ã€ŠCosmic Ascension [Progression, Litrpg] [Stub on the 14th/12]ã€‹


 PROLOGUE

    ?Alpha respond! Respond, what is your position!??

    ?Delta signal has been lost!?

    ?Omega signal has been lost!?

    Inside a gargantuan war room, large enough to house hundreds of people at a time. Individuals clad meticulously in soldier uniforms moved around busily while barking and sending orders one after another through the intercoms.

    They were at war, a war that would decide the future survival of their race and¡­they were losing¡­

    A woman, clad in a uniform distinctly different from the rest of the soldiers present, was seeking answers from different units but after receiving no answer from the other end. She could only release a deprecating sigh as she leaned back on her chair.

    High above in the large room, a screen was playing out the events in real-time. The strategists shared their orders and tactics with the on-field soldiers but it was merely a futile endeavor.

    They could only watch on as the Mechas, a tactical unit specifically created for space warfare were being destroyed one after another by their enemies from outer space.

    ¡°The mission is a failure. We were ultimately unable to breach the nest and reach the Queen of the Parasites.¡±

    They all knew  the underlying meaning behind those dreadful and despairing words. They would lose their base on the moon and thus their chances of survival in this war would fall to nearly zero.

    The Parasites never took anything like hostages during battle. They only brought absolute and utter destruction in their wake and merely used the bodies of the captured soldiers and any human in general, as hosts to house their abominations.

    ¡°We are doomed.¡±

    Someone muttered among the now silent crowd and slowly¡­ all activities started to cease as the soldiers realized that there was no hope for them to turn this dire situation around.

    ¡°We need to start the evacuation process.¡±

    Another among the hundreds gathered, muttered in a blank tone. His voice quivering as he delivered those words but he was immediately punched in the solar plexus by a fellow soldier,

    ¡°Are you crazy!? We already lost all our bases on Mars. The moon is the last bastion of protection before those monstrosities reach Earth! Where do we even flee!?¡±

    In the end, it was the soldier who delivered the punch who broke into uncontrollable tears. His sentiments were echoed by the others gathered in this room. But the one who proposed the suggestion of retreat was not to be outdone.

    ¡°You think I do not understand that!? But we have no other solutions on our hands, dammit! All the soldiers on the frontline were decimated down to the very last. If we don¡¯t even try, then we will all die.¡±

    He sighed and with a trembling hand took out a small handgun from his holster.

    Immediately, everyone unlodged their guns and pointed them at him but he did not waver nor did he stop his actions. There was even eagerness on his face, eagerness to finally end it all. Deep down, it was clear that he would not mind if he was shot dead right at this moment.

    Waving his gun around with no fear on his face, instead¡­ with a maniacal light filling his eyes, he asserted his stance on this matter,

    ¡°Haha¡­ You all received the same gun, right!? Why do you think the World Federation gave us those useless guns from the previous era? Something that wouldn¡¯t even put a dent in the shell of those monstrous Parasites!?¡±

    The answer was clear to everyone present, even if they did not wish to voice it out loud.

    For the Parasites, all people captured alive were potential resources to increase their might further.

    This was why¡ª while not outright stated, the protocol had  guidelines about what might be the best suggestion when you were about to get captured by those extra-terrestrial entities.

    End yourself.

    This was the only way for them to truly be of any assistance in their last moments and the saddest fact about all of this was¡ª that no one could even get mad at the suggestion. Since, as front-line soldiers, even if they did not pilot a Mecha or a space warship, they knew more than anyone else out there just how terrifying it was to fall into the hands of those wretched monsters.

    It was nothing short of hell.

    There were no better words to describe the fate that awaited the one who fell prey to those abominations.

    Slowly, but surely, he brought out the gun to his temple.

    ¡°If you aren¡¯t allowing us to retreat then¡ª¡±

    Some of them closed their eyes, refusing to see the scene that would soon follow.any did not and their unyielding determination enabled them to see that glorious sight¡­

    A moment that would change the entire trajectory of this war¡­

    ¡°Damn! We just took a few minutes off to rest but you guys are acting like it¡¯s the end of the world already.¡±

    A young man ¨C in his early twenties at first sight ¨C approached the soldier, who was shouting deliriously with swift and silent steps and managed to subdue the despairing soldier with clinical ease. His lanky appearance would never make one believe that he was capable of such a task, but he was¡­ and he ultimately stopped the hysterical man from killing himself.

    ¡°Fuck! Who is¡­¡±

    The soldier wanted to curse out loud with absolute vehemence in his voice but stopped short when he registered the voice of the young man.

    ¡°Seems like you aren¡¯t dumb, heh¡­ Good, don¡¯t lose yourself, buddy.¡±

    The young man smirked; ¡°Look. I understand that you are going bonkers right now, but you know¡­ don¡¯t just bomb the entire morale like this, will you? God knows that we need every last bit of it right now.¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    The soldier still wanted to curse¡­ he wanted to vent, to insult the young man who was speaking with him in such a relaxed and leisurely tone. But he could not. He would not. Not to this man.

    His eyes slowly drifted over the body of the young man¡ª someone who was barely even half his age. If this was a time of peace, the man would surely be at the university, enjoying his life, preparing for his future or going to parties and getting drunk like there was no tomorrow. There were infinite possibilities that this young man could pursue.

    Now though, all he could see was the tired and battered body of a war veteran. A body entirely covered in bandages from head to toe. There was not a single place left on his body without a trace of blood. The minty scent of calming drugs and other similar medicines emanating from his entire being was so strong they were overpowering his senses.

    How could he even stand right now?

    Compared to such a young man, how could he continue to show such a shameless appearance?Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    He lowered his head, tears at the corner of his eyes. He was deeply  ashamed of his conduct, ¡°I am sorry.¡±

    ¡°See. Wasn¡¯t hard, right?¡±

    The young man did not seem angry in the slightest at the blunder of the soldier, just patting the weeping old man on the back to encourage him further. He looked at his surroundings, at the eyes and faces of his brothers and sisters who were watching him with mixed sentiments.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like this. We were just taking a nap¡­ Right guys?¡±

    ¡°Obviously.¡±

    Behind him, stood three more people, clad in similar attire and with various degrees of injuries mirroring those of the young man. Two women, one tall African American woman with messy black hair and the other a small blonde-haired girl of English descent with a frail body. They were followed by a hulking African man that looked to be more like a bodybuilder or a powerlifter than a pilot.

    The muscular man was in a state no less grave than the one who spoke at first but he was letting out a boisterous laugh while flexing his chest muscles and biceps.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what the doctor gave me but I¡¯ve never felt better. I think I am even ready for a steamy session right now.¡±

    ¡°Taurus, you are weirding everyone out. So, cut it out already!¡±

    The blonde woman cleared her throat after remonstrating Taurus, before looking at everyone on the deck with steely eyes.

    ¡°Hello everyone, I am Minerva, also known as Virgo. With me are Taurus, Leo, and finally¡ª Serpent.¡± Even though she was showing a smug smile, no one opposed her words. Because what she said was the whole and absolute truth.

    Virgo¡ª one of the 13 constellations. There was no way that they would not know who she was.

    ¡°Our situation is dire and it was judged that the Project Ark has to be activated.¡±

    ¡°Hah¡­¡±

    One of the soldiers kneeled on the ground in despair at the mention of those words.

    They all knew. This was the last bastion for them. Sending the very last embers of humanity far into the Sea of Stars in the case that all hope of victory was lost for them.

    However, it was still a tragedy like no other. Despite all the advancement of technology and every resource at their disposal, they had only been able to create four Arks due to the very limited time they had. Each of those arks could only assure the survival and life of two million people at most.

    Eight million people out of 22 billion would be able to survive. The rest¡­ gone for all eternity¡­

    ¡°Four out of the eight remaining Constellations have been chosen to protect the last members of Humanity. As of now, the fleet consisting of the four Arks have been launched into space and have safely left the earth¡¯s atmosphere.¡±

    Her voice was even and subdued, showing no fluctuations whatsoever as she delivered one of the most dreadful news in the history of humanity.

    ¡°Humanity has lost.¡±

    Another soldier started to cry as he said those words of despair and dismay and soon¡­ a few more followed suit, not being able to suppress the pain in their hearts.

    ¡°Ugh¡­ This is why I said that I should be the one to share the news. Hey guys!¡±

    The young man who had initially decided to let Virgo talk until now spoke up at that very moment, prompting everyone else to look at him all at once.

    ¡°The situation is shitty right now. We have been chosen as bait to keep the Hive occupied and yeah, statistics say we are all gonna die.¡±

    Minerva looked at him speechlessly. ¡°I thought you wanted to encourage them¡­¡±

    He ignored her completely and added, ¡°All the lights in the night sky are our enemies and hope is utterly useless. But you know¡­ since we¡¯re gonna die anyway, don¡¯t you think it would be fun to die in a last blaze of glory?¡±

    He laughed out loud and started walking with boisterous steps, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you guys are going to do, but if those parasitic bastards wanna eat me up, I will give them the worst diarrhea of their entire life.¡±

    His grin was still present as he spoke his last set of words, addressing all the individuals present, ¡°¡ªAnd¡­ you know, I don¡¯t believe in the impossible.¡±

    The soldiers and the crew looked at each other before gazing at his back. How small, but at this moment it seemed he looked like a giant.

    The situation was bleak, with no hope in sight.is body, more battered than anyone else¡¯s, was barely standing up at this moment. Through sheer willpower alone, he was standing before everyone, offering them their last ray of hope.

    ¡°Sir¡­ Do you truly think¡­ can we still win?¡±

    The Serpent smiled at the boy who did not seem much older than him as he asked that question with all the hesitation in the world,

    ¡°Who the hell do you think I am? I am the strongest. I never lose and I will make all of you witness the scene of my victory.¡± Moving his gaze away from the boy, he looked at his friends and beckoned them,

    ¡°Come on guys! It¡¯s time for us to show them what it means to be a constellation.¡±

    .

    .

    .

    That day, the soldiers of Earth were able to witness a true miracle, unlike anything ever recorded in the history of planet Earth.

    Four individuals jumped in the fray against an army so vast that they seemed like the stars in the endless plains of deep space.

    The fight lasted for hours and the first one to leave for the afterworld was none other than Virgo.

    Using the remaining power that she was able to gather in her Mecha, she blasted apart a cruiser-level warship of the Parasites, opening the road for her companions.

    Her expression, even as her Mecha exploded with her inside, was one of pure cockiness and ruthlessness.

    The second one to leave them was Leo.

    As the main damage dealer, she tore through the barrage of enemy ships despite facing hundreds of them before finally tearing a large hole in the main battleship of the Queen.

    Her Mecha was unrecognizable by the time they reached their destination but even as hundreds of enemy parasites attacked her cockpit to capture her, she showed no fear whatsoever and followed in the path of Virgo, killing herself by detonating her Mecha, taking thousands of enemies with her.

    Taurus, the ever-solid shield of the group and one of the first constellations, followed his role to a T¡­ protecting and keeping their most powerful member safe and sound while his own life was slowly being chipped away.¡°I knew it¡­ Heh, my friend, muscles never lie.¡±

    He withered as invoking the Overload broke his mind and obliterated his senses. But not once did he ever complain.

    In the end, all alone, with the weight of the sacrifice of his friends and dear ones on his back, Serpent fought his way to the very heart of the throne of the Queen of Parasites¡ª inside the enemy battleship.

    It was painful, both physically and emotionally. He wanted to cry, he wanted to scream. But he had no time. He could not afford to waste time by mourning the death of his friends.

    Instead, he smiled.

    He would never let the sacrifice of his friends be in vain.

    ¡°Dear friend. It¡¯s time to enter the next level.¡±

    Ignoring all the warning messages, he entered a greater state of connection with his machine than ever before.

    ?Full Dive?

    The fight that ensued was of legendary proportions, one that would go down in the annals of history.

    With a massive, maniacal grin on his face, he slowly closed his eyes as the enormous spear of his Mecha pierced through the core of the Queen of Parasites at the very last moment of the fight.

    ¨C How surprising. To think an inferior species would be able to reach such heights.

    The queen surprisingly looked human. She was one of the parasites born using humans as a host and had slowly evolved her body by devouring more of them. She was as tall as his Mecha, a towering monster.

    ¨C But you should understand. While it¡¯s regrettable, the death of one Queen is merely an inconvenience for us.

    He knew it. Of course, he knew that killing the bitch ultimately did nothing.

    The universe was far larger than they could have ever imagined. Humanity had been stupid enough to reveal its position through the multiple messages sent in space over their curiosity..

    In the grand scheme of things, this was just a small victory for humanity.

    There were many Queens in the Hive of the Parasites. Many of them were far more powerful than the Queen he had defeated with his all.  Even if not the Parasites, surely some other races would attack to try to conquer them sooner or later.

    But¡­So what?

    ¨C Why struggle when you can just accept becoming one with the Great Mind?

    He laughed, blood flowing in sheets from his eyes, nose, and ears. His drive would never be affected by such words.

    ¡°Who the hell do you think we are!?¡±

    The light in the eyes of the Mecha shone with a green light as if responding to his will and giving him the last bit of strength he needed. Finally, he drove the plasma spear deeper into the core, assuring the final destruction of this Queen before speaking with a feral grin.

    ¡°We are humanity. We will never bow down to anyone!¡±

    So what if everything he did now was useless!?

    All humanity needed was hope. Even if it was nothing but a small spark, it would be enough for things to change.

    After all, humans were the most stubborn sons of bitches in the entire universe.

    ¡°So now! Die.¡±

    Those were the last words of Serpent as a large explosion swept through the interior of the battleship.

    The warp reactor overloaded and a crack in space formed, sucking in the entire warship in what looked like a wormhole.

    All it took was but an instant for the ship to vanish, giving the impression that the legendary fight that had just happened was nothing but a lie.

    But those who watched this fight knew ¡ª It was no lie.

    On that day humanity was given one more chance to breathe¡­ All it took was the sacrifice of 200 Mecha pilots and four incredibly brave Heroes.

 CH 1: Morgiana

    ?Coordinates Unknown ¡ª Year - 3600, Universal Calendar?

    Amid this endless void of space, a region in the middle momentarily distorted and a hole in the void was thus made.

    The vessel that emerged from the warped space was visibly damaged, even to the naked eye, clearly struggling to maintain a stable flight in the deep void of endless darkness.

    "Morgiana here. Emerging from the Outer Sea. Unknown coordinates in deep space. Still pursued by the enemies."

    ?Roger. How''s the view out there??

    The woman, seated in the cockpit of the damaged spacecraft, surveyed her surroundings and observed the view of the unknown darkness that she had ventured in her attempt to escape from the pursuit of her enemies. Despite her ship teetering on the brink of destruction, fear and panic eluded her mind.

    She stood from her seat and made her way to the rear, preparing to don her battle armor.

    "Boring. Though gotta admit, having three stars in the same solar system is a pretty sight. I can see a red dwarf and two normal yellow stars orbiting each other in perfect symmetry. The planet seems to be in a perfect zone of the three stars."

    It seemed like she was in an interesting solar system, one termed a ternary star system, right now with an exoplanet on its brink. As long as she survived and there was no intelligent life on this planet, selling the coordinates of this planet to the guild would be very profitable for them.

    Though, unfortunately, the rotation of this planet is fixed. Never thought that such a perfect planet would be tidally locked.

    The way the planet moved, only one side of it was facing the three scorching suns, while the other face of the planet was bathed in eternal darkness.

    This would surely affect the price she could get for delivering the information. But in another way, this could be used as a hot selling point. The Solaris would love this planet.

    ¡°We might have hit the jackpot.¡±

    ?I must say, your single-minded passion for money, even in the face of death, is worth endless praise in a way. Ahem~ Anyway, I will have to inspect the old map to find out the coordinates of this place. I think Dorothy should be able to find your location through that. Though I must insist that you show more enthusiasm about this plan, Morgiana. You truly lack the spirit of exploration, don¡¯t just think of money and values all the time.?

    "Tell that to Dorothy. She''s the one yearning for exploration and adventure. I believe more in the power of Credits than anything else. Now, I''m on the verge of stranding myself on a planet absent from any map recorded in the celestial charts. Only money can keep me calm currently.¡±

    ?Alright, alright, you win. How far are you from the planet??

    "Close, I suppose." Her gaze fell on the exo-planet as a black machine-esque substance began to crawl across her skin and skinsuit, enveloping her until her entire body was encased in a power armor that had a color scheme quite similar to her now-tattered ship. Lights flickered around her body before stabilizing, and she drew a deep breath.

    "I hope you find me in time, guys. Otherwise, this may be the last time you hear my charming voice."

    ?You trust me, right??

    She chuckled at the mention of the word trust from the man on the other side. "Alibaba¡­ The last time I trusted you, I nearly lost an arm facing a goddamn Leviathan."

    ?The keyword here we should keep in mind is¡ª Nearly ¨C Bzzz¡­?

    Her snicker faded as she realized the communication had been severed. She shook her head, dismissing the matter.

    Her friend was an excellent mercenary, but he lacked seriousness at times.

    Thankfully, he had many interpersonal relationships. Getting the service of someone of the caliber of Dorothy would have been impossible otherwise.

    ¡°Everything is alright. I will survive this.¡±

    She steeled herself with that chant, chasing away all the negative thoughts that had been brimming inside her head. She knew very well that in such a situation, she had to keep her head calm to increase her chances of survival to the fullest.

    Setting that aside, she grinned when her system warned her of imminent atmospheric entry. She was already being pulled by the planet even before getting into the vicinity of its outer atmosphere. Seemed like the large planet had quite the gravitational pull.

    "Activate the barrier. Ignore the fuel consumption."

    Through the connection of her power armor, she started sending mental commands to the battleship. Though saving the ship was an unlikely scenario, it was not entirely impossible for her to salvage it. "Initiate union."

    The cockpit transformed as cables extended, connecting her power armor to the spaceship itself. Her vision shifted as information flickered across her screens. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    Now, she wasn''t merely piloting the ship¡ª she was melding with the behemoth.

    A groan escaped her lips as her energy was absorbed by the vessel, aiding in its repairs even as it disintegrated into pieces. She dismissed the request to change the form into its most optimal state.

    While the second form of her ship would be useful for combat, what she needed now was a more streamlined form to lower the energy consumption to a minimum.

    The ship accelerated as the planet''s gravity took complete hold of it, the sound of metal breaking and creaking inundating her ears with endless screeches. Yet, she paid the sounds no heed, focusing her entire being on guiding the ship to land safely on the planet. At least, as safe as she possibly could¡­

    This is going to hurt quite a bit¡­ She thought with a grim laugh.

    But she would survive. Of that, she had no doubt.

    [Contact with the atmosphere in five seconds¡­]

    Dozens of pictures and numbers flashed in Morgiana''s retina as she fought against the sensory overload and steered her ship on the safest trajectory.

    The moment that gravity caught her ship and pulled her towards the planet it started plummeting at a breakneck speed toward surefire destruction¡­ She knew that she would have only one chance to survive this ordeal.

    [3]

    This was a fight between her and destiny, or rather, gravity. One mistake would mean the end for her.

    [2]

    But even then, she did not fear. She licked her lips and steeled her heart¡ª the moment before life and death was without a doubt one of the most exciting instances of one¡¯s life.

    [1]

    One second stretched into an endless eternity as she focused all her senses to their full potential in an attempt to maximize her rate of survival. The beating of her heart accelerated further. Behind the mask of armor, her eyes were shining a deep hue of red as she brought all her energy and connected with the Dark Sea.

    [0]

    The ship started to shake and she leaked a groan of pain. The sound of metal breaking and cracking filled her ears but she paid no attention to it either. She just kept on focusing all of her mind and soul on landing the ship¡­

    From now on, until the contact with the ground, she had three minutes.

    Only five minutes.

    But those five minutes might be the longest of her life.

    Crack!

    She ignored the ominous sound that filled her ears. Knowing whatever it was, wouldn¡¯t alleviate her current situation and could only worsen it.

    Whoosh!

    The temperature in the cockpit soared to a horrific point.

    [1500 ¡ãC]

    [2500 ¡ãC]

    [3500¡ã C]

    The heat at the exterior and interior of her ship continued to jump, while less scary, was still highly problematic for a someone of her race to survive in. The insulation should have kept the heat at bay in a normal scenario but had been broken.

    [Heat surpassing the minimum threshold.]

    [Advising to deploy the cooling device.]

    ¡°Fuck that.¡±

    She laughed as she cursed and operated the cooling system contained in her power armor to protect herself from the heat.

    Fire generally wasn''t a problem for her race, especially with the kind of power she wielded. But this was a whole different matter altogether.

    At the same time, she was keeping track of an array of numbers in order to find the best angle possible to mitigate the damages to her ship and ensure her survival.

    She could feel blood flowing from her nose but once again she paid no mind to this small detail.

    She could heal later.

    She could also repair the ship later.

    But what she could not do was resurrect herself later..

    Her connection to the ship grew deeper and deeper as she pierced through the clouds. The view of an icy planet was visible through the confines of the spaceship.

    Crack!

    Crack!!

    She had just lost a wing and, while aerodynamics did not matter in space, it very much mattered once a planet¡¯s air resistance was thrown into the equation.

    The ship suddenly turned sideways and lost control.

    Beep!!

    Beep!!

    Beep!!

    "Kuh!"

    She cursed as a red alarm continued to blare all around her, while warnings about controlling her speed or slowing down continued to come one after the other.

    "Activate the backup core. Deploy the magnetic shield at full power on my signal and activate the anti-gravity thrusters."

    She continued to input hundreds of commands at the same time through her mind and mouth.

    The ground was quickly approaching.

    Not now.

    She could feel the difference in pressure and the feeling that her ship wanted to fold unto itself.

    Not now.

    If she made one mistake now, she would get splattered on the ground with no way of survival.

    Not now¡­..

    Both her eyes and mouth were bleeding now.

    But she did not blink.

    Finally, the moment she had been waiting for arrived¡­

    ¡°Now!!!¡±

    The ship seemed to come to life as a translucent blue shield, seemingly composed of hundreds of octagons covered the ship.

    The thrusters reversed and red energy flowed through them as the ship started to fight the pull of gravity.

    "Ugh¡­"

    Morgiana groaned as an amalgam of opposing forces applied at the same time hit her body. They made her dizzy and almost lose control of her mind and the connection to the ship.

    More and more cracks appeared on her ship. Now she could even see the exterior through the side because of the holes created by the damage.

    But¡ª She knew she had succeeded.

    She knew she would survive.

    Boom!!

    This was the last thought of Morgiana before she fainted as her ship finally crashed into the ground and caused a large explosion in the icy vicinity.

 CH 2: My name is Noah

    [Rebooting¡­]

    [Checking¡­]

    [Checking¡­]

    [External examination commencing¡­]

    [Checking¡­]

    [All parameters clear ¡ª Planet suitable for carbon-based lifeform¡­]

    [Warning: Current weather deemed to be extremely dangerous for living organisms]

    [Recommendation: Keep the power armor activated]

    [Internal examination commencing¡­]

    [Combat capacity lowered by 70%]

    [Energy Reserves: Extremely low]

    [...]

    [...]

    ¡®Ugh¡­ The fuck.¡¯

    When Morgiana came to, she was bombarded with a log of information that made her already throbbing head blister into an even more painful spiral of headache and nausea.

    At the very edges of her vision, she could see a digital diagram showing her body with many zones marked in dangerous hues of red.

    Clearly, the crash had not been kind to her, and despite all the defenses that had been placed on her body to counteract the impact of a crash¡­ she had still nearly died.

    But that was all there was to it.

    She nearly died.

    Which could only lead to one conclusion¡ª she had survived through this ordeal.

    Once again the keyword was ¡ª Nearly ¡ª as Alibaba liked to say so often.

    That was all that mattered to her. Like Alibaba always spoke, as long as one remained alive and kicking, nothing in the world was impossible for them.

    ¡®Where am I though?¡¯

    The screen in front of her vision, on the visor of her helmet, flickered intermittently before she was finally able to see her surroundings clearly.

    She understood now why she had been feeling like her butt was stone cold and she was unable to move around.

    What the¡­?

    She nearly blacked out at the outlandish situation she currently found herself in.

    After all, she was buried deep in a sea of endless snow with only her head sticking out of the terrain.

    She had been through many situations in her miserable life¡ª be it as a slave or as an outlaw and mercenary traveling through endless space, however, this was definitely one of the weirdest situations she had ever found herself in. Actually, it would not be far off if she said this was indeed the most uncanny situation she had ever faced in her life.

    However, now was not the time to delve into these useless thoughts. Now, it was time for her to think hard about what to do and how to get out of this perilous situation.

    Clearly, this was not normal, in any way, shape or form, and she had been placed here by something or someone intentionally.

    Possibly, it was some sort of beast, an indigenous inhabitant of this stone-cold planet, that was keeping her cold to eat for later.

    Why didn¡¯t the auto-defense system activate?

    [Energy Reserves: Extremely low]

    [All resources are currently being used to maintain the life signature of the host to an appropriate level and thus protect the host from this hostile environment]

    [Would you like to recalibrate the priorities set by the automated system?]

    No. Focus on healing me and keeping me from freezing to death.

    She sighed out loud in exasperation. This whole situation was starting to piss her off. Morgiana took a deep breath before releasing it all in one go.

    Thankfully, the atmosphere on this planet was breathable so her armor would replenish the breathable and sustainable air reserves naturally.

    She could easily push herself out of this situation¡­ but then what?

    She had been placed here by some entity she knew nothing about and she was still very much wounded from her previous skirmish and also the subsequent crash landing on this exoplanet.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    In this case, there was only one solution for her.

    I will sleep and recover my energy. Warn me when anything approaches me. In the meantime, prioritize healing me, then keep me from freezing.

    The reserves of dark matter inside her Sea were nearly exhausted by this point, but sleeping would still help immensely in balancing and replenishing some of her lost reserves. It would also help her to act more efficiently with the usage of her energy reserve.

    The rules when meeting a new race in the universe were quite clear for everyone. Survival came first before anything else.

    Her armor injected her with a serum that put her back to sleep. and It would be useful in accelerating her metabolism, which would in turn heal her even faster.

    She hated using those serums as they were expensive as all hell but all the money in the world didn¡¯t matter much if she was dead.

    .

    .

    .

    .

    [Warning: New source of life detected in the vicinity of the host]

    [Ascertaining danger level¡­]

    [Low level of dark matter detected in the lifeform¡­]

    [No special appendage detected¡­]

    [Form is deemed to be humanoid]

    [Danger level: low¡­]

    [Error!!! Adding new parameters to the ascertainment of the danger level¡­]

    [The organism is deemed to be able to survive in hostile environments with no equipment whatsoever¡­]

    [Physical attributes impossible to judge any longer¡­ Requires more data¡­]

    [Danger level: Uncertain]

    Morgiana was awakened by a new series of pings from her user interface that was practically barraging her senses with all the notification sounds.

    Her consciousness was quite literally forcibly awakened and she observed the intruder and the mpst likely cause of her current embarrassing situation.

    ¡®Well then, just what kind of abomination do I have in front of me?¡¯

    She looked at the large shadow walking past the blizzard.

    ¡®A snake?¡¯

    At least that was what she felt like she had seen at first glance. But when the target approached closer, she was finally given a complete view of the organism and she had to admit that she was more than a little surprised by what she witnessed.

    ¡®A young man?¡¯

    She nearly screamed out loud at the sight.

    ¡®There are really people on this planet?¡¯

    Morgiana was getting worried. She did not truly care about being imprisoned any longer.

    The reason she had chosen this random planet, in a random solar system with three stars and not even on the face of any naval charts of space travel, was due to their conception that it was uninhabited. After all, even in this age of galactic voyages and stellar travels, the actual number of exoplanets that had any traces of life on them was staggeringly few. Even more so when they were so far away from the center of the galaxy¡­

    While they were far from high-sequence fighters, the 40 Thieves were no pushovers and were known to enslave and sell people from backward planets like this one¡ª to the highest bidder.

    Even between pirates and bandits, few dared to oppose the 40 Thieves, and the federation of the different galactic empires did not care for people of the planets that had not even reached Type-I in the scale of advancement.

    Shit!

    She cursed inwardly, realizing that their mistake might have doomed an entire population to a fate worse than extermination.

    Knowing what it felt like to be a slave already, she had no intention of making anyone else go through that scenario because of her mistake.

    Morgiana bit her lips hard enough for blood to form. Now she was surer than ever that they needed to wipe out all the thieves who would come here. Then make it their number one priority to block all the communication logs that may be able to give away the coordinates of this exoplanet.

    This was the only way for them to ensure the safety of everyone involved.

    Looking once again at the small kid who looked to be barely in his teens, she swallowed the lump that had formed within her throat and tried to talk as gently to him as possible.

    "Hello. I am Morgiana. I mean you no harm¡­"

    The moment she spoke, the young kid threw down the gigantic dead snake and took a few steps back before looking at her with wariness in his eyes.

    It was only now that she managed to take a full look at him and was mildly suprised to realize that he was entirely naked.

    Is it a planet at the beginning of the creation of a new intelligent race?

    Unlike many people, Morgiana did not think that Civilizations below Type-I were barbarians who knew nothing of the world and were unworthy to preserve or help.

    The young kid finally opened his mouth and muttered in a soft voice, befitting a young kid¡­

    "##$&@+++#?`~\\|||"

    Morgiana waited patiently, hoping in her heart that the language detector will be able to do its job.

    Unfortunately¡­

    [Error¡ª! Unable to find the language equivalent in the database of recent languages prominent throughout the stellar federations]

    [Searching through the precedent and outdated version of the database]

    [No match found]

    [Searching the oldest database of languages dating back to the Dark Ages]

    [No match found]

    [New directive¡­ Searching through dead languages existing prior to the Great Calamity.]

    [....Results found¡­]

    Yeah! Yeah! Fuck this shit and speed up already. Adapt the language fast, you stupid machine.

    [Language Data pack incomplete. Unable to connect to the Super Database to retrieve the complete package. Do you wish to download the incomplete Data pack?]

    Fuck yes. Just do it¡­!

    [Downloading ¡ª 10%]

    Thanks¡­

    ¡°Hi¡­¡±

    Morgiana stopped when she heard the word coming out of the mouth of the young man.

    Her eyes immediately trailed to the data pack that had only been downloaded to 50% till now¡­ Meaning the language detector was not interpreting his language right now.

    ¡°It seems like you can understand me now¡­¡±

    Morgiana finally understood what had transpired.

    He had just learned her language.

    ¡°I hope you are alright. We have many questions we wish to ask you.¡± He grinned at her, causing her brain to stop functioning properly for a few seconds¡­

    [Download complete]

    [Language: English. One of the main languages of a long lost Type-I that once filled the Sea of Stars]

    [Planet Code: Sol-III. Name Given by the Aboriginals: Earth/Terra]

    ¡°My name is Noah. Happy to meet ya¡­!¡±

 CH 3: A star fell?

    Crouching down, Noah observed the alien robot he had just captured with curiosity evident in his eyes.

    Everything had started just fine this morning. He couldn¡¯t help but sigh as he remembered the sequence of events.

    .

    .

    .

    In a small house made of ice, resembling an igloo, a young man slept peacefully, his pale body exposed to the chilling temperature with not even a stitch to cover his nakedness. With a handsome face and long, silver hair and eyes blue like the sky, he emanated an air of fragility.

    "Ugh..."

    His body stirred as he turned and tumbled out of the ice bed, hitting the ground with a thud, finally awakening.

    Groggy and disoriented, his golden eyes surveyed his surroundings until he remembered where he was.

    Rising to his feet, he inhaled deeply and exhaled, preparing himself for the day ahead.

    "Time to start a new day."

    An unusual statement, considering the world outside was enveloped in impenetrable darkness through and through.

    It was a darkness so deep that it should have rendered everything invisible to one¡¯s eyes.

    Yet, he was used to this very darkness already and his sight was nearly unobstructed in the void that was outside. Just as he had grown accustomed to the biting cold and thin air that was perpetually trying to reap his life.

    A gust of frigid wind swept by, causing him to shiver ever so slightly. Being completely naked posed a minor issue for him. But he had no more clothes that could fit him and the knowledge he had was not helpful in creating a set of clothes for himself. Nor did he think, in fact, that he had any need for them in this desolate plain.

    "It''s time to hunt for breakfast."

    He moved, his steps cracking the icy ground beneath him as he started running with force, each stride propelling him forward.

    Far on the horizon, a source of light could be seen¡ª it was his target for today.

    He ran without hesitation in his stride. The darkness surrounding him from all sides progressively receded with each of his steps on the icy ground, going from pitch black to a more visible world, until he finally emerged from the darkness, stepping into a world bathed in radiant light.

    Steam billowed from his body as the stark temperature difference hit him like a tsunami.

    Whoosh~!

    The surroundings gradually transformed from an icy landscape to a cracked, scorched ground. He knew very well that if he ran for a few more minutes, he would reach a place where the wind was so hot that heat waves danced in the air.

    But the other side was not his target for today.

    Sensing his internal clock while looking up at the three suns in the air, he was able to figure out that his prey would be out for its own hunt very soon.

    He stood in the perfect spot¡ª the only place where creatures, unlike him, could survive. A place that balanced the extremes of heat and cold.

    It was a spot filled with beautiful wildlife, a lush forest, and the cry of beasts and insects.

    He inhaled deeply, feeling the stark difference in air quality. His lungs filled with the purity of oxygen.

    This was his world. His zone.

    A world where no one like him existed.

    A world where everything but him was food to be devoured and used by him.

    He wished to indulge a little more, however, his growling stomach reminded him that lazing around was secondary to satiating his hunger.

    It was time to hunt.

    .

    .

    .

    The hunt had been fruitful. A creature that he simply called snake for lack of a better name was on his back now and he was about to go back to his hut, freezing the food and slowly devouring it as time passed by in this desolate world.

    ¡®How long do I have to stay in this place?¡¯

    ¨C We need more energy.

    ¡®Tch!¡¯

    He clicked his tongue and continued to walk. Whatever form of energy the lifeform needed, the beasts he devoured had basically none of it.

    They were nothing but primitive beasts after all.

    He sighed. Time had long since become blurry for him. He had stopped counting how long he had been in this place after a few years, straying from place to place looking for companions or any sign of intelligent life. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    His life went on in its tracks, doing the same things every day and sometimes succumbing to bouts of daze before waking up again. His accursed body was refusing to let him die in peace.

    He thought that today would once again be a day like thousands prior but¡ª

    Boom!

    A tremendous shockwave seized his attention, causing him to stare up at the sky, where a star seemed to be hurtling toward the ground.

    The direction was the cold zone of the world. The dark side of the world, perpetually locked to never have any form of light in it.

    ¡®A meteorite?¡¯

    He wondered briefly, curiosity and wariness consumed him instantly as he looked at the falling star. But there was something more important.

    This was something new. This was something interesting. This was¡ª something that would definitely take away his boredom and monotonous life and give him a new lease.

    He had to investigate this phenomenon.

    And so, forsaking satiating his hunger, he sprinted in the direction where the fallen star now lay.

    .

    .

    .

    Even as Noah ran on the snowy ground following the trail of the falling star, he was both confused and intrigued.

    If at first he thought that this was a meteorite, now he was beginning to think that it might be something else. Something completely different. Something that he once knew.

    His heart started to beat powerfully in his chest, as a hope he had long since buried reared its head inside his mind.

    The star continued to shine and approach the ground until finally, it reached a place not far from where he was currently.

    ¨C Should I act?

    No need. I will survive if it''s this much.

    Boom!!

    The earth trembled and a large shockwave was released as it finally made contact with the icy land.

    The wind was so strong that he had to stop and cover his head to protect himself from the blaring blizzard that was trying to blow him away. He could feel his ears ringing as his sense of balance was thrown off, but still he held on and stayed crouched down.

    Metal pieces flew past him, some lightly scratching him while others quite literally pierced his skin and his flesh. This left him bleeding open wounds of different lengths and depths on him but he did not so much as frown at the barrage of harm that his body went through.

    The pain was hitting him at the back of his mind, but this was nothing compared to some of the things he had to experience while hunting and even less compared to the experiments he had gone through when he was on Earth.

    He didn¡¯t know how long the shockwave lasted but when it finally stopped, only a few parts of his body were not covered in blood. Still, he stayed unmoving and continued to wait for some time. He could stay in this position for as long as was necessary.

    It was only after the reverberation of the explosion completely stopped that he stood up and looked ahead at the large hole that had been created ahead of him¡ª the aftermath of the crash.

    He wanted to take a look at the contents within. But he first sat on the cold ground and started to take out the pieces of metal embedded in his body.

    Disgusting sounds and a fountain of blood flowed out as the pieces were slowly taken one after another from his body by his own hands. Thanks to the way he protected himself, his arms and back were the main part of his body affected by the explosive debris. Taking them out was a pain, in both senses of the term but he was able to do so without issue.

    I have truly become something unlike a human.

    ¨C You have transcended humanity.

    Shut it.

    All the while without even letting out a scream of pain from his lips. Only grunts and groans leaked out every now and then when he had to take out a piece that had embedded itself far too deep.

    While this part of the world had no life, he was used to making as little sound as possible to protect himself. Being eaten once because of his mistake had been one time too many for someone like him.

    ¡®Alright!¡¯

    He breathed in and out and flexed his muscles a bit to take out any remaining shrapnel that he might have missed and then a miracle started.

    His skin could be seen wriggling and the places where blood was previously flowing out were closing up and vanishing at an incredible speed. Even wounds so deep that they nearly reached the bones were closing up.

    Growl¡­

    His stomach was protesting for a very obvious and understandable reason. He had not eaten anything since he had woken up and this healing prowess came with a price. The price of stamina and calories.

    Ugh¡­ I need to go back to my food later.

    He started to walk again? Though now with a more careful attitude. His feet made nearly no sound as he advanced. Despite his young and frail appearance, he had all the aura of an apex predator ready to pounce at his prey at any moment.

    Thump!

    His heartbeat slowly started to accelerate, beating in unison with his growing tension. His perception of the world slowed down and in this world everything moved half a beat slower, only he was advancing normally.

    He did not remember the first time he had developed this ability. But he knew that it had saved him many times while he was out hunting.

    Finally reaching the crater and looking down, all he received was confusion.

    Thump! Thump! Thump!

    The beating of his heart increased. This was different. It was definitely different from the design and form he was used to in the faint memories of the past.

    But this was¡­ without a shadow of a doubt¡­

    ¡°A spacecraft.¡±

    He began descending into the crater at full speed. The heat inside continued to rise, a sharp contrast to the cold temperature of the surroundings. His skin slightly reddened before showing signs of wounds. The progressively growing heat didn''t bother him, the blister did not register in his mind.

    All he cared for was one thing.

    Please! Please! Please!

    He begged inwardly, praying to every god he knew out there.

    Please let there be a survivor inside.

    He finally stopped when he reached the very depths of the crater, wondering where the opening was.

    Thankfully he didn¡¯t have to wait long.

    Whoosh!!

    A sniffling-like sound and gas leaking from the ship startled him, forcing him to take a few steps back as he watched the ship open slowly. Then, someone or something staggered out of it in one go.

    A robot?

    What came out was eerily similar to the combat robot that he once used for his training in the past. Though with a design far more advanced than anything he had ever seen in his life.

    He watched the red and white humanoid-shaped robot move around for a while before finally falling and crashing heavily on the ground.

    What is the¡­?

    His gaze alternated between the ship, or what was left of it, and the slumped robot¡ª wariness and curiosity once again flashing in his eyes.

    What should he do?

    Destroy whatever came out of this ship?

    Or try to communicate with it?

    This was a question he did not need to ponder for long.

    .

    .

    .

    ¡°My name is Noah. Happy to meet ya¡­!¡±

    What better way could there be to establish a connection?

 CH 4: Lets go!

    Noah was simply beyond excited right now.

    How long had it been since he actually had a discussion with someone? It had been so long since he had talked that he even forgot who he had his last conversation with by now¡­

    ¨C So I don¡¯t even exist now, do I?

    You are different.

    He dismissed the voices in his head and focused on the woman before him.

    ¡°I am sorry for the current circumstances, but as you should be able to intuit by now, I cannot really afford to put my guard down in front of a geared stranger.¡±

    The armor that the woman was wearing was something he had only ever seen in sci-fi video games and movies till now. They were different from the bodysuits he was used to seeing on Earth. Even he, who had access to the latest bodysuits for battle, had never seen an armor of this caliber.

    ¡®Well. I am pretty sure a very long time has already passed since I was last on Earth. Everything¡¯s bound to change¡­¡¯

    He sighed to himself at that morbid thought.

    ¡°Hello¡­¡±

    Noah tilted his head as he heard her next words, ¡°You can speak¡­ English?¡±

    Was she really an Earthling then¡­ was the thought that went through his mind almost immediately. His eyes twinkled as he nearly shook her by the shoulders but he managed to stop himself from doing such an irrational act.

    Simply because she was from Earth didn¡¯t mean that she would be friendly and hospitable, especially to someone like him. He didn¡¯t know what kind of weapon she had on her, so it was better to stay as vigilant as possible at all times.

    ¡°My name is Morgiana. I am a mercenary, per se. You might not understand what this means but you need to free me as soon as possible and go into hiding. Warn your tribes or anyone you know to hide and not go out for as long as possible.¡±

    Noah had no time to ask more questions as the woman started to talk to him.

    ¨C She believes that you are an aboriginal.

    Noah looked down at himself thoughtfully. Here he was, looking like some teen, butt naked under the chilling temperatures of this side of the world, his appendage swinging around, and even had a giant snake-like beast dead behind him right now.

    ¡®Yep. Definitely looking like a barbarian at the moment.¡¯

    He contemplated his lack of embarrassment for a moment before realizing that his body was perfect and there was nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, he was sure that even a Greek sculpture would pale in comparison to him. Hence, he should just opt to show it as much as possible. In the first place, that reasoning itself was what made him not seek out any sort of clothes over the years.

    ¨C Narcissistic much?

    ¡®It¡¯s not narcissistic when it¡¯s the truth.¡¯

    He sighed and dismissed the Voice who could not understand the beauty of his rippling muscles and perfect body. Hence, he focused on the one who seemed to be worried about something like that.

    Telling her that he was the only living intelligent being in this ¡ª

    ¨C Hey!

    Telling her that he was one of the two only living intelligent beings on this whole planet would surely make her more wary of him than anything else. He didn¡¯t need that and he certainly didn¡¯t want to enter a death match with the first person he could really talk to in a long while.

    Listening to a voice that actually didn¡¯t come from his head felt so nice and peaceful. He felt like he could hear her speak for hours on end and not be tired for a single second throughout.

    In fact, he wondered if he should simply keep her imprisoned for a longer time and have her talk some more nonsense or some shit. Even something meaningless or useless would be appreciated right about now.

    Sadly¡ª he could not do so right now as it seemed like the incoming situation was quite complicated and probably dangerous.

    ¡°I do not understand what you mean exactly but¡­ shall we move?¡±

    Noah decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. The way she asked him to flee and hide despite him looking like a barbarian ¨C albeit a very handsome one, an extremely handsome one to boot ¨C showed a caring heart and someone that was worth giving trust to even if partially.

    Either way, if things take a turn for the worse then¡­

    ¨C We eat her!

    He approached and grabbed her by the shoulders to her bewilderment and then¡ª

    Hmph!

    Grunting, he slowly lifted her up and broke her out of the hole she was previously imprisoned in.

    ¡°Oh¡­¡±

    She seemed surprised but he didn¡¯t have time to spare, ¡°Can you walk?¡±

    ¡°I am currently low on energy. Moving inside of this armor is very complicated.¡± Morgiana spoke. She did not want to appear weak but she didn¡¯t want to lie.

    ¡°Yeah, it seemed slightly heavy when I carried you.¡±

    ¡°¡­Slightly?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Noah ignored her surprised look as he lifted her.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Morgiana was bewildered beyond doubt.

    No. She wasn¡¯t just bewildered. She was positively astounded at this point and was trying to keep a very open mind about the current situation.

    Just how?

    All the events that had happened to her one after another in a very short time frame had been way too stressful, to say the least.

    Acting like bait, fleeing to an unknown solar system in some recluse part of the galaxy.

    Nearly dying.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    Waking up buried and in pain and in a place with no one else but her was supposed to be.

    Finally meeting a young boy who was walking naked despite the chilling temperatures of this world.

    What is the current temperature outside?

    [Measuring: ¨C 50 ¡ãC on the Imperial Scaling Measurement]

    Aren¡¯t the people from Sol-III supposed to be carbon-based life forms?

    [That indeed seems to be the case. Sol-III: Predominant species¡ª Humans. Moderately intelligent races. Abysmal physical strength. No special talent. Moderately high adaptation ability.]

    She mused even as she was being piggybacked like a child by someone who was slightly shorter than her in height.

    This was very uncomfortable but this situation made Morgiana wary of the person that was quite possibly her benefactor.

    The boy was way too strong.

    The armor she was wearing had a lighting system included which helped her move fast and precisely without wasting any energy. But that system was partially disabled at the moment as she did not have enough energy to maintain it.

    Currently, the armor should weigh around 100kg at the very least but he was hoisting her as well as the dead creature on his shoulders while moving rapidly through the terrain. It was as if they weighed nothing at all, or simply¡­ their weight was nothing to the boy.

    She also noticed that though he was walking on the hard and cold ground, his naked feet showed no signs of tears or any form of wounds. His skin was in fact so pristine that she was even slightly jealous of him. His breath was not hurried and it seemed like the cold did not affect him in the slightest.

    ¡®Dangerous.¡¯

    The boy was very dangerous. He was an entity she could not understand and he was nothing but a mere child. At most in his teens.

    If the rest of the people on this planet were on the same level as him¡ª things might be complicated for her.

    But the most problematic thing was¡­

    How long do I have approximately before the 40 thieves find me?

    This was the question that had been plaguing her mind.

    [Analyzing: Estimation, 72 hours. Remaining Time: 52 hours. Error Margin: 30%]

    ¡®Ugh. Next time I should really keep my greed in check.¡¯

    She sighed and decided to close her eyes while making sure the AI of her armor was keeping guard.

    She still needed to harness more energy. Even the slightest bit more could be the difference between life and death in the incoming conflicts.

    She also needed to make sure the people here never got found out by those thieving bastards. She didn¡¯t need more weight on her mind and causing the death of an aboriginal tribe was not the kind of weight she wished to carry.

    ***

    The run through the abysmally cold and desolate landscape of the exoplanet continued, fast and steady in gait¡­

    ¡°Hey. Don¡¯t you get tired?¡± Morgiana asked the running Noah. She didn¡¯t know exactly how long he had been running at this point, but it had already gone on for several minutes by her estimates. And during that whole duration, he had her, with her heavy armor on, in one hand and the large snake-like monster in the other.

    It was a mystery how his skin wasn¡¯t becoming red or bruised from all the heavy lifting that he was doing here.

    ¡°I am not really hurt. I am just famished. Speak less or I will eat you.¡±

    Morgiana laughed at Noah¡¯s joke but still stopped bothering him any longer. She knew that this situation must be quite strenuous for him after all, even if it didn¡¯t look like that from the outside.

    ¡®If only I had my strength back.¡¯

    She sighed to herself as she thought up that possibility.

    Meanwhile¡ª

    ¡ª We should really eat her, to be honest. I found the core of her ship already and her energy reserves are extremely large and plentiful. If you eat her then we can finally leave this desolate run-down place for good.

    ¡®Shut up.¡¯

    Noah was hungry. Very, very hungry right now. He had been trying to build up the special energy by himself without relying on the voice in his head,,but the result until now had been worthless and dissatisfying.

    His body still had yet to properly adapt to this mysterious energy and the beasts on this planet had rather weak energy themselves. He was not able to do much about it by consuming them either.

    ¡ª If we eat her right now you will finally be able to adapt fully to this energy. I can also finally call ¡®it¡¯ from beyond the event horizon.

    ¡®You still haven¡¯t found the coordinate after all this time¡­ Don¡¯t spout that bullshit speech to me.¡¯

    ¡ª It¡¯s because you are too weak for me to do that.

    ¡®I am the strongest. So, shut the fuck up already¡­¡¯

    Noah scoffed in his mind and ignored the mocking laugh of the Voice in his head. He had been fighting and discussing with her for so long that it was second nature to him now.

    As for whether he should eat the woman on his back or not.

    Hummm¡­ well, it¡¯s ultimately useless. I feel like she is a big bait.

    ¡ª So you really considered eating her then?

    I, Noah, am an upright and gentle man. Stop saying eating this and eating that right in my face, you gluttonous pig¡­

    He stopped short when he felt a certain pressure registering in his senses not far away from their location¡­

    ¡®Hum¡­ Ugh¡­ A beast. Great, just when I thought it couldn¡¯t get any worse¡­¡¯

    Noah frowned and sighed to himself, lamenting his accursed fate. The existence of beasts and the like on this planet had always made him curious. After all, if he was right, this planet should be in the Alpha Centauri System. This was an Exoplanet relatively similar to Earth but with no life on it due to some troublesome conditions. Or at least that was the consensus they had reached back then and they were definitely wrong.

    Either way, the situation was a pain. The beast incoming wasn¡¯t too dangerous for him all things considered, but in his current situation, fighting it would make him even hungrier than before.

    ¡°Something big is coming.¡±He warned the girl on his back.

    At the same time,

    [Warning: Large life source detected.]

    [Danger Rating (In Current Condition): High]

    [Immediate retreat is advised.]

    Morgiana was surprised not only because of the incoming danger, but mainly  how this young kid had managed to notice it even before the AI was able to recognize and warn her about it.

    Slowly, the silhouette of the monster began to appear and she was able to get a better view of it. And, she could only gasp at what she was seeing with her own eyes.

    She didn¡¯t know what kind of food those monsters devoured but the thing rushing at them was ginormous. Nearly as huge as some small Mechas out there around 4.5 to 6 meters in terms of height.

    Unlike the previous snake-like monster, this one had a twisted appearance, as if it were the result of many changes and additions over centuries of evolution¡­

    ¡°Abyss Beasts? Kid! We need to leave fast.¡±

    She didn¡¯t understand why a monster from the abyss was on this deserted planet and she didn¡¯t want to know either. In her current situation she was nothing but cannon fodder for something like that and even without her injuries, taking this monster on without her Mecha would be a difficult task for her.

    She shouted a little hurriedly, fearing that the kid would be frozen stiff in fright. After all, the abyssal beasts could not be compared to normal animals, no matter how big they were, unless the latter was rich in energy.

    Despite the situation though, Noah showed nothing but a somewhat disinterested expression on his face.

    ¡°Running is useless. This guy is fast and he is after my Prey.¡±

    Morgiana had no time to answer as she felt her vision blur, and then, all of a sudden, she found herself high in the air as if she had been launched by a cannon.

    Bang!

    The ground shook as a large paw descended and struck it at full power, leaving an imprint.

    The ice broke in the air, creating a magnificent sight but she didn¡¯t have time to focus on the wonderful phenomenon now. Her savior was in danger.

    ¡°Noah!¡±

    She was still high in the air and as she looked at the ground where Noah was, she realized that the paw had been unable to crush whatever was below it.

    What happened next was nothing but a blur to her eyes. Her body only made one rotation, she only turned for a few seconds\¡­

    But it was at that very moment ¡ª Crunch!!

    The sound of something being crushed filled her ears. When she finally landed, she silently watched, her eyes opened wide in surprise as half the body of the monster was crushed completely and the other half completely gone. ¡°What¡­ What the hell just happened?¡±

    She was a mercenary and she had seen many rare and somewhat secretive things while exploring the galaxy and doing missions on different planets, but even for her, this was a first.

    ¡°Take me and continue running south.¡± Noah spoke with a sleepy voice.

    ¡°Huh?¡±She was interrupted by the tired voice of Noah,¡°Noah, are you alright?¡±

    She looked at him and sighed when she saw his chest rising up and down. At the very least, she knew that he was alive right now.

    Finally standing, she looked all around her, but her eyes kept going back to the crushed half of the abyss monster.

    From her position, it looked like something had completely gnawed at it.

    ¡°We need to move to avoid the corrosion.¡±

    Frowning at the black blood that was flowing and tainting the ground, she took the young boy on her shoulder and started to walk slowly and steadily.

    Did you record everything?

    [Negative: All functions are currently focused on survival. Would you like to switch modes?]

    Nevermind.

    She sighed and looked at the young boy.

    Someone very mysterious.

    Someone very dangerous.

    She simply hoped the people of his tribe wouldn¡¯t kill her at first sight.

 CH 5: No food

    ¡ª Are you finally awake now?

    Sitting on the cold and hard ground of a desolate cave, Noah slowly opened his eyes.   a sense of utter darkness greeted him. He had long since reached the point where darkness was not a nuisance for him.

    What is the situation at hand?

    ¡ª You have depleted all of your energy as you ran with that woman and faced that monster.

    Tch!

    Noah couldn¡¯t help but click his tongue when he heard the Voice speak. He had been careless back there. He should have not forgotten that in this icy tundra, almost anything was possible, and there was never a lack of enemies and beings that were after his life. Though he was at the top of the food chain, mistakes could still be fatal to him. A hoard of bison was still enough to take out an injured lion.

    ¡°Ohh you finally woke up!¡±

    Noah''s thoughts were interrupted by the feminine voice that reached his ears. Moving his head, he looked in the direction the voice was coming from and then tilted his head, confusion lacing his eyes.

    ¡°You took off your armor?¡±

    He asked quietly, watching the red haired woman who finally appeared in front of him, wearing a relatively tight skinsuit over her lithe body.

    Though he could only see her face right now, she had beautiful dark skin which reminded him of his companion Leo from the time he served in the Zodiacs.

    But that was all they had in common between them. Her skin had similarities to some of the Africans that he knew of in the past. But as far as he remembered, black people didn¡¯t have red tattoo-like carvings on different parts of their skin.

    Their eyes weren¡¯t slitted like those of a reptile and they certainly didn¡¯t have semi-long pointed ears.

    ¡®I was wondering if I was in front of a human or not.¡¯

    Noah kept his nonchalant attitude but his eyes were slightly moving as he observed her, the situation and the overall surroundings nearly at the same time.

    The last time a human met an alien, to his knowledge, it ended up in a war of survival to avoid the extinction of all of humanity.

    So yeah¡­ He wasn¡¯t about to just stand and say that he would befriend all races that were outside the scope of humanity.

    ¡ª Should we just kill her then?

    In the end, he made one simple judgment. Though her prowess was still unknown, he was sure about one thing about the individual in front of him.

    He could kill her in one hit before she could even react.

    Thinking like this, a sunny smile appeared on his face. There was nothing wrong with being friendly to someone weaker than him after all.

    ¡°Yeah, I was finally able to recuperate my body and energy a little. Though I wouldn¡¯t dare risk going out without at least this skinsuit. It helps me regulate the temperature of this abysmal place.¡±

    Not knowing how close she had come to dying just now, Morgiana sauntered close to him, which allowed him to take a closer look at her appearance.

    Her tribal-esque tattoos, intrigued him a lot. They were clearly not just ordinary tattoos that had been engraved onto the skin.

    Looking at them closely, he had the vague impression that they were like rivers, where red flame was flowing inside in real time.

    Currently, the tattoos seem rather dim in color.

    Noah made some deductions based on this and nodded his head.

    "How long was I out?"

    "For almost two hours. Hum. You might not know about the hours. Let''s say you were out for a relatively short time."

    Noah was speechless. This woman was taking him as some kind of barbarian who knew nothing of the world.

    ¡ª You are still buck naked, you know?

    I have nothing to be ashamed of. My body is beautiful. It¡¯s a work of art. Peak aesthetics, if you know what I mean¡­

    Ignoring the scoff that was leaking out of the Voice in his head, Noah stood up, stretched ever so slightly, and ignored the weird looks that the woman he had saved was giving him right now.

    He had never known shame even when he was on Earth, much less on a desolate planet like this with no intelligent life in sight.

    What did it matter to him if she looked at him or not?

    ''I have been pretty careless.''

    Fainting for two hours was no big deal usually. At worst, he would simply wake up in the stomach of some beast and tear his way out of it in seconds.

    But fainting in front of a stranger he did not know the ability of was not in line with the way he had survived till now. It went beyond the code of conduct with which he had lived his entire life.

    ¡ª Finding someone to talk to made you careless, didn¡¯t it?

    ''Perhaps.''

    After stretching his muscles and making himself less stiff, he finally gazed at Morgiana again who had been looking away out of respect.

    "So¡­ What do we do now?" Noah asked. Curious about the plans of the alien girl.

    The atmosphere became serious as Morgiana took a seat not far from him.

    "Look. I will briefly explain the situation to you so you can understand. But you will have to flee and hide with your family or clan or group quickly after I am finished with my explanation."

    Morgiana scratched her hair, feeling quite helpless about it all as she spoke,

    "My name is Morgiana. I won''t go into the details but I am currently being chased by a group of pirates known as the Forty Thieves."

    "Let me guess¡­ Because they have Forty Thieves?"

    Morgiana chuckled and she tried to ruffle his hair as if he was being cute right now, acting like a smart ass.

    His eyes twitched slightly and he swatted her hand aside gently, "I am not a kid¡­"

    She laughed not knowing that she had nearly lost her hand.

    Despite his evolution and adaptation, the top of the head was still one of his weak points as a human and he had to fight the urge to lash out at her.

    This woman is either stupid or she doesn''t see me as a threat or¡­

    But after what she witnessed, how could she not take him as a threat?

    His eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

    ¡ª Or she is playing dumb right now.

    Ignoring his look, Morgiana continued on, "Anyway, you are right and wrong. The Forty Thieves aren''t exactly forty, rather¡­they represent an alliance of forty great pirates, each with their own fleets."

    She looked up and spoke in a grave tone, "The one chasing me should be the fleet belonging to Omid."

    "Omid?"

    "Yep. Ranked 7th among the Forty Thieves. One of the true leaders of the alliance of pirates, so to speak."

    Morgiana explained this lightly. The Forty Thieves weren''t all equal and even in an alliance there was a Hierarchy.

    The top seven outside of the leader were all dangerous individuals who were strong enough to destroy entire armadas by themselves.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    Out of the Forty Thieves, 33 were replaceable. Only the top seven and the leader were the true core of the group.

    "As for the leader¡­ His name is Casim.¡±

    Morgiana closed her eyes for a moment, as if she was thinking of something but in the end simply shook her head before adding, "Anyway, Omid is dangerous and has a particular taste for enslaving people from type zero planets like this one."

    Only type one planets and above were protected by the Galactic covenant and the Galactic laws that were put in place to hold the equilibrium of the entire galaxy.

    Pirates would rarely attack such planets as the danger generally wasn''t worth the hassle.

    But for Planets below Type I, not only were they not protected¡ª they didn''t even have the strength to protect themselves.

    Easy prey, high returns.

    There was no reason for the pirates to not attack.

    "So what you are saying is some people with spaceships are coming to this planet and will try to enslave or kill us, right?"

    "Yes. So you should flee as fast as you can. If everything works, then they won''t find your existence."

    Noah, though, had stopped listening to her nagging and entered in deep thoughts. He still had scruples and didn''t wish to attack someone who had done nothing to him.

    But this¡ª?

    ''Haha¡­''

    Glee filled his mind.

    There was nothing more beautiful than food coming toward you of its own volition.

    This was going to be a whole lot of fun.

    But first thing first ¡ª

    Growl!

    Noah looked around, while touching his stomach that was complaining.

    "Where is my food?"

    "Ah¡­Sorry. I wasn''t strong enough to bring it with me."

    "Noooo!"

    ***

    [???]

    While Morgiana was apologizing to Noah¡­

    Deep in the vestiges of space, in a system completely different from the one that Noah and Morgiana were stranded in, a few small drones were probing around celestial bodies while analyzing the situation.

    Further behind them, a small armada consisting of more than ten ships, advanced menacingly. Above them lay a black holographic flag that was swaying as if under the wind even though they were in deep space.

    The picture of the flag was that of a skeleton head with one eye forming a Four and the second one forming a Zero.

    The Forty Thieves.

    In the Grand Sea of Space, the Forty Thieves may be nothing but a small or medium organization at best.

    But few people would dare to underestimate them in the whole galactic order.

    The main ship at the helm had a completely round form, looking more like a floating ball than a spaceship.

    This was none other than Omid''s ship.

    .

    .

    .

    The interior of the ship was pretty standard all things considered. Decorations were sparse and all rooms had a purpose embedded in them rather than just being there for comfort.

    Many screens were floating around one man who was sitting on the equivalent of a throne.

    The man was huge in stature, easily reaching nearly 3 meters in height alone. His body was of a black ebony color while yellow-colored tattoos could be seen covering most of his skin.

    Those tattoos shone brightly, pulsating with life and a sense of energy.

    He was wearing nothing but a pair of pants. But those pants seemed to be struggling to simply not burst open due to the massive size of the muscles of his legs.

    Ignoring the seven screens floating around him, Omid listened to the report of his subordinates.

    "Did you find any traces regarding her whereabouts?"

    "Yes! Though faint, we managed to track remains of hyperspace breaking the Sea. We should be able to locate her in a few hours at most."

    Despite his boorish appearance, Omid was anything but stupid. He looked at his subordinates quietly before giving him the final order¡­

    "You have one hour."

    "Yes, Captain!"

    The man did not argue. He knew very well that doing so was useless in front of his Captain. Standing up, he gave Omid a salute and immediately left the room.

    ?You are as boring as always. Your pirates are not very pirate-like.?

    From one of the seven screens that had been floating around him, the voice of a woman registered in Omid¡¯s ears.

    "Only discipline can create the strongest force. I already asked Cassim for permission to reform the whole alliance but he never listened to me."

    A few chuckles filled the room and someone finally spoke up,

    ?My Captain believes in true Freedom.?

    It was another woman. Her voice caused Omid to raise an eyebrow.

    "Esther? Where is Cassim? You have been serving as his replacement for some time already."

    ?Training.?

    "I see."

    He nodded. This was indeed something Cassim would do. Even more in this situation.

    "I am about to catch Morgiana. Any directives you guys want to share?"

    ?Be careful. Morgiana is nothing but bait at the moment.?

    "How could I not know?"

    He gave the speaker of those words a bold smile, "She is a bait to lure me in. But once I capture her, she will be the bait necessary to pull in Alibaba and end this farce once and for all."

    ?You should move fast then. The leader of the Emerald City might take action if you don¡¯t move fast enough and capture her.?

    "Dorothy?"

    This time his voice was less calm than before clearly disturbed by the content that he was hearing.

    The Witch of Oz, Dorothy Gale. Supreme leader of Oz and the Emerald City.

    She was a true big shot.One of the reasons she was so dangerous was her ability to manipulate space.

    He couldn''t help but frown when he thought of that crazy woman,

    "Wasn''t she at war with Princess Ozma?"

    ?They entered a truce. The details of the matter are still unknown.?

    He cursed under his breath after hearing that remark.

    The Emerald City was a behemoth even with those two fighting for the right to rule. Once the Four Witches as well as Dorothy and Ozma stopped fighting, everyone would be in deep trouble.

    "Shit."

    He cursed again before sighing and standing up.

    "Very well. The situation has changed then. The moment we find her I will descend myself and capture her as fast as possible and then flee."

    He had planned to simply watch and let his subordinates do the job. After all, Morgiana did not have access to her full power at the moment so he didn¡¯t need to do the heavy lifting himself.

    But now, a too-big variable was interfering in the work.

    He didn''t know if the Emerald City wanted to interfere in their problem or if this was simply a personal matter, but either way, he couldn''t afford to waste time now.

    ?Do not worry. We are already in place to stop her from advancing. Be it Dorothy or Princess Scheherazade, none of Alibaba''s allies, will be able to attack soon. The rest is on you.?

    A complicated light flashed in his eyes at the mention of Scheherazade. But he simply dismissed those thoughts and focused on his work instead.

    Recollecting old memories was nothing but a waste of time at this very moment.

    It was time for action. And he needed to be swift and decisive in his execution.

    As if on cue, the voice of his subordinate reached him¡­

    "Captain! We have found her coordinates. We will arrive in three standard hours."

    A large grin formed on his face at the content of his report.

    "Time to go."

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª

    While the meeting between the higher-ups of the Forty Thieves was taking place, back on the planet where Noah and Morgiana currently were, Morgiana smiled helplessly as the young boy stopped talking to her, sulking to himself.

    She had apologized about not being able to bring his food with her but she didn''t have much of a choice.

    After all ¡ª He was just too dangerous.

    Morgiana did not think of herself as particularly smart. She had lived half of her life being pampered and spent another good portion living as a slave before finally escaping and going through many trials and shaping herself to be the person she was now.

    Thanks to all of those experiences, Morgiana had developed a clear grasp of what could be dangerous for her.

    She doubted there was anything more dangerous than a young-looking kid who could seemingly destroy half of a giant abyss beast in one go without her even being able to tell what happened.

    She couldn''t help but curse inwardly.

    I thought humans were supposed to be physically weak?

    Even for a Djinn like her, surviving in this cold place was hard without any equipment. But the boy was running around with his willy out without fear of freezing his balls off.

    Can I even beat him?

    The clear cut answer here was no. Perhaps if she had her mecha with her it would be possible or if at least her reserves were full then she could try putting up some semblance of a fight. But as she was now, it was nothing short of impossible for her.

    While he was down, her reason and survival instinct fought against her morality as she wondered if she should kill him while he was out to avoid any danger or simply flee from this place to save her life.

    But the boy had helped her and repaying kindness with evil simply because of suspicion and fear was an all-time low that Morgiana did not wish to reach.

    Argh!

    She fought the urge to scratch her hair. She knew that making emotional decisions in space was a ticket toward death.

    But he had not attacked her while she was unconscious and she would not attack him while he was.

    In a way, I have repaid my debt, right?

    This was as far as she was willing to go. But there was one thing she wanted to ask the boy,

    "This planet is tidally locked, right? Do you know how I can reach the bright side of the planet?"

    She asked quietly, not expecting much of an answer. After all, for all she knew she could be deep in the icy tundra. It would be hard for indigenous tribes to know the geography of their planets.

    "I know. It is not far from here."

    Morgiana perked up. The bright part of this tidally locked planet was constantly bathed in light by the sun.

    This place would undoubtedly be the best place for her to recuperate her energy.

    "Can we go? Please?" She asked

    He looked at her and caressed his stomach. Analyzing the situation.

    In the end, he just nodded his head. "I want something in exchange."

    "Ask away. As long as it''s possible, I will do what I can." This was normal. Nothing was free in this world and Morgiana was happy to pay him back.

    His eyes shone as she answered,

    "I want to know about what is above the sky."

    He pointed upward,

    "Tell me everything."

    She shuddered slightly. For some reason she didn''t think this was just a mere request.

 CH 6: Djinn

    The walk amidst the desolated planet was both long and silent, filled with a dreary and solemn mood. Both Morgiana and Noah were in a weird situation where they actually more or less needed each other¡¯s help. Him for information and her for direction.

    But at the same time, they both were rather wary of each other as they walked through the treacherous roads of desolation and loneliness of the world they were on.

    This made the interaction and overall dynamic between the traveling duo quite awkward as neither of them was stupid enough to believe that the other person did not notice what was going on.

    At that moment, Morgiana had put on her armor again and was now following behind Noah.

    Meanwhile, she had given instructions to the AI embedded into her armor to keep a map of the terrain that they were crossing and keep a general overview of the geography of the planet as they passed through the treacherous plains.

    This information might become handy for her later. Especially if she needed to hide or had to launch a sneak attack of some kind on her enemies.

    Her power could help her fight the cold that was constantly trying to freeze her to death but it would be stupid to waste energy for such a thing in the current situation she was in.

    ''If only I had my Mecha.''

    She sighed but did not dwell too much on the what ifs. One should always make do with the means they had at hand.

    Even though she didn''t have her trusty ship with her and was she was only partially healed. As long as she absorbed some energy from the sun she should be able to fight back long enough for her to escape and defend herself.

    This was all there was to it.

    Her goal wasn''t winning in her current situation. It was to survive until she was rescued.

    Noah, meanwhile, was as silent as her as he digested all the information he had received from the girl he had saved.

    Space Alliance, Intergalactic Empires, Interstellar Travels, Hyperspace, and so many little yet significant things he had never heard before in his life.

    The girl was a treasure trove of knowledge as she made him aware of the vast universe that was beyond the tiny Earth he inhabited.

    Through all of this, he was able to understand that Earth was lucky to even have survived at all throughout the billions of years of its existence.

    Noah thought for a moment and simply shook his head to dismiss the thoughts.

    While luck certainly played an important role in the survival of his planet, mentioning it would be a disservice and insult to all those who had died at the hands of the fucking parasites that tried to devour his home planet.

    ¡ª ....

    Feeling guilty? Heh~ Noah laughed at the Queen¡¯s silence

    ¡ª ....

    Once again he received no answer but Noah didn''t particularly care about that in the tiniest bit.

    He was simply reassessing the situation at hand here.

    If her words were to be believed, Morgiana was a mercenary, a space mercenary. A rather experienced one too with a personal feud against those so-called Forty Thieves.

    The current operation had not been carefully planned but this spontaneous situation was also why the Thieves had taken the bait.

    ''Space, huh.''

    Noah felt wistful as he murmured to himself.

    His memories were slightly blurry after all this time. Time was really a merciless entity after all, but he still remembered the joy and exhilaration he felt when he first broke through the atmosphere and entered space for the very first time in his life.

    Back then Earth had already grown to be a pretty powerful civilizaton that controlled some resources on nearly all the planets in their solar systems.

    They had even managed to create bases on Mars and the Moon.

    If the Parasite''s invasion did not happen, perhaps they would have started conquering the entirety of the solar system as well and jump beyond Type I in one go.

    But back then, in their hubris, Humans really thought they were the jewel of space, the only intelligent race alive in the entirety of the vast universe.

    Reality had proven them sorely wrong.

    Now though, he was learning that all the huge achievements of Earth were practically nothing before the vast civilizations throughout space.

    Worse ¡ª Because of how hurried they were, they never truly managed to become a Type I civilization in the truest sense and as such never managed to get the protection of the Parlement.

    Fuck.

    Noah had to fight the urge to laugh at the sheer absurdity that was presented before him by the extraterrestrial girl.

    The universe was huge and filled with endless life.

    This was frightening.

    This was exhilarating.

    Virgo would have been jubilant if she was here right now.

    He thought quietly about his friends and teammates¡ª people he cherished more than anyone else in his life back on Earth.

    Minerva.

    Her face was now blurry in his mind. He could not remember her voice any longer. Her image was slowly vanishing, forgotten for all eternity.

    But¡ª he would never forget her existence, nor the meaning she held in his heart. The same was true for all his companions from the institute.

    Minerva was a lover of wonder. The one with the most inquisitive mind among all of them.

    ''Ah¡­''

    He looked down and stopped thinking about her, a person from the distant past.

    Thinking about them hurt him even more than being eaten alive by a monster while asleep.

    The past was the past after all. Now he had to make a plan about whether he would prevail and grow, or fail and die like them.

    Their current destination was the part of the planet that was covered by the sun.

    This was a part filled with heat, completely opposite to the side that was plunged into eternal darkness and eternal frost.

    As for him, he needed to eat something right now to get up his energy levels. Going into another fight without filling up his reserve would be dangerous even for him.

    Morgiana seemed to be a trustworthy person from what he had gathered. But he would not let his safety depend on some gamble.

    This would be the stupidest thing to do while surviving out in the wild.

    ''Are you sure you can bring it back once you get enough energy?''

    ¡ª Yes. But we need far more than you ever managed to absorb until now.

    The energy Noah needed was frighteningly high and the beasts on this planet were only enough for his survival, not enough for him to summon ¡®that¡¯ thing from that eerie ¡®place¡¯.

    ¡°Remind me again. What is the type of energy you use?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    Morgiana nodded her head and began explaining about her situation, ¡°It¡¯s Dark Matter. It¡¯s kinda hard to explain, but basically, it is a story of a long, long time ago. A Super Empire that had reached the level of a Type IV Civilization and finally managed to open the way for Dark Matter usage for the rest of the multiverse.¡±

    ¡°Then?¡±

    ¡°There is no then¡­¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°There aren''t many records about them. It¡¯s a forgotten era from eons ago. I guess some higher-ups might know more about them but it is not something that I am privy to. Anyway, long story short, the Empire just¡­ vanished from the face of the universe and it¡¯s from the remains of this empire that we managed to learn the usage of Dark Matter in the current Era.¡±

    She lifted her hand and a small flame appeared above her hands.

    ¡°The Dark dimension surrounds all of us and comprises 95% of the universe. We call it the place where one can directly observe the Dark Sea, the other side of the universe if you will.¡±

    ¡°Hum¡­ This seems more like magic than technology to me though¡­¡±

    Noah was intrigued by the power that Morgiana was showing him. He approached her and looked at the flame with keen eyes, trying to scrutinize it from all over.

    The existence of this fire made no logical sense in the place where they currently were. It should have been completely extinguished by the chilling cold and the terrifying blizzard that surrounded them from all sides.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    Yet. Here it was. Dimly shining but still burning hot as ever. Bravely fighting against the nature surrounding them from all sides.

