With the end of the second viewing, the audience in the video let out a long sigh, a strange sense of melancholy in their hearts.
It was just like finishing a favorite anime series; when a beloved story concludes, there's always an inexplicable feeling of emptiness, no matter how happy the ending.
Of course, the end of the second viewing was merely the prelude to the third.
In the previous viewings, Elysia, Jotaro Kujo, and Joseph Joestar—a total of three "protagonists"—had left a deep impression on the audience.
But the second viewing had made one thing clear to them: the light curtain was unpredictable. The first character to appear was not necessarily the main protagonist.
Furthermore, the number of transmigrators was not limited to one, and it was even possible that the one who crossed over wasn't even human...
---o---
Light Curtain Barrage—
Herta: "The second viewing's main theme was 'fate.' Joseph and Kars, Jotaro Kujo and DIO. Considering the first viewing was also related to destiny, the third viewing... might also feature a being connected to fate."
In the Herta Space Station, a doll-like loli with a blank expression analyzed the situation carefully. This video was something that even Nous, the Aeon of Erudition, could not see through. Its mere existence was worthy of several Amber Eras of her research.
Hikari: "Fate, you say? The light curtain's methods are unpredictable. It's hard to say what it's connected to. It might not even be chronicling a human life this time."
In the Land of Light's Space Science Technology Bureau, Hikari, much like Herta, was searching for any information related to the light curtain.
This search had been ongoing since the video first appeared, but thus far, it had yielded very little.
The Overseer: "Rather than figuring out the nature of the light curtain, we should pay attention to the scene before us. This viewing... is highly unusual..."
At Schicksal HQ, Otto had been planning to learn more about other worlds through the barrage chat, but the change in the video had driven him to silence.
Romani Archaman: "Is... is that space? Has the light curtain's perspective shifted from Earth to the cosmos!"
In Chaldea, Romani's hand trembled, and he accidentally dropped his strawberry cake on the floor. But this was no time to worry about strawberry cake.
On the light curtain, the deep expanse, the vast sea of stars... there was no doubt about it... the new viewing was beginning from space!!
---o---
Light Curtain Video—
Under the expectant and puzzled gazes of the audience, a new story began.
In the vast sea of stars, countless suns twinkled. From a distance, the star-filled sky was beautiful and captivating.
That's right... this was space.
The vastness of the universe needed no further explanation. Those twinkling dots of light could be stars thousands or even tens of thousands of light-years away, containing enough energy to instantly swallow and destroy Earth, humanity's home.
And this time, the viewing would begin from space.
In the deep starry sky, a certain presence was breaking free from its shackles, and then, in a strange, incomprehensible manner, IT descended.
No one knew who IT was, nor where IT came from. In short... after an unknown number of years, IT had descended once more.
The harsh environment of space was known to all.
Any being capable of surviving in space, no matter what, was a being worthy of attention.
As the camera zoomed in, the light curtain gradually focused on a single planet, a lonely world drifting through the cosmos.
Its relatively clear orbit and suitable conditions had allowed life to emerge on this planet.
Although its civilization was extremely primitive, still in a state of eating raw meat and drinking blood, the mere birth of life in such a harsh environment was already remarkable.
However... fate has a cruel way of playing with people. Disaster... was about to befall them.
Stories often begin from the smallest of things, and this time was no exception.
This beautiful planet was filled with lush, verdant life.
Flowers, trees, sky, breeze, clouds, sun, rainbows, oceans, beaches, forests, stones, sand, earth...
The backwardness of its civilization had, in turn, allowed this planet to develop a beautiful natural landscape that most of humanity had never seen.
Its rich natural resources, coupled with a planetary area similar to Jupiter's, made countless civilizations watching the video green with envy.
To the vast majority of civilizations in the infinite multiverse, the weak civilization on that planet could be extinguished with a wave of a hand.
As the saying goes, the man is innocent, but his treasure is his crime. Such abundant resources were simply too tempting, enough to allow a mid-tier civilization to instantly develop and solidify its power.
But... the idyllic natural environment was just a facade. Although the native civilization on this planet was weak, the existence of other things made this world not as simple as it seemed.
...Kaiju. Monsters with colossal bodies, ferocious faces, and immense destructive power. Some among them even possessed the magnificent ability to control nature.
Most of these lifeforms existed long before the birth of civilization. To the people of this planet, the kaiju were both a threat and a barrier.
The natives chose to worship the kaiju as gods. Of course, a small minority viewed the monsters as enemies of their civilization.
[Before ITs descent, everything was exceedingly ordinary. Life went from birth to death, civilization from primitive to progressive. This planet was merely experiencing what all life-bearing planets had already experienced.]
Time flew by. Due to geographical and oceanic currents, aside from the extraordinary individual lifeforms like the kaiju, other humanoid civilizations were forced to migrate or were isolated.
Loneliness swirled thickly together, like soil waiting for seeds to be sown.
It began on an island. The civilization on this isolated land feared loneliness and death, but their poor culture and inability to leave made it difficult for them to find a suitable way to combat these fears.
Ultimately... they chose to fight it with the creation of life. They carved colorful wings onto the shoulders of their family members as a symbol of life.
The life on this island chose to use propagation to resist the fear of loneliness and death—this isolated island had nothing but love and loneliness... Tragically, this flame would soon be extinguished. Their actions had attracted ITs attention.
