I had already decided that there was nothing wrong with killing people like them.
“What...? What the hell did you do?!”
“Boss! It’s a monster! There’s a monster in here!”
The armed men flew into a panic as the Ripper Swarm tore through the carriage’s canopy and sprung out, then charged at them. There was no need for me to give any orders. All I needed to do was inform the collective consciousness that these men were dangerous.
“Shit! Shoot it! Kill the damn thing!”
The ruffians’ boss fired his short bow toward the Ripper Swarm, but the arrow simply bounced off its exoskeleton. The metallic snap of the arrow was soon followed by screaming.
“Freaking monster!”
The other five realized their arrows were useless, and instead took out halberds and claymores to challenge the Ripper Swarm. It may have deflected arrows like they were nothing, but it would take a beating from these heavy lumps of metal.
The Swarm’s scythe-like arms were torn off and its fangs bashed in. The longer the Ripper Swarm fought, the more tattered it became, its form eventually becoming irreparably mangled. Even as it was dying, it waved its scythes in a desperate attempt to protect me, fatally bit into the enemy with its fangs, and stunned them with its venomous stinger.
That’s enough. You can stop now.
At least, I wanted to say that, but I was too much of a coward. Instead, I allowed the Ripper Swarm to die in my place. It was the rational choice in order to defend the queen—myself—but even so, words of condemnation and guilt surfaced in my heart.
The Ripper Swarm shredded through the remaining ruffians, stabbing them with its stinger. It was a truly savage battle. But the enemy fought back defiantly, gravely injuring the Ripper Swarm. I could feel its impatience through the collective consciousness.
“Fall back! Move, move!”
Eventually, the Ripper Swarm cornered the three remaining members of the group, but they immediately fled the scene. They got on their horses and galloped down the main thoroughfare in order to escape.
“Ripper Swarm!”
Now that the fighting had ceased, I rushed to its side.
“You’re... not fine, are you...?”
The Ripper Swarm’s body was mangled. The halberds had torn off its legs, and the blow of a claymore had cracked its head. Ripper Swarms were initial combat units meant for early-game rushes, and as such, they weren’t all that powerful. If the enemy were to deploy units that had upgraded defenses and the like, they could be cleaned up rather quickly.
And yet, I had forced such heavy responsibility onto it.
“Your Majesty... Are you unharmed...?”
“I’m completely fine. But you...”
The Ripper Swarm was worried about me even now.
“Rest assured. We are all in one, and one in all. My consciousness will remain in the collective, and so we need not fear death. What frightens us most of all is the possibility of you falling to harm, Your Majesty... And so seeing you are safe puts us at ease...”
Having uttered these last words, the Ripper Swarm departed this world.
No, it did not depart. Its will remained in the collective consciousness formed between myself and the countless other Swarms.
That’s right; the Swarm did not know death. Until the very last of their kind was exterminated, this one Swarm’s consciousness would be preserved within the group like a single flicker in an undying flame. That Swarm’s lofty desire would linger in the collective consciousness, shared by its brethren and passed down to the next generation of Swarm.
In a manner of speaking, the Swarms were immortal. So long as the queen serving as their core and the collective consciousness remained, their presence would linger even if their physical form died. The will of this brave Swarm that had fought to defend its queen would never disappear.
“I’m sorry. I still can’t accept this.”
I dug a hole in the ground at the side of the road with the help of my puppet, and we buried the Swarm’s body. In my own way, I mourned its death. The Swarm had no need for prayer, but in that moment, I felt the need for it.
And it was true. The will of the Ripper Swarm that died lingered on in the collective consciousness. It would be passed down to another Swarm and one day reappear before me, swearing its allegiance once more. That was the strength of the Arachnea’s collective.
As for me, however, I was an individual with my own set of emotions, and I wasn’t fickle enough to simply accept that another one would take its place. It had fought bravely to the bitter end, and I couldn’t accept its efforts being undone.
I had just borne witness to a death; it was, essentially, the first blood that had been shed under my dominion. It was also the first real, burning hatred I had ever felt. The first deep regret I had ever known. The most transient mercy I had ever harbored. I was feeling a storm of other emotions I couldn’t put into words.
My inner conflict coursed through the Arachnea’s collective consciousness, but the Swarm didn’t seem to assent. Perhaps it was because only one Ripper Swarm had been killed. If we were to go to war, hundreds of them would be sacrificed. Seeing it happen for the first time made me very emotional. The first death of one of my Swarm rattled me to my very core.
Another feeling began to bloom within me, even as my heart was nearly overwhelmed by the collective consciousness. It eased my grief for this single unit and inspired me instead.
“If they hit us, we’ll hit back. I’ll inherit your will,” I said, placing flowers on the Ripper Swarm’s modest grave.
Upon returning to our base, I began preparing for the revenge I would exact in its name.
Yes, I’ve finally found an enemy to defeat.