The bees were like fuzzy hybrids, a mix of the hardworking bumblebee bee and an aggressive wasp. Their mandibles were akin to large gardening scissors, bulky and sharp, while their legs were like six flexible but sharp scythes.

With the Spawns swarming them, the dozens of bees were swiftly overwhelmed. Although each of them is a foot long, each Spawn was five inches big.

During the battle that could barely be called a scuffle, Helzar's Swarm barely took a hit besides a few dozen Spawns. The appearance of the bees weren't just for decoration, they served their purpose.

Using their legs and mandibles, they'd mangle the Spawns who were near them into bits, and with the flexible sharp stingers, they'd inject a dose of poison into their target and immediately kill it. Helzar watched in amusement as a bee tried taking on three Spawns at once, only to be decapitated before it could even kill a single Spawn.

Helzar looked over to the horizon. There wasn't much to see besides the line separating heaven and earth, but Helzar knew there was something greater beyond the horizon.

Helzar let out a deep, rugged laughter. Seeing the bees reduced to nothing, devoured by the voracious Spawns, Helzar calmed his beloved insects and resumed their journey to his lair.

With his voice fading out into a broken chuckle with the wind, Helzar soon reached his lair.

+++-+++-+++

The Swarm welcomed their king as Helzar walked past the billions of Spawns guarding the entrance to his lair. With the current Swarm, even if Alex, Jason, and Rex from before teamed up, their fate can only be death in minutes.

Helzar scoffed.

His lair consists of three main layers. The first layer was everything above ground, and it mostly served as a decoy for any potential challengers who dare seek the king. Jam-packed with billions of aggressive Spawns, Helzar found it difficult to believe that anyone on this planet can make it through the first layer.

The second layer consisted of half of the Eaters in the Swarm, and they mostly served to feed all the hungry Spawns to keep them alive and lengthen their lifespans. This layer existed a few feet below ground

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Alas, the third layer of his lair is where all the Motherbugs of the Swarm lie. Their job was obvious, that is to keep the Swarm growing in number. Apart from them, the remaining half of the Eaters also live on the third layer of Helzar's lair. The third layer was the deepest part of the Swarm, being even deeper than the second layer.

After passing through the third layer, Helzar secretly lifted a faint illusion to a secret entrance, in which only he knew of. Upon entering, Helzar was greeted by the Nest, which could be said to be the heart of the Swarm. Three large veins connected to the Nest, which further divided into countless veins that spread everywhere and through the soil like the roots of a tree.

This was Helzars most recent project, and it allowed him to continuously improve the members of the Swarm.

Helzar stared at the Nest with a bit of longing. The Nest, being a part of him, grew in size as Helzar grew, but its capabilities remained the same.

Helzar shook his head.

Nevertheless, he approached the Nest and peered inside its stomach. As usual, he saw a vast emptiness, inviting his consciousness over to which he didn't resist.

When his soul is inside the Nest, he'd always feel at ease and at home. Even though he's in his most vulnerable moment, he feels as though nothing could make him bleed.

Thinking of such ridiculous thoughts, Helzar chuckled lightly and soundlessly before pouring white paint over his chaotic thoughts. Right now, what he needed wasn't pride but rather focus.

Helzar scoffed, a little dismayed.

He knew his expectations were a tad bit high, but he couldn't help it. The Spawns never fundamentally changed, each of them will still grow stronger the more they eat.

Helzar's thoughts soon reached tranquility.

with a sigh, Helzar brought up the blueprint of the current Spawn in his mind.

He saw the Spawn's every aspect, noting that everything was as it should. With a series of thoughts, Helzar soon saw the Spawn changing shape inside his mind.

First, it grew rapidly to reach a foot long, before all of its muscles compressed and the Spawn shrinked back into its five inches length. That wasn't all, the Spawn's wings doubled in size and became luminescent.

Helzar hummed, chewing on the image he managed to conjure. In his mind, the wings of the Spawn suddenly crumbled before the entire mental image turned into dust altogether.

Helzar groaned, pulling his mind out of the Nest. It was an easy task, but the discomfort from doing so remained. As his soul returned to his physical vessel, Helzar felt as though he'd just resurfaced after being underwater for several hours.

With a stern look, Helzar watched tentatively as blue blood started oozing out of the Nest’s open stomach, while the Nest itself squirmed madly in pain.

Helzar sighed in disappointment. The veins attached to the Nest pulsed madly, desperately pumping energy into the Nest.

Without the support of these veins, the Nest would've disintegrated into dust before Helzar could even half blink. Not that he could.

Helzar sighed.

Helzar patiently waited for the Nest to calm down, which took a few hours. By then, the Nest had stopped bleeding, and the veins were taking a well-deserved break after working overtime.

Just as Helzar was about to enter the Nest through his soul, however, a rough mental voice entered his mind. Helzar recognized it to be a Spawn from the Swarm.

Listening to the report, Helzar forcefully calmed his throbbing heart.