The Pseudo–Insect Emperor — Skaracabaz was born.
Having inherited the remnants of Propagation, it completed its final metamorphosis.
And at the moment of that rebirth—
Tayzzyronth finally closed his eyes for good.
The obsession that had feared the extinction of the True Sting Insects vanished with him.
"SSSSSS—"
"HAAAAA—"
The shriek echoed across the universe.
It announced the return of Propagation.
Perhaps it was celebrating a new birth.
Or perhaps it was a farewell to Tayzzyronth himself.
Ordinarily, a mere Envoy of Propagation would never be enough to make Fuli personally issue an oracle to suppress the swarm.
But once Fuli had already delivered one warning—
they no longer wished to interfere.
They preferred to remain what they had always been:
a faithful observer.
A silent recorder.
Waiting for events to unfold.
In simpler terms—
the Garden of Recollection was in serious trouble.
This second Insect Emperor—
born from Ruan Mei's experiment, then influenced by Aha, Terminus, and the Stellaron Hunters—
was destined to bring massive upheaval to the universe.
Ruan Mei's accidental "small experiment" had become something far beyond anyone's expectations.
For now, however—
there was a brief calm.
After that single shriek, Skaracabaz fell silent.
The silence before the storm.
Enjoy it while it lasts.
Meanwhile — Kasbelinyat VIII
Deep within this planet rested the dead egg of a colossal True Sting Insect.
During the Zhu Luo incident, artificial exposure to Abundance energy had caused some insects to develop basic intelligence.
But the swarm itself had never been completely exterminated.
Beneath the black hole once used to purge them—
one surviving leg remained.
Under the influence of Abundance, that severed limb regenerated into a complete insect.
Over the years—
their numbers multiplied enormously.
Yet something strange happened.
They always gathered around the gigantic True Sting egg.
And whenever their population reached a certain threshold—
they voluntarily stopped reproducing.
Maintaining a stable number.
When the miracle of Harmony descended—
this swarm was deep inside the planet's core.
The glance of Xipe was not directed solely toward the collective wish that called forth Dominicus.
That divine gaze had also accepted the swarm as part of the Family.
Which raised an important question:
Harmony might be a little too inclusive.
What exactly couldn't Harmony accept?
When Robin summoned Dominicus, embodiment of shared wishes, something unnoticed occurred.
While Robin conducted the tuning ritual—
the swarm was praying as well.
And honestly—
what could be more naturally suited to Harmony than an intelligent swarm?
Their gestalt consciousness closely resembled musical harmony itself.
Each insect was part of the swarm.
The swarm was every insect.
They understood one another completely.
Absolute trust.
No betrayal.
Everything shared.
Any insect could sacrifice itself for the collective.
Every insect was the collective.
When Xipe lowered her gaze—
the swarm skipped Dominicus entirely.
They prayed directly to Xipe.
No one knew what they asked for.
No one knew how Xipe responded.
After the prayer—
the swarm fell silent once more.
But surely—
Xipe would not reject them.
Human wishes were full of distractions.
The wish of a swarm, however, was perfectly pure.
Ever since gaining intelligence during the Zhu Luo incident—
these Smart Insects had already separated themselves from the original True Sting swarms.
They refused to acknowledge themselves as members of that species.
Because once a being gained intelligence—
it naturally came to despise savagery and mindlessness.
Like disowning the embarrassing poor relatives.
Then the Stellaron Hunters dropped fragments of Propagation's divine remains.
The intelligent insects could not resist the temptation.
They carried those remains into the planet's core—
allowing the entire swarm to evolve by consuming them.
That act triggered Tayzzyronth's awakening.
The insects themselves had no idea how many hidden manipulators were moving behind the scenes.
Having never truly interacted with the outside world—
they were astonishingly naive.
And now they were terrified.
What if Xipe abandoned them because of this?
So they panicked.
From the moment they gained intelligence, their first goal had always been clear:
Sever all ties with the True Sting Insects.
Because they understood exactly how terrible the reputation of True Sting swarms was.
They were cosmic disaster number one.
To put it simply:
If the Antimatter Legion and the Xianzhou Alliance were in the middle of war—
and Abundance abominations appeared—
both sides might temporarily unite to eliminate the Abundance threat first.
But if an insect swarm appeared?
Then:
Xianzhou AllianceAntimatter LegionFollowers of Abundance
would all unite immediately to exterminate the swarm first.
That was how hated they were.
With a reputation like that, the Smart Insects believed survival was impossible unless they distanced themselves from their origins.
If Xianzhou natives could distance themselves from Abundance—
then surely Smart Insects could distance themselves from True Sting Insects.
Right?
Their second goal:
Clear their name and gain recognition from the major powers.
Without the endorsement of powerful factions, any declaration of independence would mean nothing.
They would still be treated as a cosmic plague.
Their third goal:
Find a strong protector.
A reliable patron.
Because even insects wanted to live beneath the sunlight.
"I used to be bad, but now I want to be good.
Please give me a chance."
With help from a mysterious figure, the Smart Insects hid deep underground.
They suppressed their natural reproductive instincts.
Maintained population control.
That mysterious benefactor taught them knowledge.
Helped design their survival strategy.
Occasionally supplied resources.
Under that guidance—
the swarm developed a unique biotechnology civilization.
Because of this—
they remained undiscovered for seven hundred years.
Now—
their second and third goals had already been fulfilled.
Thanks to Xipe.
And with guidance from that mysterious helper, the insects fully understood how powerful the Family truly was.
Only one goal remained:
Completely sever ties with the True Sting Insects.
If they succeeded—
they could finally live in the sunlight.
Not buried beneath the planet.
When the Antimatter Legion arrived—
the swarm watched everything unfold.
At first, they were restless.
As members of Harmony, defending the divine miracle and protecting fellow believers was only natural.
But when the Grand Theatre descended, and the Legion's attacks proved useless—
the swarm relaxed.
Then, suddenly—
Propagation appeared to revive.
The Grand Theatre, already saturated with swarm symbolism, was the first thing affected.
And when the theatre began performing:
"The Howl of Insects — The End of the Old Age"
and started speaking of innocent victims suffering for the sins of their god—
the swarm completely lost composure.
"Wait!"
"Don't blame us!"
The Smart Insects were horrified.
What if Xipe misunderstood them?
They had sincerely joined Harmony.
Following Tayzzyronth—the dead insect god—had no future.
A shocking display of filial betrayal.
Guess who the mysterious helper is?
A: Aha
B: A certain unnamed Genius
C: A master of Equilibrium
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