The magnificent power of Propagation descended upon this lonely island. The first to be affected were the island's pregnant women. They became the perfect breeding grounds for the Swarm. Countless newborn insects burst from their mothers' bellies and converged to form a hive.
Then... in less than two hours, the island fell. From the birth of the first insect to the entire island becoming a hive, less than two hours had passed.
---o---
Outside the Light Curtain—
The viewers across the infinite multiverse fell silent. This was a natural reaction, as they had just witnessed the annihilation of a civilization in the most brutal way possible.
When the first insect burst from a pregnant woman's belly, the entire video became like a doomsday film.
The people on the island screamed and roared in a language no one could understand, launching attacks against the Swarm. But in the eyes of the dense, writhing mass of insects, their efforts seemed laughable.
Men fell to the ground, their bodies transforming into hives. Women collapsed, becoming breeding grounds for new insects. Familiar faces, unfamiliar faces—before the power of this concept, they all sprouted the segmented limbs of insects.
One second, a familiar friend; the next, a hideous bug. One second, charging against the Swarm; the next, a bug turning back to attack the crowd.
Their vision blurred, their reason for existence faded. Individual thoughts and wills lost all meaning, replaced by the single ideology of the Swarm: Propagation.
---o---
Light Curtain Barrage—
Yukinoshita Yukino: "What... what is this? What just happened? I don't understand, how can insects be born from a person's stomach??"
Cold sweat dripped down her forehead, her back completely soaked. A sense of dread spread through Yukino's heart.
Ever since she started watching the light curtain, she had never felt such a bone-chilling fear, such a sense of powerlessness and despair, that was palpable even through the screen.
The Overseer: "This is truly... a tragedy. The Swarm has annihilated the island. So who is the protagonist of this viewing? It can't possibly be these insects, can it?"
At Schicksal HQ, Otto's expression was grim. Witnessing the destruction of a civilization that had no conflict of interest with his own was difficult for him to accept.
Fu Xuan: "Wait... this form, this existence... no... it can't be. Hey, this has to be a joke, right?"
As if realizing a certain possibility, the Master Diviner of the Luofu Xianzhou, Fu Xuan, stared with wide eyes. Even her hands... began to tremble uncontrollably.
Herta: "The Swarm Disaster. There's no doubt about your guess. It's unmistakable. Based on my knowledge of cosmic history, this is the catastrophe that once nearly swept across the entire universe—the Swarm Disaster!!"
Without further explanation, Herta could no longer bear to watch. That concept that had just been born, was that the Swarm King, Tayzzyronth?
But hadn't he already fallen? Although a return was possible, it should have been at least several Amber Eras from now.
And if Tayzzyronth, the Swarm King, was returning, could it be that the other Aeons of that era, the Amber Lord and the others, hadn't noticed? Would they just let him ravage the universe once more?
Unless...
Herta gazed at the scene in the video, a guess forming in her mind. There was only one possibility that could explain all of this... The Swarm King... had returned in another universe...
---o---
Light Curtain Video—
The Swarm's rampage continued. First, it took less than two hours to turn the entire island into a breeding ground.
Next, the Swarm extended its tendrils into the ocean. The fish, the algae, every lifeform that possessed the trait of reproduction was transformed into a breeding ground as the Swarm expanded.
The eggs laid by fish were tainted, turning a bloody red. What hatched from them were not fish, but a fish-like marine insectoid.
The same happened to algae. As long as it possessed the concept of reproduction, it mattered not what it was—even a robot would be inscribed with ITs mark.
In this universe, on the edge of the galaxy, this weak and overlooked planet began its fall.
Observed from space, one would be shocked to see the planet's surface gradually turning red.
The process began slowly but accelerated with the Swarm's expansion until it was clearly visible from space.
To an observer watching the planet, this strange phenomenon was a beautiful sight. But for the life on the planet itself, it was a terrifying disaster.
"ROAR!!!"
The camera returned to the planet's surface. On the land, a colossal lifeform was destroying the insects invading its lair.
It had crescent-shaped horns, a long, thick tail, and powerful limbs. From the horn on its head, it was releasing red-colored shockwaves.
If any kaiju experts were present, they would instantly recognize this monster with its unmistakable features.
That's right, it was the ancient monster that had appeared in the famous Tokusatsu series, Ultraman—Gomora!
The very monster that once pushed the original Ultraman into a difficult battle was now struggling desperately against the endless tide of the Swarm.
The Super Oscillatory Wave released from its horn grew weaker and weaker, while the Swarm, dense and fearless of death, surged towards the underground cavern where it slept.
Enraged by the invasion of its territory, the furious Gomora swung its thick tail. A single whip-like strike killed thousands of insects.
A single stomp could crush countless more. A casual swipe of its claw could send swarms of them flying.
But... so what?
The number of insects it had eliminated wasn't even one percent of the entire Swarm. Amidst the deafening buzz of countless wings, the ancient monster that had lived on this planet for tens of thousands of years finally stopped roaring.
Its eyes grew glazed over. Under the droning of the insects' wings, amidst the cloud of red dust, this invincible monster... finally collapsed. Its body became a new breeding ground for thousands upon thousands of insects.
The only difference between its resistance and that of the humans before it was that it had lasted a little longer.
This scene was just a microcosm of what was happening all over the planet. It was taking place in every corner of the world.
The sky, the oceans, the land—all suffered the same fate.
And all of this was being watched by the mysterious, alluring, compound eye in the sky...
Author's Note:
PS: Volume 3 has begun. Thank you all so much for your support!