Qingzhu gripped her polearm and gazed steadfastly at everyone in the Sky-Faring Commission.
"Daiyu is in grave danger. As Helmsman, I can't stand by and do nothing. Everyone, the bugs in Central Starskiff Haven have been wiped out, and there are still undamaged starskiffs in Starskiff Haven. I beg you, preserve the seeds of Daiyu!"
Qingzhu bowed deeply. The others urged her to leave with them, saying that as long as the Helmsman was alive, Daiyu could be rebuilt.
Qingzhu shook her head. "I'm the Helmsman and supreme commander of the Xianzhou Daiyu. Even if I die, I won't leave the Xianzhou Daiyu. I'll live and die with the Daiyu soldiers staying behind!"
"Helmsman!"
"Go! Civilians and soldiers are already waiting in Starskiff Haven! Preserve Daiyu's flame-that's your mission! As Helmsman of the Xianzhou Daiyu, I order you to go!"
Qingxin wanted to stay, but a sudden pain struck her neck and she fell forward. Qingzhu caught her and handed her to the others.
"Take good care of her."
The soldier gritted their teeth and nodded firmly, then turned and led the group out of the Sky-Faring Commission.
Qingzhu watched them leave, then took her personal guards and headed straight for the battlefield.
"A wise move. As long as Daiyu's bloodline continues, the Xianzhou Daiyu will still exist."
Ayinai watched the starskiffs fly out of the Xianzhou Daiyu. Tentacles tried to grab the starskiffs and drag them back, but Ayinai dealt with them from the shadows.
Her interest in the Xianzhou Daiyu was growing. The more she looked at it, the more she liked it, even though the Xianzhou was now shattered beyond recognition.
But that was no great obstacle for her. With the mighty power of an Aeon, restoring a Xianzhou was no difficult task.
So she wanted to see just how much this Xianzhou and the people aboard it could accomplish.
Xianzhou Daiyu
"Helmsman, there's no end to these bugs! And those tentacles regenerate too quickly! They've already swallowed a lot of our brothers!"
Qingzhu frowned. These abominations were unbelievably tenacious. Even when chopped in half, they were still jumping around. To kill them for good, did they have to grind them to dust and ash?
At that thought, Qingzhu's eyes lit up. She urgently contacted the people still holding out in the engine room. Over the comms, she learned that three of the Xianzhou's thrusters were still usable, though they didn't know how many would remain in a little while.
Qingzhu took a deep breath. Three thrusters. If the Xianzhou Daiyu went at full power, it would work!
With that thought, she turned to the soldiers and the staff members who had sworn to follow her to the death.
"Brothers and sisters, we lost the war against the Denizens of Abundance. We suffered a crushing defeat. But! We still have one chance-a chance to take them down with us and keep them from threatening our other brothers and sisters!"
Those whose morale had been low were instantly fired up by her words.
"Helmsman, tell us what to do! We'll follow your orders!"
"If we can take those beasts down with us, it'll be worth it!"
"Helmsman, give the order! Let's blow ourselves up and take these abominations with us!"
The roar grew louder with each wave. Qingzhu looked at them, her eyes full of gratification. Then she looked at the Abominations of Abundance running toward them in the distance, the hatred in her eyes growing more apparent.
"Let's go! To the Sky-Faring Commission!"
Under the others' cover, Qingzhu led the Sky-Faring Commission staff back to the commission. As the Xianzhou's central hub, the Sky-Faring Commission had not been as badly damaged.
"Most of the Abominations of Abundance are attacking the core energy zone now. That's also where our defenses are under the greatest pressure. What we need to do is crash the Xianzhou Daiyu into this planet before the Abominations of Abundance break through, and use the energy of the Xianzhou's explosion to tear them apart!"
Qingzhu's heart ached. Destroying her own home with her own hands felt like a knife slicing into her heart, cut after cut.
Everyone present felt the same way, but sacrificing one Xianzhou was a small price to pay so the other Xianzhou could continue to exist in the universe.
Everyone clearly understood this as well. They silently took their seats, fury smoldering in their eyes that they could scarcely conceal.
"For the Xianzhou, everyone, give it your all."
The soldiers in the core energy zone received the message too. Rather than despair, they were seized by madness, a madness for revenge.
"Brothers, as long as we hold this place until Daiyu crashes, we win! We can't let a single Abomination of Abundance through! Let this place be our graveyard!"
Aboard the departing starskiffs, the surviving people of Daiyu watched their home plunge into the planet's atmosphere, trailing flames. Then a mushroom cloud rose into the sky, announcing to them that the Xianzhou Daiyu had crashed!
Countless people covered their faces and wept, but they could not stop. They were the last seeds of the Xianzhou Daiyu, and they had to seek shelter on the other Xianzhou.
Xianzhou Luofu
At the Palace of Astrum, the Helmsman of the Luofu's Sky-Faring Commission looked at the virtual projection before them. After a long silence, they spoke. "It has now been confirmed that the Xianzhou Daiyu has crashed. Qingzhu, Helmsman of the Xianzhou Daiyu, perished along with it."
"What's done is done. What we need to do now is take in the refugees from Daiyu and continue our search for the medicine."
These were the words of the Helmsman of the Xianzhou Yuqing. Though they sounded cold and impersonal, those were indeed the most important things to do at present.
Soon, at the Yuqing Helmsman's suggestion and under the Luofu Helmsman's lead, the Xianzhou began taking in the fleeing refugees while continuing their journey in search of the medicine.
Planet Talasa
At the Xianzhou Daiyu's crash site, Ayinai looked at the fallen vessel. Behind her lay the unconscious people of the Xianzhou Daiyu, several hundred in all, not counting those still unconscious in the realm within the Xianzhou.
Ayinai had thought it would be too much trouble to bring everyone out, and there were too many people to fit in the space available, so she had only pulled out those from the Sky-Faring Commission. The others were still inside the Xianzhou, but they were not seriously harmed. As for the bugs, Ayinai kicked apart the dust at her feet in disgust.
Ayinai saw no need for these things that sought to erase others' [Existence] to exist.
Just as Ayinai was considering how to modify the Xianzhou before her so that it could sail through the universe as a representative carrying out her will-
A muffled groan came from behind her, followed by scattered groans one after another.
Ayinai turned and looked at the people slowly waking up, especially Qingzhu at the front. She was very fond of the girl, who was just to her liking.
Qingzhu rubbed her head and stood up, only to see Ayinai standing ten meters away, with the crashed Xianzhou Daiyu still burning behind her.
"Are you... a resident of this planet? I'm sorry, we mean no harm. May I ask your name?"
Looking at the young woman before her, a hint of a smile appeared in Ayinai's eyes, which had shown no change for a long time.
Ayinai calmly reached out and poked Qingzhu between the brows with her index finger. Qingzhu covered the spot, unsure what she meant.
"My name is Ayinai."
Ayinai's voice was calm, but Qingzhu's heart was in turmoil. As Helmsman, she was well aware of the existence of Aeons, and naturally knew their names.
Ayinai was the Aeon of [Existence], the one who had ascended to godhood at the end of the Swarm Disaster.
Qingzhu stared in shock at the "young woman," an Aeon, before her. A white dress, emerald-green hair, jade-green eyes, and the faint pressure she exuded-it was [Existence], all right!
"You! You really are Ayinai, the Aeon of [Existence]! Ah, sorry, I lost my composure. Aah, I'm so excited, so excited! I actually got to meet an Aeon in person!"
At that moment, Qingzhu looked nothing like the strong, capable woman she had been on Daiyu. She was the very picture of a fan meeting her idol.