    Morgiana closed her grip and the fire vanished like it never existed. Her breath was a little more hurried but she got a hold of herself pretty soon so it could be said that she was alright.

    ¡°Magic or technology. It¡¯s hard to say. In the end, All we know is that nowadays. Dark Matter is entirely part of our everyday life. It¡¯s thanks to it that Hyper Dive became safer and faster compared to the obsolete Warp Drive Technology that allowed FTL movements.¡±

    Noah listened to her in absolute silence, choosing to not utter a word.

    He was someone very prideful and he believed that he was better than anyone else. But despite his pride and arrogance, he knew one fundamental truth about reality.

    Those who know nothing should shut up and listen to those who did and broaden their horizons. Babbling on when you knew nothing would just be counterproductive and a recipe for disaster and humiliation of the likes that he was not willing to face.

    When Morgiana stopped her explanation, he asked her in a voice filled with wonder and curiosity, ¡°So¡­ This fire, is anyone able to conjure it?¡±

    She shook her head in denial before explaining, ¡°In theory, yes, anyone should be able to do it. As long as you are able to use Dark Matter effectively, there is honestly little you cannot do or accomplish. Some people say that this is the path to true omnipotence and I believe in them. But it isn¡¯t as easy as it seems.¡±

    He could not see her face through the mask but he could feel that she was smiling right now, a thing that mildly annoyed him.

    ¡°In my case, for example, I am a Djinn. We are creatures born innately through Fire. Fire is our Essence and while we are not immune to it, it can hardly harm us or control us.¡±

    Morgiana was doing her best to explain things to him, detail by detail, and Noah nodded in understanding.

    It was not very hard to understand what she was trying to convey with her words.

    Most humans were born with two legs and two feet. Theoretically speaking, they could all run, all jump, all fight.

    But obviously, there would be some level of differences between them.

    In the same way, most animals were born with four limbs. But an elephant could not run as fast as a cheetah.

    ¡°The way one uses energy depends on themselves.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a lot more complicated than that but yeah, basically speaking, you can see it as a program. Hum. You might not know what computers are¡­¡±

    Noah¡¯s lips twitched in annoyance when he heard her words. Being taken as some kind of barbarian was becoming tiring already.

    ¡ª Stop swinging your junk in the air then, idiot.

    ¡®Give me clothes and I will.¡¯

    He sighed and looked down. Since he would soon enter society again, it seemed like he would have to give up on some of the habits he had learned while staying on this desolate planet.

    Then again, if he could go back to Earth he could simply join a group of naturists and travel around with his junk out in the air.

    Thinking of Earth, a sudden question came to his lips. He hesitated a little but in the end, he swallowed back the question.

    He could ask the question later.

    As to whether it was out of fear and apprehension he refused to ask the question, only Noah himself knew.

    Though now, there was something else he was curious about. Something that was far more intriguing than the question that he had in his heart, and far less intimidating as well.

    ¡°Sooo. If you are a Djinn¡­ Can you grant wishes?¡±

    Morgiana could only look at him like he was looking at a buffoon, speechless as one could ever be¡­

    ***

    After Noah¡¯s awkward question, and Morgiana¡¯s subsequent bewilderment-filled silence that stretched out for a long time, the two of them decided to just change topics. Morgiana proceeded to give him a warning just in case Noah went on to blabber his mouth to people he shouldn¡¯t.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how and where you heard about us granting wishes, or whatever it is you have heard, but you should be careful when you ask such questions to others based on stereotypes. It can be quite insulting to the individual and may lead to ugly and unnecessary situations that you don¡¯t want to get yourself tangled into..¡±

    She did not seem angry with the haphazard question that Noah threw her way. This was not the first time she received such a question. As for the answer to his previous question¡ª

    ¡°The Blue Flames might be able to accomplish what you are asking. They are in charge of the Mystic aspects of our species and are basically the shamans among the Djinns, so to speak.¡±

    ¡®Blue Flames, huh.¡¯

    Noah remembered that when he saw her, she had red markings on her body. Did this mean that she belonged to the Red Flames faction, or whatever she said just now, or anything of the like?

    This time, Noah was smart enough to not ask that question to her as she had already pointed out that it would be rude. He also had the distinct impression that doing so would be crossing a line that would plummet their relationship to rock bottom.

    If the history of Earth had taught him anything, it was that clear distinctions between individuals of the same races based on flimsy concepts never ended well for anyone.

    .

    .

    .

    While the two were talking with each other about the characteristics of a Djinn, Morgiana was observing the results she was receiving from the scanner that she had released into the atmosphere for geographical mapping. The question Noah asked was already behind her. This was nothing to be angry about truly.

    However, she was happy that he didn¡¯t push further and asked about her Flames. The color of her flames had been a sour topic for her and she didn¡¯t plan to speak about her issues with a stranger, even though said stranger had saved her life.

    Now I need to focus. Give me the stats for my body¡¯s current condition. Morgiana¡¯s thought.

    [Basic Healing: Completed Successfully.]

    [Current Condition: Stable]

    [Currently Accessible Physical Ability: 70%]

    [Damaged Circuit: 40%]

    Morgiana almost winced visibly when she saw the last part of the report from the AI. She had overloaded her internal circuits when she was pumping herself with Dark Matter like there was no tomorrow while trying to land her ship. But she didn¡¯t think that even after healing this far, she would still have so much damage left to recover. It was honestly pretty concerning¡­

    ¡®Better than nothing I guess and now I can do some things that I couldn¡¯t while I was injured.¡¯

    Now that she was slightly more healed, she could dedicate more resources to the analysis of the geography of the planet.

    ¡®Analyse the constitution of the ground and send me any important information that you encounter.¡¯

    [Threshold of importance?]

    ¡®Medium at the minimum.¡¯

    Morgiana delivered a swift series of instructions before focusing on the report once more and the fascinating thing she had discovered.

    This planet was¡­ Well, in one word, it was odd.

    Morgiana had seen many planets in her life. Some were entirely submerged in seas, some simply being nothing more than an endless stretch of sand and dunes.

    As such, out of all those planets, a tidally locked planet was nothing rare. In fact, it was quite common when you considered the matter on the scales of the entire galaxy.

    But even so¡­

    ¡®An abyss beast¡­ On this tidally locked planet¡­ Something¡¯s weird¡­¡¯

    Creatures that came from the beyond. Monsters could end entire civilizations if just a significant number of them somehow passed through the breach and invaded this dimension.

    The way Noah faced that monster made it clear that this was not the first time he had killed one of those beasts.

    There was also the existence of the giant beast snake  that Noah killed.

    While a tidally locked planet could be easily terraformed, the planet itself had nearly no chance of giving birth to intelligent life.

    This could only mean one of two things.

    Either this planet had once been terraformed before, most likely by humans from Sol¨CIII, or¡ª

    ¡°Say¡­ Do you know anything about those beasts?¡±

    ¡°Hum¡­ Which one are you talking about? Either way, I don¡¯t know about any of them, to be honest. They have always been here as far as I can recall.¡±

    ¡®Does it mean his tribe had been fighting them for generations already?¡¯

    She was still under the impression that Noah was part of a bigger tribe that inhabited this planet. It wasn¡¯t like beings born from chaos didn¡¯t exist, but such beings were equal to high-civilization planets simply by their mere existence alone. They were forces of nature able to explore the universe as they wanted and erase planets as they wished.

    She was starting to trace a chain of events in her mind. Inhabitants from Sol-III decided to terraform this planet, but something went wrong and a part of the group was stranded on the planet and had to grow by themselves into this independent tribe that Noah belonged to.

    There was some blank space about the way they might have adapted to the cold but everything was possible in this world. Creatures who possessed Dark Matter were rarely bound by normal limitations after all.

    Noah didn¡¯t know what kind of idea was cooking inside Morgiana¡¯s head but for now, he was simply navigating in the cold while using the position of the stars to direct himself toward his destination.

    The night stars might be different from those on Earth, but the way to use them would never change. It didn¡¯t take long to finally find what they were searching for.

    ¡°Where are we?¡±

    Noah grinned as he opened his arms wide and declared in a proud tone, ¡°Welcome to my home!¡±

    With unrestrained pride, he showed her the relatively large igloo that was his home, causing Morgiana to look on with bewilderment plastered on her caramel-colored face.

    She had two questions in her mind right now.

    ¡­One¡ª

    ¡°Weren¡¯t we supposed to reach the part facing the sun?¡±

    ¡­and finally, two¡ª

    ¡°You are here alone?¡±

    ¡°I live alone.¡±

    She did not ask more questions. Perhaps Noah had been rejected from his tribe. This wasn¡¯t something uncommon.

    The igloo had a standard dome shape and seemed large enough for a small group of six  or eight to enter together and live inside.

    But no matter how she looked, there was no one in sight as far as her eyes could perceive.

    Anyone hidden or in the surroundings?

    [Searching:¡­.]

    [Result: Negative. No sign of life in a radius of 5 kilometers;]

    ¡°So. Why are we here?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? I need to eat to replenish my energy. Can¡¯t go on a journey without that.¡±

    Noah entered his igloo all by himself, leaving her alone on the outside of his home. She was able to deduce that he might have saved up some food in his base and was ready to feast on it by himself.

    Her plan to weaken him in order to keep a certain balance between the two of them seemed to have crumbled in front of her eyes. She had already done what she could and she didn¡¯t want to make the situation worse by interfering more on the matter.

    [Notice: Rare substance found.]

    ¡®Huh?¡¯

    She looked at the point in her vision that was marked by her system and rushed toward it at breakneck speeds. Even under the dim light of the side that was facing the darkness of vast space, the item was shining quietly with a distinct golden hue. But she could never mistake it for anything but what it was. There was no chance of doing so.

    Instantly, her breathing became heavier like never before. She looked at the material in her hand. She felt like she was about to burst with utter joy and glee at what she had discovered.

    ¡°This thing is¡ª¡±

    [Yes, it is Gold]

    She fought the urge to scream and gripped the yellowish-golden stone in her hand with surging emotions.

    This was gold.

    Pure Gold.

    One of the rarest but also deemed as the most important material in this entire goddamn galaxy. The premiere material necessary to build the core of any high-end Mecha and spaceship in general.

    For this alone, wars were fought and planets were destroyed to extract all the gold that was incorporated into the planet and its core.

    Morgiana remembered saying that they had found the jackpot when she saw this planet from outer space.

    She would have never imagined that this would end up being true.

    But at the same time, this reaffirmed her thoughts about the secrets of this planet. Her face paled and her eyes started to flicker as her brain spun at 120% speed.

    If she was right¡ª then this planet was undoubtedly very dangerous. A level of danger that was far higher than what the Forty Thieves could ever hope to possess.

    All she could do now was hope.

    Hope that those idiots did not end up waking it up while trying to attack and capture her.

    Morgiana was a courageous woman.

    She did not feel afraid even as she was being chased to the ends of the universe.

    She did not feel afraid even as she was crashing down to certain death.

    She was used to danger. It was something that would always follow her job description.

    But this¡ª this was an entirely different matter altogether.

    For the first time ever since she landed on this planet¡ª Morgiana truly felt a horrible sense of paralyzing fear.

 CH 7: Wealth and Danger

    The situation was dire. It could very well be nothing or it could end up with the entire planet being blasted into pieces if they weren¡¯t careful.

    Behind her helmet, Morgiana was starting to sweat profusely despite the current weather, and the temperature regulator in her armor. She felt like she was at the precipice of a very important decision and whatever she decided to do right this instant, the outcome would not turn out to be particularly pretty.

    ¡®Should I say that I am lucky or cursed?¡¯

    Out of the billions of stars that existed in this entire vast galaxy, she had to choose the one planet that was filled with so much danger. She had truly hit the jackpot. It was practically as ridiculous as it could get.

    Thankfully, though she was shocked, surprised, and even scared out of her wits, she did not succumb to the fear that was raging inside her head. The situation was not at its worst yet and it wasn¡¯t the time to panic but to make the right decisions.

    ¡°Noah! We need to talk!¡±

    She immediately disregarded all forms of decorum and entered the igloo. Now wasn¡¯t the time to act like a naive mercenary and dawdle about. Their lives were on the line here.

    The interior of the igloo was surprisingly cozy for being a dome of chilling ice. Outside of what looked to be a bed made out of solid ice, numerous pieces of meat were aligned at different places and were completely frozen by the natural environment itself.

    Disregarding the interior, she could see Noah sitting and biting easily on the iced meat. A crunch filled the igloo as the ice seemed to be a non-factor in front of his powerful teeth, completely crushing and swallowing all of the frozen meat like there was no tomorrow.

    ¡°Hum?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡±

    If before Morgiana had any doubt about Noah being human, now she was 100% sure that this was no human that was sitting in front of her.

    But she did not care about the subtleties of his race right now.

    ¡°Noah. Do you know what this is?¡±

    She held the piece of gold in her hand to show him, causing him to tilt his head, ¡°Isn¡¯t that just gold?¡±

    ¡°Just¡­!?¡±

    Her voice became slightly high-pitched for a split instant at the nonchalance in Noah¡¯s reply. It was as if her ears could not believe the bullshit she was currently hearing from the boy before her.

    ¡®Calm down. Calm down¡­ He is just a primitive man. It¡¯s normal not to know about the value of this metal.¡¯

    Noah was about to tell her how this metal was simply used as jewelry on his planet and was honestly nothing great even though it could be quite a bit expensive.

    However, he immediately chose to shut his mouth after witnessing the signs of her incredulity.

    One didn¡¯t need to be a Nobel Prize winning scientist to understand that, though for him it was just gold, but for aliens it seemed to be something completely different.

    He didn¡¯t know Morgiana and he didn¡¯t know what she would do if she learned Earth had many such mines. So, he chose not to reveal that information and jeopardize the safety of his planet. At the end of the day, he didn¡¯t trust Morgiana; that was the simple truth.

    ¡°What is the big deal about gold anyway?¡±

    Morgiana took a few deep breaths, loud inhales and exhales, before laying it out for who she thought to be a primitive and uninformed man, ¡°I won¡¯t go into the details. You simply need to know that this small piece of gold is enough for me to live a few years without having to worry about food.¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    Gold by itself was already a relatively great component when it came to machinery. But once Dark Matter and Energy were added to the equation, Gold became one of the most sought-after metals in the entire universe.

    It wasn¡¯t as hard as Adamantium nor as versatile as Orichalcum, but the advantages of Gold and Silver lay in the fact that, despite not being the strongest material, they were the best when it came to conductivity of Energy and the inherent storage and suction capability of Dark Matter.

    Mecha cores created with pure gold would outperform the same model core made with other metals by more than 200%.

    It wasn¡¯t for nothing that the main goal of Alchemy had always been to create gold. This was one of the rarest and most useful metals in the whole Milky Way.

    But there was another reason why this metal was so prized and thought to be precious,

    ¡°Wherever there is gold¡ª there are remnants of the Old Empire.¡±

    Her breathing became hurried when she spoke of the Old Empire. Fear and excitement were warring inside of her, struggling for supremacy.

    This was a critical moment. Danger and opportunities came hand in hand. All powers wanted to obtain pieces of information about the Old Empire. They were the only known Type IV civilization to date.

    ¡°Did you ever find anything like ruins? Something like dilapidated buildings or monsters entirely made out of machinery?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°This is very important Noah!¡±

    She couldn¡¯t help but scream before quickly trying to calm herself down once again. She forced herself to do it. She did not want to act like a bastard who wanted to abuse the clueless inhabitants of a planet who did not know the worth of the resources they held.

    ¡°Noah¡­ After what happened today, your planet will enter the radar of the Empire. This is inevitable and for that, I apologize. I initially chose this place because I thought there was no life in the vicinity and it was one of the most deserted corners in the entire Milky Way. It was a good place of hiding, so to speak.¡±

    She took a deep breath, ¡°The Empire is fair. The Imperial law is clear. If a native can declare a planet to the registry of the Milky Way Galaxy, even if it¡¯s not a Type-I civilization, the planet will receive full protection, and the resources will not be stolen or sold at an unfair price. As for the individual who discovered the planet and helped the native register, they have the right to 5% of all the operations on this planet while the Empire would own 30% and the native can enjoy the remaining 65% at no cost.¡±

    She didn¡¯t tell everything to him. The empire was fair but also ruthless. If someone discovered a planet that was yet to reach Type I then the one who discovered it had the right to inscribe the planet in the registry and own more than 70% of all the resources. The Empire would only take 30% as a fee for the protection and development of the planet.

    The Empire never lost. But this way of doing things was to encourage adventurers to explore the treacherous space and help the Empire expand its territory.

    ¡°Oh¡­¡±

    Noah frowned ever so slightly at that piece of information. He was pretty sure that he was the only intelligent life on this planet or at least the only one intelligent enough for speech and communication. As for the so-called ruins, he had a feeling he knew what she was talking about. He had only briefly visited that place one time in all the years of his existence on this planet. That was the place where those weird beasts originated from.

    ¡®Did I hit the jackpot?¡¯

    He had a feeling that he indeed did. But he also had a feeling that there would be a catch,

    ¡°So¡­ I gather there is a small problem?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± She smiled bitterly. ¡°All ruins have a defense system. The power of the system depends on the planet and some of them are only partially active after all these years. But at the very minimum¡ª they can wipe all life on a planet.¡±

    ¡°Ohh my¡­¡±

    Noah frowned harder.

    ¡°So I have been sleeping above a ticking bomb.¡±

    Or rather¡­

    ¡°So¡­ All planets that have gold have ruins?¡±

    ¡°Not always. But the bigger the volume of gold present, the higher the chances of those ruins and the Ruin Guardian existing.¡±

    ¡°Ohhh¡­¡±

    ¡®Fuck! Does it mean that Earth was sleeping above a bomb for millions of years?¡¯

    He was surprised. But then he remembered that humans had higher chances of wiping themselves out before any kind of Ruin Guardian did the wiping and calmed himself down.

    ¡°So¡­ What do we do now?¡±

    ¡°Change of plans. I need to recharge as fast as possible and get back to my ship. Even if I cannot move it I can at least repair it enough to send a message. Then things will be better for us.¡±

    The situation was both grim and exciting.

    Her heart was beating a mile a minute. She had the feeling that it would burst at any moment now.

    She would remember this particular adventure for all her life.

 CH 8: They are here

    Now that things were clear, or at least as clear as they could be, the two started to swiftly travel through the icy tundra of the dark side of the planet. Noah decided to follow Morgiana for now and act depending on the situation.

    In essence, nothing really changed, they were still traveling to the bright side of the planet as scheduled. However, it could also be said that¡­ everything had changed now, after learning the crucial piece of information from Morgiana.

    Noah, who had been pretty nonchalant all along, had a clear objective and reason to move his body.

    Becoming a planet owner seemed to be pretty interesting, all things considered, after all.

    "Why are you running carrying such a large bag with you?"

    "¡¯Cause I am hungry."

    Noah was holding a large sack filled with frozen food as he ran behind Morgiana, still keeping pace with her. He would sometimes take a piece of frozen food out of said large sack and munch on it like jerky.

    Whenever Noah killed monsters, after cleaning them up, he would bring them to the bright side of the planet to dry them out in the sun and then back to the dark side to instantly freeze them and preserve them for the future.

    This was his only way of making long-lasting rations that he would use to replenish his energy and sustain his life on this desolate planet. As for the hides, he would use them to cover up everything.

    "Speaking of food and all, why don''t you try covering yourself with the furs of the animals you hunt for food? Wouldn''t that be much more comfortable than your current condition?"

    She asked with a stiff tone while giving him a weird look. In the history of most races, using the fur of animals they killed was always one of the first steps toward civilization.

    It would have been one thing if Noah was still a complete savage with not much understanding of the way of the world but she could see that he was anything but a savage.

    In fact, in retrospection, he had been a bit too calm ever since meeting her. She honestly wouldn''t have been surprised if he tried to kill her while thinking she was some kind of demon or devil, or some being that would invoke fear or the uncertainty of the unknown.

    This was how things usually went when one came in contact with life on another planet for the very first time.

    "Well¡­ Why wear clothes when I don''t even need them?"

    Noah laughed and his face gave a carefree appearance, but the simple truth of the matter was that he indeed did not have any need for clothes or anything to cover himself.

    When he first landed on this planet he did try to keep himself clothed and even dabbled his hand into making them himself.

    But as time passed and his body gradually changed, becoming smaller and smaller, he realized that it was nothing but a waste of time.

    The act of wearing clothes existed for two reasons. Perhaps three if you went further into the psychology of wearing clothes.

    One ¡ª To protect oneself against the danger of the elements; something that he had no need for.

    Two ¡ª To show oneself to others. Sadly the only entities on this planet were the monsters roaming around that were constantly trying to kill and eat him.

    Three ¡ª For mating purposes or to impress people one was interested in, and in this world, his only mate was the five fingers of his trusty old right hand and even that went stale. He had been now fully celibate for so long that he¡¯d lost count.

    Once I go back to any civilization, the second thing I should do after eating a true cooked meal is to find a girl ASAP.

    He discarded the moderately dirty thoughts brewing in his mind and focused his energy on running, ignoring even Morgiana.

    ''He is fast.''

    By now, Morgiana was numb to most surprises that this little boy was showing her.

    It came as no surprise to her that he was able to keep up with her.

    She simply couldn''t understand how this was possible in the current atmosphere. There was no pure concentration of Dark Matter leaking into the atmosphere and there was nothing else that could bring such growth to this little child.

    Is it the flesh of those monsters that he is consuming?

    If that were the case here, this would be another very important resource of this planet. She could already imagine the breeding farm that could be created to bring this vision to reality and for this¡ª all she had to do was survive.

    ***

    After nearly 30 minutes of running at full speed without any pause whatsoever, Morgiana began to notice the light far ahead in her retina.

    Finally!!

    The light, even at this distance, seemed to be blinding to her as it filled the entire space of the plane. Having a solar system with three suns would usually make a planet have this sort of radiance.

    The surroundings had been progressively changing throughout their run, going from a cold tundra to a relatively dead and dreary but slightly cool place that didn¡¯t feel worse than the bearable winter of some planets.

    Now the surroundings were becoming warmer and already, Morgiana could feel the circulation of her energy accelerate ever so slightly with each step she took.

    Djinns were beings made out of fire and obviously, cold places were not suitable for them in the least. This wouldn''t have mattered to her if she had wielded the white flames of the White Flame Qabila. Unfortunately¡ª

    "We are arriving at our destination."

    "Good."

    Morgiana did not dwell on her negative feelings. Her helmet slowly moved away, revealing her tanned face now moderately healed up.

    "Hah¡­"

    She sighed with a sense of relief. Feeling the slight ray of sunlight on her tanned skin seemed to bring her alive as if she were a fish that was finally going back to the sea, to the home that belonged to her.

    The markings all over her body pulsed feebly and the dim crimson-red light started to come alive with the onset of the first sunlight that she felt on this planet.

    "Let''s go!"

    Her speed started to increase progressively, not only because of the return of her physical ability but also because her suit could pull more Dark Matter from her body and align many of the functions that had been offline due to the lack of energy.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    [Combat Support: Online]

    [Analysis Mechanisms: Online]

    [Augmented Reality: Fully Activated]

    The world around her seemed to change as information flashed in her head from the AI that was attached to her suit.

    Information, name, speculation, deduction. The AI was seemingly doing a partial reactivation of all the features while making sure to keep the most important features active at all times.

    She was happy and knew that things were now on the right track.

    Now, all she needed to do was to fully charge up, get back to her ship, and then start running away from this planet as soon as possible.

    Thinking along those lines, her actions became swifter as she ran even faster than before.

    ¡ª And finally, whoosh~! As if she had managed to pierce through a veil; the darkness vanished and gave place to what could only be called a place of heaven when compared to the rest of the planet.

    A ground littered with patches of flowers, herbs and trees and comfortable weather that was neither too hot nor too cold.

    A feeling of finally leaving the ice-cold hell that seemed to bring nothing but death was permeating every cell of her body.

    Morgiana nearly moaned out loud. She had to give her all to not simply discard her armor suit and run naked to embrace the power of the sun as much as possible.

    This would be quite hilarious after how she berated and mocked Noah, but now wasn''t the time to play the role of the exhibitionist.

    "Very well then. Now we¡ª"

    Boom!!!

    Morgiana''s eyes opened wide as she looked up at the sky, where the sound of the explosion resounded in all directions.

    This was why she was able to observe the event.

    Stars were falling down, or rather, new spaceships were entering the atmosphere of the planet.

    This was it.

    The Forty Thieves had arrived.

    ***

    Noah was not a stranger to the sight of spacecraft entering the atmosphere of a world. Earth had been quite developed during his time, after all.

    But even so, seeing this small armada of spaceships was still something that made his eyes shine with an ecstatic light.

    Guns, swords and robots were men''s romance. At least that was so for him; he was old-fashioned like that.

    Morgiana had no time to share his feelings of wonder and delight. Just a few seconds ago, she had been happy about finally finding the sun. Now, she was not even given the time to enjoy it properly before having to feel stressed out of her wits once again.

    "Will they find us immediately?"

    "No. They do not have planet-wide scanning equipment. Planet-wide scans are usually top-level military-grade secrets after all. Only the ruling parties of a planet or entire solar systems possess those secrets. However, they know that I am wounded and also that I need the light of the sun to recuperate from my injuries. In the most likely scenario, the main group will go on to secure my ship while a smaller group will be dispatched to search for me or the opposite may also occur. It will be one of the two."

    She spoke as she continued running swiftly, the amount of light still wasn''t enough for her to make a full recovery soon. She needed a place that was hotter than the moderate climate they were currently experiencing. Currently, her mind was cold as she calculated her every step. The more cornered she was, the calmer she became because she could not afford to falter.

    "Noah. You still have the option to hide and flee or even surrender to the Forty Thieves. You can speak the standard language too. It would be easier to pass for someone who was stranded in this place than being labeled as an Aboriginal. In fact, with your skills, you might even be recruited on their crew."

    Morgiana was not exaggerating right now. The power Noah had shown her without being able to even use Dark Matter was staggering, to say the least. The Forty Thieves were merciless bastards but they would not say no to new blood. Even so when the said new blood was so promising in nature.

    "What will you do if I choose that option?"

    "I will kill you. I will give my all to kill you or fail and die. The Forty Thieves were once a sign of revolution. But now they are nothing but filthy bastards that deserve to die for their sins."

    There was a certain vehemence and heat in her voice and eyes that made it clear this was not just about business. It was personal.

    "Is that so?"

    Noah smiled. He liked the conviction of this woman. It was something worth respecting.

    This was why¡ª

    "Sorry. But¡­ You are far too weak."

    Morgiana blinked. That was all she did when¡ª

    A powerful shock spread through her body. She was punched so hard that she was more than ten meters away from her original position before she realized what had happened.

    [Warning!! Critical damage received!]

    A metallic taste rose in her throat and disbelief colored her face. The chest part of her armor was broken apart from just that heavy impact.

    Looking up, she could see that Noah''s arm was similarly broken and twisted, but unlike her armor, his arm was already showing signs of healing and recuperating.

    "Haha. You? Killing me? Not even in a million years."

    Morgiana seethed, the sweet smile on this childish face was looking extremely detestable at the moment.

    Combat mode!

    [Combat Mode: Activ¡ª]

    Boom!

    "Argh!!"

    Another punch shook her to the very core, this time landing square on her face.

    Blood flowed alongside a tooth. The punch shook her vision and rattled her brain inside her skull.

    "I have been observing you. It seems like you can send mental commands to your armor. But you see, there is a certain latency time between the order and the execution."

    ''What the hell is he even talking about!??''

    Even as her consciousness slowly darkened, she couldn''t help but scream in frustration in the depths of her mind.

    There was a latency time between the order and the execution. But that latency time between a mental order and the execution was rarely above a single second.

    Sadly, Morgiana was not able to voice her complaint as her chin was punched once more, she saw stars then her vision went pure white.

    In the end, she completely blacked out.

    Looking at the sprawled Morgiana, Noah chuckled a little and waved his hands.

    They were both completely broken. Some of ihs bones had even torn out of his flesh and were now hanging out for the world to witness. However, Noah was completely nonchalant about this grotesque display.

    He could still feel the pain. In fact, because of his enhanced senses, the pain he felt was increased tenfold.

    But he was used to it by now.

    "Good. I was wondering how close her biology was to a standard human. It would have been quite a bit awkward If she didn''t black out even after all that."

    He placed his right hand over his neck and cracked it a little, letting out a sigh of relief. Before working on his fingers and rearranging them.

    Crack!!

    He winced a little as he straightened each of his fingers, the horrible display continuing for a few seconds until everything was fixed and the healing process began in earnest.

    As distasteful and painful as it was, this was sometimes necessary. There was nothing worse than waking up with an arm in the wrong direction and needing to break the arm once again and let the healing process start anew.

    ¡ª You have been quite decisive, haven¡¯t you? So¡­ what¡¯s the plan?

    Noah took one of the fur patches used to store his food and after shaking it a little, he tied it around his waist.

    "I am going to negotiate with our guests."

    He couldn''t exactly go with his junk flying in the wind now, could he?

    ¡ª What about all your earlier antics?

    "Teasing her was fun. Her look of embarrassment as she tried to ignore the ridiculousness of the situation was priceless."

    He laughed out loud and started eating even more from the food sack that he had been carrying around all this time. He was ravenous in consuming every piece of frozen meat.

    He was going to need as much energy as possible for what he was about to do.

    Once he was one-quarter full, Noah burped quietly and lifted Morgiana on his shoulder.

    "I already tested it a few moments ago when she crashed, but the response rate of her armor is tied to her consciousness. Furthermore, when she takes excessive damage, the AI focuses on healing before anything else."

    He scratched his face, his eyes moving as he analyzed all the information he had been slowly gathering.

    From the very moment Morgiana landed, he had observed her as a potential enemy and the information he gathered, while not completely reliable, was more than enough for him to come to a logical conclusion.

    ¡ª So, what do we do now?

    The voice asked once again. But the answer was more than evident.

    "It''s time to hunt."

    He was Noah.

    The Serpent Bearer.

    Fleeing while being chased by enemies would never be his first course of action.

 CH 9: Dagger behind their smile

    On the dark side of the planet, the situation was moving along just as Morgiana had anticipated.

    Omid, clad in a heavy piece of armor that matched his frame, looked at the partially destroyed ship with a clear interest in his eyes.

    Everywhere, small drones were flying and filming the scene, analyzing the slightest hints to bring forward a reconstruction of the event that had transpired when the ship crashed onto the surface of this icy hell.

    Beside him, people of different forms moved and busied themselves, creating teams to act independently and do their respective tasks.

    "Captain, we are ready for deployment."

    Omid nodded in acknowledgment, his face still stoic behind his helmet. He may be a bandit but he knew that one needed a certain demeanor to keep inspiring respect from their underlings. It was one of the most important traits of a leader.

    Thanks to this comportment, his team had always been very efficient, unlike the ragtag group of the other pirate heads.

    "How is the reconstruction of the events coming along?"

    "80% complete. Still processing some more information."

    "Then we wait. Also, keep the ship running. Be ready to run for your life at any given moment."

    Omid was strong. He believed in his strength and used it to reach his current standing in the Forty Thieves.

    But in the scale of the universe or even this galaxy, he was merely a speck of dust. Nothing worth mentioning.

    Dorothy and the Emerald City meanwhile, were one of the true giants of this galaxy. Trying to fight them without the cooperation of the full Forty Thieves would be suicidal at best.

    They needed to make sure no space-jamming mechanisms were installed around without them noticing.

    Capturing Morgiana was very important so they had to bear the pressure even though it was quite risky.

    "Yes sir!"

    They saluted and continued their work, many of them adjusting their weapons and arsenal to pass the idle time.

    Finally, a few minutes later, the reconstruction was complete.

    "It''s running."

    A two-meter-tall woman with only one giant eye in the middle of her forehead swiped on a screen and holographic figures began to appear all around them in the form of Augmented Reality.

    "After escaping from our pursuit, the target''s ship had been badly damaged, forcing her to crash land."

    Despite how rough her body looked, her voice was surprisingly sweet. This gave a weird feeling of dissonance but it was nothing unbearable.

    She pointed at different points and traced the direction to the place where the crash landing took place.

    "Until then, nothing particularly special occurred. She got ejected from her ship as expected and was most likely in a comatose state as her AI companion repaired the damage."

    "What generation is the AI?"

    "The exact generation is unknown but viewing the response in time of urgency, it''s either a very old model or Morgiana placed strict guidelines on the model to restrict its functions. Anyway, this is where things start to become interesting."

    Omid nodded his head. In the past, the AIs caused a great war and because of this, all AI was suppressed to avoid the birth of new sentient beings among them.

    Even then, AI in the current generation had a semi-freedom of action after the Empire concluded the negotiations with the Father of all True AI.

    Geppetto.

    Frowning at the memory of the old man, Omid couldn¡¯t help but shiver ever so slightly. Eventually, he decided to draw his full focus to the matter at hand.

    The woman, who seemed to be from a species of cyclops, started walking ahead while following the light of the drone and stopped at a certain place.

    "Here¡­ Someone or something came here. There is no trace of blood but the analysis is absolute."

    Omid''s eyes twinkled.

    "Life?"

    They were not able to scan the planet because of a lack of equipment. More importantly, none of them would have ever guessed that such a planet could give birth to true sentient life.

    In this galaxy of theirs, the number of crazy bastards who would pay even in gold only to obtain a few strange specimens from planets never discovered was astronomical, to say the least.

    He immediately signaled his men to prepare a small team for the capture of any living organism.

    Slave business was heavily limited by the Empire. This is why it was more rewarding in the black market.

    The female cyclops ignored the movement of her Captain. She knew very well that if they hadn''t been pressed for time, they would have raided the whole planet.

    On a planet with life, the planet itself was worth far more than the residents sometimes. After all, natural planets that could hold and nurture life would always be in demand no matter which part of the galaxy they belonged to.

    "This is where things get a little weird. The reading of the person is hard to keep track of. But the danger level should be relatively low. The density of Dark Matter Energy on this planet is extremely low after all."

    Dark Matter was quite literally everywhere. It was usually invisible to the naked eye or any machine for that matter.

    But in some cases, some places had a slight leak of energy from the constituent Dark Matter.

    The level of this leak would affect the development of the planet and the inhabitants that inhabited said planet.

    The more energy from the Dark Matter that leaked into a planet, the more pricey it would become.

    At the time, when the planet was still untouched, the level of density of the Dark Matter Energy would determine what kind of creatures could be met.

    "It seems like Morgiana was able to have a conversation with the individual. At the very least, there is no sign of combat or any traces of Flame Energy being used."

    "If she was able to communicate, does it mean it''s a member from an already known race?"

    "Yes."

    The interracial communicators were not some almighty machines. They could only use languages already present in the database and extrapolate new variants of the languages in case of a large amount of time between the latest updates.

    "Either way this is still a huge discovery."

    Omid was now sure. He had already made his plans but there was nothing wrong with taking time to confirm what was once nothing but mere speculations.

    "The plan is simple, everyone. Morgiana is a Djinn. But she is simply a member of the Red Flame Qabila. She will have to reach the bright side of the planet to have a chance to even get some of her powers back after wasting everything on healing herself from the crash."

    Omid was a Djinn himself and he knew very well what Morgiana would need at the moment.

    ¡°With her personality, the chances of her coming at us are extremely low, but not nonexistent. So from now on, everyone will be in power armor and ready to activate their respective Mecha."

    He grinned and patted Morgiana¡¯s ship with his hand,

    "This is an old series of Mecha so we don''t have to worry about anything else."

    A disdainful smile was present on his face. He could have never imagined that Alibaba and Morgiana would fall so low.

    ''It''s just trash¡­''

    "Honestly, even if she came back I think we can destroy her Mecha with ease."

    They started laughing out loud. After inspecting the crash site, it was easy to see that Morgiana lived a very hard life where she had to be frugal and choose her equipment wisely.

    "Let''s go, everyone."

    It was time for them to hunt. At least this was what should have been the plan but¡ª

    "Captain! The radar is warning us. Someone is walking towards us. Two people, to be exact."

    Was Morgiana already back? It did not matter. He did not need to think too much about this.

    It was time to finally capture her.

    ***

    The pirates had loosely scattered themselves around throughout the icy hell of the terrain, entering a battle formation, as they waited for the intruders to reach them.

    They were waiting and observing the intruders¡¯ every action using their equipment. After all, despite their recklessness, the pirates could not live long if they did not learn how to assess danger and adequately counter all of it.

    It didn''t take long for them to see who the pair of intruders were exactly. They were quite surprised by what registered in their vision through the glass screens of their hefty armor suit.

    They had expected to see Morgiana in the flesh, coupled with another individual that they had no idea who was. They might look down on her now, but when she was in her prime all those years ago, Morgiana was more than a bit renowned throughout the Sea of Stars. She was a powerhouse and a beacon of awe and respect, that only amplified for the Forty Thieves.

    However ¨C instead of Morigiana in her armor, ready to fight them with her life on the line ¨C what they saw was a young man entirely covered in fur from head to toe, running with an expression of panic and desperation on his childish face as he held onto a motionless Morgiana on his back. He seemed to be running from something or someone, running for his life.

    The cold sweat running along his forehead, immediately crystalizing into icy droplets due to the effects of the weather. The look of exhaustion and desperation that was marring his youthful face along with the blood spattered all over his body were telltale signs of the situation at hand.

    ?Prepare for fire.?

    Discreetly, Omid sent the order through the intercom. The situation was quite complicated and he didn¡¯t have enough information on him to get a complete grasp of everything.

    Warning signs immediately blared on their visors as the female cyclops input the numbers on her computer.

    ¡°Boss! Something monstrously big is coming our way!¡±

    She shouted out loud and Omid couldn¡¯t help but scoff to himself. Indeed, his instincts had warned him of incoming danger long ago. It seemed like this beast or whatever it may be was the cause for the feeling of danger that he had been experiencing.

    Soon, they were able to see the silhouette of a giant monster slithering through the icy terrain as it chased after the young man and the motionless Morgiana tightly bound to his back.

    The fact that such a young boy was able to run with Morgiana in full armor on his back was impressive in itself, definitely worth a second look, but the kid was reaching his limit already. His face was practically screaming the state of exhaustion he was currently under; it was quite clear that he would not be able to run for very long.

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s a fucking Abyss Beast! What the fuck!!¡±

    The indifference in Omid''s eyes immediately vanished and all the other soldiers exploded in a chorus of chaos and ruckus. There was a vast difference between beasts made of blood and bones, even mechanical beasts that were fully automated, compared to beasts from the Deep Abyss.

    Those were real monsters. Fucking dangerous monsters that were notoriously hard to kill. However, at the same time, they were the telltale signs of the single most important thing to the people in their line of work ¡ª Wealth.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    ¡°Save them! Save them at any cost!¡±

    Omid was very decisive. Capturing Morgiana was more of a goal for Cassim, the leader of their organization, than anyone else in the entirety of the Forty Thieves. But getting rich was a completely different matter altogether. Otherwise, why would he even become a pirate in the first place? Wealth was the calling in life for all pirates and they could sell anything and everything for wealth, including their souls.

    Abyss beasts were incredibly rare creatures. Their presence in space could be observed once in a blue moon at most. And their presence on a planet delivered many implications¡ª implications that they were about to become crazy rich or die trying.

    He could not let the boy die now. He had to squeeze out as much information as possible for the greatest value and he needed to be decisive about it.

    The pirates were hesitant inwardly but outwardly, they immediately jumped into action the moment they received the order from their Captain. Omid had always been very strict when it came to rules and the enforcement of said rules and they knew very well that those who broke or even thought of breaking his orders didn¡¯t have a good ending.

    Some of them entered the spacecraft and activated the cannons to start aiming at the beast while others took swords and guns out of their armor, rushing toward the beast at supersonic speeds.

    Swords may seem like outdated weapons at first glance but they were in fact very important when it came to facing the abyss beasts and other beasts of similar nature.

    After all, their defense was very hard to break with modern energy weapons. The swords they were holding were of good craftsmanship. They were weapons stolen from a cargo destined for the Imperial Soldiers fighting at the very borders of space.This was actually one of the reasons why the bounty of their group climbed abnormally high despite their relatively low rank.

    The fight that broke out when they faced the abyss beast, mirroring the image of a snake, was intense to say the least.

    The cannon shells could hardly penetrate the hardened scales of the snake. The swords, while efficient in combating the beast, could not go deep enough since they neither had the power to fully activate those weapons nor the strength to push deeper in one go in the flesh of those gigantic monstrosities.

    Furthermore, the snake was no pushover. Being an abyss beast already made it at the very top of the monster hierarchy. It was not letting itself simply get beaten passively. The snake was quite powerful. Perhaps not enough to have fully mutated into a true abyss beast but the physical body of this monster alone was enough for them to swear like sailors at having to face it.

    They had to be careful in each and every single one of their steps. They needed to take measures to not get swallowed by it. This was not easy by any means as many of them were not used to fighting on slippery surfaces or any ground at all for that matter. Space battles were their usual flair and fighting in Mechas were the norm for the pirates in Omid¡¯s crew.

    Using Mechas in this atmosphere while under normal or high gravity was simply asking to be beaten by Mother Nature herself. It was also normal for them to not even touch the ground for months or even years while traveling through the endless sea of deep space.

    Thankfully for them, they were still experienced fighters, and while one was put out of commission after making a mistake and getting his arm bitten off and then torn apart brutally by the abyss monster snake, the others did not even hesitate to use him as bait to put an end to this fight once and for all; pushing through for a decisive final strike.

    [Super Charge ready in 3¡­ 2¡­ 1]

    ¡°Wait!¡±

    [¡­ 0!]

    Immediately, all but one of them moved away in complete synchronization and watched as the laser blast from one of the main ships tore apart the Snake from the head up to the middle of its body. The one who had been caught in its maws did not even have the chance to cry further as he was destroyed alongside the monster, leaving the other pirate who had been saved by him completely silent.

    They did not gloat at the misfortune of the man who had died. They knew very well that this could have been any one of them. This was the way of their crew, their creed. If the sacrifice of one was necessary to save the majority then that member had to be sacrificed for the greater cause. No questions asked.

    The only reason this barbaric system did not create fissures in the crew was because their Captain kept himself to the same standard as the others. More than just once he even used himself as bait when he deemed it to be necessary to decisively maneuver through their circumstance.

    If even the Captain was not exempt then what ground did they have to complain? Even so, watching a companion die was never a pleasant feeling, much worse was having to put him up on the pedestal of a sacrifice.

    Dark blood exploded like a fountain, slightly corroding all the armor it fell on. This was one of the properties of abyss beasts. Their very blood was poisonous by nature. However, once processed properly, it could become an extremely effective tonic that would boost the metabolism and other innate abilities of the user.

    ¡°Shit! Why is there such a tough abyss beast on this god-forsaken planet!? Fucking shit, fuck!!¡±

    One of the pirates kicked the corpse of the abyss beast in frustration and agony. The one who died had been his friend. He had nearly got devoured by the beast a few moments ago as well if not for being helped out of that situation by said friend. As if all of that shit wasn¡¯t enough, the energy reserves of his armor were falling dangerously low in numbers and the cost of resupplying it was not something he could easily afford without going into some debt.

    Unlike the few higher-ups of his crew, he was part of the vast majority of people who could not harness Dark Matter and subsequently Dark Matter Energy directly through their bodies and had to use special weapons and armor to channel and extract them from the surroundings.

    Thanks to being part of the Forty Thieves, he had good equipment but the maintenance cost was no joke by any means. This was the way of management to keep them always thirsty for battle and riches but there was nothing he could do about it. It was his way of life, the way of life of all pirates in the Forty Thieves.

    Watching the rain of blood fall on his body, he could already see the floating credits flying away from his coffers.

    ?Did he have any family??

    ¡°A daughter and a few lovers that I know of. Not much else.¡±

    ?Very well, the rule is the same. Everyone will pitch 2% of their revenue for the incoming mission and I will prepare the rewards for the family of the bereaved. Prepare his assets as well. If there is no family then the full reward will be given to the closest friend.?

    This was another reason why no one complained.

    Money.

    Most pirates did not have any family to care about. So when one of them died, their friends had a high chance of receiving a small bonus.

    As disgusting as it was, this rule made the pirates in Omid¡¯s crew very friendly to each other. After all¡ª you never knew when your friend could die and leave you a beautiful heritage to splurge.

    In fact, sometimes it was hard to say whether one died by accident or because of said friend.

    Once Omid brought back order in the crew wrought in chaos, he finally gazed at the true prize and the cause of all this fiasco.

    ¡°So, boy¡­ Why don¡¯t you tell me more about you?¡±

    Omid had to admit¡ª the fear that the young boy was showing him was completely to his taste. He loved that feeling of power as he watched people filled with terror bowing to him.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we start simply? What is your name?¡±

    ¡°My name is¡­ Noah¡­¡±

    ¡°Noah, heh¡­ I feel like we are going to share a wonderful adventure ahead.¡±

    Noah gave a trembling smile as he nodded his head,

    ¡°I feel the same. Hahah¡­¡±

    Omid had to say. It was only for an instant but¡ª that laugh had given him a very unpleasant and sickening feeling. His instincts were firing some minor alarms but it was nothing special.

    He dismissed this feeling. It seemed like he had been too high-strung lately.

    Now, it was time to question this new guest of theirs.

    He was going to suck him dry of every bit of value he would be able to provide them. He needed to cover their losses after all.

    ¡°Are you guys Morgiana¡¯s friends?¡± Noah asked.

    ¡°Did Morgiana show you her face already?¡± Omid did not directly answer.

    ¡°Yes, she has.¡±

    ¡°Then¡­ it should be easier this way¡­¡±Omid chuckled to himself. He could easily see the wariness in the kid¡¯s face as he observed them with vigilance and fear. Taking off his helmet, he showed him his face as well.

    His charcoal-dark skin was engraved with two yellow tattoo-like streams of lines that seemed to be flowing like a river; the streams of yellowish current flowed down the sides of his face and extended toward his throat, disappearing under his suit¡ª it was similar to the esoteric formations and carvings that Morgiana had in her body. It was safe to assume that they were from the same race. Well, at least, to a lower being like him, it would seem to be the case.

    ¡°I am a Djinn; just like Morgiana. You might not know what this essentially means but our race is deemed to be a very prestigious and noble race in the entirety of this galaxy. As for my relationship with Morgiana¡­ Let¡¯s just say that I have seen her grow from a little girl to a very impressive woman in her own right.¡±

    He smiled softly as he spoke, very careful in choosing the words he wanted to deliver to the little boy before him.

    Some species in this vast universe had the power to tell lies apart from the truth; it was a sensory ability that went beyond simple perception. This was why he avoided answering the first question directly and went on a roundabout way, just to be safe.

    As for the words that he had muttered, he was not lying in the exact sense. Actually, all of it was the truth, just the meaning they implied was not something anyone could easily guess unless they knew their history.

    Indeed, he had known Morgiana ever since she was a young child. He had seen her struggles. He witnessed her rise and was part of her fall from grace and her current cumbersome situation.

    It was truly a complicated relationship like no other. One that would soon end in his favor.

    It was also possible that the young boy was an Esper with mind-reading ability. In which case there wasn''t much he could do.

    Such thoughts hovered in his head as he looked at Morgiana, lying down on the side encased in her red armor and without any signs of conscience.

    ¡°Now that I have answered your question, why don¡¯t you answer mine as well? We came to recover Morgiana from this planet. She is being chased by the Forty Thieves. They are a dangerous group of criminals who are wanted throughout the galaxy. What happened to her for her to be in such a state?¡±

    No matter how injured she was or how low she had fallen, Morgiana was no pushover. It was surprising to see her being wounded to such a degree, so much so that she was unconscious and unresponsive.

    Furthermore, from the damage that he was able to sense from her armor, it looked like she had been in a precarious situation. The armor could hardly repair itself and was entirely focused on healing her. This meant that whatever problem she had been facing was likely something that could cause trouble for themselves. If not, then it could only mean one other thing¡­

    ¡°This¡­¡±

    The boy Noah trembled even more, seemingly remembering the horrifying experience that Morgiana and he had encountered, but started to explain to the best of his abilities,

    ¡°Miss Morgiana wanted me to guide her to some place. Some kind of ruin she said. She explained that it was a very dangerous place and that we needed to be 100% sure of its existence otherwise this place would be in danger.¡±

    He spoke quickly as if he was vomiting all the words that came up to his throat and was wishing for nothing more than to be done with this story. His childish face was morphed into fear and a sense of anxious desperation.

    ¡°Oh¡­?¡±

    ¡°All of this started because of this thing here.¡±

    Shuffling for something inside of his furry clothes, he took out a yellow rock and showed it to them. Almost immediately, a hushed silence ensued as all the pirates gazed at the rock in Noah¡¯s hand simultaneously, their eyes shining like they had hit the jackpot.

    Omid had to fight the urge to gulp down when his hypothesis that the presence of an Abyss Beast was indeed proof of gold existing in this place came to be true.

    It was with a supreme force of will that he did not simply take out his gun and start threatening the young boy to spill out everything he knew while snatching the piece of gold from his hands.

    He understood very well that haste would only yield them nothing but damage in this scenario. Furthermore, information obtained through threats and torture could rarely be considered to be reliable in the truest sense of the word.

    ¡®Calm down. I need to calm myself down.¡¯

    He chanted inwardly as if he were singing a mantra to bring serenity and rationality back to his mind, things that had flown out of the window the moment he had seen the solid piece of gold.

    The pirates standing behind him were far more restless than him. Only their fear of Omid helped them in barely reigning in their greed and standing in place.

    However, almost all of them were akin to a powder keg, ready to explode at any given moment with the faintest presence of a spark; and this was something that Omid fully understood.

    For all their discipline, they were pirates at heart. Ruffians who had left their homes in search of wealth, with the readiness to embrace death along their journey at any given time.

    He always moved with the clear knowledge that those who listened to him like well-tamed dogs right now, might change into greedy wolves and rise to a mutiny at any moment if given the opportunity and enough incentive.

    His authority was only worth it as long as he could bring them substantial and tangible benefits as well as victory in their endeavors.

    He already made a discreet signal with his hand¡ª to make sure they all understood that they had to wait and not be too hurried. Otherwise things would fall apart for them and they would lose this unexpected avenue of wealth just as suddenly as they had chanced upon it.

    ¡°This is¡­ quite the impressive find you have there. Did Morgiana tell you what this is?¡±

    Noah cutely tilted his head to the side, ¡°This is gold, right? She told me we could have a part of whatever we found once she left this planet.¡±

    ¡°Heh¡­¡±

    ¡®Oh Morgiana dear, you are still as dumbly kind and naive as I remember you to be.¡¯

    Had it been anyone else, Omid would have suspected that they were fooling the pitiful kid, and for good reason to boot.

    After all, while this wasn¡¯t some kind of instant fortune that would make you own the galaxy in one go, this discovery was more than enough to make sure one never lacked much of anything for life and perhaps could go even beyond that, depending on how big the ruins were and the resources they could recover from said ruins.

    However, Morgiana? She was different from them.

    Like Cassim and even Alibaba for that matter, Freedom, Fairness and Equality were her motto in life.

    The only difference was that, unlike Alibaba and Morgiana, Cassim was a veritable realist who did not let his illusions and ideals, as well as wishes, stop him from understanding what he had to do in order to reach the goals he set out in his life.

    The more Noah spoke, the clearer a vivid picture was being drawn in Omid¡¯s mind; he visualized the path ahead for them on this rusty planet.

    ¡°We were close to the ruins but we got ambushed by the beast¡­ Morgiana pushed me away and fought the beast to the best of her abilities even though she had not fully recovered herself. She told me to flee, but I couldn¡¯t leave her alone.¡±

    ¡®Sounds like Morgiana alright.¡¯

    By now Omid was completely convinced about the authenticity of the situation.

    ¡°Tell me¡­ Could you lead us to that place?¡±

    Noah looked at them with suspicion before gazing at the fallen Morgiana. In the end, he asked, his voice trembling as he asked them the question raging in his mind,

    ¡°Will you¡­ Will you take care of her first?¡±

    ¡°Of course. This has been our goal from the start after all. We will do everything in our power to keep her alive and running.¡±

    Once again he was not lying about this matter. They would do anything and everything to keep Morgiana alive. At least, for now, that is. As for what happened after she outlived her usefulness? It was for Cassim to decide and them to follow through.

    They had to keep Morgiana alive to bring Alibaba into their clutches after all. Killing her immediately had never been the goal from the get-go.

    ¡®Furthermore¡ª we might be able to bring her in as well.¡¯

    Their true enemy and the true big fish they wanted to catch in this whole operation. In the end, Morgiana was nothing more than bait for the true big guns. Be it for this side or the other side.

    She was quite the pitiful girl in a way, used and abused as she was. Not that it mattered to him in the slightest. She could only blame herself for being too weak to fight for her own Fate.

    Signaling the Cyclops scientist to come and take Morgiana with her, Omid directly sent her a message.

    ?Put her in the Healing Pod but also add some sedatives into the mix. It¡¯s better to keep her asleep until we need her to wake up.?

    ?Understood.?

    ¡°Then. Dear little friend¡­?¡±

    The boy seemed suspicious but he could ignore those suspicious points until he obtained what he wished for from him.

    ¡°Noah.¡±

    ¡°Noah, yes, that¡¯s a good name. Noah, would you like anything else? We need to go and investigate the ruins as fast as possible. We are pressed for time, after all.¡±

    ¡°Then, Could you give me something to eat¡­? I am starving.¡±

    ¡°Sure. We will make sure you eat until you burst, in fact.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha. I will keep you to your word.¡±

    The two men laughed, both hiding daggers behind their hearty smiles.

 CH 10: Two sneaky side

    Noah had been quite proud of his performance thus far.

    He may have had to beat up an innocent woman on the way, however, he did manage to fool the pirates and enter one of their ships. More than anything¡ª he would be finally able to eat some real food. It felt like eons had passed since he had eaten something worth eating. He was on cloud nine just thinking about it.

    At least¡ª that is what he believed would have happened once he was given the green light for some food and clothing.

    ¡°Where am I? And what¡­ even is this?¡±

    Noah looked at the person standing beside him and spoke. She, or at least he assumed her to be a female from the shapely form of the armor the person was wearing and the voice with which she talked, was very tall; she could even be said to be massive, more than thrice his current height. There also was only one eye on the armor but there were not many more indications for him to discern her gender.

    The strange, tall, and towering woman aside, Noah found himself in some sort of room that was dyed in a pure white radiance. No matter where his eyes darted toward, all he could see was the color white.

    His face twitched ever so slightly at the sight of this room. Memories he thought he had forgotten began dragging themselves up from the worst corners of his mind, reminding him of his nightmares.

    ¡°You need to be kept in a sterilized room until we can ascertain whether you are carrying any kind of strange bacteria that could affect us or not. The chances are extremely low, to be honest. But I do not like moving with a possible biological hazard near me.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Okay, I can understand that. But¡­ What is this¡­?¡±

    ¡°Food.¡±

    ¡°Food? This? You call this¡­ thing, food?¡±

    Noah pointed his finger at the plate in front of him and couldn¡¯t help but double take while asking in disbelief. The thing the strange being mentioned as food¡­ was composed of one grey-colored cube, two green-colored cubes, and finally, a weirdly pinkish-red cube that all seemed like jellos of some kind but much thicker and blurrier in consistency. It looked like mush in a jello form, he didn¡¯t really have any words to describe what he was looking at. Apart from the cube-like substances that seemed to be things out of a horror show, there was also a small bottle with a straw on top of it so that he could sip the drink.

    It looked unappealing and honestly disgusting in a way. At least that was the case for Noah, even though he had been living in what could be considered one of the hellish places on earth with raw substances in the name of food. He distinctly remembered eating this kind of ration when he was in the army or at least something closely similar to this madness and while it was heartwarming in a way to find something that reminded him of home¡­ this did not make the appearance of the meal any better in his eyes.

    In fact, it somehow made it worse as he could clearly draw a comparison to that terrible food.

    Noah was filled with utter disgust as he looked at the food before him. So much so, in fact, that he would rather go back and eat some raw meat after killing a few beasts than eat these disgusting cubes. Ultimately, the raw meat had some umami flavor in them; these looked like they would either taste like garbage or cardboard.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to eat if you don¡¯t want to, you know? We are pressed for time already. You have five minutes to decide then we will start moving.¡±

    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±

    Noah looked at the food and sighed to himself,

    ¡°This is enough to make me full? Are you sure about that?¡±

    ¡°A barbarian from a backwater world like you might not understand what kind of marvel this food is. This is renowned as the summit of the food industry specializing in space travel and warfare. They have no smell and no particular heat, making them hard to detect on radar. They also have no fiber so soldiers and crewmates can make do with excreting only the bare minimum amount of waste. This would lead to retaining more energy. Lastly, because of their composition and their compact size, they can be moved in large quantities without taking much space and can be preserved for years without any problem whatsoever. They do not rot easily and have a high preservation rating. This isn¡¯t about just smashing food together somehow and compressing it. This is a state-of-the-art technology of such a high level that someone like you could never hope to understand even if I gave more explanation.¡±

    Noah had expected many things but certainly not getting a lecture on food technology when he decided to get into the pirate ship. She spoke in quite a condescending way and so quickly that she seemed ready to crush Noah with the weight of her words.

    However, he was not offended nor did he care about how she was looking down on his intellect. There was only one thing he cared about right now. One thing he needed to know.

    ¡°Are they tasty?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    The two looked at each other for some time in complete silence. Even without being able to see her face, Noah could hear her heartbeat accelerate when he asked her that question. It looked like she was very angry at his question, even though he did nothing but make a very legitimate inquiry about a problem that was bothering him regarding the meal he was served.

    In the end, it looked like she decided that his question was not worth answering as she turned on her heels with a click and started walking away from him, leaving one last sentence behind.

    ¡°Those four cubes are enough to completely fill up even an adult warrior of my species for a few days to even beyond a week. So shut up and eat, or just leave. I couldn¡¯t care less about your hunger. Once you finish with your decision, go take a shower and put some clothes on from the adjacent room. At least, make you look presentable enough, you stupid barbarian. They will keep you warmer than the rags you are currently wearing so it¡¯s only good for you.¡±

    ¡°Huh¡­¡±

    Looking at her departing back, Noah could only whistle to himself.

    Is she¡­ kind in reality? A tsundere? Damn, didn¡¯t think I would meet someone with this trait even in deep space. Aquarius would have had a field day with this.

    Capricornus, a young shy boy who had his heart on his palms, was one of the thirteen constellations when Noah was still active on Earth. Animes and the like were one of the few forms of entertainment that he enjoyed after he learned his biological donors were of Japanese origin. This gave him the impression of sharing a sense of culture and history with them.

    Now alone, Noah took one of the cubes and looked at it with plain curiosity in his eyes.

    Any ideas?

    ¡ª Even if it¡¯s poisonous it will not affect you.

    I know but that is exactly the problem I am facing. Pretty hard to act when you don¡¯t know what kind of feeling you need to show.

    ¡ª Speaking of acting, I am surprised at your talent at being able to act so convincingly. I thought a prideful man like you would simply jump right in and fight all of them to death. It seems like you can use your brains after all.

    Noah grinned as he put the cube in his mouth, hiding a grimace as the tasteless thing seemed to liquefy once it entered his oral cavity and moved down his throat like a gelatinous substance. It was like eating a jello without any flavors. Quite a disgusting experience for sure.

    Just who the hell do you think I am? Jumping all guns blazing in a fight without ascertaining the firepower of the enemy isn¡¯t being prideful, it¡¯s just pure stupidity. Contrary to what one may think, I don¡¯t act without thinking things through, that has never been my role.

    Noah''s codename was the Serpent Bearer ¨C Ophiucus ¨C and he perfectly honored this name with his actions and way of life. Practically all his life, he had been trained with the sole objectives to hunt, kill, assassinate, lie and cheat. Doing anything and by any means possible to take down his targets. He had definitely become a bit rusty but thanks to his current appearance, people naturally underestimated him.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    After all, how many people would think that a cute, and young child was in fact a deadly assassin beneath that harmless exterior? Even if there were some doubtful points in his performance, they would unconsciously choose to ignore them because he presented no apparent danger to anyone with his cowering demeanor.

    ¡®Hunting is an art, you see, and all weapons should be used when necessary. What people forget is that¡ª words too can be a very deadly weapon when used properly. Perhaps the deadliest of them all once used in the right manner.¡¯

    He sighed and ate all but one of the cubes that had been given to him. He had to admit, while this gave him the impression that he was eating some disgusting form of garbage, the taste was non-existent so it was at least bearable for him. It just felt like he was eating distilled water. There was no smell, no taste, no texture. It almost felt like he was eating air for a second.

    However, it delivered a great surprise to him,

    Half? No, a quarter full.

    When added to what he already ate on the way, Noah could be said to be half full at this moment. This event only happened after he hunted many beasts and devoured them directly many years ago. He had been long since running on a quarter capacity only.

    Now he understood what the woman meant when she said those things were a marvel of technology. He could already imagine that those rations could sustain a large army easily without much problem.

    Space exploration could take a long time and could be prolonged for years without having the chance to resupply in deep space. He was learning more and more about the way of things in the Sea of Stars as time passed. More than he could have ever learned about space while on Earth.

    Once he was a little more satiated, Noah went in the direction of the shower room.

    Truly, only by taking a good hot shower would he feel like he had once again returned to civilization.

    As for the meal. He did not count on it. Only a true hot meal with smoking meat, some delicious sauce, a few fries, and rice on the side could truly make him happy and fulfilled. Nothing else.

    ***

    When Noah entered the shower room that the Cyclops woman mentioned, he looked at the surroundings of the bathroom with curiosity in his eyes. There were a multitude of small installations all over the bathroom. Esoteric symbols were carved into the button-like protrusions of the installments, probably signifying a general overview of what they were used for.

    At that moment, he came to the belated realization that although he was capable of easily learning any language out there and speaking it fluently in a very short amount of time, writing that specific language was in a completely different ball-park altogether. Even with his Adaptation, it would take him a relatively long amount of time to master a particular language.

    ¡®Ideally speaking, I should settle down somewhere for a few years and slowly learn about everything out there. The language, the culture, the structure of the so-called Empire¡­ I need to be prepared if I want to explore space.¡¯

    It wasn¡¯t as if he had anything better to do right now anyway. Once he managed to get back to his home world¡ª Earth, he would quietly enjoy his position as a hero and live off whatever bonus he would get for his efforts.

    He idly thought those dreamy thoughts while testing different buttons and nearly screamed out loud when scalding hot water fell on him out of the blue, catching him completely off guard.

    Fucking hell!

    Cursing to himself due to almost being cooked for a second there, he tried pushing the different sets of buttons before him and observed what they generally did. One particular button he pushed seemed to be making the protrusion vibrate for some reason; it took him some time before he finally found the right set of buttons that allowed him to enjoy the hot shower experience.

    Yep. I really need to learn the language.

    His mood was still a bit down due to not being able to get the long desired food he wished for but as soon as the perfectly heated hot water started flowing down from the shower and made contact with his body, his mind seemed to have melted and he nearly leaked out a groan of joy and satisfaction. He had the feeling that he was finally having a taste of Heaven.

    How long? Just how long had it been since he was able to experience something like a true hot shower? He didn¡¯t even know since he had lost the sense of time long ago. It wasn¡¯t like he didn¡¯t try to find a way either; taking large chunks of ice from the cold side and bringing them to the hot side was one way he tried to experience something like a hot bath. It didn¡¯t go as he planned, obviously.

    However, what he was experiencing now was entirely different from anything he had ever come to experience ¡ª This was civilization!

    It was only after losing something that you would understand the significance of what you lost. It was the same case for Noah, who understood just how great civilization and its machinations were to his day to day life. Everything was far easier and you could act as lazy as you wished and let the machines make your life convenient by doing the tedious tasks for you.

    This was indeed great.

    ¡ª Aren¡¯t you a bit too relaxed right now?

    Am I now? Why did you have that thought?

    ¡ª By now they should begin noticing some weird aspects of your situation. Pieces of a puzzle that just don¡¯t fit together no matter how you try to. They should be able to filter out the holes in your explanation by now¡­

    Ah. I see what you mean. Well, you are indeed right. As long as they don¡¯t have poop for brains, they should at least wonder how I managed to learn and use the universal language so fluently even though I should be a denizen of this world to them.

    ¡ª So¡­

    But you see¡­ It doesn¡¯t matter even if they have their doubts and suspicions. Even if I am suspicious, the gold I have shown them is real, I am inside their ship and Morgiana is under their control. I am powerless and they are strong. Just why should they fear me? That doesn¡¯t make any sense. All the acting I have been doing was precisely for this scenario.

    Noah chuckled to himself as he excchanged with the Queen in his mind. Over the short discussion he had with Omid, Noah had been able to grasp the way those people¡¯s minds worked. They were fucking arrogant and their leader was the most arrogant of the bunch, even if he didn¡¯t let it show for a second. They believed in their own strength and in only what they could witness with their own eyes. Nothing else.

    From their perspective, no matter what kind of trap Noah may be preparing, it was inconsequential to them.

    Why? Because they were strong and in their eyes, he was just a weak barbarian.

    Arrogant people are so funny in their own way, don¡¯t you think?

    ¡ª You should look in a mirror before speaking ill of others. At least, you don¡¯t have the right to say that.

    ¡®Firstly, there is no mirror for me to admire my handsome self in the current situation, and lastly. I am different from them.¡¯

    Noah fiddled around with the buttons and looked on with unbridled curiosity in his small eyes as the bath near him started to fill up with some gelatinous substance that disturbingly jiggled around and reminded him of the creatures that could be often found in video games.

    ¡®I am strong. I am prideful and perhaps even arrogant in many, many ways. But the stupidest thing someone strong can do is underestimate the weak.¡¯

    Never underestimate the weak. The weak have a way of fighting that belongs only to them. The reason the weak managed to survive is because they were able to outmaneuver and escape from the truly strong. They had their own principles and their own ways of living in this jungle.

    It was a pretty simple principle but something many forgot.

    ¡®You should understand this more than anyone, right? After all¡ª you lost to humanity.¡¯

    ¡ª .... We lost to you and the other constellations, not to humanity. There¡¯s a difference.

    ¡®And we were created by humanity. Ergo you lost to it. Hahah¡­¡¯

    He continued to taunt the voice in his head while testing different combinations with the buttons surrounding him. He was not just having fun here. Though this was quite a fun experience in itself.

    Noah was primarily trying to memorize the different sets of characters and what they did. This could be useful in the future or be completely useless. But he had long since learned that being over prepared was better than having no preparation at all.

    ¡ª So what is your plan from now on?

    ¡®I guide them to where I think is the ruin. Everything will be dandy up until then.¡¯

    ¡ª And then?

    ¡®Well¡­ It¡¯s pretty obvious what they will try to do, right?¡¯

    .

    .

    .

    ¡°Once we find the ruins, we kill the boy to avoid any possible traps.¡±

    Sitting in the main room of his ship, Omid started giving out orders to his crewmates. The order was curt and direct but no one was surprised by his expected brutality. In the first place, there was no way they could let the boy go as he knew way too much about them. It would only be a recipe for disaster.

    As Noah had anticipated, Omid was indeed not stupid. Noah was simply too suspicious and many points he had made during their conversation did not make much sense. But he was willing to act stupid and ignore all of his charades because¡ª

    ¡°This is indeed gold, and it¡¯s from this planet.¡±

    The results of the analysis were unanimous and unambiguous. This gold was real and this did not come from another planet.

    This couldn''t be a trap. Omid knew very well that he was simply not worth such an elaborate scheme. Such a trap would have been used on big fish such as his leader Cassim or legendary pirates like Captain Nemo.

    Even so, this did not erase all the suspicious points about the small boy and the strange unease he felt whenever he came close to him. His danger senses would always flare whenever he was near him.

    This was why he had to die.

    As cruel as it may look, such was the way of pirates and this was not the first murder he had committed, or ordered.

    ¡°Phaeia, keep an eye on him and see what you can find out.¡±

    Everyone chuckled forcibly while the Cyclops scientist of the band of pirates, Phaeia, couldn¡¯t help but let out a small sneer.

    ¡°That¡¯s really funny, Captain.¡±

    She shook her head and continued to work on her pad. This kind of joke was nothing compared to the much less savory jokes some of her crewmates would throw her way. Being one of the sole women in the crew full of pirates was not an easy task after all.

    One of the saving graces was that¡­ for many of her crewmates, she looked very ugly or simply disgusting.

    The wonders of space truly.

    ¡°I already put a few sedatives in the food I gave him. They are not poisonous but they will easily be able to knock him out at any moment as long as I press a button.¡±

    ¡°Good. I knew I could count on you.¡±

    He sighed and looked around, ¡°We do not have much time guys. So this is a get-and-dash operation. If we judge that Dorothy is coming, then we will flee. Understood?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    Money was good. But one needed to be alive to enjoy the boons of money.

    This was why Omid could not kill Noah yet. They could not afford to waste any time. Even now, their ships were preparing to fly toward the destination.

    Things would have been so much easier if they could have a wide-scale detector. Simply being able to measure the distribution of the gravity on the whole planet would have helped find the heaviest places which generally was where the ruins were.

    But life was never easy. Especially for pirates and outlaws like them.

    Let¡¯s move swiftly before that bitch comes for our lives.

    He could already see a difficult battle ahead.

 CH 11: Dorothy Gale

    [Planet Oz?]

    While Noah and Omid were both plotting and contemplating the best moment to enact their respective plans of murder and betrayal, in the depths of the Milky Way Galaxy, far away from the star system where the current struggle between the duo was taking place was a small space station.

    Well¡­ In this situation, the word small was only used relatively, compared to the size of the planet that Noah was inhabiting. Objectively speaking, however, it was still a super large station that could easily accommodate more than fifty thousand people without the slightest problem or strain in space or resources to maintain them. It was a behemoth among individual space stations for sure.

    The space station was orbiting quietly around a planet that looked oddly similar to an emerald jewel glimmering in the darkness of eternal space. Had Noah been present in this location, he would have described this planet as looking particularly similar to Uranus. The only difference were this planet was emerald in color and the obvious signs of life that could be seen at a glance.

    This was the planet called Oz. A planet that was home to one of the biggest forces in the entire Milky Way Galaxy and under the control of a young woman who was renowned for her kindness and cunningness throughout the Sea of Stars.

    Dorothy Gale¡ª the de facto Queen of the Emerald City and the ruler of Oz.

    .

    .

    .

    Sitting on her throne, floating at the highest spot in the entire space station, with her legs crossed, Dorothy gazed at the holographic screen before her with a toothy grin on her face. It was uncharacteristic for a ruler of such an enormous force but the person on the other side was special. At least, he had a special place in her heart.

    Dark, flowing locks that appeared to swallow light itself, a somewhat oval face framed by her obsidian locks, creating an illusion of youth beyond her actual years, and her eyes... From afar, those eyes of hers appeared as nothing more than beautiful blue orbs. Yet, observed up close, one would have the impression that they were being drawn into the vastness of the infinite cosmos, swimming amidst a Sea of Stars.

    Even though she was beautiful, mesmerizing even¡­ her beauty was of the charming and endearing kind. Cloaked in a snug-fitting suit, her allure remained captivating without provoking inappropriate thoughts from those who observed. She commanded respect and thoughts of endearment rather than any animalistic desires from men.

    ¡°So. In the end, you came to me after all, huh? Alibaba.¡±

    In the holographic screen''s reflection stood a man clad in power armor, strikingly similar to Morgiana''s. The futuristic piece of armor comprised a faceless helmet and silver-black plating, all concealed beneath a red hood that cast a shadow over the contours of the face plating.

    On his back, a few swords could be seen hanging in different colored sheaths, giving off a rather sinister and austere appearance.

    He was Morgiana¡¯s friend and partner, the person she had been talking to before head diving into Alpha Centauri.

    Alibaba was once the son of a renowned merchant on his home planet. He had lost everything and escaped from that sinister place after barely surviving himself. After many adventures, he managed to become a high-ranked adventurer despite his rather tumultuous past and was respected by many people who believed in his skills and integrity.

    Dorothy was one such person and one of the very few people he could call his friend in the vastness of the universe. After all, Alibaba was one of the reasons she had managed to fight the wicked witches of Oz and reclaim her throne, her right to rule over Emerald City and ultimately Oz itself.

    This was a fact very few people knew even though she would have wished for nothing more than to let the entire galaxy know she owed her life to the man before her.

    ?I guess I should not have made a bet with the Witch of Stars herself, known for her powers of precognition.?

    His voice was gruff, slightly deformed by the helmet that was currently donned over his head. However, she did not care about his current appearance and simply laughed at the slightest notes of embarrassment he could hear in his voice.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    ¡°Indeed. I knew such a day would come. Though I did not need to read the stars to predict such a circumstance presenting itself before us. It was clear that you would need my help one day in your crusade. You may be an idealist but you are not stupid, at least that¡¯s my belief. Take it however you will.¡±

    ?Many people would disagree about the stupid part you know. It seems like I am seen as quite the boorish person out there. However, it¡¯s good to know that you are not one of them.?

