It actually worked!
The luminous orb of the Mother Insect’s consciousness trembled violently, transmitting a complex mix of emotions: submission, affection, and dependence.
Immediately after, a clear, tender, girlish voice traveled along the Soul Link and entered Ian’s mind.
"Fa... Father..."
Ian’s expression froze. ’That voice... that form of address...’
He quickly regained his composure, sending his thoughts through the Link.
"From now on, call me Master."
"Yes, Master." The Mother Insect’s consciousness replied submissively.
"Since you’re a Mother Insect, I’ll give you a name. How about... Kerrigan."
Ian mused for a moment, then casually picked a name.
"From this day forward, your name is Kerrigan."
"Kerrigan! I love this name. Thank you, Master," Kerrigan conveyed, her emotions rippling with joy.
Ian inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. ’The enslavement was a success, and it went even more smoothly than I expected.’
Without the Void Empress’s imprint getting in the way, the entire process was effortless.
"Now, let’s test your abilities," Ian commanded mentally.
"Take control of all surrounding insects and have them gather to me."
"As you command, Master."
Kerrigan’s luminous consciousness began to pulsate violently. An invisible pheromone carrying a specific frequency radiated out from her in all directions.
This wasn’t the previous Nest command, but a new one that belonged to her, one that was also infused with the essence of Ian’s Soul.
With a thought from Ian, the Dream Space dissipated, and the scene of the real world re-emerged.
He floated in mid-air, having already withdrawn the thousand-meter domain around him.
Below, the massive, bloated Mother Insect, Kerrigan, slowly raised her head.
In its small compound eyes, the scarlet glow had faded, replaced by a gentle Dark Gold that reflected Ian’s figure.
HISS!
Kerrigan let out a soft hiss, completely different from the sharp, piercing cries of the Insect Race before.
Following her hiss, the invisible psychic signal erupted completely.
BZZZZ!!!
With Kerrigan at the center, all the previously motionless insects within a thousand-li radius stirred at once!
The three Level Four Guard Insects slowly lowered their bladed forelimbs. The cold killing intent in their compound eyes dissipated, replaced by a dull loyalty.
They turned to face Kerrigan, standing silently like the most faithful guards.
Farther away, the Low Tier insects that had been immobilized by the Domain—the Male Bees, Rapid Insects, Shadow Wing Insects, Bone-Eating Insects...
At this moment, they all broke free from their paralysis, vibrating their wings and moving their limbs, and began to converge on Kerrigan’s position.
Tens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands...
The sky was blotted out by the swarms of Shadow Wing Insects, and the ground rumbled from the trampling of countless insect feet.
These insects showed no aggressive intent, simply forming layer after layer of a living wall around Kerrigan in a quiet, orderly fashion.
They crowded around Kerrigan, like subjects paying homage to their queen.
Ian hovered high in the sky, watching the magnificent scene below, a thrill of excitement rising in his heart.
He had truly enslaved a Mother Insect and, through her, taken control of every insect within a thousand-li radius!
These once ferocious and terrifying monsters, which had fought him to the death, now seemed... almost endearing in his eyes.
Especially the dozen or so enormous Level Four Guard Insects, who stood like the most loyal giant sentinels, silently protecting Kerrigan.
With them around, Kerrigan’s safety was no longer a concern.
’With this insect army, operating in any world will be much more convenient in the future,’ Ian began to muse.
He started considering how he could have Kerrigan continue to gather more insects and form a massive insect army that was completely under his command.
However, just as Ian was lost in his thoughts about the future, a sudden change occurred without any warning.
HIIISSS!!!
A shrill, agonizing screech came from the distant horizon.
It wasn’t just one insect, but... thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of millions of insects, all letting out a death wail at the exact same moment!
Ian whipped his head around, looking in the direction the screeching came from.
He saw it at the edge of the ice field, and farther beyond, in the mountains, the plains, the sky...
In all the areas not covered by Kerrigan’s psychic signal, all the insects that were still active or lying in wait, now froze solid.
The next second.
POP! POP! POP!...
As if hundreds of millions of balloons had been popped at once, swarms of Shadow Wing Insects dropped from the sky as far as the eye could see.
On the ground, tides of insects collapsed in massive swathes.
Their shells lost their luster, the light in their compound eyes went out, and their life force dissipated in an instant.
No explosions, no battles, no enemies—just pure, simple death.
It was as if an invisible hand had flipped a switch for destruction. Across the entire Esok World, every insect not under Kerrigan’s control died in the very same second!
The screeching stopped abruptly.
The entire world fell into a dead silence.
There was only the howling of the cold wind and the low, fearful, and uneasy hums from the insects within the thousand-li radius around Kerrigan.
Ian floated in the air, his pupils contracting sharply. A chill shot up his spine to the back of his head.
"This is... a self-destruct command..."
He understood instantly.
’The Void Nest... no, it was most likely the work of that Void Empress, Belviss.’
’After sensing that a Mother Insect had been enslaved and had broken from her control, she directly issued a final purge command to all remaining insects on the Esok World.’
’She would rather destroy them all than leave a single one for the enemy!’
"What a terrifying race."
Ian sucked in a cold breath, his voice slightly hoarse.
’Such decisiveness, such efficiency, such zero tolerance for loss of control... No wonder the Void Insect Race has been able to contend with the Wizard Civilization for so long.’
’If I hadn’t made Kerrigan gather the insects within a thousand-li radius and mark them with my Spiritual Imprint in time, every insect except Kerrigan herself would likely be a corpse by now.’
’The insect army I just acquired would have been wiped out, leaving Kerrigan as the sole survivor.’
"Glad I was in time." Ian suppressed the lingering fear in his heart and scanned the scene below with his Perception.
Around Kerrigan, the insects still crowded her, but their fear and unease were palpable.
Clearly, they had also sensed the collective death of their kin far away.
Ian took a deep breath and began to take stock of his gains, his Perception instantly blanketing the entire swarm.
’Fifteen Level Four Guard Insects. Excellent.’
’Among the Level Three Combat Units, there are Shadow Wing Insects, Bone-Eating Insects, Rapid Insects, Eroders... about twelve thousand in total.’
’Over one and a half million Level Two Male Bees.’
’In addition, there’s a small number of auxiliary units like Crystal Core Insects, Engineer Insects, and Reconnaissance Insects.’
’An insect army of over one and a half million... Even back on the Central Continent, this would be a formidable force.’
’Though it can’t compare to the Level Two factions, it’s enough for me to establish a firm foothold on the Central Continent.’
He suddenly thought of something. ’The Crystal Core Insects I left underground... they’ve probably all died too.’
He opened his personal dimension, and just as he’d feared, the Crystal Core Insects he had deliberately collected earlier were all lifeless.
’Sigh, I should have had Kerrigan take control of them sooner.’
Ian’s expression turned grim. This was a type of insect he cared a great deal about.
"Kerrigan, can you still produce Crystal Core Insects?"
"Father, I can, but nurturing each Crystal Core Insect requires consuming a small amount of World Origin."
Ian breathed a sigh of relief. ’The World Origin isn’t an issue. The Crystal Core Insects already collected and converted a fair amount, and it’s all still underground.’
"Have them go underground right now and retrieve all the Origin."
Kerrigan once again sent out a pheromone signal, relaying Ian’s command, and the insects began to move.
Ian watched with immense satisfaction. ’Finally, I don’t have to do everything myself anymore.’
Now, there was only one last thing left to resolve.
The World Will of Esok.