"I'm telling you, if you wanted a pet, I could have just grown one for you. Picking them up from the street like this is a bit beneath us."
Yuno looked at the gorging Ilia and Ilya with a face full of disdain. Since Yuno could not communicate with any species other than Yuki, her words were not heard by the twins.
"We need helpers too. It's impossible for me to personally handle every little trivial matter."
"Hmm..."
"Tell me, Yuno, do you actually manage things in the Swarm?"
"Of... Of course! I have plenty of things to keep me busy."
Yuki truly couldn't imagine what could be troublesome for the Swarm. In essence, the Tyranids were just one giant Yuno; any conflict would be like the left brain fighting the right. Seeing Yuno's shifting gaze, Yuki realized she likely had zero actual social experience.
"Don't... Don't worry about it! Anyway, this is just your little game. In a few decades, once my fleet arrives, everything will be different."
"If I were to plead with you, would you spare this planet?"
Yuno's expression shifted. She gripped the decorations on her clothes, lowered her head, and said, "I'm sorry, my love, but no."
She seemed to be making a very difficult decision. Then she shook her head, looked at Yuki, and said seriously, "No, my love.
"I must consume this star system. Perhaps it wouldn't have mattered before, but since you died here once, its fate is sealed. It might mean nothing to you now, but to me, it is entirely different. Because the human version of you died here, this system must be erased."
For the first time, Yuno displayed hostility in front of Yuki. Even though he knew the target of this hostility wasn't him, he still felt his soul tremble. In a fleeting trance, he saw a colossal silhouette rise behind Yuno's petite frame. It crashed through the buildings and pierced the clouds; Imperator-class Titans and void-ships were mere toys before this phantom.
What should he do?
Yuki suddenly pulled Yuno into an embrace. The girl in his arms froze for a moment, then smiled.
Dammit, this is exactly what I should do!
"Hehe, thank you."
"I know you would never hurt me."
Only Ilia, who was busy eating, looked up. Her brother Ilya complained, "Are the bosses really going to start a round right here?"
"Shut up and eat."
...
The trouble arrived on the second day after the twins came to the abandoned factory. Ilia and Ilya had been assigned to a small room near the main gate to fulfill their duties as security. When she saw dozens of armed men approaching, she immediately sought out Yuki.
Yuno was still sleeping, but Yuki was already awake. They slept in the same room; when Ilia knocked, she was worried she might be intruding. Ilya didn't care about such things and shouted, "Boss! A crowd is coming outside! They look like they're up to no good!"
Yuki told the twins to hide first. Underhive residents were never friendly toward mutants or those who appeared "different."
He stepped out and saw the mob. They were standard Underhive gang thugs, carrying crude firearms and even more melee weapons. Yuki tried to communicate, but the leader—a man with three arms, all holding weapons—maintained a safe distance.
Yuki didn't want to escalate things and tried to make peace. "Tell me, who are you?"
A gunshot rang out. Yuki felt his body being pierced.
He had died once; his current body was something Yuno had crafted with her own power. This form was merely mimicking a human; every structure was a pathetic imitation of human biology created from Tyranid genes. He was simply a Tyranid unit occupied by a human mind. Therefore, a fatal wound like a punctured heart was nothing to fear.
Yuki charged instantly. He snapped the leader's arms and thrust his hand directly into the man's throat, moving rapidly through the narrow passage of flesh until he gripped something soft.
With a forceful yank, he pulled out a heart.
Yuki held it high like a trophy. Even these gang members, who were accustomed to murder and robbery, had never seen a scene so brutal. Yuki felt the hot blood splatter across his face; he felt a wave of nausea but forced himself not to vomit in front of them.
"Alright. Who's next?"
Bullets struck him, but his hardened skin deflected the impacts. In contrast, every one of Yuki's attacks was lethal, even the simplest palm strike. With just a light tap, the bones of these gang members—who had little to no cybernetic enhancement—shattered like glass.
Yuki snapped someone's neck. The crisp sound made him feel slightly irritable, but his movements did not stop. Within minutes, only one person was left alive. Yuki broke his legs; he needed to know who had sent them.
"Who sent you?"
"You..."
"Consider it an act of charity. Do one good deed before you die. I'll hope for your soul to return to the Golden Throne."
Finally, Yuki learned that another rival gang had come to stir up trouble; it wasn't Raziel's doing. He nodded with relief and ended the man's suffering.
"Ilia! Come lend a hand!"
Ilia didn't know how her boss turned corpses into corpse-starch. During her days as a wanderer, she had sneaked into such factories, but the equipment and processes always seemed different. She grabbed two bodies with one hand; Ilya could hold two more. A single conjoined twin could haul four corpses onto a cart, dumping them into a large vat once full.
Yuno emerged as well. "Not bad. You're improving very quickly."
Yuki replied, "Don't poke fun at me. You've seen thousands of powerful beings. Me fighting a bunch of ordinary humans is nothing worth praising."
"I'm speaking the truth. At this rate, you'll be able to defeat a Space Marine in three years. In ten, you'll be able to solo a Hive Tyrant. By the time the Swarm fleet truly arrives, you'll be on par with the Custodes."
As she spoke, Yuno took Yuki's hand. She had grown quite fond of this recently.
"If I can become that strong, why don't you just create more beings like me?"
"Strong? Do you know how many resources it takes for you to grow to that level? If it weren't for you, why would I ever do something so unprofitable?"
Yuno and Yuki danced amidst the blood. It was a dance Yuno had learned online—a classical European court dance. In the Underhive, two entities disguised as humans danced together.
Words were redundant. These two, connected in every possible sense, only needed to look at each other to understand the depth of their affection. Yuki could see that within the hollow hunger of the Great Devourer, a certain frantic desire was beginning to take root.
He smiled softly and gripped Yuno's hand tighter.