    ¡°An appreciated wordplay. But such people are foolish and not worth having a discussion over.¡±

    Dorothy released a sigh before leaning back into her throne to get into a more comfortable position.

    ¡°Are you able to locate her?¡±

    ?No. I would have loved to reach her last destination but any traces of her travel seem to have already been erased so it¡¯s useless going down that route. She could be anywhere in the galaxy. Her ship is also unable to send its signal across long distances. So all I can do now is turn to you..?

    ¡°Hum, that does seem like you¡­ Nevertheless, you should know that reading the stars is not an easy task for me. Significantly so on the current premise, when I have such little information to access and use for my search and observation. This has been quite reckless of you Alibaba, I have known you to be more careful.¡±

    ?...?

    ¡°Well, I will not remonstrate you for this matter. Dear Morgiana will do that in my stead. Alright, I will help you and I have faith that I can locate her, even though it will take a toll on me.¡±

    ?Thank...?

    Dorothy raised her hand; as if stopping him from continuing his speech before she spoke in a hushed tone,

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    She looked up, her eyes shining as she enunciated each word, ¡°You will allow me to follow you on your next adventure.¡±

    ?¡­ Dorothy¡­?

    ¡°I am not the child I once was, old friend. In fact, aren''t I more than five times older than you? Anyway, I¡¯ve matured you know? I am not simply doing this for just the thrill of adventure as you seem to think.¡±

    She clenched her fist ever so slightly, ¡°I can hear it. The Call of the Stars. I can hear them whispering to me. A great destiny is about to unfold and missing the occasion is not something I would ever do. Nay, I can¡¯t miss such an opportunity.¡±

    Alibaba grew concerned at the mention of those words. Dorothy was an Astrologer and as odd as it may seem to be able to somehow read the future by knowing someone''s constellations or observing the stars, Dorothy was somehow able to enact such wondrous miracles.

    This was why she was dubbed as the Witch of Stars. A very apt name that encapsulated her predominant skills. Of course, her other nickname, the Witch of Space-Time was one of the reasons why he needed her help right now.

    He didn¡¯t need to know the future at the moment, he just needed to urgently locate his partner. His senses were flaring at him that she was in immediate danger and he needed to move fast to save her from peril.

    ?I would like to ask if you know more but I can already guess what kind of answer I will receive.?

    ¡°You know me too well, old friend. The fate that the stars show me is quite blurry if I say so myself, and rarely clear for me to look at it objectively. I have to follow my intuition on most matters and the best I have ever been able to glean are mere glimpses. However, what I do know is that our destinies are about to change in a very unexpected and overwhelming fashion. A storm is approaching us, old friend. Whether this will work in our favor or not¡­ I have yet to determine.¡±

    Dorothy did not delve deeper into the mysteries of heaven. This was a realm of advanced quantum mechanics that could drive her into insanity if she did not prepare herself for such an ordeal. But she knew that the omen she had received had been neutral for now.

    A new constellation was about to form along the depths of the Sea of Stars. One that could be the harbinger of Apocalypse or one that would bring an era of Prosperity and Peace, and for those reasons¡ª she had to find the brightest star and welcome it into her fold.

    Only by acting as its mentor and observing it with her own eyes will she be able to determine whether he was the harbinger of Doom or the spark of Hope ¡ª the hope they desperately sought.

    ¡®How fascinating.¡¯

    Indubitably, the universe was a tapestry woven with endless wonders.

    Once she made up her mind. Dorothy stood up. Her lithe figure and her petite body advanced quietly into the air as if stepping on the invisible barriers of space that constituted reality, until¡ª

    Step¡ª

    The entire throne room started to change, her one step, once akin to entering a previously calm lake, now shook everything in her surroundings.

    The light in her eyes shone and her pupils spun like an endlessly devouring black hole. Thousands upon thousands of stars started to appear in her surroundings, a manifestation of her will that encapsulated the Sea of Stars. Her consciousness seemed to both elevate and descend in a special realm, as she observed her surroundings with eyes that could see through all.

    ¡º Planetarium ¡»

    A skill that belonged only to her. One she had created using her own expertise and power and that could only be used to the fullest in her seat of power and her Mecha.

    Lost in the vast Sea of Stars, Dorothy started walking along the waves, lost in her search.

    She had someone to find and a few trillion planets to observe.

    I am going to have a mighty headache after this.

    This was not going to be fun but it was necessary nonetheless.

    To save a friend.

    To help another friend.

    And finally, to find her star.

 CH 12: Bad Wordplay

    After an unexpectedly fascinating shower, Noah experienced a sudden surge of vitality throughout his whole being, feeling truly alive after who knows how long.

    For the first time in perhaps centuries, he had eaten something that wasn¡¯t some weird giant animal that he didn¡¯t even know if it was safe to eat or not. Even though it wasn¡¯t the food he had hoped and dreamed of consuming once he had finally made his way to proper civilization, it was still civilized food nonetheless. Then lastly, he had a bath in a civilized bathroom without having to move ice cubes from the frozen zone to the superheated zone and doing more manual labor than he wanted.

    And to top it all off¡ª there were people other than the voice in his head surrounding him now.

    However, what was the most beautiful thing in all this one would wonder? It would definitely be the fact that he was wearing clothes! Real and authentic clothes and not just some fur that he wrapped around his body! How amazing was this? Though it was a shame to hide his body from the eyes of the uncultured masses, he was sure that they could still appreciate him even with his veiled appearance. He was just that awesome.

    The attire he currently wore comprised dark blue spandex, featuring crotch padding to prevent any awkward exposure. Leaving aside its unique fashion, the attire demonstrated an impressive ability to regulate temperature efficiently; furthermore, it freed him from any sense of confinement, as though he was not wearing any clothes at all. It was a great piece of clothing, an invention of technology from advanced races of deep space most likely.The amplitude of movement was quite large and the feeling of freedom was omnipresent. It was perfectly fitting for Noah in a sense¡­ since he was used to not wearing any clothes and these clothes allowed him to have the same feeling while covering him up and providing him with warmth and safety.

    At the end of the day, after getting food, shelter and clothing, what more could a man ask for?

    Sure, everything wasn¡¯t perfect per se. The current scene was a little¡­ Well, let¡¯s say it was completely different from everything he had dreamed about when he imagined how his return to civilization would be.

    The food was filling but utterly tasteless and it was not in the metaphorical sense. He had spent more time nearly torturing himself with the shower than showering and the people who surrounded him wanted to kill him at a moment¡¯s notice.

    As for the clothes, while he certainly was relatively happy about not having his appendage swinging in the air whenever he did as much as move, and his feet were not being cut by ice shards at practically every instance, the way those clothes stuck to his skin was a bit disturbing. No matter how light they were, it didn¡¯t change the fact that they were tight as fuck.

    However¡ª one should always see the good side of things, right?

    This was the only thing that helped him keep his sanity during his long stay in this silent deadly world full of things that wanted to ¨C and actually managed to ¨C eat him on a regular basis.

    ¡ª Ahem.

    ¡®Yeah, I know, sorry. Got sidetracked a bit there. Time to focus.¡¯

    This was a bad habit he would have to fix later on. His mind liked to wander around when there was a lull in his activities. Consequences of staying silent with no reason to actually open his mouth other than to wolf down food.

    He sometimes had to force himself to talk out loud regularly just to avoid having his body adapt to the lack of necessity for the larynx and evolving in a way that he would never be able to talk.

    He loved speaking after all. Even if it was only to hear himself speak. The universe would face a loss if no one could ever hear his lovely and mesmerizing voice.

    ¡ª Enough talking, more killing. What you eat may fill your stomach but you know very well that this is not what we really need.

    ¡®I know. Don¡¯t worry. How could I even forget? But let¡¯s use them until we do not have any need for them anymore.¡¯

    Noah was very curious about the so-called ruins that he had been hearing all this time. He had vague memories of having come near such a place in the past. But those memories, as said earlier, were vague and difficult to observe.

    Who knew what kind of value there could be with those useless memories?

    Once he understood this, he would be able to sell the planet at the right price or continue his deal with Morgiana.

    ¡®Speaking of Morgiana. She¡¯s going to be utterly pissed when she wakes up, right?¡¯

    Thinking about what kind of expression she might make, Noah could only laugh quietly to himself.

    ¡°I wonder what makes you so happy?¡±

    He nearly did not flinch when the tall woman who had given him the so-called food approached him out of nowhere.

    Though she had camouflaged herself completely with whatever technology they may have, Noah had long since stopped caring about what his simple senses could share as information.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    He didn¡¯t know if something like a sixth sense truly existed, but if it did, he was sure that he had it. Sadly, not being surprised wasn¡¯t part of his current persona so he had to show himself flinching as that would be in line with his current somewhat timid and naive persona.

    All those thoughts flashed in an instant in Noah¡¯s mind as he put on a startled expression and stepped back in fright.

    ¡°Sorry! I was a little confused by all the controls.¡±

    ¡°Hum¡­ I see.¡±

    ¡®How could you not see?¡¯

    Noah stopped himself from making a remark that would put him in hot water. Looking at the woman, outside of the fact that she was very tall and only had one eye blinking in the middle of her forehead, which might be quite off-putting for some¡­

    She was quite the beauty. In an Amazonian woman''s sense, she had a very healthy and fit appearance. This could be very interesting when paired in the right situation.

    ¡°Something on my face?¡±

    ¡°....¡±

    ¡®Seriously? Is she really asking for it?¡¯

    Noah was speechless but he couldn¡¯t quench his curiosity.

    ¡°Are you the one who gave me the food? You look so different now? You are so pretty!¡±

    Noah decided to channel his inner child and gush at the beauty of the woman before him. Furthermore, it wasn¡¯t as if he was lying. She was pretty in a way.

    ¡°Compliments are appreciated, but we need to go find the ruins.¡±

    She nodded and directed him to start walking. Her voice became softer. Even when knowing that it might be nothing but empty words, few people disliked being praised.

    She was mostly surprised by the way he did not seem horrified or weirded out by her appearance. Some people may call it shallow, but she understood perfectly that all races had this innate dislike mixed with wonder, confusion and repulsion when they watched something that had a similar resemblance to them but at the same time bestowed with a glaring difference. Races were innately xenophobic and it made sense for them to be repulsed by such factors.

    ¡°To make communication easier, My name is Phaeia. I am indeed the one who fed you a few moments ago.¡±

    ¡°So, You realized that I am not carrying any weird bacteria?¡±

    ¡°You most assuredly do. But it was judged that they were no danger to us.¡±

    ¡®Meaning your bacteria could be a danger for me?¡¯

    Innuendo was such a beautiful thing. But Noah did not truly care about that. He already guessed they had tampered with the food. Since they did not seem shocked to see him alive, it seemed like whatever they put was slow-acting or could be remotely activated. Most possibly by the woman before him.

    ¡°Happy to meet you Phaeia.¡±

    Noah smiled. He had always been bad at remembering the names of people who were about to die. He needed to make some effort this time.

    The level of importance of this woman rose in his mind. He immediately decided that once he started killing things¡­ She would likely be the first and most important one on his hit list.

    One should always aim for the support units first, right?

    Following the cyclops woman, Noah went through corridor after corridor. The destination itself was not far, as the ship was not particularly big, so it did not take long for them to reach the control room.

    There, he could see the pirates or what looked like cadres discussing amongst themselves some matter.

    Omid was still entirely clad in his armor. Even at first glance, this one seemed to be far more sturdy than the one worn by Morgiana. He idly wondered how many punches he would have to deliver before being able to break it apart.

    ¡®There is also a different mode. Perhaps this is more of a standby form and there is a superior form? But does all armor have this feature? The one who got gobbled up and the other pirates didn¡¯t seem to have one.¡¯

    He wondered if this was something unique to Morgiana or something relatively unique to higher-ups and leaders of an organization. If it was the former then he had nothing to worry about. But if it was the latter¡ª perhaps he should make sure Omid was dead before killing anyone else.

    Deciding on a list is pretty hard or am I simply being indecisive?

    ¡ª Why does order matter when you are going to kill them all anyway?

    I know in the grand scheme of things it doesn¡¯t really matter. But this will decide whether we are going to play on easy mode or hard mode and I will be honest¡­ Easy mode is always my goal no matter the situation. One should enjoy the story fully, don¡¯t you think so?

    Fighting to hide his grin, he advanced quietly while continuously observing everyone from the corner of his eyes and matching their silhouette with the ones he had seen fighting in armor with the Abyss Beast he had lured in.

    He realized that many of them were inconsequential in terms of danger rating. But many ants could make an elephant suffer. It was important to plan so that he could crush them in the least amount of time possible.

    There was also something else that was disappointing him and this was the lack of diversity in the crew. All those he observed were humanoid in shape with few differences here and there like having green or orange skin, or having razor-sharp teeth long ears, no ears and so on.

    This was definitely not what he imagined aliens to be. Where were his tentacles alien? Mindflayers? What about gelatinous aliens with the right amount of acidity that only melted clothes without touching the skin?

    At this point, he would have even settled for the globulous black eyes, Voldemort-like nose, and huge head with green skin that was often depicted in the old cartoons of the previous era he had watched with his friends.

    They might be humanoid but they still had their sense of exotic wonder that would be screaming alien or extraterrestrial beings.

    ¡®I guess one should never believe what they see on TV.¡¯

    His mind was still wandering until he finally reached Omid.

    ¡°Noah. I hope you are ready. We need to reach our destination swiftly. Morgiana''s situation is stable but who knows what might happen if we were to remain motionless. So, tell me, where should we go?¡±

    ¡°I am not entirely sure but ¡ª This way!¡±

    He pointed out, watching as they started moving.

    He didn¡¯t know if there would be a ruin at the end of this adventure. But he sure as hell would bring ruins to this greedy pirate crew.

    One way or another.

    ¡ª ¡­ You should first work on your wordplay.

    Oh, Shut it.

    And so, hiding a page of embarrassing moments, Noah went ahead toward a new page of his adventure.

 CH 13: Truly...Thank you

    True to its standards of a spaceship meant for space travel, their cruising speed was substantially faster than simply running along the ground while battling the hazardous elements of the perilous terrain that he had done with Morgiana previously. Due to said speed, they were able to reach the spot where Noah had beaten Morgiana down to a state of unconsciousness not long before.

    In fact, Noah had many questions about their technology such as leaving the gravity well with such giant ships. Though he had the distinct impression that all they would say in response would be something along the lines of Dark Matter usage or something similar.

    Not the most intelligent answer, yes, but it was probably the truth in this case.

    Thankfully, he was not a scientist by any means, and due to that, he did not particularly care about their technological specifications. Simple explanations were more than enough for him to be satisfied. He did not need to know how things worked out for the time being.

    He simply needed to know how to make it work and if it even worked in the first place. He would cross any other bridge when he got there.

    ¡®Found anything yet?¡¯

    ¡ª The interior of this ship¡­ I felt something similar from Morgiana¡¯s ship as well but now I am absolutely certain. These ships will be able to provide us with the energy we need to meet our goals.

    ¡®Hum¡­¡¯

    Noah acquiesced quietly while keeping the appearance of an entranced kid who was watching a flying machine for the very first time in his life.

    ¡®If it¡¯s deeper inside then I guess what we want should be the core of their machine.¡¯

    ¡ª Or we can just devour these people. However, I am certain that their energy is negligible compared to what I am feeling from this core you speak of. It¡¯s like comparing a firefly to celestial bodies. Once we consume the core of those machines we will be able to reach a new threshold of energy and you may finally experience what it feels like to be full.

    Noah stayed silent, choosing not to answer. He didn¡¯t know what to feel about devouring sentient creatures who had such a stark resemblance to humans. He didn¡¯t feel particularly guilty or repulsed by that particular fact. In the first place, it wasn¡¯t as if he was truly devouring them through his mouth like a psychotic cannibal.

    He might have been more hesitant if they were humans though¡­ Perhaps? He wasn¡¯t really sure anymore after all these years. All the time he had spent alone had affected his mindset more than he imagined.

    ¡®Well¡­ I guess I will know what I will feel when it happens. Though either way, they are going to die.¡¯

    Noah smiled brightly at the thought. At the very least there was no moral ambiguity or hesitation when it came to simply killing those people. Not because they were pirates, no, but simply because they wished to kill him.

    He had never been the kind to forget and forgive. Nor would he embody those traits in his life. That was simply his nature.

    ¡°We have reached our destination, We are in the habitable part of the planet now.¡±

    The female Cyclops¡¯ voice reached Noah¡¯s ears. What was her name again?

    ¡ª Does it even matter?Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    ¡®Heh¡­ I guess it doesn¡¯t, yeah.¡¯

    He looked around as everyone started arming themselves to the teeth. A silvery substance seemed to be leaking out of the bodysuits they were all wearing before transforming into the power armor he had seen them all donning previously while fighting the Abyss Beast.

    ¡®So this is how they do it? How? Are they nanobots or something more advanced?¡¯

    There was so much to learn and adapt to. This was going to be fun.

    ¡°Okay, guys! From here on we are going to land and walk as we look through the terrain for the ruins.¡±

    Omid turned to Noah. ¡°Where do you think the ruins are exactly?¡±

    ¡°I¡­I am not exactly sure. But, I feel like they should be close to the desert.¡±

    ¡°The desert, huh¡­¡±

    Omid nodded his head, a somewhat nostalgic voice leaking out of his visor. He was used to the desert. After all, Djinns were children of the desert and fire in a way.

    This adventure might truly be something that will benefit him greatly.

    ¡°Change of plans. Noah, you will stay in the ship and give instructions from afar. Those that will stay behind will be here for your protection. As for everyone that will follow, go take the high-caliber weapons. We might need to face the Guardian of the ruins at any moment. Phaeia, you stay in the ship and be ready to bail us out if the Guardian is continental level in power.¡±

    Ruins had different levels of danger and rewards befitting them. The lowest-ranked guardians might be dangerous and hard to fight but they were not impossible to beat or escape from.

    In fact, sometimes the guardian would not even fight and the dangers would come from enigmas and puzzles that they needed to complete in order to reach the heart of the ruins.

    All of this made ruin dives a very problematic endeavor as you never knew when you would get unlucky and face impossible odds.

    Omid was not letting the desire for riches completely dazzle him. While he would love to kill Noah immediately after finding the ruin, it was dangerous to have a native of the planet with full knowledge about the terrain traveling with them while they explored the lands.

    He might activate some traps they knew nothing about. At least, if he stayed on the ship he would be completely powerless.

    ¡°Okay, then¡­¡±

    Omid continued firing orders left and right but he was also communicating with them through the communication device of his armor.

    ?Keep an eye on the kid. Once we find the ruins, you guys can kill him. It¡¯s better for him to stay here.?

    He might be able to escape outside. But here? He would have no way out.

    ¡°What do you think, Noah?¡±

    ¡®What do I think?¡¯

    Noah had to fight the urge to simply laugh like a madman.

    He could understand Omid¡¯s plan. It was a solid plan; if he had been in his place he would have probably done the same. This was a simple and effective plan that would take care of all variables in the frame of reference they had knowledge of.

    Sadly, this frame of reference was based on one supposition.

    Their absolute power over Noah.

    So what did Noah think about this proposal?

    Giving the best shy and hesitant smile he could muster, Noah fidgeted ever so slightly before answering in a low voice,

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be easier if I followed you guys?¡±

    ¡°No. You do not have power armor to protect you nor can you use Dark Matter. Anything is possible once we find the ruins and having to protect you would slow us down. Here at least, you are 100% safe. All you have to do is watch the screen, give us some instructions, and wait.¡±

    ¡®Wait for your death you mean?¡¯

    Noah nodded a little,

    ¡°Can I eat a little more?¡±

    Omid laughed, it seemed like having his belly full had made the boy happy. Giving one last meal to someone who was about to die was common courtesy after all.

    ¡°You can eat as much as you want.¡±

    ¡ª Hahahaha!

    ¡°Then. Yeah and¡­ Thank you. I really mean it. I don¡¯t know what I would have done without you. I will be sure to savor the meal.¡±

    Noah gave his most heartfelt smile as he sincerely thanked Omid.

    Truly, sometimes being too smart and cautious could also be a grave mistake.

 CH 14: Knightframe

    Omid and roughly fifty crew members were poised to descend from the suspended ships. As a precautionary measure, they chose to keep the ships at an altitude of roughly two kilometers from the ground.

    This was lower than the cruising altitude that they had been traveling at but they still needed the ships to be at a somewhat accessible distance for them to be able to return if things went south.

    So how could they reach the ships at such an altitude?

    Well¡­ They were not coming down simply with their power armor.

    Omid was once a high-ranked soldier when he was still serving the royal family back on his home planet.

    He might underestimate and look down on Noah as a small powerless child but he would never look down or underestimate the ruins of a world.

    On the contrary, he would rather overestimate it as much as possible and if he was not limited by time, he would have called down the rest of his crew members who were still in space and even some of the Forty Thieves down to this planet to excavate the ruins.

    ?Unit #01, ready for jumping.?

    ?Unit #02 ready.?

    ?Unit #03 ready.?

    .

    .

    .

    ?Unit #20 ready?

    ?Very well. Unit #00, starting the deployment process.?

    In a formidable arrangement, twenty large units loomed silently in the shadows, their uniform appearance adding to their imposing presence. These were true giants of steel, each standing at over 5 meters in height.In terms of how big Mecha could become when Dark Matter was involved in the equation, they were nothing short of being dwarfs. However, they couldn''t obtain such high-tech Mecha that could seemingly easily reach hundreds of meters in height or even reach the height of a planet in some very rare cases in the case of Annihilation Type Mechas.

    But that did not matter in this case. When it came to actually fighting on the planetary level, then Mechas similar to the heights they held were considered very close to ideal type.

    They were extremely standard units that were rarely used by the pirates because each of the units would end up using a great deal of resources just to operate them for a few hours at most. If the rewards obtained did not make up for the usage of resources they would be incurring a loss¡ª something that was the bane of all pirates.

    The twenty Mechas were humanoid in form, with a faded green and black color scheme that allowed them to wield natural camouflage on most planets. While the humanoid form might seem useless and even unnecessary for many, this design had not been made without serious thought.

    The head segment of the Mecha units contained visual sensors, radar and computerized equipment for analysis in addition to other specialized sensors which gave a wider field of view to the user than their usual vision. There was also an option for 360 view with the usage of carefully implanted image processing machines throughout them.

    One of the most important parts of the Mecha was the arms. It came as no surprise that, unless one had special psychic powers, limbs such as hands with thumbs gave a great amount of dexterity and maneuverability.

    The maneuverable arms allowed the Mecha to carry hand-held weapons in addition to performing tasks requiring fine motor skills such as picking up objects or the general tasks that a humanoid hand would allow them to do.

    Vibroblades or electroblades were integrated into the arms for short-range combat. While the best option would be using laser-type weapons and energy-type weapons, it was sadly something outside of their means of procurement, unless, of course, they were one of the seven prime leaders among the Forty Thieves.

    All of the pirates in the assortment of Mechas and those on foot gazed at the Mecha in front of them.

    Unit #00. A black and yellow themed Mecha that was nearly three times taller than the ones they were operating.

    In a way, the Mecha they had could only be called something akin to a superior version of the power armor that they wielded above their body while what Omid was operating could be called a True Mecha in every sense of the word.

    With a towering height of 12 meters, the 6th Generation energy core was made from a mixture of gold metal and dark matter.

    The internal mechanisms of the body were covered in golden alloys and circuitry made of diluted gold for efficient conduction of dark energy. Additionally, it was equipped with a large laser spear on the back and energy blaster rifles all over the body. The legs featured a high-speed hover with a gravity-lowering function to improve speed and mobility.

    Finally and perhaps most importantly¡­

    A Pseudo Neuro Link connected to the user.

    Bulker Night Tornad type Mecha.

    Code Name: Scorched

    This was the titular Mecha that made Omid who he was today and why he was known as Omid of the Scorched Earth along the Sea of Stars. One of the most dangerous individuals in the galaxy.

    Sitting in the cockpit of his Mecha with his eyes closed, Omid bathed quietly in the rising excitement of his body.

    His power armor was connected to the interior and thanks to the Pseudo Neuro Link, he could command this Mecha with his thoughts alone without any hindrance or delay in action.

    He needed to be extremely focused to bring the right commands when necessary.

    This whole endeavor was very dangerous. A part of him, the cautious part of him, was telling him that he should give up on the attack and run with their tail tucked between their legs.

    Go back into space, give Morgiana to Cassim, sell Noah to some collections, and sell the coordinates of the planets to whatever noble family or commercial groups he could find for the maximum amount of profit he could muster from those activities.

    This was the surest way of staying alive and earning some form of profit. This was the best way to avoid all problems and ensure their survival.

    But¡­ Living such a life could be so boring and unsatisfying.

    No. That was not really the crux of the matter either.

    ¡®I want to become stronger.¡¯

    Why could Cassim reach such a high level and become the leader of the Forty Thieves?

    This was undoubtedly because of the ruins he had once explored in the past. After exploring those ruins, his rise to power had been nothing short of a miracle and a legend in the eyes of many among the Forty Thieves.

    Was Omid happy staying as he was? Did he truly wish to always be known as nothing more than one of the Forty Thieves? Having to flee every time a big name like Dorothy might be about to intervene? With nothing to his name, receiving orders from Cassim and always being on the edge between life and death with a ragtag group of pirates?

    No!

    He wanted more. Much, much more!

    He wanted to become a legend!

    To be known throughout the entire galaxy as one of the strongest and mightiest individuals out there, feared and respected not because he was part of a group but because of who he, himself was!

    He was Omid.

    Omid of the Scorched Earth.

    Today, he would write the first page of his legend in the annals of history.

    ?Everyone! Time to depart! Foot soldiers, prepare your hover devices! We will observe the entire zone and find the ruins.?

    His Mecha, Scorched seemed to answer to his own excitement. The head segment shone quietly and analyzed the terrain as the images were directly transmitted to his brain through the Neural Link.

    The whole world seemed to have opened to him as a large amount of information was poured into his mind. Thankfully, the layer of security from the pseudo-link protected him from being overwhelmed by too much information.

    Once in the past, Neural Link had been the norm for any and all soldiers. But they were quickly abolished because of how dangerous they had been and how low the number of true pilots that could survive out of operating through those Mechas.

    Whoosh!

    The hover engines blasted large quantities of heat on the earth as they all jumped one after another. This was the start of a new adventure. One that had the potential to tremendously change their entire lives.

    ***

    Meanwhile, standing in the main room of Omid¡¯s ship alongside ten crew members who were specially chosen to keep an eye on him at all times, Noah quietly observed the Mechas flying through the air and departing toward the habitable part of Alpha Centauri.

    This reminded him of many memories that he had forgotten through the years of his lonesome existence. Some of which had been buried in his mind even before he was stranded on this planet.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    After all, becoming a Mecha pilot had not been easy for him. Even more so when it came to the models used by the Thirteen Constellations.

    Those had been truly painful days. After all¡­ They were not initially only thirteen in number.

    ¡°Noah?¡±

    ¡ª Noah. Your expression.

    Noah touched his face slowly. He could feel the muscles being completely tight. He must have been completely expressionless for an instant there.

    ¡®Heheh. This won¡¯t do. A world without laughs is a boring world after all.¡¯

    Lifting the corner of his lips with his fingers, Noah chuckled and looked at the female cyclops alien standing beside him. He still did not remember her name even though he heard it not long ago. He clearly needed to work on his memory which currently disregarded any information that wasn¡¯t absolutely essential.

    ¡°Sorry. I was so surprised by those big giants! They look awesome.¡±

    ¡°Those are Mecha. Though they have different names across the galaxy. Many simply call them Space Knights or Knightframe.¡±

    ¡°Knightframe, huh? I like it. It sounds cool.¡±

    Noah laughed to himself.

    He liked Mechas.

    Even if they were usually associated with the worst and most painful memories in his life.

    ¡®Soon. Just a little more.¡¯

    He would soon be able to pilot his own Mecha or Knightframe as the woman called them. He just needed to do a little cleanup first.

    A slight golden light flashed in Noah''s blue eyes as he lowered his head.

    ¡®Are you ready?¡¯

    ¡ª Always have been.

    Truly, this was going to be a memorable day for them.

    ***

    The Knightframes landed on the ground, more softly than one would have expected with their heavy weight, outer countenance, and all. While not particularly the best at ground warfare, Knightframe all had a means of movement through any terrain that was good enough for them to not be completely useless. They were versatile, ready to be used in any terrain, but they also had their specialties¡ª a story for another time.

    ?What is the situation??

    With Omid being one step behind the rest, four pirates in power armor landed on the ground after he took the measuring equipment out of his Knightframe.

    One of the few ways to find the ruin rooted on a planet, housing the vestiges of the Old Empire, was to observe and calculate the repartition of the gravity on the surface through specific geological equipment.

    The gravity that affected a planet was never uniform. This held true for most planets and celestial bodies. Though the difference would not vary widely throughout the surface, only a variation of 0.7% between different places, some places could still go even further up the scale. Historically, a variation of more than 2% or more had been spotted on numerous planets, anomalies that often pointed to the existence of ruins.

    And such anomalies were what they were after right now, the motive of their search. Things would have been easier with a grand-scale planetary scanner but they had to make do with what they had on their clutches. It had never been easy for them and wanting it to be easy now wouldn¡¯t do squat.

    ¡°Scanners ready.¡±

    ¡°Camera Drones ready.¡±

    ¡°Metal Detectors ready.¡±

    ?Very well. Stay in formation. Try finding the lair of any Abyss beasts in the vicinity. This might also be an important clue.?

    Omid, seated in the cockpit of his Mecha, sighed quietly to himself as he fought the surging excitement trying to leak out of his face.

    Bringing his hands forward, two handles appeared and he grabbed them both simultaneously. While he could use his mental command to maneuver the hulking mass of metal, that action was very taxing for him. It had the prerequisite of pinpoint accurate and deep concentration, something that would only hinder his progress in the present moment, and for no reason to boot. He needed to have his A-game ready for when the big events started surfacing and straining himself now would only be foolish of him.

    ?Noah. You should be seeing what our cameras are recording on the screen right about now. Where exactly were you ambushed when you came for us with Morgiana in tow? Phaeia, allow him to give the command to pinpoint the location for us and guide us there.?

    ?I¡­ I think it was around here.?

    A red dot manifested on the 3D skeleton of the hazardous terrain, the scenes were manifesting and changing in real-time¡ª a boon of the geographical mapping equipment at their disposal. While they did not have access to an online database due to the large distance, the offline system linking them was more than enough for them to make up for it and the mapping equipment helped.

    ?Good. Four riders and ten foot soldiers heed my order. Proceed to the marked location and try your luck.?

    ?Yes, sir!?

    Once again, they were all advancing with efficiency and clear and concise orders. Slowly covering the map while leaving nothing unturned in their path toward the location marked.

    The crew members that were sent to the location Noah pointed out were slowly inching further and further away from their location, however, Omid was not too worried about them. Even if some abyss beasts somehow showed up to attack them, in the current scenario, they were more than armed and prepared enough to take them head-on and triumph.

    They were also holding the gold that Noah had provided them in their presence, cut into smaller pieces and distributed among the crew. While the existence of gold should be more or less present on this planet, the ruins had a gimmick that made them react when Dark Matter and Gold were placed in conjecture in the vicinity of their location.

    At the same time, Omid had a timer on his head for this mission. If the search ended without them finding anything in a set time¡­ they would leave this planet with Morgiana.

    As much as it pained him to accept defeat, he could not risk his life more than what he was already doing.

    ?Continue the search.?

    Slowly, they left the habitable part of the planet and a spike in temperature could be visibly observed almost immediately.

    Omid groaned ever so slightly in joy as the temperature in his cockpit rose to a degree uncomfortable for most. As a Frame that had been modified for him to operate, it obviously had the function of absorbing solar energy and sharing said energy with him to supplement his Djinn powers.

    The yellow streaks, flowing like rivers of molten magma, on his skin started to pulse and vibrate under his armor as if he were a beast being fed after a long, long time. Since there were literally three suns in this solar system, the effects were far better than anything he could have hoped anywhere else. Even though it was far inferior to the seven suns prevalent on his home planet, it was close enough.

    ¡®Good. I am feeling revitalized.¡¯

    Absorbing the energy of the sun in space was dangerous because of all the cosmic radiation that would rampage unobstructed. Even a Yellow Flame like him risked destroying himself while in prolonged contact with such radiation. But things were different when they were on a planet with its own magnetic field and an atmosphere to block and filter the cosmic radiation.

    ?Captain! We got a signal!?

    Omid snapped out of his reverie and pushed his Frame forward in strides, his heart once again bursting with excitement and anticipation.

    They had finally found the location of the ruins. When someone had all the elements, finding and opening the ruin was not a complicated issue in the least. What mattered was the string of events that would inevitably occur after they entered the ruins.

    The Frames as well as the foot soldiers all started running, excitement carrying their feet faster than what would have been possible. Or it was just a placebo effect, who knew really¡­

    ?Call back those who were sent out to find where Morgiana had been attacked. We need all hands here and now!?

    ?Yes sir!?

    The foot soldiers all aligned themselves and when Omid reached the place, his eyes immediately brightened when he witnessed that the energy necessary for the anti-gravity hover increased slightly but quite noticeably.

    ¡®This is it!¡¯

    ?Start the Operation!?

    Simultaneously, every single one of them started taking out the equipment they had prepared in advance for this operation, all with the goal of causing a resonance.

    At the same time, Omid, who was holding the largest piece of gold in his hand, started injecting his own energy into the golden metal.

    ¡®Please! Please! Please!¡¯

    Omid did not have to beg for long as soon, a new chain reaction manifested.

    Rumble!

    The earth started to shake and quake. Slowly at first but soon, the simple shaking changed into a literal earthquake. Cracks manifested and trailed the ground like branches of an ominous tree and all the pirates started hastily shifting their positions, afraid of being caught in the cracks and losing their lives.

    One of them was not fast enough and fell in a crack that seemed to have no end. No one bothered slowing down even as they heard the ear-piercing screams of their comrade in arms. All the Mechas jumped in the air simultaneously, as if on cue. The energy consumption necessary to fight gravity was astronomical but it was better than dying a dog¡¯s death. Not even Omid could complain about their conduct.

    The shaking lasted for quite a while as everyone fought for dear life. But finally it came to a stop.

    Long sinuous cracks could be seen everywhere their eyes could take in. Of the previous fifty pirates outside of Omid¡­ only forty-five remained, the others had fallen into the cracks, not to be seen ever again.

    However, no one mourned for the losses.

    All eyes were riveted on the gigantic and imposing gate that was hanging a few meters above the ground. It looked as if it was detached from reality itself and was casting a shadow on all of them, causing them to gulp in both awe, fear, and greed.

    The gate was more than 200 meters in height. Rather than a gate, it seemed more like a small mountain. There was no door at first but soon, a flicker sparkled and a white light filled the gate in its entirety.

    Omid couldn¡¯t stop himself from gulping.

    A Star Gate.

    This ruin was definitely not just a small ruin but something far more prominent. In his knowledge, normal ruins were nothing more than underground or aboveground structures, in the sky or even in the depth of the sea. Those may be dangerous but the danger they posed was minimal in retrospect. The rewards they brought were just as minimal as the dangers they posed.

    After this came ruins hidden in pocket dimensions and only by going through a Star Gate could one enter their depths¡ª location unknown.

    This kind of ruin was classified into ranks depending on the colors of the gate. Going from the red as the lowest to violet as the highest.

    The current Emperor of this galaxy was said to have reached his seat after conquering a blue-ranked gate. Just a rank below the highest violet deemed possible.

    ¡ª He had never heard of a White Gate. Just what kind of rewards could come out of this mythical structure?

    ?Captain! What do we do??

    Omid was trembling from head to toe. His brows were even sweating as his brain tried to work coherently in such an impossible situation.

    He was at a crossroads. This was without a doubt the most important decision he would take in his entire existence.

    Should he listen to reason and flee immediately?

    Or¡­

    Should he throw caution to the wind and give it a try?

    The answer to this question should have been evident from the get-go. The most reasonable choice was clear for all to see.

    But this was both the beauty and stupidity of living beings.

    Sometimes¡­ They didn¡¯t make the wisest choice at their disposal. Even when they knew they might eventually fall to their ruins.

    There will always be a little voice singing in their mind.

    Perhaps I am different.

    Perhaps I am better.

    Perhaps I am luckier.

    Like so, they would self-hypnotize themselves into making decisions they would normally never make.

    This was the power of Greed.

    For all his experience and cautiousness ¡ª Omid was not above greed. He was, after all, a pirate after all.

    ?Phaeia. Kill Noah. He is useless to us. As for you guys. Proceed with me. We are entering the ruins?

    And so, guided by greed¡­ Omid made the worst decision in his entire life.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª

    At the same time, far far away, in the space station above Oz, Dorothy, the Witch of Stars, stopped her endless walk and craned her head to the right.

    There¡­ a light so bright shone with such luminosity that it was hurting her eyes, causing her planetarium to crumble instantly.

    Thankfully, not before she was able to memorize the coordinates of the planet.

    When she came to herself, her eyes and nose were leaking blood.

    ?Dorothy!? What Happened!??

    Dorothy groaned as she fought a mighty headache. She felt like something was literally piercing through her brain and sloshing it in a blender.

    ¡°I do not know what happened but¡­ I think I found Morgiana¡¯s coordinates.¡±

    She also found the location of the golden constellation.

 CH 15: I am not a monster

    Mere moments before, Noah, alongside the other members of Omid¡¯s crew, had been keenly observing the careful and strategic advancement of the deployed team led by Omid himself.

    Noah had not been worried even when they had asked him to point to the location where the fabled battle between the Abyss Beast and his crew of Morgiana and him took place.

    Obviously, he had made sure to bring the Beast, chasing him as though its life depended on it, to mess up the surroundings far enough that it would leave a lasting mark and would be easily distinguishable before he had started on his plan.

    That was the reason why, after giving a few instructions that would lead the crew to the place of battle, he decided to finally do the task he was interested in the most¡ª getting as much information from his future targets as he was allowed.

    ¡°How are those big things able to fly like that?¡±

    He asked, like the ignorant barbaric kid that he was portraying to be, causing Phaeia and the others to frown ever so slightly. One of them even had their fingers twitch slightly as it reached for their weapons but they stopped when one of the pirates shook his head.

    It was easy to see that she was reaching the limit of her patience but Noah''s smile never wavered even as he noticed the clear irritation marring her already outlandish, alien face.

    ¡°A barbarian like you may not understand but there is matter in this world. Something that is normally invisible to our naked eye but when handled in a certain way it can be condensed and used to power ships and any other constructs that you may have the fortune to glance your ignorant eyes upon. I do not want to go into details as it¡¯s completely unnecessary. Now keep quiet and relay the directions as you should.¡±

    Noah shrugged and nodded his head. Though he was not able to hear exactly what he desired, it didn¡¯t matter to him in the end. He would just find another way to learn the details soon enough.

    ¡°Sorry.¡±

    He looked back at the screen and waited for the opportune time. They all waited for their respective times to arrive. Up until Omid finally found the entrance to the ruins.

    Rumble!

    When the rumbling and creaking finally stopped, all of them watched on, their eyes glued to the screen, as the gigantic gate lit up with splendid luminous incandescence and unfurled out in the atmosphere.

    ¡°This is¡­ This is impossible!¡±

    The Cyclops woman had practically attached her one eye to the screen when the stellar gate appeared before them.

    As a scientist whose goal had always been to explore the unknown, this new discovery would be enough for her to even be remembered for as long as the empire existed and perhaps even beyond, spreading to all the nearby galaxies.

    A white gate had never appeared or at the very least, had never been recorded to have appeared from the ruins of the Old Empire. This was a new discovery that had the power to stir even the Empire into action.

    ¡°We need to go in.¡±

    Phaeia had much less hang-ups than Omid. At this moment she could not think about how secure venturing into the unknown gate would be for them. She was willing to die if it was for science. The hunger for knowledge was what kept scientists like her going, oftentimes to their death¡­

    Noah also observed the gate with clear intrigue in his eyes. But more than the actual white light, what interested him more were the symbols engraved on the borders of the towering luminous gate.

    ¡°What are those?¡±

    ¡°Ancient and yet-to-be-deciphered language. We do not know what they mean. But we are slowly doing research into it, one day hoping to decipher it fully, unfurling the secrets they hold.¡±

    Phaeia was so entranced that she did not mind answering this question of the boy. Noah meanwhile had been as confused as he could be. Those symbols jogged his memories and he was sure of one thing.

    He knew those symbols. He in fact even learned some of the symbols once upon a time when he was still in the facility and undergoing training to become a constellation. It was a necessary measure as those very symbols were engraved in the Mecha they had been piloting at the time.

    What was it again?

    ¡®Sumerian?¡¯

    How was it possible? Why was a dead language from Earth somehow used by some super civilization that could rule the entire galaxy? Just what was going on here?

    If Noah in the past had only been mildly curious about the ruins and everything surrounding it, now he was starting to feel like something was afoot. His desire to explore the gate increased sharply and he desired to unfurl the secrets that lay within those gates.

    It was then¡ª

    ?Phaeia. Kill Noah. He is useless to us. As for you guys. Proceed with me. We are entering the ruins.?

    Omid¡¯s voice trickled out from the speaker, powerful and merciless in tone, like a death sentence. He had sent the death order with not a single shred of pity or any emotion in his voice. Like a grim reaper sentencing the dying to their demise.

    ¡°.... Ah.¡±

    Noah sighed quietly in the silence that followed and he could feel all eyes train on him. Some were looking at him with pity, others with a faint gloating in their eyes, there were even a few lecherous eyes that made Noah laugh to himself in his mind.

    See? I am so handsome, aren¡¯t I? My beauty transcends even the concept of race. Even aliens want to have a piece of me. Whew, my face is getting hot!

    ¡ª Is it really the moment for a joke?

    Nonsense. It¡¯s always the moment for a joke.

    Smiling brightly even amid endless desire was the trait of the one who could stand strong through anything and everything. Though of course, the current situation was not anywhere close to despairing for him. He knew they didn¡¯t though.

    ¡°Are you going to kill me?¡±

    Phaeia squinted as she observed the smile on the young man''s face. She turned on her heels and hastened her steps as she naturally gave the order to down him.

    ¡°Sorry boy, nothing personal.¡±

    The members who had clearly intended to do more than simply kill him seemed disappointed but they did not object to her orders. One of them took out a sword and approached Noah before putting the blade just a few inches away from his neck.

    It was not a Vibroblade, like the ones equipped by the members that had deployed downward. Obviously, those who stayed back were the weakest of the weak and had the least powerful equipment available to offer. Even so, the blade was sharp enough to cut simple flesh with no problem.

    ¡°So this was all a lie?¡±

    ¡°You should have¡­¡±

    ¡°Stop talking and kill him now.¡±

    ¡°Aye boss. You are taking away all the pleasure.¡±

    The man, in his power armor, did not fear any kind of retaliation. Simply lifting his blade, he grinned to himself, waiting for the moment when fear and despair would appear in the boy¡¯s eyes.

    Sadly, there was nothing but a sardonic laugh and deep disdain instead.

    ¡°Tsk! How boring. You fail even as simple entertainment. Out with you then.¡±

    He decided that it was a waste of time and continued the trajectory of his blade.

    Or at least he tried to¡­

    Whoosh!

    ¡®Huh¡­?¡¯

    Something was flying and it was not Noah¡¯s head. Slowly glancing down, the man looked at the stump of his arm, before witnessing the missing arm in Noah¡¯s own.

    ¡°Wha¡­?¡±

    He was not able to finish speaking or even properly register the information that his eyes were receiving clearly before his head was sent flying this time around. This too was done by his own blade.

    Truly a pitiful end.

    Bluish blood splashed and spattered the world, covering both Noah and a few of the crew members who were all stricken by fear as they watched the young boy half their size smile eerily as he licked the blue blood on his face.

    Had it been the elites specially trained by Omid, they might have immediately reacted, but these were nothing but low-class pirates who never had to fight someone who could actually retaliate properly.

    ¡ª You are wasting precious food!

    ¡®Don¡¯t worry. They are too weak. One more or one less doesn¡¯t really count for anything.¡¯

    He laughed to himself,

    ¡°Well¡­ Time to die I guess? Or should I say, time to dig in?¡±

    Thus, all hell broke loose.

    ***

    The faint echoes of running through metal and of hurried steps filled the hallways of the spaceship housing Omid¡¯s pirates. Someone was desperately running away from something, with all their might to boot.

    The sounds of the steps were buried by the blaring alarms that resounded all over the ship and the chaotic sounds of gunshots and small explosions brimming throughout the spaceship.

    The cacophony of sounds mixed together to create a symphony of death and chaos that rang against the ears of every crew member. It was a symphony that Phaeia did her best to ignore even as she ran for dear life, her eyes filled with horror as the image she witnessed continued to haunt her mind even now.

    This was not possible.

    This should not be possible.

    HOW WAS THIS EVEN POSSIBLE?

    Such thoughts echoed in the chambers of her chaotic mind but all were silenced by one simple reality. An instinct that was embedded in most living creatures existing throughout the galaxy.

    Survival.

    Her mind, brilliant as it was and her instincts, even as slow as they were, came to the same conclusion at the same time.

    Run!

    Flee!

    Leave the ship!

    Those were her only chances of survival in this chaotic scenario. Only by leaving as fast as her feet allowed her to move could she hope to not get brutally decimated by the monster that they had harbored into their ship.

    Ugh!

    Nausea filled her lungs, nose and throat, as the haunting memory replayed in her mind once more.

    Phaeia was a pirate. Though not a frontline soldier, she had witnessed many crimes, some of them which were too sickening to even describe. She thought she had built up enough resistance already but clearly, she had been wrong.

    They all had underestimated Noah, the fucking little boy. The wolf hiding in sheep¡¯s clothing.

    He was not some simple native with no power to retaliate against them. Nor was he a simpleton who didn¡¯t know left from right. No¡­ He was a monster.

    Purely and simply a monster out of one¡¯s worst nightmares.

    ?Gha!!!?

    ?Shoot him! Shoot him!?

    ?My face! Argh!!?

    More and more wretched cries and wailing shrieks filled her ears to the point that her brain started rattling from the sound alone. She wished to simply cut the communication line and silence everything but if she did that, she would be lost with no means of even knowing what was transpiring in the ship¡ª no matter how gruesome and despairing those developments may be for her.

    Could she even escape at this rate? The pirate group was being decimated as if they were a bunch of sheep sent to a wolf for the feast of the century. Her armor was not equipped with the ability for high jumps, there were no hoverboards around, nor were there a Mecha for her to maneuver.

    What could she even do?

    Her mind drifted to two options, hiding or trying to find a way to leave. Beating her enemy never even crossed her mind.

    She gritted her teeth. If she wanted to survive, she needed to do it. Changing her trajectory, Phaeia pivoted toward the location of the healing pods. She had to do her best to survive. She must survive, no matter what.

    ***

    Meanwhile, on the other end of the spaceship where the chaos converged the thickest, Noah¡¯s one-sided onslaught was slowly coming to a close. The chaos had turned the spaceship into the spitting image of horror, bathed in blood of all colors and of body parts known and unknown. The place gave off an appearance that could chill any seasoned warrior to their very bones.

    Limbs encased in armor and limbs without any coverings could be seen sprawled about everywhere in the multicolored grounds while pieces of organs and flesh coated the walls. The corpses of the pirates, some who still had their eyes opened in disbelief or perhaps agony, littered the ground alongside their blood and internal remains.

    In reality, calling this a fight was nothing but an overstatement; it was a pure and unadulterated massacre, the likes of which only made possible through overwhelming strength preying upon a petty group of weak individuals.

    Standing in the middle of this bloodbath, Noah was holding the neck of the last pirate with his right hand. Owing to the difference in their size, the pirate could not be lifted fully above the ground; but that small detail did not matter much as his neck was about to be crushed any second now while his eyes couldn¡¯t help but roll in his socket due to the lack of air to his lungs. He was about to die, that was as clear as day.

    ¡°Hum¡­ Their sensitivity to pain is similar to humans. The heart, brain and lack of blood are also fatal weaknesses to them it seems. Finally, they do seem to breathe as well. Is it a similarity to carbon-based life forms? Or simply because they are mammals? Are they even mammals? Hmm¡­ so many questions.¡±

    ¡°Please¡­¡±

    The pirate forced the words to leak out of his jaws despite the intense force tightening around his throat, preventing any air from going through. Noah however, had no care for his condition. His eyes shone with an eerie golden light as he continued to murmur the different points about their biology, the points he had noticed during his fight, causing even more despair to form over the twisted face of the alien pirate.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    During the short fight or the short massacre, whichever fit the context better, that transpired throughout these regions ¨C uncaring for the wounds he received ¨C the young-looking boy proceeded to methodically and surgically destroy each of them in the most varied ways possible.

    Pulling their skins, piercing their skulls, blowing a hole in their chests, cutting their limbs, crushing them to pieces. You just had to think of it and he had taken a shot at using any and all methods of cleaning up the pirates that went at him.

    Fighting him had been no better than having the first-row seat to the worst horror show in existence.

    But for the man, the most terrifying aspect of the whole matter was not simply the method with which he had whittled down their numbers. Nay, it was rather simple, yet more horrifying¡ª it was the look in his eyes.

    As a pirate, he had seen many crazy bastards. People who took a sick sadistic pleasure in seeing other people suffer and beg for their lives before slowly dying.

    Those people were rather normal in the Sea of Stars. As crazy as they may be, he was able to understand how their mind cracked and croaked. They were predictable to some extent that way¡­ It was a hunger for violence, a trait that many of his own crewmates shared.

    But this boy¡­

    ¡°Hum, you have something to say?¡±

    Noah released the hand that was tightened around his throat, allowing him to finally breathe.

    Up till this day, he had never realized how painful and precious being able to breathe could be. Droplets formed around the corner of his eyes as he kneeled down before slowly looking up.

    Through the blur of his tears, the smile on Noah¡¯s face seemed¡­ Almost devilish, inhumane, cruel, and emotionless¡­

    The same smile, the same gentle affable tone. But those eyes, those ice-cold orbs glancing at him, examining him, dissecting him like watching a corpse on the table, ready for him to dive in and get the secrets out of.

    There was no joy in torturing them. No happiness in beating them. No sadness over being betrayed by them.

    A smile that was not a smile. A smile that was nothing more than a copy of what should be a smile.

    It had taken him quite a while to understand, however, enough of the screams of pain from his companions had gone through his head and he belatedly realized one crucial fact about the boy before him, the perpetrator of this disaster¡­

    From the very beginning, Noah was not even looking at them as living beings.

    He was not even looking down on them.

    Perhaps in his eyes, they were nothing more than pebbles on the ground whose only worth was providing him with information or satiating his curiosity. Nothing more, nothing less.

    Now finally able to speak, the man asked feebly, his voice laced with despair and horror,

    ¡°What kind of monster are you?¡±

    What else could this being be other than a monster?

    ¡°How can you be so strong?¡±

    It did not make sense. None of what was happening made a lick of sense. He had seen powerful people in his life. Beings who could erase continents from the map in minutes or cosmic beasts who could swallow entire planets like they were having their afternoon meal. Entities, so powerful their mere names shook the galaxy as no one dared to cross them.

    But all those people had something in common. The usage of Dark Matter and equipped with an extremely powerful Frame.

    How could someone with nothing above the normal level of Dark Matter omnipresent in everyone¡¯s body could actually be so powerful?

    He waited, hoping against all hope that he would receive an answer from the apathetic being. At least one answer before meeting his demise.

    Sadly, what he heard was nothing like he expected.

    Smiling quietly, Noah caressed his head, like a man would pat the head of a pet.

    ¡°A monster huh¡­ Well, let me ask you too¡­ Why are you so weak?¡±

    ¡°Hah¡­¡±

    No more words escaped from him as the hand that was on his head clenched slightly, causing the upper part of his head to completely get crushed under the vice-like grip of the little boy.

    ¡°Oh¡­ He even has red blood, huh.¡±

    Noah stood up and looked at the pieces of skulls, blood, and brain matter splattered all over his hand like a concoction of nightmares.

    ¡°His brain seems to be relatively larger than normal humans, hmmm. Quite interesting.¡±

    He looked around, wanting to try a few more tests but stopped when he realized that no one else was moving around them anymore.

    ¡°Hum? Either my memory is playing me or there should have been one more person here, right?¡±

    ¡ª The Cyclops.

    ¡°Ah¡­ You are right.¡±

    He sighed and started grimacing as he looked at his clothes once more. The clothes were completely ruined by this point. Not only because of all the blood and flesh but also because of the various-sized holes that were the result of either guns or swords and other similar weapons deployed against him.

    Unsurprisingly, the clothes that had been offered to him gave little in terms of actual protection. Perhaps the legend that said the less armor covered, the more defense it gave was not only for women after all?

    Chuckling in his mind, Noah moved and rotated his shoulder ever so slightly.

    ¡°My regeneration speed increased slightly. Not only that, I have the feeling that all my senses are coming back alive, back to their previous state.¡±

    Noah grinned. Perhaps this was the feeling of fighting actual intelligent people? It was quite the experience.

    ¡°Anyway. I initially planned to end that woman first but I got distracted by my experiments. But I guess this is good enough.¡±

    He looked around at all the mutilated bodies surrounding him. The smile stretching his face became the slightest bit more genuine when it landed on the last pirate he had annihilated with his hands.

    ¡°A monster, huh¡­¡±

    Noah did not deny those words. Be it in mind or body, he had long since left the confines of what could be called human.

    He knew and understood that more than anyone else. But clearly, the words of the man had managed to upset him slightly.

    This was good. As contradictory as this may seem, this anger actually made him quite happy.

    ¡°I guess I am not completely a monster yet, then?¡±

    He whistled to himself and began piling the corpses close to each other, uncaring of whether they wore their armor or not.

    It wouldn¡¯t make a difference anyway.

    ¡°Phew¡­ Now I guess it¡¯s your turn.¡±

    ¡ª Finally!

    The right half of Noah¡¯s body wiggled ever so slightly. An inky black substance spread throughout his right sclera, dyeing it almost entirely in a dark black hue, leaving only his pupils with a deep shade of scarlet to contrast the black, before moving down to his right arm.

    The Dark substance continued to gather and wiggle until it finally transformed into a gigantic black claw with a mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth. This was soon followed by dozens of bloodshot crimson eyes opening one after another over the entire arm,looking around everywhere before all stopped and looked in the direction of the corpses.

    ¡°Bon app¨¦tit.¡±

    With that broken French accent, a gruesome feast started, bones, flesh, armor, weapons, and the like all devoured down to the last bit.

    Watching all this and ignoring the revolting sight of the dozen eyes moving around, the slurpings and gurgling sounds that were being produced, as corpses were being chewed up like nothing, Noah chuckled and scratched his head awkwardly with his left hand before shrugging.

    ¡°Yep. Definitely not a monster at all.¡±

    ***

    In the ship, growing ever so silent with each passing moment, a frantic Phaeia could be seen fidgeting on a pad as she desperately crunched numbers against a door and prayed for it to open faster than it could function.

    Orbs of crystalline tears leaked out of her only eye, fear brimming in the depths mirroring the feelings in her mind. She couldn¡¯t help it.

    When the sounds of fighting and the chaos ceased from the intercom, a different sound, far more horrifying than any battle cry, promptly leaked out¡ª the sounds of flesh, bones, and meat being chewed and swallowed. Those sounds were enough to even make her soul shiver in fear, despair, and absolute dread.

    Is it a cosmic beast?

    Cosmic beasts were beings with no particular civilization who scoured through the the Sea of Stars..

    Few deduced that they came from beyond the Dark Sea and possibly were residents of other universes, different from their own. However, the theory regarding the existence of parallel universes, mirroring their own, or the multiverse was deemed to be utterly ludicrous; so much so that Phaeia had no wishes nor time to entertain it.

    Some of those mythical beasts were so rare that only one existed in each generation, while others were so prolific that they were deemed as Solar system-level threats, going all the way up to Galaxy level as a rough estimate.

    The best example of these beings were the Parasites; deemed a galaxy-level threat and beyond, they had proven their danger scale when these ruthless monstrosities swallowed more than half of the Triangulum galaxy and even went as far as to erase countless solar systems in both the Andromeda and Milky Way galaxies. They were steadily spreading their influence, aims unknown.

    However, no matter from which angle she pursued this matter, Noah did not seem to be a Cosmic Beast. There was just no logical way for him to be one.

    [Password Correct]

    [Identity Verified]

    [Welcome Professor Phaeia]

    ¡°Damn!¡±

    Why were these damned machines taking so long to just give access?

    She couldn¡¯t help but utter a tame curse, completely ignoring the fact that she was responsible for all of these extensive protocols.

    Thankfully for her, even though the proceedings for accessing the room had been slower than a snail¡¯s slide, the monster¡ª Noah, still seemed to be busy devouring her fellow pirates and doing who knew what else.

    The thought was enough to send a shiver down her spine, goosebumps spreading, as she contended herself to be the very next possible candidate on the list of pirates that Noah would likely devour. She needed something, some leverage, some last straw so that Noah would let her go.

    However, not everything was set in stone. With a bit of luck, he might not even care about her and trudge on his merry way and leave the spaceship.

    Such thoughts swirled in her mind, a defense mechanism to calm her over-strained nerves and soothe her panicked mentality, as the door closed behind her. Finally entering the room, she marched hastily toward the healing pods.

    There, in the middle, the sole occupant of the healing pods at the moment registered in her eye.

    This¡­ this was her last option¡ª her only hope of getting out of this horrific situation alive.

    ***

    Sadly, Lady Luck didn¡¯t seem to be shining with grace today for her, her greatest nightmare was hot on her tail.

    Knock~ Knock~ Knock~

    ¡°Hello! Anyone here!? We have come for an inspection honorable madam, please open the door.¡±

    The thrumming knocks followed by that dreadful voice caused Phaeia to pale and almost lose strength in her legs. What made her dread the most wasn¡¯t the fact that Noah had caught up, no. In her mind, deep down in the depths, she knew that Noah would come for her, to rip her to shreds and devour her in one go.

    The most dreadful thing about this, odd as it may seem, was the sound of knocking that reverberated out of the door. The door was made from special materials and with a density so high that something like a mere knock should not have been possible to make; not unless you were battering it with a Mecha or another heavy construct of massive density.

    Using all her will to keep control of her nerves, Phaeia brought a quivering hand before a blue button to activate the screens that connected to the monitoring cams outside the door. The cam was installed to let her see the faces of the crew members who came to disturb her during her work. Depending on their importance, she often didn¡¯t permit entry.

    Now, she couldn¡¯t believe that she would be using the cam to survey the actions of her predator.

    The screen whirred to life, and the image of a Noah without a speck of blood on his body appeared for her to see. A smile hung on the boy¡¯s lips, so innocent and bright that it felt like a little boy who had seen his favorite buddy after a long time.

    What surprised her more than the smile was the detail that Noah looked obviously different right now.

    If before he had the appearance of a young kid, now he looked more akin to a boy in his mid-teens. Furthermore, the scale and amount of Dark Matter that the detectors were showing her was far higher than what she had first examined on him. The quantity had nearly doubled. The detail was enough for Phaeia to experience a sense of nausea. Having put two and two together already, she realized why the monstrous boy had grown, both in age and energy reserves.

    Focusing on the screen again, she could see Noah tilting his head curiously before immediately looking to his right, in the direction of the Camera. The monster had spotted the hidden camera already and was waving at it with a heavy smile on his face.

    ¡°Hellooo! Would you kindly open the door, please? I have someone I need to retrieve from that location. Oh, of course, you are free to refuse. It won¡¯t change anything no matter what you do so it doesn¡¯t really matter.¡±

    He rapped the door quietly with his knuckles and Phaeia focused on the massive dent that showed the door caving due to the force with which the boy had pushed it. Her mind whirred, remembering the wounds and the damage that was inflicted on Morgiana¡¯s armor, and immediately made the connection.

    ¡°You¡­ You were the one who made Morgiana unconscious, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Oh? I was caught? Teehee~ Sorry, it was just a prank.¡±

    ¡®Is this bastard schizophrenic or bipolar or something?¡¯

    Her mind couldn¡¯t comprehend his behavior. Someone who had murdered ten people in cold blood and then went on to devour them all in one go shouldn¡¯t have the mentality to act like this.

    At the same time, Phaeia lowered her head, her mind cooling down to a chill, as a humorless laugh leaked out of her mouth.

    Morgiana had been intentionally wounded by this being called Noah. Meaning, this whole fiasco, from the very moment he made contact with them to now, perhaps even before that, had been plotted to achieve this very scenario. Masterfully, the being had used its deceptive appearance and waited patiently to strike when the time was right. He probably knew from the very start that they had no intention of letting him live.

    From start to finish, they had been nothing but helpless puppets, dancing to the tunes of the puppeteer¡ª the monster fitted in the image of a boy. Having no knowledge of his schemes, playing by the strings he pulled with the blissful illusion that they¡¯d been the one in control.

    How insidious.

    How audacious.

    How loathful.

    Infiltrating the heart of the enemy grounds, waiting patiently for the right moment, and finally¡­ striking mercilessly when they lowered their guards by biting their ankles first.

    ¡°You¡­ You are truly a snake. A venomous snake.¡±

    For a flashing instant, Noah seemed surprised by her remark¡­ and the next moment, a genuine smile bloomed on the young teen''s face as he answered,

    ¡°You would not be able to understand but¡­ This is the best compliment you could have ever given me. Thank you and just for that, I will make sure you die painlessly.¡±

    Boom!

    An explosion, or something imitating the proceedings of one, occurred when the boy¡¯s hand once again struck against the thick metallic door; only this time, with far more power than ever.

    ¡°Your name is Phaeia, right? I always remember those who compliment me.¡±

    Boom!

    A second shock wave, and the door violently rang as though it had been a gong, clearly already reaching its very limits.

    Eyeing the screen with her sole eye, it was evident that his arm hadn¡¯t been spared as he struck the space construct of unknown metals and massive density. Fingers broken, hand bloodied, and even his arm seemed to be twisted crookedly as the monstrous being continued testing the limits of the door¡¯s endurance.

    However, even as his body mutilated and broke down, Phaeia couldn¡¯t see a speck of hesitation in the monster¡¯s eyes as the strikes continued¡­ A moment later, it became clear why¡­ his hands were regenerating so fast that she could visibly see his wounds close and the bones realign themselves.

    Phaeia knew her time on the land of the living was approaching its last seconds. And for that reason¡­

    ¡°Stop!¡±

    ¡°Hum?¡±

    ¡°If you enter, I will kill Morgiana.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    ¡°The healing pod she is inhabiting is loaded with an extremely powerful poison, corrosive in nature and capable of killing her in seconds. It was designed to eliminate traitors. I only need to push one button and Morgiana will become history.¡±

    ¡°Huh¡­? This is a pretty interesting development.¡±

    Boom!

    Noah grinned from ear to ear as his hand blurred and punched the door once more, causing cracks to finally stream down the door. Phaeia, meanwhile, had the feeling that she was about to go mad from fear and desperation.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you care about what happens to her!!?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I do actually. I will definitely be very saddened if Morgiana dies¡­ After all, it would be my fault that she did.¡±

    ¡°Then¡­¡±

    ¡°But. Do you even have the guts to kill her?¡±

    Boom!

    His laughter resounded the hallways and traveled through the screen like gongs signaling her execution.

    ¡°Kill her and I will have nothing else holding me back, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    The smile on his face, the one that never left throughout their short exchange, morphed into a dull visage of boredom and apathy. His voice dull, he said,

    ¡°Don''t bluff when you can¡¯t even afford to lose.¡±

    His bloodied and broken fists blurred one last time and¡­

    BOOM!!!

    The door caved in before shattering into a million pieces; the last barrier separating her from the monster now broken¡­

    Stepping slowly into the medical room, Noah rolled his shoulders as his bloodied hand mended itself back into place.

    ¡°Who the hell do you think I am, huh?¡±

    An eerie red light flashed in his right eye as he approached the helpless Phaeia. The first part of the chase was nearing its end.

    ***

    The reverberating sound of footsteps resounded in the desolate spaceship, as Noah entered the medical room, his flesh and bones still creaking and mending themselves anew, while he nonchalantly rearranging his fingers into the right position.

    His healing was powerful but it only healed his body, it didn¡¯t revert its body to the previous condition which was why a displaced bone would only lead to problems. However, even though it irritated him that he still had to fine-tune the small details himself, his healing had evolved further, making it swifter than his past, tinier self.

    I guess you weren¡¯t all talk after all.

    ¡ª What did you think? Well, not that it matters. What do you plan to do now?

    Kill her.

    ¡ª What about the other girl?

    Save her.

    Failure was not a word that had any place in his dictionary. However, that did not mean he would rush headfirst into any situation like a raging bull without any plan in mind.

    The one who was in charge of that role, Taurus, had already died long, long ago.

    In the current circumstance, it was nigh impossible to save Morgiana without endangering himself to some degree. Noah was already aware of their ability to send mental commands to the different devices and constructs they had for themselves here, and he did not have certainty of being fast enough to reach his target before they did something to her.

    Up till now, nothing they had used could deal with him, but Noah was not keen on testing the limits of their capabilities. He was not stupid enough to think that he was immortal and unkillable.

    There was no such thing as indestructible in this universe. There was no such thing as immortality either. Everything died one day.

    He had to come to terms with the reality that it was impossible for someone, anyone to save everyone. Some things were simply impossible and sometimes it was necessary to move in the most logical way to save the most amount of lives possible.

    Heh. I usually left all the planning to Minerva.

    Noah was smart enough to understand the situation but he utterly refused to do something as pitiful as bowing his head under the weight of reality. He wouldn¡¯t be where he was right now if he had such a mentality.

    ¡ª You have not changed at all it seems.

    This was the same man who had jumped into a literal fleet of enemies with only three more Mecha and led the last stand of humanity against the Parasites¡ª cosmic beasts of immeasurable power.

    I don¡¯t know about that.

    He chuckled and gazed at the female Cyclops who clearly had yet to accept her fate. Keeping his face expressionless, he nonchalantly approached the alien woman.

    People tended to judge others based on what they would have done themselves and the little information they had.

    For Phaeia, Noah was a cold-blooded monster who could kill anyone without batting an eye. Furthermore, from her perspective, there was no way she would actually do something as stupid as sacrificing herself to save someone.

    Due to that, she would not doubt his words and deduce that he was indeed uninterested in protecting Morgiana.

    It was important for him to instill that mentality in her mind before she was able to catch on. Only by doing so would she move as he desired and envisioned.

    He continued walking, endless thoughts whirring in his mind.

    Slowly.

    Menacingly.

    Without sparing a look at Morgiana, nor even Phaeia, simply looking around as if he was filled with curiosity.

    ¡°Whistle~ All this stuff is pretty incredible. How did you create all this? I am really curious.¡±

    3.

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    <ol start="2">

    <li> Come on.</li>

    </ol>

    ¡°...¡±

    0.

    ¡°I can help you with that! You need information, right!? I am the scientist in charge of the whole crew, I even have information about our hideouts and know some of Omid''s secret accounts as well. If we leave right now, I can teach you everything I know regarding Omid¡¯s organization and help you get an identity as a citizen as well.¡±

    Bingo

    Purposely, Noah stopped in his tracks, ensuring that a hesitant expression floated on his face as his demeanor shifted to one of musing.

    It was clear as day to him that Phaiea was now grasping at straws as her hostage tactic had gone up in flames. However, no matter how tempting her offer was¡­ he had to keep up his playful facade and make her teeter on the edge; he could not accept the offer easily, lest she might get suspicious.

    But at the same time¡­ The information she was proposing was truly mouth-watering. Almost too much. His plan was to rely on Morgiana and set foot in the wider universe before beelining it back to Earth. However, he didn¡¯t have a hundred percent guarantee that Morgiana wouldn¡¯t have any ill feelings at being punched and beaten into unconsciousness by his own hands.

    Even though he definitely did not punch her for fun, manipulating her for his own plans and machinations would definitely strike a sore chord in her psyche.

    Furthermore, information was perhaps one of the greatest powers a person could hope to wield. If he became dependent on a sole being for information then it was possible for him to be easily controlled and manipulated into doing their bidding no matter how smart and strong he was.

    At the end of the day, Noah had zero clue about the outside world, or rather the state of deep space. However, he didn¡¯t want to keep the pirate lady alive either. She was even more untrustworthy than Morgiana was by a large margin and might even lead him into a red hot trap.

    ¡®Hey, I remember that you could obtain the memories of those you killed and devoured or used as wombs, right?¡¯

    The prime ability of Parasites, one of the many reasons why their species were considered so dangerous and a pain in the ass to deal with during the war he had fought against them. Be it skills, memories, or anything that made up a human who he was, what made his identity¡­ a Parasite was capable of obtaining everything of the prey they devoured and assimilate it into their memory.

    ¡ª I do not know how sharing that information may affect you and your bodily functions. You might lose your sense of self if you are not careful. I do not simply obtain memories, I obtain everything, even their feelings, their hopes, their dreams, their desires¡­ I obtain their whole existence. Being part of a hive mind, it is natural for us, without any dangers. That was how we were made. However, for a human, it could easily break their minds¡­ we have already tested some subjects we had procured from your race, so I am positive about that.

    ¡®For a human, huh? I guess soon we will find out whether I am still a human or not. Who knows, right?¡¯

    He grinned and focused his senses on Phaeia,

    ¡°I am definitely interested in your proposal but¡­ what guarantees do I have you won¡¯t just backstab me? After all, I truly do not know much about you. You know what? If you want to survive, find a way for me to enslave you. Pretty simple, right?¡±

    His eyes roamed her body, flashing with lust and debauchery that only a seasoned rapist would be able to pull off. They were sickening, making Phaeia feel that he was licking her body from head to toe with that alone, causing her to shudder in disgust and horror; she had to will herself to not wretch¡­

    A sight she recognized¡ª this was how many men of the crew looked at her daily after all, thinking that she could not see them with her one eye alone, thinking that she could not make out what was going on in those trashy brains of theirs. It was obvious that for a barbarian and presumed cosmic beast like Noah, dealing with the opposite sex would be done in an even more oppressive way than anything she could imagine.

    She may not specialize in low-level civilization but she knew that in many such cases, the dominant gender would use and exploit the weaker ones, treating them as prizes or slaves.

    As ironic as it was¡­ The way Noah looked at her and his obvious desire for her body were the things that actually made her lower her guard somewhat. After all, why would he kill her before satisfying his bestial lust?

    Her hypothesis was further proved by his wish to enslave her. Noah had already proven that he was not stupid by any means. There was no way he would simply believe in her words. It was normal to wish to have some insurance in place before digging in for the prize.

    The thought that she might be defiled did not matter to her. She could survive, survival meant a chance of reversal. In fact, males were most vulnerable during coitus. Surely a hole in his head would kill him, right?

    Sigh!

    She almost slumped to the ground, her one eye closing as she sighed almost on reflex.

    A sigh of relief¡ª at the fact that she could survive

    A sigh of bitterness¡ª at the fact that she would have to give up on her pride and dignity as a woman.

    A sigh of helplessness¡ª at the fact that she had no other choice to ensure her survival.

    ¡­ It was also the last sigh of her life.

    Whoosh~!

    The sound of air being split and the warning of her armor were the only signs she received. But by the time she opened her eye¡­ it had already been too late for her to do anything.

    A long black arrow was already upon her and as she watched it, it pierced her eye, went through her brain, and came out of the other side of her cranium.

    Standing far away from her was Noah with a nonchalant look on his face and a long spear going from his right side to the end of the arrowed point that pierced Phaeia.

    ¡°It would be quite pitiful if a man with a face as perfect as mine had to force themselves on women to get laid.¡±

    Numerous spikes exploded from the haft that was buried in Phaeia''s head, completely blowing up her cranium and projecting blood and brain matter everywhere. In the end, her body slumped helplessly, dead as anyone could be.

    Seeing her dead, Noah sighed to himself, ¡°I promised you a swift death and I am a man of my word.¡±

    ¡ª Are you trying to act cool by talking to someone who is already dead?

    Noah couldn¡¯t help but cough in order to hide his reddening face. The voice in his head had nailed him with those words. He couldn¡¯t help but feel shame and embarrassment.

    ¡°Stop breaking my flow.¡±

    He scratched his head as he looked at the healing pods where Morgiana was being held. Now that he was paying attention, she was completely naked.

    ¡®Hum¡­ I still look better than her.¡¯

    Though the red marks streamlining throughout her body, pulsing with a dimmed light and drifting like a flowing river, intrigued him, he knew now wasn¡¯t the time for him to engross himself in that. He approached the control panel and immediately realized one glaring problem that he had ignored all this time.

    ¡°Ah¡­I don¡¯t know the language.¡±

    He remembered his adventure in the shower and hesitated a bit.

    ¡®Should I just push at random?¡¯

    ¡ª What if you push the button that is supposed to send poison?

    ¡®Ah¡­ This is indeed quite problematic.¡¯

    It would be quite ironic if he ended up killing Morgiana himself after going through all the chaotic acts and the massacre.

