Yevenko handed Tom a mouthful of "Herculean Milk"—otherwise known as [Tom's Specially-Prepared Milk].
He briefly explained the milk's powerful effects and instructed Tom to drink it only at a critical moment. Tom rapidly nodded in understanding.
Now, the next step:
Defeating the Swarm Mother.
Although Yevenko, in his Demon Sword form, didn't quite possess the planet-breaking strength of an Aeon's Emanator, with Tom's specially-prepared milk, he might come close.
Of course, he wouldn't truly know the limits of his strength until the fight began.
But it was certainly worth trying—especially with Tom's help.
A vast shadow loomed ominously beyond Jarilo-VI's atmosphere, the colossal form of the Swarm Mother gradually coming into view.
He couldn't allow the Mother Bug to reach the surface of Jarilo-VI. If it did, the resulting disaster would devastate Belobog and cost countless lives.
Time was running out, Yevenko knew. No longer hesitating, he unleashed the blood-red aura swirling violently around him and stepped forward.
—[World Ender]!
In the next instant, crimson demon wings burst from his back. With a powerful flap, Yevenko soared into the sky, countless tendrils of blood-energy radiating outward.
Swarms of smaller True Stings dissolved on contact, their blood essence absorbed into Yevenko, fueling his rage and brutality.
As blood-energy poured endlessly into him, Yevenko's body rapidly expanded—
Four meters, five meters… a hundred meters… until finally—
—he towered nearly as massive as the Swarm Mother itself.
At this moment, Yevenko stood at the boundary between Jarilo-VI and the vast cosmos, his enormous crimson wings truly blotting out the heavens.
It was as though he alone held up Jarilo-VI's sky, blocking the swarm's advance. With every mighty beat of his wings, countless True StingSs perished instantly.
Upon seeing the Swarm Mother clearly for the first time, Yevenko didn't hesitate—he swung the demonic sword ruthlessly at it!
Dark green insect blood sprayed forth, pouring down onto Jarilo-VI like a torrential rainstorm.
The Swarm Mother recoiled slightly, retreating further from Jarilo-VI.
Now, two titans faced off in the cold void of space, suspended between two worlds.
But suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Yevenko noticed Tom standing on his shoulder. The cat was clutching his throat with both paws, cheeks puffed out and face flushed bright red.
Yevenko immediately established a soul resonance, quickly asking, "Tom! What's wrong?"
Tom pointed weakly upward, sending back a frantic thought that instantly clarified everything for Yevenko:
Tom couldn't breathe…
Because Tom was just an ordinary housecat, he couldn't survive in the vacuum of space.
Well, that certainly made sense.
But if Tom couldn't help him here, their odds of victory would drastically decrease. Yevenko needed a way to correct Tom's overly realistic thinking—fast.
"Tom, we're not actually in outer space. This is just a virtual projection of space. Don't you see us floating? It's like we're underwater. We're actually at the beach!"
Hearing Yevenko's words, Tom furrowed his brows thoughtfully. Master wouldn't lie to him, right? Could it truly be the seaside?
Tom squinted carefully at their surroundings.
Gradually, the scene before his eyes transformed into rippling waves, and faint sounds of splashing water echoed in his mind.
Excited, Tom quickly shook his head, spraying water droplets everywhere. He dug around his ear—
—and suddenly yanked out a cartoonish yellow fish. The cartoon fish slapped Tom twice with its tail in irritation before swimming swiftly away into the cosmic waves.
But Tom wasn't angry at all—in fact, he grinned happily.
It really was the seaside!
Thrilled, Tom pulled out swim goggles and slipped them on, then donned colorful swim trunks, whistling cheerfully as he elegantly applied sunscreen.
In Tom's eyes, Yevenko's massive sword even transformed into a diving board.
With exaggerated motions, Tom sauntered along the blade, bouncing gracefully several times. The previously solid sword grew springy beneath his feet, bending elastically before Tom dove headfirst into the cosmic sea, swimming joyously through the waves.
One moment he did breaststroke, the next freestyle, and finally turned onto his back for some relaxed backstroke.
But after a short while, Tom realized he couldn't swim any further for some reason.
Frowning slightly, he reached back blindly, fingers touching something massive, solid, and frighteningly hard.
A chill of dread ran down his spine. His neck stretched out comically as he swallowed nervously, then slowly turned around—
—to find himself staring straight at the colossal Swarm Mother.