The Hunter’s Triumph

Anxious cries reverberated through Augu’s mind, causing his eyelids to twitch.

His gaze drifted towards the distant, gray firmament. Swarms of locusts, thick as a shroud, blotted out the sky, forming a colossal hunting net that swept rapidly towards them.

At the vanguard of the insect horde, the largest locust surged forward, its monstrous maw grotesquely exposed, revealing a terrifying bite force that left no doubt of its power.

Yet, more chilling than its fearsome appearance were the psionic fluctuations Augu sensed emanating from the colossal locust, sending shivers down his spine.

“Screech—!”

A piercing insect shriek, laden with an immense mental shockwave, swept through the area indiscriminately, shattering nearly all the lower-tier mantises in its path.

“Concentrate! Our will shall never yield to these mere insects!” Augu bellowed fiercely within the spiritual network.

Prompted by his urgent warning, the psionicists farther afield unleashed their individual powers, each employing unique methods to withstand the onslaught of the mental storm.

Conversely, Augu and those caught closer to the storm’s epicenter could only grit their teeth and bear it, channeling their own psionic energy to nullify the enemy’s influence.

He let out a deep sigh, a pang of regret for the wayward girl twisting in his gut.

Within the maelstrom of the mental storm, his psionic detection had become utterly useless, preventing him from gleaning any further information about the girl.

Such a promising child, capable of entering the Void at such a tender age. With a bit more refinement, her future would undoubtedly have been boundless.

Alas, it seemed she was destined to fall here today.

****

Little Nightingale flung herself directly into Ming Yu’s embrace, pressing her face against Ming Yu’s body, her hands wrapping tightly around Ming Yu’s waist.

“Sister Ming Yu…”

In the midst of their brief reunion, Ming Yu’s gaze flickered from her left hand, which gripped Vera, to her right, now a formidable blade. Unable to spare a hand to caress Little Nightingale’s head, she could only offer a helpless smile, bowing her head to gently rub her cheek against the girl’s.

“Useless, what exactly are you doing?” Vera suddenly huffed, a hint of indignation in her tone.

“Nothing… I am merely nurturing a tender soul.”

“Huh?”

Vera’s indignation deepened, now tinged with genuine confusion, as she struggled to comprehend Ming Yu’s words.

However, her attention was not truly fixed on Little Nightingale.

“Useless, do you even realize that without me, you would have been dead just now…?”

Vera’s tone held a subtle blend of reproach and lingering trepidation. She yearned to pry open this human’s skull, to dissect her thoughts and understand what truly went on inside.

Confronted with such close-range, high-intensity mental erosion, these two humans had somehow remained utterly defenseless, exposing the very core of their souls without a second thought.

Were they tired of living?

It was fortunate she had recovered a significant portion of her psionic energy; otherwise, the consequences would have been catastrophic. This oblivious, useless human would have perished right before her eyes.

“Ah, forget it,” Vera sighed, her gaze refocusing on the Locust Lord, and stated with renewed seriousness,

“To prevent any further complications, useless, let us proceed.”

“What should I do?” Ming Yu simultaneously soothed Little Nightingale and mentally questioned Vera.

Throughout her exchanges with Vera, she had uncovered numerous previously unknown concepts, sparking a keen interest in the peculiar abilities of this world.

She wanted to help the insect girl to the very end.

Despite their fleeting encounter, Vera had left an indelible mark on Ming Yu, compelling her to instinctively seek out the less-than-pleasant past the other had buried.

She simply had a feeling that Vera was a little insect girl with a captivating story to tell.

Ming Yu subtly pursed her lips, her gaze now fixed on the Locust Lord, which was entrenched high in the sky.

It was merely a game, nothing more than an elaborate dream.

That monstrous creature in the sky inexplicably ignited a primal hunting desire within Ming Yu. More precisely, it awakened a twisted, destructive impulse.

Whenever Ming Yu encountered such grotesque beings, a destructive urge invariably surged within her, an impulse to purify these perceived aberrations…

She desired to expel every last one of them, leaving not a single trace behind.

