Only betrayal was inevitable in civilization.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck—FUCK!!!"
Rain fell. Drizzling black water poured down from above, gradually converging into streams. The swarm fled far faster than he had imagined.
Corpses floated.
The Tyranids that had not escaped in time became the ground beneath his feet. That biological waste, enough to make any species frown, was drawn together by the attraction between masses into a giant spherical planet. The entire star system had been cleared out, leaving only that twisted, blasphemous planet of flesh at its center.
Black droplets fell from above that fleshy planet, struggling to squeeze out from between the filthy, crowded corpses.
Swaying, swaying as he rose to his feet, he felt as though every inch of his body had been finely ground apart and then pieced back together.
A tall humanoid figure emerged from the drizzling River of the Underworld. His entire body was black, save for a single scarlet point where his left eye was.
"Trazyn—Trazyn—stop calling!"
Hades shouted through gritted teeth, utterly drained. He felt as if billions of tiny Necron Angels were singing in unison inside his ears, buzzing like a swarm of mosquitoes by the river in August.
"Oh~ oh, oh, oh! I'm truly grateful that you've retained your free will, Hades."
The Infinite One's teasing voice immediately sounded in his ear.
"Hold on a little longer. We'll be there soon—the Tyranids are a bit numerous."
"Thanks—blegh—"
Hades had wanted to say something more, but a pale, expressionless human face emerged from the darkness. The next instant, it twisted into an abstract expression, and then he began retching in agony.
Some tiny scraps resembling insect limbs came spilling out of his stomach. Hades realized something was wrong. He rarely felt nauseated.
"I think I've got indigestion..."
He spoke weakly. The