Chapter 299: The Insect King Bares Its Fangs
"I want to fill the world with the scent of love!"
Allen, clad in a pink princess dress, raised a heart-shaped staff high above his head.
The Seven Lantern Corps cowered far behind him. Having witnessed the humiliating effects of the Pink Lantern Ring firsthand, they wanted no part of the collateral damage.
A rosy glow bathed the battlefield.
In an instant, the once bloodthirsty and savage insectoid army fell silent. Their eyes filled with pink hearts, and they began hurling themselves at their fellow bugs in a frenzied, indecent display.
The problem was, insect soldiers lacked reproductive organs. All they could do was grind their shells against one another.
"Full assault!"
At the command of Allen's heart staff, the Lanterns charged into the chaos of the amorous insectoid swarm.
Now that the Seven Lantern Corps had joined the fray, the tide of battle began to turn decisively.
The pressure from the insectoid army was greatly relieved. The three great cosmic empires deployed elite units to specifically seek out the ecological planets used by the insectoids for reproduction—striking at the root of their endless swarm.
At the same time, the Spartan Empire advanced with overwhelming momentum, rapidly occupying vast star regions and reorganizing its vassal forces.
Clearly, they were establishing a beachhead and forming the first defensive line in anticipation of retaliation from the three cosmic empires once the war ended.
Moreover, the Behemoth Star Ring was situated deep in strategic territory, ideal for dragging out a war of attrition.
The Spartan Empire had prepared thoroughly.
Over the long years, they had secretly infiltrated their target territories, constantly refining their war plans. With the three cosmic empires now embroiled in the insectoid crisis, it was a heaven-sent opportunity.
The outcome of this war was already decided.
The insectoids were doomed to fail.
Ultimately, it would be a showdown between the Spartan Empire and the three great empires.
"I won't accept this!"
Ronan pounded the control console in fury.
His meticulous plan had seemed destined for success, yet no matter how he tried to rationalize it, he couldn't understand why the previously passive Seven Lantern Corps had suddenly intervened—or how the long-vanished Spartan Empire had returned to the stage, shattering his strategy completely.
The insectoid forces were being lost far faster than they could be replenished.
Moreover, more and more ecological planets containing breeding insectoids were being discovered, leading to a critical shortage in combat forces.
Suddenly, the hatch burst open.
A gravely wounded soldier stumbled in, barely standing.
"Leader, the royal guards have gone rogue—they're slaughtering everyone in the base!"
Shhk!
Even before he finished speaking, a bone blade sliced across his throat.
A towering insectoid over three meters tall surged into the room. It had four bone-bladed arms, a monstrous hybrid of insect and human. Its lower body was that of a six-legged bug, its upper half a four-armed humanoid, and its head was a grotesque insectoid skull.
"Gone rogue?!"
Ronan stared at the creature in disbelief, instinctively turning toward the stasis pod where the Insect King rested.
And there—it was watching him.
Eight compound eyes wide open, fixed on Ronan.
Damn it!
A chill ran through his heart.
He suddenly recalled the words of the Supreme Evolver just before his death.
Every word had been true. But it was already too late to realize it.
"Die!"
With a furious roar, Ronan raised his warhammer.
Exploding with incredible force, each blow slammed into the royal guard insectoid, which could barely keep up with the barrage.
As a pureblood Kree, Ronan's physique was innately powerful. On top of that, he'd undergone systematic training, with technological and pharmaceutical enhancement. Equipped with his battle armor and weaponry, he was practically a downgraded version of Superman—lacking only flight.
Within a few exchanges, the royal guard had been reduced to a pile of meat.
Ronan stood among the remains—one of the finest warriors of his kind.
He approached the isolation pod, glaring at the Insect King.
"You've been awake this entire time?"
"Yes."
The voice echoed directly in his mind.
The Insect King lacked a normal vocal system and could only communicate telepathically.
"What's the point? You'll lose either way. Maybe we should've cooperated from the start," Ronan said gravely.
"Was that ever an option?"
The Insect King's reply was laced with mockery. Clearly, he'd seen through Ronan's attitude—he had always treated the Insect King as nothing more than a tool of war. The King spoke bluntly: "Do you remember the spatial rift from decades ago?"
"The Bugmen?!"
Back then, Ronan had led Kree forces to suppress the invasion. On the battlefield, they had found many corpses that looked part human, part insect.
Biological experts had dissected them and concluded the invaders were an evolved insectoid species—possessing both intelligence and a level of technological advancement that shocked and terrified them.
"To be precise, we are the Annihilation Insectoids."
The Insect King spoke with confidence. "The Annihilation species is already preparing for a second invasion. When the time comes, true slaughter and enslavement will descend upon this world."
"…"
The fury burning in Ronan's chest was suddenly extinguished.
An eerie chill crept down his spine.
He knew full well that their last victory had been sheer luck.
The Annihilation Insectoids had been unprepared. That was the only reason the Kree forces had prevailed—and destroyed the spatial rift, preventing a second wave.
But now, the Insect King was brazenly admitting their return.
There would be no repeat of their earlier mistake.
This time, the Kree Empire stood no chance. They faced not just defeat—but genocide at the hands of the Annihilation Insectoids.
Having grasped this crucial truth, Ronan turned and left the lab without hesitation.
The containment pod imprisoning the Insect King had been constructed to the highest possible specifications. It could withstand standard energy cannon fire. Even if he exhausted every ounce of strength, his hammer would never break through.
His only option was to return to the starship and use the planet-busting cannon to obliterate the entire base.
Ronan had received the finest imperial education. He quickly realized that the Insect King must be a beacon—guiding the Annihilation Insectoids. Killing him might be their only hope of preventing the arrival of that nightmarish race.
He still harbored dreams of galactic domination, but the Kree Empire was his homeland—he couldn't allow it to be destroyed.
Fighting his way through the passage, he rescued many survivors along the way.
You could question Ronan's tactics, but never his character.
His military background had instilled a deep loyalty to his subordinates. Without that, the Accusers' team would never have chosen him as their leader.
After all, who would follow a selfish tyrant?
"Leader, go on ahead—we'll cover you!"
A squad of soldiers volunteered, forming a tactical formation and unleashing nonstop fire to hold back the advancing royal guards.
"You are heroes of the Empire."
Ronan gave them a crisp salute, honoring their selfless sacrifice.
In a moment of crisis, there was no time for drawn-out farewells.
The group squeezed into the warp pod. As the hatch sealed shut, the delaying team was already engulfed by the swarm.
Boom!
A pressurized launch.
The warp pod shot into the sky like a cannon shell.
The royal guards could only watch helplessly as it soared upward, bellowing in fury and frustration.
The starship waiting in orbit detected the warp pod's signal and moved in immediately to retrieve it.
"Fire the planet-buster cannon. Destroy the military base."
Ronan issued the order the moment he boarded.
Mounted on the flanks of the starship, the cannon began its charging sequence. Brilliant energy shimmered at the muzzle as it gathered power.
Once fully charged—
A beam of deep blue light lanced toward the planet below.
In that instant, it was as if divine judgment had descended. The beam struck, expanding outward in a glowing white circle from the point of impact—spreading visibly across the surface.