The hivemind is conquering for me? Chapter 872: A Blue Danger Noodle

"Ooof, my ribs are still brittle. I need some food." I said instantly as I awakened. Before I could even sit up, I felt a thick meaty cylinder force its way into my mouth and I began to salivate at the salty surprise.

Biting down into the salted meat ration I looked at Rhapso and gave her a nod as I chewed.

After devouring the whole thing I took a second and sat up. My body was recovering at a fast rate. Faster than usual. No Psionic decay was also a big plus. Still that fight confirmed a couple things for me.

First, my bones were my weakness right now. I had known this for a while. It just confirmed that I needed to leave this galaxy after the war to conduct my research.

Second, the Warlord was strong. Very strong. Obviously. I would not be able to beat it in open combat and I cannot rely on my near death boost as that was just playing with fire and I only do that in private.

So that meant that we needed to come up with something and fast as I doubt the Warlord was just going to sit around and wait for us to regroup.

"How are you two holding up?" I asked, looking between Rhapso and Sithrik. Rhapso spoke first.

"I am fine Apollo. I am just glad you are looking better."

"I am wonderful, Apollo. Although I no longer feel the desire to eat, the Praetorians gave me my old body back to me and I was delicious. I am just relieved you are looking better each moment." Sithrik followed up and I just did a double take.

"You ate yourself? That’s... Ok." I decided to not question further. Jewel ate herself all the time. It was just one of those things.

I then properly looked at Sithrik. Her new body. I nodded my head. She really did look good. However I grew surprised upon noticing something.

"Oh? You aren’t connected to my Origin like Sapphire is? Hmm, I suppose since I used your soul that would make sense. Just let me check something real quick."

I snapped my fingers and a spout of fire combusted. I still had my powers. I didn’t use a single bit of my own soul. That was good.

"Yes, but don’t worry Apollo. I feel a tether between the two of us still. In the back of my mind. I am animated by your power. While I do not know what happens if I were to die again, where I go, I know I can come back like Sapphire does." Sithrik stated and I had mixed feelings on that fact.

Relieved that Sithrik now had functional immortality as long as I lived, but saddened that she was talking about dying again. I didn’t want that. I mean, I go feral when Sapphire kicks the bucket, never mind a snake I was intending on...

Changing my thoughts drastically, I turned to Rhapso and asked. "Have the others mentioned my... Power spike? It wasn’t exactly subtle after all."

Rhapso nodded her head, but kept silent as she turned to Sithrik.

"Anything you have to say can be said in front of her. Trust her as though she was me. She sacrificed her life for me after all. She is to be trusted like a fact. Understood?" I decreed and Rhapso nodded her yes.

"Yes Apollo. I understand. Now to answer your question. Yes. It was brought up. We didn’t until after you woke up earlier. The group has mixed feelings on the matter. I stayed silent, but Phoebe and Nerissa were quite vocal about your importance and your significance to the Nymphs. There was talk about making you a Nymph friend, but I left after that to be by your side."

I reached across and grabbed Rhapso’s helmet by the chin and pulled her towards me and asked in a flirtatious voice. "I thought I was already your friend, darling. Was I wrong?"

"Hehehe." Rhapso suddenly giggled multiple pitches higher than usual in delight before composing herself after I pulled back.

"*Ahem* Yes-Yes! Of course we are friends Apollo! We are so much more! A Nymph friend is a title someone can gain, but it is rare. No human has ever held the title. It requires a series of rituals and afterwards you become a Nymph in the eyes of the other Nymphs. Figuratively speaking."

I was curious by what she meant by no human has held the title and was about to ask before the vehicle we were on came to a stop.

"What’s going on?" I asked and Rhapso stood up.

"We arrived at the fallback point. Come Apollo, are you able to walk? It will be good if the Phalanx see you standing as they walk past."

I saw no reason why not and attempted to stand up. Only to remember that the Warlord also broke my legs.

"Ooh, you bastard!" I exclaimed at the surprise pain before continuing to get up. I then activated my armour to help with my mobility and got off the vehicle while nursing my ribs.

Once I was off, I spotted a group of Phalanx around, weapons in hand, their eyes still traced on Sithrik.

"Phalanx, disperse. The snake isn’t an alien. She is a part of my power." I said annoyed by their open hostility.

"My Lord, we have direct orders from the Lochagos of Xenos purgation. We cannot-"

"Are you disobeying a direct order from a Sentinel, Phalanx?" Rhapso suddenly raised her voice with unquestionable authority.

The Phalanx that were there suddenly looked amongst one another. Before swiftly evacuating the vicinity. It was officially above their job description at this point.

As they walked away I looked back at Sithrik who was all smiles as she looked at me.

It was a valid point. She didn’t look like a big snake anymore. She looked alien. That was harder for the masses to accept.

Seemingly reading my mind, Sithrik spoke up. "Oh, I have an idea to move around unseen, that is not my invisibility!"

In a flash of energy, Sithrik suddenly disappeared from where she was just standing... Laying? Disappearing from where she just was, I looked around confused only for a few seconds later a small snake head to slither over the side of the truck.

"I haven’t been this small since I was a hatchling! How amusing!" The foot long danger noodle exclaimed.

I walked over to the side of the truck and gave her my arm, which she instantly began to traverse.

"Sithrik. How have you done this? I know Sapphire can get smaller, but not this small. You look adorable!" I proclaimed.

"I have always been adorable Apollo, You know this. But I appreciate the compliment. I have done exactly what Sapphire does when she turns smaller. Only I don’t have tons of muscles to compress. Making this form much easier to achieve. Mmh, Here is a good spot."

Sithrik then proceeded to wrap herself around the back of my neck and rested her head on my shoulder.

"Well then. Problem swiftly solved."

...

We had arrived at a fortification the Drakoshi had built and we had liberated. As such, there was room for hundreds of thousands to roomily hold the fort. I was doing what Rhapso had suggested and stood outside the entrance of the fort with a praetorian either side of me and a little snake around my neck.

A lot of the Phalanx recognised me by this point. Perhaps not with their own eyes, but by word of mouth. My armour was unequivocally unique after all.

The amount of injured that passed by was staggering. One in every three was some degree of injury. and I knew hundreds of thousands had already passed me through the entrance.

I could hear some talk to themselves as they passed. Not knowing I could hear. Some were grateful. Some had seen me blast the Warlord away. They called me a saviour.

Some were not so grateful. Asking why I had not used it from the start. So millions of others could still be alive.

And others were numb. The battle had been deadly. The Drakoshi had flipped a switch and were deadlier than ever before. They weren’t just savages at this point. The reinforcement of the Drakoshi Warlord had acted like an activation switch, turning them all into true soldiers.

That was an interesting point though. One I wanted to explore at great lengths as the Drakoshi biology already fascinated me.

However before I could delve deeper into that thought, I suddenly felt a presence enter my Mindspace without announcement.

I took a deep breath before turning to Nerissa. "Ness, hold onto Sithrik for me a second would you?" I asked and before she could reply, I carefully picked up the blue danger noodle and put her on Nerissa’s pauldron.

I then activated my Gyrokinesis and flew away a great distance before landing in a burnt forest and expelling the individual from my Mindspace.

Not happy with her recent action, I folded my arms, cross and asked sternly,

"Where the fuck have you been this time?"