wouldn't have the power to stage a turnaround.
This was an overt stratagem placed clearly before her.
Now fully grasping this strategy, Calamity nodded and immediately started to execute Starcrusher's instructions.
Meanwhile, Calamity transported something else it had recovered to Starcrusher's location.
[These fragments were recovered near that newborn AEON.]
What appeared before Starcrusher was a pile of scattered remains.
At the sight of these remnants, Starcrusher slowed its rapid advance slightly.
The owners of these fragments were none other than the already-fallen Deceiver and Diabolical Swarm Kings.
Those two, foolishly charging ahead despite not fully regaining their strength, had intended to destroy Titania—only to be devoured instead.
Ultimately, these once colossal beings had been reduced to mere scraps.
[How pathetic. After finally being revived, they foolishly rushed headlong into death.]
Starcrusher lamented briefly, then opened its enormous jaws, swallowing the fragments whole.
Regardless, Deceiver and Diabolical had still been Swarm Kings personally spawned by Tazzyronth.
By consuming their remains, Starcrusher could significantly accelerate its own recovery and boost its power even further.
Calamity had precisely known this, hence why it delivered these fragments to Starcrusher.
Whether ordinary drones or elite Emanators, all moved relentlessly toward a single goal:
Utterly devouring that newborn AEON. For this purpose, consolidating all available resources was the highest priority.
[Be sure to protect yourself carefully as well,] Starcrusher cautioned Calamity after finishing its consumption.
[No need to worry; no one can locate my hiding place.]
[And Afterglow?] Starcrusher suddenly realized it had entered the core region, yet hadn't communicated at all with Afterglow.
[Afterglow arrived here long ago, though I don't currently know its exact location either.]
Calamity had encountered Afterglow briefly, but once it chose to conceal itself, detecting its presence was nearly impossible.
Still, one thing remained absolutely certain:
[It will undoubtedly make its move at the most critical moment.]
Indeed, now that Afterglow had reached this place, it surely wouldn't choose to leave.
It must be hiding somewhere, patiently awaiting the ideal opportunity to strike.
...
The moment Titania acted, crystalline matter instantly solidified, reinforcing the newly carved passageway.
Countless Swarm drones rushed forward, desperately attempting to reseal the breach, yet they were unable to break through these crystal barriers.
After all, these crystals were the core substance of the Propagation AEON's own stingers—the very material capable of piercing even the Amber Lord's crystalline walls.
As an AEON of Propagation, Titania possessed the authority to effortlessly convert matter into these crystals.
Unfortunately, if Titania had still possessed her full strength, this passage would have become completely impenetrable.
But now, Titania's power had dwindled to less than a fraction of its peak, rendering these crystals dangerously fragile.
Yet even in their fragile state, they were not something ordinary drones could breach in a short period.
At the very least, these crystals would buy precious time, giving the people here their long-awaited chance to escape.
As the passage finally opened fully, the besieged refugees caught their first glimpse of distant stars.
Though the Swarm blotted out much of the starlight, the glittering sparks that shone through filled everyone with newfound hope.
They had already conquered the barrier—how could they possibly fear a few scattered drones now?
Even if their ships crashed, they wouldn't hesitate. They would never stop moving forward.
Titania kept the passage open, silently watching as the refugees charged ahead.
They had known from the start that this might be a mission without return. Yet, they chose to pilot their ships bravely onward, ready to sacrifice everything.
If even a single ship managed to escape from this prison, their sacrifices would not be in vain.
"They're a bunch of idiots." Titania murmured to herself, unaware of how deeply affected she had become by the same foolishness.
Under the fierce assault, one ship after another burst free from the Swarm's encirclement, successfully reaching the open stars beyond.
As ships rapidly evacuated, the number of people remaining on Tartaro steadily decreased.
Eighty percent, seventy percent, sixty percent, fifty percent…
The refugees moved swiftly and orderly through the hard-won passage, toward the starry expanse.
Everything seemed to be proceeding exactly according to plan. Apparently, the hair those scholars lost had been a worthwhile sacrifice after all.
No unforeseen circumstances appeared so far.
"Seems like idiots really are favored by fortune," Titania murmured softly, a faint smile emerging unbidden.
But moments later, a chilling sense of wrongness filled her.
Without warning, the drones attacking the crystalline barrier suddenly intensified several-fold in strength!
She turned back abruptly, noticing nearly twenty percent of the refugees were still trapped behind her.
"Damn it—what's going on here!?" Titania realized the crisis, instantly amplifying her energy output.
Countless Memoria tendrils emerged from Tartaro, linking directly to Titania and enabling her to wield greater power—barely enough to hold back the sudden tide.
"This feeling…" Titania immediately pinpointed the cause of this shift.
