「Deep within the Heart of the World.」
Two vast Wills were locked in a death grip, like two giant pythons devouring and tearing at each other.
The collision of the two Wills threw the Rules of the Esok World into chaos and made space itself tremble.
However, the moment the Will of Belviss awakened, only to immediately let out a wretched, agonized howl, the entire core space fell abruptly silent.
The writhing, twisting Abyssal Will also froze.
The crazed, ravenous malice that tainted everything receded in an instant, and its emotional fluctuations stopped spreading.
The Level Six Abyss Demon King, Baal Behemoth, was now filled with shock and uncertainty.
Just a moment ago, it had sensed a Will far beyond its imagination awaken, only to be immediately and catastrophically wounded!
The fear of being grazed by the notice of a higher-level existence, even through the barrier between dimensions, still made Demon King Baal’s Soul tremble.
’A terrifying existence, at least a Level Seven True Spirit, had its very source wounded in an instant?’
’What happened?!’
As an Abyss Demon King, its instincts for danger far surpassed those of any other living creature.
In the face of an incomprehensible, higher-dimensional threat, survival and Concealment were the prime directives.
Entanglement? Devouring? Corruption? All of it was thrown to the back of its mind!
Without any hesitation, Baal instantly detached from the World Will and, like a startled viper, shot back into the depths of the Void.
It didn’t even leave behind any parting threats or marks. Its retreat was clean and decisive, without a hint of reluctance.
Just a breath later, the Abyssal Aura within the core space—so thick it was suffocating, an aura that had warped the Esok World for thousands of years—evaporated completely, vanishing without a trace.
Only a trace of imperceptible corruption remained, proof that it had once been there.
The golden point of light that was the World Will flickered in confusion.
It even felt a little disoriented. ’My mortal enemy of three thousand years... just ran away?’
’Was it because of that Will fluctuation that suddenly appeared and vanished?’
...
「On the ice plains, the cold wind still howled.」
Ian was unaware of the dramatic changes that had occurred deep within the Heart of the World.
He had just finished taking stock of the Insect Race forces gathered by Kerrigan, suppressing the excitement and lingering fear in his heart.
Now, he was focusing his mind on the Soul Link he had established with Kerrigan, trying to understand how this new army operated.
"Kerrigan, explain your abilities to me, and how you control them."
"Yes, my master."
A submissive response came from Kerrigan’s consciousness. At the same time, a complex data packet—a mix of images, information streams, and instinctual commands—surged through the Link and into Ian’s mind.
Ian quickly parsed the composition of the Insect Race and the duties of a Queen Insect.
Soon, he had a clear understanding of the specific composition of the Insect Race forces surrounding Kerrigan.
Level Four units: 15 Level Four Guard Insects. They were the backbone of the Nest’s defense and siege offense.
Their Shells were thick enough to withstand most Level Four Rule attacks, and their bladed forelimbs could tear through space, allowing for short-range jumps or the creation of localized distortions.
They had no independent intelligence and followed the Queen Insect’s direct commands completely. Their duties were to protect the Queen Insect, suppress internal rebellions, and attack powerful enemies.
A battle group of 12,000 Level Two and Level Three units.
Shadow Wing Insects acted as the aerial units. They were fast and agile, responsible for reconnaissance, harassment, and air superiority. Their mouths could spit Acid Bombs or they could perform diving claw strikes.
Bone-Eating Insects acted as the ranged attack units. Their Shells were corrosive, and they excelled at breaking through formations and destroying structures. The acid they sprayed could melt most Energy Shields.
Rapid Insects acted as the ground assault units. They were fast and numerous, used for charging and wearing down enemy forces.
These Level Two and Level Three units possessed basic combat instincts but still required guidance from the Queen Insect’s commands and were incapable of complex tactical coordination.
Level One units: Male Bees. They were the most numerous, with a population exceeding 1.5 million. They were the Insect Race’s engineers and basic laborers.
They were responsible for gathering resources—mainly energy-rich minerals and organic matter—as well as transporting materials, constructing and repairing Nest structures. Their combat Power was extremely weak, roughly equivalent to a level between an Apprentice and a Level One Wizard.
They were also the primary "raw material" used by the Queen Insect when creating new units.
In addition, there were a small number of Engineer Insects, which were more specialized construction units, and more secretive detection units like Reconnaissance Insects, among other support-type insects.
Ian tried to transmit his thoughts directly to a Level Four Guard Insect, but his mental command was like a stone sinking into the ocean.
The Guard Insect’s compound eyes remained dull. It showed no reaction, continuing to faithfully stand guard around Kerrigan.
He then tried to issue a command to advance to a group of Rapid Insects. The creatures just milled about blankly in place, bumping into one another in a state of utter Chaos.
’As I thought.’ Ian understood now. The hive mind structure of the Insect Race was extremely unique and rigid.
’The Queen Insect’s Soul structure is highly specialized; it’s designed entirely for a hive mind.’
He now understood that the entire Insect Race society was an absolute, one-way pyramid of command.
The Void Empress Belviss was at the very top. Below her were the Level Five and Level Six Void Nests, and below them were the Level Four Queen Insects.
Commands could only be passed down from above. They could not skip levels, nor could they be sent in reverse or laterally.
By enslaving Kerrigan, Ian had essentially usurped the Void Empress’s control over this particular node.
He could issue any command directly to Kerrigan.
Kerrigan would execute it unconditionally, using her own hive consciousness to translate the command into specific mental signals the other insects could understand, thereby commanding all the insects within her sphere of control.
But his Soul structure was not that of the Insect Race, so he couldn’t bypass Kerrigan to command any of the other insects directly.