“Useless, I will transfer a sliver of psionic energy to you, reinforcing your spirit body. You merely need to wield the weapon I provide, breach that behemoth’s psionic exoskeleton, then hurl me into the resulting fissure, and await its consumption.”

“Is it truly that simple?”

“Indeed… Useless, I am counting on you.”

Vera’s voice remained perfectly calm, as if she were merely recounting a trivial matter. Though she was merely a useless human, Vera held an unwavering belief that this useless human would prevail.

****

While the Locust Lord merely had to contemplate its demise, Ming Yu found herself with a multitude of considerations.

For instance, she had to master control over the utterly terrifying, wildly uncontrollable, frenzied power that Vera had transferred to her. This sensation of power was one Ming Yu had never encountered before.

It clung to the deepest recesses of her soul like a parasite to bone, awakening a spiritual trove long buried within her heart.

In an instant, countless fragments of memory intertwined within her mind. These included scenes she had personally experienced, as well as visions entirely new to her. In those unfamiliar memory fragments, darkness reigned as the eternal theme.

‘Is this… Vera’s memory?’

The conjecture flashed through her mind, fleeting yet swiftly grasped by Ming Yu.

The next moment, a surge of power coursed through her entire body, rushing straight to the crown of her head and delivering a transcendent sense of satisfaction.

Ming Yu slightly bent her knees, her gaze locked onto her prey, as an eerie, crimson glow ignited within her pupils.

In Vera’s estimation, though this human possessed extraordinary strength, confronting the Locust Lord might prove somewhat challenging.

Theoretically, her psionic carapace was potent enough to breach the Locust Lord’s defenses. Theoretically, her psionic enhancements were sufficient to allow Ming Yu to swiftly close the distance to her opponent.

Yet, these were, in the end, merely theoretical estimations.

Nevertheless, the unfolding scene utterly captivated Vera.

There was no elaborate strategy, no dazzling sequence of moves.

She leaped.

One strike.

That singular strike completely redefined Vera’s understanding of this ‘useless’ human.

The sharp blade plunged deep into the exoskeleton. Leveraging the impact, she vaulted higher, then ripped the blade free, carving a long, narrow gash with a swift sideways motion.

“Go, Vera!”

Ming Yu let out a soft chuckle, then hurled Vera forward from her hand.

****

Augu couldn’t even manage to approach.

Vaguely, he perceived a silver-white shadow streaking upwards, transforming the once-indomitable Locust Lord into its current pitiful state.

In mid-air, the frenzied Locust Lord thrashed violently, no longer capable of emitting a potent mental shockwave, instead rolling in palpable agony.

Could that white-haired woman truly be responsible for this?

How could that be possible?

That creature was a high-tier insectoid, possessing psionic strength of the ninth level. The Void’s environment only amplified its power, making it an even more formidable foe. Even Augu himself had felt a flicker of despair.

Once the storm had receded, Augu and the others spotted the girl directly beneath the Locust Lord, alongside the silver-haired beauty at her side.

To their astonishment, the two were nestled together, heads close, whispering intimately.

He instantly withdrew his psionic energy, not daring to harbor even a shred of intrusive thought for fear of incurring the animosity of that formidable insect hunter.

It was nothing short of a miracle.

His gaze returned to the Locust Lord suspended in mid-air, his heart swelling with an awe he rarely experienced.

For the first time, humanity had confronted and triumphed over such a monstrous entity.

It wasn’t just him; his old comrades behind him exchanged bewildered glances, each seeing profound shock reflected in the other’s eyes.

Meanwhile, elsewhere.

Ming Yu gazed at her right hand, now restored to its original form, and gave it a tentative wave, still feeling a trace of unfamiliarity.

However, her attention swiftly shifted to Little Nightingale, observing the pair of sparkling, clear blue eyes that had now regained their vibrant luster.

Ming Yu found herself momentarily entranced.