She stared intently beyond the Swarm barrier, sensing a familiar presence lurking outside:
The Calamity Swarm King!
"You miserable scum dare disrespect a God!?" Titania shouted furiously, her voice filled with indignation.
This was a divine act orchestrated by herself, yet these obsolete, pathetic Emanators dared obstruct her holy endeavor!
"You'd better pray I never catch you, or there'll be hell to pay!"
I'll make you experience the consequences of offending a deity! I'll slash you apart, slice you open, crush you into oblivion!
But this was only an impotent rage within Titania's heart.
Right now, she could only exhaust every ounce of her remaining power to keep the passage from collapsing.
Get out of here quickly, you idiots! This thought consumed Titania completely.
Yet, tragically, the space beyond the barrier wasn't necessarily safe either.
"Commander, hurry—close the passage! Out here, this space is…this space is—!"
A frantic communication crackled into Titania's ears from beyond, but abruptly cut off mid-sentence.
Titania froze, momentarily stunned.
Fenille, who stood beside her, quickly dispatched a scanner probe outward. The horrifying scene outside instantly appeared on their screens.
One by one, colossal creatures—monstrous beings of unimaginable size—filled the vacuum of space outside.
The escaping starships looked minuscule in comparison.
These creatures opened their vast mouths casually, swallowing escaping ships whole like delicacies at an endless buffet.
"These are…Giant Stings…" Fenille whispered in shock.
These monsters were capable of swallowing the Astral Express itself!
They had concealed themselves within the surrounding void, patiently waiting until the refugees glimpsed hope before ruthlessly devouring them all.
"One…two…three…"
The scanner continuously transmitted data back to Fenille's starship.
Ship after ship vanished from the sensors, as more Giant Stings gathered in greater numbers.
Clearly, the outer space had become little more than a feeding ground for these colossal predators.
Having fought their way out of imprisonment, the refugees had merely stumbled into another abyss of despair.
"Did all our efforts mean nothing…?" Seeing the data streaming in, despair spread rapidly among the survivors.
They had sacrificed tremendous manpower and resources to escape from their prison—only to end up as food for even greater monsters.
All their painstaking efforts led them straight from one death trap into another.
"Don't give up now!" Just then, Titania's voice burst fiercely through the communication channels.
"As long as we're alive, there's still hope!"
These Giant Stings were gathered here solely because of another's cunning!
If only we locate the Calamity Swarm King—if only we kill that bastard—these Giant Stings would scatter immediately!
And even being swallowed whole didn't necessarily mean death yet.
The digestion process of Giant Stings took time—the refugees could still be saved!
Titania's body transformed into streaking, radiant Memoria, blazing swiftly along the edges of the passage.
The incredible precision of the Giant Stings attacks meant Calamity had to be somewhere nearby.
Where is it? Where are you hiding!?
Yet, tragically, she saw only more and more Giant Stings joining the ruthless feast.
Everywhere she looked, ships vanished into those enormous maws.
She knew exactly what she needed to find, yet couldn't pinpoint its location.
[That's right. Feel your own helplessness—collapse beneath despair and drown within it.]
Calamity observed Titania's small, frantic figure in space with satisfaction. It intended to render all her efforts utterly meaningless.
And indeed, Titania deeply felt her own helplessness now.
She could defeat individual Giant Stings but couldn't simultaneously protect every refugee ship out there.
Titania could only watch in horror as each starship disappeared, their signals going silent…
"What is this?"
Weren't idiots supposed to be favored by fortune?
Why had misfortune chosen to overshadow them now?
They were all the universe's biggest idiots—shouldn't good fortune come naturally?
Titania felt lost. She suddenly questioned the purpose behind all her previous actions.
She'd intervened to save these fools, yet now she watched helplessly as they disappeared into the maws of Giant Stings.
What was she now—some sort of helper to these monsters?
"This joke isn't funny at all."
[Precisely. All your efforts shall become nourishment for us.] Calamity watched smugly as the situation unfolded exactly as planned.
Now, all that remained was—
Hm!?
Calamity abruptly sensed something terribly wrong.
The number of drones outside was suddenly plummeting!
Titania also felt a strange ripple within the endless expanse of space around her.
Focusing sharply, she suddenly saw an enormous, serpentine red shape filling her vision—
—A shape rapidly tightening itself around the gathered Swarm!
The crimson form constricted abruptly, violently crushing multiple Giant Stings together!
Crunch—!
The grotesque sounds of twisting flesh echoed clearly in Titania's ears.
Blood, viscera, and swallowed starships alike burst forth in a gruesome display.
Titania stared, completely dumbfounded at the surreal spectacle unfolding around her.
Finally, a colossal dragon's head emerged, effortlessly gulping down the crushed Giant Stings.
"What…the hell is that…?"
The monsters eating starships…were themselves eaten?!