Chapter 84: Welcome to the Hive

Maguna awkwardly scrambled up from the ground, still a bit shaken, glancing nervously overhead.
“Actually, I saw you two back in the ship’s cabin. It was just too crowded, so I didn’t come over to say hello,” he explained as he nodded at Ayu Sogaya in greeting, to which Sogaya returned the gesture.
Yuki now understood that Maguna had boarded the same ship. He’d been wondering why he hadn’t seen him before, but thinking back, Maguna had probably been hiding somewhere under his cloak.
“So there really is something behind these ‘disappearances.’ Those who went missing must have been transported here,” Maguna remarked, surveying his surroundings in search of an exit.
“I have to go find my two missing companions... You’re here looking for someone too, right?”
Yuki could only offer a wry smile. Neither he nor Senior Ayu had expected to get caught up in something like this, but force majeure was force majeure—they’d disappeared all the same.
Yet Maguna misread his smile, taking it for hopelessness about finding anyone. Eager to reassure him, Maguna said, “Don’t worry, we’ll definitely find them. I can help too!”
Yuki nodded gratefully, then added, “...Anyway, let’s try to find a way out of here first.”
In truth, there was no guarantee that Sero was even here—at best, it was a fifty-fifty chance. Besides, Sero had so many human forms, and Yuki himself had a human disguise as well; there was no telling what face Sero might be wearing now.
Sogaya, listening at Yuki’s side, thought he was just making excuses. Wasn’t their mission simply to take a trip around the cosmos and then return the same way? But the Magma star-man before them was clearly a formidable figure, and seemed acquainted with Yuki—likely a friend. In such uncertain circumstances, an extra ally could only be a good thing.
Just then, a sharp, old-fashioned alarm blared. From a stone wall not far away came a muffled thud, and a piece of the wall was pushed outward by a metallic mechanism. It slid up along a hidden track, revealing a pitch-black passageway.
Immediately after, the sound of synchronized, marching footsteps echoed from the tunnel, accompanied by the clatter of equipment and weapons—like an advancing army.
Within moments, the sound drew near, and about thirty armed personnel in identical uniforms burst from the passage. They fanned out into the cavern, weapons of strange design raised in unison, aiming at the people and small monsters gathered inside.
The intimidating display silenced the previously noisy crowd. Even the lesser monsters—those not especially bright, but at least sharper than Red King—were subdued by their survival instincts, falling into uneasy quiet.
Whether they were cowed by the soldiers’ discipline or by their weapons was anyone’s guess.
One soldier stepped to the front from behind the living wall, casting a scrutinizing gaze over those assembled in the cave.
Yuki scrutinized him in return.

This man was clearly of higher rank. His gear, though understated, was of superior quality, and his uniform was adorned with more subtle insignia than the rest. He was undoubtedly the commanding officer.
“Do not be afraid. We will not harm you,” he announced, scanning the crowd as if searching for someone.
“Which of you is the warrior who defeated Red King just now? Please step forward.”
It was obvious from his tone—polite on the surface yet edged with impatience—that he was someone used to having his orders obeyed.
Maguna, not one to take offense lightly, heard this as a challenge. He strode to the front, towering over the officer.
The officer looked up at Maguna, while Yuki wondered what exactly he was observing—perhaps the unreadable visor of Maguna’s helmet? Then the officer gave a sly smile. “We welcome powerful warriors. You shall receive the highest entry privileges to the city of ‘Hive.’”
The remark carried a wealth of information—Maguna and the rest fell into thoughtful or bewildered silence.
Hive?
Entry to a city?
After speaking, the officer gave Maguna a long look and then directed his troops to act. Yet the soldiers took no violent measures; they simply separated the humanoid aliens from the monsters.
One soldier explained that this place was “Hive,” a planetary city fashioned from a drifting asteroid in space.
From time to time, all manner of things would inexplicably appear in this cave—sometimes minerals, plants, animals, random refuse, usable supplies, and at other times, living people or monsters.
Their unit’s job was to “collect” whatever appeared in the garbage pit. Red King had originally been on their list for disposal, but Maguna had saved them the trouble.
Yuki quickly pieced it together: all these objects must have “disappeared” from elsewhere, only to reappear here.
As more and more people went missing, this planetary city had descended into chaos, until someone established order—these very people before them. Their organization controlled the cave where resources and newcomers appeared, and thus held the power to allocate supplies. They had become the rulers of this tiny world.
With muzzles leveled at them, the crowd was herded into the pitch-dark tunnel, none too willingly.

Yuki had expected they would be conscripted, but that wasn’t the case. After a short, blind trek, the soldiers led them out of the tunnel and into a vast underground city bristling with machinery.
The air was thick with the tang of rust, and the whole metropolis was shrouded in a yellow-brown fog. Yuki instinctively covered his mouth and nose; the air quality was appalling.
Their leader informed them that the military organization was called “The Arsenal.”
At the mention of this name, Yuki’s expression shifted subtly, though with his head lowered and hidden among the crowd, no one noticed.
The organization had a few openings for recruits, but only a select few—resources were scarce, and they couldn’t support more unproductive mouths.
“...In any case, you’re all welcome to apply. Please keep an eye on the announcements in the city’s central plaza,” the officer said, casting a meaningful glance at Maguna, who ignored him and continued to survey the distant cityscape.
He was here to find someone—not to play house.
Soon, each traveler received a small package. Yuki opened his to find basic medical supplies, some unidentifiable foodstuffs, and water.
He felt a sense of dissonance—why were they being handed these things? Was this charity?
Maguna, meanwhile, was given a package containing enough supplies for three people.
The officer handed over the large bundle with a faint, ambiguous smile.
The other travelers understood at once—was this the so-called “highest entry privilege”?
Maguna found the whole thing inexplicable.
But it wouldn’t be long before he understood.