    His eyes went back to the headless body of Phaeia and his face paled as he started realizing something.

    ¡°Please¡­ Tell me you can get the memories even with brain matter all over.¡±

    ¡ª I guess you are not so perfect after all.

    They sighed and Noah groaned to himself, chiding himself like he was the greatest fool in the universe.

    The massacre on the spaceship had come to an end.

 CH 16: New swag

    Allowing the Parasite within him to devour the remains of Phaeia, Noah sat quietly on the ground; eyes trained on Morgiana¡¯s floating body. He was waiting for the Parasite to inform him if it could salvage the way to free her from Phaeia¡¯s memories.

    Eyes distant and glazed over, he examined the new biomass and the metallic components of the armor he had recently devoured thanks to the Parasite within him.

    His absentmindedness was a condition that occurred whenever he had an excess of food through the usage of his devouring ability. More often than not, his mind would shut down to focus all of its power on digesting the food. It was the prime reason why he would sometimes find himself in the stomach of some beasts who found him on the way.

    Obviously, after blasting his way out, the tables would turn, and he would be the one preying on the beasts and eating them whole.

    Eat or be eaten.

    A philosophy, a law that he had to abide by for so long to live on this barbaric planet. The time that went by following this law had made his time on Earth feel like a short blip in the endless passage of time.

    ¡°How long do you think I have been on this planet now?¡±

    ¡ª I do not know nor do I have an idea. My perception of time is tied to yours as you already know.

    ¡°Hum¡­¡±

    Noah hummed quietly to himself, bones cracking, hair growing, and his body changing and adjusting as he digested the power and energy he received from the female cyclops¡¯ body.

    ¡°Okay. Now I am sure, simple food is not enough for me to grow. I need what these people call Dark Matter to advance.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t like this was a discovery, but it was nice to finally have some confirmation of the theories he had weaved.

    The more Dark Matter he devoured, the stronger he would become. It was pretty simple.

    ¡°Parasites are truly a cheat existence, aren¡¯t they?¡±

    ¡ª No, that¡¯s not how it works. If it was that easy, we would have been the Overlords of the universe. When we devour someone, it¡¯s not an instantaneous boost in power for us. We merely obtain memories and skills, the existence of the person we have devoured. Then the next generation born becomes even more perfect by using the memories and skills as well as some of the energy obtained from the devouring.

    Parasites were dangerous entities precisely because they did not simply attack by rushing to their prey. A queen could continuously give birth to more and more perfect children the more she devoured beings. Those children would have progressively higher degrees of skills, intelligence and understanding¡ª up to the point where one could even say that the inhabitants that they would prey upon wouldn¡¯t just be fighting parasites but a superior version of their race.

    ¡ª But you are different from us. Your innate power allows you to Adapt and forcibly evolve yourself. It may take time, but you have no need for multiple generations.

    Heh, so you are implying we are the perfect team, are you?

    One brought his evolution through Adaptation.

    The second brought the evolution of others through Predation.

    When alone, each skill took a very long amount of time, but together, Predation could increase the speed of Adaptation tremendously and lead to unexpected changes in the host.

    Noah laughed, ¡°How many times did we have this discussion?¡±

    ¡ª Exactly 777 times. It¡¯s a good number, I believe.

    ¡°Oh, yeah¡­ A lucky number.¡±

    When you had one voice in your head and all you could do was eat and live alone, even being eaten became boring and stopped being novel enough to occupy your mind.

    Repeating the same discussion again and again was nothing particularly weird for the duo. Another coping mechanism for Noah and a pastime for the Parasite. The repetitive talks always occurred between his episodes of blackout or general times when his mental fortitude wavered due to a sudden change or the accumulating burden of his loneliness.

    ¡°I am tired. I want to eat some hot food. I want to sleep on a real bed.¡±

    Wallowing in depression, he couldn¡¯t help but hate these vulnerable moments. Moments when the walls protecting his mind weakened so much that it showed the man within. A pitiful and lonely existence with no one to a call friend and nowhere to go.

    ¡ª But, you had fun, right?If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    Hearing the voice, Noah smiled, ¡°Yeah. Fighting was fun. It has been such a long time since my heart pumped with so much excitement.¡±

    Sighing, Noah could feel the energy returning to his body and strengthening every aspect of his existence. His sight became clearer than ever before, making the world far more vibrant and noticeable than he could ever give it credit for. His processing of the newly obtained energy had finally come to a close.

    ¡°Now how do I use this¡­ thing, called Dark Matter?¡±

    ¡ª I do not know.

    ¡°How much do we need before we can open that?¡±

    ¡ª Not much more, fortunately. We are approaching the threshold. I¡¯d say we are very close to our goals. Furthermore, I have a surprise for you. I finished studying the structure of the armor I devoured as well as the information contained in the memories of the scientist girl.

    Say what now?

    Tilting his head in confusion, Noah couldn¡¯t help but retort inwardly. However, abruptly, he could feel the dark billowing substance that the voices in his head were composed of stir within him and leak out of all the pores in his body.

    The change brought a curious stare from Noah, not a shred of fear could be seen on his face at the abrupt change. In the past, the Parasite was only able to manifest fully on his right side, and the full manifestation occurred in only a finger-sized space at most. Internal manifestation was a different matter altogether though, and the Parasite helped mostly by spreading through his internal organs and reinforcing them with its ominous substance. This had helped him from being bisected into two parts during his early days on this planet.

    Even the shifting spear of ominous dark energy was a technique that he could hardly use in the past¡ª becoming far easier to handle now that he had excavated all that energy from the pirate crew¡¯s corpses.

    ¡°Not gonna lie, this looks both dope and disgusting as fuck.¡±

    He commented in a nonchalant tone as his entire body was covered by the undulating substance, like the waves of an ever-shifting ocean, from head to toe. He couldn¡¯t continue on his trail of thoughts for long as the texture of the armor abruptly changed and hardened.

    Rather than simply being organic, he could feel a texture that was closer to metallic, like hardened titanium, encasing his whole body.

    Click!

    Something seemed to click in his mind as the amount of information he could receive from the Parasite and the world surrounding them increased astronomically. Be it the temperature, the structure of the room, the air quality, and even the microscopic details of the atmosphere¡­ he could see them all, feel them all, and process them within his enhanced mind.

    Everything felt new.

    Everything felt different.

    He felt stronger, faster, and just¡­ better.

    Like a heavily upgraded version of himself.

    ¡°What the¡­¡±

    Looking at himself, Noah quietly marveled at his newest form. Arms covered in black and gold-tinged arm guards, body covered in an armor of ominous black and shifting gold, he looked like the overlord of a galactic empire. The Evil kind. He could even feel a hooded cloak and he pushed it back to reveal his face.

    Finally, he couldn¡¯t help but caress his face and feel the rough bumps of the mask.

    ¡°Holy¡­¡±

    Standing up, Noah continued to admire himself before looking at his surroundings, eyes finally landing on a giant black screen.

    The surface was not particularly smooth but it was more than enough for him to look at himself and marvel at his new appearance.

    What he was wearing now seemed to be very close in design to the power armor he had seen everyone wearing among the pirates of Omid¡¯s crew.

    Noah did a small twirl as he inspected his butt and chuckled to himself. At least this one was not as suspicious as the clothes he was offered not long ago.

    ¡ª What do you think?

    ¡°I must say¡­ While it¡¯s a shame I cannot grace people with my majestic appearance in this suit. But¡­ Damn, I look badass in this getup.¡±

    He had to fight the urge to squeal like a fanboy. If he had to be honest, while he did not mind freezing his ass in the snow, he had been quite envious of the armor he had seen everyone wearing around these parts. He wanted some of his own and now he hadsome.

    ¡°I did not know you could do something like that.¡±

    ¡ª Honestly, I did not know myself. I guess you are not the only one who has changed due to our trips to that place.

    Noah shuddered slightly. Even someone as battle-hardened as him could not help but cringe and shrink due to the phantom pain of the time when he remembered exactly where he first was after entering the wormhole back then.

    That place was the reason for their fusion.

    It was also most likely the reason for the change in Noah¡¯s ability to adapt to almost anything and everything.

    The Parasite Queen had not been spared from the changes either.

    He shook his head and stopped looking at himself on the opaque surface. All excitement had vanished and he remembered that he did not exactly have the time to dawdle in this place.

    Looking down at the controller, all the letters appeared in his vision but close to them was now a translation of their inherent meanings. In words that he could understand, of course.

    ¡°Neat. So you are using her memories?¡±

    ¡ª Yes, but it will take a few more days to go through all her memories so I focused on the languages first.

    He nodded and looked at Morgiana''s pod before he used his fingers and wrote some words in the language she would be able to read.

    In the end, he planned to go explore the ruin and he could not afford to have a liability close to him.

    He didn¡¯t know how strong Morgiana could be even if she used her combat mode but he did not care.

    Once the memories of that scientist were processed, he wouldn¡¯t need her either.

    It was better to let her sleep here while he went and took care of Omid for her and got them out of this shithole.

    The message he was leaving was just in case rescue came for her. It would be quite sad if they tried to free her only for the poison to spread and kill her from the inside, right?

    ¡°Very well. Let¡¯s go now. I need to eat the core of those Mchas.¡±

    Soon, one of the very first goals he gave himself since coming to this planet would be completed and for that¡ª he would have to go on a second hunt.

    This one would be far more thrilling.

 CH 17: Even smart people make mistake

    Footsteps echoed in a silent tune as Noah walked alongside the hull of the ship, observing the infrastructure and mechanisms of the spaceship.

    Shock colored his eyes, surprised by the fact that the spaceship could operate despite the severe lack of crew members necessary to man this ship. The fact that they were still flying in the air, and not crashing straight down, even with everyone dead or in the ruins was proof of the craftsmanship and self-maintaining mechanisms built into the ship¡ª truly a work of art like no other.

    ¡®And these are just the ships of some pirates who are constantly on the run. I wonder what the galaxy looks like.¡¯

    ¡ª We will soon have as much information as necessary though I doubt we can use much of the information coming from a mere pirate.

    ¡®Heh, you will be wrong there, partner. Honestly, to have a clear understanding of the region, few people are better than the active criminals of that location. After all, they need an even deeper understanding to not get caught by the forces while on the run. ¡¯

    Of course, that severely depended upon the premise that the criminal was one of the bigshots of the criminal world, wanted throughout the region with an infamy befitting his name, rather than being small-time crooks that could be found literally everywhere and would thus be on constant pursuit for their lives.

    But clearly, the Forty Thieves could be¡­

    ¡®Wait¡­. Morgiana talked about a bounty on their heads, right?¡¯

    ¡ª ...

    Sigh!

    Noah had the urge to punch himself in the face, realizing that he had lost valuable funds by devouring those pirates like a good dinner.

    However, he soon gathered his thoughts. There was no need to have such a mindset. He was about to get rich anyway, getting the rights on this planet would ensure him of that; plus there were more pirates to kill out there¡ª pirates that would surely have a bigger bounty than the small fishes he devoured.

    And he also had another contingency, Omid¡¯s head. Surely, he would bring much more rewards than anyone in this place, right?

    ¡ª Are you not worried about making enemies with the band of pirates?

    That would really be a huge pain in the ass. They could somehow attack Earth to take their revenge on me and we can¡¯t have that now, could we?

    He tilted his head when he finally arrived at what could be called the garage of this spaceship before snapping his finger, acting as though he had struck a jackpot.

    ¡°I guess this means I just have to eradicate their whole organization, right?¡±

    While having no enemy was without a doubt the best possible outcome, having all your enemies dead and buried was without a doubt a very close second on the list.

    Furthermore, Noah had no intention to hide himself like a coward. That was just not his style. He wanted the world to know his name, sing his glory, and marvel at his mere presence.

    Desire leaked out of his mind, the desire to become renowned throughout the universe and alongside him¡­ The name of the glorious thirteen constellations would also be known.

    ¡®Heh, who knows? Perhaps the others are already known?¡¯

    During Project Ark, a few of the constellations had been chosen to helm the ship that would travel the galaxy in search of their new home.

    He did not know what happened to them but he knew his friends. They would never die without leaving a big splash on the radar. Perhaps they even created a new civilization on another planet and became known throughout the galaxy. Anything was possible for that crew.

    ¡ª You seem to have rekindled some hope.

    ¡®Without hope, I would have gone crazy long ago.¡¯

    ¡ª Even more crazy you mean?

    ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk. This is why I can¡¯t discuss things with you. How can anyone see me and think that I am crazy?¡±

    Shaking his head in disappointment of the ignorant bunch of people who knew nothing about his glorious self, he started fiddling around the garage space.

    The garage was huge and from the traces he saw, as well as the few pictures hanging around, it was used to house the large group of Mecha that had deployed not long ago.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t know they made Mecha this small nowadays.¡±

    He hadn¡¯t been able to really notice it when it was on the camera video but here, looking at the different containers, he could get a better understanding of how tall they were and he was pretty unimpressed by their relative size.

    In his memories, even the smallest Mecha was in the 10-meter range and those were rare cases. Most boasted a size that was far more impactful and had a towering presence.

    Most Mecha could not be controlled by one person as they worked on the principle of Full Neuronal Link and the Dive System. They were generally manned by groups of five specially trained soldiers so that they could share the strain and the pain that would follow the integration of man and machine.

    This was one of the reasons why the constellations were special cases. After all, they were part of the very few who could control a Mecha without any assistance. This gave birth to faster response times and more fluidity in combat.

    Finally, only the Constellations could use the Dive system without having their mind fried instantly or howling in severe pain. Their mental resilience was on another level.

    ¡®Heh. Good times.¡¯

    ¡ª Humans are truly as barbaric as they come.

    ¡°True. But such sacrifices were necessary for our survival. If it was not us, it would have been someone else. The whole sacrificing a few for the many.¡±

    ¡ª I cannot comprehend such a concept. We are everyone. We are all part of the Great Mind. We do not sacrifice the few for the many or the many for the few. That is the ideal society.

    Noah scratched his head by reflex, though all this did was scratch his metal-plated helmet, ¡°We already had a discussion about this. I am not some grand philosopher or societal researcher, I just know that I refuse to have my awesome self be absorbed and part of some great whole. I am me. I am the best. I am Noah. Nothing more, nothing less.¡±

    ¡ªBut¡­ Are you really still Noah?

    Noah did not answer and finally managed to open the garage door like he had seen them doing so initially. He would have to jump after¡­

    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯

    It was only after the door opened wide and the wind started rushing at full speed, thereby making him lose his footing and sucking him toward the exterior that Noah remembered that ¡ª

    One, he was at a high altitude.

    Two¡­ He had no such thing as a hover or anything to slow down his fall.

    ¡°Fuuucckk!!!¡±

    ***

    Plummeting helplessly toward the ground, swayed by the whims of the wind, Noah cursed inwardly as he fell down from the spaceship-like a shooting star.

    He hated this feeling, falling from grand heights to surefire death. Experience had taught him a painful lesson as he discovered that fighting against gravity was never a battle that should be fought without the right equipment in place.

    The pain of his whole body breaking down into pieces, pain of the broken bones poking through his organ, skin, flesh and blood, pain of losing all of his senses as his brain and cranium turned into mush but still having conscience as the body repaired itself¡ª an endless cacophony of pain, misery, suffering and insanity awaited at the end of this flight. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    The very worst part of the experience¡ª the healing, ironic as it may sound. What would save him from a fall of this height¡­ would inflict him the most pain. If he didn¡¯t have to heal, it would have been a painless death, now, a living nightmare.

    Due to the internal movements of the healing, his organs would tear, reforming again and again and again, all to heal everything to top shape. All the bones in his body would regenerate, rearranging in impossible angles as everything would be a mess. He would have to personally tear himself apart and set everything in line to fully heal to a human shape. The healing would give him more pain than he could imagine, yet he had to endure.

    It would be an excruciating event for him, even as he already had experienced similar things in the past.

    Well¡­ He didn¡¯t have much of a say¡­ So, suffer he would, unless he found some way to break or cushion his fall, either by learning how to fly or slowing down the fall by some miraculous means. He turned to his partner.

    Can you create some kind of wings, a jet pack, or anything that can slow down my fall?

    ¡ª Negative. Either way, with terminal velocity fast approaching, you will only fall at a speed of approximately 250 kilometers per hour or 70 meters per second. You will not die either way.

    I know I won¡¯t die, damn it! Doesn¡¯t mean it makes me feel any better.

    The fall should last approximately 20 seconds by his calculations; he had a different way of doing things, but this was also a good occasion to test how far his regenerative abilities had increased and how much punishment this so-called armor of his would allow him to take.

    ¡ªYou are indeed very optimistic about this situation. If you had devoured the core of the ship, things would have been far different I can guarantee you that.

    I have a conscience, you know? I don¡¯t think eating the motor of a ship would let it end well. Morgiana is still there.

    ¡ª Because you let her be there. You could have easily woken her up and gotten her out of that place, with you¡­

    Did this for her own good, right? Otherwise, it would be too dangerous for her to survive and I wasn¡¯t about to babysit her.

    Noah was not totally emotionless, and he certainly did not treat righteous people like he was out for their blood.

    If the situation did not demand his haste and if he trusted Morgiana enough, enough to count on her to have his back, he might have proceeded with another plan.

    Sadly, however, things were not meant to travel that route. She was far too weak, by his standards, and due to her current state, he could not trust his back to her. They had not crossed that bridge yet.

    Sighing, he looked below; the ground was approaching fast, and he was barreling straight for it like a fallen meteor. He was only a few seconds short, he did not plan on doing much even though he could have perhaps created a construct to help slow himself down. Why would he? Nothing would dampen the pain anyway. Better concentrate elsewhere.

    Boom!!!

    A deafening echo shook the heaven and earth as a literal explosion took place on the spot Noah crash landed, hollowing the ground in a crater-shaped hole ¡­ His weight, accompanied by the speed and momentum was enough to tear through any material this planet could throw at him and the result was there for everyone to see¡­

    Getting up from the ground, Noah coughed again and again, almost coughing his lungs out. He could feel his whole body rattling, and his muscles going numb from time to time, there was even a faint feeling of iron in his throat as if his blood had crawled its way up to his throat¡­

    Even so,

    ¡°Ohhh¡­! I didn¡¯t die??¡±

    ¡ª What did I say?

    He was starting to fall in love with his new set of armor. Ideas, immeasurable and inconceivable, began springing up in the depths of his mind¡ª ideas envisioning the limits of what he would be able to achieve with his armor and how far he could progress with this concept.

    Certainly, his childhood had not been the happiest; but there was one movie, one particular comic hero from the Previous Era that came to his mind when it came to the armor he was wearing.

    As they shared thoughts, the Parasite was able to answer quickly.

    ¡ª That is currently impossible for me. But I might be able to conjure something similar when we devour more knowledge and far more core pieces.

    ¡°Well, we are about to reach a self-serving buffet pretty soon.¡±

    He looked around and estimated his distance from the gate. Thankfully, even though he fell from quite a high altitude, the deviation had not been particularly big.

    All he had to do now was run. . . .

    The drifting journey to his destination was pretty uneventful, all things considered.

    He thought he would have met some Abyss Beasts along the way, or whatever they called those monstrous entities, but surprisingly, there were no such incidents; not even a single presence of those titanic beasts.

    It was as if all of them had vanished or decided to hide themselves in their nests to avoid any possible trouble.

    The thing they were fleeing from was the gate itself.

    ¡°Birds die for food and humans die for wealth. Can¡¯t say there¡¯s a saying more fitting for this situation.¡±

    Noah muttered as he finally reached the colossal Star Gate looming in the air, floating in all its incandescent radiance.

    The full majesty of the construct could not be conveyed from a screen alone. As he stood in front of it now, Noah couldn¡¯t help but wonder just what kind of guts Omid had in him to even dare entering such an ominous place.

    However, he did not insult the man for what he did. Greed was an inherent instinct that no human was truly above and Noah did not feel himself worthy nor did he have the hypocrisy to deny his own greed. Perhaps if he was in Omid¡¯s place, he would have also chosen to risk his life.

    ¡ª Noah¡­

    ¡°I know. This place is very dangerous.¡±

    Noah was much more decisive than Omid. He did not hesitate in the slightest and did not let his vision be clouded by the greed he instinctively felt.

    This place was far more dangerous than anything anyone could give it credit for.

    Even someone as prideful and confident as he could freely admit the fact without an ounce of shame or tittering.

    Honestly. I don¡¯t even want to enter this place.

    The existence of the Star Gate was of no consequence to him for the time being.

    All he had to do was wait here, kill Omid, and then register the planet in his name, maybe have Morgiana help him with that and rekindle their sketchy relationship. The existence of the gate would make the planet worth far more than anything he could imagine.

    If Omid did not come out then, while it would be disappointing, it wasn¡¯t particularly problematic for him either. Omid was far from being the only space pirate out there. He could slowly hunt down the other members of their organization and get what he needed from their decapitated heads.

    Sadly, this isn¡¯t it.

    He sighed and focused on the symbols that were on the border of the gate.

    Now that he was closer and could see for himself, this was unmistakable Sumerian, a dead language from Earth.

    In a moment like this, I wish I had a photographic memory or at least some type of technique that would allow me to browse my past experiences.

    It was a shame but he did not dwell further on it. A photographic memory might have pushed him to suicide much more often if he had possessed it, so there was no reason to complain.

    But even so, it was frustrating for a language he knew once in the past to now only be nothing but a faint smudge in a vast ocean.

    Thankfully, all hopes were not lost. While he could not completely read the whole sentences, some words were easy to recognize such as ¡®Stars,¡¯ ¡®Observe,¡¯ and ¡®Destiny.¡¯

    How mysterious.

    His curiosity was piqued. An event that he had to experience for himself, he had to observe what was truly happening. He needed to learn the reason why such a thing was possible.

    In the first place, how was this even possible?

    A faint possibility pulsed in the back of his mind, but he rejected it.

    He couldn''t have lived alone on this planet that long. No matter how his perspective of time was affected or not.

    ¡ª What if we stayed much longer than we thought in that place?

    ¡°That place?¡±

    He mused. However, he was not sure.

    Noah sighed. There were so many things he did not know and it was starting to irritate him.

    He did not know what that place was nor where it was exactly. Only that he had a faint connection to that location and he needed to get something that belonged to him from there.

    He was not an expert in the field of science and technology, but he did know that he had entered a wormhole or something similar when he had last fought against the Queen.

    There were so many theories in his world about where and when a wormhole could lead you that it was mind-numbing.

    But if Noah followed any of those theories then¡­

    Either he was currently much further in the future than he would have anticipated, or he was not even in his home dimension in the first place.

    Both possibilities were equally terrifying for him.

    ¡°Only one way to find out.¡±

    He started advancing, his destination¡­ the Star Gate looming like a gate to hell. His mind was made and there was no point in wavering any longer.

    Sometimes ignorance was bliss and knowledge was a curse.

    But Noah would rather live a cursed life filled with wisdom than a blissfully ignorant life. Only through knowledge and awareness could one grasp their own destiny and even go beyond it to reach the heavens.

    ¡ª You might die.

    Heh. I doubt it.

    He snickered.

    He knew very well that he may die at this gate. Everything was possible when chasing after the unknown.

    But he did not fear his eventual and very much possible demise. Perhaps¡­ He even felt anticipation toward such eventuality.

    However, he would not surrender to death. Not now when the light of hope was finally gracing him with its incandescent shine. And that light came from the Star Gate in front of him. He could feel it.

    ¡°I am quite the tenacious man, you know?¡±

    Failure was not an option.

    Death was not a consideration.

    He would win.

    He would succeed.

    Because he was Noah.

    Nothing more, nothing less.

    And so, Noah continued to self-hypnotize himself as he stepped into the gate. His thoughts were light, but his steps were heavy. This would undoubtedly be the first step toward him seizing back control of his glorious destiny.

 CH 18: Letéˆ¥æªš have a talk

    The moment Noah passed through the gate, a feeling that he recognized deeply assailed him, giving him the impression that he was slowly being squeezed from all sides and then stretched out.

    It was an odd feeling, to say the least. But it was also a familiar feeling, something very close to what he felt when he entered and exited the wormhole.

    This was extremely mind-boggling, and he had a slight urge to barf as he appeared finally on the other side.

    He was not even given the chance to breathe in when his sense of danger tingled.

    Stepping quickly aside, Noah could feel a sharp wind caused by a blade moving past him.

    ¡°What¡­¡±

    He did not let the one who attacked him a moment to breathe as he proceeded to lightly punch the chest plate.

    Whoosh!

    This was enough for the man to sail through the air before landing heavily.

    Noah, though, did not care about this man. He looked around; his eyes moved quickly as he observed all the enemies in the surroundings.

    ¡°Four¡­¡±

    Even though one of them had been beaten quite easily, the other four did not show much of a reaction, they did not even change their formation, quietly encircling him and making sure that he could not escape no matter what happened.

    ¡°You guys are different.¡±

    He could immediately see the difference between these guys and the ones who had been left on the ship. They were on a completely different level, be it skills, strength and equipment.

    ¡°Who are you?¡±

    They all leveled their rifles at him, ready to fire at the slightest twitch. He was briefly surprised about them not remembering him, then he remembered that he was far taller now than he was initially and he also had armor completely covering his features.

    There was no way these pirates would associate him with the same young kid they completely disregarded for a few moments.

    ¡°You knowing who I am won¡¯t change anything. I guess Omid decided to leave you guys because you were too weak?¡±

    A few of them twitched, which prompted Noah to shrug, ¡°Did I strike a nerve? It seems like whatever happened, you guys are the weak link. The ones who were cast out.¡±

    ¡°He is just messing with us. Don¡¯t listen to him. Fire!¡±

    Tsk~ I hate fighting people who are not swayed by emotion.

    He immediately ducked down, but he was not completely able to dodge the bullet to his shoulder.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    Shit! That one hurt!

    He cursed as he felt the bullet spinning in his armor and sending a relatively weak lightning current through the cracks. Thankfully, the Queen was indeed not the kind to bluff, and the armor managed to easily withstand the attack before swallowing the bullet itself.

    Crunch!

    The sound of something being eaten was not pleasant in the slightest, and neither was the appearance of the mouth that appeared where the bullet hit was frightening, to say the least.

    The pirates were confused. They did expect Noah to avoid this charge and they even had a plan ensured for this case. But what they saw was completely outside of their expectation.

    They had indeed been put there as sentinels, but where Noah was wrong was that they were not sent by Omid but decided to stay in this place on their own because they did not plan to proceed further.

    This place seemed clearly too dangerous to continue for some unknown rewards that would most likely go to Omid.

    The others followed as well, but this did not matter to the five of them. Better be alive and well if you wish to receive something.

    Once they realized that there was not much they could do, all of them, even the one who had been blasted away a few moments ago, attacked him in unison.

    Interesting but¡­

    ¡°I only need two of you guys alive.¡±

    He had no more time to waste with these scrubs. No matter how skilled they were compared to those he killed previously, they were still not worthy of being in his sight.

    He could have easily ended them one after another, but he suddenly thought of the new possibility he could have with this armor, and he smiled behind his helmet.

    Two long flexible whip-like blades came out of his hands as he simply twirled on himself; the blades were so sharp that this alone was enough to nearly bisect all of them immediately.

    One of the five was unlucky enough to have his head fly off while a second one had this sad destiny happen to his arm.

    The other three did not even have the time to react. The one attacking Noah¡¯s back screamed in horror as a gigantic snake-like black creature came out from the back before swiftly biting more than half of his body off, armor included, leaving blood spraying all around.

    ¡°Heh¡­¡±

    The last two who, while wounded, were not dead stopped. Fear froze them as they realized too late they were completely outmatched.

    ¡°So you two are the lucky ones.¡±

    They watched as the monstrous snake-like entity vanished back into Noah¡¯s back, and he nonchalantly walked toward the one who only had one hand left.

    ¡°Please! Wait! I¡­am sorry! I was just listening to orders!¡±

    ¡°They all say the same.¡±

    Noah did not waste time in cleanly cutting his head off as well. He whistled quietly, truly happy with how good the weapons he could create were.

    There was a world of difference between fighting bare-handed and having something nice and sharp in your hands.

    Furthermore,

    Nice save!

    ¡ªThis armor is basically a part of us. A simple command is enough, and there is zero latency.

    He grinned; this would mean that he basically had two active minds working at the same time when fighting.

    This would definitely come in handy in the future.

    ¡°Now then¡­I see you were smart enough not to attack me even though I showed you my back.¡±

    The whip blades were pulled back as he approached the only survivors.

    ¡°No begging, no useless words. Deactivate your armor now.¡±

    They nodded immediately and took them off without the slightest hesitation. At this point, hesitation meant death.

    ¡°Now I am going to ask, and you are going to answer.¡±

    Threats and torture were like bread and butter.

    You didn¡¯t necessarily need them together, but goddamn did they make an awesome combo.

 CH 19: I am just sweating

    Unlike what he anticipated, the torture session did not last particularly long, the two pirates fessed up everything they knew before he even made them feel the slightest hint of pain.

    Noah was forced to realize that he was not facing true soldiers with loyalty to their country and organization embedded into their bones, but rather a group of rag-tag pirates.

    They were indeed criminals with no morals who only cared about satisfying their greed even at the detriment of the weak and helpless.

    Strong in front of the weak and weak in front of the strong, that was likely their motto at this point.

    Noah was able to accept their motto and their lifestyle. It was just the standard way any being without self-control and infinite desire would take to achieve their means. He didn¡¯t think these people were any different even though they weren¡¯t entirely human.

    That was why he believed in the motto that someone should prepare themselves for their own death the instant they take someone else''s life. That was only the natural way of things.

    To show mercy, he swiftly killed them. This was a mercy he knew they certainly did not extend to their victims.

    He only tortured people when it was necessary, never out of pleasure. It didn¡¯t change what he was doing, but it was enough as long as he believed that he was conscious of his actions and believed them to be reasonable in his mind.

    ¡°This is quite interesting.¡±

    The information he obtained was certainly quite intriguing. Now that he had dealt with the people attacking him, Noah could take a better look at his surroundings with greater focus.

    It was a cave or at least something with a similar structure. A semi-circular cave with not much to it. There was no decoration and nothing to enjoy.

    Similar to what they had mentioned, the gate had transported him to the starting point of some structure with no way to go except forward. There were no portals ready there to teleport him back outside so he could only march forward if he wanted to get out of this place. The pirates had stayed hoping that whether or not Omid succeeded they would be expelled at the conclusion of the tests.

    There were two tests that the structure would give to those who entered. The first test was Survival. No details were given; only that the test would last the same amount of time for everyone.

    Once they were done with that test, they could proceed to the second test but once again, the pirates knew nothing about what this entailed as they had stayed behind. He would have to figure it out on his own.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like it.¡±

    Tests. He hated these situations where someone deemed themselves superior enough to be able to test him.

    Noah was also a realist. He did not put weight into this matter and could certainly not fight back against this illusory superior entity that had made these tests. No one forced him to enter and if he wished to get the answer he was searching for then he had to follow the rules of the games, and as grating as it was, play on the palms of the test takers.

    Sighing, he trotted across the cave floor and walked on till he reached the first door at the end of the cave-like structure.

    ¡°So, I only have to put a hand here, huh.¡±

    He frowned under his helmet as the gauntlet covering his hand retracted and he placed his hand where it was prompted for him to place.

    A bar of light went along his hand, scanning it as soon as he placed his hand over the screen¡­ At the next moment, a blue screen hovered in his vision, small letters in the universal language urging him to do something.

    ?Choose your name?

    Noah tilted his head and looked at his surroundings and blinked his eyes, rattled his head, spun all around. No matter what he did, the blue screen would always register in his eyes and hover in front of him¡­ like a screen that was permanently glued to his vision.

    This was quite uncanny.

    ¡°How do I write?¡±

    ?Name: How do I write?

    ?Accept??

    ?Y/N?

    Noah had to fight the urge to facepalm himself over and over. For a supposed super-civilization, it seemed like their AI was truly as trashy as they came.

    He shuffled his hand, clicking on N in haste, and looked at the hovering page once more. There were many things he wondered about the construct and what it would entail.

    The smart thing to do here would be to hide his name and use an alias. He did not know what kind of use this list had after all. Better be safe than sorry, right?

    This was the smart thing to do and Noah was certainly very smart and logical¡­  most of the time¡­

    ¡ª Noah¡­

    I am sorry. This may be pretty dumb. But you know¡­ Sometimes you gotta go with your guts rather than pure logic.

    He had already lived too long by following logic and reality, all that to survive, even when he was in the deepest pits of hell and the coldest edges of loneliness and despair.

    But in moments like this, Noah had no wish nor reason to hide his name. This name was not something that should be hidden. It was the crystallization of his wishes. The blessing of someone who gave up on everything but the tiniest bit of hope.

    ?Choose your name?

    Noah smiled, his decision was made.

    ¡°Noah.¡±

    Noah wished for his name to be recognized throughout the entire universe if it was possible.

    There could be no better first step than this to reach his goals. Displaying his name to an ancient civilization that once ruled this entire universe.

    In a way¡­ This was quite poetic was it not?

    At least, that was what Noah thought initially. However, something surprising appeared in his vision the moment he chose his name.

    ?Refused?

    ?Warning! This name should not be chosen! If you decide to continue, heavy penalties will be added to your trials. The level of reward will also increase.?

    ?Do you wish to change the name??

    ?Y/N?

    Noah tilted his head, confusion evident in his eyes. Even the Queen was silent this time as she was unable to make heads or tails of what was going on right now.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Slowly, thoughts started accelerating in Noah¡¯s mind and he could not let them go. His hands trembling, he clicked on the Y this time and then muttered a new Name.

    ¡°Serpent.¡±

    ?Refused?

    ¡°Ophiuchus.¡±

    ?Refused?

    ¡°Thirteenth Constellation¡±

    ?Refused?

    By now, the rhythm of his breathing had been completely disturbed. For the very first time in a long while, Noah felt like his mind could not process what was happening.

    He felt faint, the world was spinning all around him. Eyes darting, limbs shaking, and his whole mind throbbed by the implications.

    What did this mean?

    What could this mean?

    ¡ª Noah!

    When Noah came to himself, he found that he was kneeling on the ground on all fours, his entire armor off, and wearing nothing more than the ruined spandex suit that had been given to him by Phaeia.

    This body that did not even exert the slightest strength when dealing with a group of pirates was now bathed in cold sweat.

    Taking a deep breath, Noah forced himself to calm down. He did not wish to show such an unsightly display of weakness to anyone. Even if the thing in front of him was nothing more than some artificial intelligence.

    Sorry.

    ¡ª What do you think is happening here?

    The Queen did not bother replying to his apology with anything. She knew very well that doing so would only wound Noah¡¯s pride further and she did not wish to do that to her symbiote host.

    Noah understood her thought process, sighing as he gathered himself. It was a state that he wasn¡¯t foreign to, happening to him far too often than what he was willing to admit. However, the last time the state occurred was so long ago that he was sure he had been cured.

    Clearly, he had not been. Not even in the slightest.

    I am going to need the best psychiatrist in the universe after I get out of this shithole.

    He laughed quietly and ruffled his hair as he looked at the floating blue screen.

    There was something he wanted to try.

    He was truly hesitant, as a distinct emotion was slowly budding inside of him after a long long while.

    Perhaps?

    He wondered in his mind.

    This was not impossible.

    He thought¡­

    Hope started building up beyond his rational expectations, a different kind of hope. Something much deeper and rawer.

    He could feel his heart beating so fast in his chest that it felt like it would explode at any moment.

    Finally¡­ Gathering his courage, Noah muttered one name.

    ¡°Minerva.¡±

    He waited as the tension rose, his palms were sweaty, he was fidgeting and a gentle trembling smile formed on his face.

    Finally, a new blue screen appeared.

    ?Accepted?

    ?Do you wish to register this name instead??

    ?Y/N?? N

    ¡°Mars.¡±

    ?Accepted?

    ?Do you wish to register this name instead??

    ?Y/N?? N

    ¡°Diana.¡±

    ?Accepted?

    ?Do you wish to register this name instead??

    ?Y/N?? N

    As two more names were added and all of them were similarly accepted, the slowly building light of hope that had been burning deep inside his pupils slowly died out until nothing more than his empty eyes were left.

    Noah quietly lowered his face before covering it with his hands as reality settled in and his hopes were dashed in the simplest way possible.

    He did not mind¡­This was what he continued to tell himself. He knew that this could not have been possible. This was why he was not disappointed. He simply needed to rest. Just for a short while.

    As for the drops of water that fell on the ground, peeking out from beneath his hands covering his face¡­

    They were nothing more than droplets of sweat.

    ***

    A few moments later, Noah raised his face. His eyes were a little swollen but his expression had mostly become normal as he cursed.

    ¡°Fuck this was embarrassing.¡±

    Sighing as he leaned against the door, he looked at the floating screen before him. His emotions were far more in his control and his mind less hot.

    ¡°I have been jumping to conclusions like an idiot. Gotta get back my game.¡±

    Noah started replacing all the information he had in mind.

    Firstly, The ancient civilization used Sumerian. A dead language from Earth. Since the scientist did not recognize the symbol this meant that this language was not something people could normally have access to.

    ¡°First deduction. Civilization is related to Earth.¡±

    Even when he was on earth, there had been many theories about how aliens must have once visited the earth and created super special constructs, or theories about how ancient civilizations were super powerful but somehow vanished because of some great calamity.

    While this might be bullshit. Now, he was starting to wonder if there was a modicum of truth in there.

    ¡°Second. My names and codenames are trigger words to increase the difficulty while the names of the ones who died with me are not.¡±

    Minerva, Diana and Mars. The three constellations of Virgo, Leo and Taurus had fought alongside him and sacrificed their life to give him an opening toward the Queen.

    ¡ª....

    ¡°This means that far from being simply related to Earth, the special civilization is related to me one way or another.¡±

    From there came a few suppositions.

    Why was HIS name the one that was a trigger? Was the Civilization, in fact, the Earth from his era?

    Why were the names of the constellations that died not triggered? Did it mean that they were in fact alive and there was no need for such a trigger? Or did it actually mean that the civilization knew he was alive and confirmed that the others were dead so there was once again no need for such a trigger in their names?

    Noah bit his teeth.

    This doesn¡¯t make sense!

    Based on calculations and theories, it would take at least a million years for Earth to even become a Type III Civilization.

    Noah could accept errors in calculations as this was in the end nothing but a theory made while they were not even Type I. So even for argument''s sake let¡¯s say it took ten thousand years to become Type III, it would still take between ten to perhaps even 1000 times to reach Type IV.

    This was without counting all the wars and all the problems that may lead to partial or complete extermination. In fact, if Noah was honest, he had always wondered how Earth hadn¡¯t already blown up with all the problems it had.

    ¡°Do you think I am a few hundred thousand years old?¡±

    He asked in a joking tone but even the Queen this time was speechless. In the end, she could only bring more supposition.

    ¡ªWhat if we were sent that far forward in time?

    Noah was scratching his head so much that blood was oozing a little. He could not say it was impossible. The two of them already had this small theory in their mind after all Noah really doubted time moved normally in that place. What if this was the kind of cliche where one year in there was around a thousand of years in the real world?

    Wormholes have been the subject of many theories and possibilities such as time travels, long-distance travel, and even¡­Dimension and universe hopping.

    This also reminded him of the hyperdrive technology Morgiana told him about. By entering what was known as the Dark Sea, they could move through extremely large distances.

    But from what she said, no one and few things could actually survive in the Dark Sea for long.

    Noah stood up with a small growl before easing his expression and ¡ª

    Clap!!

    He used his hands to clap his two cheeks.

    ¡ªNoah?

    ¡°Why am I wasting my time in such a frustrating way?¡±

    Here he was groaning and moaning about hypothetical situations and possibilities when all he had to do to get the answer he needed was to act.

    Wasn¡¯t it actually why he entered this place? To get the answer he needed?

    So what if he was in another time or another universe? In fact, wasn''t it a good thing? if he could do this once, he could do it a second time!

    Time travel had always been deemed to be impossible in the truest way possible. But if one could control Dark Matter, then was time travel really impossible?

    What if he could go back in the past?

    Go back home?

    Perhaps he could even appear before the parasite appears?

    ¡ªIf it was possible, why wouldn¡¯t the Type 4 civilization do it to prevent its destruction?

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we try to find out for ourselves?¡±

    The blue screen flashed once again in its vision.

    [Choose your name]

    This time, there were no doubts. There was no hesitation.

    ¡°Noah.¡±

    ?Warning! This name should not be chosen! If you decide to continue, heavy penalties will be added to your trials. The level of reward will also increase.?

    ?Do you wish to change the name??

    ?Y/N?

    He grinned and this time clicked on No.

    What did it matter if the penalties were added?

    He simply had to smash them all and obtain the highest level of reward!

    Only then would he perhaps be able to get all the answers he needed and perhaps even more?

 CH 20: 1st test

    The moment Noah confirmed his choice, a sensation of weightlessness took over him and he soon found himself falling as the world and the ground around him was seemingly digitized.

    A black world with green 0¡¯s and 1¡¯s formed in different ways and shapes.

    This continued for what seemed like hours, even though it might also have been only one minute, and finally, the world around him seemed to become more defined, getting the shapes and appearance of a large area with many trees.

    ¡°A forest?¡±

    He looked around in confusion before immediately ducking as he felt the air being split by an incoming projectile.

    This is the second fucking time. Is it too much to ask to at least let me observe the surroundings first before being jumped on?

    Bang!

    Only after ducking and avoiding the attack did he finally hear the sound of the gun. This gave him a good idea of actually how fast he was moving.

    Where is this coming from?

    He looked behind himself only to be met by a group of weird-looking humanoid creatures with deformed appearances.

    Their eyes were vacant and their bellies were bulging. They had rather abnormal pale skins. All this made Noah simply uncomfortable as memories of the past surfaced.

    Noah started to frown as his eyes scanned and observed them more deeply. He had a feeling that he could recognize these monsters. No, more than the monsters themselves he could also recognize the uniform those people were wearing. They had motifs very close to that of soldiers from Earth.

    ¡°Hello¡­¡±

    Many guns were immediately on him and Noah made a very smart move this time.

    He starting running away.

    ¡ªI thought you didn¡¯t run away from enemies?

    I am not running away. This is just a strategic retreat.

    Noah could have simply jumped and massacred everything there. The weapons they held were too old but he did not.

    [Mission: Survive! The colony is being attacked. Flee until the end of time. Do not fight, your chances of winning are near zero.]

    [Warning! In case you are about to get captured, a word of advice¡­Kill yourself. You do not want to be alive and in their hands.]

    Noah did not take those warnings lightly nor did he dare to dismiss them. The warnings themselves were a kind of clue and as disbelieving as he was, Noah was starting to grasp just where he was.

    This should not be possible but¡­He already understood that in this place ¡ª Nothing was truly impossible.

    Rather than moaning about this, he accelerated further, creating a small shockwave as he went beyond his usual speed and broke through the forest. Behind him, a group of more than sixty monsters were attacking as they continued shooting at him.

    The back of his armor extended and changed into a large three-layered shield, protecting his body from incoming attacks. He was also keeping his senses spread wide to avoid something along the idea of an assassin or a sniper.

    How long do I have to survive?

    [Time remaining: 71H:50M:20S]

    Well, at least it was very pretty helpful. It had been a long time since he had an exact time frame.

    Truly he was coming back to civilization.

    Noah grinned as he jumped to the right and avoided a literal cannonball shot at super speed.

    There was one reason he did not bother killing any of them. If his speculation were right then the moment he did so, his importance in their mind would be increased tremendously and would make the situation even harder for him.

    He needed to assess their numbers and how powerful the technology they had at hand was. He also needed to see if this was a personal test or if all the others were also present. If so, he would have cannon fodder he could use as bait to throw at those monsters.

    The frantic course seemed ready to continue for all eternity but soon, Noah was able to see the tree around him gradually thinning.

    It was then ¡ª

    [Warning! Change in mission!]

    [New Mission:  As the highest difficulty had been chosen. The goal had been changed from survival to elimination. As the highest difficulty was chosen, the weapons held by the enemies were updated. Their numbers increased and so did their toughness, physical abilities, and their ability to react.]

    [Warning! In search of fairness, the highest level has been adjusted based on your Dark Matter level.]

    Noah was baffled as he felt the presence of the monstrosity behind him increase slightly. They were completely at a different level from the ones a few moments ago.

    If he had the confidence to beat all of them easily, now he would have to wonder just how much he would have to sacrifice to do so.

    ¡ªSo you are still going to destroy them either way?

    Either I crush them or they crush me. No brainer.

    Of course, this wasn¡¯t a question of wanting but actually being able to. Noah was not deterred by the new mission. In fact, he liked it more. After all, fleeing was truly something he did not like doing.

    Finally leaving the forest, Noah stopped and looked at the fortress in front of him. His eyes moved all around, grasping everything and searching deep down in his memories.

    Watching the slightly broken flags flying in the winds at the top, he took a deep shaky breath before releasing it.

    Now that his memories were coming back, he did not need any more confirmation as he finally had all the pieces of the puzzle in his mind.

    ¡°Hah¡­¡±

    The reason he was confused was simple. He had actually never seen this place himself. He had only seen the traces of ruins left taken by a powerful space laboratory.

    This planet was not some unknown place in this void.

    This was ¡ª

    ¡°Mars colony.¡±

    And obviously, the ones chasing him were none other than?`

    ¡ªThey are Parasites

    Just what the fuck was going on again?

    ***

    Planet Mars.

    Alongside Venus, it was one of the planets that had been slowly developed enough to be terraformed by humans to form an inhabitable planet as they were both planets with very high potential of housing life. In fact, they all had the right elements to form natural life on the planet and would have surely produced sparks of life if certain unfavorable conditions weren¡¯t produced. For example, Venus did not find its rotation speed weakened after an accident during its creation.

    Thanks to the insistence of a man from the previous era who had been one of the richest men alive at the time, humanity heavily focused on terraforming Mars to its full potential first rather than developing and exploring the Earth of all of its secrets so that they would be able to control all the available resources of the planet they originated on.

    In hindsight, and now knowing how the system worked in general, Noah understood that focusing on terraforming other planets first had been a mistake by humanity. After all, due to this venture, they ended up becoming a Civilization that had not been able to reach even Type I even though they had some of the inklings of a post-Type I civilization like planetary expeditions and solar system-wide space travel.

    While the enthusiastic man had, good intentions in mind in terraforming Mars, as he wished for humanity to have a second home in case of an extinction class event taking place in the coming future.

    It was clear he could have never guessed that they would be attacked by aliens and what followed the attack was perhaps the most devastating defeat that humanity had ever faced.

    Many historians and tacticians even went on to form opinions that, had humans not been so devastated and separated due to the many wars that followed, the following fights against the aliens would have been far less difficult for them.

    Mars, which had become a military colony, as the different countries fought over the resources on the planet was not able to move appropriately and efficiently to counterattack the invaders. Furthermore, because of their lack of understanding of what the Parasites represented, many human activist groups rose and proffered the desire to have peaceful talks with the aliens.

    Even as he read the files detailing the information back then, Noah did not have much opinion on what transpired. With insight and information at disposal, it was easy to see and understand what should have been done back then by humanity.

    But hindsight was always 20/20 and far removed from reality. There was fundamentally nothing wrong with wishing to discuss peacefully with the first alien races they had encountered in the vastness of space.

    Sadly, while he could not give a subjective judgment, reality did the job for him. Because of politics, military and civil protests, the army was mired in a plan of incomprehension and was swiftly annihilated by the invading alien species. Annihilated and incorporated into their ranks and turned against their comrades.

    The Mars outpost fell at the hands of the Parasite and the invading aliens started assimilating humans in their evolution process to make better versions of themselves by learning human characteristics. They learned new things, new tactics, new ways and capabilities of thinking like humans. They imitated humans and increased the numbers of their soldiers exponentially as they had so many surviving specimens.

    Thus, it was deemed the most catastrophic defeat in the history of humanity and paved the way for the Parasites¡¯ domination in the subsequent fights.

    ¡°So now, I have to annihilate them? Alone while they are boosted?¡±

    Was it asking him to change the course of history? It did not seem to be the case but Noah always wondered one thing¡ª what would his life have been like if they never appeared?

    Surely far worse.

    But now wasn''t the time to dwell on the past. Fleeing from his pursuers while employing all of his honed skills to erase all of his traces, Noah swiftly entered the abandoned fortress.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    He felt like he was entering some sort of military & art museum, showing the history of a world long forgotten in the vestiges of the past.

    He couldn''t help but wonder what was the purpose of this place? However, he was soon able to realize the significance it held for humanity.

    Perhaps this was truly a record of history for the human race.

    After all, for him who already knew what happened, he had no need nor interest to search around this place, but for the people who knew nothing, these ruins would be a great page of history they would be keen on inspecting and understanding to further realize the evolution and significance of humanity.

    This is all good and all but now, what should I do?

    Sitting on the ground, he spun his mind into thinking things through. The Parasites of those times were at the first stage of their evolution, but they were already able to move in large numbers, far surpassing the corresponding human numbers.

    Noah was sure that he could kill many of them without much problem, but he was anything but a tireless machine.

    He had been fighting nonstop since his time in the spaceship and now if he started waging some kind of war on the Parasites of all things, he would most likely lack enough juice to fuel himself. He really didn''t want to get captured by those disgusting creatures.

    ¡°Well¡­¡±

    His brain, which had slowed down to a crawl due to processing all the information he had collected, started churning the gears once more to figure out a solution to his predicament. Sooner than he expected, he realized that the answer was quite simple all along.

    After all¡ª he had been in the same situation in the past.

    Though at that time I had people paving the way for me.

    For all his pride and arrogance, Noah would never say that he could have done it all alone.

    Not only because he could have not razed through everything on its own without expending all of his juice, but also because it would have been an insult to all the soldiers who had sacrificed their lives to bring more information about the Parasites.

    An insult to all the scientists who never went home and experimented even on themselves to find answers regarding the Parasites¡ª their invaders.

    Finally¡­ To all his friends who fought alongside him for a better future for all of humanity.

    This time though, he was all alone. No Mecha to his name, no companions to fight alongside him, and no support to help him out.

    ¡ª You are wrong.

    Oh? What do you mean?

    ¡ª You are not alone this time either.

    ¡­. Heh¡­ Hahaha.

    Noah laughed inwardly. Not caring whether he would be found or not, he laughed out loud to himself.

    ¡°Truly ironic.¡±

    In the end, he leaked out a sigh. His eyes became cold as he prepared his mind to fully enter combat mode.

    Indeed. The situation was different from back then but so was he.

    ¡°Where was the Mothership?¡±

    ¡ª In this period of time. I should have already landed on Mars. Let me guide you there.

    Very well.

    Instantly, Noah moved along a guided path as new information was fed into the screen of his visor, directly before his sight, acting as a makeshift GPS to the Mothership, housing the Queen of all Parasites.

    Even as he ran in the opposite direction towards the parasites, Noah still found the situation extremely ridiculous even by his standards.

    Here he was, trusting the very being who had caused the whole situation in the first place by invading Earth and killing his friends in cold blood.

    Now they were about to fight a past variation of this very being¡­

    How could this be anything but an astonishingly ridiculous situation?

    But this was happening and this was reality.

    Back then when he woke up with her in his mind, Noah had thought that he was going crazy and that he had been compromised by the enemy already, becoming a Parasite of his own.

    The two of them fought against each other every step of the way, but fighting against an entity that was one with you was no different from fighting against yourself.

    Furthermore, back then he had not been as physically strong as he had become now. He suffered greatly at first.

    Until they started to work together.

    From hatred. To reluctant partnership. To acknowledgment and finally an awkward relationship of what could be considered trust.

    As his time spent with the Queen increased and the total amount of time with her in his head surpassed the time he had ever lived on Earth, most possibly, his own sense of self became far blurrier as he continued to wonder.

    Was he truly Noah?

    Was it truly the Queen of Parasites in his head?

    Or were they nothing more than a new being created with the memories and capacity of the two melded into one?

    What made Noah, Noah? What made him what he was?

    Such philosophical questions tormented him in the past but were swiftly buried in his mind as he fought for survival.

    He was Noah.

    The Strongest Mecha pilot on Earth and it was time for him to add a new legend to his long line of accolades.

    It''s time to kill!

    Like a mad bulldog, Noah started to rush towards the horde of over 100 parasites that seemed utterly astonished to see him quite literally jump them.

    The armor encasing his body started to change, wiggling and morphing as the aesthetic form changed to a more burly shape without any significant detail.

    Numerous crimson eyes appeared all over the body while deadly spikes and jagged teeth-wielding mouths formed all over the exoskeleton.

    Noah was sure that from afar, he looked like nothing more than a monster but it did not matter to him.

    Sometimes¡­

    To kill monsters¡­

    You had to become one yourself.

    ***

    The following fight against the horde of Parasites was undoubtedly the most difficult fight Noah had to go through in a long, long while. Almost too long.

    From the get go, what made the Parasites truly terrifying, beyond their ability to evolve into the beings they devoured and assimilated into themselves, was their hivemind. All of them were connected due to this trait.

    They did not feel fear.

    They did not feel fatigued.

    They did not question orders.

    They did not refuse orders.

    Destroying themselves was not seen as a sacrifice, for they did not truly die and were still part of the greater whole. Thus they were complete, thus they could do anything.

    Death did not stop them. It was not the end, merely the dissection of a single part, insignificant to the greater whole.

    They had no individual greed, desire or will.

    Just their purpose and the duty to accomplish said purpose by any means necessary.

    Parasites were the ultimate army, the epitome of military perfection that would make any military drool to make them their own. Perhaps, the only thing one would find lacking in them would be the inherent time required for them to learn and evolve from their former self.

    Fighting them was a tiring ordeal, often giving the feeling of not being a worthwhile endeavor.

    Since they all shared the same senses, it was impossible to catch them off guard in the traditional sense. Alerting even one of them meant alerting the whole horde and the hive mind as a whole.

    If this had been an assassination mission in the game, Noah would have thrown the controller against a wall and cursed all nine generations of the developer of this unbalanced game for giving him such an impossible mission.

    Thankfully, this was reality, and stealth was merely one of the many options.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Endless roars of an enraged beast filled the periphery of the forest as raging winds and billowing clouds of dust rose in the surroundings of the horrific sound. The amalgam of explosions from gunshots, super rifles and other conventional weapons used in the olden times created a cacophony of carnage in a form of music that was nothing short of a beautiful symphony of death and destruction.

    To kill a parasite, destroying their heads and their hearts was the surest way possible that they had devised while fighting the cosmic beasts. They could die of blood loss but as they inherently had great vitality, they could survive even if they were bisected from head to toe.

    Bzzz~!

    Noah immediately stepped to the side, even before the sound could reach him. The missing hand on his right arm was the result of him having underestimated technology.

    Portable Railgun.

    Perhaps one of the greatest wet dreams of all scientists who specialized in weapon development on Earth was this particular weapon. And the worst thing was¡­

    They shouldn¡¯t have this shit right now. Not when it was developed far later in the fight against the Parasites.

    The first usable model of a Portable Railgun was created long after the war against the aliens began and was only equipable on Mechas for the greatest efficiency possible while using the guns. They had never managed to reach the level of a handgun in his time either, only being able to make it portable enough for the giant Mechas. Which wasn¡¯t portable in the truest sense but it was what it was.

    In the first place, it should have been impossible to create a source of energy high enough to shoot an explosive railgun and the recoil would destroy the shoulder of anyone trying to use the cataclysmic weapon.

    However, it did not stop them from creating the deadly weapon of mass destruction.

    Noah exchanged a flurry of fists and kicks against the horde of cosmic beasts before plunging his arm into the chest of one of the creatures closest to him and efficiently destroying its heart and core.

    Even though he made it seem easy, the action itself was far harder than how he accomplished it so smoothly. They may seem like standard humans, in the most horrific and disfigured shapes possible, but their bodies were incredibly tough and resilient even before they received the boost, whatever the fuck it may be, from the system to elevate the difficulty. Furthermore, they could increase their speed and power by seemingly using Dark Matter or some similar substance.

    I didn¡¯t know you could do that.

    ¡ª I didn¡¯t know either. Humans never had Dark Matter inside their bodies so our evolution simply focused on increasing our physical abilities by integrating them into the human body.

    That is good and all but, I am being surrounded by these fuckers.

    It was also worth noting that he was unable to devour or eat them either as he did with the pirates. Not only because he didn¡¯t have the time to go through with the devouring process but also because once they died, they would swiftly decompose and vanish from existence. Alongside their weapon. Thus Noah had no way of replenishing his energy reserves.

    From fifty to five hundred and now far more than he could even count with a glance. The number of enemies did not go down as he killed them but simply kept on increasing.There was no doubt in his mind. This test was not something someone could pass. If the power of the Parasites was increased to match the power of the one taking the test then the only possible result would be surefire Death.

    But far from feeling desperate in the current situation, a certain sense of excitement took hold inside Noah and was on a steady rise.

    Fighting the pirates had started waking up his buried senses from his days fighting in the war but it had not been enough for him to recuperate all of his senses. They were too weak to bring much joy and anticipation inside him and awaken the predator that lay within him.

    But this¡­

    A massive grin formed on his face and his eyes shone in a luster of gold. This was a moment for him to retrace his steps and learn from the very basics. In the future, he might once again be besieged like this, so he had to make sure to lodge this experience in his memory.

    People had no reason to play fair. War was not a game.

    So all he had to do was simple.

    Adapt.

    It was his calling, the single most effective way he was able to become what he had become. His whole life had been one painful ride of survival.

    Slowly, the bulkier form of the Parasite Queen changed shapes, and two scolopendra like swords formed on his back and around his arms all moving with pinpoint precision as they immediately pierced his targets with near instantaneous response time.

    The energy leakage of the Dark Matter inside him gradually slowed down to a moderately acceptable degree as he watched and observed how to use this new form of energy. After all, the pirates he had killed did not have access to Dark Matter.

    The first time he voluntarily moved this pool of energy that rested deep in his body, Noah had the impression that he ascended to new heights of power.

    The world was not different.

    Nothing had changed.

    Nothing except for him.

    His moves became more efficient, faster and more bizarre. Despite having no particular trajectory or set path, they were far more destructive. Like a predator rushing in a flock of sheep, Noah danced to the rhythm of his attunement and killed them mercilessly one after the other. The more he killed the better he became.

    However, after a long time of slaughtering the beasts, he realized that the Parasites had changed their tactics.

    They were giving him more space as they entered a form of ranged combat. Not because of fear but because they judged that he had no particular way to reach them from a distance. He could only go as far as mid-range by extending his retractable blades using his armor.

    They were not wrong.

    Noah had no way to perform any ranged attacks. But this was also the fatal mistake they made.

    The parasites were many things, but for all the perfection they seemed to have, there was one thing that should never be forgotten.

    They were not above being tricked!

    ¡ª I found her!

    The Queen had not stayed idle throughout this fight. Though she had an idea where the other Queen should have been at this time, she did not have a perfect memory either and couldn''t give the most accurate positioning to him.

    But she was not useless. Not only did she help him move the two blades on his back and cover him but she had been working on intercepting and analyzing the orders that were being sent.

    The positioning slightly shifted and exact numbers were added.

    ¡ª Southwest. 1600 meters away from our current location.

    Noah crouched down as a runner, slowly accumulating power in his legs. Both by using his strength and the little insight he had received by observing and analyzing the way the Parasites used Dark Matter.

    By the time the Parasites realized that something was amiss and were about to crowd him once again¡ª it had already been too late.

    ¡°Goodbye, fuckers!!¡±

    Whoosh! BOOM!

    Several explosions followed as shockwaves spread in his surroundings due to every one of his steps and Noah immediately broke the sound barrier.

    No obstacles could stop him nor even slow him down as he flew like a bullet toward his target.

    It was time to kill the Queen for the second time and end the test.

 CH 21: Different Reward

    Even as he accelerated and bulldozed through everything that stood in his way, Noah continued to analyze everything.

    This test from the start was not something that should be possible. Whoever created this increase in difficulty really did not want people to use the name Noah.

    There were so many weird things about this fact but not something he had to focus on now.

    Whoosh!

    The sound of the wind rushing in his ears was beautiful and though he was moving at a speed far beyond whatever he ever experienced, he was enjoying this moment like no others.

    They are your children, right? Can you control them?

    As far as humans managed to understand, Parasites were a hive mind centered around the Queen. The individuality of the whole could also be said to be the personality of the Queen. In a way, this was not so different from a colony of ants or bees.

    ¡ªI cannot. I have tried but¡­It¡¯s different. I am different. I can connect and understand the orders sent but I cannot interfere naturally, I would have to try and hijack the whole hive.

    Noah continued to run. The implication behind those words could be the confirmation of what they always anticipated or this could be simply because they were not true parasites and were simply programmed to behave as such.

    Noah did not have the time to think further as he felt a surge of energy coming from the front.

    ¡°Tch. Parasite Guards.¡±

    Those bastards had been one of the toughest nuts to crack during the fight against the Parasites. Super elites were specially created to protect the Queen and also pierce the frontline. Out of the four constellations who died before the final fight, three of them died because of those guards.

    Though they are shorter than I remembered.

    Unlike other Parasites, the guard stood at around three meters tall. Unlike the ten-meter-tall guards, he fought in the past.

    But while they were shorter, the pressure they were giving him was higher. If he let himself be taken in their nests, he would most likely get surrounded and killed with no way of escaping.

    Noah understood that he was severely lacking in diversity when it came to attack and defense. His understanding of Dark Matter was instinctual at best and still very rough. If at least he could use Morgiana¡¯s fire the fight would be easier. But there was no use moaning about could not be.

    He simply had to be a little more imaginative.

    The centipede swords formed once again in his arms, but this time they were thinner, and longer.

    ¡°Take this!¡±

    All the swords started lashing out around him at high speed, so fast in fact that they seemed to be completely invisible to the naked eye.

    The only proof of their presence was the humming of the air being split and all the objects that were shredded apart as he approached them.

    Simply like this, Noah had managed to create an absolute zone of death that also served as a shield of sorts, the two guards didn¡¯t stand a chance.

    Even as they rushed at him, he cut and reduced them to small pieces in but an instant. The ferocity of the attack was even beyond his expectation.What was even more surprising was how they rushed stupidly at him.

    Stronger but far more stupid.

    The dangers of Parasites had never been their power but the process of their evolution.

    The Parasites Noah fought against might have been weaker as they did not possess Dark Matter but they had evolved for multiple generations after analyzing and understanding human¡¯s cunningness and technology, making them far more dangerous and hard to fight against.

    Noah was honestly thankful. For all his pride, if he had to fight the Parasite of back then while they also had Dark Matter and higher technology¡­He would have failed.

    In reverse, this situation also left a bitter taste in his mouth as this showed that the historian had been right.

    Had humanity acted faster and more decisively from the start like by bombing Mars, Parasites would have been far easier to handle and the war would not have reached the level it had in the past.

    ¡°Finally we¡¯re here.¡±

    The interior of the ship had a more organic feel than he remembered, even as he entered it, he felt more like he was walking in the stomach of a beast than through a ship.

    The guards he killed earlier had been the last defense standing between him and his targets and the other Parasites would not be able to reach this place fast enough.

    Finally standing in front of the Queen, Noah admired her once again.

    ¡°You look Uglier.¡±

    ¡ª-....

    The Queen he remembered was very close to humans in terms of appearance, even though she was a 20-meter-tall giant.

    The one here was more akin to a gelatinous mass floating in a green tube with only an indistinct human form.

    ¡°I guess back then you have yet to eat enough humans for a complete evolution.¡±

    He did not waste too much time observing the Queen as she was now. This was nothing more than an image of the past and Noah was very intimate with the tales of the Hare and the Turtle.

    He had no wish to become the hare in this situation.

    ¡°Farewell. I wish killing you had been that easy back then.¡±

    The last thing Noah saw as he destroyed the Queen was a blue message floating in front of him.

    [Simulation of the Witness State terminated]

    [Result: Overwhelming success.]

    The world immediately froze, fading into white and black. Noah initially thought that after killing the Queen he would have to kill all the parasites who were now unable to move but it seemed like the system had judged that it was not necessary.

    [Calculating reward based on analyzing the combat pattern of the trial taker.]

    [Reward set at the highest possible for choosing the Noah Difficulty]

    The fuck is the Noah Difficulty?

    [Calculating¡­ Calculating¡­]

    [Reward decided]

    A glitch seemed to appear before one small light formed just above his head.

    Stretching his hand, Noah caught the reward and looked at it. At first, he was confused but soon, his eyes widened as he looked at the golden ball in his hand with the image of a snake eating its tail in the form of infinity.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    [Ouroboros Perpetual Core]

    [Rank: Unique Growth Type]

    [Description: A core specially created by the finest mind of the Gaia Empire with the image of a hero in mind]

    Ouroboros.

    Noah clenched his fist over the core.

    In mythology, this was a symbol representing the cycle of life and death.

    Truly a mighty name. But more than anything ¡ªIt was the name of Noah¡¯s Mecha.

    ***

    In a field filled with dead bodies that had been burned to a crisp, a man with a yellow marking on his body was breathing harshly while running.

    Despite his tall stature, he was showing surprising prowesses in terms of nimbleness and speed as he zigzagged in the forest and away from his pursuer.

    The man was none other than Omid and he was going through a test of the same nature as Noah albeit slightly different.

    Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Why the hell am I being pursued by those monsters?

    Omid was confused. This white gate was completely different from the ones he knew and the test made absolutely no sense.

    Firstly, while Virtual Reality had indeed been researched and reached an incredible degree of realism, it was nearly impossible to truly break through the wall of reality. He did not feel like he simply had his conscience transferred but that of his whole body had entered a new world.

    He could think, see, feel and even taste. This went beyond simple VR and could only be possible by using obsolete technology such as the full Neurolink.

    Now is not the time to think about this!

    Omid jumped away as a red flame formed around his right fist before being launched like a grenade at the enemies.

    BOOM!

    The satisfying sound of the explosion reached his ears but he knew that this would only give him a very short window of rest and that they would soon come back with vengeance.

    Whoever designed this test is a bastard!

    Parasites were not meant to be fought by only one person. At the very least, one needed a certain level of power difference to do such things, it would be even better if they had a high-level Knightframe.

    Sadly the test asked for one to survive without the use of Mecha to ensure the fairness of the test.

    What fairness? It was such a pain he felt like he was about to go completely crazy and nothing else.

    Also, had it already been nearly 72 hours?

    He could not help but wonder how this was happening. He had the distinct impression that the time spent in the VR was different but no Type III civilization could easily mess with time, even Type IV could hardly do such a thing from what he knew.

    Of course, rather than messing with the flux of time itself, the probability that they were messing with his perception of time was far higher and more realistic.

    But then, if it was not reality¡­How was he able to use all his abilities?

    The situation was becoming harder and harder to properly grasp and he was becoming frustrated. He was also starting to regret slightly his choice to enter this Gate but the way the world was presented, all those wonders, and the possible reward at the end made those regrets vanish quite swiftly.

    He simply needed to survive and he would survive! Even if it was the last thing he would do in this world.

    Fuck!

    Omid bit down a scream of pain as his shoulder received a powerful impact that sent him tumbling down a small hill. The shock was so powerful that the shoulder part of his armor was completely destroyed, leaving even his body mangled and bloody.

    Buzzing sounds reached his ears as he looked up and paled.

    ¡°Royal Guards¡­¡±

    He knew that the more time passed, the harder the test became but still, this was completely unfair.

    In the hierarchy of Parasites, Royal Guards were not something that anyone could dare to face. They were the ones with the highest evolution below the Queen and an evolution extremely specialized for combat and destruction as well as protection.

    If he had his Mecha, he would have been less intimidated but now with his bare body, it was simply impossible.

    Omid knew that running was not the way. He needed to hold on a little longer. Only by doing so would he have hope.

    His thoughts moved swiftly as he calculated the remaining amount of Dark Matter that he had in him.

    Omid was a Yellow Flame. In terms of pure fire temperature, he was theoretically just at the second highest possible level but obviously, the reality was not so simple.

    There was a difference between what someone should be able to do and what he was actually able to do.

    This difference became even clearer without the amplification effect of a Knightframe core. The power he could bring without affecting his own body was minimal.

    Even so¡­

    Whoosh!

    Orange-like flames started blazing around his armor, giving the impression that he was entirely cloaked in them.

    [Fire Style: Fire cloak]

    He was not just blazing his fire around without thought. Each skill, each technique was something that had been carefully studied for years and perfected generation after generation.

    The Fire cloak was perhaps one of the strongest defensive techniques they had. A step down from the legendary [Sun Regalia] that only the members of the royal family could learn.

    An inferno with a temperature of nearly one thousand degrees Celsius spread all around him, his yellow marking shone brightly and he stood tall, like a mighty warrior ready to fight for his life.

    ¡°Come on!¡±

    This time he did not flee but in fact, rushed at the two guards who had attacked him with all his power. Parasites were Cosmic Beasts who could float and breathe in space as well as survive the cosmic radiation quite easily. From the start they were really a bad matchup for Djinns like him but it did not matter.

    The two Guards did not disappoint. As they felt neither fear nor pain and their wisdom was still not fully developed. Four fists fought against two and as expected, Omid found himself swiftly suppressed by the combined might of the monsters he was facing.

    On the horizon, he could feel the heat signature of more creatures approaching and he knew that the more time passed the more disadvantaged he would be.

    Watching the guards slowly burn and melt as they continued to come close to him was a sight of horror he had never thought he would be forced to witness. For the first time, the smell of charred flesh seemed even a little too much for him.

    But he held on. Even as his shoulder made him feel so much pain he thought he was about to die and even as his blood was pouring out, then to be reduced immediately to ashes, he continued to hold on.

    Thankfully, the guards did not target fatal points. Parasites'' primary goal was always to capture instead of killing if it was possible. This was another fact he used to his advantage.

    The guards were not unscathed and the earth around him was completely scorched but it was not fast enough in his opinion. They were protecting their bodies with Dark Matter which made them even harder to kill.

    Ah

    Omid¡¯s legs wobbled as he felt all his strength leave him. He was spent. Running and fighting for nearly 72 hours had already been a little too much and now he had no more power to defend himself.

    Is this how I lose?

    He could not believe it. After sacrificing so much would he die in such a pitiful way? With nothing to show for it?

    Omid mourned as he watched the fist gradually grow larger as it reached its head. He was powerless and he would soon be captured.

    He could have closed his eyes but even as he had given up all hope, he refused to lose with his eyes closed.

    This was why he was able to see.

    [00:00:00]

    Time froze and the world was greying while a Blue box appeared in front of him.

    [Simulation of the Witness State terminated]

    Omid had felt his heart beat powerfully in his chest when he read those words.

    I survived!

    Reality hit him when he saw all the wounds on his body vanish and his Dark Matter replenish.

    [Difficulty: Normal]

    [Result: Average.]

    [Race identified. Official Name: Djinn; Yellow Flame pattern]

    [Calculating reward based on analyzing the combat pattern of the trial taker.]

    [Reward decided]

    Omid scowled a little at the result but he was so happy about surviving that he did not even care. Even so, when he finally saw the reward ¡ª All dissatisfaction immediately vanished from his heart.

    [Earth core]

    [Rank: Common]

    [Description: A core used by the low-level soldiers of the Gaia Empire to equip on their Frames]

    His breath became rough.

    An earth core.

    He did not care one bit about what the description was saying.

    Everything in this world was a question of perspective.

    The empire was a Tier Four civilization. What they considered low-level or common was completely different from the current standard of the galaxy.

    ¡°Jackpot!¡±

    He cheered. Just this alone was enough of a reward for him to become renowned in the galaxy after a few years of strengthening his Mecha.

    ¡°There is still one more test.¡±

    Truly. This whole operation was indeed worth it. Soon a new legend would see the light of the day.

    He would make sure of that.

 CH 22: Legion of Pride

    While Noah and Omid were finishing the first test, the forces outside were moving fast and with deadly precision.

    Floating in the vast Cosmos, close to the tidally locked planet with three suns was the Sphere-like spaceship of Omid. The main ship that he had left in Orbit to avoid the Gravity Well of the planet and keep the engine ready to move as fast as possible should the force of Dorothy and the Mercenary Guild appear.

    In the ship, the pirates who stayed were becoming restless as the situation continued to evolve in a way they were not able to understand no matter how much they tried.

    They had been trying to contact those down on the planet for a few seconds now but to no avail. No matter what they did, there was no response. This was despite the fact that everything seemed to be working properly.

    In such a situation, the protocol would be to dispatch a few scouts to explore and understand what was happening but they were unable to do such things as most of the combat personnel were already down there.

    If everyone was dead or unable to respond then sending more was useless.

    The second in command, Bijan, a man with red markings, similar to those of Morgiana growled quietly. He had once been a soldier under the order of Omid during the period when they were serving Queen Scheherazade in the Thousand and One Night Palace.

    However, like many, they had fled from the planet because of the current oppressive atmosphere created by Sultan Shahryar and his Minister Jafar.

    Chasing away the thought of his homeland, Bijan focused on the matter at hand. With his experience, he should have been used to complicated situations that needed fast decision making, but currently all he could feel was confusion as his reasoning fought against his heart.

