"Haha, do you think I can believe you?"
The capybara replied telepathically, his tone betraying little emotion.
"Submit? Offer me everything? That sounds nice."
A glimmer of hope flashed in Irina's eyes, and she hurriedly said,
"Yes! Great one! I can sign the strictest Soul Contract with you!
"I know many secrets of the universe, and my mental power can help you!
"My children can also become your most loyal warriors! As long as you—"
"But,"
the capybara interrupted her, his tone suddenly turning cold.
"Why should I believe you? The Zerg are renowned throughout the universe for their cunning and survival instincts.
"You're acting submissive now only because you can't beat my Black Hole.
"If I give you a chance, who knows if you'll bite me back? Besides..."
He pointed to the main body of the Mother Nest below, still being devoured by the Black Hole, though its consumption had temporarily slowed with Irina's arrival and pleas.
"The energy and genes of your 'home' and 'children' would also be a great supplement for me.
"Compared to a 'subordinate' who might be harboring ill intentions, I'd rather turn you all into nourishment for my growth.
"After all, what's in your stomach belongs to you."
Irina's face turned deathly pale. The sorrow in her eyes gave way to despair and a trace of deeply hidden venom.
She hadn't expected this seemingly adorable capybara to have such a hard heart and such a pragmatic mind!
"You... you ruthless Devourer!"
Irina's voice grew shrill. Her earlier meek demeanor vanished, and cold light flickered in her purple eyes.
"You'll regret this!"
Before her words had even faded, the small purple horn on her forehead suddenly blazed with dazzling light!
A mental spike, far more concentrated and piercing than any of her previous mental attacks, seemed capable of piercing straight through the barriers of the soul.
Mixed with a strange fluctuation that could throw the genes of living beings into disarray, it shot toward the capybara!
At the same time, the three pairs of crystal wings on her back beat rapidly, and her figure turned into a blurry phantom.
She no longer tried to save the Mother Nest, but instead fled frantically in the direction opposite the Black Hole!
Her earlier pleas and show of weakness had merely been a ploy to buy time, launch this final strike, and seize a chance to escape!
"Hmph! I knew it!"
The capybara had been ready. The Black Hole Soul Seal flared brightly in his mind, easily blocking the mental spike and genetic interference.
At the same time, he willed it—
"Trying to run? Too late!"
The Black Hole, which had been focused on the main body of the Mother Nest, abruptly shifted its direction of devouring.
An even stronger suction force instantly locked onto Irina as she sped away!
"No—!!!"
Irina let out a despairing shriek. She felt as if she'd fallen into invisible glue.
Her speed plummeted, and her body was pulled backward against her will!
Her exquisite face twisted with terror and hatred as her three pairs of crystal wings beat frantically.
But she couldn't escape the terrifying gravitational pull originating from the Universe Origin!
Under the gaze of countless eyes, the slender, graceful figure of Irina, the Zerg Mother Empress,
like the final dance of a moth drawn to a flame, was mercilessly dragged toward the bottomless black vortex...
Just as Irina was about to be completely swallowed by the Black Hole, and even her desperate shriek began to grow faint and warped,
an even more resolute mental fluctuation, carrying a hint of frenzied self-sacrifice, forced its way through the interference of the Black Hole's field.
With the last of her strength, she sent it deep into the capybara's soul:
"No—! Wait! I... I'm willing... I'm willing to become your partner!
"Your wife! I swear on the honor and life origin of the Zerg Mother Empress!
"I'll share everything with you—my mind, my genes, my loyalty... even my life!
"Just please... spare me! I'll be the most valuable... partner!"
To survive, this proud and cunning Zerg Mother Empress had finally cast aside all her reserve and schemes when faced with the ultimate terror of having her soul scattered and being utterly annihilated.
She cried out with the final bargaining chip she could think of to move this "ruthless Devourer"—herself.
Partner?
Wife?
The proposal left even the capybara stunned, and the devouring force of the Black Hole behind him unconsciously slackened a little.
A Zerg Mother Empress... as his wife?
What a bizarre turn of events!
But, thinking about it... maybe it wasn't entirely impossible?
The Zerg Mother Empress was immensely valuable, possessed powerful mental strength, and knew the secrets of the universe.
If he could completely subdue her, her potential might be no less than that of the Golden Horned Beast.
Besides, a "partner" meant a deeper bond involving the soul and life origin.
If handled properly, it might bind her more tightly than simple Soul Enslavement, and allow him to draw out more of her potential.
The crucial thing was... in the form Irina was showing now, she was indeed breathtakingly beautiful.
She was completely his type.
He knew that beneath that beautiful exterior lay the cold, cunning nature of the Zerg, but...
That didn't prevent him from instinctively "appreciating" her.
Seeing the devouring force slacken, Irina clung to this final lifeline.
She stopped struggling and instead willingly withdrew all resistance and hostility, letting the suction pull her toward the edge of the Black Hole.
She maintained her breathtaking form.
The hatred and terror in her purple eyes gave way to an almost devout expression, complex with surrender and pleading.
Her voice was faint but clear:
"Master... Irina... is willing to serve you forever... Please... give me a chance..."
She even tried to open a crack in the very core of her soul origin to the capybara.
It was a gesture of complete defenselessness, of offering herself up for him to take as he pleased. Though the Zerg instinct for survival still lurked beneath it,
her resolve and "sincerity" had reached their peak.
Everyone watching the global livestream was stunned into silence.
The Zerg Mother Empress...
To stay alive, she'd actually offered to become the capybara's... wife?!
The turn of events had gone far beyond the limits of human imagination!
Absurd, shocking, bizarre, and even a little... inexplicably dramatic?
Inside the War God Palace, the councilors wore an astonishing range of expressions, from shock to bewilderment,
then to the numb resignation of "the world really has gone mad."
The capybara floated in midair, his shiny black eyes fixed on Irina, who was close enough to touch—breathtakingly beautiful, yet dangerously alluring.
His paw rubbed his chin without thinking.
Eat her?
She'd definitely be a great supplement. He might even advance straight away.
Take her in?
A Zerg Mother Empress for a wife... sounded exciting and full of potential, but it also carried great risks.
He glanced at the Golden Horned Beast, "Little Gold," who looked just as stunned beside him.
Then he sensed the surging energy and genetic information inside him from digesting the Zerg Mother Nest, and finally made his decision.
"Become my wife? Interesting."
The capybara's mental voice carried a hint of amusement. "But words alone mean nothing.
"Since you're willing, then let's sign the highest-grade Soul Symbiosis Contract.
"Completely fuse your life origin and soul imprint with my Black Hole Soul Seal.
"From now on, our lives and fates will be bound together. If you harbor even the slightest disloyal thought, the contract will strike back and your soul will be scattered. Do you dare?"
A Soul Symbiosis Contract!
It was far more profound and domineering than a simple Enslavement Soul Seal.
Once signed, the two would practically become one, sharing both glory and ruin.
It was a method used by certain extreme races in the universe only when forming their closest alliances.
Irina's delicate body trembled. A trace of hesitation flashed through her purple eyes, but her desire to survive quickly overcame it.
This was her last chance.
"...I... am willing."
She closed her eyes. A crystalline "tear" slid down, and her voice trembled, yet every word was perfectly clear.
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