Without anyone noticing exactly when it happened, Gake had become the most outstanding regional administrator under Yuki's command. The data he submitted was always the best, whether it was economic figures or birth rates.
Yuki would occasionally mention these things when chatting with Yuno about the current state of the Underhive. The Hive needed biomass, and to strengthen its power in the Warp, it also needed to consume human souls. From any perspective, increasing the planet's population was a necessity. However, this small increase was merely a gesture of Yuki's sincerity; to Yuno, it held little practical significance.
Another five years passed.
"Yuno, have you ever seen the Emperor?"
"You've asked that before. I've only caught a distant glimpse of him in the Warp. As you know, I used to be unable to communicate with them; every action was guided by instinct."
"Guided by instinct?"
"The instinct to feed. Finding the places richest in food, consuming everything possible, and leaving all life in a state of unease and terror—that was my instinct." Yuno looked at Yuki. "That's why I care about you so much. Without you, I would likely still be in that state."
Yuki nodded as he flipped through several documents sent by Gake.
"Hmm..." He felt something was strange. This feeling stemmed from his common sense—the common sense from before his reincarnation.
Reproduction required a stable society and sufficient resources; it also depended on the cultural level of the individuals. Given the conditions of the Underhive, the birth rate should, at most, be comparable to a pre-industrial agrarian life, or perhaps even worse.
Yet the data Gake submitted showed that in his district, which controlled several million people, the total fertility rate was nearing double digits. This meant a woman, during her childbearing years, would have at least ten children.
This was definitely wrong. He had only controlled the Underhive for a little over a decade. Even if the humans on this planet had an eight-month gestation period, how did Gake manage to push the total fertility rate into double digits?
Yuki felt a sense of unease. As the territory and population under his control grew, his attention and energy were increasingly stretched thin. Thousands of direct subordinates and tens of thousands of subordinates-of-subordinates managed billions of people on his behalf. It was entirely possible for him to be kept in the dark.
"Is there anything bad about it? My fleet has already dropped out of light-speed and is heading toward this planet. In three years, the Shadow in the Warp will leave this world completely isolated. Yuki, let Gake do as he pleases for now."
The invasion of the Tyranids possessed a unique momentum. In the concepts of the "township enterprise" from Nottingham, the galaxy was flat, with all planets on the same plane. An extragalactic invasion by a Tyranid fleet was like being pierced directly from above or below the galactic plane. The suddenness of the strike, combined with the Shadow in the Warp, meant that the star systems attacked by the Tyranids had to survive solely on their own strength.
During long-distance raids, the Tyranid fleets used a strange biological vessel known as a Narvhal. These ships could warp spacetime through a biological field, creating a "wormhole corridor." However, these corridors were affected by a planet's gravity. Thus, Narvhals and their wormhole corridors usually dissolved outside a star system, and the Hive Fleet would scatter to pounce on its individual targets.
For over a decade, Yuki had been waiting for this day. When Yuno spoke of it, her eyes were filled with anticipation. This would be the destruction of Planet Ender and Planet Start, and the beginning of a new life for Yuki and Yuno.
"I see. You have a point. There aren't many days left. For now, let's focus on creating as much biomass as possible," Yuki said, pulling Yuno into his arms once more, greedily inhaling her scent.
"Want to play a game?"
"Yes!"
...
"It's been nearly ten years since I last came here, hasn't it?"
Steff looked much older. She was still the leader of her Battle Sister squad. Over the last decade, she had neither been promoted nor selected for an off-world assignment. For other Battle Sisters, this would be a humiliation and a torment, but for Steff, it was all the Emperor's arrangement.
Ten years had passed, and the sharp edge and irritability she once possessed had almost vanished. However, Hopper knew that when facing an enemy, Steff would still unleash all the bottled-up fury she suppressed in her daily life.
"Sister Steff, you always tell us about the battle ten years ago, but why do you never explain it in detail?" Hopper asked. She had finished her grueling training a few years ago, progressing from Serf to Novitiate, and finally becoming a full Battle Sister.
Now in her thirties, she was at the peak of her physical strength. Due to the Abbey's augmentation techniques, her face retained a youthful appearance as if she were in her twenties—a rare sight. Battle Sisters had little concern for beauty; under long periods of training and combat, even the most beautiful faces would become coarse and scarred.
But Hopper was different. Her beauty had not been apparent at first, but it had blossomed through her cultivation and combat, a transformation like a phoenix. Some in the Abbey even regarded it as a miracle.
"Hopper, ten years is just a general description. The truth might be even further back. After all, it happened before the previous Arch-Cardinal returned to the Golden Throne."
The two walked at the very front of the squad. This was a reward for the loyal, and their conversation could not be overheard.
"Back then, the current Arch-Cardinal—who was then Cardinal Griffith—allied with an Underhive gang to launch a small-scale war against heretics. Our secrecy was excellent, and nothing leaked. But the battle... it was extremely difficult."
Hopper wore an expression of concern, as if she were the very Battle Sister who had embarked on that crusade over a decade ago, even though she had been but a student at the Schola back then.
"Could it be that those..."
Steff lowered her voice. "Yes. Daemons, Hopper. Never underestimate the enemy. Against daemons, the sharpest sword is our faith. And our visit this time is also related to Chaos daemons."
Steff hadn't explained everything to the squad yet, but she felt she should start doing so gradually. If they weren't mentally prepared, the losses against daemons would be catastrophic.
"Last year, a fallen monk within the Ecclesiarchy was discovered. He claimed there is a place in the Underhive deeply contaminated by Chaos. So, we've come to investigate. Naturally, this matter must be kept secret from the rest of the Ecclesiarchy."
"But with just us..."
"Hahaha! Don't forget, the war back then was a joint operation with a local gang. They're still here, and their influence is considerable. Look, isn't that him? Mr. Yuki, it's been a while."
Yuki?
The name made Hopper freeze. She remembered that name, just as she remembered every single person who had died tragically in the Church of Tex.
Was he still alive?
Hopper looked up. A man appeared before them, wearing a kind smile.
"It's been a long time."