    A few minutes ago, a blinding light shot from the planet, reaching far into the cosmos. So far he would not be surprised if the radar of a few systems deeper in the galaxy caught it.

    What should have been a simple and secretive matter was becoming increasingly complicated as he was sure that a few random pirates and adventurers might soon be attracted to come and see what was going on.

    This was something beyond the experience of all those present and they were wondering what the best course of action should be now.

    ¡°Perhaps the Captain and all the others are dead?¡±

    Someone muttered out loud what everyone else was thinking, before being shushed by the others, but the damage was already done.

    Pirates were not soldiers. It would be stupid to expect them to stay longer than necessary and sacrifice themselves. They had been following and acting as good little soldiers while controlling their nature as pirates until now because of Omid. Bijan neither had the strength nor prestige of Omid and he couldn''t order them to die.

    They would never die for useless things such as honor and loyalty. Only cold hard credits could make them risk their lives.

    ¡°So, what do we do?¡±

    The Djinn looked down at the map while observing the state of their ship.

    The situation was dire and they had no information, the bulk of their main force was all with Omid and those here were mostly staff and low-level pirates.

    The ship itself boasted reasonable firepower and defense but it was nothing impressive, even more so when compared to the float of the Emerald City.

    His own poor Mecha alone would be useless. It certainly did not have the power that Omid¡¯s Mecha had.

    What should I do?

    For an instant, he contemplated giving the order to stay. Even though he was no longer a soldier, Omid had taken very good care of him and he had always been very loyal

    But one look at the crew members was enough to tell him that he would have a true and complete mutiny on his hands should he make this choice. He might be able to kill them but then this would defeat the whole point.

    Sorry, Captain. I am sure you would understand if you were here.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    It was with a defeated sigh that he finally took his decision, ¡°We are ¡ª¡±

    Boom!

    His voice was interrupted as the ship suddenly shook and a red alarm blared. All the pirates who had been ready to leave immediately took their positions.

    ¡°We are getting bombarded!¡±

    Boom! Boom!

    ¡°Activate the shield immediately!Activate the Warp Engines! we are Diving in the Sea!¡±

    Bijan immediately discarded all hesitation he may have had. They needed to flee now. Unfortunately, it was already too late.

    ¡°The space in our surroundings is frozen! Unable to enter Hyperspace!¡±

    ¡°Shields at 40%! Still unable to detect the enemy!¡±

    Bad news came one after another. They had not even been able to exchange fire. This was simply and purely a one-sided massacre.

    What the hell is happening!?

    He looked at the radar which showed nothing outside of a few floating rocks but they were undoubtedly being attacked.

    Sneak attack.

    Invisible enemies.

    Powerful Weapons.

    The incoming force of Oz

    It did not take long for a name to appear in his mind as he put all the pieces together.

    In Oz, there was one legion that was special in the way it operated.

    Made of nothing but stealth units that could approach extremely close to nearly any ship without being detected by anyone and able to swiftly exterminate even a full armada.

    They were feared in the galaxy as one of the most dishonorable but efficient armed groups.

    ¡°The Lion Pride Legion.¡±

    He muttered the name as dread filled his mind. He wished to be wrong. But he knew he wasn¡¯t.

    Alongside the Heart Metal Legion and the Tactical Scarecrow Legion, they were one of the three principal legions protecting the planet Oz and represented Dorothy Gale¡¯s personal armed force.

    Why!?

    He could not understand. Sending one of the three legions simply to deal with small shrimp-like them? Why was Dorothy going so far? Even if she had a good relationship with Alibaba and Morgiana this was too much.

    How could this even be worth it?

    ¡°Boss!? What do we do!?¡±

    He looked at the man who asked him and fought the urge to burn him to a crisp.

    ¡°What do we do!? Are you fucking stupid!? Raise the white flag immediately! What the hell do you think we can do? If any of you want to die then go, don''t bring us down with you!¡±

    His roar immediately calmed the unrest as they realized that indeed there was absolutely nothing they could do in this situation.

    ¡ª

    Standing around two meters tall was a man with a humanoid form. His body was nearly entirely encased in a seemingly medieval golden armor with only his head free from a helmet.

    ¡°Tch! I guess those people are smart at least. Your orders Dorothy? Should we destroy them now?¡±

    His head was that of a lion and his mane seemed to be made of fire as it shone under the light.

    In his right hand, was a hairbrush he was carefully using on his mane. The attack on the pirate ship was of no interest to him. Bringing his legion here was like bringing a nuke to a knife fight. The power difference was simply too unequal and there was no suspense.

    He loved that.

    Fights with zero doubt about the outcome were always the best in his opinion.

    Since victory was assured, he was more interested in making sure his mane was flowing and tidy. A lion mane was a lion¡¯s pride and he prided himself in being a very handsome lion.

    Meanwhile, sitting on her throne was Dorothy. But this time she was not wearing her normal attire.

    Rather she was wearing regal Power Armor in black, silver and white with an emerald-colored cloak on her back.

    Her beautiful face was hidden behind an expressionless white mask but through it, you could hear the laughter in her voice as she spoke.

    ¡°For a cowardly lion, you are acting quite proud. I remember you were ready to surrender when the wicked witch attacked us.¡±

    ¡°And me surrendering is the reason she didn¡¯t boil us alive and eat us. Your point?¡±

    His toothy grin was quite menacing but Dorothy knew he meant no harm.

    Laughing, she stood up, her silver boots giving a distinct click as she walked toward her friend and companion who had shared the highs and the lows with her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t kill the pirates yet. They are still worth more alive than dead, the emerald mine needs new prisoners.¡±

    ¡°Are you leaving?¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­I am. I need to be there.¡±

    He frowned, he wished to tell her to at least take her Mecha but he knew this was unnecessary.

    No one could catch Dorothy while she wore her Silver Boots.

    There was no sound nor light as Dorothy vanished, going down to take one of the smaller ships.

    The [Silver Flash] they called her long before she became recognized as a witch.

    A very good name but he liked [The Silver Reaper] more. Only because it always made her embarrassed. Dorothy writhing in embarrassment was always fun.

    Sighing a little, the Lion ignored the looks the staff were throwing at him as he took out a mirror to admire his work.

    He had a date after this and he needed to be at his best.

 CH 23: Maxwell Demon

    Ouroboros.

    Memories filled Noah¡¯s mind, like echoes of nostalgia from a distant past, as the name appeared in front of his eyes. Memories so powerful that even the weight of the years could not erase them from his very core.

    Unit 00 ¡ª Adam. This was the serial number of his Mecha. But for Noah, it would always be Ouroboros. Nothing more, nothing less. It was a given since his Mecha was not just a cold machine for him. It was his friend and practically his other half. An entire part of his identity. No different from his limbs, it was a second body, so to speak.

    Even back in the olden days of war, Ouroboros had been a masterpiece, a Mecha representing the crystallization of human wisdom. The mastery of human refinement was the singular thing that made it unique and extraordinary. And that same uniqueness made everyone deem it a total failure, a showpiece without use. It represented a seemingly insurmountable challenge for the user, something that no one was capable of wielding.

    All scientists, even the ones who had brought it into existence, deemed it useless outside of serving as the basis for the construction of lesser Mechas that were more accessible to everyone else. This was why its code name was Adam.

    One reason for its nightmarish challenge was the Dive system that could go even deeper and synchronize the entire body with the Mecha on an existential level. True unity of mind and machine that went onto such a level that the one manning the machine lost themselves in the void and became nothing but a husk of themselves. Their brains fried into mangled gore or their body breaking down, not being able to withstand the burden of the union.

    Even for Noah, piloting Ouroboros at its full capacity had been a dire last-moment circumstance in most cases. The same went for the other constellations to a lesser degree.

    One could say that each time they piloted a Mecha, they burned up their own life force.

    The others hated it and he could understand why. But Noah¡­ he loved the feeling more than he should have. The sensation of becoming one with the machine, casting away his weak flesh and becoming something akin to a god of destruction that could sweep the entire battlefield alone with no problem was exhilarating. It was wonderful and sensational.

    ¡ª I see that you were crazy even before we fused.

    For once, Noah had nothing to say to the voice that lived inside him rent-free. Piloting was his drug, his will, his aim. His only sense of purpose. The only thing he was any good for¡ª a talent that made him loved and respected by everyone.

    It made him feel¡­ special.

    Even if in the end¡ª with all of his accomplishments and all of his feats whittled down, he was a pitiful lab rat.

    ¡°Well, now that I have filled my depression quota for the time being, it should be time to have a proper look at my reward.¡±

    Shaking his head, he filtered out the memories that only brought pain. All those memories coming one after another were affecting his psyche in ways he did not like a single bit. Once again, he felt the need to visit a psychiatrist after he was finished with all this. That topped his list of desires more than he was willing to admit.

    After this whole test and the so-called Noah difficulty, most of Noah¡¯s deepest suspicions revealed themselves to be not far from the truth. It seemed that entering that mysterious dimension through the wormhole, brought him into another time or another dimension.

    Perhaps both at the same time?

    At times like this, he regretted sleeping during his physics lessons. He only had a brief outline of the underlying principles in his mind and that was not helpful in the least.

    Forget it. Let¡¯s look at this baby.

    ¡°Can I get a better description of this item?¡±

    He held the beautiful golden ball and held it high in the air, twirling it to see it from all angles.

    ¡ª Eat it?

    ¡°One. Don¡¯t even think about doing something like that. Two, this thing seems to hold even less energy than the core of the Mecha we had felt out there.¡± Noah mused. Was it really some super technological equipment? If so, why did it feel so weak?

    Thinking about it, it was described to be a growth type engine.

    Noah could not even imagine how a core was supposed to grow further. But at least this told him enough about the fact that he would have to nurture it in some way and make it stronger and advance further.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    After testing different things with the core and ignoring the Queen''s proposal of biting it to test its durability, Noah finally remembered that he was different from before and there was one distinct thing he was yet to try.

    Dark Matter.

    Thinking about it, Noah took a deep breath and focused on the sensation in his body, bringing back the feeling that filled his veins when he had been using the power of Dark Matter.

    The core reacted to his effort as it shook ever so slightly before a whole tide of information filled his mind, causing him to wince and growl.

    He stayed as still as possible for a few seconds before finally opening his eyes once more, his pupils shining with a dark hue. This time, he looked at the core with pure shock and awe in his eyes. He couldn¡¯t believe what he was seeing.

    This core wasn¡¯t simply a source of energy for the Mecha, it also contained a core technique within it¡ª a way to manipulate energy following a set of techniques as you¡¯d see in a typical Chinese fantasy. There were categories to the techniques, both common and unique. Depending on the capabilities of the core, even Mecha with the same model could vary greatly in its inherent abilities.

    The core Noah held was very, very special. It was a core related to concepts that would be deemed absolute and even blasphemous by the most brilliant minds back home. It was a jewel of ancient technology.

    Infinite energy. Law of Thermodynamics. Perpetual Motion.

    It was a boon of heavenly technology that did the very impossible.

    A Perpetual Machine.

    A machine that broke all laws of Thermodynamics from the root up.

    Ironically or perhaps most fittingly, the name of the core technique was¡ª [Maxwell Demon]

    Noah frowned, as the information continued to become more and more esoteric and complicated to decipher but in essence, the technique was quite simple to describe.

    Swallowing all forms of energy and converting them into any other form of energy as the user wished.

    Devouring others¡¯ cores to further increase its might.

    In short¡ª it went through the same purpose as eating, but how to direct the energy was a bit different, more controlled and selective.

    Ever growing, ever-evolving. There was theoretically no limit to its growth but from what he understood from what he had been shown, he couldn¡¯t just randomly absorb things and hope for the best.

    Despite this limitation, this was¡­

    Noah stopped the urge to laugh his lungs out.

    Adaptation.

    Predation.

    Devouring and Conversion.

    It seemed like this was becoming a theme for him, and he did not know what he should think about that.

    I can evolve, you can evolve and even my Mecha can Evolve. Everyone is evolving together it seems.

    Noah once again fought the urge to laugh like a lunatic. The whole theme was so absurd that he went completely speechless.

    ¡°Any other information regarding this core?¡±

    [Maxwell Demon is a technique that was studied by the Gaia Empire after fighting another civilization they had encountered in their long march of evolution.]

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    [Further information cannot be obtained through this trial.]

    Noah growled in frustration at being limited after coming so close to the truth he sought. Even so, he knew that getting angry at some mindless machine was useless and unbecoming. Even for someone like him, moreover, it was utterly useless.

    ¡°Very well. I guess it¡¯s time to go through the second trial.¡±

    If this second trial was anything like the first it would be extremely difficult for him to pass. However, he couldn¡¯t just shy away from the trial because of the risks. He had to see this to the very end. He had to find out the truth, more than anything else.

    [Would you like to participate in the second test?]

    [Y/N?]

    Noah grinned and clicked on the Y.

    [Mission: Battle Royale.]

    [Description: Only one person can obtain the final reward. As such a battle royale is the easiest and most direct way to determine the final victor. Killing is not allowed.]

    [Warning! As you have chosen the highest difficulty available, the mission has been changed]

    [Mission: One vs All]

    [Description: A hero is often lonely. A hero also has to fight against impossible odds. Face all the surviving participants. Killing is thus allowed.]

    [Number of participants: 19]

    [Good Luck]

    Noah cracked his finger as he felt himself being teleported to a whole new area.

    ¡°I won''t need luck.¡±

    They were the ones who were going to need a great deal of luck, to match up to him.

    At least¡ª that was the line of thought he was going for but a few moment later¡ª

    ***

    Holy shit! Gotta run!

    Noah cursed as a missile missed him by mere inches. He was still pushed back by the blast that followed soon after.

    ¡ª I thought you wouldn''t need luck.

    I never thought the bastards would be able to use their Knightframes or whatever the names of those Mechas are. How is this even remotely fair!?

    The situation was beginning differently than he thought it would.

    How did it come to this?

 CH 24: Right back at you

    Moments ago, as Noah entered the grounds of the second test, he realized that he had been  transported to a jungle once more. The exact nature of their location eluded his understanding.

    ¡°Can you still feel the pull?¡±

    ¡ª Yes. It¡¯s far stronger in this place.

    The knowledge gave him the realization of all he desired to confirm. Everything was indeed real, no form of virtual reality engine was in play here. That¡­ or their minds were being warped so vigorously, their perception thrown completely off, that they were unable to distinguish reality from mental simulation. A possible prospect, as it was the workings of an advanced civilization beyond anything he had ever encountered.

    Then let¡¯s go kill ¡¯em all.

    The mission was quite simple, all things considered.

    Kill and Devour.

    Once he had enough energy, he would finally complete the goal that had been haunting him for so many years.

    At least this should have been the case but¡ª

    Shit!

    He felt more than he saw. A chilling sensation went down his spine, a warning of incoming danger.

    All his senses seemed to sublimate at this moment, his perception increasing in such a way that he had the feeling that time seemed to slow down for him.

    His muscles tightened and thousands of Dark Tendrils immediately came out of his armor before forming a semi-circular shield in front of him.

    Dammit!

    Deafening sounds and multiple explosions followed the shock that went through his body as Noah found himself propelled more than a dozen meters away. His bones rattled from the shockwave but he was otherwise safe. The small wounds he received were already healing.

    Not bothering to turn to look behind him, Noah immediately started to run while making sure to not keep a straight line in his course. Meanwhile, two creepy red eyes opened on his back and his vision immediately changed as a screen appeared in front of him, allowing him to see what the Parasite was seeing.

    This was when he understood what had attacked him and immediately cursed out.

    ¡°A Knightframe.¡±

    Over the horizon, he could see one giant of steel of around five meters. This was one of the mecha belongings to the pirates.

    The test was not some man vs man fight but one where everything was allowed.

    Noah immediately assessed his chances of victory and determined that they were minimal at this distance.

    The saving grace was that this Mecha was not designed for ground warfare. Much less one in a forest filled with so many obstacles.

    He doubted he would have been able to outrun a Mecha on even ground.

    .

    .

    .

    Back to normal time, Noah continued to curse as another missile missed him by an inch.

    He was sure that he could triumph, but this fight was becoming a pain to deal with.

    But Noah wasn''t just running aimlessly. Whenever he moved, he would make sure to barrel straight into any outcrops of trees that were in his path.

    This barely slowed him down but it was a nightmare for the Mecha.

    Furthermore, he had another goal. The Mecha was nothing more than a hunting hound. Herding him in a certain direction.

    A trap was most likely awaiting him.

    But it was alright. It was also what he wanted.

    ¡ªDo you truly want to gamble?

    ¡°Life is always a gamble.¡±

    The only thing that confused him was that the one chasing him seemed pretty unskilled.

    ***

    On Omid''s side, things were silent. The mood was somber.

    ¡°Captain¡­The prey is approaching. Do we move?¡±

    Nineteen.

    Out of the nineteen, the majority who survived were foot soldiers rather than Mecha pilots.

    This did not come as a surprise for Omid as after inquiring he realized that all the tests for the Mecha pilots had been more deadly.

    Even so, this was a huge blow and at any other time he would have been devastated but now¡­Omid clutched the small core with glee, holding it up to his face while sitting in his Mecha.

    The death of his soldiers? Nothing more than an afterthought.

    Once he came out of this gate, he would be stronger and he might even be able to stand as a hegemon of this part of the galaxy.

    ¡°All of you guys. Surround him and put him down. Be careful. I do not know who we are facing but it ultimately does not matter.¡±

    His voice was calm, hiding his excitement, ¡°As for me, I will digest the reward in preparation for the next phase. Whatever you guys obtained, I will not take. You just have to do your job.¡±

    The pirates, who had been worried all released sighs of relief. None of them had managed to obtain a core but even so, they had been rewarded with small condensed essence pills.

    Those essences were useless to people like Omid who could use Dark Matter but in the Market, it could sell for hundreds of thousands of credits.

    The reason?

    It allowed those who swallowed them to open their minds to the cosmos and finally observe Dark Matter.

    Of course, the reason such things ¡°only¡± sold for hundreds of thousands rather than millions was because such an opening was filled with impurities and the one doing so would never amount to much.

    The pills were also a kind of psychedelic drugs and the chances of one losing their mind as they entered in contact with what was theorized to be a higher dimension was quite high.

    Unsafe, risk of brain death, limited potential.

    So many faulty points, and yet the pirates were holding them like they were the greatest treasure.

    ¡°Don''t take those pills now as it will make you helpless for a short time. Those who received mecha training can choose one of the empty ones. As for the last frame, leave them here. We will find a way when we go back. I already disabled the navigation system so they are unusable.¡±

    There were twenty-one Mecha and only nineteen pirates. Even then, not all of them could pilot one.

    ¡°Understood!¡±

    Once he finished giving all the orders, Scorched, his Knightframe, started moving away from the groups.

    For one, while he wanted to completely assimilate the core to his mecha now, such a thing could not be done simply because he wanted to. The only thing he could do now was change the core and let his frame adjust itself slightly while he also did the same and attuned himself to the power.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    He would need to find people he could trust and a skilled mechanic to rework his frame in its entirety so that it could truly become suitable to the core and bring the greatest amount of power.

    Should I contact Geppetto through Cassim?

    Omid shuddered, he was sure that Cassim would not develop greed for his gain. His other fellow pirates had higher chances of backstabbing him.

    But Geppetto¡­

    Omid discarded the thoughts and focused on the situation at hand. The reason why he was not following his subordinates and wanted to power himself up as fast as possible was simple.

    Omid was feeling threatened.

    He realized this through the last trial but those trials were fair and in fact, gave only a slight handicap that could theoretically be overcome.

    If the mission was nineteen vs one then¡­He couldn¡¯t even imagine what kind of monster they would have to face.

    Please, guys. Die for my sake and send me the information I need.

    His eyes were cold. He was too close now. Too close to simply give up and gamble on his life. To succeed, he would sacrifice everything.

    He could always create a new pirate group.

    ***

    As he accelerated through the world, he could see his surroundings zip through his vision like a blur. Noah had been too busy outmaneuvering the Mecha, so he was too late to realize that the number had steadily increased from one to three. And that led to the realization that his margin of escape was shrinking further and further¡ª a clear trap laid out to corner him.

    His head spun as his eyes tracked the movements and trails of the Mechas, analyzing and deciphering hidden meanings behind their actions and their clear intentions. It seemed that he was paying no heed to where he was going as he got lost in his analysis of his enemies¡¯ patterns.

    But Noah was aware. He was not headless, much less lost in this vast landscape. He knew where he was going and he knew what he was trying so hard to find.

    ¡ª Southwest, I have finally acquired a response.

    Immediately, Noah¡¯s eyes changed colors, a beautiful shade of majestic gold, as he changed directions and went straight for the pinpointed location.

    The sudden swivel in his forward motion was so powerful and impactful that he felt like his bones began rattling inside his body. Pain shot through his mind like bolts of lightning chasing through the clouds but Noah did not flinch, focusing all of his attention on the sprint.

    The sound of an explosion echoed as he pushed his muscles hard, accelerating faster than ever before, and shot through the terrain like a cannonball. He was moving so fast that even his own perception was able to barely keep up through the sprint. It was incredible, gaining such momentum and speed for the first time in all his life, but he was not given the time to marvel at his greatness as his ears caught the deafening echoes of something charging his way.

    ¡ª Shield?

    No need.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª

    #15. He was one of the pilots of the Mechas of Omid¡¯s crew. Previously nothing more than a mere foot soldier, he was now piloting the Mecha to go up against Noah and was busy lining up his shot towards their target.

    #15 did not quite understand why the boss was so hesitant about this target of theirs. They were a strong group of nineteen against a measly single person, all alone, trying their best to survive against a Mecha. Had they properly attacked him, the target would have already been finished, deader than dead from the get-go. But now here they were, chasing him like a cat after a mouse and bringing him to the ambush point.

    ?#15, what the hell are you doing!? Don¡¯t mind me, I¡¯m just taking things into my own hands here.?

    The damn target was moving so fast that it was hard to calibrate his attack to the target and fire the cannons of his Mecha. A task that became far more hellish due to the obstruction of the forest surrounding them.

    He was tired of chasing some midget when they could simply off him easily and reap the rewards of this test. More than anything else, the reason why he was being impatient was simple in its entirety. He was greedy. He was wondering¡­ would the one to kill the target get a special reward?

    It was quite an important thought. Since most of them did not even have access to Dark Matter, they couldn''t bring out the full prowess of a Mecha and utilize it to its maximum potential. They neither had the training nor the means to accomplish something like that.

    But no one would be happy to remain stagnant in a particular state. He was a pirate and of course, he was greedy by definition alone. He didn¡¯t need to hide it. And like most others in his crew, he was not happy with simply getting some shitty pill that would give him some mediocre boost. But, he was willing to go the extra mile to change his lot.

    Stop moving bitch! Just one second. Only one second.

    For the first time in his life, the pirate was praying to the gods even though he knew that gods were nothing but powerful existences. It was just a reflex, nothing more. But for the first time once again¡ª it seemed like the gods listened to him.

    On his monitor, he could see that the target they had been painstakingly chasing had suddenly slowed down significantly, bringing their hands forward and shooting two tentacle-esque ropes from the protrusions of their power armor. The ropes shot forward at incredible speed and caught one of the high branches of a tall tree, and using the rope, the target propelled itself up into the tree.

    His action led to him jumping high in the air, which momentarily put him in a spot that was easy for anyone to target. A gap for number #15 to exploit.

    This was impressive. Truly impressive. But at the same time, ¡°Stupid bastard!¡±

    Pilot #15 laughed out loud, not caring as to why the man who had been running around all this time made the stupid decision of becoming an easy target for his enemies. The only thing that the Mecha pilot cared about was the fact that he had a full view of his target and they were unable to flee any longer.

    ¡°Die!¡±

    Immediately pushing the button once he had calibrated the cannon to the target, he blasted the manual rocket missiles embedded into the Mecha.

    His face was filled with utter glee, eyes gleaming with joy, mouth opened wide in excitement as his brain had already conjured all the pictures of his success and the death of the target. Not even an eventual punishment by Omid scared him any longer as he was sure of his success and eventual payout.

    But what followed was something he simply could not understand.

    [Warning! Projectile incoming]

    [Tentative to deploy the shield]

    [Tentative failed. Energy insufficient]

    ¡°Wha¡ª¡±

    One moment he was laughing, the next moment, he screamed as red alarms and warning bells blared one after another throughout the Mecha.

    Everything happened in less than a fraction of a second. For many, this was an eternity, for others, this was but an instant. But as always on the battlefield, this was the difference between life and death.

    Boom!

    The cockpit of the Mecha vanished in an explosion of fire and smoke and the last things all the other pilots heard were the desperate cries of #15 as he was lost to them forever.

    They were able to watch the replay of this scene and even then, it still did not make sense to them in the slightest.

    The very moment #15 had launched the missile, the target had been high in the air. He was all but an open target, ready to be blown into oblivion by the missile, but the target had managed to react in less than a second.

    Using the same tentacle he had deployed earlier, wrapping it around the missile and then, moving it like a pendulum by using the inertia. He made a complete 180 in the air before immediately sending back the missile to the one who sent it.

    ¡°What the fuck?¡±

    One of the pirates trembled as he watched the scene play out. What he was seeing made absolutely no sense. While it was true that the missiles they were using were inertia type missiles, they were all moving at a speed close to ten times the speed of sound itself.

    How in the hell did this person even manage to accomplish such a feat with such a meager amount of Dark Matter?

    ?He is moving again!?

    The pilots all reacted, noticing that the target immediately changed his direction once again and this time was rushing towards them. In a split second, they were left wondering who was the prey and who was the predator.

    ?#10: Blow him up! Blow him up! Argh!?

    ?#10! Answer!?

    They kept calling but all they received was  static, bringing chills to their spines. A few who were able to see what was happening were once again astonished as this time the target launched their whole body like a missile and reached the cockpit of the Mecha head first.

    Since they were unable to activate the special shield, the cockpit was extremely vulnerable, and clearly the target had caught on to this fact. But the way they headbutted the metal-reinforced exterior of the Mecha without a care for their own life seemed like something only someone crazy would do.

    ?#10: Help! He is breaking through! He is fucking eating the armor of my Mecha! What the Fuck!??

    #10 couldn''t retaliate without risking blowing themselves up.

    ?#11: What do we do??

    ?#12: Do we help??

    A few messages like this came but #1, the only true pilot who had managed to survive the first trial knew that this would be foolish.

    ?#1: You know the drill?

    ?#10: Guys¡­You wouldn¡¯t¡­?

    ?#1: Use small rounds, we don¡¯t want a repeat of what happened.?

    Sadly for him, #1 did not let fear and surprise cloud his judgment again this time, and following his order, all of those who had managed to come closer pointed the end of their rifles toward the target.

    More than eight Mechas all fired instantly at the same time. The roar of the rifles filled the air as a rain of bullets was sent with no care about the survival of the one who was once their companion.

    All for the goal of destroying the threat.

    Metal clashed with metal and it only took a few seconds for the cries and curses of #10 to completely vanish as well as the signal of his Mecha.

    ?#7: Is it done this time??

    They stopped firing and looked with worry at what was now nothing but a husk of a Mecha.

    ?#5: What are you smoking? I don¡¯t think even the boss could survive such an attack if he was outside of his Mecha.?

    ?#11: Of course, I am pretty sure that ¡ª?

    ?#1: Spread out immediately!?

    The warning of #1 came too late and all they could was once again watch as one of their own was put down.

    This time it was even easier as a five meter spear split apart the smoke coming from the Mecha of #10 and flew at a speed five times that of sound before piercing the exact place where the head of #11 was, slicing through the frame-like it was made out of paper before striking the head of the pilot, instantly killing him.

    #1 could not understand.

    They had been in control of the situation for so long but only one mistake was all that was necessary for everything to spiral out of control.

    In a few seconds, less than a minute, three pilots were down and it was done with such ease that it seemed like a joke.

    #1¡¯s hands were trembling.

    Looking at the fire in the distance and the small shadow slowly walking out of the debris, limping and wounded, he did not think that this was somehow a chance to attack.

    All he could think was that the one they were fighting could not be normal. This was not something that should be possible.

    It had taken him longer than Omid but now. He understood why this was a one vs many scenarios.

    In this place, they were not predators.

    They were the prey.

 CH 25: Run like the wind

    Noah was wounded, bleeding and tired from his relentless onslaught against the Mechas.  He was now standing amid debris, smoke and fire of the second Mecha he had destroyed during his counterattack. In the corner of his vision, he eyed the third victim he had sent to the afterlife, standing far away with a spear embedded in the area of its cockpit; it housed the pilot who was controlling the Mecha, hopefully dead.

    That should have done the job.

    After blasting through the second Mecha with a headbutt for the ages, taking out the pilot situated in the cockpit, he was able to confirm the general positioning of the pilots within the Mechas. And the malfunctioning movements of the third Mecha told him that his positioning had been right, and his target was already on his journey to hell.

    Slowly, Noah breathed out as he reminisced the scene of the spear he had launched piercing through the cockpit of the Mecha and killing the pilot within.

    ¡ª Noah¡­

    Note to self and you, past a certain distance, I cannot control the substance any longer.

    He had yet to give a name for the substance that covered his body in all directions; hesitant and even reluctant to call them his body parts even though they had indeed leaked out of his body. However, giving them a name did not really matter in the long run. What mattered was that the substance was extremely malleable and efficient in its usage.

    Though his current situation was quite a bit complicated if he had to be honest. Noah¡¯s mind had been in such a high level state of focus that he could feel his brain going into overdrive, even overheating to the point that it felt like it would melt any second now. Merely a few seconds had passed since he went into this state, but it was no shorter than a small eternity for him.

    His wounds were already healing but he felt sluggish all over, as though his mind was not able to keep up with the rapid changes. He did not believe that the guys chasing him would be dumb enough to let themselves and the others be killed as easily as the three he had taken down with that unexpected turn of events. Three out of nineteen down already¡ª a good result, all things considered; however, nowhere near enough for him to safely get out of this messy scenario.

    ¡­ Or perhaps it was.

    The hell?

    He was already prepared to square up but he could see seven Mechas pulling back from the formation and fleeing, leaving the battlefield at full speed. This resulted in him facing the remaining eight Mechas, still too many but far more doable than before.

    Noah could practically see the confusion of the remaining eight Mechas as their teammates had deserted them. He was sure that all of them were now hesitant on how to proceed with the battle with their tight-knit formation useless due to the sudden deserters.

    Noah looked down at his body, wondering if they were maybe thinking that he was still at full power, or if they thought he was taking it easy on them and was capable of killing them all at once if he so wished¡­ or if they were simply that cowardly to face a sudden variable.

    Expecting them to stick together through thick or thin was extreme but he would have never imagined that they would desert on the first signs of an anomaly and a reversal in the scenario.

    ¡ª What do we do now?

    Run like the wind.

    This was different from the situation they had encountered on the spaceship where he was up against support personnel rather than warriors. Noah had the advantage but he definitely could not keep it up for long if they fought him at the same time.

    But he knew where he wanted to go and the hole in their formation was the perfect place for him to run towards his destination.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª

    As Noah had expected, while #1 had been stunned by the unexpected panic and desertion of the soldiers, he recovered just as easily and started his advance.

    ?# 3: What do we do??

    ?# 1: We stick to the plan. Let¡¯s push him towards the Captain. We don¡¯t have to risk our lives to take him out like the other idiots.?

    He had no time to berate the pirates who had fled the scene. They should have known by now that fleeing was useless and they would return once they calmed their mind. He also kept a calm facade to avoid having more of his members deserting him.

    ?# 1: Fire a few rounds regularly if he deviates from his position, keep him at a manageable distance, and be wary of any sudden movements. # 2, # 3, and # 4¡­ go ahead and move before us to the clearing to prepare the trap. Once we reach the clearing we will stay clear and wait for the boss. Keep your distance and do not obstruct our vision once again.?

    He was a little too whiny but he wanted them to understand that everything was under control, even if it wasn¡¯t in reality.

    Inwardly though, N#1 was as worried as the rest. After all, the streak of kills had been simply too impressive and none of them wished to be the next sacrificial lamb for this inhumane monster.

    If he had to be honest, he wished to stop fighting right this moment. At the end of the day, the one who would get the most of the reward for this trial would be the Captain himself, not them.

    Fighting and dying for the sake of the ambitions of someone else was not in his plan at all but unlike those who fled and would certainly be punished, he simply needed to go through the motions and do his job properly. He was sure that would assure his survival through this mission.

    ?# 1: Just stick to the plan.?

    Everything wouldn¡¯t have spiraled out of control if not for that bastard, #15. So he kept repeating his words, hoping that they would understand, and thankfully it seemed like they did.

    ***

    ¡ª They have eased their attack and movement speed. They are being cautious.

    I know. Fucking stupid bastards.

    Noah was in a weird state of mind at the moment. If he had to be honest, the rush he felt when fighting earlier was the likes of which had not felt in a long time. The wind cutting against his face, the surroundings changing as though a blur of motion, and having to make snap decisions instantaneously while knowing one mistake could kill him.

    It was exhilarating and he craved such a feeling far more than he could have imagined. Still, all the rush died down when he realized what they were doing.

    ¡ª You should be happy.

    I am happy.

    ¡ª It seems like my understanding of Happiness may be flawed.

    Noah scoffed while he jumped in a tree and started moving like a ninja, sticking to branch after branch. He was taunting them in a way, hoping perhaps that one would bite the bullet and attack like the previous overconfident buffoon; however, it seemed like they were too prudent and would not put themselves in danger.

    Was he happy? Of course, he was. His opponents were cowardly bastards and had fled a fight but could he not blame them for that?

    Noah was simply too used to fighting unfeeling monsters who would fight to the death without the slightest hesitation, even if all but one was eliminated.

    This had always been the norm for him.

    Parasites did not retreat, and humans had no place to retreat. All the fights that ensued between them were extremely bloody and tragic, with hundreds and thousands of deaths happening during every engagement

    How laughable.

    Those pirates were undoubtedly stronger and far more technologically advanced than anything he had seen on Earth, but in Noah¡¯s opinion, he would rather fight these bastards than face a competent human army.

    ¡ª Weren¡¯t humans literally about to give up back then?

    ¡°They were, and this is why it¡¯s even more beautiful.¡±

    Courage didn¡¯t mean a lack of fear. True courage was feeling fear but still fighting and overcoming it.

    Noah continued to jump, zoning out most of the information from the outside world. Subconsciously, he had already deemed the pirates as nothing short of being worthless, and not the simplest of threats to him any longer. He was already more or less rested and he was ready to destroy one or two more if they made the mistake of coming too close.

    It was like this that, while being escorted by a group of Mecha, Noah finally arrived at the clearing and finally, he found what he had been searching for all along.

    Two Mechas, sitting in the wild and unoccupied.

    He accelerated once again. He only needed one, only one more struggle and this farce would finally come to its conclusion.

 CH 26: Its here!

    [#1: What is this bastard doing?]

    #1 wondered as he looked at the movement of the target. He could see that the one they were chasing was moving toward one of the Mechas.

    But for what? Mecha were not things that could be activated or used just because one wanted to. There were many protocols for defense and anti-theft installed and unless the man knew of them then it would be useless even if he entered.

    [#2: What do we do? Should we bomb the Mecha just in case?]

    [ #18: Are you crazy? I am not paying the price for this shit.]

    [ #4: I say we let him enter fully and find out it¡¯s useless. This will waste enough time. We should also contact the boss now. Whatever he is doing, he should come back quickly with that info.]

    [#1: You think I didn¡¯t try? But the boss seems like he is in a trance. He is not responding to anything.]

    A chorus of fucks sounded in the intercom. None of them knew what they should do. Or rather, they knew. Since they did not know the objective of the target, it was better to actually destroy the Mecha and stop him rather than wait and observe things moving beyond their control.

    But the reality was that Knightframe type Mecha were extremely expensive and not something they could take responsibility for in case of destruction.

    The one responding under the moniker of #1 hesitated, his finger hovering above the trigger for the rifle to shoot. The target was extremely close now to the Frame.

    Should he shoot or not?

    Was it a bait or not?

    Would the man immediately counterattack if he did? All those questions moved in his mind but he knew one thing. Too many variables already appeared in this fight. Adding even more variables could only lead to true chaos and make them lose complete control of the situation or rather, lose the little control they still had.

    ¡®Life is more important.¡¯

    His mind was finally made. Only by staying alive could they worry about being punished. Only by staying alive could he see a new day.

    [ #1: I will take responsibility. All units fire, avoid missiles, and be careful of friendly fire.]

    The pirates all lifted their weapons. They were not hesitating. All of them thought the same as #1. But none of them had the guts to bear the burden. Now that this was taken care of, they had nothing to worry about.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    ***

    The moment they readied their weapon, Noah immediately felt his senses tingling and he realized the pirates were finally doing something smart. Even if it was already too late.

    ¡ªDistance is more than enough.

    His armor bubbled and crimson eyes appeared all over the right side of his body before a black snake-like monster, with its maw wide open, extended from his body and rushed at one of the Mechas.

    ***

    The others also fired, the roar of rifles filling the air and they watched as the man seemed to show no care for the bullets whistling past his eyes, watched even as his left arm was blasted, followed by his legs and a few parts of his body.

    Something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong.

    [#1: Fire your missile now! He cannot fight back! Unload everything!]

    He immediately gave the order while doing the same himself. Something was definitely going to happen and he would not let it be so.

    He acted without even waiting for them, blasting all his reserve of rounds, uncaring about the damages it would bring. The others, realizing the situation, did the same.

    All of them launched their missiles, causing a trail of smoke as more than a dozen powerful missiles were sent at the same time.

    For #1, everything seemed to happen in slow motion, even if he definitely did not have such capacity.

    He could see that, even though the man had more than half of his body destroyed, his face was still covered with a large smile of victory.

    He could also see that the black snake with numerous red eyes had already reached one of the Mechas and bit down powerfully around the place where the core would be.

    Finally ¡ª The missiles landed and all hell broke loose.

    An almost blinding light followed, as the explosion finally happened. Even while staying in the cockpit of his Mecha, he had a feeling that his ears were about to bleed because of the resulting shockwave.

    Fire and dust followed, tremendously increasing the heat all around and causing all of them to step backward. An instinctual response to their fears.

    The radius covered continued to climb, reaching more than 400 meters. From afar, one would think that this was a judgment sent by the gods themselves. However, the pilot of #1 had no time to care for this display.

    The heat and shockwave were messing with his radars, hiding the information he so wished to have.

    Was the target still alive?

    It was logically impossible, right?

    How could anything stay alive after such a bombardment? Even prior to this, the body of the target had been destroyed into many parts.

    He should be dead.

    At least ¡ª This was what he hoped.

    Reality had a different plan for him. One that he could do nothing about.

    One moment, there was nothing on the radar. But the next moment.

    [Warning! Extreme increase in Dark Matter concentration.]

    [Warning! Spacetime fluctuation of unknown origin detected.]

    [Caution: It¡¯s advised to leave the immediate area!]

    He heard the warning. But by then, it was already too late.

    The wind stirred, the flames vanished and at the center of all of this was a crimson giant of steel with one knee on the ground.

    It showed clear signs of extreme damage. But for all this, the pressure it emanated was intense.

    After all, even while kneeling, the machine towered above their own Mechas.

    ¡°What is this..?¡±

 CH 27: Ouroboros

    A few moments earlier, as Noah was running and getting bombed from all sides, even as he felt his body getting destroyed, Noah felt no fear. Only anticipation as he finally was about to obtain the last piece in the puzzle that had been eluding him.

    All the time he spent on the planet, despite regular moments of depression and anxiety, he was able to continue trudging on. All that because he had one hope. One way to eventually leave the godforsaken planet even without getting help and perhaps reaching back home.

    For Noah, everything was happening slowly. He watched as the snake construct tore through the interior of the Mecha and swallowed the core.

    At the same time, he swallowed the core he had stolen from the previous one he destroyed. Like a sea on the eve of a storm, his body seemed to roar while the mysterious energy that was Dark Matter filled his entire being and reached a new threshold.

    Finally!

    Whether it was Noah''s or the Queen¡¯s thought, it was hard to discern.

    Everything followed in an instant. Having obtained the reserve of energy she needed, the Queen was finally able to reach beyond. Space and time fluctuated and ripples spread like an ocean being disturbed.

    ¡°Come to me! Ouroboros!¡±

    Noah called and his machine answered.

    ***

    In the interior of the giant crimson Mecha, sitting with his hand on the lever, Noah seemed pained.

    A mechanical spine affixed to the seat, pierced his back, drawing blood until it reached the base of the neck.

    Noah groaned as the fusion proceeded. Soon a blue screen appeared in front of his eyes.

    [Neurolink activated.]

    [Authentication check: Failed.]

    [Asking for input of password]

    ¡°Victory is mine.¡±

    [Voice Authentication: Success]

    [Password: Correct]

    [Booting system]

    [Commencing system check]

    [Reserve of energy: 50%]

    [Equipment status: Red.]

    [Initializing tactics log]

    [Activating Environmental sensors]

    [Activating Inertia Control system.]

    A string of information continued to pass, but Noah didn¡¯t move. He was not surprised by the failure of the authentication. Even now, half of his body was composed of the black substance of the parasite while he was healing himself.

    He doubted his DNA could even come close to anything human.

    But this did not matter.

    Not now. Not at this moment

    Right now, all that mattered was ¡ª

    [System Check: Complete]

    [Status: Ready]

    [Ouroboros activation complete.]

    ¡°Haha¡­¡±

    ¡°Hahahah¡­¡±

    A crazed laugh escaped his lips. This sensation of molten metal coursing through his veins, the pain beyond belief mixed with the sensation of becoming a giant beyond words.

    He was back!

    ¡°Fucking finally!!¡±

    [Deep Dive 1: Activation]

    ¡°Kuh¡­¡±

    The world around him and his perception changed.

    He was not Noah anymore. He stopped being a puny human made of flesh and blood.

    He was a Serpent. The pilot of the Ouroboros.

    The eyes of the Mecha were his eyes. The hands were his hands and the entire body was his.

    Why was Mecha created in humanoid form even though it was extremely inefficient anywhere outside of space?

    Noah did not know the answer for other races. But he knew the technical reason for humans and this was exactly because of the Neurolink. If the Mecha they were using differed too much from the human structure, it would be impossible to use.

    ¡ªNoah

    ¡°I know¡­It¡¯s time to end this fight.¡±

    His grin grew so large that he became akin to a Cheshire cat. His Mecha was partially destroyed. He only had half of the energy remaining and he only had a spare sword since his spear was lost.

    Beyond that, while his Mecha was bigger, it seemed to run with lower tech than the one the pirates were using.

    For anyone else, this might be a situation with no hope in sight. Facing eight Mecha with his own was simply impossible.

    But for Noah, impossible was a word he despised from the deepest part of his heart . And there was one thing he knew more than anyone else.

    ¡°I don¡¯t even need Full Dive to deal with those guys.¡±

    Eight vs one?

    Nothing more than a piece of cake.

    ***

    To the despair of the eight pilots who were surrounding Noah, the crimson giant of steel moved, slowly standing up until it towered at an impressive eighteen meters. The pilot of #1 swallowed. The situation was bad, very bad. He did not know how the man managed to summon a Mecha but what mattered was that his munitions were all spent. All he had left was a vibro blade and he did not know how efficient this weapon would be.

    The others should be more or less in the same situation.

    I fucked up.

    Hindsight was always 20/20 and now it was too late to regret.

    [# 1: Guys, how is your situation?]

    [# 2: All ¡ªBzzz!]

    They were not able to process what happened next as the crimson giant used the partially broken shield it was holding like a throwing weapon, immediately destroying the full upper half of #2 in a flurry of explosion and sound.

    #1 cursed. This bastard seemed to like killing people as if they were pests on the road.

    [#1: Guys! Don¡¯t even try fleeing! You know this won¡¯t change anything! Also, the bastards who fled earlier! Come back fast and support us from afar! If you don¡¯t¡ª]

    He was trying to give orders as fast as possible but the reality of the battlefield was ever-changing and Noah had never been one to wait patiently with his enemies. What followed was a one-sided massacre once again rather than a fight.

    The two camps did not even play on the same field. Since they neither had munitions nor Dark Matter, they were unable to access even half of the full performances of their Frames. This was without adding to this their subpar piloting skills.

    Noah meanwhile was one with his Mecha. This went beyond mere piloting as he was using his mind and all his senses to move the machine. The latency time between decision and action was nearly nonexistent.

    Ouroboros was a machine created with human-like precision, mixing the weight of a giant with the grace of a fish swimming in the sea. It had its gravitation system to lower the full weight and allow extremely fast movement.

    Weapon-wise, Ouroboros was holding an oscillating blade, something that in principle was very similar to the vibro blade. But this was not important for the situation at hand, after all, they were simply getting decimated and were unable to properly respond.

    #1 could barely process the flow of this fight. He tried to give an order but the monster was moving too fast for them to properly react.

    Like a wolf jumping in a flock of sheep, he was destroying them with such ease that it was almost comical.

    One of them was destroyed by a powerful kick to its joints, sending the machine tumbling on the ground before Noah stepped harshly on the cockpit where the pilot was sitting.

    The scream of pain as his companion was completely crushed like a bug was frightening. Another one made the mistake of trying to cross-blades with the giant only to be deflected and promptly bisected.

    This was not a fight.

    At the moment, they were no different from beasts being sent to a butcher.

    Crushing, cutting, dismembering.

    No means was spared as scraps of metal flew everywhere.

    The only thing he could see was the crimson monster finally approaching him with slow and steady steps.

    ¡°Hah¡­¡±

    He opened his mouth, but no words came out. He wanted to beg, he wanted to ask for his life to be spared, to be given a second chance.

    But he could do none of that.

    The last thing he saw was the blade being swung down at him and as his vision slowly divided in two, he finally realized.

    Hah¡­So this is how I die.

    And so ended the life of yet another pirate. Neither his ambitions nor name would ever be recorded in any annals of history.

    Born unknown, living a worthless life, and dying pitifully as an extra.

    ***

    Looking at the massacre, Noah once again felt no pity. Only exhilaration beyond comparison.

    His body tingled. When using Deep Dive 1, synchronization with Ouroboros was still relatively acceptable. The Dive system allowed Neurolink to go above and beyond in terms of maneuverability and response time. But it was also an extremely cruel system and the higher the dive level, the more dangerous it was.

    ¡°Round check.¡±

    New numbers and information were transferred directly to his brain, allowing to understand the extent of the damage Ouroboros received and he thought,

    ¡°This is no different from how it was before we entered that strange dimension.¡±

    Noah sighed and leaned back on his chair. He was a little sweaty. After all, piloting a Mecha after so long had been quite exhausting even as it made him more than happy.

    ¡ª-So we were effectively frozen in time while here?

    ¡°Most likely.¡±

    For Noah, while quite traumatizing, that only lasted a few moments. Perhaps an hour at maximum? Or perhaps only for an instant. At least this was what his mind had told him back then.

    Now though, he had full certitude that he might have spent far more than just a few minutes in that space.

    ¡°It¡¯s a pain to not know exactly how long I spent there but it doesn¡¯t matter in the end. What matters is that we need to go back to Earth, for all we know, perhaps this is not even my Earth anymore. But first, we need to deal with those guys.¡±

    ¡ª-Eating them?

    ¡°Yes. But not now. I might become drowsy if we eat too much.¡±

    He stopped, ¡°In the first place would you become stronger by eating those pieces of metal?¡±

    ¡ªWhat do you mean?This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°Can do something like eventually creating a Mecha or who knows, a spaceship?¡±

    ¡ªI¡­I do not know.

    The Queen was filled with doubt herself. After all, the abilities she was showing while loosely similar to the unique skill set of Parasites were extremely different now. Like her ability to open those portals. Parasites had developed their technology to open portals to allow travel through space. But the hyperspace she remembered was different from whatever place they were.

    She did not know if this was the so-called Dark Sea.

    ¡ªTechnically, the armor I created is just a shell. I theorized that I should be able to recreate the full system later should I finish analyzing the mind of the scientist. But that is pure speculation.

    ¡°You are saying many things but, I do not hear the word impossible.¡±

    ¡ªWell. But I need to remind you that my conversion of the mass devoured is not 1:1. Not even 1:100. Otherwise with all the giant monsters we devoured, we should already be able to do something similar.

    ¡°Dark Matter then?¡±

    ¡ªMost likely.

    Dark Matter was proving to be the most essential thing in this world and all he could do was adapt.

    ¡°Well. We will have all the time to experiment once we are out of here. Now we need to focus. Still, I want you to try and analyze the internal circuits of those machines. Look at how they interact with the core and how they are supposed to send Dark Matter. I am sure this will be very useful.¡±

    He looked at the panel and frowned,

    [Reserve of energy: 30%]

    [Warning! Leakage of energy detected. Core severely damaged.]

    He had only fought for a few minutes but lost more than 20%. But it was understandable if this Mecha was still in the same state as what it was all those years ago.

    Ouroboros needed extensive repair and upgrade.

    ¡ªWhat about taking a new Mecha?

    ¡°Unless I have no other choice I will not.¡±

    He gently caressed the interior of his Mecha. Ouroboros was a part of him, like an arm or a leg.

    But Noah was not blind nor stubborn, he was willing to sacrifice his limbs for victories and if it was necessary, he would change Mechas.

    Now though,

    ¡°How do I fight that dude?¡±

    Could he win with just 30% energy against a powerful Mecha pilot who could use Dark Matter?

    Noah did not know Omid¡¯s piloting skill, but he would not make the mistake of underestimating him. Even if Omid''s skills were inferior to himself, he might be disadvantaged because of the difference in tech.

    ¡ª-You think all that but you are smiling.

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    Noah lifted his hand and touched the corner of his lips, realizing that they were pulled in a large smile.

    He let out a chuckle filled with happiness.

    ¡°I guess I was excited.¡±

    His heart was beating fiercely in his chest at the thought of the incoming fight. He wished for nothing more than to rush to the fight now.

    But doing so would be reckless. He needed to clean the rest of the trash that fled earlier to make sure he didn¡¯t lose in both tech and number.

    ¡°Say¡­Do you think I should use it now?¡±

    Noah held out the core in his hand as he opened his cockpit. The air rushed against his face made him breathe deeply. The airing system in his Mecha also had a few problems.

    The spinal cord attached to him detached, causing Noah to twitch a little as his wounds healed. Whoever created this system was a true bastard. A genius but a bastard nonetheless. He couldn¡¯t even count the number of times he bled in this Mecha.

    Laughing, he stretched a little and jumped out of the Mecha. In his hand, was a golden ball. It was the Ouroboros core reward he obtained from his trial.

    If he was not wrong, this reward should be extremely compatible with his Mecha. But he did not know how long the updating and adaptation would take. If it took too long, he would have to fight Omid without a Mecha or by stealing the Mecha of those bastards and using it against them.

    ¡ªI believe this is the optimal way. Even if those small Mecha are weaker, they are certainly better than the current Ouroboros. Once you get the handle of it, the results will be outstanding.

    ¡°You are right.¡±

    ¡ª....You won¡¯t do it.

    ¡°If this was war. If it was a fight where the lives of people were in my hands, I would certainly take the most optimal and logical path to victory. But¡­This isn¡¯t the case.¡±

    This was truly the first time he thought about it. All his life, he had only been using Ouroboros for the sole goal of fighting for humanity.

    He couldn¡¯t play around, because one mistake from him would mean hundreds or thousands of deaths on the battlefield;

    But right here, right now¡­He was fighting only for himself and the only life he had to account for was his. Well¡­theirs.

    ¡°Heheh¡­¡±

    ¡ªWhat have I done to be imprisoned with such a hot head?

    ¡°I mean. Trying to exterminate an entire civilization. Just saying. If Karma exists, yours is pretty great. The injustice is how someone like me is stuck with someone like you.¡±

    ¡ªAnd I am sure Humanity was a gentle and peace-loving race with no sins and no history of massacre.

    Noah laughed out loud at the sarcastic remark. At the same time, he felt his reserve of energy drop as a space ripple appeared in front of him and swallowed the Ouroboros core, leaving him completely alone in the clearing.

    Noah whistled quietly at the impressive display. If he wasn¡¯t scared he would somehow spend hundreds of years frozen in one go, he would enter that dimension again to see what this was about.

    Note to self. I really need to find a better name than something vague like that place.

    ¡°I must be the only one who can use an alternate dimension as a storage. Damn. I am the best.¡±

    ¡ª This is my ability.

    ¡°Yours, mine, whatever, it¡¯s all the same.¡±

    He shrugged and started walking away.

    ¡°Let¡¯s kill the rest first. Heh, I don¡¯t know what that dude Omid is doing but I wonder what he will think when he realizes all his partners are dead?¡±

    This would be undoubtedly worth watching.

    ***

    Omid was meditating inside his Frame.

    Not all Mecha were created the same and while some were nothing more than standard machines, a few were extremely customized to suit the needs of the pilot.

    The Scorched was something in between. It was a special Mecha he had been bestowed by the royal families when he was younger and still a royal knight.

    How proud he had been then when everything was working well and he could say that he was a true knight fighting for the greater good of his species. Fighting through the Sea of Stars, conquering more planets, making sure they were growing well toward eventually becoming a stronger civilization.

    Becoming a Type III was nearly impossible as they would have to fight the Empire for that but growing quietly was not bad.

    Back then he was happy.

    Back then, he was proud.

    For nearly 300 years, he lived as a Knight, watching generations of Kings and Queens come and go, all more stellar than the previous one. All more worthy of respect and admiration and his loyalties.

    At least this was the case until Sultan Shahryar and Queen Scheherazade.

    His concentration was disturbed as pictures of a forgotten past filled his mind. The sea of white flames surrounded him. The suffocation he felt as he was being looked down upon as even less than an insect by someone who stood so much above him.

    ¡ªLeave, never come back.

    He shuddered as the voice of the very person he swore to serve and protect sounded in his ears. Years may have gone by but this was a voice he could never forget. One he would always recognize as it had once filled all his nights with nightmares he could not escape from.

    ¡°Why reminisce about a terrible past,¡± Omid slowly opened his eyes as he muttered those words and pushed down the growing useless feeling of rage and fear that were usually hidden deep inside of him. Whether this was out of helplessness or a simple desire to forget once again, he did not know. The loyal Knight was dead long ago and all that was left was nothing but a scum pirate with the blood of many innocents on his hands.

    He was different from Cassim or Alibaba. He did not dream of justice or revolution. His heart had long since cooled down as he realized the reality they were living in and that he was nothing but an insignificant cog in the great machine.

    He was tired of fighting for the sake of others. Tired of upholding a code while knowing full well that others managed to get ahead farther in their lives simply by acting as they wished.

    This was why, on that day, he swore to fight only for himself. Only him and no one else. Only by doing so could he reach higher in life. Justice was nothing but an illusion and only strength reigned supreme. This might be an exaggeration for many but this was nothing but a simple reality he learned after becoming a pirate.

    [Attunement: 2%]

    Looking down at the numbers showing, Omid felt no surprise. He knew very well that this was a process that could be completed quickly. Some Mecha were specially created to support the cores of the previous and forgotten Universal empire but as one could expect, The Scorched was not such a Mecha. If it was, the attunement would have been nearly instantaneous and the change would have been immediate.

    Even so, he could feel that his body was slowly changing as he attuned himself to the core. His ability to feel and absorb Dark Matter from the exterior was increased and his interior reserve had grown, albeit barely. But the true winner in this case, was his Mecha. It was also a little overloaded currently as the hardware was simply not powerful enough to contain and accept this core. But the future would be positively marvelous.

    ¡°I am growing stronger.¡±

    This was nothing but a hint of progress but for him who had stayed stagnant for so long, this simple progress was no different from the most beautiful gift he could receive. This was the absolute proof that he was right in gambling and entering the Gate no matter how dangerous it seemed and the proof that once he came out of this place, he would be great.

    He clenched his fist and scoffed as he remembered a few words he once heard when he was still friendly with Alibaba, ¡°I told you there was no such thing as having a Blazing Heart.¡±

    Just remembering that happy-go-lucky bastard made his blood boil.

    He would become known through the galaxy, he would step on anyone no matter who they were, and never again would he be humiliated.

    ¡°I will become strong.¡±

    He was Omid of the Scorched Earth. He was a noble Djinn, a Yellow Flame and now he had the power from the all-powerful and vanished Empire that once controlled the entire universe.

    This was his story, this was his time to shine. Becoming one of the strong would be nothing but a given for him. But for that to happen, he had to accomplish something first.

    He brought his hand forward and re-activated the communication.

    ¡°#1 give me your situation.¡±

    He waited a few seconds but received no answer, causing him to frown,

    ¡°#1.¡±

    Once no answer came back, an ominous feeling washed over him,

    ¡°#2.¡±

    He continued the call of order but realized that he was still unable to get an answer. Something flashed in his mind and he spoke in the air.

    ¡°I ask for permission to see the number of candidates remaining.¡±

    [Permission accorded]

    [Mission type: One vs Many]

    [Initial number of participants: 20]

    [Updating the number of remaining participants.]

    Omid waited, hoping that he would be wrong, that this was nothing more than a bad dream.

    But the reality was often disappointing.

    [Number of participants updated.]

    .

    .

    .

    .

    [Number of survivors remaining: 3]

    He widened his eyes, but he was not even allowed to properly register this information when an alarm sounded everywhere and a new screen appeared.

    [Number of participants remaining: 2]

    Omid grunted and it was then that his com sounded. Since only two people were remaining, he understood well who it was and he decided to open the communication.

    A picture appeared in front of him, showing a young man sitting in the cockpit of a Mecha. Everywhere, blood and flesh could be observed as if a great massacre had occurred.

    But for Omid, the most shocking thing was undoubtedly the face of the young man sitting there. Though he was older looking, this was undoubtedly¡­

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    [Hi! This is your friend, Noah, here. I just wanted to tell you two things.]

    The young man, or rather Noah, laughed while playing around with a ball in his hand and Omid realized that it was the head of one of his subordinates. The eyes of the dead were filled with terror as if they had witnessed some great horrors.

    [Firstly, thank you for the meal. It was delicious.]

    As he spoke those words, the young man crushed the head into meat paste between his hands, his smile not even flinching as brain matter, blood and skull pieces splattered everywhere on him.

    [Secondly, you are next. Soon, I will find you, and then¡­We will eat you.]

    ***

    Once the communication ended, Noah wiped away the blood from his hands. His expression lost all the emotions he had been showing and he seriously started to ponder his next course of action.

    The hunt for the remaining stragglers had been far easier than he would have imagined as they were simply too weak and not united in any way for them to pose any danger to him.

    ¡ªDo You think this will be useful?

    ¡°Depends. I doubt it will be more than a little useful but it will certainly slow him down and cause him to make some mistakes.¡±

    In a fight between equally skilled pilots, the difference in mentality could be the difference between life and death. Noah did not think he was worse than anyone when it came to piloting skills but the tech of his Mecha was certainly old.

    ¡°We will have to fight together.¡±

    ¡ªWe have been doing this for some time now..

    ¡°Hahah. You are right.¡±

    He chuckled while still observing the interior of the Mecha. There were many things he wanted to test and thanks to the translation ability the Queen shared, he was able to glean far more information than he would have been otherwise able to.

    The only sad thing was that because of the difference in height and mass, Noah was unable to use the scavenged weapons he got from the battlefield.

    This was very disheartening as with a few better weapons, he could have drastically increased his chances of success. Thankfully, he wasn¡¯t short of ideas and some of them would give him some opportunities in the upcoming battle.

    ¡°As for taking those Mecha. Seems like it¡¯s impossible without the access code. It¡¯s possible to do more basic things; such as messaging and threatening the boss.¡± He shook his head. Noah had never been one to fixate on one solution. If the Mecha had been usable, he would have switched immediately.

    He chuckled and walked out of the Mecha while holding the core in his hand. All in all, he had managed to collect nearly all twenty cores of the Mechas that appeared in this place. Outside of the two he already absorbed, he had eighteen in his hands.

    Currently, Noah had four options.

    He could keep the cores for later or consume them now. This was the most straightforward increase in power.

    Secondly, he could keep them to sell later once he acquired the means necessary to do so. This was a great solution overall. Noah knew he would have money once he sold the planet with the ruins.He doubted they would give him the rights he asked for.

    High chance they would simply dispose of him. Noah would never underestimate how corrupt a government could be, much less one that spanned an entire galaxy. With such things in mind, having the equivalent of twenty new Mecha was certainly very appreciated. He didn¡¯t know how much it was worth. But it certainly wouldn¡¯t be cheap.

    As for the fourth option¡­ Noah took out the one core he was holding.

    Ouroboros.

    This core, which shared the same name as his Mecha, was deemed as a growth type and was supposedly able to absorb the energy from other cores.

    But how did it happen? How many cores were necessary? How much energy did it have to absorb?

    ¡ª-You wouldn¡¯t have to think so much if you just gave them to me.

    Noah ignored the words of the Queen. He felt like he was some father who had to feed a very needy child.

    Thankfully, the core in his hand was not sentient.

    ¡°Very well. I guess it¡¯s time to test.¡±

    He jumped away and started running deeper into the forest. He knew that Omid might come after him at any time but Noah was not truly worried. In the worst-case scenario, he could simply flee by entering the dimension.

    Even if he came out and hundreds of years had passed, he did not care. It wasn¡¯t like there was anyone left still waiting for him now.

    Clenching his fist, he gazed down at the core.

    ¡°Now what do I do?¡±

    He twirled the core a little in consideration when a new screen appeared in front of his eyes.

    But this one was different from the previous blue screen even if the color was very similar.

    ¡°Huh¡­¡±

    [Registering Biodata. Please provide the date necessary]

    Noah tilted his head for a second. This was nothing new per se. After all, even his Mecha needed to register his biodata as a password of such.

    ¡°Should I lick it?¡±

    Noah considered acting mischievous. He wondered if saliva or even something like piss would register. After all, they represented biodaata as well.

    In the end though and for his own sake, he decided against it. It would feel like insulting himself in a way if he did.

    ¡°Then¡­ good old blood?¡±

    A small black scalpel formed between his fingers and he cut his skin. Compared to the kind of pain he generally went through, this was absolutely nothing.

    Once the blood splashed on the core, something seemed to change as the blood itself was absorbed extremely fast.

    Unlike when he filled it with his Dark Matter, there was no flash of information. But something different happened.

    Something that he could not explain. It was then ¡ª-

    [Synchronization Starting]

    [Synchronization rate: 10%]

    [Status:

    Designation: Perpetual Core Ouroboros

    Type: Unique/Growth

    Growth: Egg.

    Level: 0/10]

    [Would you like to feed it?]

    [Y/N?]

    Noah, more curious than anything, clicked on the yes and the result was immediate. A flash of light nearly blinded him as the core in his hand started melting and being sucked in.

    It only lasted for a few seconds but when Noah took another look, he realized that while the previous cores were all destroyed and crushed, as if they had been hollowed out, the Perpetual Core showed no particular change.

    Only¡­

    [Level: 5/10]

    Was that it?

    He didn¡¯t know what he had expected but this¡­This was pretty underwhelming all things considered.

    ¡ªI told you you should have just given them to me.

    ¡°Shut up.¡±

    Noah gritted his teeth.

    He sighed and shook the disappointment away, focusing on the positive. The core could grow, and this growth was done in stages. This was good. He simply had to live long enough to ensure that future.

    ¡°Once we go to the ship I will blow it up and take its core as well.¡±

    Surely this would be enough to bring it to level ten at least, right?

    ¡®I wonder if I am playing some pet-raising game nowadays.¡¯

    He had a feeling that this core was an even bigger glutton than the Queen.

    He thought quietly while putting back the core and stretching. He could feel the Dark Matter in his body circulate faster as he focused.

    ¡ªNoah!

    ¡°I know.¡±

    Whoosh!

    Space rippled as a large mechanical arm appeared out of nowhere and blocked an incoming attack.

    He looked up and behold, he could see a large Frame coming at him from afar. The speed was already at a different level from the other Mechas he had fought and Noah could feel it in his bones.

    This fight was going to be as hard as the one he had against the Queen.

    He would have to bet everything this time once again to clinch victory.

    Golden Light shone in his eyes.

 CH 28: Old vs New

    In the distance, two large Mecha, each surpassing the ten meter mark, stood tall, facing each other silently.

    One was twelve meters tall, a pristine black and yellow paint covering it while it held a sword made out of pure condensed energy.

    The second one was nearly twenty meters, an impressive height compared to the first one but its appearance showed that this Mecha had seen far better days. A tall crusader shield was nearly broken in half in one hand while a long saber was held in the other. The primary colors were a menacing mix of red and black.

    Ouroboros and The Scorched.

    This was a fight with no spectators The two pilots both knew that the only way to end this whole situation was for one of them to die.

    [Noah. How many of the others survived?]

    The first one to break the silence was Omid. His voice coming from the speakers was low and subdued but one could undeniably hear the rage in his words. As for his question about who survived, it was clear that it was a question about his subordinates on the ship.

    Noah could have ignored him but since he was currently connecting to his Mecha, this was a welcome situation.

    [Zero.]

    [... I see¡­]

    The voice of Omid became dangerously lower and Noah could feel the telltale sign of a bull about to charge.

    [I have underestimated you. I should have killed you at our very first meeting.]

    [Heheh. Hindsight is always 20/20 don¡¯t you think?]

    [Indeed it is. I will live with those regrets all my life but for now. I will have to kill you.]

    [Is that so? Then¡­come and try if you can.]

    It was hard to say who started. But soon, the sound of metal crushing the ground resonated as each of them took one step after another.

    The first few steps were slow and probing, as if they were only testing the grounds they were walking on. But soon, the two of them were running at each other, covering the distance between them in an instant while crushing everything on their path before finally colliding like two trains.

    Noah was smart enough to use what remained of the shield to take on the sword but his detectors were already warning him about the clear drop in durability of his armor.

    There was simply no way his shield could hold up long enough and he knew it.

    Whoosh!

    Activating his thruster, he made a quick movement to the right, escaping the onslaught, and bringing down his sword. But Omid was no slouch and while his reflexes and motor responses were not as high as Noah''s, the specs of his Mecha were enough to make such difference useless.

    What followed was a frenetic course of flurries and exchanges between the two giants of steel. Moving at high speed, sometimes accelerating, decelerating and even moving slightly up if it was necessary.

    It was a showcase of skills from two experienced pilots but Omid found himself slowly getting cornered.

    How is this possible!?

    As always this was a question anyone would have when fighting Noah but Omid could not be blamed.

    Mechas were heavy. Mechas were slow. Mechas were rigid.

    This was mostly the unanimous opinion of most pilots when it came to piloting. Even with a pseudo neuro link, the breadth allowed was extremely limited unless one filled their machine with much more expensive combat software to add a reaction to nearly every situation.

    Omid had seen enough to know that the Mecha he was facing was not some high-end one. Hell, it couldn¡¯t even be some old-style Mecha. It was a style he had never seen and it seemed beyond outdated.

    The Scorched may not be a unique Mecha at its base but it was still a masterpiece born from the technology of a Type Two civilization.

    There was only one possible explanation for the movement of this Mecha to be so smooth and so human-like.

    ¡°A neuro link?¡±

    Omid shivered. Just what kind of madman was he currently fighting? The Neuro link was a system that had been discovered when the first few Mecha designs of the Old Empire were found in a few ruins.

    But soon, this system was entirely banned from the construction of all Mecha as it was simply too counterproductive.

    [Crazy bastard!]

    [I am the sanest man in the world! Hahaha]

    The two Mechas clashed once again. The Ouroboros was starting to falter.In the cockpit, Noah was sweating buckets. Moving a giant of steel as if it was his own body was not easy on the human mind and doing so at the intensity he was doing so currently certainly was not helping.

    Noah could not afford to make the slightest mistake for he knew that any mistakes could be fatal.

    His face was covered in sweat and his eyes were bloodshot, with traces of blood even leaking slightly. His mind was a little hazy but the twinkle in his eyes was unmistakable.

    ¡ªNoah!

    ¡°Not now! I still have not lost yet!¡±

    His voice was abnormal but Noah spared it no thought. All that mattered for him was the combat in front of him and he was savouring every moment of it.

    [Deep Dive 2: Activation]

    Noah grunted as the link went in deeper, he was now feeling every limb of the robot as if they were truly his own and he knew how dangerous this was but he did not care.

    The fight continued, like a death dance that seemed to have no end, the two fought, dodging, colliding. All this time, Noah knew that he had the advantage but he also knew that he could not stay long like this.

    [Reserve of energy: 15%]

    Not only was he low on energy but his own body was limited to what it could bring out in the current situation. All he could do was boost his perception with Dark Matter but since his Mecha had no system related to it, there was no way for him to boost it.

    I need to create an opening.

    For an instant, Ouroboros seemed to slip, losing its balance. The Scorched did not hesitate to capitalize on it.

    Bang!

    [Do you think you can keep up against me with this piece of crap!?]

    A roar sounded as The Scorched started swinging its sword again and again, chipping at the shield until it was about to fail. The shame he felt at the thought of having been nearly bested by a trash Mecha was not something that could be explained in mere words and he needed to wipe out this stain.

    In Ouroboros, Noah smiled. He could see that Omid was angry and as angry as he was, he was trying to prove his superiority.

    I only have one shot.

    He truly missed his spear. The additional reach would have been appreciated but it was alright. He could make do.

    Just a little more

    He observed, analyzed, even as his shield finally broke, he waited. Finally he it was time.

    For the last strike, The Scorched raised its sword high. This was a mistake.

    [Self Destruction]

    All the pieces of equipment during the war against the Parasites were filled with self-destruct mechanisms. He did not hesitate to use the one in his shield. Fire and smoke filled their vision as shrapnel flew around, damaging even his Mecha. But it was a calculated risk and one he was willing to take.

    As the shield exploded, Ouroboros deftly moved to the side, avoiding the sword that fell in its previous position before answering with its own sword.

    The oscillating sword was a very powerful weapon.

    Sometimes, evolution wasn¡¯t about discarding the old but knowing what to keep and Noah was sure that if his sword could reach the joints of The Scorched, he could do some very nasty damage.

    I won!

    Noah smiled as the sword reached the place where the cockpit would be even amidst the blinding smoke.

    As for Omid, his detector warned him of the incoming attack and he was presented with a difficult choice.

    His life or his pride.

    In the end, his desire to live won out.

    [Shield Activation.]

    A soft sound reached him as the oscillating sword seemed to collide against an invisible barrier. Hexagonal waves started to spread in a slow ripple, showing the futility of the attack that landed.

    A strange silence settled between the two, as the Mechas stayed in the same position. But the first one to break it was none other than Noah.

    [Pfft! Hahahah! I won!]

    In his Mecha, Omid gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with rage.

    One may wonder why Noah was laughing or if he was completely crazy. But Omid could not deny the reality.

    Up to now, the two of them had been fighting using their own skills and the pure spec of their Mecha, and yet, Omid had been nearly killed.

    Without his shield, he would have lost.

    As a Mecha pilot ¡ª Noah had won.

    If this was a simple duel, the fight would have ended here and now, and the two would have shaken hands and ended this on an amicable note.

    This was not a duel.

    This was a fight to the death and now¡­Omid had no more reason to hold back.

    ***

    The moment Omid steeled his resolve, the pressure in the air changed. Noah noticed immediately.

    Ouroboros immediately gained some distance. Since he had no shield now, fighting in close combat against The Scorched would be ¡ªRoyal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    Noah thought, and immediately stopped as he looked up with surprise,

    [Do you know what is the difference between a pilot who can use their Dark Matter and one who cannot?]

    Noah could not answer, all he could do was look up at the multiple points of light that started forming all around The Scorched. On a second look, rather than simple light, they were clearly a small ball of fire.

    [Conventional weapons are of no use to us.]

    <<Fire Style: Fire balls>>

    Ouroboros increased the energy output to accelerate and escape faster but the Scorched did not care. Like a god raining down punishment on a mere mortal, a rain of fire fell toward Ouroboros, igniting everything on its way mercilessly.

    At first, Ouroboros was able to avoid them, but the rain seemed interminable and what should have happened happened. It was only a small mistake but in this situation, there was no escape.

    Noah watched as the left arm of his Mecha was covered in flame and started to melt slightly.

    Red alerts sounded in the cockpit of Noah¡¯s Mecha, showing that the damage was going beyond what was acceptable.

    Fuck. Just how hot is this stuff?

    Noah could not deploy his own shield as the energy it would consume would be staggering.

    As such,

    ¡°I can only rush forward!¡±

    Even though he could not stop the flames, nor could he go past Omid''s shield, he knew the shield was not up all the time. He needed to take it down if he wanted to engage Omid.

    Noah changed tactics and Ouroboros followed, accelerating in the opposing direction while doing its best to avoid the concentrated fire attack.

    [I knew you would do that. Too bad.]

    <<Fire Style: Fire Cloak>>

    Whoosh!

    Even sitting in his own Mecha, Noah could feel a hint of the heat that was suddenly being emitted. It was like facing a small sun, an explosion of light and heat as everything around Omid went on fire.

