“Zao Wu, come check out my pride and joy!” Stelle, appearing out of nowhere like an Aeon, suddenly popped up behind Zao Wu.
Curious, Zao Wu turned to ask, “What pride and…” He trailed off as Stelle suddenly pulled a baseball bat from beneath her skirt!
It was covered in countless mysterious etchings that began to glow with a brilliant, crystal-like light as the girl channeled her power into it.
Wait, where did you even pull that from?!
Zao Wu’s pupils quaked.
Sister Stelle really is… A light blush colored Zao Wu’s cheeks, unsure of how to describe the situation.
But Stelle showed no restraint.
She hugged her baseball bat lovingly, showing it off to Zao Wu with immense pride.
“How about it?
Is your big sister’s big enough?
Thick enough?” “…” “Hey!
What kind of filthy things are you saying in front of Zao Wu!” —THWACK!
It was the sound of Silver Wolf leaping up and smacking Stelle on the head.
A satisfying sound for a satisfying bonk.
“Ow, that hurt!” “What’s it got to do with you… shorty,” Stelle grumbled.
Silver Wolf fumed.
“Who are you calling a shorty!” “Believe it or not, I can make a tall person like you even shorter than a shorty!” And you know what, Silver Wolf probably had the ability to do just that.
Using her Aether Editing, she could make the ground beneath Stelle’s feet vanish, getting her stuck.
Or maybe get her stuck in a wall with only her butt sticking out.
Then, Silver Wolf could take off a belt and properly teach this disrespectful kid a lesson.
Consider it making up for the lack of spankings in her childhood.
Unfortunately, the gentle Zao Wu stepped between the two girls, acting as a mediator.
“Alright, alright.
Sister Stelle just got a cool new weapon, so she’s just excited.” “Besides, I don’t feel offended or anything.” “But thank you anyway, Sister Silver Wolf.” Hearing Zao Wu’s words, Silver Wolf’s anger gradually subsided, and her gaze softened considerably.
Still, she couldn’t help but advise him.
“Don’t you be so naive all the time.
Otherwise, you’ll get bullied out there in the universe and not even know it.” “The cosmos is full of bad women who eat little boys and don’t even spit out the bones!” Originally, Silver Wolf had wanted to say that “Kafka” was one of them.
But it was obvious that such divisive words would have absolutely no effect on the relationship between Zao Wu and Kafka.
She had to let it go.
Just then, March 7th and Dan Heng joined them, their expressions a mix of panic and alertness.
“Speaking of which, did you guys hear that sound?” “A clomp!
clomp!
sound.” March 7th shrank back, the noise clearly sending shivers down her spine.
Dan Heng, however, tightened his grip on his long spear, Cloud-Piercer, clearly ready for battle at a moment’s notice.
Hearing this, Zao Wu closed his eyes.
Taking a deep breath, he gradually focused his mind.
The boy mimicked the method Blade had taught him, allowing his five senses to become tentacles extending outwards, perceiving everything in the area.
This was one of the most crucial instincts in combat.
It was also the quality Blade saw the most potential in Zao Wu for.
Blade believed Zao Wu possessed a sensitivity that far surpassed any other warrior.
But few seemed to realize that behind Zao Wu’s keen perception was the reality that he was constantly and silently enduring a pain that ordinary people could never tolerate, a sensitivity a hundred times greater than normal.
To him, a gentle breeze felt like a fierce gale, and the warm sunlight was no different from a scorching heatwave.
It was just that Zao Wu never let any of it show.
Suddenly, Zao Wu’s eyes snapped open again.
“Two o’clock, about a hundred meters out.
It’s one of the big ones among the Voidspawn!” “Its shape is like a centaur.
I can hear the rhythm of its iron hooves and its hoarse, terrifying neigh.” Hearing this, Silver Wolf immediately made a judgment.
“A Voidspawn: Trampler.” “It’s a product of the Antimatter Legion using their ‘War-Forges’ to fuse the fragments of warriors and ancient beasts.
A disgusting chimera.” “Two o’clock… isn’t that the Central Passage?
The place we need to go!” March 7th realized.
“We need to take the elevator there to get back to Miss Himeko.” “What do we do now?” she asked, a little apprehensively.
Stelle, however, swung her baseball bat without a moment’s hesitation.
As energy poured into it, the bat began to emit an undeniable pressure and an icy blue glow.
“It says, it’s on!” —o— Herta Space Station, Containment Bay Section, Central Passage.
A Voidspawn: Trampler, possessing a degree of intelligence, stood there like a centaur-shaped monster forged from obsidian and white armor.
It guarded the space elevator, a vital chokepoint in the station.
It seemed to be waiting for someone’s arrival.
Even when a panicked station researcher fled past, the creature, its bloodlust steadily rising, could not disobey… that Lord’s command.
That Lord who had walked far enough down the Path of Destruction to be worthy of an audience with the Aeon of Destruction, worshipped by the entire Antimatter Legion.
As far as the Trampler knew, there were six others just as powerful as that Lord serving under the Aeon of Destruction.
And so, it could only watch as the researcher fled, scrambling away in terror.
In fact, it wasn’t just this one Trampler; it was the same for the tens of thousands of Voidspawn throughout the Herta Space Station.
They swarmed every corner of the station like a plague of locusts.
Yet, when faced with the living humans all around them, they showed none of their usual mindless rage, none of the traits of beings driven solely by slaughter and destruction.
Instead, they seemed to be searching for something.
Or rather… searching for someone?
They would only counter-attack instinctively if attacked first.
Otherwise, this horde of Voidspawn, intelligent or not, was resolutely carrying out the supreme command issued by that Lord.
Preparing to welcome their own moment of destruction!
Between one “destruction” and another, there were also hierarchies and priorities.
Thanks to this, although the Herta Space Station had suffered heavy losses, they were almost entirely material—equipment, facilities, and monetary value.
Inside the Master Control Zone, which no Voidspawn had breached, a pink-haired girl in a side ponytail reviewed the damage reports handed to her by the research staff.
She wore an off-the-shoulder white shirt, a magenta and white station chief’s overcoat, and a skirt patched together from purple and embroidered black fabric.
A bow was tied at her chest, with another matching one on her leg ring.
Her expression gradually relaxed.
Her name was Asta.
She was the current Lead Researcher of the entire Herta Space Station and the one who had sent the distress call to the Astral Express.
She was also a cosmic-level heiress, the very definition of “approachably rich” and a multi-billionaire.
A casual remark from her could leave a passing researcher utterly dumbfounded.
For instance… “Is that all we lost?
That’s not even enough to buy me a new pair of stockings.” “Woof!” Peppy wagged its tail and let out a bark of unknown meaning.
“Oh, right.
And it’s not enough to cover a month of Peppy’s interstellar dog food, either.” Himeko let out a polite cough, hoping Miss Asta might show a little more restraint.
Her Express crew members were, at this very moment, still dealing with the trouble caused by a massive number of Voidspawn.
And now she was learning that the pay for this entire commission was probably about the same as this cute little dog’s monthly food budget.
Come on, it would be hard for anyone’s morale not to crumble after hearing that!