Yuki lay on the ground.
He felt he had done well. Over the past twenty years, he had brought order to the Underhive and temporary stability to its residents. They had multiplied in great numbers, and the Tyranids would soon benefit from that harvest.
I've done a decent job, haven't I?
Yet, looking back, he felt as though he hadn't done much at all. He couldn't remember many people; most of his days had been spent playing games with Yuno. Faced with the impending cataclysm, was he truly prepared?
"Xenos!"
A surviving soldier launched a final, desperate charge. Yuki didn't move. More accurately, this Yuki didn't move. Another individual, identical to him, shot out like an arrow and cut the soldier down.
Yuki looked at the sky and sighed. "Dammit, when is this regeneration going to finish?"
There were the mangled remains of the Leman Russ tank, the collapsed defense cannon, the ruined fortifications, and Yuki himself—lying in an open space, torn in two by that final armor-piercing shell.
"I say, haven't you lay there long enough?"
Yuno stood over Yuki, holding a parasol to shield him from the radioactive sunlight.
"Black lace today, I see."
"You don't like it?"
"Is there any pink lace?"
"That counts as harassment, you know."
"You're not much better yourself."
Yuno knelt, poking his forehead with her finger. "Stop lying around. The fleet has arrived. Let's go."
"I'm not getting up."
Yuno laughed. She sat down and pulled Yuki's head onto her lap. "How much longer until you can stand?"
"I don't know. I took several hits from a Leman Russ. It's a pity they didn't manage to kill me."
"Hmph. I told you, if you couldn't take it down, just tell me and I would have come over."
Yuno stroked Yuki's face, then suddenly asked, "Do you feel it?"
Yuki knew what she meant. He placed his hand over hers and replied, "I feel it."
He saw it, too. In the sky, a second bio-ship of the Hive Fleet revealed its massive form. It descended slowly as countless Tyranids dropped from the sky, rapidly approaching Yuki's location.
It was a dense, suffocating black tide.
Lictors, Ravener, Mawlocs, Hormagaunts, Termagants, Tyranid Warriors, Venomthropes, Sporocyst, Spore Mines, Harpies, Von Ryan's Leapers, Toxicrenes, Carnifexes, Tyrannofexes, Hive Guards, Zoanthropes...
The number of ships in this fleet wasn't vast, but the diversity was staggering. Almost every Tyranid subspecies Yuki knew of was present, and they were closing in on him and Yuno. Any biological creature with an organic body would have shivered at this sight; even a superhuman Astartes could not hope to survive against such quantity and quality.
The other Yuki placed a hand on Yuno's shoulder. Yuno muttered, "I knew I shouldn't have taught you that trick. I'll probably have a lot to deal with in the future."
Two bodies, both controlled by Yuki alone. In the future, he would be able to control even more.
The Swarm surrounded Yuno and Yuki. They crowded around him, and Yuki reached out to stroke them. The sensation was strange—entirely different from the creatures he had hand-reared on this planet.
His regeneration finally completed, and he stood up with Yuno's support.
A massive Hive Tyrant lowered its head, gently nudging Yuki's cheek with its snout. It was hard to imagine such a colossal body performing such a delicate movement. At the moment of physical contact, Yuki felt it: this was Yuno.
He looked at a Neurotyrant floating in the air. This massive psychic beast also radiated goodwill. Through psychic interaction, he felt it: this was also Yuno.
Finally, he saw the Norn Queen.
The Norn Queen—the Mother of the Swarm, the leader of a Hive Fleet, a master of genetic engineering, and the terminal interface for the Hive Mind. From the smallest microbial phages to the largest hive ships, every Tyranid organism was birthed from her hands. The death of a Norn Queen would mean the Hive Fleet could no longer produce new species or undergo adaptive evolution until a new Queen was born. As the central node of the Tyranid synaptic network, her death would cause the entire fleet to disconnect and become a mindless stampede of beasts.