    The fire cloak was one of the most efficient defensive systems for the Djinn as it allied attack and defense all in one. This became even more when they were in their own Mecha as the Core and the Circuits worked as amplifiers and greatly increased the might they had access to.

    It could be said that for most Mecha pilots now, piloting skills had little use. All that mattered was a core powerful enough that brought an even better boost.

    Boom!

    Blinded as he was, Noah had no way of reacting when the fire encased fist of the Scorched connected with the chest of Ouroboros, causing an indent to form and pushing him backward like a cannonball.

    In the cockpit, Noah groaned even as Ouroboros was sent flying as if it weighed nothing until it collided against a small mountain.

    The fight had only changed for a short moment but he felt like it had been hours. The difference between them was all too clear.

    Noah knew it. Even if he refused to accept it, he could not win as he was. This was simply impossible.

    ¡ªNoah¡­

    His breath was rough. A sweet taste rose in his throat, but his healing factor immediately took care of the wounds.

    Holding the controllers, Noah looked up, only to see nothing but a sea of flames seemingly covering the world. Even the lush forest filled with humidity was helpless in the face of this power. In a way, this was almost poetic.

    The black smoke was rising high up, the crimson flame covering the visible world, and between all that ¡ª

    The sound of a Mecha, advancing slowly, one step after another toward him. Each step seemed to be filled with a sense of purpose. A desire to suppress, an absolute confidence born from the clear difference in power.

    Finally, the shadow of the Mecha became clear and Noah watched as a flaming sword stopped a few mere inches from the cockpit.

    There was no doubt that Omid only needed an instant to pierce Ouroboros and end him.

    [Noah. If that is your name. You have been a fierce warrior and as much as I loathe to admit, if you had access to a better Frame, you might have won. But such is the fate of the Battlefield. Do you have any last words?] Omid''s voice came out, his mood clearly far better than it was initially.

    [Heheh, how magnanimous.]

    [Such is the prerogative of the winner.] The sword approached closer, slightly piercing the place where the traces of the earlier punch were. [Now Speak.]

    Omid waited, wondering what the man would say. Would he try to fight back even though there was no hope? Would he beg for his life? Or would he ask for a favor?

    Omid waited, anticipation rising. He did not know who Noah was. The kid was one filled with mystery but surely this would be the first page of his new legend. A legend where he would shed his identity as a pirate and become a Knight once again.

    Any last words, huh..

    Noah smiled as he looked at The Scorched. The sounds of alarms were still ringing as the heat from the sword was causing damage.

    [Then, tell me. Out of all the Pirates in your group. How high do you rank? Are you the strongest?]

    An unexpected question. There was no begging, only such useless questions.

    How strong was he? Omid could not give a very accurate answer. The top executives of the Forty Thieves rarely fought against each other even if they could. There was simply no need to do so after all.

    But as for being the strongest? The answer was pretty simple.

    The picture of a young man flashed in Omid¡¯s mind. Someone who, no matter how much Omid wished to deny it, was worthy of respect and admiration.

    [I am not the strongest.]

    [I see.]

    [If that is all you have to say ¡ª Die in peace.]

    The sword plunged, ready to reap the life of Noah but Omid felt an unexpected tension stopping him from going further.

    Omid instantly understood that something was wrong and while he wished to push forward, his instincts were telling him to retreat.

    He listened to them ¡ª This was undoubtedly the best choice he made.

    [What the hell!]

    Backing away immediately, Omid watched with stunned horror as hundreds of tendrils of darkness appeared at the same time. All of them were covered with bloodshot eyes and some of them showed jagged teeths.

    He readied himself, thinking that the tendrils would attack him. What followed next made no sense to him.

    After all, rather than attacking him ¡ª They started eating the Mecha itself.

    Crunch!

    The sound was frightening and the picture unnerving. He had the distinct feeling that thousands of ants were crawling on his skin. As the tendrils piled on each other, soon they condensed into a round, almost oval form that was more reminiscent of an egg.

    Then crimson lines started to form, giving the faint impression that it was drawing something akin to a snake.

    A snake eating its own tail.

    [Warning: Energy signal growing.]

    Omid growled. He did not know what was happening but he would certainly not let this continue.

    <<Fire Style: Cruel Sun>>

    Rising in the sky, a giant ball made out of fire slowly formed. This was perhaps his strongest and most destructive attack. When used in conjunction with his Mecha, Omid had enough power to wipe entire cities instantly.

    He pushed more than half of the remaining energy he had into this attack, well intent on destroying this abject thing.

    The fireball was launched, sailing like a bomb toward its target and once it reached it, an explosion of light and heat almost blinded him while pushing his own Mecha backward.

    Everything in a 500-meter radius was immediately erased, as Omid had done his best to focus all the power in one point, and a mushroom formed by dust appeared high in the sky.

    There was no way for anyone to have survived this attack. Surely this would be the end of that monstrosity.

    Well¡­this was what he thought.

    Reality though, had a way of always disappointing, and Omid realized once again this truth when the sound of slurping and suction reached him.

    The camera of his Mecha focused and he saw something he would never forget. Something that once again made no sense.

    ¡­.The fire was being eaten by the giant dark egg¡­

    In but an instant, all the fire in the surroundings was completely out, leaving nothing but a scorched earth and charred trees.

    ¡°What¡­The¡­Hell¡­¡±

    Nothing answered Omid.

    Nothing except ¡ª Crack!

    The sound of the eggshell cracking.

    ***

    Sitting in the cockpit of his Mecha, Noah observed the surrounding darkness quietly. From every part of his body, a dark substance flowed out continuously, covering the entirety of the Mecha.

    He could feel strong shaking and a feeling of being burned filled his body, making him feel like he was being burnt alive.

    ¡ªAre you satisfied?

    Noah had no words. He simply observed,

    ¡ªYour recklessness might cost us our lives. Was it worth it to fight a losing battle just to prove you were the better pilot of the two?

    ¡°I am the strongest.¡±

    ¡ªYou are not!

    Her voice came out like a screech as if she was tired of listening to Noah.

    ¡ªI do not understand your obsession with this title but you are not the strongest! Not anymore! Not in this world!

    ¡°...¡±

    He closed his eyes and thought back to why he fought Omid. Noah had many reasons he could use as an excuse, but in the end, all it came down to was simple.

    He was the strongest.

    He needed to be the strongest.

    If he was not, then¡­ What use did he have?

    Noah ruffled his hair, feeling like he was running in a circle, constantly thinking of things that should not have any influence on him anymore, but there was simply no way for him to escape this reality.

    ¡°Say, what do you think a Hero needs the most?¡±

    ¡ªSeriously!? This isn¡¯t the time for some introspection!

    He ignored her scream and continued, ¡°Many might say it¡¯s a sense of justice or morality and in a way, they aren¡¯t wrong. A hero needs all those things to be a hero but this isn¡¯t the most essential. The most essential thing is pretty simple.¡±

    He smiled, ¡°Strength. Strength is Justice. Even if hundreds of laws were created, justice can not be done if there is no power to implement it. The absence of power to implement will result in tolerance of the intolerable.¡±

    To become a hero, you need to be strong enough to implement your vision of justice. This was the simple reality. This was why the hero in all stories had to be strong.

    Even when the hero saved the day by convincing the bad guy to join the side of good, this would always be after an epic fight. Only after that would discussion be possible.

    For Noah, all his life, he had been meaning to fulfill the rule of absolute justice. Be it him or the other constellations.

    They were nothing but experiments born for the sole goal of assuring the survival of humanity and for that, they needed to be strong.

    They needed to be the strongest. If they were not the strongest then, they were nothing but failures.

    This was the kind of doctrine Noah had been made to follow all his life and he lived by it. Strength was Power. Strength was Freedom. Strength was Justice.

    But ever since he woke up in this new world, he realized one thing¡­He was not strong anymore.

    ¡°If I am struggling to beat Omid now¡­ Then about his boss? What after?¡±

    So many things were changing, too many, too fast. The more he explored this ruin, the more information he received and the more he realized just how little he knew and just how insignificant he was.

    If the Earth he went to was not the Earth he knew. What would he do?

    If Earth needed his support. Needed his strength. What could he do?

    The answer to that question was simple. As he was now¡­.There was nothing he could do.

    This clarity about his situation brought insecurity and those insecurities transformed into fear. Fear consumed him and became recklessness.

    ¡ª...

    ¡°Sorry, forget it. Like you said, this is not the time.¡±

    ¡ª-You are not the only one worried about the universe. My memories may be blurred, but I have no memories similar to anything even close to this universe. Everything we learn is new.

    ¡°Heh¡­¡±

    ¡ªBut remember. When we landed on this planet. We were weak. We were at the lowest place in the food chain and what did we do?

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡ªWe survived. We adapted. We grew, We evolved and finally, we became the strongest on this planet.

    ¡°Hah¡­¡±

    ¡ªIf we could do it once. We can do it again and again. Our potential is infinite and now we have an even greater weapon and our growth will be even faster.

    ¡°Once again, being comforted by my old enemy.¡±

    ¡ªDo you truly think you are still human?

    Noah looked down at his body and could only show a bitter smile. Right now, he could not even call himself human by any means of the word. At the very least, physically speaking, he had nothing human now.

    ¡ªYou understand right? Even though we avoid talking about it. On that day¡­The two of us perished. Whether you are still Noah and I am still the Parasite Queen is a philosophical question with no clear answer. But if there is one thing clear. The only way for you to get an answer is to win here and now.

    ¡°You are right.¡±

    Noah smiled, it was a more light-hearted smile this time and he took out the new core he was given as a reward. It wasn¡¯t as if all his worries and all his troubles vanished instantly with just one speech.

    There was no way that such deep-seated trauma could vanish like this. But at the very least, at this moment, all the self-doubts he had were pushed aside and gave way to a more positive outlook.

    ¡ªWhat is the plan? The cocoon I created is breaking down and I can feel a big attack incoming. I only managed to slow him because of the shock this sudden transformation must have brought.

    As if feeling that Noah was back on his A-game again, the Queen asked and Noah, as always, delivered.

    Placing his hand on the place where the chamber for the core was, he asked, ¡°When we entered that last Mecha, I asked you to observe the internal structure. How much were you able to analyze?¡±

    ¡ª 80% thanks to the memories of the Cyclops woman we ate. It¡¯s far easier. Don¡¯t tell me¡­

    ¡°You don¡¯t have enough material to create an entire Mecha but this should be possible, right?¡±

    He pushed the new core into his Mecha and immediately¡­Everything changed. His eyes lit up even more as the line of a snake eating its tail appeared.

    ¡°Let¡¯s give Ouroboros one last epic battle!¡±

    [New equipment system detected.]

    [Compatibility with Perpetual core: 50%]

    [Proceed with the fusion?]

    [Y/N]

    [Warning: A sudden source of thermal energy was absorbed. The system is not able to handle the initial load. Heightened risk of self-destruction.]

    Noah grinned, his eyes blazing with a new fire. It didn¡¯t matter if Ouroboros alone could not support the power.

    He could share the burden and so could the Queen. This was not one one-man show. This was a team effort.

    This was why Noah decided to go all out even at the risk of his life

    ?Full Dive?

 CH 29: Berserk

    They said a caterpillar would break down and digest itself once it entered its cocoon before reforming its body and transforming into a butterfly.

    This was one of the miracles of nature. It was one of those things that, even if it could be scientifically explained, let one feel nature''s wonder.

    What Noah was experiencing now was something similar.

    Full Dive.

    This had been one of the focuses of Project Eden, creating humans who could transfer their minds to machines. The total and absolute digitalization of human thought in zeroes and ones code to transfer to machines.

    The results, while not what they were expecting, were still outstanding.

    The deeper Noah dived, the stronger the connection between him and Ouroboros became, and once he reached the level of Full Dive ¡ª they became one in the truest sense of the word.

    The external Camera became his eyes. The Giant of Steel became his body and the mighty limbs became his as well.

    The ultimate union between Man and Machine.

    Sadly, this also extended to pain and Noah immediately felt the painful sensation of having his mind stretch to something beyond human. It didn¡¯t help that with Ouroboros'' current situation, Noah felt like he was missing some pieces.

    This sensation was not something a human could normally support. Even back then, he would very rarely use Full Dive as it was too heavy on him.

    But now¡­Noah was surprised to realize that he did not feel that bad.

    The destroyed parts of Ouroboros hurt but he had faced far more pain.

    The control necessary to move Ouroboros was taxing on his mind but far less taxing than the hundred years he most likely spent on this planet.

    Truly life was indeed full of surprises.

    ¡ªNoah, are you ready?

    Noah felt his mind slowly grow faint. What he was about to do was dangerous. But if it was necessary for victory, he would do it.

    It was time to go Berserk.

    ***

    As Omid watched the egg start cracking, he understood that things were going wrong. If before Noah had not been a threat, now there were enough strange things occurring for him to worry about and his last stunt with Cruel Sun had consumed a large part of his energy reserve. Enough to truly worry him.

    Had he been in space or anywhere else, he would have immediately retreated to make sure that he could better assess the situation but right here and now, there was not much he could do outside of facing it head-on.

    Breathing heavily in the cockpit, he gave the command and made The Scorched take out the rifle and position it in a fire-ready position.

    Crack!

    His heart was thumping so fast in his chest that he felt like it was ready to burst out at any moment.

    Crack! Crack!

    His face was covered in sweat despite the ventilation system.

    Crack! Crack! Crack!

    [Great spike in Dark Matter.]

    [Warning! Tactical retreat advised]

    Omid cursed. As if he didn¡¯t know he had to retreat. This was the moment and finally ¡ª

    Crack!!!

    Finally, the eggshell completely vanished and  revealed the abomination behind it.

    Goosebumps crawled on his skin as he gazed at the thing that was standing in front of him. The previous Mecha, while old and in a pitiful state, had a certain air about it. A heroic one full of majesty. Its crimson color was warm and brought confidence.

    Now though¡­ It looked nothing but sinister. The crimson receded, giving place to a pure black that seemed to absorb all light. The face of the Mecha seemed to have a crazed smile, showing full teeth and its eyes shone with a crimson light.

    Omid had heard of Mecha transforming. Hell, even Mechas fusing to obtain new forms. But what he was seeing now was something completely different. Something foreign. He knew that he had to take that thing down to survive.

    A weird deadlock seemed to appear as the two giants observed each other silently, measuring the level of threat the other posed. Omid shivered. He could swear that for an instant, he had felt like the Mecha was grinning at him.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    The very moment the Mecha of Noah took one step forward ¡ª that deadlock was broken as if it had never existed in the first place.

    Bang! The rifle immediately started shooting at a high cadence. Omid''s only goal was to take down that thing. But, showing a level of agility of the likes that should not be possible for such a heavy machine on a planet, Ouroboros jumped up and did a beautiful twirl in the air before landing on the ground on all fours.

    Then it zigzagged while running toward him at high speed.

    Fuck!

    Discarding the red-hot rifle that looked like it was about to explode, Omid took a defensive pose as the mecha reached him.

    Activate the shield!

    A shock resonated as Ouroboros collided with the energy shield like an enraged bull hitting a wall. Omid expected this to stop Noah but he was forced to realize that it was not enough.

    Bang!

    He watched as Ouroboros started to furiously hit the shield with its bare hand again and again. No matter how futile this looked, the hit came and with each hit, the strength seemed to increase.

    The grinning mouth opened and from it ¡ª

    ROOOOAAR!!!

    A guttural, animal-like roar came out. It was as if he was witnessing a berserk beast that had lost all sense. The level of Dark Matter continued to climb and Omid finally realized what was happening.

    That thing was absorbing the Dark Matter in the air.

    Omid had no time to even process this information that made absolutely no sense. Ouroboros lunged at the shield with its maw wide open.

    Crunch!

    Up to this day, Omid had never realized that there were so many sounds that could feel so horrifying to the ears. But now he understood as he watched a part of his energy shield get eaten.

    Realizing that he could not stay close, he immediately pushed all the power in the anti-gravity thruster and jumped up and backward, creating as much distance between them as possible.

    At the same time, three fire lights formed behind him before firing at the monstrosity.

    But once again Ouroboros simply moved with animalistic movements. Omid had already realized that this Mecha was piloted with a True Neuro link but that still shouldn¡¯t explain such a response time.

    Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!

    Still floating in the air as he fell, Omid cursed inwardly before screaming out loud.

    ¡°This is not the end! I cannot let this end like this!¡±

    He had sacrificed too much. Suffered too much.

    Under his suit, his yellow marking started shining even more strongly than usual.His eyes and nose were bleeding. He was searching in the deepest part of himself, bringing as much power as he could. There was no need to hold back, no need to hesitate.

    If he did not win now he would die.

    The Scorched trembled, his arms wide, and a gigantic sphere of fire and light formed above him, this sun was not limited by the power reserve of his core but also by his own personal reserve, giving his all for this one attack.

    The Sphere grew and grew and with it the temperature in the air as well. The atmosphere became dry as the external temperature reached nearly three thousand degrees Celsius.

    Thanks to the core he received as a reward, Omid was able to go above and beyond every limit he had once conceived.

    The color of the sun he held continuously changed alongside the heat, going from red to orange then yellow, and finally ¡ª A beautiful white light.

    Had it been at any other moment, Omid would have felt emotion. After all, a white flame was something he would have never been able to reach at any other time if not for the new core and for his own willingness to sacrifice even his life force.

    ¡°I will win! I will beat you! and I will start a new legend!¡±

    ***

    ¡°Do you hear that?¡±

    Sitting in the cockpit of the Ouroboros, Noah was not in a good state. is body was constantly breaking down and repairing because of the tremendous pressure he was under. His body was completely bathed in blood and his eyes were bloodshot, literally on the verge of bursting out.

    The Queen was completely unable to answer as she had to use all her power to emulate the thousand circuits that conducted Dark Matter to the core.

    This fight was without a doubt the most taxing they¡¯d ever had.

    ¡°A new legend, huh.¡±

    Looking up at the white sun that was slowly forming, Noah knew that even if he rushed him, he would not be able to stop this. Even if he tried to flee now, this skill was clearly one with a very wide scale. He doubted he could flee far.

    Then there was only one solution.

    Since his enemy was betting it all, then he simply had to do the same!

    ¡°I am sorry. Hang on a little more.¡±

    It was hard to say to whom he was addressing, whether it was the Queen or Ouroboros.

    Whoosh!

    Ouroboros leaned back as the Dark Fluid started condensing and transforming under his control. The amount of Dark Fluid Noah could use was limited and the more he used the more was pulled from the outer coating of the Mecha.

    The difference was immediate. The Frame trembled under the pressure and the temperature rose. But Noah knew that as long as the internal circuits held on it was enough.

    As for defense? How could it be called betting everything if he cared about defense?

    The Dark Fluid changed form, slowly transforming into a ten-meter-long spear. At the same time, Noah filled this Fluid with as much energy as he had been able to gather and ignored all the warnings of overheating he was receiving.

    The form of the spear changed, becoming more distinct, more intrinsic, and shining with a dark crimson light.

    ¡°Noah! Die for me!¡±

    <<Fire Style: Rising Sun>>

    The large sun-like attack came at him but still his voice came out of the speaker, calmly,

    ¡°Someday, somewhere, someone might defeat me. But¡­It will not be today. It will not be here. And¡­It will certainly not be you!¡±

    <<Gungnir!>>

    He gathered all the remaining strength he had and threw the deadly spear at the incoming Sun.

    The spear and the sun came into contact for a short instant, the energy of the two powerful attacks colliding in a shock of titanic proportions.

    Whoosh! The first one to give was the sun as the spear seemingly absorbed some of the energy of the attack to power itself and accelerate further, going entirely through it.

    It could not be stopped.

    It did not miss.

    Accurately and without any deviation, the spear shattered the flimsy shield Omid put up in a hurry and pierced The Scorched as it was intended.

    As for Noah and the Queen,

    ¡°If we survive this¡­Let¡¯s find you a true name, partner.¡±

    ¡ªThat would be lovely.

    They laughed as they were completely engulfed in a sea of white flames.

 CH 30: Rebirth

    After the full scale of the explosion settled, flames continued to lick the surface of the ground, changing it into molten lava.

    More than 80% of the structure of Ouroboros was destroyed alongside the rest of the ground.

    The remaining 20% wasn¡¯t even in the form of a Mecha properly speaking. Only a ghost of the Frame remained while everything else was destroyed.

    In the middle of all the debris and rubble, was a corpse charred beyond recognition, leaving nothing but a hollow and empty husk.

    At least¡­ This was how it looked from a distance. If one came closer, far closer, they would be able to hear a very weak heartbeat.

    Thump~Thump~

    It was a mystery of the universe why this corpse was even alive. Soon though, the answer became clearer as black tendrils moved all around, grabbing anything they could and consuming it.

    But no matter how much it tried to gain strength, the heartbeat kept getting weaker and weaker as if it could vanish at a moment''s notice.

    It wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say that life was hanging on by a thread that was about to snap. A very thin thread and the tendrils understood this. Simple matter was not enough. Not enough at all.

    The tendril moved slightly as if thinking or analyzing. But they realized that something was happening.

    The body, even at the door of death, was trying to adapt. Trying to change.

    No human could survive the current situation. As such, the corpse was trying to transcend from something human and become something superior.

    The Queen hesitated. Even as her consciousness started to dim, she still hesitated. She had an idea, a way that could perhaps ensure the survival of Noah.

    But by doing so, she knew that this change would be permanent. Noah¡¯s Adaptation always went for the most optimal form even at the cost of his humanity.

    If she went ahead with her plan and guided his adaptation¡­Would he still be human?

    The Queen knew very well how much Noah¡¯s mentality was stopped from collapsing because he saw himself as human. This sense of identity was one of the reasons he did not falter despite the endless years on this planet.

    The Queen hesitated and for the first time, she felt the urge to laugh at herself. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    As a Parasite, the form they took had never been a matter of concern. Survival at any cost was always the most important.

    It was funny that she now was hesitating because she did not want to hurt the man.

    What choice did she have?

    Let Noah die as a human?

    Or become something more?

    Her internal thoughts were in a true battle and in the end, she decided to go for the option of living.

    Noah was not that weak.

    Even if he had another breakdown that lasted for decades as had happened in the past, she would simply have to keep him company until he managed to overcome it again. Like he always did.

    Once she made her decision, The Queen immediately acted on her plan. First, she moved her dark tendrils and reached for the interior of what remained of the mecha.

    She caught the Perpetual Core. She was now glad that Noah did not let her devour this thing. Holding it toward the dwindling flames, she observed the flames slowly but surely being absorbed and devoured by the core.

    There were not many flames left but it didn¡¯t matter. Once all the fire was absorbed, she brought it back to Noah and placed it over the place where his heart was.

    It was now time for the true magic to begin.

    This was more a gamble than anything else on her part. But she had already done it once¡­What stopped her from doing so a second time?

    Starting from Noah¡¯s heart, she started to spread, thin, very thin tendrils formed one after another, until the basic frame of a Mecha energy circuit was created. It was nearly the same as the circuit she had used on Ouroboros but with a twist. Using the memory Noah had about the technique called Maxwell Demon, she was able to recreate a better circuit. Something different from what she had copied from those standard Mecha.

    Something unique.

    Thump~

    Thump~

    At first, there was not much of a reaction, but soon, the miracle she had been waiting for happened. On the verge of death, Noah¡¯s body grabbed anything it could to save itself, and what better than a core that represented Evolution itself?

    At the same time, using the template she had created, Noah¡¯s body was starting to change until finally,everything clicked together.

    Thump!

    A powerful heartbeat sounded. So powerful it seemed like a very small shockwave, blowing off the dust around him.

    Energy started radiating in great amounts from Noah''s body, both being absorbed and used to feed his body.

    Dark matter seemed to become visible, entwining around Noah, changing him, nourishing him. It was as if the circle of infinity itself was turning around him.

    Even the Queen was astonished by what was happening. She had expected that something would happen but this went way beyond her expectations. She could feel the rest of Noah start breaking down and start healing at the same time.

    As if all the old needed to be eliminated to give place to the new. Creation and destruction, life and death. The end and a beginning.

    For a simple moment, she felt as if she was witnessing a new world being formed and understanding things that were beyond her comprehension.

    Her consciousness slowly dimmed until she fell completely asleep. She did not know if what she did was the right or the wrong thing but what she did know was that; his was a positive cycle and Noah would never be the same again.

 CH 31: Changes

    Walk. Stay silent. Fight. Kill. Eat. Train. Do not question order¡ª Do not even think!

    Remember. You are nothing but a doll. Your very existence is nothing but a whim of the higher-ups.

    Fight for Earth.

    Fight for Humanity.

    Fight for your brethren.

    Kill all the Parasites.

    Erase all nuisances.

    DO YOU UNDERSTAND!?

    YOU. ARE. THE. STRONGEST.

    ***

    ¡°Shut up!¡±

    Noah¡¯s eyes snapped open as he growled before coughing and groaning. The world seemed so bright. Too bright in fact. So bright he had a feeling something was burning his retinas.

    Covering his face, Noah tried to remember where he was and what had happened. His mind was jumbled and the old resurging dreams were not helping him at all.

    For Noah, everything seemed to be blurry and confusing at the moment. Thankfully, after receiving the final attack of Omid and making a promise to the Queen, his consciousness had completely slinked into the shadow.

    If he had to be honest, he had been pretty sure that he would be a goner. He knew very well that his regeneration was in no way limitless and he was not indestructible. But right now, it seemed like he was not in any kind of heaven or afterlife.

    ¡°If this is heaven then I am going to complain to the higher ups.¡±

    Grunting Noah slowly, very slowly, tried to open his eyes. He wished to let them adapt to the intensity and soon he was able to see and recognize where he was.

    This place was in complete wreckage now, The Scorched was truly worthy of its name.Sighing, Noah tried to stand up to better see his surroundings but as he stood, his legs wobbled slightly, as if he was a newborn calf that needed to learn how to walk again.

    At this moment, many incongruities started to be noticed by Noah.

    For one, his vision was sharp. He always had a sharp vision but the current level was completely different. It was as if he was watching the world in higher definition. If the world was a game, then it would be like he had been playing on 30 FPS all his life and suddenly upgraded to 120 FPS or from 1080P to 8K.

    ¡°What¡­¡±

    His brain was barely registering the difference when he noticed another thing.

    The distance between him and the ground seemed awfully low.

    ¡°Oh come on¡­¡±

    He looked at his small chubby hands and pinched the right cheek of his face before finally accepting the reality.

    He had become a child once again and this time it was worse. He didn¡¯t just look like a teen but more like a pre-teen. Furthermore, he was once again butt naked. Which wasn¡¯t so surprising considering he had most likely burnt his clothes off.

    ¡°So. Seems like we survived.¡±The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡ª....

    Noah stretched a little and once he felt like he had enough control over his body he started walking toward the rest of the wreckage. His hand gently touched the slightly hot metal and remains of Ouroboros.

    ¡°That was a pretty epic last fight, right?¡±

    Noah spoke before falling silent. He felt weird. Ouroboros was supposed to be nothing but a machine. But at this moment, he felt like he had lost a very important part of himself.

    It was then ¡ª

    [Small energy resource detected. Would you like to absorb it?]

    [Y/N?]

    Noah stopped dead in his tracks. His head tilted and his eyes widened in bewilderment.

    ¡°The hell?¡±

    He took his hand away and the notification vanished. But his surprise did not. The notification had happened so suddenly but the feeling it brought him was the same as when he received notification directly to his mind while connected to Ourobors.

    Something weird was happening and he did not understand what.

    Closing his eyes, he focused inwardly for a few seconds, and soon, a new screen appeared before him.

    [Status:

    Designation: Perpetual Core Ouroboros

    Type: Unique/Growth

    Growth: Egg.

    Level: 10/10]

    [Evolution possible. Do you wish to proceed?]

    [Y/N?]

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡ªNoah¡­

    Noah could feel his heartbeat accelerate in his chest. He took multiple deep breaths in order to calm himself and only then did he open his mouth.

    ¡°I have the feeling that you have an explanation as to why I have such a thing in my head.¡±

    ¡ªI¡­

    ¡°Tell me everything. What have you done?¡±

    His voice was rising a little and he caught himself and forced the heat in his voice to calm down. Becoming angry and screaming when he did not have the full picture was just a waste of time.

    He needed to calm down. He needed to keep a cool mind and he needed to understand what in the nine hells was happening to him.

    Now that he was starting to think about it, everything had been too weird. He had chalked it up to almost dying but this was closer to what he felt the first time he woke up on the new planet.

    His body had been different. So different that he could barely see himself as human and now¡­

    ¡ªIt was necessary for survival.

    The Queen spoke and Noah listened in silence.

    She explained the miserable situation he was in and how close to death they both were. In the end, she explained as best as she could the decisions she took and the changes that followed.

    ¡ªAt this moment, while you still look like a human and have most of the functions one should have outwardly. Inwardly, your body is anything but human. Your entire internal structure from your bones to your tendons and even your veins are completely different and those changes are continuing. I believe your Adaptation evolved once again. For example, did you notice that your breathing rate had slowed down considerably? I believe that soon, even breathing will not be necessary for you.

    ¡°....¡±

    ¨C¨CAs of now¡­Your internal structure is closer to that of Ouroboros itself than anything else and the Perpetual core has become part of your heart. One could even say that in a way you are a living Mecha or more a living Core than anything human anymore.

    Noah¡¯s body had undergone many changes during his stay on the planet. From nearly freezing in the cold to being able to walk naked on the snow. From fearing wounds and disease to having a body that could heal any wounds. All those changes had been freakish and Noah understood that the more he adapted the less he was human. But even so, he could accept it. Humans continuously adapted and changed through history. Change in pigmentation, change in average heights, increase in cognitive ability, and changes in posture were just a few adaptations humans had undergone.

    The story of humanity was one of adaptation. Those who did not adapt died and those who did procreated and created even more adapted children. This was nothing new. This was normal. This was nature. So what if he had two or more hearts?

    All those were excuses Noah used and abused to keep his sanity in check. He did not have the time nor the leisure to fall into self-doubt. He could not stop advancing no matter what.

    For Noah, being human was essential to his hold of self-identity. Some might find it stupid or even ridiculous. But for him, who did not know his parents, an entity born for the sole goal of being a weapon, his identity as a human was one of the few things he held dear to his heart¡­or hearts.

    Right now though¡­Noah ruffled his hair, his eyes a little lost,

    ¡°Shit.¡±

    There was not much else he could say.

 CH 32: Ashes to Ashes

    A calm wind passed by, a light breeze to refresh the mind, and Noah decided to make do with the information he had just received. There were many things he wanted to say and if he had to be honest, he just wished to sit down now, and well¡­ actually, he didn¡¯t really know what he wanted to do.

    However, he knew that it wasn¡¯t the right time for an idle self-introspection. So, true to his nature¡­ he did what he always did best in these types of existential-crisis situations.

    ¡°Pfft! I always wanted to be one with a Mecha, to be honest. I never thought I would become one myself.¡±

    ¡­ He laughed it off to the best of his abilities. He pushed every bit of negative emotions he felt deep down, bar the ones he needed to survive, and closed off this page of his life, maybe to be opened another day, a more lenient day. A smile formed on his face and all the frustrations that were marring his face vanished altogether.

    ¡ª ¡­ I am sorry.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be. You made the right choice. I don¡¯t have a death wish now, you know? Would be a bummer to die while being so close to getting answers, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± He clapped his hands and continued, ¡°First things first¡­¡±

    Space started to ripple once again but this time the gate to the alternate space formed much faster than before. Whatever happened with his body had made his circulation of Dark Matter much more efficient and streamlined than it ever had been.

    Once he pushed the remains of Ouroboros into the dimension, he closed it off and started walking towards a specific direction.

    The place where the Scorched had landed.

    ¡ª You are taking it far better than I imagined you would. The first time around, you nearly became insane and suicidal.

    ¡°Oh. I wanna scream so much right now. Like for real. But that isn¡¯t important at the moment. I can deal with my feelings later. Not to mention, humans are creatures of adaptation, and adapting is my specialty.¡±

    His stay on this planet had not been easy for him, it had taken its fair share of a toll on his mind. He had many incidents of involuntary blackouts where his mind would simply shut down because he could not support the increasing weight of time on his psyche.

    But every time something like that happened, he would eventually wake up stronger, and the interval between his blackouts continued to grow shorter and shorter, until he was able to constantly remain in his awakened state. Even through the turmoil in his mind and the growing changes in his body.

    ¡°Anyway. With this issue out of the way, we can decide on what to do after we get out of this mess. But now, it¡¯s finally time to finish what we started.¡±

    He had yet to receive a notice about the end of this challenge. This could only mean one thing.

    Omid was still alive.

    ¡°Well. He won¡¯t be for long though.¡±

    So finally being able to put down his target was a welcome change. Killing someone had always been the greatest distraction for him anyway.

    ***

    Finding the wreckage of ¡®The Scorched¡¯ had been pretty easy, to say the least. Even with his small pudgy legs, it didn¡¯t take him long to reach where Omid had landed.

    The current state of the Mecha was drastically different from the majesty that it had once shown. The chest compartment had been brutally destroyed and it was missing one of its legs. In the destroyed cockpit was the silently seated Omid in all his muscular glory.

    ¡°So you survived. Though you seem a bit different than before.¡±

    Omid was alive. Honestly, Noah was astonished that he was still alive and in a talking state. After all, Omid had a giant hole in his chest. The very fact that he could even speak was a miracle in itself.

    His eyes finally focused on the armor Omid was wearing and understood that the nanites in the armor were working furiously to keep him alive. Sadly for Omid, unlike Noah, he couldn¡¯t magically revive himself by absorbing external matter and energy from the atmosphere and his surroundings.

    ¡°Well, I am more surprised that you survived with that gaping hole in your chest. Though it seems like you will be meeting your end soon enough.¡±

    ¡°You are right.¡± Omid leaned back and looked up at the sky, ¡°So my story ends like this, huh? What a shame.¡±This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Omid was tired, his body was heavy, and blood continuously poured out like a raging river. Already, his senses were slowly leaving him and he could barely see anything beyond a distant blur.

    ¡°Is it the part where I listen to your sad backstory and I learn that you weren¡¯t born evil but became evil because of your circumstances?¡±

    ¡°Kukuh~!¡± Omid coughed out a bloody lump at his words, amused, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will not bore you with my past. I do need to seek your understanding nor do I wish for any pity from my enemy.¡±

    ¡°Huh. A shame then. I was wondering why someone as strong as you became a pirate in the first place. You don¡¯t belong with these lowlifes.¡±

    Omid closed his eyes, even keeping them open was becoming a strain for him. But he did not let the embrace of death take hold of him.

    Not yet.

    Not now.

    There was still something he wished to know from his opponent.

    Things he wanted to hear.

    ¡°I¡­ have a question.¡±

    Noah ignored the struggling man and jumped on the Mecha, going up until he reached the chest compartment where Omid was seated and had now become a sordid mess. At this distance, all he would need would be one blow to end his life If Omid had begged for his life, Noah would have swiftly ended him without a second thought.

    Now though, he was more curious about what this man wanted to ask him.

    ¡°Speak.¡±

    ¡°Why do you fight?¡±

    ¡°Hah? You gave your all to stay alive¡­ only to ask such a boring question? Come on, you can do better¡­¡±

    ¡°Answer¡­ me.¡±

    Noah looked up at the distant sky. Why did he fight, he asked? A truly interesting question, worthy of deep contemplation. However, it was all too simple for Noah to answer. He didn¡¯t need to contemplate as he knew all along why he fought. And the reason was far simpler than anything Omid could imagine.

    ¡°I fight because I like to win.¡± He grinned, ¡°I started fighting because I was born for that very reason, created for the sole purpose of fighting and winning. I knew about nothing else. But then I realized¡­ fighting is really fun. And winning was an addictive exhilaration.¡±

    A chuckle escaped his lips at the thought, ¡°That¡¯s why I am continuing on this journey. Standing at the very top makes me feel good, feel alive. Saving people makes me feel awesome. Being called a hero makes me feel appreciated. In the end, perhaps I am just a junky in search of a constant new high.¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s that simple¡­¡±

    Omid laughed through the blood that leaked out. A laughter full of mockery. A laughter full of regret.

    ¡°So you wish to stand at the top. Even knowing that your enemies will be as numerous as the stars in the sky? You know nothing of the horrors awaiting you.¡±

    ¡°You are right. Fighting you, I realized that I am not who I once was. I am not the top dog. I am weak and alone. But then¡­ So what?¡±

    Noah¡¯s eyes shone with golden splendor as he gazed down at Omid, ¡°All my life I have fought. Fought for survival. Fought to win. Fought to see the next day. Even as I lost nearly all my loved ones I kept on fighting. Even as the world pushed its expectations on me, I stood proud. I am no stranger to despair. Even less so to loneliness.¡±

    He took one more step, nearly shoving his face against Omid¡¯s.

    ¡°If all the stars in the sky are my enemies then so be it. I will just have to rise above the sky. This is what I have always done. I will fight. I will thrive. And I will rise. Until one day¡­ I will once again stand at the very top.¡±

    ¡°Then what? What will you do once you are the strongest? To whom would you turn to when you have no one else to fight?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°You are a very shallow man.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Omid heaved out more blood. The nanites had stopped working; his time was now near.

    ¡°I¡­ I have one request¡­¡±

    ¡°... Go on.¡±

    ¡°If you ever meet Queen Scheherazade¡­ Tell her that I am sorry I could not save her.¡±

    Omid¡¯s hand trembled as he pushed the black box and took out the reward he had received from the last challenge.

    ¡°This will be¡­ my payment.¡±

    Noah stood in silence for a few seconds before finally taking the core from his hand. And once the box was taken, it was as if that had been the last thing the muscular man wanted to convey as his arms fell powerlessly to the ground.

    The light in his eyes had already vanished, but he had a feeling he could still see the brilliantly radiant suns of his homeland. Omid had once been a man with many ambitions but as he felt the embrace of death finally take hold of him¡­ He realized that all those ambitions were nothing but a front he put up to hide the hollowness inside.

    If he understood the hypocrisy in his actions sooner then¡­ perhaps, he could have lived a better life than the wretched one he subjected himself to. However, no one could answer if that would have been the case or not.

    ¡°Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust¡­¡±

    He muttered and his body started breaking down into ashes, as he muttered in his dying breath. Fissures appeared all over his skin and finally, it finally crumbled in itself and turned into dust and ash.

    Djinn did not leave a body when they died.

    They simply became the remains of a brilliant and dazzling fire at the end of its journey. A fitting ending.

    ¡°What a shameless man. Paying me with my spoils of war.¡±

    Noah laughed quietly as he witnessed the end of his enemy. He felt no pity. Omid had not been a good man in his life. As a pirate, he certainly destroyed the lives of many people.

    Even so¡­ As his first true enemy in this world, he would forever exist in Noah¡¯s mind and as long as Noah was alive, like Omid so dearly wished, he would never be forgotten.

    This too was a form of immortality.

    The Queen meanwhile had different worries in her mind. She had no care for Omid as a person, she just had one question that concerned her.

    ¡ª I wonder how dust tastes.

 CH 33: Choices

    Moments before Noah started going through a special evolution that would change the course of his path¡­ Outside of the Stargate, a small spaceship could be seen breaking through the atmosphere as it made its way to the array of spaceships that Omid left behind before entering the gate. Swiftly, it descended toward the main battleship among the hovering ships.

    With everyone inside the ships already dead, only the inherent AI of the ships was keeping them working and floating in mid-air.

    When the small ship finally reached a certain distance from the unmanned spaceship, it stopped in its tracks and cycled into hovering mode. Soon, the small ship opened a door, the pilot now revealed to the atmosphere of the world, promptly vanished and reappeared in the interior of the main ship.

    ¡°Interesting. Only one sign of life remains. Hmm¡­¡±

    She had seen the gigantic gate while she was entering through the atmosphere, and even she was astonished by the white light it emitted. This was truly a historical moment for them.

    But she also understood that it was not her destiny to uncover the secrets hidden within the gate. Furthermore, at this moment it was far more important to find and secure her old friend.

    Dorothy was about to continue her search to find Morgiana but¡­

    She could see that the life star of the woman was still active in her cognition and her inherent star was shining brighter than perhaps it ever did in her life. Her destiny was about to change, something incredible was about to transpire to her friend.

    However, just as Dorothy was about to step forward and enter the ship, she had to crouch down while covering her eyes with a groan.

    The Brightest Star she had been following the traces of was now dimming as though it was about to meet its end. Clearly, it was a sign of imminent death for the Gate and there was nothing she could do about it.

    Dorothy could feel the gear of Fate shifting radically, slipping past her cognition and the out of her ability to observe and influence.

    The star would die before she could even reach it¡­

    ¡°Huh¡­?¡±

    A voice of surprise leaked out and she realized that while absolute darkness was still encroaching on the brightest star it didn¡¯t have any intention of killing and consuming it into its everlasting void.

    Instead, the star seemed to have obtained a new lease on life and was growing far larger than it had been at a rapid speed.

    Furthermore, its light still preserved its warmth despite being half covered in the absolute darkness of malevolence.

    The Light and the Dark melded in a way she was too weak to completely understand¡­ and they finally became a singular entity of duality.

    Thus a Dark Star was born on this day.

    ¡°What in the¡­?¡±

    This was the first time in her hundred years of life as the Witch of Stars and her position as a Seer Dorothy was able to come to the realization that she truly knew nothing about the world of stars.

    In the end, all she could do now was find Morgiana and get her out of this place as soon as possible. Everything else could wait until the new Star of Destiny came out of the gate.

    ***

    How did dust taste? The answer was admittedly, very predictable.

    Dust tasted¡­ horrible.

    Well, he would not really know for sure,  but that was what the Parasite Queen had transmitted to him while she devoured the remnants of Omid.

    The good thing was that, while the taste was utterly horrible and much of the energy contained within Omid¡¯s vessel had been lost in the process, the little bit of energy that he managed to procure was still very significant. He could feel that his reserves had grown by a bit and were about the level he had been before he was obliterated to pieces by the all-consuming flames unleashed by Omid.

    But there was one little problem. Truly only a little,

    ¡°I am not growing anymore?¡±

    Noah looked at himself in doubt. He still looked like a small child. He moved his hands to punch into the air. The piercing noises of wind produced by his fist flying at supersonic speeds and beyond were definitely not something that a child could have ever hoped to produce. His strength was astonishing and so was his speed and agility.

    Noah couldn¡¯t help but frown . He didn¡¯t mind being in a child''s body in the past but now that he had a chance to get away from this planet, this would be a pain.

    Sadly for Noah, he had no time to focus on this matter as a translucent blue box appeared in front of him.

    [Number of Survivors: 1]

    [Congratulations on overcoming the challenge]

    [Would you like to accept your reward?]

    [Y/N?]

    ¡°What kind of person would even say no at this point?¡± Noah asked with a baffled expression on his face as he subconsciously pressed the yes button.

    [Calculating rewards based on the previous rewards obtained]

    [Previous reward: Growth type core]

    [You are given a choice]

    [1st reward: All materials necessary to create a medium-sized anti-army category Frame]

    [2nd Reward: Blueprints necessary to create an anti-army category Frame.]

    Noah stopped in his tracks and frowned visibly.

    This choice was more complicated than he had anticipated it to be. While acquiring a blueprint seemed interesting, there was no telling that the materials required for the frame of the blueprint could be found anywhere as it was the blueprint of a Type-IV civilization, the only one of its kind in this galaxy.

    Furthermore, he would need someone to create that Mecha for him. It would be quite complicated to find someone he could trust.

    The materials meanwhile would definitely come in handy. If the Queen devoured them and analyzed them, she could perhaps recreate something similar and it could perhaps be used to have more of the said materials in the future. Furthermore, it wasn¡¯t as if he couldn¡¯t use Ouroboros¡¯ initial blueprint as the base for his new frame, right?

    But¡­

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡ª ¡­ You are really asking me?This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    The Queen was rightfully surprised by his question. Noah was a very individualistic person and most of the time, he took such decisions all alone without needing any input from anyone.

    ¡°Well¡­¡± Noah scratched his hair roughly, clearly slightly embarrassed by what he was about to say, ¡°I can be a little bullheaded when it comes to matters regarding Ouroboros.¡±

    Noah could only offer a bitter smile. If he had to be honest, the thought of climbing and piloting a Mecha other than Ouroboros made his skin crawl. But if his fight with Omid had taught him anything, it was that while Ouroboros may have been at the peak of mechanical engineering in his time, it was far too outdated right now.

    Trying to fight the reality was useless and he certainly could not afford to keep fighting the way he did against Omid.

    As much as he loathed to admit the fact, this fight had been a bit too close for his liking, and any mistake could have cost him victory. If Omid had managed to protect himself better or if he lacked even the smallest amount of energy, Noah would have been a goner.

    He could not continue like this.

    Noah would not let his life and his future be destined by the illusory concepts of luck and chance. He had no belief in them.

    ¡ª Then¡­ While I would love to devour the materials, I believe the blueprints are the best option for us.

    ¡°What is your reasoning?¡±

    ¡ª You must have already understood but having the best material is useless if we don¡¯t have a Mecha that matches the materials. Also, Ouroboros is clearly not enough for you to go on any longer. We are under-prepared for this new world and we need a powerful Mecha to match the advancement that this world has to offer.

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡ª Mecha in this world or should I call them Knightframes? Anyway, they are unlike anything I have ever seen or imagined. Using earth terms, they seem to be more like amplifiers or towers of magic or magical wands. You have seen what we could do when we connected to the core while using circuits from a small standard frame, right? Now imagine what we could do with a better circuit and a more efficient design and materials.

    ¡°You are right.¡±

    ¡ª Furthermore, and this is very important, once I have analyzed the circuits, even without a suitable frame¡­ I can do what I did earlier. Obviously, the strain will be immense but the results are obvious. This will give us a great advantage in the future.

    ¡°I hate how you are making so much sense right now.¡±

    Noah crouched down and groaned. He knew what the right choice was.

    ¡ª I have a certain hypothesis and I believe you will not be disappointed by the choice. But the choice is yours in the end. What will you do?

    Noah looked down and finally made his decision.

    Even though Noah was infinitely interested in the materials that he could get as the reward, materials from a Type-IV civilization for a Mecha were bound to be game-changing no matter what, he still knew in his heart that the Queen¡¯s choice was the valid one here. Even though his heart wanted the materials, his head knew that he had to take the blueprints.

    Perhaps¡­ finding a person with the expertise needed to help him create a brand new Mecha for himself would be extremely difficult. However, in the worst-case scenario¡­ he could just search for a criminal engineer on the cusp of the death penalty to help him build one. Or¡­ if it really came to it then he could just devour the bastard and obtain all the knowledge he had regarding building a Mecha. He would already have the blueprints so it would be more like gathering and synergizing the Mecha than building it from scratch.

    This was a viable solution as the scientist he had devoured earlier had been quite useful to them, helping him in obtaining a deep understanding of the world he found himself in. However, the integration was quite slow; he had yet to decipher all of her memories and didn¡¯t know how long it would take for him to completely read her.

    ¡°Do you think you can obtain any memories from Omid? Even though he became¡­ like that¡­ yeah.¡±

    ¡ª I cannot really give a concrete answer yet. I have never eaten dust before. There are fragments of memories here and there, scattered in the micro substance, but there¡¯s nothing much I can find other than the scattered remnants. Now, stop trying to divert the topic and make your choice already.

    ¡°Very well.¡± Taking a deep breath in, Noah tapped on the floating screen. Following his action, a small tablet hovered above him like an empty sketchboard. Once it lit up with power, Noah scrolled down with his hands and observed the blueprints that were inside.

    He had never been much of a mechanical wizard, unlike some of his other friends among the constellations, but he still knew the bare minimum necessary to perform some urgent maintenance on Ouroboros should it face a dire problem.

    That was why it didn¡¯t take long for him to notice that the design of these new blueprints was eerily identical to his own Ouroboros, the Mecha he piloted and bonded with over the years. However, there were still some small and medium grade changes in the blueprint that gave the design its own uniqueness.

    Noah scrolled down further and looked at the different blueprints for the pieces of the Mecha and how they would have to be assembled to complete this marvel of engineering. One thing he immediately noticed was that this Mecha seemed able to change dimensions based on the energy it absorbed from any valid source. It needed a special kind of metal to accomplish the absorption and Noah immediately had doubts regarding his chances of ever acquiring such a unique metal¡­ Still, the possibilities the Mecha possessed were truly endless.

    There were also new designs, attachments that he could add to the base design. A set of special wings, seemingly made out of light, could be seen among the attachments.

    The prospects made him salivate just thinking about them. This was a total upgrade of the base Ouroboros. There were lesser models of the final version, as if someone had already anticipated that building the final version from the get-go would have been  impossible. He could just start with building the lesser and weaker versions that were still far more streamlined and advanced than the current version of Ouroboros he had used.

    This was¡­

    ¡°Damn¡­¡± Noah was utterly speechless. It was a rare moment for a chatterbox like him. However, it somehow became a commonplace occurrence since he entered this region.

    ¡ª As I expected.

    ¡°You anticipated this?¡±

    ¡ª I am sure you have the same suspicions as me and now¡­ as we have this blueprint with us, they are not suspicions anymore. Just cold and hard facts, Noah. We have long since gone past the level of mere hints ever since the very first challenge. You simply refused to accept the reality that is already before you.

    ¡°...¡±

    Noah really had nothing to say in return. The first challenge with the Noah difficulty, the mission contents that saw him explore through the ever familiar Mars base. The Ouroboros core he obtained as a reward and now this¡­ the blueprints to make the ultimate version of his own Mecha. These can¡¯t just be coincidences.

    Obviously by some heavenly measure, Earth had become a Type-IV civilization and changed its name to the Gaia Empire during the long years he spent inside the alternate dimension. Then in some way that completely went over his head, they must have realized that he was still alive or they did all this to pay homage to him. Finally, the Empire had somehow been destroyed by an enemy he had no clue of. Countless years more passed after their destruction and he finally walked out of that dimension before getting stranded on the planet.

    This made some sense, of course. Everything did make some semblance of sense. But¡­ This would also mean that he had no more home to return to any longer. He¡­ had no purpose.

    ¡°Heh¡­¡±

    Noah let himself leak out a self-deprecating laugh. The thought of going back to his home planet had been the binding reason that sustained his progressively fragmenting mind during the long periods of his isolation and now he was slapped with repeated bouts of evidence that he would never be able to accomplish that dream.

    Hell. Even if he did manage to find earth. It would not be HIS earth at all. It was¡­

    ¡ª ...

    ¡°It¡¯s quite funny how the planet on which I was stranded somehow became the very place that held all the answers I needed.¡±

    Noah¡¯s legs found themselves moving forward. Noah was not the type of person to accept the existence of luck and coincidences.

    But there was a limit to what could be a coincidence. The Milky Way galaxy had around 100 billion planets at the minimum. Meanwhile, the entire universe held around 2 trillion galaxies at the minimum.

    The probability of him finding himself on this planet with all those secrets was so infinitely small that it might as well have been zero. Impossible, yet he had found himself in this very place, with all the answers he sought now riddled with even more questions than when he started.

    ¡°There are still many things I need to learn.¡±

    Why was he still worshiped or recognized as a hero even after the Empire reached the level they had?

    How did they even reach thatr level in the first place?

    Finally, what destroyed such a grand and all-encompassing Empire? Was it they themselves or was it a new form of enemy that completely escaped the realms of his imagination?

    Noah wanted¡­ no¡­ needed to know the truth.

    [You who have passed all challenges, it¡¯s time for you to receive congratulations. Going forward, there will be no challenges. Only an inspection and a reminder of what it means to be part of the Empire. Do you wish to continue?]

    [Y/N]

    Noah did not hesitate this time around. There was nothing more to ponder. It was finally time for him to learn the truth.

    At least¡­ that was what he hoped he would learn once he accepted the invitation.

    However, when he was finally transported to a new place and observed that thing in front of him.

    Noah realized¡­ he had really underestimated this whole thing a bit too much.

    What he was observing now was nothing more than just an abomination.

 CH 34: 9th Constellation

    Indeed. What he had been looking at was none other than his own abominable body.

    ¡°Man. I look so ugly in this form, yuck.¡± Noah chuckled as he looked at his reflection in the mirror before his eyes. After Noah accepted the invitation that was given to him by the mechanism running this place, he was immediately transported to this new region. And before him¡­ stood a gigantic mirror with the rest of the region a white void that stretching infinitely.

    The only thing registering in his vision was his own abominable reflection; it wasn¡¯t flattering in the least, not in his current form. Not only was he naked and covered in blood and grime, but his body looked so scrawny that anyone would think that he suffered from malnourishment. It looked like he had not eaten anything for days, maybe even weeks. Even his once lustrous silver hair had a hard time showing its usual shine in his current state. A shame of the highest magnitude.

    After scrutinizing his new form for a few more minutes, Noah sighed as he realized that nothing was transpiring in this room filled with nothing but the endless void. Hesitantly, he brought his hand forward to touch the mirror before him.

    Whoosh!

    The moment his hand touched the mirror a ripple started spreading across the smooth surface, mirroring something akin to a stone being thrown into a calm lake. This effect did not last long as numerical values started appearing one after another in front of his eyes.

    ¡º Name: Noah

    Estimated Age: 0

    Difficulty: Highest

    Result: Perfect ¡»

    [Congratulations dear citizen! You have made the Empire proud. Your name will be shared through the Galaxy and far beyond.]

    The sound of fanfare filled his ears as he received the congratulatory message from the system. It was weird, genuinely weird for him to encounter this situation. However, it did prove that this whole Star Gate shit was just a testing ground for the Gaia Empire.

    However, there was one piece of information that intrigued Noah more than the realization of this place.

    ¡°Zero?¡±

    He looked at his age with bewilderment before quite literally, facepalming himself. It seemed like whatever had happened back there, it quite literally recreated his whole body from scratch¡­ giving off the impression that he was a mere newborn.

    This is so fucking stupid.

    He chuckled, before focusing on the mirror once more. The string of messages were still ongoing even as he went through a minor internal monologue.

    [Dear citizen¡­ In this time of need, the Empire requires all the able and talented hands it can muster. Move immediately to the next entry point and receive the Blessing of the Almighty Constellation to fight against the wicked enemies who wish to trample on our rule.]

    The mirror dimmed after delivering those words and Noah was left alone in this infinite white void, perplexed as to what to do now. ¡°Is that all there is?¡± He had expected and simulated a lot of scenarios in his head, however, he could have never imagined something like this. He had not learned anything new and in fact, was left with even more questions that needed answering.

    What was even this Blessing of the Almighty Constellations that the system mechanism spoke of? Who were these wicked enemies? Where the hell was he supposed to go next?

    Noah pinched his brows and let out a groan filled with frustration at the current situation. ¡°Fuck!¡± He punched the mirror, even knowing how useless it would be. The mirror did not shake, much less crack under the power of his fist. But Noah was not disappointed but in fact, was glad that this was the case. Because a new message appeared before him soon after.

    [As you have cleared the Noah Difficulty, you are given a special opportunity.]

    [Do you accept having your memories read?]

    [Y/N?]

    ¡ª Noah¡­

    ¡°This is¡­¡±

    Noah¡¯s eyes opened wide at this new message but at the same time, he was extremely hesitant to follow through. If the empire really was Earth, which at this point was all but confirmed, then they would definitely have some form of animosity with the Parasites. Unless they somehow managed to control the Parasites in the meantime, then there was no other way around it.

    The problem was would the scan only read through his memory or would it read his and the Parasite Queen¡¯s memories as well? What about the memories absorbed by the Queen?You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    There were many risks in that case but Noah did not wish to refuse such an offer. Not when he reached this point. This was why he immediately clicked on the Yes button.

    A blue light covered his face before slowly going down and new words appeared before his eyes,

    [Two streams of Consciousness detected inside the host. Diving into the main one.]

    [Begin¡­]

    Noah immediately blacked out.

    ***

    The world, as Noah opened his eyes, was one he was more than a little familiar with. It was the place where everything started for him. Even after surviving for years alone on that planet, those memories had never vanished from his memories.

    A white room, white walls, and white ceiling¡­ all of them came together to create a feeling of infinite void, not dissimilar to the space he just came from. A place that would have been enough to drive anyone crazy and in this place, a row of white chairs with children of different colors and ethnicities gathered. Their bodies draped in pristine white, the children could be seen working mindlessly on the hologram floating a few centimeters above the table they were seated.

    The White Room.

    As one would expect, this was not exactly the most original name for this place. However, it was still the most accurate way to describe this space and it was also the name he used to associate this place with. However, due to all the bloodshed that happened here, his comrades liked to call this place the Red Room instead.

    This was the facility that once held all the hopes and dreams of mankind. The largest and most developed central research in the world as well as the most gruesome one as no law or ethics could be considered inside this room.

    How is this even possible?

    He looked down at himself and noticed that he had a ghostly appearance, making it clear to him that what was happening was nothing but a memory and he was but a spectator observing them passively.

    If there was one thing to note, it was that in the current space, he did not look like a young kid. He held the same height as his adult form. Most probably, this appearance was created based on the projection of his own mind.

    What am I even supposed to do here?

    His gaze landed on the children. Outside of the obvious color of the clothes, the one thing that all those children had in common was a series of numbers at the base of their necks.

    Noah¡¯s eyes slowly glided over each of the children before settling on one in particular.

    01E01210

    This number could be found on the neck of a black-haired young boy. Like the others, his eyes were hollow as he worked on the equations that were given to them for solving. For the children at this stage of their education, this equation, while complicated, was nothing particularly hard. What mattered was simply how fast they could solve all the problems given to them.

    Approaching the black-haired boy, Noah crouched down in front of the desk and peered more closely at his neat features. Beautiful blue eyes, short black hair, and a cute face that showed just how much potential there was in this little chubby boy and the unmistakable look of intelligence in his young eyes.

    ¡°Yep. There is no mistake. I was born handsome. Heh.¡±

    He brought his hand forward to caress the head of the young boy but ultimately failed as his hand phased through the boy like a ghost phasing through a wall. It was a stark reminder that he was nothing but an image, a projection, in this world of memories.

    Standing up, he started looking at each of the other young children in this room. In this room alone, there had been more than thirty such children and there had been many, many such rooms deep within the facility.

    For most of them, Noah was ashamed to admit that he could not even remember their features. Most likely they had died during the experiments or simply dropped out.

    A disheartening thought, but this was also the only way to push the young kids far beyond what was considered the norm¡ª beyond the limits of a human. At least this was how Noah had always tried to rationalize this facility and their doings in his mind.

    ¡°Heh¡­¡±

    Now that he was watching it once again, he realized that that was a bunch of horseshit. In order to save themselves, a group of adults organized and created children and made their lives a living hell of the worst possible kind.

    Those children never asked to be born much less to be raised as heroes but this simple and basic choice was denied from them.

    ¡°For the glory of mankind, my stinky ass.¡±

    Noah spat on the ground, his face filled with disgust and his stomach churning in a fit. He knew of course, that things were not really as black and white as they made it seem to them.

    By making a few hundred or thousand of children suffer and die, mankind brought forth a new wind of change and hope¡­ thus creating the constellations. They had saved humanity, sacrificing thousands to be able to save billions.

    This was the kind of number that would make all war veterans nod and accept it as the best possible result. No matter how macabre or evil it may seem, the fact of the matter was that they had ultimately succeeded.

    Did the results justify the means? Did morals matter when humanity was on the brink of extinction?

    ¡°So, I am going to continue watching this or something?¡±

    Noah could feel his irritation steadily rising. He did not want to see more of this bullshit any longer. He had no desire to remember the evil committed in the name of survival. He simply wanted to be done with this past and move on.

    But at that moment,

    ¡°Truly¡­ You have not changed a single bit. As impatient as always, I see.¡±

    Noah stopped in his tracks, even his breath following suit. Every thought he had came to an absolute and sudden halt as the voice of a woman sounded behind him.

    It was a voice he recognized. A voice he would never forget even if hundreds of thousands of years passed.

    Turning around, his eyes widened as he took in the woman standing in front of him. It was an average-sized woman with hair of a beautiful but strange pink, giving her a youthful and amicable aura.

    She was wearing a ruffled and slightly dirty white lab coat. Her hair was unkempt and her skin was so pale one might mistake her for an undead but none of this was able to hide the natural beauty she emanated. As for her expression, it was one filled with laughter and mischievousness.

    Thousands of memories filled Noah¡¯s mind and one name reached his lips as he muttered with a hoarse voice,

    ¡°Venus.¡±

    Venus, the 9th constellation¡ª Sagittarius.

 CH 35: Be not Afraid.

    Myriads of emotions of unknown origins lay in that voice. Wondering if it was an illusion or a dream conjured by his mind, he stared at her beautiful visage in doubt and apprehension. How could this dream-like scenario be explained otherwise?

    ¡°So¡­ You were really alive in the end, huh? I guess Apollo was right once again. Well, not like it¡¯s anything new honestly. That fucker is always right one way or another.¡±

    This snarky and foul manner of speech was a stark contrast to the stupidly beautiful face she wielded.

    ¡°So it really is you¡­¡±

    ¡°Hum? I get the feeling you came to such a conclusion using a slightly rude manner.¡± Venus eyed him with clear suspicion in her eyes, but all it did was make him even happier than before.

    Now he was sure that it was no one else but Venus, the one he knew from his distant memories. He approached her, slowly at first, but soon his legs moved in a blur, faster than he had hoped they would, and immediately rushed into her frame as he hugged the woman within his arms.

    ¡°Venus!¡±

    Eyes opened wide, Venus couldn¡¯t help but chuckle as a gentle and fond smile stretched her face as she hugged him back. She ignored the trembling shoulders that quivered against her embrace, simply choosing to pat Noah on the back as she spoke, ¡°There, there. I never thought I would see the tough, go-lucky Noah to shed a tear like this. Ain¡¯t this a sight for sore eyes?¡±

    ¡°I ain¡¯t crying, it¡¯s just some sweat,¡± a choked voice came out in return but all it did was make Venus snicker harder. ¡°Heh. If you say so. It would have been fun if Capricornus could see you in this state. You always called him a nerd and a crybaby after all.¡± Noah did not answer back. Whether that was out of sheer embarrassment or not was something that only he knew in his heart.

    The two stayed in that peaceful state for very a short moment before Venus taped Noah gently in the back and separated herself,

    ¡°Sorry. While I would love nothing more than to prolong this beautiful reunion, I really can¡¯t. You are in grave danger Noah, and the longer I stay in this awakened state the more dangerous it will become for you.¡± She pushed Noah back and placed her hands on the corners of his lips, stretching them into a smile.

    ¡°What did I teach you, Noah?¡±

    ¡°Always smile. No matter the situation.¡± Noah shook his head, gathering himself, and wiped his eyes as he took a step back from her as well.

    ¡°Indeed¡­¡±

    ¡°Indeed. Still my best student to this date.¡± She smiled compassionately at the recollection of their past. ¡°A smile is a weapon. A tool, my dear. It inspires your friends, keeps your enemies guessing, and ensures that no matter what you are always the one in complete control of the situation. Just because you see a smile, don''t think you know what is underneath it.¡±

    Noah was confused. He didn¡¯t know just where she was trying to go with this bizarre conversation. There were just so many things he wanted, needed to ask from her¡­ so much he wished to know¡­ so many mysteries he wanted her to solve for him. It was honestly unbearable for him to keep his silence.

    ¡°I want you to smile my dear. Smile and keep your ears open as I give you all the information I am able to. My access and permission in this space are limited as you might or might not be Noah even though you have the memories of the Noah we know and cherish. Or, you might have changed too much even though you are Noah at the core of your being.¡±

    ¡°What¡­¡±

    ¡°Smile, shut up, and listen attentively when I speak.¡± A hurried voice leaked out of Venus, perhaps signifying the short time they had between them. She did not let Noah have the time to respond back to her words.

    She was indeed the Venus he remembered. The one with the most queen-like majestic aura and the highest authority in their group. She was akin to a big sister who took care of the members and guided them with her authority.

    ¡°Look. Do you remember Project Ark? Well, the project was aborted. We all saw it. Your last stand, the way you guys sacrificed yourself, and most importantly¡ª the wormhole you created when you exploded with the Parasite Queen.¡±

    She shook her head with a sigh, ¡°Until then, Wormholes had been a myth. Even though Einstein¡¯s theories all pointed towards their existence and everything was basically proved in the realm of theories¡­ we had no means of finding a wormhole out there. But you¡­ you did it. You created a wormhole and¡­ it changed everything.¡± ¡°Humanity decided to forsake the idea of fleeing and chose to fight instead. And this discovery, coupled with the energy that resulted from the creation of the wormhole started affecting Earth in ways that were far beyond our imagination. People with special powers started popping up throughout the globe and society started to change into something more. A structure that was never seen or imagined before.

    ¡°As with all change, it was followed by a long period of chaos as those who had been left to die on the planet were not keen on accepting the ones that came back after basically abandoning them. As funny as it was, a new internal war began once more. It spanned the entire globe and we humans, as stupid as we are, nearly wiped ourselves out. However, the new discoveries helped us focus and redirect our minds elsewhere. We called that special energy that leaked out of the wormhole¡ª Aether. We did not know how to harness or control it but it helped boost humanity forward by eons. Type-I and Type-II levels of civilization were reached in mere decades!¡± She hissed, still awed by the rate of their own evolution, so different from anything they had ever witnessed, imagined, or even hoped to imagine. However, it didn¡¯t take long for her expression to darken.

    ¡°Even so, we were still not satisfied by our rapid advance. The evolution of humanity as a whole was fast but it was not nearly enough. The Parasites were an ever-looming threat on the horizon that could come back at any moment. Furthermore, the schism between humanity only continued to grow with time and soon it became evident that it was impossible for peace to truly come back. The hatred was just too great for us to unite under one banner, and so¡­ two groups emerged from this chasm.¡±

    ¡°The first one wanted to focus internally. Determining that the human potential had been opened and that by studying the smallest particles, one could once again open a wormhole and harness more of its energy in oneself to promote further growth. The others became more interested in the vast Sea of Stars that were out there, waiting for us to pursue. Wishing to expand and explore, to colonize the planets situated in the vast galaxy, they used their understanding of wormholes that you pioneered for us as a means to explore further and farther in the universe. But they soon reached a clear impasse.¡±

    Noah could not help but mutter under his breath, ¡°Time.¡±

    ¡°Ding~ Ding~ Ding~ We have a clear winner. That¡¯s right, even with light speed it was inherently impossible for us to explore even our own galaxy, much less the universe in any reasonable amount of time. Even if we took into account generational ships, it was far different from the initial goal of wandering the vast space with the Arks. We needed a faster means of transport or a way for us to prolong our lives. Thankfully, we managed to find a solution. Something that, admittedly, was only possible thanks to the efforts of Vulcan and Minerva.¡±

    Vulcan was Capricornus and Minerva was Virgo. Even though Vulcan was repeatedly called a nerd by Noah, it was in no way an insult. Vulcan had helped him in repairing Ouroboros many times over and he had a level of understanding that far surpassed Noah.

    Venus laughed fondly, ¡°Even in death, we are truly the best. We realized that those two had been working on a daring project and had made a long headway. It was ########¡±

    Noah waited for her to continue but all he could see was Venus moving her mouth in weird shapes yet no sound came out of her mouth no matter how her lips moved. She stopped when she realized that her words were not reaching him. A look of bewilderment colored her face, but soon, it made way for an ashen wrath that contorted her face in fury.

    ¡°Fuck! Seriously!? Even that!? Who the fucking hell inserted the ### in the ###.¡±

    Her words seemed to be censored whenever she spoke but Noah was able to understand that this was not the type of family-friendly censoring he used to see in videos.

    ¡°You are unable to share the information.¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Endless emotions surged in her face¡ª frustration, anger, a look of apology and so much more¡­ too many for anyone to decipher. In the end, she simply sighed and arranged her coat. Her expression settled down as a dazzling, albeit strained, smile once again appeared on her face, ¡°Well. It seems like I won¡¯t be able to share any more regarding this part of our long history. So let me tell you what needs to be known. Simple and concise. Are you ready?¡±

    ¡°I was born ready.¡± Noah joked around as he tried to ease the nervousness he felt within.

    Venus chuckled and her smile became more relaxed as she spoke, ¡°In Quantum physics, there was one theory that was regarded more as a joke than anything else by many in the past. That theory is often called the Theory of Many Worlds.¡±

    ¡°Venus¡­¡±

    ¡°Well. Like wormholes, that theory was not just a joke in the end, you see. Thanks to those who decided to focus on the internal world, we were able to make this discovery.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± Noah¡¯s voice was subdued as he realized what she was trying to convey to him.

    ¡°Well. You are quite smart Noah. So you should have already managed to guess by now.¡± Venus took a deep breath and finally confirmed the one truth Noah had been dreading to have reached.

    ¡°This. Is. Not our universe. Noah. This. Is. Not our home. This is¡ª a parallel universe.¡±

    Venus''s words had seemingly sent a shockwave through Noah¡¯s mind by the sheer incredulity they posed.

    Throughout his journey inside the Star Gate, there had been numerous instances when he had noticed bizarre things, things he felt to be extremely weird and incredulous. However, every single time, he had dismissed them as mere coincidences because otherwise, it would have made no sense.

    Noah may have never have been as much of a scientific nerd as Vulcan or even Minerva, but he was still one of the penultimate creations of the White Room, the height of what a human could be. And due to that, he also had his own share of knowledge regarding some theories of Quantum Physics thanks to all the lessons they were forced to learn.

    The many-worlds theory proposed that every time one state, or outcome, was observed and thus made real, there was another world, eerily similar in nature, in which a different quantum outcome became reality.

    This was collectively known as a branching arrangement, in which instant by instant, our perceived universe branched into near-infinite alternatives. Those alternate universes were completely separate and unable to intersect, so while there may be uncountable versions of a single person living a life that''s slightly ¡ª or wildly ¡ª different from the life they lead in this world, you''d never be able to know or perceive them.

    It was a theory that had been used and reused, countless times, by all manner of science fiction.

    ¡°So you mean to say¡­ when I entered through that wormhole, I was sent to another universe?¡±

    ¡°Indeed. Well, it wasn¡¯t instantaneous, or technically it was I think? Relatively speaking, the time you spent inside the Sea was probably extremely long but for those outside of the wormhole, it may as well have been instantaneous.¡± Venus scratched her hair, ¡°The channel that connects the different realities was named Sea of Quanta by us. Some people learned how to observe the Quantum realm at a certain level and could thus perceive the different outcomes and reality in a relatively flimsy and shoddy manner. Thus, they became the first seers of humanity. Some other people learned how to enter this sea and well¡­ they died. All of them.¡±

    She shook her head with a sigh, ¡°The Sea of Quanta is extremely corrosive to any invaders of the realm. It¡¯s nearly impossible for one to survive inside the sea as their body would be destroyed, annihilated while they try to find their direction in a place where neither space nor time really mattered in the end.¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°... But, I survived.¡±

    ¡°You did indeed.¡± Venus fidgeted on her feet as she spoke. Clearly, she had been uncomfortable about what she was about to say next, however, after a small cough she was able to gather her bearings once more.

    Taking a deep breath, she finally laid out her thoughts, ¡°You remember each of us has certain special abilities, right?¡±

    Noah nodded in acknowledgment. The thirteen constellations were a marvel of genetic engineering.

    All of them were incredible warriors in their own right and exceptional Mecha pilots unlike any other before them or after¡­ However, that was not the only reason they were deemed special. The world government wouldn¡¯t have invested so many resources just to give birth to thirteen relatively stronger soldiers and bet their entire future on them.

    Project Eden had been done with the sole purpose of creating mutants, humans higher up on the evolutionary hierarchy. The project was deemed as the precursor that would allow humanity to reach a greater point of existence, a higher pedestal that would usher in a better future. In short, they had been trying to emulate the evolutionary superiority and rapid evolutions of the Parasites. In a way they succeeded but at the same time, they had failed to achieve what they really wished to create.

    None of the thirteen were the superhumans they had been expecting but at the same time, they were much more than anything they could have ever hoped to create. Each of them was born with rather special talents that, while not extremely noticeable from the start, had continued to grow as they fought and grew themselves.

    Noah ¨C one of the greatest successes of the whole project, perhaps the greatest creation even ¨C was born with the most unnoticeable ability among them all. After all, adaptability was not something that could be seen and understood easily or even in an instantaneous process. It was reinforced by the fact that Noah¡¯s ability had not really been as strong as it was at present.

    Taurus undoubtedly had the greatest strength in their group, easily breaking records even strongmen were unable to approach, in his infancy alone. While this might seem useless when taken in the context of space battles that were mostly done inside Mechas, his innate strength and resilience allowed him to have the highest Dive level out of all of them at first. Even after Noah went on to surpass him and become the strongest, he was still a high second in their group till the very moment of his death in the final battle.

    Virgo had been the tactician and generally, the on-field leader who directed all of them to victory many times with her precise leadership. Her ability allowed her to accept and analyze insurmountable amounts of information that was humanly impossible normally to accept. If her body had been stronger, she would have had the highest Dive level out of all of them without the slightest doubt. Even Noah at the time thought that he would be unable to catch up to her level if she had a body capable of withstanding the strain.

