The Reluctant Alliance

Ming Yu watched, utterly transfixed, as the spider lady beside her transformed from a colossal being into a miniature pet, no larger than her palm.

Simultaneously, the immense spider web dissolved into shimmering motes of light, and a sudden sensation of weightlessness seized Ming Yu, pulling her down into the abyss.

Instinctively, she scooped up the miniature spider lady, cradling her in her cupped palms, and frantically adjusted her falling posture.

Yet, before long, the unsettling sensation of freefall vanished.

Ming Yu glanced at the gray mist beneath her feet, then cautiously stepped on it, discovering it was as solid as concrete.

With the spider web gone, the powerful suction that had held her had also disappeared.

The bizarre creatures that had surrounded them were likewise freed. They shook their heads, bared their fangs, and began to slowly close in on Ming Yu’s position.

“Hiss—”

Creatures resembling mantises shrieked, brandishing their scythe-like limbs. Their thick hind legs propelled them with astonishing leaps as they swarmed forward in droves.

Ming Yu’s eyes narrowed. Her years of honed combat instincts kept her perpetually on guard, prompting her to immediately leap backward, creating a significant distance between herself and the half-human-sized mantises.

Before she could even survey her surroundings, the strange creatures’ ranged attacks arrived in quick succession.

Dense, needle-like shadows shot through the air from a distance.

‘How thrilling!’

Ming Yu dodged again, a brow arching in amusement as her interest was piqued.

Though she was eager for a fight, she lacked a suitable weapon. After a moment’s thought, she abandoned the idea of directly clashing with the mantises’ scythes.

The virtual reality experience felt incredibly real. If even pain perception was simulated, being struck by those scythes would undoubtedly be agonizing.

‘I’m here to experience, not to be tortured.’

Moreover, Ming Yu possessed a hidden trump card.

This particular move was also the first lesson she taught her apprentice hunters.

“Bye-bye now!”

She turned, offered a slight smile, and then took off running.

At sea, hunting survival rates were directly proportional to one’s escape speed. In this ocean of gray mist, the principle likely held true as well.

This misty sea stretched endlessly, permeated by an aura of deathly silence.

It wasn’t long before Ming Yu had left most of the strange insects far behind, with only the hopping mantises still trailing her.

‘Running so fast, are they?’

Ming Yu occasionally glanced back, seeing the mantises brandishing their scythe-like limbs, their four hind legs pumping as they galloped, their hopping gait resembling rabid dogs lunging for prey.

Just then, a faint female voice echoed once more.

“Why didn’t you eat me…?”

“You… I remember your kind. You’re human… You and those commoners, you’re of the same race…”

“Heheheh…”

“Imprisoning my body wasn’t enough, and now you wish to shackle my soul, you commoner…?”

“Dream on…”

From that languid voice, Ming Yu unexpectedly detected a hint of gnashing teeth.

‘This little insect girl doesn’t seem very friendly.’

Ming Yu parted her cupped hands slightly, gazing at the small, limp figure nestled within her palms.

‘Hmm, she looks decent enough. At least her upper half resembles a human.’

‘Her face is tiny, and rather cute.’

“Commoner, what are you staring at? If it weren’t for you, how would I have ended up like this…?”

“You commoners, how dare you integrate human genes into my body, twisting even the form of my consciousness beyond recognition…”

“You damned commoners…”

“One day, I’ll devour every last one of you…”

Vera’s feeble accusations echoed within Ming Yu’s mind.

Ming Yu found herself quite perplexed, struggling to grasp what the other party was trying to convey. She glanced at the mantis legion trailing behind them and asked tentatively,

“Do you know those guys behind us?”

“They’re merely lowly land-dwellers, blindly obeying the Overlord’s will…”

“Land-dwellers?” Ming Yu was utterly bewildered.

“If I still possessed even a ten-thousandth of my power from my prime, a mere thought would be enough to annihilate these ants…”

“That’s impressive.”

“Hmph, naturally. There are differences even among insect queens, and I am a noble star-dweller…”

“Then quickly deal with them.”

“…Commoner, shut up.”

At her words, a peculiar glint flickered in Ming Yu’s eyes.

‘This one talks like a primary schooler.’

Still, continuing to run like this wasn’t a solution, nor was constant flight her style.

‘I need to find a suitable weapon.’

As Ming Yu pondered this, the small insect girl seemed to read her thoughts. She struggled to rise from Ming Yu’s soft palm and bit down.

A faint stinging sensation emanated from her palm, causing Ming Yu to subtly frown.

“This is my last bit of psionic energy…”

Vera’s voice had become incredibly faint.

Ming Yu felt a surge of warmth flow from the palm of her right hand, down to her fingertips, and up her arm. She transferred the small insect girl to her left hand, noticing that Vera had shrunk even further, now small enough to be easily cupped within her palm.

Simultaneously, her right hand underwent a dramatic transformation.

Sharp, slender, hardened keratin sprouted from her fingertips. Her metacarpal bones pierced through her skin, and a segment of bone-sword shot forth from the back of her hand, immediately turning a dark green and becoming encased in keratin.

Ming Yu examined her right hand, marveling at its hidden blade-like form, and secretly clicked her tongue in amazement.

‘Quite cool.’

She swung it, effortlessly slicing through the air with a whistling sound.

“No need to test it. My psionic carapace can easily cleave these lowly land-dwellers in two, just like a laser cutting through alloy…”

“However, you must leave this place quickly…”

The small insect girl’s voice grew even fainter.

Hearing this, Ming Yu nodded.

“What should I call you?”

“You commoner human, you dare to ask for my true name…?”

…

Ming Yu twitched the corner of her lips, speechless.

After a brief silence.

“…Vera.”

“Hm?” Ming Yu paused, slightly taken aback.

“That’s my name. Remember it, you damned commoner…”

****

If not for this human’s willingness to help her escape, Vera would never have revealed her true name.

When the Overlord ordered her execution, no one of her own kind spoke up for her.

When she was besieged by her former kin, other races lay in wait, their eyes fixed on her.

When tortured by countless experiments, even death became a distant hope.

Now, Vera could finally leave.

Yet, at this very moment, a human—the very species she most detested—was risking the Overlord’s wrath to rescue her from the swarm.

‘Why?’

‘Is it because my existence still holds value to this human?’

‘Perhaps.’

Regardless, she was weary and yearned for proper rest.

That human’s hand was soft and warm, more comfortable than any insect hive.

If there was no tomorrow in sight, then she would simply await the coming twilight.

Imperceptibly, Vera’s consciousness grew hazy. She chose to entrust her life and death to this alien ‘ant’ she had met by chance.

In a daze, she seemed to return to that tiny cage, watching the ‘ants’ in white coats come and go.

Vera desperately wanted to leave this place, to return to the starry sky, and reclaim her freedom and her home.

Ming Yu, still marveling at the sharpness of the blade on her hand, had just sliced open a mantis’s abdomen when a whisper, faint as a mosquito’s hum, reached her ears.

“Commoner, take me with you…”

This time, her voice carried not a trace of hostility; it was soft and sweet, almost like a plea.

Ming Yu smiled casually, flicked away the grime from the blade’s edge, then raised her gaze to sweep over the encircling mantis legion, a faint curve gracing her lips.

“No problem.”