Chapter 294: Crown of the Mundane and Divine 『 Part Eight 』
「 "The true creation of Ruan Mei lies hidden within the giant incubator below." The plaster head pointed toward the path behind him. "Go. Follow this elevator down and bear witness to—[The Masterpiece of a Genius]."
Stelle followed the path all the way down, arriving within a spacious chamber.
The area was deserted and dimly lit; only the shattered edges of the incubator overhead reflected a faint, cold luminescence. The soles of Stelle's boots struck the floor, producing an unsettling echo.
Drip—
A drop of yellow fluid fell from the jagged glass, splattering near her feet. Stelle touched a bit of it with her finger, finding it viscous—not like nutrient solution, but rather like the residue of dissolved biological tissue. 」
「 ..... 」
〜JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Part 4: Diamond is Unbreakable Worldline〜
Morioh, inside Trussardi's Restaurant—
Josuke Higashikata's fork hung suspended in mid-air, ketchup dripping onto the pristine white tablecloth, spreading into a harsh stain of red.
He stared at the screen in the sky, watching the image of Stelle walking alone toward the shattered incubator, and couldn't help but let out a "Tch."
"Oi, what is this… get out of there! Stelle!"
Josuke was sweating with anxiety.
"That's an Emanator-level monster! Last time, fighting Phantylia, they barely won, even with the help of Mr. Jing Yuan, an Emanator of The Hunt! This time, if things go wrong, SHE'S GONNA DIE—!"
"Ms. Ruan Mei knows exactly what she cultivated, so why would she dare let Stelle go to such a dangerous place alone?"
Koichi Hirose was equally baffled. Even if she said Stelle could call for her at any time, who knew what would happen in such close proximity to the power of 『 Propagation 』? He was genuinely terrified that scenes from the Simulated Universe were about to bleed into reality.
Finally, both of them turned in unison to the man in the white coat sitting across the table, holding a coffee cup.
"Stelle is about to make contact with an Emanator! Mr. Jotaro, hurry up and use your invincible Star Platinum to think of something!!"
"Yare yare daze."
Jotaro adjusted the cap that had all but fused with his hair.
"I've already tested it. Even if I stop time, they continue moving on the screen. Besides… my Star Platinum can't punch through the sky itself. If I could interfere, I would have done so long ago."
"Furthermore, that thing is already here."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Koichi suddenly felt the light in the restaurant dim for an instant—something incredibly massive flashed across the sky screen, its shadow completely engulfing Stelle's figure.
—
「 Stelle's pupils dilated slightly.
Then came the roar from behind her, crashing down like a tidal wave—a thunderclap exploding from the abyss that shook the very bulkheads of the cabin.
The fine hairs on the back of Stelle's neck stood on end as a freezing exhalation, carrying a wave of foul, metallic stench, whipped up the hem of her coat.
Half a second. She was stunned for merely half a second—
The bat in her hands erupted with blinding light, as if responding to her accelerating heartbeat.
The screech of the bat tearing through the air mingled with the insect's chittering. The moment metal collided with carapace, sparks burst forth like exploding stars! The web of Stelle's thumb went numb from the recoil, and she was forced backward several uncontrolled steps.
Stelle finally saw clearly what that twisted mass of blue light behind her actually was—
It was a Sting, tall as the cabin walls, its carapace flowing with fluorescence like neural pathways. A sphere of light was condensing above its head, emitting a constant zzzt-zzzt sound, seemingly gathering something. Its segmented limbs scraped across the metal bulkhead, producing a tooth-aching screech, as if a thousand saws were cutting into her eardrums simultaneously.
"A replica of an Emanator of 『 Propagation 』… How is this possible?"
Stelle could still feel the bat humming in her grip. The weight of that last strike had been heavy enough to split the skin of her hand, yet it had only shattered the tip of the horn on its mandibles. As soon as that vile matter hit the ground, it began to deform and multiply at a speed visible to the naked eye—in less than a few seconds, it transformed into a Lesser Sting.
The Lesser Sting did not attack Stelle immediately; instead, it began a second cycle of 『 Propagation 』 right there. Its body divided rapidly, and soon, a second Lesser Sting appeared.
What filled her with even greater despair was that the scratch on the Emanator—insignificant to begin with—healed instantly.
"The Space Station is going to be destroyed by it…!" 」
「 ..... 」
〜OVERLORD World〜
Despair.
If there was one word to describe Albedo's mood at this moment, it was "despair."
Although this Sting had not inherited the heaven-defying reproductive capabilities of the Star God of 『 Propagation 』, in just a few seconds, the insects in the incubator section had already multiplied several times over.
At this rate, it wouldn't take much time to restore the swarm that once blotted out the sun and swept through the galaxy.
When the horrific scenes of the Simulated Universe reflect into reality, there is likely no one who wouldn't tremble—but what was more terrifying was that they could only watch from afar through the sky screen, completely unable to interfere with anything happening within.
Sooner or later, the Swarm Disaster led by an Emanator would sweep through the universe again, swallowing the world they resided in. When the insects swept through, nothing would remain…
Why did Ruan Mei cultivate such a terrifying thing?!
—The second emotion following despair was Albedo's extreme rage at Ruan Mei's actions.
The one who understood the situation fastest was Ainz.
Although he had expected the power of an Emanator, his reaction was still a few beats slow when the 『 Propagation 』 began to affect the insectoids within the Great Tomb of Nazarick, evidenced by Cocytus's low growl of pain.
The sound of beating wings coming from the sky screen grew louder and louder, and an unsettling fear shrouded the entire Great Tomb of Nazarick.
"We must raise the defensive barriers immediately! Mare, Aura!"
Accompanying the sound of Ainz's staff, the two dark elves sprang into action. Forest vines and magical screens flashing with various colored lights rapidly emerged on the exterior of the Great Tomb, wrapping it tightly like clothing.
Ainz himself began chanting magic. Having realized the tension of the current situation, he made an immediate judgment: he must construct a sufficiently solid fortress barrier for the Great Tomb before the sea of insects swallowed this continent.
Even if every other nation on the land was devoured clean, he would protect everything within this fortress.
In less than thirty seconds, seven or eight layers of barriers had already been constructed around the Great Tomb. This terrifying efficiency allowed Ainz to breathe a slight sigh of relief.
"A-Ainz-sama! Look at the sky!"
Aura's voice, trembling with fear, echoed within the Throne Room.
"What is that?"
The Sting's carapace suddenly cracked with countless fissures, blinding blue light erupting from within its body, twisting above its head into an ever-expanding sphere of light. The center of that sphere was pitch-black as ink, as if devouring all surrounding light; the incubator was pulled by an invisible gravitational force, emitting the screeching sound of tearing metal.
"T-This is bad…"
Watching it aim the sphere of light at the exhausted Stelle, Ainz barely dared to watch what would happen next.
—