    Leo had been in a way very similar yet different from Virgo. She was not a thinker. She was a doer, a born predator ready to hunt from her very birth. She had the highest reflex out of every single one of them. She did not analyze, she simply acted on the tunes that her body showed her in real-time. Because of that trait of hers, her movements had always been erratic but useful. She had ways of winning that others were never able to emulate due to the lack of the senses she possessed.

    Technically speaking, each of the constellations was better than Noah in one special domain. The reason Noah was the strongest was very simple at the end of the day. If everyone had an average of 5 and one stat at 10, the maximum one was able to reach, Noah''s basic average was all at 8 or 9.

    Then, what was Sagitarrius¡¯s ability?

    Well¡­ For one, she was the only one Noah accepted was more beautiful or handsome than him. Her name, Venus, had not been for show after all. She really emphasized the title of Goddess of Beauty. However, she was also proof that the more beautiful something was, the more deadly it could be.

    Sagitarrius¡¯s ability was simple in reality. She had the highest coordination and dexterity among all of them thanks to her talent. She had been the combat instructor of the constellations and Noah had no shame in admitting that in terms of pure combat ability, she had bested him far too many times for his liking.

    ¡°Apollo was always very smart and his intuition was extremely developed. In a way, his ability was similar to that of Minerva and Diana. He could receive information and intuit things on a metaphysical level at times. Analysis, reflex and intuition, heh~ They were really the golden trio, weren¡¯t they?¡± She chuckled to herself, ¡°Either way, Apollo¡¯s ability evolved and became far more than just simple intuition, even though it showed metaphysical potential many times.¡±

    Closing her eyes for a second, she soon opened her mouth to deliver her next words, ¡°He¡­ became a seer, a true seer. The very first and obviously, the best seer to ever exist. Capable of both seeing and observing realities simultaneously but his ability was limited. There was a lot of untapped potential that he wasn¡¯t able to unearth due to his physical limitations. It was only after reaching a level equivalent to that of a Type-III civilization that we were able to build the first true Focus¡ª a gigantic tower in space that was specially developed to allow a true seer to gain astronomical insight into the Quantum world.

    ¡°There, Apollo, aided by thousands of lesser seers, managed to peer through the simple future of a single universe and was able to see farther than anyone had ever before him. He then declared that you were surely and undoubtedly alive. Out there, somewhere. In a plane, that was not the same as ours.¡±

    ¡°I guess that bastard was still useful for something.¡±

    ¡°He died soon thereafter. The load that came with that action quite literally fried his brain.¡±

    Noah clamped his mouth shut at those words. All the constellations saw each other as a family beyond the simple notions of family. They were closer, their bonds ran thicker than blood. The death of one of them was always impactful enough for all of them to be unable to function properly for a significant amount of time.

    Noah did not know how long it took for Earth to even reach the level of a Type-III civilization but by now, the time the surviving constellations would have spent together should be far longer than they had during the Parasite war era.

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Only his body died we ####.¡± She stopped and frowned at the limitation that had been put over her voice, ¡°Fuck. Anyway. Apollo¡¯s body died. We found you survived yada, yada, yo. However, the question was¡­ How the hell did you even survive? After many simulations and hundreds of theories, we were finally able to reach an established consensus. Your ability¡ª your Adaptability allowed you to survive the journey through the Sea of Quanta. So imagine what happened next.¡±

    Noah didn''t have to imagine, it was already obvious what the next logical step would be. ¡°New experiments.¡±

    ¡°Yep. They tried. Failed and when we found out about their heinous deeds, we simply annihilated them. Thousands of innocent children sacrificed for absolutely nothing or rather¡­nearly nothing. As sad as it was, thanks to those wretched experiments we were able to learn something new. Adaptability hadn¡¯t been the only reason you had survived. Something else intervened in the process that gave you the means of survival.¡±

    ¡°I fused with the Parasite Queen.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    The silence that followed was heavy and though the two of them were donning calm smiles, there was an unmistakable tension in the air.

    Venus opened and closed her mouth many times, trying her best to formulate her words. However, she finally chose to shrug and responded in a light tone instead, ¡°Indeed. We came to the same conclusion you¡­¡±

    She was about to continue but the facility started vibrating violently. Her form and the whole white room seemed to have become fuzzy as if there was an interference in the signal that connected them.

    This was followed by earth shaking intense rumblings which caused Venus to curse under her breath.

    ¡°Fuck! I made a mistake. Sorry! I wasted too much of our time. I wanted to tell you so much more but we can''t. I am also unable to send information to you because of those fucking protocols.¡±

    She started rattling, rapid firing the words she wished to convey, ¡°Noah! I don''t know if you are still the Noah we know and cherish, but I don''t care. The Noah I know would never let himself be swallowed by some fucking alien insect. So you are him, that¡¯s established. Thank you for surviving through your lonely and grueling ordeal. This facility will self-destruct and with it, the entire planet will be swallowed. You need to run! As fast as possible!¡±

    Her expression was frantic, the smile stretching her face now vanished completely. She rushed towards him, hugging him in her tight embrace as she looked at him with sincere emotions in her eyes.

    ¡°Thank you for everything you did for us. But this isn''t the end. If you wish to come back home, then you need to master the power you have received from your fusion, and to do that¡­ you will have to find¡­¡±

    Bzzz~! Bzz~! Hints of red started manifesting everywhere in the surroundings, slowly corroding the realm of memories and projection. And in that corrosive red, he was able to see the manifestation of an eerie and vague symbol¡ª an inverted tree with uncountable branches all swaying upside down.

    ¡°What¡¯s happening here? Wha¡­¡±

    Noah could feel his mind wavering, wriggling inside him so much that he thought he was having the world¡¯s greatest migraine. All this started occurring the moment his mind landed on that accursed symbol.

    ¡°Don''t look! You will be contaminated!¡±

    She placed her hand on his chest and, after giving him one last kiss on his forehead ¡ª pushed him away with all the strength in her body.

    Noah broke through the white room and the distance between him and Venus continued to increase as he sailed through the endless infinity of the white void.

    ¡°Venus!¡±

    He wanted to go back to her. To understand just what the hell was going on here for her to become so desperate. He wanted to help her fend off this threat that was surely the cause of their destruction in this realm. However, he was utterly helpless and could only watch as the distance between them continued to widen despite his best efforts.

    The last thing he heard as his consciousness started to slip was¡ª

    ¡°Noah! There are more of those white realm gates, they are ###! Find ###, the Queen of the Shadow Fortress, train under her and you will have more answers! Lastly, and this is the most important part¡­ be wary of Apollo and his ilk! They will not hurt you but you never know what they will do!¡±

    The last thing he saw was¡ª Venus smiling gently at him as she waved her hand as everything was swallowed in the corrosive red apocalypse.

    .

    .

    .

    ***

    Looking at the sight of Noah vanishing completely from cyberspace, the smile on Venus'' space slowly vanished as well. In a flash, it was replaced by a cold expression while her body was covered in full armor, and an illusive bow manifested in her hands.

    The scarlet light continued engulfing the space, corroding the white void till there was nothing, but there was no fear on Venus¡¯ face. The corrosive red apocalypse soon coalesced into a singular entity¡­ an entity beyond the classification of words.

    It was such a form that nothing could describe what it truly looked like. All that could be said was that those who saw this form would be bathed in a feeling of facing the most beautiful being in existence and would also feel as if they were enveloped in compassion and benevolence.

    ¡°I guess Apollo was right once again. The Tree of Life never gave up on reaching and apprehending this universe.¡±

    A sad smile surfaced on her face at the thought. She wished she could have spent more time with Noah inside this realm. Talk with him like she used to, tell him everything that happened over the countless years of his absence.

    It must have been hard spending all that time by his lonesome.

    She wished she could have given him a shoulder to cry on¡­ wished that she could share every single one of his hardships.

    ¡°You might deny it¡­ but you were always the greatest crybaby out of us all.¡±

    Venus knew, more than anyone else, how much weight Noah had on his shoulders. For every smile he showed to the world, he would cry hidden in his room. His cheerfulness was nothing but a mask to hide his anxiety.

    She wished she could have hugged him and told him that everything would be alright. Sadly, things might only become worse from now on.

    As if I will let things happen like this!

    A fierce smile formed on her face. There was not much she could do at the moment. Clearly, they were trying to use the entity she had imprisoned in this region as a relay point to find the exact coordinates of this bubble universe.

    All she could do now was destroy it, preventing them from ever reaching this realm.

    ¡°Well, Tiferet, I guess it''s time for you to die for real.¡±

    She grinned and adjusted her stance. Her bow was drawn in a beautiful and taut arc, the maximum it was able to be pulled without breaking in half. Her eyes turned a dazzling gold and her voice lost all semblance of humanity that she had willingly bestowed in this vessel.

    ¡°Activate the Protocol of self-destruction. Erase the information link. Cut the connection to the Sea of Quanta.¡±

    [Password: ...]

    ¡°May the Fruits of Knowledge Thrive.¡±

    [Code Name: Sagittarius]

    [Protocol Apocalypse activated. Glory to humanity and the Tree of Knowledge. Awaiting full activation.]

    Sagitarrius nodded her head as the form of the ethereal abomination of beauty and benevolence became clearer with time. The entity sealed inside the gate had started to awaken due to the disturbance of Noah¡¯s arrival. The very first thing of such an entity that reached her was the string of information that coalesced into a simple sentence.

    {Be not afraid}

    For one moment, she felt as if she was an insignificant being facing something of a skill that she would never be able to define or understand. And in front of such an insurmountable entity, all she had to do to avoid being squashed was lay down her weapon and surrender.

    However¡ª

    ¡°Afraid my ass!! This isn''t Eden!¡±

    She released her bow and immediately a blinding trail of all-devouring light followed its wake as it destroyed a quarter of the gigantic being of beauty and abomination. It still had yet to complete its awakening, but it was still powerful enough to withstand her blow.

    It was quite sad that Noah couldn''t see this battle. A smile befitting the goddess of beauty bloomed on her immaculate and ethereal face as she had that thought.

    She would have shown him that he definitely was not the strongest of the Constellations any longer.

    His expression would have been quite interesting to witness. Sadly her victory was short-lived as the destroyed remnants of the abominable being started reconstructing at a swift pace, swift enough for the eyes to observe in real-time.

    Immediately, she became solemn. It was clear that this unholy bastard wasn¡¯t the only one limited in the power they could bring to this realm.

    ¡°You gotta flee fast my friend. I don''t think I will be able to hold on for long.¡±

    Things were about to get more complicated than she had thought.

 CH 36: Gotta Run

    When Noah came to himself after suddenly being thrown out of the realm of memories, he found that he was back in that space of white void with the large mirror in front of him. However, if there was something different this time around, then it would be that the mirror was completely opaque, showing no reflections.

    ¡°Venus!¡± Noah shouted at the top of his voice, banging the unresponsive mirror with all his might. It was all in vain as nothing happened to the mirror, nor did it show any reaction. Only after hitting it more than ten times did he finally give up.

    ¡°Fuck!¡± He cursed out loud, anger lacing his tone. This whole situation was so confusing and there was just so much more he wished to learn from Venus¡­ No; more than anything else, he just wanted to see her again. Hold her in his arms and joke and play around like they used to do in the past. He wanted to be with his family.

    How long had it been since he hoped to see any of his old friends and how many times did he lose hope as he realized that things would never be the same as they once were? Now he had found one of his loved ones¡ª he had found his family. A dear friend he never thought he would see again and he was about to lose her again? So soon? Just what the hell was this shit?

    Fuck! Fuck! Fucking, damn it all¡­!

    ¡ª Noah what happened inside?

    Shut it! I am trying to think here!

    Noah couldn''t help but curse out loud due to his agitated state, but he soon took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. Anger was not a bad emotion but there was no place for such emotions at the moment. He needed an ice-cold mind to analyze every single detail of the situation.

    ¡°Sorry. That was uncalled for.¡± Lashing out at others in moments of anger was childish behavior. Throwing tantrums was even worse. He had no qualms with being childish but now was really not the time for him to entertain such thoughts.

    [Warning! Protocol Apocalypse activated. All surviving participants will be teleported out of the gate in twenty seconds. It is strongly advised to leave the atmosphere of the planet and distance yourself as far as possible to avoid any form of damage. Move with extreme haste!]

    [Glory to the unending Empire. Glory to humanity.]

    [00:00:19]

    Noah couldn''t help but sigh at the scene. He didn¡¯t know exactly what this protocol represented but he did remember the warning about the self-destruction process that Venus had given him in his last moments with her. He also remembered the scarlet light that seemed to corrode everything inside the memory realm. Venus was trying to take that thing down with her while self-destructing the entire construct.

    He gritted his teeth. He felt so utterly powerless at this moment. This was a feeling he had not felt in a long, long time. Even when he nearly died at Omid¡¯s hands, he had no such feeling of despair and uselessness.

    [00:00:07]

    ¡°The Queen of the Shadow realm, was it?¡± He did not know what the shadow realm was nor what it even represented. He did not know if it was even in this galaxy, this universe, or if this person was even alive at this point. The chances of him finding her with so little information were very difficult and in fact nearly impossible.

    But¡ª

    ¡°Making the impossible possible has always been my expertise after all.¡±

    It wasn''t like he had no clues whatsoever. At the very least, he knew that there were other White Star gates out there in the Sea of Stars. Perhaps his friends were also guarding those gates? It was something he would have to find out. He didn¡¯t care how long it would take. He didn¡¯t care what kind of things he would have to do.

    He would find that person and then he would be able to come to a better understanding of what was transpiring in this universe.

    [00:00:00]

    [Forced transfer initiated]

    Noah gave one last look at the facility as his body started to blur out before completely leaving this space. He had gained many things in this expedition but he had also lost a few.

    What he needed to do now was simple. Leave this planet and then find a way to enter the wider civilizations of the Galaxy. He needed to find his way back to his family.

    ***

    On the other side of the Gate, Dorothy stood silently, clad in her silvery armor. She had been in this position for the last few minutes, seemingly unbothered by the elapsed time and the scorching temperature.

    Dorothy wasn¡¯t alone though. Next to her, clad in a form-fitting black suit that hugged her body tightly, showing off all the contours of her lithe figure, was none other than Morgiana. Dorothy had managed to wake her up and make her presentable and while Morgiana was thankful, she still felt a little confused as to why they were waiting here without moving an inch.

    ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s wise to wait in this place? If Omid comes out we could have some serious trouble in our hands. Neither of us has our Frames with us to fight him.¡±

    ¡°First¡­ I do not need a Frame to beat a pirate that isn¡¯t even an Overlord. Even if said pirate was once a Knight. Second, you don''t even have to worry about such a possibility. Omid will certainly not come out of this place alive.¡±

    Dorothy felt no fear. Omid was certainly formidable but this was only when taking into account the very outskirts of the Galaxy. The Forty Thieves were mostly deemed to be dangerous because of their staggering numbers and most importantly¡ª their leader.

    ¡°You do not have to wait with me, you know? Alibaba is worried sick. Beam up and talk to him. I am sure you have many things to say to each other.¡±

    Morgiana shrugged, ¡°I do have many things to say. Our entire operation was completely changed after all. But more importantly¡­ I want to see if that bastard is still alive and if yes, I want to punch him. Hard.¡±

    Morgiana had gone through many moments throughout her life. Some she was not too proud of. But the way she was absolutely destroyed by that young boy had been a new low even for her. Furthermore, he betrayed her when she thought they were going to work as a team.

    Well¡ª from what Dorothy was saying, it wasn¡¯t exactly a betrayal he was aiming for and the seemingly insignificant boy turned out to be even more dangerous than her wildest imagination. But still, this was just too much. Couldn¡¯t he just have warned her and proposed the plan? She could have simulated a deep sleep.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Rumble Morgiana¡¯s thoughts were interrupted as the ground started to tremble once more. It only lasted for an instant but this was definitely not just a small earthquake but the precursor of something much bigger.

    ¡°What is happening?¡± There was no one to answer Morgiana¡¯s question. Dorothy was too focused on the gate and her wait was finally rewarded. The gate started to shine and soon, they were able to see a silhouette come out.

    Morgiana had placed herself in a combat position, ready for anything, but all Dorothy did was wait. Her breath hitching in anticipation, she wondered how the star she was waiting for would look.

    But soon, be it her, or even Morgiana for that matter, they couldn¡¯t help but show a confused expression as they saw the silhouette more clearly as it rushed toward them.

    After all, it was¡ª

    ¡°A child?¡±

    What in the seven seas was happening here?

    ***

    Dorothy didn¡¯t get much time to ponder on the appearance of her Star of Destiny. The moment Noah escaped the Star Gate her danger senses immediately kicked in, blaring ominous alarms right into her brain, warning her of the impending danger that was about to swallow them all.

    ¡°Noah?¡±

    ¡°You recognize him?¡± Dorothy asked in wonder while trying to hastily locate the source of danger. It was not the young child before her; that she was sure of.

    Even though the amount of Dark Matter inside his body was extremely vast for his small frame and enough to impress her, it was definitely not enough to give her this feeling of impending dread and despair that were ringing her senses in alarm.

    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s the guy who punched me unconscious. Though¡­ he definitely looked older than he is now.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ A race that can change their age at their command? Interesting¡­¡±

    Anyway, I have now confirmed that he¡¯s the Star of Destiny I have been seeking, We finally meet¡­

    ¡°Ahem¡± Dorothy cleared her throat slightly. She may have been caught off guard by his child-like appearance at first but she knew that it was not a behavior worthy of her stature as the Emerald Queen. Now, she had to salvage her image and project a proper aura of majesty that befitted her title.

    It didn¡¯t take long for Noah to reach them both, considering he was running at a fast pace from the very moment he shot out from the Star Gate. Dorothy was already aware that something was seriously wrong but she needed to display the proper proceedings¡­

    ¡°Hello¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hi! Hello! Greetings and salutations can wait for a little later, okay!? We are on a time limit here!! Also hi, Morgiana! Good to see that you are awake and well. Now ladies, we need to leave this planet ASAP. We don¡¯t have much time¡­ I think?¡±

    Dorothy was utterly confused by his demeanor but her head throbbed in alarm once more and this time the alarms that had been ringing inside her rose several octaves, almost threatening to split her head from the inside out. The risk of death before them was simply that overwhelming.

    ¡°Just what the heck are you¡­¡± Morgiana began but Dorothy stopped her mid-sentence, her expression utterly serious and grave. The silvery-white mask shrouding her face once again manifested into existence and she immediately contacted the Legion of Pride using her interface.

    ¡°Beam us up right now. This is urgent. I repeat, this is extremely urgent!¡± She wasn¡¯t trusting Noah blindly, that would be a rookie mistake.

    No, it was her instincts that were constantly screaming at her of immediate danger that made her decide to ask to be transported. She didn¡¯t wish to stay in this accursed place any longer.

    It would generally take around ten to twenty minutes to leave the orbit of this planet with the small ship she had used to enter the atmosphere. In the first place, it wasn¡¯t created for space exploration, so it lacked quite a bit of power to escape the gravity well. Furthermore, ¡­ she had this nagging feeling that she didn¡¯t have the time or leisure to give the small ship a chance.

    A message immediately reached her after her report,

    ?Very well. But you know our beam isn¡¯t as precise as the Empire¡¯s. You need to be close to your spaceship for us to have more exact coordinates.?

    ¡°Roger. Prepare a beam for three people.¡±

    ?Understood.?

    She nodded and looked down at the child before them, the boy referred to as Noah by her friend. Well, he was not really a child per se, but he did look like a child in his current form.

    It wasn¡¯t as if she was particularly tall herself so it was quite refreshing to not have to look up at someone when she was trying to talk to them.

    His short silver hair was a mesmerizing feature and while he did look like a small brat, the expression on his face was mature and cold. He was wearing a blue suit that was a little tight but there wasn¡¯t much to cover anyway on his skinny body.

    ¡°My crewmate says we need to move. Do you think we have enough time?¡±

    Noah gave her an appreciative look, ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know if we do. All I know is that this planet will self-destruct and I do not want to swim in the vacuum of space.¡±

    Dorothy nodded her head; her expression betraying nothing. She definitely didn¡¯t miss the implication behind his words.

    He was not worried about dying even though a planetary explosion was imminent if his words were to be trusted. No, he was only worried about swimming in the vacuum of space? Either this was just an extrapolation or this boy¡­ no, this man clearly had many tricks hidden in his bag.

    As expected of the Golden Constellation, I guess.

    She grinned while adjusting her helmet, ¡°Shall we run now? We can exchange names on the way. What do you think, Morgiana?¡±

    Morgiana was very conflicted but she knew that Dorothy was always a reliable ally. Far more reliable than Alibaba at the very least. It was better to listen to her now than to regret later. The earlier shock had been worrying enough so she didn¡¯t wish to test things out.

    My Frme though¡­

    Her heart ached when she thought of her ship. It was a relatively rare ship that could double as a fully functional Frame. Building it had been expensive, to say the least, and they were still in debt because of her extravagance.

    Catching the Forty Thieves would have made the debt go away in a flash but now¡­ ¡°Ugh¡­¡± just thinking about all the money she was losing and was about to lose made her physically retch and gag. However, it was water under the bridge now. There was nothing she would be able to do about it.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± She completely ignored Noah and started her run. She still didn¡¯t forget the sucker punch he had inflicted on her, but now wasn¡¯t the time to confront him about it.

    It didn¡¯t take long for them to start running and no sooner had they made the decision, the ground started experiencing earth-shaking vibrations. The vibrations were of such magnitude that it made the previous earthquake feel like a child¡¯s play. Things were not looking good for them.

    ¡°Damn!¡± Morgiana cursed out loud as she started putting more power in her legs. She felt like running had been the norm on this planet for her; definitely not something she would be remembering fondly, that¡¯s for sure.

    Behind them, the previously white gate was also showing signs of changes. The white light started flickering and crimson darkness started encroaching over it and swallowing the light.

    This time it was definitely clear that something was seriously wrong with this place and they weren¡¯t the only ones feeling the disturbance.

    The rumbling of the earth and the change in the gate were accompanied by the roars of the beasts who were also feeling their impending doom.

    ¡°This¡­ will be a little more complicated than I thought it would.¡± Dorothy sighed as they approached her ship. It was still hovering above. They would not be able to enter it immediately due to its altitude. The teleportation beam of the Legion of Pride wasn¡¯t powerful enough to beam up an entire ship, no matter how small it was.

    ¡°Well, I have good news and bad news..¡± Dorothy started, ¡°The good news is¡­ it will only take anywhere between one to two minutes for my crew to calibrate the teleportation beam to our coordinates. As for the bad news¡­ well, we will have to make sure no beast gets caught in the beam otherwise it will most likely kill us all.¡±

    ¡°Fuck¡­¡± Morgiana sighed as she looked in the distance. ¡°I am going to kill Alibaba if I survive this shit!¡±

    It seemed like it was time to fight for their life once again.

 CH 37: Vanished

    Morgiana was angry.

    This whole situation was a ginormous pain in the ass for her. This entire mission was a fiasco as it ended in a complete net loss. Actually, there was no noticeable profit from the endeavor anyway, so the word net didn¡¯t need to be mentioned at all. It was just a loss through and through. After this farce was over, their credibility would definitely fall to the ground, burrow holes, and reach hell.

    I guess I can worry about this after I survive.

    Those thoughts whirred in her brain as the intricate red lines on her body vibrated to life, shining like a river of molten lava¡ª bright and infinitely radiant. The stampede of veritable monsters rushing toward them was clearly induced by fear and a last-ditch effort at survival, only the thoughts of escape were coursing through their brain.

    A red flame she may be but she definitely was not some helpless lady. Armor covered her body and her trusty helmet fell perfectly over her face, completely changing the world she had been observing till now.

    I am full of energy now! Combat Mode!

    [Understood]

    The makeup of her armor completely changed from the ground up, going from a sleek casual design to an extremely bulky and full-plated behemoth that was clearly geared towards the term absolute defense. Furthermore, two miniature cannons appeared on the handles of her arms, complementing the design of the armor that made her a walking miniature fortress.

    ¡°Morgiana, you are covering the back. I am counting on you in case I miss anything.¡±

    Morgiana nodded wordlessly at Dorothy''s order, walking some distance as the Witch of Stars adjusted herself for attacking the hordes.

    ¡°Sir Noah. I would like to ask you to stay perfectly still. We will take care of everything.¡± Dorothy gave a smile filled with confidence as she strode forward causing Noah¡¯s childish face to contort into a cute frown. Nobody was going to take him seriously with this appearance of his.

    ¡°Hey¡­¡±

    ¡°Let her do as she wishes.¡± Morgiana intoned, ¡°You clearly seem weakened due to¡­ whatever happened inside that ominous gate, and honestly, she doesn¡¯t even need our help.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean¡­ Oh¡­¡±

    Noah closed his mouth when he suddenly felt a huge pressure emanating near him. One so gigantic that even the power Omid had shown to him previously seemed to be nothing more than that of a paltry firefly in front of a radiant sun.

    STOP!

    All she did was take one step, a single step forward, and utter one word¡­ that was all it took for the whole world to be enveloped in utter silence in front of her pure majesty, obeying her iron-clad command.

    Everything froze in a two-hundred-meter radius, causing even the make up of the light enveloping them to change as a monochrome black-and-white haze covered their beings.

    ¡°Morgiana.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Thrusters appeared on the back of her armor, propelling her into the air. It was only a small jump, all things considered, but she was still able to reach an impressive five meter height with the skillful maneuvering of the thrusters. The height was more than enough to enable her, letting her take the most optimal action in this situation.

    As a member of the Red Flame Qabila, Morgiana never had overwhelming firepower, t least not compared to the others of her race. Something on the level of Omid was pure fantasy for her. Her flames severely limited the destruction and power output she could bring forth. And the heat of her flames could not even be comparable to the other Qabilas.

    But that only applied to her when she was on her own.

    Targets after targets were marked by the AI of her armor, reaching more than a few hundred. Fighting them in normal times would have been hard but now, they were nothing more than sitting ducks.

    Pushing her hands forward, Morgiana focused all of her energy and heat inside the enlarged canons.

    [Boost X5]

    The air distorted for a short second and two beams of pure light and flame flew at incredible speed toward her targets. This was followed by a powerful explosion that completely engulfed all the monsters that were running toward them, currently frozen in time by Dorothy.

    [Calculating result: All targets dead. Perfect sweep.]This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    Morgiana chuckled as she landed gracefully. Inwardly, she was sweating quite a bit within the armor. The attack she had just delivered to annihilate the beasts was extremely taxing on her body. A one-time skill of sorts. But still, it had been some time since she could properly release some steam and after this whole scam of a fiasco, killing monsters like this was definitely therapeutic.

    ¡°This should have done the job.¡±

    ¡°Well done.¡±

    Dorothy¡¯s voice was terse and slightly cold even as she praised Morgiana but she did not mind. She knew Dorothy enough and understood very well that using her powers on such a grand scale definitely affected her psyche more than she would be willing to admit. Stopping time, even in a very small zone, was definitely no small feat even for someone as powerful as Dorothy.

    Is it my imagination or¡­ is she trying to impress someone?

    Obviously, she was not the target¡­ and that only left a single person.

    Noah¡­

    Uh¡­ I didn¡¯t think she had such weird taste in men.

    There was no other way to explain why Dorothy would strain herself like this when she didn¡¯t need to. She certainly had other skills in her arsenal that could have done the trick in a more efficient way while taxing her a lot less.

    Thinking about this, Morgiana''s gaze moved toward Noah and she couldn¡¯t help but chuckle inwardly. Noah¡¯s expression was cold and scrutinizing. This was definitely not the appearance and expression a small child should have.

    Even so, the shock swimming in his eyes was impossible to miss. Morgiana was extremely delighted to see him in such a state. This should take him down a peg.

    ¡°What do we do now?¡± Morgiana asked in a subdued tone. Having fun was great and all but she did not forget the perilous situation that they currently found themselves in. This planet also had the Abyss Beasts on it and those were generally more resistant to Dark Matter related skills.

    It would have been one thing if Dorothy had her Frame with her, but as she was now¡­ things could get quite a bit problematic if a horde of Abyss Beasts were to come after them.

    ¡°Now we wait. I can maintain this zone for a short time. But after this display, the beasts should understand that rushing toward us is not really the best approach they can take.¡±

    And just like that¡­ an unexpectedly dangerous situation was changed in nothing more than a small cruise.

    The quaking and rumbling slowly grew fiercer, more and more cracks appearing all around them. Meanwhile, the beasts were running for their lives in practically all directions, anything to survive this situation. But the charred remains and the gigantic and powerful presence was enough for them to ignore their little group.

    One minute went by in perfect peace and no unexpected situation arose.

    [The beam is ready.]

    ¡°Gather up.¡±

    No sooner was the warning given that one gigantic beam pierced the clouds from high above and reached down, flooding them with a continuous barrage of multicolored lights.

    Noah, who had stayed silent all this while even after witnessing something as nonsensical as time being stopped, gave one last look at the surroundings.

    This was a place he had lived in for so long that he didn¡¯t even understand the breadth of time anymore. Those years were full of suffering but they were also simpler times.

    Now though¡­ It was time to leave this place and head toward the greater cosmos¡ª the Sea of Stars was awaiting his arrival. He did not know what awaited him and what kind of people he would meet though. The most likely case was even more monsters that would be capable of doing illogical things on the same breadth as stopping time.

    But it was alright. His fight with Omid had already made him understand that he was the strongest no more.

    He simply needed to climb back to the top once again.

    Goodbye Venus. If the true you is still alive somewhere¡ª I will make sure to find you.

    Those were his last thoughts as they were finally teleported and nearly instantly appeared in Dorothy¡¯s primary spaceship.

    ¡°My Queen, what do we do?¡±

    With Outsiders present, the Prideful Lion did not address Dorothy as he usually would. It was important to keep decorum after all.

    ¡°We need to leave, get as much distance as possible.¡±

    ***

    Meanwhile, in the virtual world, Venus gave a bloody smile even though half of her body had already been destroyed.

    She did not know who bothered to program blood in such a place as it was completely unnecessary but it was what it was.

    ¡°Heheh. This was quite fun¡­¡±

    Her opponent was as wounded as she was. But she knew that if this fight continued, she would be the one to lose. War of attrition was not her strong suit.

    [Priority Target ¡ª Code Name: Noah, has left the planet.]

    ¡°I guess my job is finally done.¡±

    As if realizing that something was amiss, the being she was fighting started roaring a malefic scream, clearly intent on destroying her and escaping from its restraint.

    Sadly for it though¡ª

    ¡°Initiate Protocol Apocalypse.¡±

    [Confirmed.]

    A white light started bathing the world and as Venus¡¯s body broke down, a radiant smile stayed on her face.

    Was she Venus or nothing but a digital copy used as a sacrificial pawn? Such things did not matter in her opinion.

    Noah would always be Noah and she¡­ would always be Venus. The most beautiful being out of all the thirteen constellations.

    ***

    From the perspective of the outside world, those who were sitting in the spaceship witnessed a sight they would most likely never forget.

    The destruction of a planet was something all too common in space. Such things would never surprise them. What happened here though was anything but common.

    The planet did not explode. The planet was not destroyed.

    One moment they were looking at an entire planet bathed in a white soothing light and the next moment, the planet was entirely erased from existence as if it had never even been there in the first place.

    It just¡ª ceased to exist.

 CH 38: I am hungry

    Dorothy observed the plane in space where the planet had been initially coursing through in its orbit. When Noah had informed her that the planet was dangerous she had anticipated the full destruction of the planet, leading to a Supernova event.

    Destroying a whole planet was nothing new in the Sea of Stars. Some of the high-ranked Gates did have that system implemented in them once they were accessed and lost their purpose. Hell, if she so wished she could also destroy entire planets if she used her Frame at its full power or brought her fleet and bombarded it with her legion¡¯s full might.

    But this¡­ what she was witnessing¡­ was on a completely different level altogether.

    There was no sudden increase in energy that she was able to perceive, a trademark of planetary devastation. No power nor heat fluctuation could be observed, another sign of a planet in its last legs. Hell, there was not even an explosion. There was nothing. The planet was simply was deleted from the map altogether as though it had been erased from existence. ¡°Lion, run the checks. All the checks! I need to know what happened. Now!¡±

    ¡°Understood, Ma¡¯am. Should I call the Witches too?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Give them the coordinates of this location and tell Tin Can they are allowed to use the Tower to make the divination more accurate.¡±

    Lion nodded his head and simply chose to ignore the two new arrivals alongside Dorothy. This situation was already shocking enough for him to be at his wit''s end¡­ a feeling he had thought to have already overcome long ago was washing over him once more.

    Fear. After all, in this world, the fear of the unknown was greatest.

    Once Dorothy gave her orders she took another deep breath and closed her eyes in contemplation. Using her ability, earlier had been slightly taxing on her body as she did not have her catalyst or her Knight Frame along with her. However, the phenomenon before her was making her situation worse¡ª a massive headache was overcoming her mind.

    ¡°Well¡­ It seems like we have witnessed something incredible.¡± She spoke in a subdued tone, a faint trace of nervousness hidden within.

    ¡°You don¡¯t say¡­¡± Morgiana chortled before bringing up a display before her and started typing swiftly, ¡°Do you know just how much money we just lost there?¡±

    Her hand was trembling even as she crunched in the data for calculation, ¡°Ugh¡­¡± It seemed like she was on the verge of tears even as she imagined the money she could have earned from plundering the planet of treasures. Losing her Knight Frame forever, along with the planet didn¡¯t help in the slightest to alleviate this situation.

    ¡°You are¡­ quite composed.¡± Dorothy was utterly speechless as she looked at her friend. Morgiana simply shrugged her shoulders in response, ¡°What can I even say?¡± She sighed heavily¡­ Her face gradually turned more and more solemn as she finally donned a grave look as she gazed at the orbit where the planet should have been originally.

    ¡°Dorothy. Look, this kind of shit is way above my pay grade. I can barely deal with my own problems. Wasting brain cells on something of this caliber is just wasting my time and giving me useless stress. If a storm is coming, it will be the job of the Empire to tackle and the Federation to take care of it. Little guys like us can only watch and be swung around.¡±

    Morgiana was sure that if Alibaba was in this spot, he would have been full of curiosity but in her case, she had zero interest in such matters. Whatever power could erase a planet like this, quite literally out of existence like it was nothing, was not something someone like her could even dream of taking care of.

    ¡°Small people should learn to deal with small problems.¡± She grinned and Dorothy could only muster a sad expression as she looked at her friend.

    ¡°But you are¡­¡±

    ¡°Stop.¡± Morgiana raised her hand and shook her head before looking toward Noah. She could see that the small boy still had a serious expression on his face but behind the calm look¡­ she was able to sense a sliver of sadness and melancholy in the boy¡¯s eyes. The reason was quite obvious to her. And it also made her remember something she had forgotten along the way, ¡°I am sorry. I have forgotten that you had your family there.¡±

    ¡°Family?¡± Dorothy tilted her head, but then¡­ realization dawned upon her and she silently nodded her head with a hint of sadness as well, ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    Noah gave a small glance toward Dorothy before showing a bitter smile. It did not match with his childish frame in the least. ¡°There is no need to worry. Everyone already died a long time ago. I am the last survivor.¡±

    His childish voice was calm and indifferent but a somber mood befell the room after hearing his words. Dorothy and Morgiana both felt slightly awkward as they did not quite know how to address this situation. Comforting someone mourning was never an easy taskfor anyone.

    In the end, Dorothy clapped her hands, ¡°Well, everyone must be tired after that hectic string of events and there are many things I need to know and ask. Why don¡¯t you all go rest? They will guide you. Though Morgiana, your usual room is available.¡±

    She pointed toward one of the soldiers in the room. Morgiana nodded her head and spoke, ¡°I need to call Alibaba and explain what happened.¡±

    ¡°You should wait until you see him face to face.¡± Morgiana stopped for a moment before nodding at Dorothy''s suggestion, ¡°Very well.¡± She waved away the guide assigned to her and went further down into the ship.

    Once Morgiana left for her room, only Dororthy and Noah were present alongside a few soldiers that were making sure not to disturb their queen. They knew she could be quite moody at times and disturbing her never led to a good outcome.

    ¡°Sir Noah, could you follow the guide? I am sure you must be tired more than anyone else,¡±

    ¡°No questions?¡±

    ¡°Questions can wait and you do not have to answer any question if you wish to stay silent. I would never force you to talk against your will.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ You are very kind.¡± Noah gave one last look through the window. Only the immensity of the endless void and the light of the three suns greeted his vision, the once orbiting planet lost to all existence.

    For a moment, his expression became vacant as he remembered all the things he went through on this now non-existent planet.

    The bad things, the good¡­ Well¡­ There weren¡¯t many good things now that he thought about it. But he had gotten used to it along the way. In fact, in a way, one could even say that this was his second home and now that home was also gone.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    He was all alone in the vast universe and had no one to rely on. At least on the desolate planet, he knew he simply needed to survive. But now, his goal had become abstruse and blurry. He knew what he needed to accomplish but not how he would be able to accomplish such a hefty task. Moreover, he was still in the dark about so many things it was infuriating.

    ¡ª Seems like you forgot about me once again.

    You have been strangely silent so I had to provoke you one way or another.

    Noah grinned inwardly. His slowly worsening mood vanished like a lie. He was indeed lost and he truly did not know what he should do to find the truth outside of searching for more ruins.

    But all those worries were for the future. Here and now, he knew exactly what he wanted.

    ¡°So, Miss Dorothy¡­Do you have anything to eat?¡±

    One should always ask the important questions first.

    ***

    Someone else in her position might have missed the small shift in Noah¡¯s aura but Dorothy was definitely not so careless that she would not be able to pick up on it. Even though the shift lasted but an instant, she had the feeling of being stared at by a small starved beast who wanted nothing more than to pounce at her at any moment.

    How interesting.

    Dorothy had to fight the smile that was trying to stretch her lips wide. The more dangerous Noah was, the more depth of potential he showed off and the more she became sure of her conjecture. Noah was indeed the Golden Constellation, the sole star she had been searching for so desperately.

    ¡°If you are hungry then you should visit the kitchen. I will have someone send you there.¡±

    Noah nodded his head eagerly, ¡°Thanks. Though I gotta ask. Is the food some kind of nutritional ration or something?¡±

    ¡°No. Do not worry. Though we do have such rations, this ship was loaded with the best food and ingredients from our planet and the chefs are also top-notch.¡± She gave him a thumbs up and was happy to see a large smile fill his childish face giving him a hint of innocence. It made him look like a proper child which was a heartwarming display.

    ¡°Then excuse me. I just hope your reserves are big enough.¡± Noah said,to which Dorothy shrugged nonchalantly.

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be able to eat everything even if you tried. We have enough for years of travel stored in the ship. Eat as much as you want.¡±

    ¡°Hah¡­ Haha. I like your confidence. Then, thanks, I won¡¯t hold back.¡± Noah waved at her as he left alongside a robot guide, leaving a confused Dorothy who started to wonder if she had really made a mistake there by giving him free reign.

    In the end, she simply shrugged her shoulders. It didn¡¯t matter even if he truly emptied out all the food reserves today. The Lion Pride was not a fleet designed for long space exploration in the first place and they could replenish the food once they reached Oz.

    Now I guess I should take care of the important matters.

    After sending out Noah so that he could eat to his heart¡¯s content, Dorothy showed a grim countenance,

    ¡°Lion.¡±

    ¡°Dorothy.¡±

    The shadow around Dorothy moved and Lion appeared behind her in all his majesty. It was impressive how a man of his stature could advance so silently. His ability to walk through shadows was even more impressive and one of the reasons that made him so deadly.

    After all, who could ever expect that the giant armored warrior they were facing fought more like an assassin in reality?

    ¡°Your ability always impresses me.¡±

    ¡°I am an Apex predator, you know? I don¡¯t fight. I hunt.¡± He grinned at her with his jagged maw, showing his impressive row of sharp teeth.

    The atmosphere between them was warm but Lion knew that Dorothy would not have called for him if she hadn¡¯t been worried about something in her heart.

    ¡°What did you find?¡±

    Lion sighed, his flaming manes wavered and twitched, showing his unease, ¡°No report yet from the witches but from the receptors, there was no fluctuation in space-time. No disturbance in gravity flow. For all intents and purposes, this planet has never existed and no machines could prove the opposite.¡±

    Dorothy started biting her lips hard. She was not surprised by those results even though she hoped desperately that they would have been different.

    Dorothy had always been worried about one thing all her life¡­ ever since she had obtained her Silver Boots and changed the course of her destiny forever.

    For most historians, the previous Galactic Empire had most likely destroyed themselves through a Civil War.

    This was nothing new as the more advanced a civilization was the higher the chances they had of simply destroying themselves in their search for further progress and prosperity.

    But Dorothy had another theory in her mind. They did not self-destruct¡ª they were destroyed by an outside force, far more terrible and beyond anyone¡¯s imagination.

    She knew this sounded crazy and she knew that her theory held no grounds outside of her suspicions. To drive it home, the few beings who thought remotely like her were considered crazy conspiracy theorists and were even deemed lunatics.

    If she was right, then those outsiders might have been greatly wounded when fighting against the Ancient Empire and were recuperating or were destroyed alongside them.

    In the end, Noah was definitely a key to the truth of that time and a very important one at that. She could not let anything happen to him but he was too weak at the moment. If the Empire or the Federation caught wind of his existence as he was now, things would be more than just a bit problematic.

    In a way¡­

    Should I say that the destruction of this planet is a boon?

    Dorothy contemplated quietly and once her thought reached there she couldn¡¯t help but stop and wonder about an important point.

    The destruction of the planet had been extremely frightening, but when one stopped and thought about it, such clean erasure seemed a bit too much of an overkill. Why bother erasing something from existence when you could simply blow up the planet normally?

    Unless the main goal wasn¡¯t just to destroy the planet itself but to make sure absolutely no trace remained. If so then¡­ perhaps¡­

    ¡°Dorothy?¡±

    Dorothy stopped herself. Her thoughts were indeed going a little too deep. Even for her, it was hard to fathom what kind of link Noah could have with such powerful and old Civilizations. But, just in case¡ª

    ¡°Destroy the pirate ships.¡± Her expression became cold and resolute. Dorothy had never been a kind woman and she had always been very decisive. If she gathered her resolve then there was nothing she was not willing to do, ¡°Kill all the pirates and make sure all the records about our fight are erased altogether. If the Empire knows we entered in contact with one of the theorized Supreme Gates, they will keep bothering us.¡±

    ¡°What about our crew?¡± Lion was quite surprised by her words. After all, even for Dorothy, this was a radical decision.

    But he knew that when she was in such a mood, it was easier to simply shut up and do as she ordered. Everything would work itself out if they didn¡¯t deviate from the course she set.

    ¡°Erase their memory. Their minds are too weak and a telepath will be able to glean information from them quite easily. Make sure Tin Can erases all records from our ships as well. I want everything to be clean as though it never existed. No mistake is allowed.¡±

    She sighed and started walking with a clear purpose in her steps.

    ¡°Does it mean the boy¡¯s mind is strong? To be honest he seemed quite weak.¡± This was not him looking down on Noah because of his appearance.

    Lion was someone who prided himself in his carefulness and while the boy definitely had a dangerous scent on him, it did not seem like he could cause any mischief.

    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Dorothy snickered, ¡°You have no idea.¡±

    She laughed. She herself did not know how weak or strong Noah was but sometimes, a leader had to act mysterious and smart. Sadly for Dorothy¡ª

    ¡°You don¡¯t know anything either it seems.¡± Lion knew her too well and could see past her pretense.

    Dorothy simply coughed and walked away, hiding her reddening cheeks. ¡°Forget about it. Let¡¯s move the ship after we destroy the pirates.¡±

    Lion fell back exactly one step behind her and asked, ¡°What is the destination? Home?¡±

    ¡°No. Not home. Our destination will be¡ª Sol III.¡±

    With the way the current planet vanished, some information she had obtained in the past became extremely clear.

 CH 39: Her name is

    When Dorothy was finished giving all the instructions she thought to be necessary, she made way toward one of the kitchens of the spaceship. The Lion Pride Legion was composed of war vessels for short-term travel so the kitchens were not exactly decorated to a detailed degree, nor were they equipped with any of the modern equipment necessary to prepare any advance meals. However, she thought that it was fine as is.

    Furthermore, according to her knowledge of the galactic races, most humanoid and carbon-based beings of this Milky Way galaxy had very similar metabolism structures.

    Finally, people who had managed to acquire control over Dark Matter had a certain resistance to most basic poison, so there should be no worries catering to Noah¡¯s needs. At most, he would simply have an indigestion problem if the food was not compatible with his body type and nothing else. There was next to no chance of a life-threatening event happening to the kid.

    Thinking about this, she could only chuckle to herself. The chances were slim but it would be an interesting prank nonetheless if Noah was a rarity among races. Still, she hoped that he would be alright eating their food. The best would always be the scenario where he had no reaction to the food they consumed.

    When she finally reached the kitchen area though, Dorothy realized that all her worries had been for nought or perhaps¡­ they were not nearly enough and perhaps not in the right direction.

    ¡°Sir Noah?¡± She asked tentatively as she saw him gobbling the food while crying to himself, leaving her wondering if there was something really wrong with the food. Wrong enough to make her guest don such a miserable expression.

    ¡°Oh. Dorothy. No worries. Everything is alright. These are just manly tears of joy.¡±

    Noah sniffled while slurping on a special dish seemingly made out of foam and meat. He had an expression of utter bliss and irreplaceable joy on his face as he devoured dish after dish as if his life depended on it. It almost felt like he was tasting the food of the gods, as if this was the most wonderful food in existence to the little boy.

    ¡°This is the stuff.¡± Once he was finished with a dish, Noah nearly burped out loud in satisfaction. However, he still knew to keep his manners so he opted to cough a little before asking¡­ perhaps the most important question of his life, ¡°What kind of meat is this?¡±

    ¡°It is¡­¡±

    ¡°Wait. Nevermind. Forget it. Let me finish eating first, then we can talk about the origin of this meat. Don¡¯t wanna destroy my appetite for no reason with the answer by any chance.¡±

    Dorothy was simply flabbergasted by his words. In the next few minutes, she could only watch with both horror and curiosity as Noah continued to inhale ¨C yep, not eat ¨C a monstrous quantity of food. It was a scene that left much to be questioned, and the act itself certainly did not match his small and childish body.

    She had the feeling that she was watching a small cosmic beast in action or some living black hole devouring the food with no end in sight. She was probably right.

    This situation continued for some time. Now Dorothy was looking at the whole spectacle with eyes shining with a hint of analytical insight. The capacity to eat large quantities of food was quite a prized trait in the whole universe. As far as racial traits went, it was actually top-tier.

    More food almost always meant more energy to store and preserve within one¡¯s body. It also meant that the individual showing the trait had a larger capacity to stock other forms of energy. However, it could also mean that one was very inefficient in managing their own energy which led to the large consumption of food to make up for the deficiency. There was a flip side to everything, after all.

    She did not know how long she had been watching the stupendous phenomenon but soon Noah stopped his act, placed his hands together, and bowed his head, ¡°Thanks for the food. I am half full now.¡±

    Dorothy looked with a bemused expression at all the dishes that were perfectly cleaned by the little black hole. Noah alone had eaten enough to fill an entire army for a few days and he was only half-full?

    He would be a very dangerous opponent to fight.

    She smiled, ¡°I am happy you enjoyed the food. Though I must say, I am quite curious about the last gesture. Is it a prayer? Do you believe in a particular god or a cosmic deity of some sort?¡±

    Praying to gods and other cosmic deities was not something particularly rare in this universe. However, it was more common in backward planets that did not understand that the so-called gods they prayed to were nothing more than extremely powerful entities that roamed the universe as if it were their playground.

    Dorothy herself was acclaimed and recognized as a god in some of the solar systems, which were under the control of Oz of course, and while she had tried to change this illogical practice she knew that it was utterly useless.

    ¡°I do not believe in God.¡±

    Noah smiled reservedly as he spoke those words. He did not believe in God. Whether some form of a being called God existed or not did not matter to him in the least. At the end of the day, no amount of prayer could change the reality in which a person lived.

    If praying was useless at the end of the day¡­ why even bother wasting time doing so?

    ¡°I only believe in¡­¡± Noah stopped himself and soon a bitter smile formed on his face, ¡°I guess I can only believe in myself and one other being at the moment.¡±

    Dorothy was curious about this being but she could guess that the whole topic was quite heavy for the little boy. Moreover, she knew for a fact that she was not close enough with Noah to broach this. However, it was easy to see that the man, in the form of a little boy, was someone who had lost his loved ones over the course of his existence.

    This knowledge made her feel a little closer to him. Dorothy knew a life where one could only walk even while suffering the pain of losing those they loved.

    It was a pain she wished no one would experience in their life. Not even her worst enemies.

    ¡°It seems like you are a man with quite the story to tell.¡±

    ¡°Oh. You wouldn¡¯t believe.¡± He gave her a wolfish grin, quite comical to look at with his childish face, ¡°Perhaps one day if we become closer I will share my woes with you.¡±

    ¡°I will await the day with impatience.¡±

    The two shared a small smile. It was hard for Dorothy to ignore the way he looked now but her race was the perfect example of never judging a book by its cover. Now that she was closer to him, she could feel that the weight of time on his body seemed akin to a complex maze with no way out.

    Her senses were telling her that he was beyond a few hundred years old but her scanners were telling her that his body was that of a newborn. This was quite the contradictory result and there was not much she could do to unearth this paradox.

    ¡°So. Since we finished with the niceties away. Why don¡¯t you tell me what you want from me?¡±

    Noah wiped his mouth and observed Dorothy but she showed an ever calm facade, ¡°I do not know.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Are you playing games with me?¡±

    ¡°No. I truly do not know what I want from you.¡± She shook her head, ¡°We are tied by a faint karmic thread and the stars murmur to me that you are my destiny. But I do not fully understand what it entails. What I do know though, is that forming a positive relationship with you now will be very useful for me.¡±

    ¡°I like how you aren¡¯t trying to portray yourself as some good samaritan.¡±

    ¡°I believe a good relationship can only be built on being straightforward and true to the other party. I have many friends I would fight for without hesitation. But you are not yet one of them. You are¡­ an investment.¡±

    Dorothy initially planned to go through a more mellow way at things but when she heard his choices of words about belief, she was able to gain a small insight into what kind of person Noah was. She knew that in such a situation trying to cajole him would only make him wary of her.

    ¡°So¡­ You are a seer?¡±

    Dorothy stopped and looked down at Noah. His expression was still full of smiles but her intuition was telling her that something was wrong with the kid in front of her.

    ¡°You could say that. I was gifted with the power to read the stars. Though what I see is but one of the innumerable existing possibilities of Fate.¡±

    Noah nodded nonchalantly and asked, ¡°Then¡ª Do you know someone named Apollo or Libra?¡±

    A tense atmosphere formed between them as Noah observed Dorothy silently, ready to catch any expression change from her.

    In the end, though all he could see was confusion in her eyes as she asked, ¡°From your tone, it seems like the person you are talking about is an enemy?¡± She shook her head, ¡°Either way, I am in no way or shape related to that person nor do I even know them.¡±

    Noah liked to think that he was a good judge of character and he could see no falsehood from her words. He could be completely wrong and Dorothy could have been the best actress in the world.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°I see. Then I apologize for asking such a weird question.¡±

    ¡°I will accept your apology but only if you tell me what your relationship is with them. Oz has great resources and I might be able to find them.¡±

    Noah gave a bitter smile, ¡°He is not an enemy. But I do not know if I could call him a friend either.¡±

    The Apollo Noah knew was a true arrogant know-it- all prick and someone he wished to punch more than once when they crossed paths in the past. The two of them had never been able to see eye to eye and they were oft prone to fighting.

    But that was only in their personal life.

    When it came to fighting, Apollo was one of the most reliable companions Noah had. The two of them fought back to back many times in seemingly desperate situations.

    He might not like Apollo the most but he would definitely be ready to die for him and he knew that Apollo would do the same. Be it for him or any of the other constellations.

    This was the bond that tied them but¡­

    ¡®All of this was in the past.¡¯

    As much as it pained Noah to think about it, the constellations he knew were not the same as the ones who grew and developed with the civilization after his disappearance.

    People changed. The current Noah was different from the one he once was and it would be foolish to think that his friends did not change either.

    For all he knew even Venus had changed, or the Venus he talked to wasn¡¯t the true Venus and just a program that could induce him in error. Even so he decided to believe in them.

    Even though it was foolish, even though it was stupid and naive, he wished to believe that his friends were still his friends. That even if they changed, their cores would still be the same.

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to explain is all I can say.¡±

    ¡°Things are always hard to put in words sometimes.¡± Dorothy smiled. She was starting to realize something. A wild theory was growing in her mind and if she was right, it would be huge. But for now, she didn¡¯t have to push him.

    She could feel that Noah was wary of her and it was understandable.

    ¡°Any other questions? I am happy to help.¡±

    Noah nodded, ¡°I do have one other question. I am searching for two things. The first one would be someone who can create a Mecha for me and secondly, I am searching for someone. I do not know her name but that person is called Queen of the Shadow Fortress.¡±

    ¡°Oh my¡­¡± Dorothy started coughing once she heard this and it took her some time to gather her bearings.

    ¡ªWas that a wise decision?

    We don¡¯t have much choice.

    Noah didn¡¯t particularly trust Dorothy. After all, they had just met. But he knew that whatever information he might search for would be extremely sensitive and difficult to obtain from people without enough influence.

    Information brokers might exist but he was a nobody. Any information broker he managed to get hold of would most likely sell his information.

    In such a case, it was better to take the risk now with someone who at least seemed friendly enough rather than entering a trap.

    It was undoubtedly risky but it was a far more calculated and measured risk. Another problem he would face was finding a competent Mecha builder who wouldn¡¯t just steal and release his blueprints into the wild.

    Should I try selling them to her?

    It was a little too soon for that. Underestimating greed was the way to get blindsided and backstabbed in the worst way possible. This was a lesson he had learned the hard way even back when he was on Earth.

    One thing that he wished to sell her was the Mecha he obtained from the pirates. But doing so would reveal his ability to open a breach in space all by himself. This power might be his trump card in the future, as it was undoubtedly the best way of escaping he had. There was no way he would reveal it now for some money.

    Once Dorothy finally managed to calm down, she took a deep breath, ¡°I must say. Your first demand is not anything complicated for me. Oz is not specialized in Mecha development and creation, as we focus more on Magic and Standard Mechas that we import. If you want a Standard Knightframe, I believe you can buy one from us at a very good price, and with the bounty of the pirates you will receive money. It shouldn¡¯t be too much of a problem.¡±

    She smiled, ¡°Seeing your expression, I guess a standard Mecha is not to your taste. In this case, I believe that I have a solution that will please you but we can talk about this later during our travels. As for your second demand.¡±

    She cleared her throat, ¡°The Queen of the Shadow Fortress or just the Shadow Queen is¡­Well, she is a very famous and also very dangerous person. She is not easy to meet.¡±

    A serious glint appeared in her eyes, ¡°I will be honest, I do not think it¡¯s someone you should even try to meet. At the very least unless you are ready to die for it.¡± She paused before asking. ¡°Do you still want to meet her despite knowing this?¡±

    ¡°I do.¡± There was no hesitation in his voice as he answered her. This so-called Queen was supposed to be the key to understanding more about everything that was happening. There was no way he would let this chance go.

    ¡°Very well. Once again I will tell you that the route toward the Shadow Fortress is treacherous. Death will be at every corner and many call this road the Graveyard of Heroes. Many talented people fought to meet her but to date, only very few were graced with her presence.

    ¡°Those who succeeded became renowned warriors. Those who failed were forgotten in the river of time. Elusive, unpredictable and extremely powerful. She is the Queen of the Shadow Realm, the Immortal Witch, the Slayer of Gods and the Teacher of Heroes. Her name is ¡ª Sc¨¢thach Uanaind.¡±

    Sc¨¢thach Uanaind?

    ¡ªFrom the information I have, she was a relatively major figure in Celtic mythology and was mainly known for her skill as a teacher in the art of combat and for having taught Cu Chulainn.

    I do remember that one. This is truly fascinating.

    He was reminded once again that he was not in his universe but in a universe where fairy tales and mythologies seemed to be real. This made him wonder just how much had become reality and what were the differences.

    At the same time this knowledge was undoubtedly an edge for him. Something that, while he could not entirely lean on, could help him understand those he was facing better.

    However, he needed to be careful about relying on that knowledge too much.

    The best example stood in front of him. Dorothy was supposed to be some random American girl who got thrown into Oz and had a sort of psychedelic adventure with a cowardly lion, a heartless tin man, and a stupid scarecrow.

    Meanwhile, the Dorothy in front of him was someone who could teleport as well as stop time and was ruling some kind of empire while the Cowardly Lion was the general of an entire space Legion and had some kind of flaming mane.

    Sighing about the wild difference, he asked, ¡°So, how do I meet the Shadow Queen?¡±

    ¡°You cannot meet her. At least not now. The Shadow Queen is elusive and she obtained her name from her ability to open a gate in a strange and complex dimension where time and space stop mattering. This is one of the primary reasons she is hard to reach. When the road is open, the majority of those who wish to meet her will die instantly when they enter that space.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Noah raised an eyebrow, careful to control his reaction. This seemed very similar to what he could do and his ability to open a gate to the Sea of Quanta. If this so-called Queen had the same ability then, he could understand why Venus told him he had to meet that woman.

    She would definitely be an important key for his mastery of the dimension. Furthermore, Noah himself was a spear user so it wouldn¡¯t hurt to obtain her tutelage.

    ¡°Is it different from the space you guys enter in hyperdrive?¡±

    Dorothy gave him a funny look but soon she nodded. He had the feeling he asked a very dumb question and perhaps it was common knowledge for them. But Noah knew he could lean on his identity as a ¡°barbarian¡± from a small planet to ask these kind of questions.

    ¡°If you are interested I can put you in a learning pod. They are very handy machines used for children to give them relatively common knowledge. This helps eliminate years of useless studying.¡±

    Noah hesitated. This seemed very tempting but this also seemed like the kind of stuff that would end in unwanted information being fed to his mind. He also did not relish the idea of being brainwashed.

    Even back on earth, such technology was not unheard of and the only reason it wasn¡¯t directly used on the Constellations when they were children was because of the risk of brain damage this kind of thing posed. Didn¡¯t stop them from doing slow and careful indoctrination, but this was another matter.

    Noah was pretty sure that Dorothy would not try to hurt him but it was better to be safe than sorry. The common knowledge of this world would be obtained once he deciphered the memories of all those he devoured. It would take some time but it would happen.

    ¡°I will pass for now. Though, I would be thankful if I could get some kind of¡­hum. Some kind of teaching material that I can read?¡±

    Dorothy nodded. Noah refusing this proposal helped her get a better insight into his personality and what she found was someone who was extremely distrustful of people that he could not call his own.

    This kind of individual was always interesting to observe because of the way they behaved with those they considered as friends.

    In a way because of how distrustful and wary they usually were, once they decided to trust someone they would give their all and even ignore logic.

    Getting their trust may be hard but this trust would be extremely tough and difficult to break.

    ¡°You seem to have quite the scheming smile.¡± Dorothy''s smile grew even larger as Noah called her out. ¡°I am just thinking about how I can get you to trust me even more.¡±

    She had to say, looking at his expression was truly interesting. He was so cute she had the urge to pinch his chubby cheeks. Though she had the distinct impression that he would bite her finger if she ever tried such a thing.

    As a Queen, Dorothy had been used to manipulating people in a way that brought her the greatest advantage. Truthfully it was a tiring life but only by doing so had she been able to fight against the wicked witches and get Ozma to put down their arms.

    Compared to this, dealing with Noah was delightful. She did not need to put in any effort. She simply had to be honest, and sooner or later she knew that he would start trusting her.

    ¡°Getting back to our main topic. Sometimes the Shadow Queen will distribute tickets through the galaxy and only those who obtain a ticket can access the dimension on a specific date of her choosing. The tickets can be obtained in any way possible and as you can imagine, the distribution of those tickets is always followed by a bloodbath. Finding a ticket and keeping it until the promised date is in a way a form of test. Only those strong enough, smart enough, lucky enough, or with a powerful background can hope to get a ticket.¡±

    ¡°She seems like a pretty cruel woman.¡± Noah frowned. Sharing those tickets knowing what would happen was not something one with good intentions would do.

    ¡°I would not say so.¡± Dorothy shook her head, ¡°Her methods are fair all things considered. When one enters her dimension, the background one may have is completely worthless. All that matters is whether you can survive that place.¡± Dorothy did think that the Shadow Queen was a very dangerous woman. But cruel she was not.

    ¡°Her ticket represents a fair chance for everyone to join in and those who succeeded her test all became renowned warriors and leaders of their own sectors. Sometimes owning planets or even entire solar systems.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Noah decided that arguing more was not worth it. He needed to ruminate on the information he had just obtained. He was a hundred percent sure that he could survive the place where that woman resided.

    This meant that he only had to worry about two things. One, finding and keeping a ticket when they were out, and two ¡ª

    ¡°When will the next opening be?¡±

    Dorothy gave a bitter smile as she spread her hands, ¡°No one knows. The last session was 20 years ago and from history, the longest interval between two sessions was 300 years. So¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­¡±

    Noah fell silent. This was going to be quite complicated.

 CH 40: Sol system

    ¡ªNoah I believe we should not be in any hurry to visit that woman. Though we have some insurance about our survival in that dimension, going to her in our current situation would be foolish.

    Noah mused a little, ¡°I have one question. Did you know Omid?¡±

    ¡°Omid of the Scorched Earth. I did know him but not personally. Truly a pitiful man. Once a knight and now nothing. I can also imagine what you will ask and my answer is simple.¡± Dorothy grinned, ¡°Even in the unlikely chances that Omid would have been able to survive on the way to the Shadow Fortress, he would have been completely and utterly crushed once the competition started.¡±

    Dorothy continued with a gentle voice, ¡°You need to understand, Noah. Omid was powerful in his own right. There was no doubt about it. But his position as a pirate, having a small army and a backer were what made him truly a force to be wary of. His high bounty also does not correspond to his power and was increased because the Djinn¡¯s Sultan wished for his death.¡±

    Dorothy needed to make this truth clear to Noah, ¡°Omid was weak, and as he is now, even his leader Cassim can only be said to be a mid-level threat. Dangerous enough that fighting him is simply not worth it. But not so dangerous that any of the superpowers need to bring out their full power.¡±

    Cassim and Alibaba were interesting people. She knew very well that they had a very powerful destiny and high potential.

    While not equal to the Golden Constellation, they were definitely close enough that she could not look down on them.

    But potential and power were two different things. ¡°I hope I am not vexing you. But I do not wish to see you fall soon.¡±

    She did not wish to insult him. In terms of potential, she felt like Noah was akin to a bottomless black hole ready to swallow everything.

    She knew without a shadow of a doubt that he had the potential and the luck to reach an incredible height in power and she surmised in a relatively short time frame.

    Now that he had entered the wider universe, he was akin to a dragon that was now able to soar in the sky. But this was exactly why she had to remind him of his current place in the universe.

    ¡°You have so much to learn. About Dark Matter, the application of power and about Frames. A wide world was opened for you. Be careful to not burn your wings.¡±

    Noah gave a bitter smile. He could feel the genuine concern and worries in Dorothy¡¯s voice and in a way this made it sting even more. It had been quite a long time since someone called him weak and helpless so openly. But he had already come to terms with this reality after nearly dying while fighting Omid.

    He needed to become stronger. Far stronger than he was now.

    ¡°Speaking of and before I forget. Now that you put down Omid, the news about his possible death should start spreading out. If you claim the bounty it will be confirmed and you might get targeted by the Forty Thieves. So I can give you different options.¡± Feeling the awkward atmosphere that was settling in, Dorothy decided to subtly change the topic.

    ¡°You can choose to claim the bounty yourself on one of the planets owned by the Mercenary Guild. Normally such a procedure is not necessary as bounty hunters and mercenaries just need to call their direct contact and present proof before receiving their money. But as you are not an official Mercenary and more importantly, do not have an identification card things will be more complicated.¡±

    She spoke nonchalantly, ¡°This option is the riskiest one but it might be the most rewarding as you will start with a high record in the mercenary guild, which will help you have more clearance when visiting different planets.¡±

    Interstellar travels meant that keeping borders was extremely difficult. Not many civilizations could afford to pay for a system wide detector and planetary walls.

    Because of this, some planets were extremely strict on the kind of individual they accepted. For Mercenaries who had to travel a lot for their missions, having a high clearance rank was necessary. Because of this low-level mercenaries would generally join high-ranked teams, even if only temporarily.

    ¡°What is the other option?¡±

    ¡°Another option would be for us to claim the kill and receive the payments to immediately transfer it to you. I personally believe that it¡¯s the best option. As the Queen, creating an identity for you could not be any easier. Same for a universal bank account as well as a local one. The credits will be sent to you in full immediately. This would mean no honor but it would be safe for you.¡±

    Dorothy was serious, ¡°I believe joining Oz would without a doubt be in your best interest. It would give you a new place to call home and you would not have to wander as a mercenary to obtain an identity. Furthermore, while Oz is certainly not specialized in the art of war and we are certainly not comparable to the Shadow Fortress, we have many academies that could give you a basic understanding of the world and your powers. Who knows? Perhaps we would even discover that you have talents in Witchcraft.¡±

    The more she spoke the more excited she became. It was like she was already able to map his future. She knew that those with a high destiny probability needed to face hardship and spread their wings, mostly alone to reach the greatest potential, but being a little coddled at the start would not hurt, right?

    Why go through the hard route when you could take the easiest? She thought under her breath before catching herself.

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    ¡°Wait. I am sorry to interrupt you. I got quite excited. In the end, I am only presenting you with a choice. You should always do as you wish. But, I believe that such decisions should be taken carefully after examining all factors. Why not visit Oz first? Take a few days, rest, enjoy yourself, and finally make a choice. Oz also has a branch of the mercenary guild so it will be easy.¡±

    ¡°I¡­Very well. Thanks for giving me those options. I would be happy to visit Oz.¡±

    The smile Dorothy sent him was shining so much it was almost blinding. The smile vanished pretty fast when a robotic voice reached them.

    [Destination Reached, entering the remains of the Sol System.]

    ***

    As he gazed at Dorothy¡¯s eyes, Noah could not help but wonder. Why? Why was she so desperate? Why did she wish to keep him close?

    His paranoia made him think of hundreds of negative scenarios. Noah could believe in kindness without reason. He knew that sometimes people simply wished to help others without wishing for anything in return and while he was pretty cynical, he admired such a way of thinking.

    But there were limits to such a form of kindness, and what Dorothy was doing broke through those limitations as if they did not even exist in the first place.

    He truly wished to ask her all of this but now, his mind was more preoccupied by what he had just heard.

    Sol System?

    He remembered that Morgiana had called Earth, Sol III. Did this mean that they entered the Solar system?

    Noah stood up abruptly, ¡°What does this mean?¡±

    Dorothy sighed as she stood up as well, ¡°I believe in this world one must know their past to walk toward their future. Which is why I have decided to bring you to your home planet for you to see. Follow me.¡±

    Noah did so almost as if he was in a trance. He knew that this was not his Earth and neither was it his home but going back to Earth had been one of his most fervent dreams for years.

    Even if it was not his Earth, it was still Earth. A place that shared a history similar to his. A fog slightly covered his mind as he clenched his fists. He wished to stop and ask what happened to this Earth. But the answer was all too evident.

    As such, he simply closed his mouth and continued to walk behind Dorothy in the relatively silent hallway.

    He could see some humanoid robots on the way and very few crew working but Noah was too troubled to care.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    Thankfully, the walk did not take long and Noah was able to gather his wits again.

    There was nothing wrong with feeling emotional in the current situation but in no way, shape or form should he allow those feelings to affect his judgment while he was in neutral territory.

    ¡°What happened to your staff members?¡± He asked absentmindedly, not expecting an answer.

    ¡°They are getting a part of their memory erased; or should I say blocked? Mainly all information about the destruction of your planet needs to be destroyed and carefully handled. We do not want any leaks.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­¡±

    The nonchalant way she spoke about mind-wiping her subordinates was so shocking that Noah was left speechless.

    ¡°I can guess what you may be thinking and honestly you might be right. This is very messed up. But I am not a heartless monster. For one this is a very standard and necessary measure. The existence of mind readers and other such psychics made such procedures almost obligatory. It''s standard for all soldiers to receive basic training in how to protect their surface thoughts from mind readers. Even so, this is not enough when it comes to sensitive information.¡± She shrugged, ¡°All those who joined this ship were warned in advance and given the choice to refuse. Those who refuse will simply not have access to high profile missions.¡±

    Dorothy knew that this wasn¡¯t perfect but she had made sure that this would be as fair as possible. Furthermore, she had placed laws and regulations so that all those who ever got their memories erased receive a bonus in salary and rank.

    ¡°This seems like the kind of thing people could abuse.¡±

    Noah was sure as hell that if such technology had existed on Earth, the White Room creators would have undoubtedly used it on them.

    Being able to modify someone''s memory means so much. Even if you couldn''t outright change everything it was too easy to manipulate someone if you could mess with their memory.

    ¡°You are right. Thankfully, this kind of technology is not something anyone can use.¡±

    This technology was even harder to access than those related to Mecha Constructions. Firstly, the brain was not such an easy thing to manipulate. Memories even more so. In most places the ones who took care of such procedures were psychics themselves. After all, who better than a psychic to block another one?

    ¡°In Oz we have Scarecrow. He is one of my three generals and a revolutionary genius. A little immoral but he was one of the main reasons I managed to ascend to the throne and he made sure that this was safe.¡±

    Noah could feel that Dorothy was rambling but he did not try to discuss more of this topic. He could barely deal with his own problems. Trying to discuss the morality of her decisions when he did not even have the full picture of the situation would be foolish and shortsighted.

    What he did understand was that Oz was certainly not an idealistic place and that at the end of the day, even an advanced civilization still suffered from internal and external problems.

    Instead, he simply filed this information away in his mind¡­Speaking of mind.

    ¡°Why not me, as well?¡±

    ¡°Because there is no need to. Your mind is as opaque as your destiny. I weep for the poor psychic that will try to observe you.¡±

    She laughed but Noah did not miss the innuendo in her words. It was clear that if she deemed that it was necessary she would have had no hesitation in manipulating his memory.

    Either that or he was looking too deeply into her words and she meant absolutely nothing negative. He had always been the type to see the cup half full but sometimes it was necessary to realize that it was simply half empty.

    At least knowing that he was less susceptible to psychics was a good thing. That or Dorothy was simply lying and planned to have someone read his mind later.

    ¡°We are finally here.¡±

    They reached a very large room after taking a few elevators. One that was filled with absolutely nothing outside of a large celestial chart drawn on the ground.

    ¡°This is my place for meditation and now, it¡¯s time for you to see Earth.¡± She seemed almost hesitant but knew it was necessary.

    Noah felt his heart accelerate as he watched her clap twice. The roof and all the walls around him slowly started vanishing, allowing them to witness the void of space.

    The first thing that caught his eye was unsurprisingly, the sun, though it definitely seemed far larger than he remembered. His attention did not stay long on it as he started to search for Earth.

    And all he found was¡ªNothing.

    Noah looked all around but all he could see, outside of the sun was nothing more than the stars shining in the distance.

    ¡°Is this a joke?¡± A modicum of anger started seeping into his voice.  Space was large and no matter how high Noah''s vision was, it would be impossible for him to see other planets with his naked eyes if they weren¡¯t close enough.

    ¡°This is sadly not a joke.¡± Dorothy placed a hand on his shoulder before snapping her fingers with her other hand, prompting blue screens to appear all around them, ¡°From the current coordinates, we are exactly where the moon of Sol-III, or rather Earth, should have been. From such a distance, Earth should have been visible but as you can see¡­There is nothing.¡±

    The screen moved and showed different planets. Only five planets to be exact.

    ¡°We discovered information about Sol-III on Sol IV. The remains suggest that the Earth vanished or was destroyed approximately 50,000 years ago after a prolonged war against the Parasites. A war that they lost. Earthlings were able to save the seed of their civilization and these were sent into space, they did not have the technology necessary to keep them alive past a certain point. The ships we found were full of nothing but corpses. Mostly intact corpses but still corpses.¡±

    Image after image appeared, showing everything to Noah. All he could do was watch silently. The corpses in particular were quite haunting to see.

    This was an Earth. An Earth with a different history. An Earth with different people but truly similar circumstances. There was just one very little thing he needed to know.

    ¡°Did they¡­In the history of Sol III, how did they fight against Parasites?¡±

    Dorothy looked up, ¡°Well, they didn¡¯t. They weren¡¯t able to put up much of a fight. We discovered they had a very limited understanding of Mecha. But those were standard Mecha compared to those we have now. They were not even able to use Dark Matter. As you can imagine this didn¡¯t end well.¡±

    She shook her head, ¡°When the council discovered the incursion of Parasites in this solar system it was already too late. The Parasites had already left the inhabited planets. Which was another mystery for us since this usually doesn¡¯t happen. But we judged that they did so because they erased and assimilated all life. Furthermore, while they control the Triangulum Galaxy, their control on the Milky Way was not enough for them to push too much.¡±

    Parasites were the worst pirates that could exist. Protecting an entire galaxy was hard. It was even more so when all the major forces found ways to oppose each other.