Even such a vital unit had left the fleet and descended to the surface. He felt it: this, too, was Yuno.
For the Tyranids, Yuno was omnipresent. As long as she willed it, she could project her consciousness onto any individual at any time, because she was the sum of them all. Her love represented the love of every Tyranid individual for Yuki.
Yuki turned to look at the Yuno he knew. She simply smiled and tilted her head. In that instant, Yuki saw it—a form taller than all the hive ships present, taller than an Emperor-class Titan, a figure that blotted out everything in his sight.
"Yuno."
"I am here, my love."
"You are so beautiful."
"Do you mean this body, or..."
"All of it. Every cell, every part of you, I love beyond measure."
The Swarm let out an unbelievable screech. Yuki's eardrums burst, and blood trickled out, but he ignored it. Yuno rushed over to embrace him, licking the blood from his ears.
"Don't be afraid, my love. This won't take long."
Yuki's mind was scrutinized by the Hive Mind. His thoughts, his everything, were laid bare to the Great Devourer, and everything of the Great Devourer was presented to him. He saw the actions of every Tyranid fleet at this very moment; he felt the sensations of every single Tyranid unit. He saw the wills of those Tyranid units that possessed "free will" kneeling at his feet—this was the place Yuno had reserved for him.
Such immense power nearly crushed his soul and will. Pain and despair threatened to swallow him, and he was almost lost in the darkness. Then, he saw the sky—a clear blue sky and warm sunlight. In a daze, he seemed to return to his familiar hometown.
How beautiful. And there were Yuno's soft thighs, which served as his pillow.
"I will be by your side, forever."
"What a beautiful sky."
He woke up.
Yuno was holding his hand tightly, leaning against his shoulder, fast asleep. The surrounding Tyranids had dispersed, leaving only the Neurotyrant and several Carnifexes and Zoanthropes standing guard. Oh, and a Hive Tyrant—Yuki and Yuno were currently sitting on its shoulder guards.
It was impossible for Yuno to take over the minds of these individuals every second, yet she was these individuals. Yuki found it difficult to grasp; those "independent" units of the Hive could make their own decisions and maintain differences, but in essence, they were all Yuno. However, Yuno likely knew this concept was too complex for Yuki, and she was trying hard not to confuse him.
The Hive Tyrant sensed Yuki had awakened. it shifted slightly, and Yuki found it within the synapse network of the Swarm.
"Like a dream... you have finally come to our side."
"To you, what kind of existence am I?"
"The object of love for all Tyranids in their own way. The Great Will is our collective abstraction; her love is our love, and our love is hers. To love her is to love us, and to love us is to love her. We are one."
"Stop, stop, stop. My head is spinning. So, are you and Yuno two individuals or one?"
"That is meaningless to us. We are all parts of the Great Devourer, and one day, we shall all return to the One."
Yuki didn't quite understand, nor did he know how to understand it. For him, being able to continue like this was enough. He wanted to stroke Yuno's hair, but when he turned, he saw she had already opened her eyes and was watching him.
"You're awake?"
"Yeah, I'm awake."
Yuno seemed a bit displeased. "Yuki... forget it, I'll tell you later. For now, let's do something important!"
Yuno suddenly jumped up, pulling Yuki along with a radiant smile. "This fleet is yours. Give it a name."
"Eh? I thought it depended on my performance? Where's your scorecard?"
"That sort of thing doesn't matter. Honestly, no matter what mess you made, I was going to give you this fleet anyway."
"Then what have I been busy with for the last twenty years!"
Yuno blinked playfully. "You gave me twenty years that I won't forget for the next fifty million. When we walk through countless planets and wander the universe together, I'll still be able to tease you about being a gang leader."
Yuki laughed in spite of himself. Yuno comforted him. "You also gave the fleet more reinforcements, didn't you? Either way, this fleet is yours."
Yuki accepted it. He thought about how to name his fleet. After a moment of silence, he spoke the name: "Aether."
