Chapter 42
[Boom!]
With a thunderous explosion, Big Pineapple watched helplessly as the terrifying monster demolished half of the laboratory, its dim lights still burning. A series of enormous explosions erupted, and the sweeping shock waves scattered the surrounding dust and smoke.
Then he saw a pitch-black Ultraman fire a dazzling wave of light at the laboratory.
The wave of light was dazzling, illuminating everything around it.
The laboratory's dim lights vanished completely, replaced by a roaring blaze and terrifying clouds of smoke.
At that moment, the million viewers in the livestream were stunned.
So was Big Pineapple, but for some reason, he actually felt a sense of relief.
When he had a choice, he had agonized, hesitated, and feared, but now things were settled.
Since his way back had been severed, he no longer had anything to hold him back!
Let me carve out a bright new world in this otherworld and create an immortal Asura civilization!
[Boom!]
As he sorted out these thoughts, his heart finally grew calm.
A terrifying presence erupted from his body as well.
At that moment, he became a first-order Transcendent!
At that moment, through his own strength alone, he forcibly raised this civilization, which had existed for less than a hundred years, to a level-one civilization!
Although it was only the most pathetic kind of level-one transcendent primitive civilization, it was now unquestionably a level-one civilization.
All of this was because his soul already possessed a high Divine Rank. After enduring his earlier suffering, he should actually have advanced directly to first-order Transcendent, just like that ant.
But because he refused to accept it in his heart, because he feared pain deep down, he had made no progress whatsoever in ten years.
Over these years, even those Asura Clan members who had awakened later had surpassed Big Pineapple through constant training, despite their souls having lower Divine Ranks.
It was only thanks to their blind faith in Big Pineapple. Had this truly been a world where strength reigned supreme, he would long since have been driven from his throne.
Big Pineapple's presence spread outward, and the giant ant that had just destroyed the laboratory turned to look in their direction.
In his eyes, they were all food. He had not eaten anything in a very long time.
The next moment, he disregarded everything else and charged straight toward Asura and the others.
Big Pineapple did not hesitate at the sight and immediately ordered, "Everyone, evacuate!"
Some Asura Clan members had been watching their home being destroyed with fury written across their faces. After hearing Big Pineapple's words, however displeased and furious they felt, they could only obey the wise one's command.
Every member of the Asura Clan was a soldier. With a single word from Big Pineapple, everyone from eighty-year-old Asuras to children who had only just learned to walk and were still babbling could charge forward without fear of death.
But Big Pineapple knew that a destroyed home could be rebuilt. If the people died, there would be no hope.
[Boom, boom, boom~]
Amid a series of thunderous crashes, the terrifying monster, nearly two thousand meters long, rapidly pursued Asura and the others.
With his terrifying size, a single stride carried him over a hundred meters.
It was only because every member of the Asura Clan now possessed transcendent abilities that they were not caught and killed within moments.
But this was no solution either!
They did indeed possess transcendent abilities, but using those abilities came at a price, and ordinary people could not keep it up for long.
If this continued, sooner or later they would collapse along the way, unable to endure the pain.
Just as Big Pineapple was about to lead some of them to cover the retreat, Glitter Tiga leaped in front of the monster.
[Black Armored Beast detected. Activating automatic combat mode!]
Big Pineapple could not understand Glitter Tiga's words, but when he saw that he was buying them time, he hurriedly ordered everyone to keep fleeing.
Glitter Tiga arrived before the ant and, without the slightest hesitation, opened with a wave of light.
Yet just as that terrifying wave of light was about to fire, Dark Tiga appeared opposite him.
With a wave of his hand, a pitch-black greatshield appeared, shielding both him and the ant.
[Boom!]
A battle between light and darkness began at that moment.
The Original Unit, Glitter Tiga, fought one against two, facing the terrifying beast that had destroyed the previous civilization and an enhanced Dark Tiga.
It was a battle with no suspense whatsoever.
After only a few exchanges, Dark Tiga and the ant had already pinned him to the ground.
Even so, he kept struggling, trying to rise and fight back.
Big Pineapple led the Asura Clan in their continued flight.
The livestream was now frighteningly quiet as well.
They did not know what to say now.
Or what they ought to say.
Big Pineapple's way home had been completely severed.
The Ultramen were not what they had imagined before, either.
And such a terrifying monster had appeared as well.
Everything before their eyes was truly far too abnormal.
The explosions caused by the battle between those three terrifyingly enormous figures scared away all the mosquitoes Big Pineapple had originally planned to lure in.
They scattered in every direction, and several swarms even attacked Big Pineapple's group.
But he killed his way through them all.
With everyone unleashing their transcendent powers, dozens of mosquitoes were slain on the spot.
At that moment, the Asura Clan truly resembled killing gods walking the mortal world, slaying men who barred their path and Buddhas who stood in their way.
Just like that, they cut through the mosquito army, killing their way onward.
Yet in these battles, they also lost close to three thousand Asura warriors.
