Magna raised her head.
Her crimson eyes, reflecting the truths of the universe, gazed deeply at Leticia.
That gaze was no longer the worship of a scholar for a goddess.
Instead, it was that of a top-tier physician reporting a despairing pathology report concerning the life and death of the entire universe to the lead surgeon.
"Goddess, we cannot directly observe the 'source of the void'."
"Because it is, in itself, the end of the concept of 'observation'."
"But..."
"We can observe its'symptoms'."
Her voice was cold and precise, devoid of even the slightest emotional fluctuation.
"When a healthy body is invaded by an external, lethal virus, the body produces a series of stress responses."
"Fever, coughing, shivering..."
"And our universe, when being eroded by the 'source of the void', has likewise produced a most significant, most lethal'symptom'."
Magna extended her slender finger and tapped lightly in mid-air.
The holographic image constructed by her vast psychic power shifted instantly.
At the edges of that fragile 'bubble' representing the real universe, a rapidly spreading, seemingly endless shadow composed of countless grotesque biological outlines appeared...
They are like cancer cells, frantically devouring the 'flesh' of the universe—those healthy galaxies and civilizations.
"It is the 'cancer' of the universe."
"It is the most direct, most physical extension projected by the 'source of the void' into our dimension."
"It is the vanguard that devours all sound before the arrival of 'Absolute Silence'."
Looking at that constantly proliferating shadow filled with disorder and ugliness, Fogremia's purple eyes, which sought ultimate perfection, revealed for the first time an undisguised, visceral disgust.
"What... is this?"
Magna turned her head, looked at her Sisters, and with a tone that announced the final judgment, uttered the name that had circulated in the Empire for thousands of years, yet whose essence no one had truly understood.
"Tyranids."
"The Tyranids."
Boom!
This name exploded in the minds of everyone in the garden like a supernova!
Angronia's amber eyes, burning with her Battle Intent, instantly constricted!
As a pure warrior, she knew better than anyone what this name represented.
Endless.
Fearless in the face of death.
Devouring everything.
That was a biological weapon, pure and existing solely for consumption and proliferation, that even Chaos found troublesome!
"Impossible!"
Angronia growled, unable to accept this fact.
"They are just a bunch of mindless beasts! How could they..."
"No, sister."
Magna interrupted her, her voice still terrifyingly calm.
"We were all wrong."
"We thought the Tyranids' goal was to 'feed' or to 'evolve'."
"This is a fatal, arrogant misunderstanding."
Magna's gaze swept across the brilliant star map on the hologram representing The Galaxy.
"Their arrival has only one purpose."
"To thoroughly, completely devour, pack up, and then... take away all organic matter, all energy, and all 'existential information' in this Galaxy."
"They are... 'cleaning up the battlefield'."
"Clearing away all 'noise' for that final, absolute'silence'."
"This is the truth of the 'Hive City' will. It is not the collective consciousness of a creature; it is a cold processor extended into our dimension by the 'source of the void' to execute a 'cleaning program'!"
Dead silence.
The garden fell into a silence even more absolute than before.
If Chaos is the'sickness' of the universe, a form of 'living' that is painful but at least allows one to struggle.
Then the Tyranids... are the 'death' of the universe.
It is an absolute, cold death where one is completely erased, leaving no trace of existence, without even the chance to struggle.
This truth was too heavy, too despairing.
It was so heavy that even Sanguinia's sky-blue eyes, which were always filled with Hope and tenderness, were clouded with a deep gloom.
Just then.
A warm hand gently grasped her slightly cool fingertips.
Sanguinia was startled and looked up.
She saw Leticia's calm, placid face.
Leticia did not speak.
She simply stood up, walked behind Terrania, extended her arms, and gently, tenderly, and completely pulled the small, golden-haired goddess, who was trembling slightly with fear, into her embrace.
She pressed her cheek against Terrania's brilliant, golden hair, feeling the unique warmth and softness in her arms that belonged to her entire world.
Then, she raised her eyes.
Those pure black eyes, deep enough to seem capable of devouring all despair, calmly swept over every Sister present.
"Magna."
Leticia's voice broke the solidified despair.
"Now, how many Tyranid 'cleaning units' are there within The Galaxy?"
Magna immediately broke out of the scholarly state of revealing the ultimate truth and switched back to the posture of an absolutely loyal subordinate.
"Reporting to the Goddess, according to my current reconnaissance, there are three main hive fleets invading The Galaxy from different directions."
"Behemoth, Kraken, and... Leviathan."
"Among them, Leviathan is the largest, and its vanguard tentacles have already penetrated deep into the heart of The Galaxy."
Magna's finger traced across the star map, marking a distant sector in a glaring crimson.
"According to my projections, this vanguard tentacle is expected to reach this location within three standard Terra years."
"A sector named 'Baka'."
Leticia's gaze fell on that red dot, her eyes unchanging.
She simply held Terrania in her arms a little tighter.
As if confirming something more important, more real than the survival of the universe.
"Very well."
Leticia said softly.
Her voice was not loud, yet it clearly entered the depths of everyone's soul.
"Then, we shall pay a visit to the Baka sector."
All the Sisters were stunned.
Fogremia could not help but speak up: "Goddess, do you mean... we are going to intercept Leviathan's vanguard?"
"No."
Leticia shook her head.
For the first time, a cold expression, tinged with a cruel smile that felt unfamiliar to all the Sisters, appeared on her face.
"We are not going to intercept."
"We are going to... that 'cleaning unit' that dares to approach our home..."
She paused, and with a casual tone, as if she were deciding what to have for dinner, she uttered the declaration that would make the entire Galaxy tremble.
"...completely erase them."
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