"Why?"
"Aether (Αιθήρ), the primordial god of the upper sky. All life springs from him."
Yuno didn't understand the mythology, but if Yuki said it, then it must be so.
"But I have a question. Aren't Hive Fleet names usually given by the Imperium? Do you have names for them yourself, Yuno?"
"Number One, Number Two, Number Three..."
"Ugh."
"It doesn't matter. This name is for us. I don't care what the humans call me!"
Yuki looked fondly at the suddenly pouting Yuno. "Then Aether it is. Hive Fleet Aether. And the one you mentioned, Hive Fleet Kronos. Two fleets."
"Hive Fleet Kronos is still on its way. Since it's specialized against Chaos, reorganizing it takes quite a bit of time."
Yuno hugged Yuki huffily. Yuki really was clueless—how could he bring up the Imperium at a time like this?
Aether. The sky. All life is born from him. Yuno guessed Yuki's little thought. He was referring to her, wasn't he?
"Hmph. I forgive you."
"Eh? What did I do?"
Yuno buried her head in his back. "Hehe, keep guessing. I'm going to provide some 'spiritual support' to the Aether Fleet now. Also, if you have time, command the attack on the remaining enemies."
With that, Yuno jumped up, gave him a light kiss, and ran off. Yuki savored the warmth on his lips, unable to stop himself from imagining what the future would hold. After a few minutes, he snapped out of his reverie.
"Tyrant, where are there still enemies?"
"Such minor foes do not require your concern."
"Uh, did you not hear what Yuno just said?"
"My apologies. I spoke out of turn."
And so, the Hive Tyrant and the Neurotyrant, leading a host of Carnifexes and Zoanthropes, marched grandly toward the areas where resistance still existed. Standing under the shoulder guard of the Hive Tyrant, Yuki felt as if they were using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
When they passed the Genestealer Cult forces, the infected—who had finally waited for their "God-Emperor's angels"—knelt and cheered. The Tyranids did not attack them; after all, they were inevitable food. Yuki felt no internal conflict. This was the necessary choice, their fate, and the price they paid for not becoming Yuki's friends.
...
"Wait, this isn't right, is it?"
Ilia's wounds had been bandaged. Eleven was beside her. Taking those two defense cannons had not been easy, and Ilia had only succeeded in the end thanks to the help of the Tyranids. It was at this moment that Ilia felt something was strange.
These monsters—no matter how you looked at them—did not look like the side of justice. They didn't look human at all. More importantly, why did the followers of the God-Emperor cult call them His angels? A strange, horrific thought formed in her mind. She asked Eleven, "Don't you think those monsters are very... off?"
Eleven was blind, but her psychic powers allowed her to see deeper things. "What's strange? This is just a part of the Great God-Emperor."
Ilia stepped back slightly, feeling a deep sense of unease. Just then, she heard that man's voice.
"Ilia! Eleven! It's great to see you're both alright!"
Ilia turned around. The sight of the massive monster before her nearly stopped her heart. Yuki was sitting on the monster's shoulder, waving to them.
Ilia understood now. Her boss had never been human from the very beginning!
After realizing this, Ilia actually felt a sense of relief. She should have died long ago; the boss had saved her and protected her for twenty years. Now that her brother had passed away, she no longer feared death.
"Boss, you look really stylish right now."
"Hahaha, not bad. Ilia, Eleven, there's a question now."
Yuki jumped down, landing without even kicking up dust. "What do you plan to do? Will you go with a portion of the Genestealers, stay here, or come with me? None of these three paths will be easy. I want to hear your opinions."
Eleven didn't hesitate at all. "Boss, I'm following you!"
But Ilia hesitated. "Boss, if I follow you..."
"That means going into space with these Tyranids."
Ilia had never imagined such a future for herself. She remained silent for a long time before replying, "Give me some more time, Boss."
"No problem. Take your time. We have plenty of it."