And so, two hours later, Big Pineapple led all the Asura Clan members into an underground cavern.
This had always been a backup home they had prepared.
After making sure everyone had settled in, Big Pineapple stood alone aboveground, looking toward the distant Glitter Tiga, who had already been completely smashed apart, his expression exceedingly grim.
[How... how could Ultraman be standing with a monster!]
[That's Dark Tiga! There really is a fucking Dark Tiga!]
[But doesn't Dark Tiga fight monsters too? Why would he stand with a monster!]
[You'd have to ask that transmigrator from before.]
Big Pineapple stared at the comments before him and remained silent for a long time. "All right, it's over. Stop talking about it. I'm not in a very good mood today, so let's leave it here."
With that, he shut off the livestream.
Although he had said nothing, a thorn had lodged deep in his heart.
The appearance of these Ultramen and the monster might not have been a coincidence.
So he did not intend to livestream anymore.
Only if there was something he did not understand, or he wanted to chat with his parents, would he start the livestream again.
That year, the Asura Clan moved from the ruins underground.
That year, countless mosquitoes became a plague, devouring every last flower, blade of grass, tree, and animal.
That year, an enormous dark statue appeared on the site of their former home...
That year, a terrifying monster as massive as a mountain could occasionally be seen catching mosquitoes aboveground.
The Asura Clan's food supply also began to face a crisis. All they could do was hunt mosquitoes for food.
But the world outside was now extremely dangerous. Even with their transcendent abilities, it was clearly impossible to feed three hundred thousand people solely by hunting mosquitoes.
That year, the number of Asura Clan members who starved to death reached a horrifying hundred and twenty thousand.
That same year, Big Pineapple's child was born.
That day, a sallow, emaciated Big Pineapple started his livestream.
[Brother Pineapple is streaming again!]
[Brother Pineapple, last time you said you'd take a little break, and I've been waiting in this livestream for over half a year! You seriously have no idea that people study in your livestream every day. Watching them makes my head spin.]
[Yeah, Brother Pineapple, I'm a diehard fan. I've been waiting for you to stream, and I've spent over half a year at this livestream's time flow. Now I feel like I could take the postgraduate entrance exam.]
[Brother Pineapple, we've suffered so much~~~]
Only after the frenzied flood of comments did someone finally notice the four-armed baby he held in his arms.
[So Little Pineapple was born. No wonder Brother Pineapple started streaming.]
[Brother Pineapple, congratulations!]
[Congratulations, Brother Pineapple.]
Looking at the screen full of congratulations, the sallow, emaciated Big Pineapple also showed a faint smile. "Thank you, everyone. But I started the stream today because I wanted to tell my parents something. Dad, Mom, I'm doing very well here. Your grandson has been born too. His name will be Zhang Aimin. I hope everyone can help spread the word."
[We'll make sure the message gets through!]
[Son, I saw it. Your dad is very happy. As long as you're doing well over there, that's enough. You don't need to worry about things here.]
[Son, you've gotten thinner...]
[Brother Pineapple, what's the situation over there now? Why does the lighting seem a little dark? Is it nighttime?]
Big Pineapple shook his head. "All right, that's all for today. I still have plenty to do, so I won't say any more."
With that, Big Pineapple shut off the livestream.
Next, he would finish what he had failed to accomplish last year!
Wipe out the mosquitoes!
There were now more than ten times as many mosquitoes as there had been at this time last year!
Even though that monster had been eating mosquitoes all along, he could not keep pace with the rate at which they hatched.
Previously, when they wanted to catch mosquitoes, a few Asura Clan members only needed to use their transcendent powers together, and then they could bring a mosquito back.
But now, mosquitoes traveled in swarms, often flying together in groups of hundreds or thousands.
Now, looking up did not necessarily mean seeing the sky or the sun, but it certainly meant seeing mosquitoes like dark clouds.
When they killed a mosquito, before they could carry it away, its own kind would devour it.
Asura Clan members who ran a little too slowly would also be killed outright by those mosquitoes.
Not even a blade of grass remained aboveground now. If they did not act, their entire Asura Clan would starve to death!
Now, his child had been born, and his parents had seen him.
It was time to do something he ought to do as the Asura Clan's king.
That day, Big Pineapple said goodbye to Yu Ji and headed out with thirty thousand Asura People.
Relying on his strength as a first-order Transcendent and thirty thousand specially selected Asura Clan members, Big Pineapple fought for three consecutive years.
Over those three years, fewer than ten thousand of the thirty thousand Asura Clan members remained, but a steady stream of mosquito corpses was carried underground to feed the Asura Clan members there.
Now a father, Big Pineapple fought without fear of death, suffering near-fatal wounds many times, yet surviving every single time.
He had now become a true god of war!
In the fifth year, the mosquito population plummeted, and the Asura Clan's population recovered from its previous hundred thousand to a hundred and fifty thousand.
That same year, enormous ants measuring over three hundred meters began appearing aboveground.