130: Chapter 130 King vs. King: Prince Kroll vs. the Hive Queen

Laya hasn't been having an easy time lately.

Every day, she is "disciplined" by energy transfer until she can't get out of bed, her whole body soft like a puddle of water. After each transfer, she collapses into Li Yuan's arms, eyes unfocused, breathing rapid, her wings drooping powerlessly.

"Master... I can't take it anymore..." Laya said with a sobbing tone right after the transfer ended today, "There's too much energy... I really can't bear it anymore..."

"Then shall we rest for a day tomorrow?" Li Yuan asked, holding her with a heart full of pity.

"No!" Laya suddenly looked up, her eyes wet, but her tone was firm, "More! I want more!"

Li Yuan: "..." Your contradictions are a bit obvious.

Later, he realized that for Laya, energy transfer was a "painful yet pleasurable" experience—similar to humans eating extremely spicy hotpot; they go "hiss-hiss" saying it's too spicy while desperately stuffing more into their mouths.

"This is called an addictive constitution." Senior Yimoku hit the nail on the head, "I suggest moderation, otherwise it's easy to collapse from exhaustion."

Laya didn't care; every time she transferred, it was as if she hadn't eaten for hundreds of years, desperately demanding more. The result was that her legs were weak and her waist sore every day, and she needed Li Yuan to support her when walking.

However, it was clear that energy transfer was extremely beneficial for Laya, especially after the bei ming core was shaped for her last time. Every time she transferred, Laya's strength strengthened by a large wave.

"I feel like I've been spoiled rotten by Master..." One morning, Laya tried to get up by herself, but as soon as she sat up, she realized Li Yuan wasn't holding her, so she fell back down and stayed in bed.

Elia happened to pass by, poked her head in for a look, and commented calmly: "Spoiled, but not completely spoiled. At least you can still lie in bed and act spoiled."

Laya grabbed a pillow and threw it at her: "Mind your own business!"

Senior Yimoku's research on energy fluid had made significant progress.

Now, the energy fluid, after thirty-four rounds of purification, had become as clear and transparent as mineral water. Although she hadn't dared to let anyone orally consume it for absorption yet, it could now be atomized and provided to humans through cultivation, and there were no aftereffects.

"I call this the 'Cultivation Accelerator'." Yimoku said proudly, "After atomization and inhalation, cultivation efficiency increases three hundred times. The only side effect is... addiction to cultivation."

As she spoke, she gestured slightly towards Aria in the cultivation room. Aria had been in the cultivation room for another 12 hours, with psionic energy surging into her body like a storm.

The good news was that after such a long period of cultivation, she had finally touched a bottleneck.

"It's very solid," Elia sat cross-legged on the floor of the cultivation room, moonlight flowing around her, "But I feel... I can break through it."

When she said this, her icy blue eyes flashed with unprecedented determination. Her long silver hair moved without wind, and tiny ice crystals condensed at the tips of her hair, falling to the ground with a tinkling sound.

Li Yuan could feel that the energy within her was undergoing some kind of qualitative change. It was like a volcano beneath an iceberg; calm on the surface, but surging and turbulent inside.

"Do you need help?" he asked.

Elia shook her head, then nodded: "I don't know... but I don't need it right now. I'll find you when I do."

"Rest assured, it's on us." Laya patted her chest—although her hand was a bit weak, so there was no momentum behind it.

"But before that," Elia suddenly smiled, a hint of craftiness in her smile, "Shouldn't we go kill a few Ultralisks to celebrate? My hands have been itching lately."

Li Yuan and Laya looked at each other and nodded simultaneously.

"Let's go!"

...

Turning back to space.

The Zerg Swarm finally entered engagement range.

Tens of thousands of flickering "stars" broke out of warp state at the edge of the stellar region—that was the light emitted by the cooling of the leviathan mothership's biological jump organs.

Immediately after, even larger shadows emerged: seven super motherships slowly appeared. Their size was suffocating; their mere existence caused ripples in space.

"They're here." Major General Zhao Yu took a deep breath.

Then he ordered: "All ships, fire at will!"

At that moment, space was illuminated.

Millions of energy beams poured out like a rainstorm, cutting through the dark vacuum, crashing into the vanguard of the Zerg Swarm fleet. The light was so bright that even the stars were eclipsed.

The incoming Zerg units—Mutalisks, Devourers, Corruptors, Void Rays, etc.—didn't even have time to let out a roar before they were evaporated from the material world by the energy beams, turning into cosmic dust.

The scene was spectacular enough to make one's blood boil.

And then... there was no "and then."

After piercing through countless Zerg units, the beams finally collided with the biological shields jointly raised by the Leviathan cluster. That translucent, oily-sheened shield vibrated violently, ripples spreading, but... it didn't break.

"Knew it wouldn't be that simple." Prince Krol smacked his lips, "The skin is really thick."

Both sides entered a stalemate.

Back and forth, artillery fire flying everywhere. The Zerg Swarm lost biological weapons, but on the Alliance of Ten Thousand Races' side... the losses were mainly drones.

Wait, that's not right! How could the fleets of the weaker races on the second front have such heavy losses!!

Those destroyers and cruisers, how could they have losses just fighting Mutalisks and Corruptors!

"If this stalemate continues, our little brothers from the weaker races will be wiped out." Prince Krol looked at the battle report and shook his head with a sigh.

