Chapter 84: The True Plan

"We've lost another fortress."

"I saw five super soldiers breach it, and then all I could witness were beams of light piercing through the walls."

Venom removed the Six-Eyed Gem from his forehead, lowering his head in dismay.

Through the gem, he had seen the battlefield clearly. The fortress had been besieged by five power-armored warriors, and, as expected, it soon fell. 

This was the state of the entire battlefield.

If not for the tremors beneath his feet, Venom wouldn't have even realized that the battle had begun. His subordinates hadn't reported a single thing about the ongoing combat.

"Are they advancing quickly?" his servant asked cautiously.

"Very fast," Venom nodded. "The regular troops fight alongside the super soldiers. The less significant positions are handled by the regular forces, while the more crucial ones are dealt with by the super soldiers. Their advance is nothing short of swift."

After discovering warriors clad in power armor on the battlefield, Venom had coined a simple yet fitting name for them—super soldiers.

His servant remained silent, knowing all too well that Venom dreaded foes like these—those who didn't bother with intricate strategies or mind games, but instead relied on sheer force to overwhelm everything in their path.

The regular troops teleported for sudden assaults, while the super soldiers targeted key strongholds, driving the entire front line forward at an alarming pace. The strategy wasn't remarkable in itself—more akin to pulling the trigger on a loaded gun, only needing the right conditions to execute.

"I'm more concerned about my command system," Venom muttered, his gaze falling to the golden tiles beneath his feet. After a moment of thought, he added, "There's a 90% chance those scoundrels are deliberately sabotaging me, withholding battle reports."

Hearing this, the servant's mouth twitched slightly. "The Cult of the Lord of Wisdom thrives on intrigue and schemes, but surely not now—this situation seems too dire for that."

Venom listened in silence, his breathing growing heavier. His frustration was barely contained. While he did relish deception and amusement, there was no enjoyment to be found in this chaos.

"My lord..." The servant knelt respectfully. "Perhaps we should remain optimistic."

"To hell with your optimism," Venom slapped the old servant across the face. He knew himself all too well—optimism was not in his nature. He didn't believe the war in the upper hive would last much longer. In less than three days, the enemy would likely conquer it and storm the spire.

Just thinking about it made Venom's head ache. He couldn't fathom how the enemy planned to attack the spire—whether they'd scout first or teleport straight in. The spire's sparse architecture suggested they might simply teleport...

Venom's mind raced, but no matter how much he pondered, he couldn't determine why the spire hadn't yet been attacked. Was it because the enemy didn't want to? Or perhaps they couldn't? Or worse—had some advance units already infiltrated?

The more he thought, the more confused and terrified he became.

Venom always took delight when his enemies were ensnared by doubt, but when he himself fell into that abyss, there was no joy to be found.

"How goes the preparation of the plan?" Venom suddenly asked.

"It's nearly ready," the servant replied. "As before, we lure those who reach the spire into cages disguised as transport ships, and then burn them alive with the blue flames of the Lord of Wisdom. The numbers... are sufficient."

"Deploy all forces to the upper hive," Venom commanded impatiently, rising to his feet and marching toward the exit.

But the servant hesitated.

Sensing the delay, Venom turned, glaring furiously. His voice was cold, biting: "Why are you hesitating?"

"The ritual knowledge I've uncovered is ancient, incomplete in some parts. Additionally, the ceremony requires the soul of the performer... I..." The servant stammered, finally revealing his concern. "Might I be granted more time to find someone who can perform the ritual, and refine it?"

Venom immediately drew his laser pistol, aiming it at the servant's head. His voice was icier than death itself: "Perform the ritual, or die."

"You might as well kill me!" the servant trembled, as if fearing something far more terrifying than mere death. "If I perform the ritual and surrender my soul, I face far worse than death."

"I can make you suffer more than death," Venom's voice was unyielding, merciless.

Shaking with terror, the servant had no choice but to follow Venom in silence.

...

In the governor's estate garden, blue ash piled into small mountains, while tiny azure creatures drifted through the air. The atmosphere was unnerving—the metallic and plastic flowers in the garden had begun to bloom, their shapes warped beyond recognition.

Venom stood before the mountain of ash at the center of the garden, while his servant cowered nearby, too fearful to meet his master's gaze.

"So this is the ritual I've spent half my life preparing—the one to ascend to demi-godhood?" Venom's voice grew fiercer. "If not for the fact that only you can recite those incantations, if not for your voiceless throat that still somehow speaks, proving your unique nature... If not for that, I would've killed you long ago!"

"Y-Yes, master..." the servant stammered, unable to deny the truth.

Hearing his servant's admission, Venom let out a satisfied groan—a mix of pleasure and pain, filled with a strange sense of fulfillment.

He had waited far too long for this moment.

The so-called "plan" was merely the execution of the ascension ritual.

Venom recalled the night he had begged David to let him stay in Talon Hive. Under the guise of warfare, he had gathered the materials needed for the ceremony—those "materials" being the people of the upper hive.

He also remembered how he and his servant had crafted the ritual, deceiving people into thinking they would be rescued by boarding transport ships, only to be burned alive when the ships turned into cages.

He had waited so long for this day.

"Begin the ritual," Venom commanded.

"My lord... Please allow me to find another suitable person... I—"

A laser shot hit the ground near the servant's feet, silencing him instantly.

"Do you think I'm incapable of making you wish for death?" Venom snarled.

Defeated, the servant retrieved a staff from behind him and began to chant in ancient tongues that Venom could not comprehend.

Suddenly, Venom shuddered.

He felt something watching him—something vast and powerful. At the same time, his psychic powers surged, filling his mind with knowledge he had never studied before.

The sensation was intoxicating, the very thing Venom had craved above all else.

But as he reveled in the feeling, he noticed something alarming—his body was growing larger.

At first, Venom thought this was a natural part of the process. But then he saw his limbs mutating—jaws brimming with fangs sprouted from his thighs, his fingers elongated into fleshy tendrils, and horns began to protrude from his arms.

"No... No! No—!" Venom's voice rose into a guttural scream. His lips thickened, his mouth filled with hands and teeth, his form spiraling into grotesque chaos.

He looked toward his servant in a desperate plea for answers, but instead of fear, all he saw was a smile—a mocking, satisfied grin.

Gone was the servant's earlier terror. Now, he was calm, relishing his role in the ritual.

Venom wanted to demand an explanation, but the only sound that escaped his twisted mouth was an incomprehensible wail.

His body continued to expand, warping into an unrecognizable mass. Before Venom lost all sense of self, he realized, with horrifying clarity, what he had become.

But the servant knew—Venom was now nothing more than a Chaos Egg.

"A man obsessed with power and knowledge, convinced he was chosen, always believing himself in control—only to willingly fall into a trap of his own making," the servant mused, his voice trembling with exhilaration as he used his psychic abilities to contain the Chaos Egg before him. "Nothing pleases the Lord of Wisdom more."

The Chaos Egg—once Venom—howled and thrashed, desperate to destroy everything in its path, but it could not.

"Patience," the servant whispered, lifting his gaze to the sky. "Once I send you to Talon II, the true plan will begin."