He turned to Bishop Albert: "Bishop, you hold the line, I'll take a strike team for a charge. Maybe if we behead a high-tier Zerg unit, this offensive will end."

They were the only two Tier 6 here—Major General Zhao Yu was too young, not even Tier 5 yet, and couldn't hold the ground.

Bishop Albert pondered for a moment and nodded: "Act according to circumstances, and retreat quickly if things go wrong. Don't learn from those hot-blooded protagonists in anime who insist on getting themselves half-dead before coming back."

"Rest assured," Prince Krol grinned, "I value my life very much."

As he spoke, a warship crackling with lightning rushed out from the Olympia formation.

That was Prince Krol's flagship, the "Thunder Throne". At this moment, it was completely enveloped by violent lightning elements, like a blue meteor, plunging deep into the Zerg Swarm formation.

Everywhere it passed, lightning raged.

Mutalisk swarms were charred by electricity, Corruptors disintegrated in the thunder, and even the Leviathan's shields were torn open by this concentrated assault.

The Zerg Swarm clearly didn't expect anyone to be this reckless, and their formation fell into brief chaos.

Prince Krol took advantage of the momentum to go deeper, his goal clear—he was looking for the Zerg Swarm command nodes, those Brain Bugs or Queens hidden deep within the motherships.

The lightning charged left and right through the Zerg Swarm, unstoppable.

Then, it suddenly stopped.

It wasn't stopped; it stopped voluntarily.

Because in front, a "person" appeared.

To be exact, it was an existence with a humanoid outline, but with four pairs of insect wings unfolded behind it, and a purple psionic halo surrounding its body. She floated in the vacuum, her long hair dancing like a living thing, her eyes pure gold, without pupils, only endless majesty.

Prince Krol widened his eyes, an exclamation blurted out:

"Queen Oriana?! Why are you here!"

He recognized this attire.

The Queen of the Fourth Mother Nest. One of the highest rulers of the Zerg Swarm opposite the human front line, said to have lived for thousands of years, having been fighting them since his great-grandfather's time, with unfathomable strength.

Supposedly, an existence of this level shouldn't have appeared on the battlefield for a long time.

Queen Oriana spoke slowly, her voice directly entering Prince Krol's mental sea—a pure stream of information, carrying the cold and efficient thinking pattern unique to the Zerg Swarm:

[Kasha Krol. Prince of the Olympia Empire, Tier 6 peak.]

[Assessment: High-quality specimen. Capture value: High.]

Prince Krol's mouth twitched: "Is this treating me like material?"

The Queen didn't answer, just raised her hand. In the void, countless purple psionic tentacles generated out of thin air, entangling towards the "Thunder Throne" from all directions.

Prince Krol's eyes sharpened.

"Everyone, retreat!" he ordered, "Leave this to me!"

"Prince—" the adjutant wanted to say something.

"That's an order!" Prince Krol roared, "You're in the way here!"

The fleet began to retreat. Prince Krol stood alone on the bridge, looking at that terrifying existence ahead.

Lightning gathered around him, forming solid battle armor. He reached out and grasped, and a spear made entirely of lightning took shape in his hand.

Queen Oriana also moved. The insect wings behind her flapped gently, and she transformed into a purple light, charging straight at him.

Two Tier 6s.

King vs. King.

"Boom—!!!"

The first collision, the erupting energy shock cleared everything within tens of kilometers. Zerg Swarm units, wreckage of warships, and even asteroids were all pulverized in this single blow.

Prince Krol slid back thousands of meters, cracks appearing on his lightning armor.

Queen Oriana only paused slightly, then lunged again.

"Tch, really tough." Prince Krol spat, his fighting spirit burning brighter, "However... this is interesting!"

He took the initiative to meet her, lightning spear and psionic tentacles clashing crazily.

Space became their battlefield, lightning and purple light intertwined, each collision triggering small-scale spatial tremors. The fleet in the distance could only see that area completely submerged in energy turbulence, unable to see the specific battle situation at all.

"Can he win?" Major General Zhao Yu asked nervously.

Bishop Albert stared at the monitoring data and shook his head slowly: "Hard to say. Krol is strong, but Oriana... is an old opponent of humanity, one of the oldest Queens of the Zerg Swarm."

"Then let's go support—"

"Don't go." The Bishop interrupted him, "At that level of combat, no matter how many of us go, we'll just die. Now we can only trust Krol."

He paused, then added: "Besides, that old guy is tough as nails. He was besieged by three people of the same tier back in the day and didn't die; this time he should also..."

Before he finished speaking, a dazzling ball of lightning exploded on the monitoring screen.

Immediately after, Prince Krol's voice sounded on the communication channel, sounding... quite excited?

"Hahaha! Satisfying! Come again!"

Bishop Albert and Major General Zhao Yu looked at each other and breathed a sigh of relief simultaneously.

Being able to shout like that meant he wouldn't die for a while.

...

On the ground, Li Yuan had just directed the Light Guardian to take down another Ultralisk.

He suddenly felt something, looked up at the sky—although separated by the atmosphere and tens of thousands of kilometers, he couldn't see anything.

"What's wrong?" Laya asked.

"I don't know," Li Yuan frowned, "I just suddenly feel... it seems very lively up in the sky."