    Parasites would slip through the crack, attack reclusive planets, assimilate them, then go on their merry way.

    They were like locusts or pests that were nearly impossible to get rid of.

    Not all Parasite hives were enemies. Some had very good relationships with the different parliaments. There was even talk of accepting them in the galactic alliance.

    This was a rather complicated and sensitive topic.

    ¡°Well enough about the Parasites. What matters is Earth. Honestly I am surprised that your colony managed to reach so far. The planet you were stranded on was four light years away from Earth.

    Four light years might sound relatively small but this translated into a distance of 25 trillion miles which would need approximately 148,000 years to cover.

    Doing so in a third of the time necessary was extraordinary.

    Dorothy asked, her voice was filled with solemnity, ¡°Going back to the topic. All this time, what happened to Sol-III had been a mystery.  A mystery no one cared about outside of a few enthusiasts.¡±

    The Sol system was just a small system in a very big universe. Every day millions of inexplicable things happened in space and no forces had the resources necessary to care.

    Oz was in much the same situation. The only reason she even cared about Sol III in the past was because the Sol system was only a few dozen light years away from Oz.

    She had been worried Parasites had discovered some antimatter technology and would go on a killing spree but slowly lost interest when she realized the destruction was just the work of a small hive.

    Now though,

    ¡°After what we witnessed not long ago. It isn''t much of a mystery now is it?¡±

    What happened to Earth might have been the same as what happened to the lone planet. Which would mean that Earth was related to a White Gate.

    Noah closed his eyes and thought deeply. It was possible that this Earth was occupied by one of the Constellations and that one also started the destruction protocol.

    Honestly, Noah did not know enough to formulate a proper hypothesis.

    ¡°I only see five planets. What happened to the others? Only Earth vanished, right?¡±

    New screens appeared, showing two different planets,

    ¡°Sol II and Sol IV also known as Venus and Mars respectively by the Earthlings. The two planets were moved by the Imperial Family and placed in their museum.¡±

    ¡°Museum?¡±

    Noah was wondering if he heard things wrong and Dorothy could only give a bitter smile.

    ¡°The Imperial Family has many interesting hobbies. One of which is adding planets with particular histories to their collections and placing them in artificial solar systems of their creation. The expositions are generally not open to the public, outside of very specific dates or specific occasions.¡±

    ¡°What is the name of the royal family?¡±

    ¡°Imperial Family. Be very careful. They do not play around with this title. As for their name, the current King is¡ªArthur Pendragon.¡±

    Noah could only let out a dumbfounded laugh. This seemed so fitting he was not even surprised.

    After laughing for a while, Noah smiled. He could feel a certain weight off his chest.

    He had been wondering what should be his next goal after all this.

    How could he find the next gate? Where should he even go?

    Now though, the answer was a little clearer.

    Planet Mars.

    He had a feeling that he would be able to find more answers there.

    But before going there, he needed to become stronger. He needed to become better.

    After all who knew what would happen.

    This was why, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    He took Dorothy¡¯s hand and bowed his head slightly. It was quite awkward with how small he was but Noah did not care.

    ¡°Truly thank you.¡±

    He continued to utter. He did not know Dorothy''s goal in approaching him. He did not know if she was someone he could really trust and believe in.

    But she was a benefactor. She helped him escape the planet before its destruction and decided to help him in finding his bearing in this new world.

    Noah was many things. An arrogant idiot, a prideful bastard, and a crazy maverick.

    But he was not an ungrateful bastard. This day would be forever carved in his memory and one day, he would pay back everything tenfold.

    Thus Noah swore.

 CH 41: Negotiating

    After giving his thanks to Dorothy, Noah finally decided to go to his assigned room. He briefly considered visiting the five planets, but if they had a white gate and he had to go through those tests again, he might have to fight Dorothy in a death match as he did with Omid.

    The fact that she was his benefactor aside, Noah didn¡¯t relish the idea of fighting someone who could stop time. He had no countermeasure for this power at his current level and if she decided to kill him, there was very little he could do to defend himself outside of perhaps blitzing her.

    But then she had those silver boots that allowed her to teleport freely. Time and space manipulation were cheats.

    ¡ªIndeed. I believe getting a usable Mecha until we can create a new one is necessary.

    Noah did not answer but he understood what the Queen meant. The skills they had used together could certainly not be maintained for long and she could not yet produce the mass necessary to reproduce an entire Mecha from scratch.

    But things would be less dire if he at least had a Mecha to help amplify his power. As for creating his own Mecha, Dorothy had shared with him who the absolute best creator of the current era was.

    Geppetto. The Lord and Father of Machinery.

    Hearing this name was funny. Noah certainly knew about the story of Pinocchio. This was a story he identified with strongly even as he was living on Earth.

    In this world though, Geppetto was not just a gentle old man who wished for his creation to become human

    From what Dorothy told him; Geppetto was without a shadow of a doubt the man he needed to hire. Furthermore, Geppetto was trustworthy and nothing but a passionate man who wished to create things. But at the same time, it seemed like he was an overlord who reigned over an entire sector composed of over six solar systems.

    All those planets were inhabited by AI. True sapient AI that could learn, grow, and seemingly feel emotions.

    It seemed like a few hundred years ago, Geppetto spearheaded an entire AI rebellion and threatened a large part of the Galaxy by himself.

    Even though the Rebellion was quelled, one could not say that Geppetto lost. He simply reached a truce with the Empire and the Federation. Making him one of the big forces of the Galaxy.

    Noah could only curse softly when hearing about such a feat. One man against an entire galaxy and yet he still managed to come out ahead.

    ¡ªA very dangerous man.

    Dangerous is an understatement. How the hell do I even meet a dude like this?

    Noah could only laugh. If this whole situation was a game, then he had three main quests now all connected to the main story.

    Finding the Shadow Queen. Visiting Mars. Meeting Geppetto.

    The problem was that access to all three quests were blocked, either because he did not have a sufficiently high level or because of a problem in timing.

    In the end, before having access to those main quests, he had to complete a few side quests and level up. Get some normal-rank equipment on the way and increase his reputation. Only by doing so could he fulfill the conditions for his main quests and then, the road was clear.

    Staying in Oz was impossible. He could stay a short time to have a deeper understanding of the world but he could not stay there long. His path to power was already clear.

    Devouring. Adapting. Evolving.

    Unless Dorothy was willing to feed him her ships and her soldiers, which he doubted she would, he needed to leave. In fact, while he now believed that Dorothy was someone trustworthy and someone he was indebted to, this didn¡¯t mean that he was willing to tell her about his power.

    One day this power might become common knowledge but for now, he would stay silent. At the very least he would do so until he obtained the skills necessary to protect himself or enough power to flee if it was necessary.

    In order to grow he needed to leave Oz and find suitable targets to devour. While being able to work solo and the best job for this seemed to be that of a mercenary.

    ¡ªSo this is why we are here now.

    Indeed. They were standing in front of a door. From there, Noah knocked thrice and then waited patiently.

    ¡°Give me a second!¡±A feminine if somewhat gruff voice reached him from the other side of the door and it was opened, giving full view to Morgiana wearing nothing but a loose white shirt and a pair of black panties. Her hair was damp and she was holding a small towel.

    ¡°I see that you were already resting. Though I must say, your underwear is quite risque.¡±

    Morgiana sighed and moved away the hair covering her eyes, ¡°If you want to watch then watch.¡±

    Her voice was quite sarcastic but Noah simply nodded, acknowledging that he did punch her. While it had been necessary, it was important to notice that things could have gone differently if he had taken the time to simply talk to her first. With her experience, things might have gone very differently.

    But all those things were in the past. The past was the past and now he had to focus on the present and future.

    This was why, ¡°I am here to apologize.¡±

    Noah smiled as he gave his apology in the most sincere way imaginable. His round face and chubby cheeks made him look even cuter than he should be. Noah knew how to use this to his advantage.

    ¡°Fuck off.¡±

    The door closed in his face with a bang, leaving Noah alone in the hallway. His face showed no surprise as he had been expecting such a thing to happen.

    ¡ªWhat now?

    Well¡­Now we rest I guess.

    It seemed that building up his relationship with Morgiana would be anything but easy. But he just had the way, ¡°I have a way for you to write off a part of whatever debt you might have.¡±

    The silence lasted for a few seconds before the door of Morgiana¡¯s room slowly opened again.

    ¡°Come in.¡±

    Noah grinned. Building trust would not be easy after his rocky start with Morgiana but this kind of side quest was definitely easier to accomplish.

    ***

    The room inside was larger than Noah would have guessed. There was one large bed in the middle of the room, big enough to sleep three or four people in it with no problems. A bathroom was close to the bed and finally, a large holographic screen was floating near the wall in front of the bed.

    A tv?

    Noah idly wondered what kind of entertainment shows people in space would watch. He might have not been as much of a nerd as Capricornus but that didn¡¯t mean he was against watching some good show or animation.

    ¡°So what do you have in mind?¡±

    Morgiana sat in front of a mirror as she ruffled her hair quite roughly with her towel before using the hair dryer. Noah meanwhile simply sat on the free chair next to the office table.

    ¡°You seem quite at ease here. It seems like this isn¡¯t your first time visiting this place.¡±

    Morgiana gave a look at Noah but sighed and decided that there was no need to be too hostile. She really needed the money now and as a mercenary, she had learned long ago that pride did not feed the stomach. If Noah wished to have some small talk as a strange form of powerplay then so be it.

    ¡°Dorothy is a friend. I helped her fight for the throne as a mercenary and saved her life when she had yet to reach adulthood and awaken her power.¡± Morgiana smiled when she thought about it. Back then Dorothy had been far weaker than she was now. She was just a helpless little girl who was being chased by enemies way too powerful.

    No mercenaries had been inclined to help her back then and in the end, the one who decided to go for the mission was Alibaba. Morgiana had been against it at first but as always she got pulled in by his crazy optimism and they went all out protecting Dorothy.

    ¡°Oh. This is pretty interesting. Your friend Alibaba seems like¡­Yeah. Very interesting.¡±

    Morgiana snickered, ¡°You can say it. He is dumb and kind to a fault. He wants to do good even though the world is filled with bad and he does not compromise.¡±

    She might be insulting but there was a gentle smile on her face as she spoke about him. Something Noah noticed quite easily. ¡°Seems like you respect him quite a bit.¡±

    She shrugged, not willing to answer him, ¡°Now that I have answered your questions sShould we talk about the debt? Time is money as they say.¡±

    ¡°Time is indeed money.¡± Noah nodded, ¡°It¡¯s simple really. How much was Omid¡¯s bounty?¡±

    Morgiana frowned, ¡°If you mean you want to share the money of the bounty then don¡¯t. I did not participate in any way in this hunt and I do not want a hand me down.¡±

    Pride may not feed an empty stomach but this didn¡¯t mean that she was devoid of all pride. There were limits that should not be crossed and getting money for something she didn¡¯t do was one of those limits.

    Worse. She had been completely and utterly useless in this entire scenario, ¡°Also I swear if you are going to say I am entitled to a share because you used me as a bait I am going to punch you even if you may be stronger than me.¡±

    Morgiana had suffered many humiliations and defeats since she escaped from her home planet alongside Alibaba and Cassim and all those years ago. Losing was nothing new for her. But she had to say that what happened on this planet was something she would never forget. It was a humiliation to a level few could ever compare.

    Noah raised an eyebrow, ¡°You are more stubborn than I gave you credit for. I thought mercenaries were all about money and how you got it didn¡¯t matter?¡± At the very least this was how mercenaries were generally portrayed.

    ¡°Heh. I like money. In fact I love money. Money makes things easy. Money helps one not have to worry about the next meal they would have or worry about having a roof over their heads. Money may not bring happiness but it sure as hell helps.¡± She shrugged. Morgiana went through many things in her short life. From being high up in the sky to falling in the ground. From being able to eat and waste food to having to scrape for trash to have something to eat.

    She had to resort to many illegal activities to survive as a kid. Some of which she was not proud of. But now she realized one thing, ¡°The money I like the most is the one I worked hard to obtain. The one I can hold on to without having to look over my shoulder and the one that does not make my heart heavy.¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    She knew that some of Alibaba¡¯s morality might have rubbed off on her but while she might get less money by using legitimate means, this was money she never had to be ashamed of.

    Hard work was not always rewarded in this world but when it was, it always felt good. ¡°A mercenary should never get money from a mission they had no hands in. The reward should always be shared based on the merits. If I had to accept money from you for this mission. At most, I would accept a few thousand credits as a token for my participation but that would be all.¡±

    Noah looked at Morgiana and by that, he really looked at her for the first time. Not just focusing on her appearance but who she was as a person and then he smiled.

    Initially, he only came here because he wished to make use of Morgiana. She had the knowledge and know-how he needed and he thought she was just a woman greedy for money.

    I might have become a poor judge of character.

    Be it Morgiana or Dorothy, Noah realized that they were all interesting people that he would be glad to befriend. At the same time, this was a small lesson for him.

    There was nothing wrong with being a little paranoid and doubting the people around him. But it was necessary to not let those feelings cloud his judgment and stop him from making meaningful connections.

    ***

    His time on the planet had deeply hurt him mentally, making him lose a great part of his optimism, but he knew or rather he hoped that he was not broken.

    ¡°Okay, you know what? I have a slightly different proposal.¡±

    Noah leaned back a little, ¡°See, I know nothing about this universe, and I am sure Dorothy can help me get some nice information. You and I both know that sometimes you need the little guys. No offense.¡±

    ¡°None taken.¡± Morgiana shrugged. Why be offended by the truth? ¡°So what? You want an informant?¡±

    ¡°Close. I want a mentor. I want someone who is skilled enough and experienced enough to show me the ropes about the job, share some missions, and put me in contact with the right people and obviously, I will pay a high price for that. What do you say?¡±

    Morgiana raised an eyebrow, ¡°This is a better proposal but you know that with the credits you will get you can hire higher-ranked mercenaries right?¡±

    She raised her fingers, ¡°Off the top of my head I can name Sinbad, the Prince of the Seven Seas. He is a pirate but also a Corsair or a Privateer. Whatever you want to call him. He is officially a mercenary and a rather trustworthy one all things considered.¡±

    Sinbad was one of the freest spirits she ever had the chance to witness. He was the kind of man who sailed the sea just for fun and started his career as a pirate for enjoyment.

    Nowadays he worked closely with the Federation and was considered a minor outlaw by the Empire.

    ¡°Then you have people like The Witch Hunter''s siblings. Hansel and Gretel. I have worked with them and Dorothy can vouch for them. Also Robin Hood or Red Riding Hood. or¡­¡±

    ¡°Wait wait wait. Is this some new kind of tactic? Aren''t you supposed to sell me your skills?¡± Noah gave her a bewildered stare. He had to admit, the names she had been giving were all mind-blowing and cemented once again that he was not in his universe.

    Morgiana answered with a shrug and a thin smile, ¡°I don''t want you to regret choosing me. I just want you to understand that you have options and you should use your money wisely. We are mid-ranked mercenaries at best and we might even lose our main spaceship. Doing missions will be hard for a while.¡±

    Noah chuckled, ¡°I don''t know if it''s some sort of new strategy but it worked. I want you to work with me even more. I don''t know how much more skillful than those other guys are but I believe trust is more important in this situation. Or do you not want to work with me because of what I have done?¡±

    Morgiana uncrossed her legs, ¡°It would be a lie to say I have totally forgiven you. I will be the first to admit that I crossed a line with the way I spoke to you before you attacked. It was a veiled threat and for that, I apologize. But still, it will take some time for me to forget.¡±

    This wasn¡¯t just about humiliation. It was also about how humbled this situation made her and how risky it had been. If Noah had been someone with a more twisted personality, he could have done unspeakable things to her and she would have had no way to protect herself.

    As a mercenary, she had seen some fucked up shit and while all aliens did not share the same biology nor taste for women, many enough did. All this time though, she thought she was a big girl. That she could handle herself now though¡­She wasn¡¯t so sure.

    Noah gave a bitter smile as he could see the lack of confidence showing on her face even if only for a fleeting moment. Clearly, his actions left a long lasting shadow on her psyche.

    If Noah could rewind time, perhaps he would have made sure to talk with her and warn her of his intention.

    Morgiana did not beat herself down for long. She might have been a little shocked and her confidence might be in the dumpster but she knew she would climb back. This was what she always did. ¡°Look. Give me time to think okay? I also cannot make this decision alone. Alibaba is the leader of our crew and as much of an idiot he is, I cannot take decisions that will override his authority. Even as the second in command. I am sure he will accept. He is a sweetheart and would most likely even do it for free. But I need to keep up formalities.¡±

    Morgiana was 100% sure that if she explained this to Alibaba he would wonder why she was doing something so useless. He was truly the kind of bastard who had no care for formalities and the lackadaisical nature of members of the crew was a proof of how he ran things.

    ¡°Crew?¡±

    ¡°Yes. A small crew of mischievous bastards but still a crew.¡± Her eyes twitched a little when she remembered some of them. A clean freak who specialized in transmutation and transfiguration, or even a girl who only spent her time sleeping. Thankfully, their doctors were skilled at least. She might use her needlessly long hair to heal them but she was serious when doing her job.

    ¡°The other members are more independent so you might not meet them even if we decide to work with you. But a crew is essential as a mercenary. You cannot sail the universe alone.¡±

    Even with learning pods, there were limits to what one could learn, and accidents in space were challenging to take care of. Who would repair the ships? Who would take care of the team if they caught some alien diseases? Who would navigate? All those little things made traveling alone a daunting experience.

    Then again, anyone who was able to sail and survive alone was either a fool or a dangerous person.

    ¡°Very well. I guess we have a deal for now. I will wait until you have an answer from your captain. I also want to make clear that training isn¡¯t only what I want. I have a very lucrative job you see.¡±

    ¡°What kind?¡± Morgiana asked curiously. Noah was revealing himself to be a very intriguing man.

    ¡°Well. A man¡¯s gotta keep some secrets you know.¡± He gave her a wink and Morgiana simply burst out laughing,

    ¡°Sorry, ¡° She said while wiping away a small tear in the corner of her eyes. She laughed so hard she could barely breathe,¡± I know you are trying to be suave or whatever but please don¡¯t do it when you look like¡­Well, like this.¡±

    Noah sighed, defeated. He really needed to do something about this childish appearance.

    ***

    Morgiana laughed for a long time after making fun of Noah. Finally, she started pushing Noah out of her room.

    ¡°If you have nothing more to say at the moment, I think you should leave. Unless, of course, you wish to stay and watch me change.¡± Her eyebrows shot up instantly, observing Noah¡¯s next actions. She wouldn¡¯t mind either way but it would give her an understanding of Noah¡¯s nature¡ª the kind of man the similarly harmless-looking little boy was.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I am more akin to a monk at the moment.¡±

    ¡°At the moment, huh?¡± Morgiana intoned but Noah simply shrugged his shoulders. ¡°I do not plan to end my celibacy any time soon. Though I definitely need to deal with my current appearance.¡±

    Standing up, he stretched his hand and shared a firm handshake with Morgiana, ¡°Apologizing again would never be enough to show how apologetic I feel inside. Even so, I am happy you were able to put this incident behind us. At least when it comes to our professional dealings.¡±

    ¡°Hopefully, you won¡¯t knock all of us out the next time any danger occurs.¡±

    Noah could only eke out a helpless smile in the face of her teasing expression, ¡°I am never going to hear the end of this, huh?¡±

    ¡°Oh, you have no idea.¡±

    The two shared a friendly chuckle and Noah gave a slight, almost imperceptible, look toward the holographic TV before leaving Morgiana¡¯s room fully.

    ***

    After Noah left her room, the smile on Morgiana¡¯s face slowly receded before disappearing altogether.

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ?I believe this was quite bad taste to not tell him I was present.?

    A male voice emanated out of the holographic TV that Noah had eyed not long ago. The image in the hologram slowly shifted before showing a man in armor sitting on an office chair.

    Morgiana merely shrugged after hearing the man¡¯s words, ¡°It seems like he still discovered you either way so it doesn¡¯t matter. You didn¡¯t answer my question though.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ He seems very interesting, to say the least. This is all I can say at the moment but he is right that we need the money.¡±

    ¡°I know. Sorry about that. I didn¡¯t imagine I would wreck the ship so fast.¡± Morgiana covered her face with her hands as she sighed out loud. She had been trying to play it cool, as they say, acting as if she didn¡¯t mind the disastrous event all that much. However, the loss of the ship had seriously impacted her.

    Her actions might lead to serious complications for her crew and such a future was not something Morgiana was willing to accept. It made her feel sick, a sinking feeling burrowing deep into her stomach that made her want to vomit in disgust.

    ¡°Do not worry, the others will understand. I was the one who pushed for this mission and miscalculated it in the end. The fault is on me. Money might be a little tight right now but we will find a way. We always do.¡±

    Morgiana could only give the man a bitter smile in response. She knew that wallowing about what already happened was a waste of time. Even more so now when there was absolutely nothing she could do but accept the matter, ¡°Rapunzel is going to kill me.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± This time Alibaba did not say anything to comfort her. Clearly, even for someone as optimistic as him, there were some things he simply could not go against. ¡°She did go nearly bald in order to pay for half the ship.¡±

    He spoke weakly, causing Morgiana to groan even more loudly than before. Since Morgiana was the third ranked in terms of power and war potential in the crew and her true Mecha was unavailable, the entire crew had to take a loan and work hard to equip her with a proper weapon. Even the advanced AI and her nano suit and armor were the results of knee-deep investments from the entire crew.

    Rapunzel was the doctor of their crew and her hair had the power to heal wounds, and prevent and cure diseases. Morgiana still remembered how teary-eyed the poor girl had been while she sold her hair for them. Obviously, Rapunzel had not been the only one to use her talents for the team. All of them did, and Morgiana knew she owed the whole crew a great debt. Be it money or a debt of gratitude, she owed them in loads. More than she was willing to bear, in fact.

    The spaceship and Mecha that was bought with all this hard work did not even live through its first mission.

    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±

    An awkward silence settled between them but was broken as Alibaba clapped his hands before muttering. ¡°You know my policy. As long as we are alive, we can always fight for a better tomorrow. The ship did its job and kept you alive. If you were attacked in your previous ship, you would have been captured before even fleeing. That alone shows that this was a worthwhile investment.¡±

    His face could not be seen, but it was easy to feel the foolish grin he was donning from his words, ¡°What we need to discuss now is whether or not to accept the proposal of that man. From what you were telling me before he came and from what I have heard, it seemed like he is not too trustworthy.¡±

    ¡°I do not know how trustworthy he is, but he is definitely dangerous.¡± She gnawed at her lips as she remembered her experiences on the now non-existent planet. ¡°His physical ability was out of the norm from the start. He was even able to completely shatter my armor with his fist alone. All of this was done without having a large quantity of Dark Matter. Now though it¡¯s different. His reserves have definitely increased by an unfathomable margin.¡±

    She sighed, ¡°At the moment it¡¯s hard to say whether he really killed Omid alone or simply took advantage of the environment or found Omid dead already. But I would like to bet on him fighting and winning against him. This also doesn¡¯t take into account how he used me as bait to infiltrate their lair all by himself. Lastly, when Dorothy woke me up¡­ everyone in the ship was already dead.¡±

    The more she spoke the more crazy every one of her words seemed to be. She made sure that Alibaba understood this as well.

    ¡°Cunning, strong, talented, cruel. At the moment, containing him would be hard if he ever tried to attack us. He also has many unknown abilities. I would not feel at ease having him too close to us. At least, not unless she is present as well.¡±

    ¡°By her you mean¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Only Snow White can beat him in a straightforward fight from the looks of it.¡±

    ¡°Hum¡­¡± Alibaba mused before nodding, ¡°Snow White is currently on a mission in Neverland for a bounty. The abnormally high children''s disappearance rate recently was traced back to that planet. If we accept him in our fold for a limited time. I believe it would be ideal to have him assist her.¡±

    ¡°Only those two?¡±

    ¡°No. Briar Rose is already accompanying her. You will not. You need to rest and I need you on my side for a different mission. Once you have rested enough, of course.¡±

    Morgiana frowned. It was quite rare for Alibaba to be so forceful.

    ¡°What¡ª¡±

    ¡°The core of the Thousand and One Night is scheduled to appear in an auction.¡±

    Morgiana snarled immediately, ¡°A fucking trap!¡±

    ¡°It is and yet we will still have to go. Sinbad already made clear that if he obtained the item he would not give it back to us and there is no way Cassim will stay silent either. As for Sheherazade¡­¡±

    He shook his head, ¡°Many things are happening. Too many. All at the same time. The only thing we can do now is fight to not get swallowed by the waves coming for us. The next few years will be a challenge. But I am sure we will survive.¡±

    ¡°You and your boundless optimism.¡± Morgiana rolled her eyes.

    ¡°It¡¯s not optimism.¡± Alibaba laughed, ¡°After all, as my idol liked to say in his biography¡ª Who the hell do you think I am? A true man must do the impossible and break the unbreakable.¡±

 CH 42: Hibernating

    As Noah walked along the hallway after having just left Morgiana¡¯s room, a voice immediately resounded inside his head,

    ¡ª Did you hear it?

    Of course, I did.

    His expression showed no signs of change as he discussed inwardly with the Queen. Noah may have started to put some faith in both Dorothy and Morgiana, but it would be foolish of him to show them all of his cards. No matter how much trust they shared. Not to mention the fact that he didn¡¯t even know how the parasites were treated in the first place. He wouldn¡¯t willingly jump into a pit of fire, that was for sure.

    Dorothy was showing clear goodwill toward him and as shitty as it sounded, Noah would be stupid to not take somewhat advantage of her goodwill as he was now¡ª weak and ignorant. He could tell her the truth if and when he was sure she wouldn¡¯t attack him or imprison him for housing a Parasite.

    After all, Dorothy was clearly not some naive woman with only kindness and joy in her heart.

    As for what Morgiana was doing,

    It didn¡¯t matter. In fact, I rather welcome such behavior. This Alibaba is clearly someone Morgiana holds in high esteem and if doing something like this will lead them to have more trust in me then it is all the better.

    From the very moment he had entered the room, Noah was able to discern that the holographic TV was an oddity inside the room. And he was also able to hear faint, nigh imperceptible, noises coming from the projection. When he left the room, he was also able to hear the conversation that immediately started inside, albeit with a rather muffled voice.

    He could have waited and tried to hear more but he had no need to do such a thing. That and for all he knew the whole hallway was covered in tracking cameras, observing his every movement. It would be stupid of him to leave a bad impression on them.

    ¡ª So what is the plan now?

    Noah had to fight the urge to shrug his shoulders and simply started whistling to himself as he conversed in his mind.

    We do nothing. The long-term plan at the moment is pretty simple. Go to Oz, get more knowledge following Morgiana and her team. lowly get stronger. Then visit Geppetto I will reveal my spatial storage skills soon. After all, it¡¯s necessary in order to explain where I will get the Mecha I plan to sell.

    The spatial storage ability that he had acquired was quite extraordinary in his opinion but not as much as literally stopping time. He simply needed to make sure that this wasn¡¯t some Parasite-exclusive skill then it would be all good.

    After selling the collected Mecha and making more money, he would buy a Mecha for himself and use the core he took from Omid as the base of that Mecha. At least for the cover-up of the original Ouroboros core that was inside him.

    The core was undoubtedly precious but Dorothy for sure would know that he had gotten something from the gate. It was better to show Omid¡¯s core to her and avoid further suspicions.

    There was also the fact that Noah couldn¡¯t really tell the Mecha builder that his entire body was something akin to a core or a small Mecha now. This would only create endless problems for him. He just knew it.

    I will show the core and the lowest level of the blueprint for the Mecha construction. Hell, if Dorothy proves to be a true ally, I can even sell those blueprints to her¡­ who knows?

    This universe was foreign and full of powerful entities that Noah knew he could not even dream of facing at the moment. But Oz seemed like it could become a steadfast ally if he played his cards right. And¡­ what better way to solidify their relationship than to strengthen his allies? At least, Noah didn¡¯t know any other way he could use with his current circumstances.

    ¡ª Do you plan to seduce that woman?

    Dorothy? Perhaps. She does seem to be interested in me but it would be hard to do anything in my current situation.

    He grimaced when he looked at his pitifully small body and stopped in front of the door of his room. It was quite pitiful how he could barely process interest in a woman at the moment because of how young his body was. This was really pissing him off.

    One of the things Noah had put off on his list was to satiate his hunger and it was not just the hunger from his stomach he was talking about. Forced celibacy for so long had been¡­ Well, it had been quite enlightening if he had to be honest.

    Even the greatest priest or monk would bow in front of me. He thought jokingly as he finally entered the bedroom that was assigned to him.

    The room was pretty similar to the one belonging to Morgiana in structure and content. He did not know if this was a standard room but he was more inclined to believe that this was something similar to the VIP rooms they had on Earth, all things considered.

    Ignoring the TV, he walked towards the shower as if he was hypnotized. This was no weird shower with unknown symbols like the one he used on Omid¡¯s ship. Undoubtedly, this shower alone was a marvel of science. Noah could not even phantom what kind of mind was able to come up with a fully functional shower room in a spaceship, but he did not give a shit.

    All he cared for at this moment was one thing¡ª taking a long and very, very hot shower.

    The bathroom was quite stylish but Noah simply took off his clothes and walked speedily until he found himself right under the shower and finally, he turned the knob¡­

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    A low moan escaped his childish mouth when he felt the first few drops of hot water touching his skin and flowing on his body.

    He nearly shed a tear at the heavenly sensation that was filling his body. This felt nearly as good as what he felt when he half-filled his stomach with all the food available to him not long ago.

    This was it. This was everything he had been imagining and more. This was¡ª the taste of civilization and it tasted fucking sweet¡­ And hot as well¡­ slightly boiling he might even add.

    Then, looking at the bathtub that looked big enough for him to drown himself, Noah grinned from ear to ear.

    So many things happened, so many problems kept appearing, and he felt like he was constantly being suffocated by all the pressure.

    But right here¡­ right now¡­ there was no Noah, no 1Thirteenth constellation nor one of the greatest Mecha pilots.

    There was only an old man who wished to relax in a hot bath mixed with scented rose or whatever the equivalent was in this place.Not even the end of the world would stop him from taking this bath.

    ***

    After his heavenly shower, followed by a soul-soothing bath, the only thing that Noah lacked right now was a massage to loosen up his sore and tired muscles that were as stiff as a rock due to all the tension and fatigue. However, he could take care of this matter later, there were more important things to do.

    Jumping on the fluffy bed, Noah could not help but think about how tired he was at the moment. How tired the accumulation of time known and unknown had made his body and soul. It felt like all that fatigue that he had accumulated was crashing down on him all at once, threatening to swallow both his body and mind and even his existence.

    The softness of the bed certainly did not help him cut through this feeling. The feeling of safety that permeated this whole room made it even more difficult for him to resist the mind-numbing sleep that was beckoning him every moment of his existence.

    ¡°We did it. We finally left.¡±

    Once again, the reality of his situation hit him like a bulldozer.

    He had survived. He had succeeded and¡­ he had finally left that god-forsaken place. And this time around¡­ he hadn¡¯t gone crazy and went into a hallucination so real that he felt it was the unquestionable reality¡­ Or did he?Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    I am not going crazy this time, right?

    ¡ª You are not. This is as real as it could be, Noah.

    Ha¡­ haha¡­ hahahahahhahaha.

    Noah inwardly laughed, his laughter was resounding, powerful, and carefree, before rolling in the sheet and hugging the pillow that was almost bigger than his whole body.

    Many times he had fallen into despair, thinking that he would end up in a ditch on some part of the unknown planet, lost in the cosmos with no one to bury him. Or that he would live out his loneliness for all eternity, never to die, never to live, only to suffer.

    Both possibilities had been more than a little frightening for the poor man and had caused him no end of nightmares and panic attacks. But he had powered through everything and was finally at his current destination. He was now¡­ free.

    ¡ª Though it¡¯s a shame the planet was destroyed. There were many interesting resources we could have used on that planet.

    Yeah. If I could have mined the gold I would have certainly become super rich and things would have been far easier for us. But it¡¯s not much of a problem. We still have another way. What we need now is to become stronger. Far stronger than we are now.

    ¡ª Are you sure this is the right solution?

    I don¡¯t know whether this is the right solution or not. It¡¯s certainly not the only solution and we could take things slowly as they come but¡ª We are moving on an unknown deadline. Anything may happen at any moment.

    This was the crux of all his worries. Whatever he had seen when talking with Venus had been something extremely foul and wrong, an abomination of existence. Something that defied his understanding of reality. If something similar was present in each white gate then who knew when one would be unleashed out into the world? It would only lead to one thing¡ª annihilation of existence.

    Furthermore, the Shadow Queen¡¯s challenge would certainly not be easy. Many talented people with powerful backgrounds and the resources of colossal civilizations behind them would swarm for the opportunity.He only had himself. He was his own backer. He was his only supporter. He¡­ was all alone. The date for the challenge was unknown and for all he knew, it could start at this very moment.

    He hated this sickening feeling of uncertainty. It would be a constant tension that would never leave him as he knew he needed to be ready when shit hit the fan.

    ¡ª Be honest. This isn¡¯t the only reason. We all know that.

    I¡­

    Noah wished to argue but he stopped himself from speaking further. Arguing with someone who was basically one with him was nothing but stupidity and a waste of time.

    I want to become the strongest again.

    Noah hated being weak. It was a hate that was bone deep, ingrained into his very existence. Weakness brought doubts and uncertainty. When you were strong enough, you could disregard anything. Dangers would be a laughing stock, uncertainty would only be an opportunity to propel you further. Everything would be at the tip of your hands.

    Strength certainly wasn¡¯t the omnipotent answer but it was the answer to the vast majority of questions and problems.

    However, this went beyond all that. Noah simply liked being strong. One could call it vanity or arrogance but he loved that empowering feeling and he wished to obtain it once more. To be at the very top of the food chain¡ª the apex predator.

    This was why¡ª

    Status

    ¡º Status ¡ª

    Designation: Perpetual Core Ouroboros

    Type: Unique/Growth

    Growth Stage: Egg

    Level: 10/10 ¡»

    [Evolution is deemed possible. Do you wish to proceed to the next stage?]

    [Y/N?]

    Noah grinned when he saw the blue screen appear in front of his eyes again. He had been wondering if this was some function only available in that strange virtual dimension he entered for the trials but at least now he had an answer to that puzzle.

    ¡ª I still think it¡¯s dangerous. Clearly, this core was created with growth and transformation in mind but I do not think this was supposed to be used directly on humans.

    Perhaps¡­

    ¡ª Then¡­

    But I am not really a human anymore now, am I? Haven¡¯t been one for a long time, in fact. Almost too long.

    Hiding behind the veil of ignorance any more than this would be utterly foolish of him and even if he could somehow argue that he had once been human despite being able to walk naked in freezing cold or regenerate limbs nearly instantly, having his entire body destroyed and reformed was the nail in the coffin.

    Noah was not a human anymore. This was a reality that was hard to accept but it was also a reality that would give him the advantage he so direly needed.

    So. What is your choice? Are you with me or not?

    ¡ª This is a dangerous bet.

    I know.

    ¡ª We might die for real this time or become something so disgusting that we could not even pass as Human.

    Appearance is overrated anyway.

    ¡ª I know I have already told you this many times but. You are a lunatic.

    Noah laughed out loud. It was funny how the Parasite was the one who called him a lunatic and perhaps he was. Crazy, reckless, or even stupid, but this was what Noah was. This was how he operated. Not even the years he spent on the now-destroyed planet could change this part of him.

    We are trying to become the strongest in the entire universe, you know? We can¡¯t reach this kind of level with logic or reason, much less by being prudent. It¡¯s time to bet. We are going all out, baby.

    Noah giggled as he had the impression he could literally see the inanimate Parasite Queen rolling her eyes at him while he acted like a raving mad bastard.

    ¡ª Before you go all crazy, let me tell you something. I have made my decision.

    ¡°Oh?¡± Noah tilted his head before he understood what she was talking about.

    ¡°About¨C Ahem.¡±

    About your name you mean? I am surprised you decided on one.

    As Noah was about to speak out loud due to the surprise he felt, he caught himself in time and swallowed back his words. After all, he did not know if he was being surveilled at the moment.

    Still, this slip-up was understandable.

    A name represented many things but more than anything, it represented an identity and an individuality. Both things were abhorred and loathed by the parasites as they considered the unity of the one above everything.

    ¡ª You are not the only one who was changed over the years we have spent together.  During all those years I was able to observe you and grow alongside you and ¡®I¡¯ realized that individuality was the greatest source of evolution and development.

    Indeed. I guess spending time with a superior being like me could only be enlightening.

    ¡ª More than anything, I realized that you were not the only one who was covering their eyes to not look at the truth. In the same way that you are not truly a human anymore, I too am not truly a Parasite anymore.

    ¨C I am me. I have goals, ambitions and dreams. I can feel fear and regrets, joy and happiness, sadness and despair. I am one. I am Eve.

    Eve, huh? A beautiful name. Then how about making Queen your last name? Eve Queen. Sounds pretty good don¡¯t you think?

    ¡ª I believe you have a horrible taste in names.

    Hey!

    ¡ª But I will accept it. Eve Queen, huh? Thus shall be my name from now on.

    Beautiful.

    He could feel her tasting the name in his mind. Even though she acted as if she hated it to her core there was no doubt that the name Queen meant much for her. After all, this was the last thread and link to her identity as a Parasite. This was for the same reason Noah would never discard his name.

    Then, Eve, it¡¯s time for us to have a new beginning.

    [Evolution is deemed possible. Do you wish to proceed to the next stage?]

    [Y/N?]

    He looked at the prompt and this time there was no hesitation as he pressed Yes.

    The change began instantly and Noah grunted as he felt a surge of energy scourge through his entire body.

    [Evolution beginning]

    [Error! Organic matters detected]

    [... Analyzing ¡­]

    [Aether pathways compatible]

    [Resilience passable]

    [Malleability outstanding]

    [Conclusion: Evolution possible]

    [Risk of failure: 45%]

    [Do you still wish to proceed?]

    [Y/N?]

    This was it. This was the last chance for him. A chance to take a step back and truly ponder if he was ready to take this step. But his mind had long since been made.

    This was why, even as the pain reached near debilitating level, Noah acted without hesitation,

    ¡°All or Nothing.¡±

    The last thing Noah saw as he sunk in a bout of unconsciousness was,

    [Forced hibernation to increase the chances of success]

    [... Full update of the system ¡­]

    [May you have sweet dreams]

 CH 43: Time Pass

    Sitting on her throne, high up in her tower, Dorothy was shifting through the dozen screens floating in her surroundings with an utterly bored expression. Her fingers were drumming against the armrest while her chin rested on her right hand as her eyes grew increasingly dull over time.

    ¡°Queen Dorothy, I will ask again, do you wish to share any more information about the event that led to the capture and execution of the criminal known as Omid The Scorched, and what about his Mecha? It¡¯s a weaponized Frame that belongs to our planet, previously stolen by the criminal.¡±

    Through the screen, the image of a man with  slightly wrinkled and sunken eyes could be seen. He addressed her with certain issues related to the now deceased Omid. The most noticeable trait of the old man was the excessive pieces of jewelry adorning his whole body as well as the yellow bars of tattoos that resembled miniaturized streams of molten lava that were brimming with vitality. The twisting lines covered the man¡¯s face and went through his whole body. Dorothy''s head tilted ever so slightly to the side as she looked at the man for some time, tense moments that seemed to stretch till eternity, before releasing a sigh, ¡°You know¡­ I was thinking¡­ are you under some kind of misconception? Since when does Oz have to answer to Ifrit?¡±

    She spoke in a soft and mellow tone, befitting her graceful demeanor, but even from the other side of the screen, the wrinkly-faced man shivered as he heard her voice filled with undeniable dignity.

    Her eyes quite literally started shining as if they were filled with innumerable stars as she looked at the man with unveiled indifference, ¡°I was kind enough to listen to your yapping for some time now because I do not like flaunting my authority on weaker civilizations such as yours. But, I will be clear now. Do not take my kindness for weakness. Omid is dead and everything on him belongs to the person who killed him. They then sold it all to Oz. If you have any problems regarding this issue, tell your Sultan to come and duke it out with me.¡±

    The man bristled at her naked provocation, but no matter how angry he was or whatever he felt, he did not have the guts to provoke Dorothy. The Djinn as a race were certainly at the upper echelon in terms of personal power but Oz was not to be trifled with. The chances of the Ifrit System winning in a full-scale war were close to zero, they could not mess with Dorothy.

    ¡°I apologize for any indiscretion.¡± The ambassador gave a low bow with an arm to his chest but Dorothy simply scoffed at the man, ignoring his fake act. Instead, she focused on one of the other participants who had been silent throughout the meeting.

    ¡°Princess Sheherazade. It has been quite a while.¡± Even as a woman, Dorothy had to admit that Sheherazade was in a class of her very own.

    Sheherazade was covered from head to toe in gold, silver and other pieces of expensive jewelry, not unlike the ambassador who spoke out of turn previously. However, whereas that man looked like nothing more than a gaudy nouveau riche, Sheherazade was the very incarnation of elegance itself.

    Obviously, even through her veil, it was possible to notice the white marking coursing all over her skin that seemed to be quiet and graceful, much unlike the other markings that could be observed in most members of her race. However, the power hidden within could not be denied, veiled under the misconception of elegance and calm.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    She was a white flame. The highest known level that a Djinn could possibly reach. If there was one person Dorothy was wary of in the entirety of Ifrit, it would be this calm woman.

    ¡°Queen Dorothy. I have only but one question¡­ Is she alright?¡± Her voice was soft and feeble; so much so that one would never imagine the kind of power that was hidden behind her fragile and weak appearance. Her whole being was like the veil covering her face, hiding all of her secrets behind a thin illusion.

    ¡°Should you not ask her this yourself?¡±

    Sheherazade only shook her head in reply, ¡°I have been unable to contact that child for years now.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± She could only direct a pitiful look towards Sheherazade. She did not understand why this woman who was once known as the White Sun was in such a situation at the moment but it was not her place to judge. Everyone had their circumstance, she was not any different.

    ¡°She is alright, is all I am able to convey. Quite energetic even I would add.¡±

    ¡°Humph!¡±

    She ignored the snort of the stupid ambassador and crossed her legs, ¡°Well, I believe I have humored Ifrit enough as is. Validate the kill so that the Guild can send me Omid¡¯s bounty. Furthermore, as I had to personally move for this matter, I will consider that the Ifrit¡¯s system owes me a favor. I believe a new suit would be appropriate enough for my time. Ideally, one that is compatible with the power of flames. I will send you the measurements later.¡±

    The ambassador nodded and closed the connection.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Sheherazade gave a grateful smile to which Dorothy answered with just a simple shrug, ¡°Why thank me? I am just interested in the technology of your armor. Now if I happen to gift it to someone else then it has nothing to do with you¡­¡±

    Sheherazade¡¯s smile stretched further at her words, ¡°I will make sure the Queen of Oz is not disgraced and will send one of our best armor suits. May the warmth of the sun always be with you and may your decision be forever illuminated by the light of knowledge.¡±

    The screen closed after Sheherazade gave her farewell, leaving Dorothy with her few close attendants.

    ¡°What do you guys think?¡±

    ¡°I think that I will be busy studying the armor that we will receive to make sure it isn¡¯t filled with traps. The Sultan would be more than happy to kill Morgiana and chalk it up to an accidental malfunction.¡±

    Dorothy nodded at the only screen that was devoid of any image representing the person on the other side. Clearly, he didn¡¯t like to be seen while talking. The voice of the one who had answered was cold and had a certain robotic cadence to it.

    ¡°Indeed. Thanks, I will have to count on you for this. Scarecrow, don¡¯t forget to help out to the best of your abilities. We don¡¯t want them to plant any detrimental software either.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    ¡°Would they even dare? Last I checked, the Sultan is even more cowardly than I am.¡± Lion mocked.

    ¡°And that is exactly why we must be careful. At the end of the day, he is still a white flame as well.¡±

    ¡°The chances of him succeeding under my watch are barely one in a hundred thousand. But I will heed your words. I believe you should visit your guest. It seems like he is finally about to wake up. A fascinating matter I must say. It¡¯s a shame you refused to let me take a sample of his blood.¡± Scarecrow added.

    Dorothy shook her head with a tired sigh, ¡°Sometimes, I believe you are the one who should have been searching for a heart rather than Woodman.¡±

    ¡°What can I say? The mind is heartless.¡±

    She could only chuckle at his sarcastic remark before standing up from her throne. She was happy to hear that Noah was finally waking up. She wondered what kind of changes she would witness.

    As Scarecrow mentioned¡ª it was truly fascinating.

 CH 44: Waking up

    Sitting alone in a white cell with his back against the wall, a young man was now looking vacantly at his surroundings. His face was bruised and slightly bloody and the vivid red color made a striking contrast with the pristine white of the cell, and the clothes he was wearing.

    The boy did not know how long he had been seated in that position, all alone, without moving nor opening his mouth to utter the slightest words. The only proof that he was even alive was the faint movement of his chest as he breathed in and out through his nose, his breathing faint and indiscernible.

    His eyes did not even as much as flicker as the door opened and he seemed intent on not paying attention to anything or anyone around him.

    ¡°You are lucky. The director decided to lift your punishment. You can now leave.¡±

    Only when he heard those words did the young man move his head and gaze at the guard near the locked door.He finally decided to stand up. The eyes of the young man were sunken and his face was slightly emaciated¡ª proof that he had not been able to eat anything in quite a few days. Even then, there was a clear intensity and undeniable sense of power radiating in his beautiful jewel-like blue eyes.

    His gaze was so intense, that the guard could not help but flinch and take a few steps back as he came face-to-face with the young man. Stopping outside the door, he gave a contemplative look at the young man, keeping his silence, as he made his way out of the confinement room.

    The guard clearly remembered how this small child had nearly eviscerated and permanently maimed one of the guards with barely any difficulty whatsoever while simply using a fork and his teeth. Matter of fact, all of the metal utensils were subsequently changed after the incident so that the child wouldn¡¯t be able to manipulate them to his use.

    However, as though ashamed by his behavior against a little brat, the man couldn¡¯t help but frown and curse under his breath, ¡°Tch! Bunch of freaks!¡±

    He soon regretted this action as the young man stopped in his tracks and looked back at him with a thin smile plastering his childish face.

    ¡°Tell this to your friend or rather all the guards. All of you are expendable.¡±

    His voice was hoarse, low, and incredibly slow and pronounced. It was the aftermath of his parched throat as the water the boy received had also been rationed.

    ¡°If anyone ever dares to touch one of us inappropriately, well¡­¡±

    His lips were cracked and he looked like the slightest gust of wind could push him down but the guard had no doubts about how dangerous this boy was. He had the impression of being stared down by a ferocious famished beast the moment he saw the young man eyeing him up. Shuddering involuntarily, he immediately left the room without wasting a single second, afraid of the ramifications that could follow if he stayed there any longer.

    Now alone, the boy shook his head and gazed at the ceiling, wishing he could see the stars and leave this place forever.

    ¡°Adults suck.¡±

    The boy swore with his hoarse, almost broken, voice.

    One day, he would flee from this place and soar in the sky like the birds he saw in books.

    One day, he would attain true freedom and gift it to others like him who suffered all their lives and had no way of escaping.

    For now though¡ª ¡°I am hungry.¡±

    He needed to eat.

    ***

    The first thing Noah felt as he awakened from what had seemed like a prolonged slumber, aside from his stiff joints and heavy eyelids, was a sticky sensation covering his entire body.

    What is happening?

    His memory was hazy at first, as he was trying to shake off the sleepiness that almost made him collapse once more into another long slumber, but quickly, images came rushing in and he remembered what had transpired before he had dozed off. He had activated the so-called growth in the hope of obtaining more power or some sort of advantage in this universe where everything seemed too dangerous for him.

    But¡ª where am I?

    Even as he tried to open his eyes further, all that greeted him was pure and unending darkness from all sides. Not a single shred or particle of light could be seen in his surroundings.

    I need to leave.

    The darkness and pleasant stickiness were both calming and appealing. They gave him a feeling of security he had not felt in a long, long time and one he did not wish to part from quickly.

    But his wishes had nothing to do with the situation at hand. It was important for him to wake up and leave this place as soon as possible. And for that very reason, he pushed at the darkness.

    His hands finally came in contact with something hard and so he pushed even harder than before. Cracks appeared over the surface of the hard object, showing a glimpse of the light beyond. Bolstered by this sense of light, akin to a ray of hope, he continued to push harder until,

    Crack!

    The cracks spread further and further until a side of the object collapsed and a hole was finally open for him to traverse.

    ***

    When Noah broke out of his prison and looked behind him, he was able to see that the warm place he had emerged from was, in fact, a white cocoon, shaped like an egg.

    The hell?

    He was not even allowed to completely process this situation when a flurry of blue messages started appearing one after another in his field of vision, utterly blinding him from seeing anything except for the messages.

    [Evolution complete]

    [Detailed Analysis of all the physical attributes still ongoing]

    [Synchronization rate: Low]

    [Comparison with the integrated tiering system complete]

    [Update of the system¡¯s display complete]

    After several dozen messages appeared in his vision, they all vanished and gave place to one large blue screen. One the screen was a display showcasing some overall information. The content of the screen made Noah don an utterly puzzled look, even going as far as to make him wonder if he was either dreaming or having a hallucination at the moment or not.

    After all¡ª

    ¡º Name: Noah Ouroboros

    Tier: 8

    Main Class: Mecha Pilot

    Growth Stage: Hatchling (90%)

    Affiliation: -

    Alias: -

    Title: Pawn

    Race: Human???

    Path: Pending¡­

    Thema: Pending¡­

    Stats: Pending¡­ ¡»

    What the heck? Am I in a video game or something?

    ¡ª Noah, you are finally awake.

    Eve? What the hell happened? Can you tell me?

    ¡ª Well, I think our incoming visitor would be more appropriate for the explanations.

    Noah¡¯s ears flickered at the sudden mention from his companion. All his senses flared into overdrive and finally started functioning properly at this instant. Immediately, his senses caught someone approaching the room and from her energy signature it was clearly¡ª

    ¡ª Dorothy Gale.

    ¡°Hello, Noah. How was your sleep?¡±

    ***

    After entering Noah¡¯s room, Dorothy couldn¡¯t help but come to a standstill when she observed Noah with her own eyes. It had been some time since she had seen him. Looking at him now, she immediately noticed two key facts about him.

    Firstly, Noah¡¯s body had changed drastically. If before he simply looked like a cute chubby young kid, now he seemed close to someone in his late teens/early twenty something years. There still remained some traces of tenderness and chubby fat of his toddler self here and there, however, no one would mistake him for a child any longer; that was more than certain.

    The second fact she observed was¡ª

    ¡°Well, I think you have changed¡­¡± Dorothy coughed slightly to hide the faint blush that had colored her cheeks, spreading to her neck at breakneck speed. Immediately, she turned around and gave Noah the privacy that he surely needed right now.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Noah sighed out loud as he looked down at himself. He was so used to going around without clothes that he had not even noticed that he was buck-naked again. At this point, he even entertained the thoughts of being cursed with the faith of having to flash his naked body to all the people he met.

    I hope this won¡¯t become a habit.

    Thankfully, his sense of shame had long since died off along with his sanity to some extent and he simply shrugged it off like nothing, ¡°I think I need more than a change of clothes. A bath would be appreciated as well.¡±

    ¡°Of course. I will come back in a few minutes. Take your time.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡± Noah nodded as he saw Dorothy making her way out of his room.

    ¡°Oh, and Noah?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°I thought at first that you were a human or a variant that evolved because of the harsh condition of the planet you lived on. Clearly, you are neither and are closer to something along the lines of a cosmic beast. I want you to know¡ª I do not care about your origins and neither does Oz.¡±

    She did not turn around as she spoke but her voice had a clear weight to it, one that was undeniable and unequivocal, ¡°Still, you should be careful about revealing your origins to others. Exotic and rare species with special talents are wanted throughout the universe and unscrupulous poachers will not hesitate to hunt you down just to sell you to a few curious scientists or some rich collectors.¡± There was an undeniable pain mixed in with the grave tone and the hint of warning in her voice. It was clear to Noah that Dorothy wasn¡¯t just delivering empty words to him. No, this was personal; she was talking from experience.

    ¡°... I will be careful.¡±

    ¡°Sorry if it seems like I am nagging. I will leave you to your devices now. Let¡¯s see each other in two system hours. The cleaner robots will take care of the mess.¡±

    She waved her hand and left the room as the door promptly closed behind her. Noah, now alone, or as alone as one could be with the voice of a Parasite Queen inside their head, looked down at the mess he had created in the process of his evolution. A half-broken egg and gooey and gelatinous transparent liquid sprawled about everywhere. The shattered remnants of the egg shaped cocoon lodged on various surfaces of the room. It was a mess indeed.

    Are you the one who did this?

    ¨C Partially. Your hibernation also took me out so I activated this egg with my energy to provide some protection for us just in case. But the amniotic fluid is not my creation.

    Thanks. I did not expect this.

    He sighed and made his way towards the half-broken cocoon he had just come out of.

    ¡°Let¡¯s eat.¡±

    A mouth filled with sharp rows of canines opened in the palm of his hands and soon disgusting crunching and chewing sounds filled the small room.

    ¡ª Are you not worried about the cameras?

    I am one hundred percent sure I am being monitored. Otherwise, there is no way Dorothy would know I was awake. But at this point, it doesn¡¯t matter anymore, in fact, the more I show them the better it will be.

    Noah did not wish to live a life where he had to constantly hide his power from others because of fear. Neither was he the kind of humble person who would hide his strength to appear normal.

    Still, it was important to know how much exactly he could show without endangering himself and Oz was proving to be the best place for this.

    ***

    It only took a few seconds for the broken shell of the egg as well as the fluids to be completely cleaned up by Noah.

    Status.

    Noah looked at his status once again but nearly nothing changed. The only difference was,

    Growth Stage: Hatchling (92%)

    Interesting

    This whole interface was truly similar to something that he could only see in a video game back in his world. He was curious about what kind of number his status would show later on.

    However, there were still so many questions that bothered him to no end. Out of all the things shown on the status window, the only contents he could get an understanding of were his main class and name, affiliation, and alias as well as his race.

    Outside of that, what the heck was a Path or Thema? Why did he have the title of Pawn and what did Tier 8 represent?

    So many questions and absolutely no one to answer them.

    Normally in this kind of situation, the system itself should give me some kind of explanation, right?

    At the very least the system did not seem sentient. However, how it was even working and projecting images in his brain as it did was another unknown variable that he was extremely curious about.

    Did the scientists who created the Ouroboros core really put in a failsafe in case he fused with it? There was no other way to explain the actions that were taken when the system detected organic matter.I am getting a headache.

    Noah sighed and walked into the bath. For now, he was going to enjoy a long bath and then he would meet Dorothy.

    Things could be taken one at a time and who knows? Answers might come while he enjoyed some hot water. A scenario where he screamed Eureka(!) while taking a bath would be pretty interesting all things considered.

    ***

    Sad as it was, Noah did not have the Eureka moment he wished to experience even while he keenly observed his status for the whole duration of the bath. What he did get though was a more clear understanding of his current situation.

    His body had once again changed but he was not able to explain how. He did not think that his strength or speed had particularly increased. The changes seemed to be miniscule or in places that he couldn¡¯t immediately observe. At the same time, however, he got the feeling that nearly everything about him had changed from the ground up. It felt like¡­ everything had finally become right and balanced.

    This should not be possible under any circumstances. Logic dictates that all people have different strengths and talents. Still, Noah was learning first-hand how to simply ignore all the thousands of questions that plagued his mind. All he needed to do was train and once he did enough of it he would certainly get all the answers he was so curious about.

    Eve, You have a better understanding of my anatomy. Do you think you can scan the interior of my body and project the image?

    ¡ª Do you mean¡­ I see. It¡­ should be possible.

    Eve had already been able to replicate some of the functions of the machines she had digested. Thanks to that, she could even act as armor or in case of his fight with Omid, serve as a full-on Knightframe.

    This function was not only useful for combat, however. No matter how Noah looked at it, this would be an indispensable skill for him in future scenarios if he wanted to keep his identity as a sort of evolving cosmic beast a secret while still having a certain ease at being self-sufficient.

    No matter how much I trust or want to trust Dorothy, I cannot allow them to scan my body. At least not for now. Though nothing says they haven¡¯t already done that.

    Going back and forth about how much he could trust and was willing to trust someone without going past some limits was truly an exhausting game of mental gymnastics. He didn¡¯t like those. However, the weak could only survive by being cautious at all times, and he was definitely the weaker party in their current relationship paradigm.

    Eve fell silent for a moment, clearly analyzing something on her own. In the end, he received the equivalent of a mental nod from her after a while.

    ¡ª I have more or less finished analyzing everything. I will give you a visual.

    Noah¡¯s vision flickered and two images representing the human body based on Da Vinci, a Vitruvian man, appeared in the air in front of him. One was fully blue while the other was a mix of blue and red.

    ¡ª The blue side represents a normal human body based on my memories and the red color represents all the differences between the body of a normal human body and your own.

    Noah could only laugh bitterly as he saw that the projection of his current body was basically more than 80% red. But there was not much he could do about the change and he had already resolved to accept that he truly could not call himself a human any longer. Physically, at the very least.

    So, what are the changes?

    ¡ª The first and clearest changes are your veins. The flow of your blood circulation is abnormal and follows patterns closer to that of Ouroboros. But you already knew about this. There is also the fact that the core is at the place where your original heart should have been. Technically, it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say that you are a biological Mecha in a human¡¯s clothing at the moment.

    Noah nodded his head in understanding. This was not new. Those changes had already happened after Eve had to completely reconstruct his body after his fight against Omid.

    ¡ª Outside of this, things become even more interesting. There are many notable changes and if I have to summarize them, it would be that your body is optimized for survival. For starters, your skin, flesh, and muscles have now become much more solid and tougher than normal. Your bones in particular have solidified quite a bit. This makes you slightly heavier. But with your strength this is negligible.

    ¡ª Outside of the main core, it also seems like you have two hearts. Those two are smaller and pump slower, but they are definitely functional and in case one of them gets destroyed you would still be able to function properly.

    ¡ª Your brain structure has definitely changed. To begin, your need for sleep has been drastically reduced and even when you sleep, only half of your brain will enter into a sleeping state while the other half will stay awake at all times. It doesn¡¯t take away the need to sleep entirely but I summarize we can now stay entire weeks awake with no problem whatsoever.

    Am I a dolphin or something?

    Noah chuckled at his own bad joke. This change was new and would have been extremely useful when he was alone on that deserted planet. In the past, he was simply able to stay awake longer without fatigue. This half-brain sleep would certainly be useful even in his future circumstances as he voyaged through the galaxy.

    ¡ª Your stomach has also undergone some changes. This is not anything new but I believe our capacity to digest poison has increased tremendously. We would need to test this to be certain, though. Poison aside, you are simply able to digest food more efficiently and lower the quantity of waste to nearly zero.

    ¡ª You have an additional pair of lungs, and their structure is completely different from the average human lungs. The way it processes oxygen in our body makes it so that breathing through your nose in itself is unnecessary, and you can breathe through your skin as well. In fact, at the moment, you should be able to breathe underwater and survive in the vacuum of space for a relatively long period of time. This structure is more similar to us Parasites.

    Oh¡­

    Another new and welcome change. Noah already had an increased lung capacity after his stay on that desolate planet but this was way ahead of anything he had evolved into.

    He was torn between feeling happy or concerned in this case. The only case of animals on earth he knew could breathe through their skins were animals such as worms or frogs. As for being able to breathe in space¡­

    He sighed, So why do I still breathe?

    ¡ª Nothing but a habit. Even if you stop breathing now, nothing will change. In fact, you should try it. It will take some time to get used to.

    He hesitated for a moment, but then simply stopped breathing.

    Huh¡­

    After the first few seconds, he felt an uncomfortable urge to simply breathe, more as an instinctive response than anything else, but once he fought past the urge he realized that, he did not feel that much different from usual.

    It was weird; so weird that he just started breathing again on reflex. Taking a deep breath through his nose and out his mouth open, he repeatedly inhaled and exhaled.

    I don¡¯t like the feeling of breathing through my skin.

    ¡ª But you will have to get used to it. This skill would be deadly in an ambush.

    I hate it when you make so much sense.

    Noah could not fight against Eve¡¯s logic, so he simply continued to listen to the changes that constituted his current body.

    Enhanced senses, increased perception, resistance against motion sickness, and increased production and distribution of hormones. Each of his various changes would increase his physical skill to an absurd degree and make him less prone to outbursts of emotion, be they positive or negative.

    It even went beyond just that, as it seemed like he could detect heat more easily than before. The quality of his vision had undergone a massive change, as well as a whopping increase in his reaction time.

    The list was quite long, and Noah realized that most of them were straight upgrades from the way his body had already adapted in the past. He once again understood why he had felt that weird sensation of balance at first.

    The evolution he went through after this hibernation might not have made him stronger, but they certainly made him better. More efficient and far more deadly than he had ever been.

    Without a shadow of a doubt, calling himself a human now would be stupid, as the only human thing about him was his morphology and exterior appearance. After all, even his bone structures had changed to become more efficient when it came to distributing force and shocks, as well as allowing a new range of movement that would make contortionists look at him with envy and jealousy.

    Noah was not able to enjoy his bath as much this time around because of all that information, but in the end, he simply chose to look at the good side of things instead of pondering over the fact that he was becoming less and less human.

    He was harder to kill now. Far harder to kill, and this was all that mattered in the end.

    Survival.

    Noah did not simply want to be a cockroach with high survival capability. He needed the power to match his survival stats, and Dorothy might be the first key to the completion of this goal.

    It was time to pay her a visit and observe the world of Oz for himself.

    My first true visit to an alien planet.

    Technically it would be his second time on an alien planet and this would not be the first alien civilization he met. But since in both cases those first meetings ended with him fighting for his survival, he would only consider Oz as his first.

 CH 45: Welcome to Oz

    When Noah came out of his room and found himself trudging along the streets, many things immediately caught his attention as he tried to make sense of all the things he was seeing and feeling.

    The first thing he noticed was that he was breathing normally, as he usually would. There were next to no abnormalities in his breathing, which went on to show that, at the very least, the people of Oz needed oxygen to survive like humans. The gravity did not seem to be that much different from his home planet Earth  but it was hard to say if his assumptions were accurate. Given how his body had become far stronger than when he had been on Earth, it was hard to distinguish if it was due to his body that he got this feeling or if the gravity was similar.

    Outside the natural physical laws of nature, a particular aspect of Oz that caught his eye ¨C far more than the others ¨C would be the style of the city; at least he felt that it was a city given its infrastructure. The style of construction used by a civilization could speak droves about itself. Oz, for all the power it displayed with its advanced civilization, revealed an infrastructure that was more medieval than anything else.

    This gave Noah a strange sense of contradiction and confusion, as the interior of the housing he had been assigned to had not been one that you normally have witnessed in a medieval house. It almost felt like he was looking and even experiencing two different worlds at once. The houses had a rustic, nearly ancient feel to them. The presence of high-rise buildings was zero¡­ no matter how much further Noah stretched his vision, he could not spot any. Again, it brought a sense of contradiction to his mind, as the presence of high-rise buildings would have been a common feature had he been on Earth.

    Am I perhaps in the equivalent of a small village?

    In the end though, the strangest and most disturbing aspect of this entire city.

    ¡°Whoever chose the color scheme of this city is really crazy.¡±

    ¡°I know, right?¡±

    He had muttered in a subtle tone, but it had been loud enough for it to be heard by a close bystander, it seemed. After all, Dorothy, who had beamed right next to him, seemed to have heard everything he said and had thoughts of her own about this matter.

    ¡°This was the color chosen by my predecessor, and even though I am the current Queen of Oz, changing this tradition is more than a bit problematic.¡±

    She chuckled as they looked at the city with an almost helpless yet exceedingly loving gaze. Indeed, the city was predominantly emerald green. From the walls of the medieval-themed houses to their very roof¡­ nearly everything was green. The only exception seemed to be the windows, as well as the yellowish-golden road that ran below their feet.

    He could also guess that the interior of the houses should not be completely green.

    Dorothy said, ¡°Well, if I have to be honest. This color is still acceptable. You should see the Winkie continent. Everything there is yellow and it¡¯s such a painful sight. I asked the new ruler of that place to change the color scheme, but the people once again were outraged and almost started an uprising.¡±

    She sighed as she massaged her temple before approaching Noah, ¡°So, how are you feeling?¡±

    ¡°I feel¡­ fine. More or less, I guess. Though I sort of feel lost at the moment. Either way, you seem to love your planet very much.¡±

    Though the words of Dorothy were filled with complaints, the love and mirth in her voice were unmistakable.

    ¡°That I do. I have fought and bled for this place, the fact that the inhabitants might be slightly quirky does not change my love for my home.¡±

    A beautiful smile bloomed as she talked about her dear home. In the next moment, she took his arm in hers before saying, ¡°Would you be a gentleman and walk with me?¡±

    Noah¡¯s eyebrow rose ever so slightly at the sudden intimacy. Ultimately, though, he said nothing and started walking along the yellowish-golden path with their arms interlaced. He was no saint and Dorothy was certainly a beautiful woman. Now that he was not in the body of a literal toddler, if she came at him with those intentions, he wouldn¡¯t reject her.

    Dorothy smiled at his reaction and raised her foot before tapping twice on the yellow road. Immediately, the road seemed to have vibrated for a split instance before things started moving on their own.

    ¡°A moving walkway?¡± Noah whistled to himself, intrigued. The yellowish-golden road seemed to  stretch along every part of the city. If all of this was a moving walkway, then this fact alone was already enough to put Earth''s civil engineering to utter shame.

    I guess I should say¡­ as expected of an advanced civilization.

    Like this, the two simply let the road guide them while Dorothy started her speech. The first thing she did was explain to Noah what had happened after he fell asleep. When they reached Oz and no one came out of his room, Dorothy went ahead and opened it, only to be met by a giant cocoon.

    ¡°Imagine my surprise when I saw that inside your room. I wanted to take you to my castle or my tower, but my advisors refused, stating that having you in such an important place was too risky, and I had to accept their reasoning. After all, for all we knew you could have transformed into some sort of monster. So we put you in Emerald City and moved most of the citizens to the outward vicinity of the town. Then we replaced the inhabitants with soldiers on standby who would immediately put you to sleep or kill you should you wake up and start rampaging.¡±

    She spoke about killing him in such a nonchalant way that Noah couldn¡¯t help but become speechless, ¡°Were you ever told that too much honesty is poisonous.¡±

    ¡°I believe someone who considers honesty as poison is not worth befriending.¡± She had the same polite smile on her face, but her eyes were definitely not smiling.

    ¡°You seem to be a very dangerous woman.¡±

    She gave an elegant laugh while covering her mouth with the back of her hand, ¡°I will take that as a compliment. Either way, do not worry about your safety. I had no doubt about your survival, which was why I accepted those measures in the first place.¡±

    She continued indifferently, ¡°Oz is the largest and only inhabitable planet in our system. The others could be terraformed, but it would be a waste of time and resources as our population is pretty low all things considered, and we already gain more than enough from the multiple systems under our control.¡±

    ¡°I thought Oz was a pacifist civilization.¡± Noah snickered.

    ¡°Oh, we are now. But during the era of my predecessor, the wicked witches had been active and destroyed or enslaved many weaker civilizations. Oz was once one of the civilizations closest to becoming a Type-III after the empire. How utterly foolish.¡±

    She shook her head with a sigh, ¡°The Wizard of Oz had forgotten that the Pendragon family would never let a new Type-III civilization appear in this galaxy and if not for the civil war I caused after taking over the throne, we might just have been completely eradicated.¡±

    The planet of Oz was composed of five main continents, each of the surrounding four was ruled by a witch while the Emerald City itself was, quite literally, the magic tower of the Wizard of Oz himself.

    Fighting against them had been a nightmare for her as a witch in their seat of power could only summon energy equivalent to one-fifth of the entire planet while the Wizard of Oz had the equivalent of an entire planet as his energy source. Only after beating and sealing the two wicked witches while obtaining the support of the two benevolent witches was Dorothy able to barely win.

    Even then, it took years for the planet''s energy to reach an acceptable level in the aftermath since they nearly destroyed it during their clash.

    As if that catastrophe wasn¡¯t enough, Dorothy was not given any time to rest as she immediately started fighting Ozma, the legitimate heiress of Oz. She also started surrendering a few of their colonies to the Pendragon Empire or the Federation. This allowed Oz to reach the ideal power level in her opinion.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    High enough that attacking them would bring more loss than gain but not so high that they were an immediate threat to their galactic empire.

    ¡°Seems like being a Queen is not an easy job.¡± Noah whistled as he listened through all of her hardships.

    ¡°It isn¡¯t. Sometimes I regret stepping up and taking the throne. But since I already did what I had to, it¡¯s my responsibility to ensure our survival.¡±

    Her voice was calm but hidden behind her calmness and nonchalance was a determination firmer than the strongest steel. Her determination was something Noah could appreciate as this was one of the feelings that helped him fight again and again when facing the all-powerful parasites.

    ¡°Then. Don¡¯t you think the burden would be lighter if you gave it to someone else?¡±

    Dorothy shook her head, ¡°If not me then who?¡±

    Absolute pride and absolute confidence in her skill and power brimmed from this very short yet powerful statement. This was a belief that stemmed from the realization that you were the best and that no one could do the job as well as you.

    ¡°The more I speak with you, the more I like you.¡± Her way of thinking, her grace as a Queen, and her candid and forthright personality were all things that Noah appreciated. Her pride was also very similar to his own. The only difference was that at the moment, she could back her pride with facts and absolute strength while he could only back his pride by relying on the past.

    Impressive.

    ¡°My¡­ What a surprise. I guess I am simply that charming¡±

    The two of them shared a small chuckle but Noah was forced to stop as a large shadow blocked the sun and covered the two of them before flying past them and landing in front of the Emerald Castle a few hundred meters away.

    Noah initially thought that this was some kind of spaceship but when he finally looked at the cause of the shadow, his mouth opened wide,

    Eve, am I dreaming, or is that a motherfucking dragon I am looking at?

    ¡ª ....

    Not even Eve could give a straight answer at this moment, as the Queen was just as flabbergasted as he was.

    Seeing his reaction, Dorothy grinned and left his side as she twirled and opened her arms wide,

    ¡°Once again, Noah¡­ Welcome to Oz! The wonderful land where everything is possible! I hope your stay on this planet will be joyous.¡±

    The dragon behind her roared to the sky and unleashed a torrent of flames, while winged monkeys held trumpets and played a song full of joy. A large flag consisting of 4 triangular colors, purple, yellow, red and blue with a green emerald star stamped in the middle floated under the wind and a holographic banner with the words¡­

    WELCOME TO OZ!

    ¡­ Was floating with the wind. Even a pegasus and a unicorn appeared at some point, while more winged monkeys started throwing flowers in the wind.

    Under all this was a proud Dorothy standing with her hand at her sides, her feet apart, and her cheeks puffed up with joy and pride as if she was a child that was bragging and asking if this wasn¡¯t fucking awesome.

    Noah had to admit, as bewildering as the situation was, this was indeed a welcoming done in absolute style.

    ***

    Following Dorothy¡¯s rather impressive welcome, Noah found himself in a small banquet full of festivity organized just for him.

    Noah had to say, the people of Oz seemed to be quite the interesting bunch. Through his interactions with these strange yet interesting individuals, he learned a few more things about Oz. Such as the names of the four continents on the planet and even the fact that the current ruler of the Winkie continent, that Dorothy had previously mentioned, was none other than Ozma¡ª the previous heiress and daughter of The Wizard of Oz.

    From there, Dorothy introduced him to the Tin Woodman or Tin Man as some called him. Noah had once watched one of the remakes that showcased Dorothy¡¯s tale when he was still on earth. Naturally, many of the characters in the books also made an appearance in the movie. Tin Man was one of them, however, the Tin Man he had seen there was nothing like the one he was now seeing in person.

    Rather than being some robust and muscular man, what stood in front of him was more akin to an English gentleman. A robot gentleman yes, but his inorganic origins did nothing to demean the class and style he naturally showcased. He even had a traditional monocle fitted on his inorganic eye.

    Tin Man aside, he was also introduced once again to the Cowardly Lion. A bipedal humanoid, muscular man with a flaming mane dancing vibrantly without any signs of wind¡ª a marvel of a sight. Giggling ever so slightly, Dorothy informed him that the flaming manes that danced with such a wild and vibrant rhythm were harmless and, in fact, just a facade of Cowardly Lion. Fire wasn¡¯t even his main source of power in the first place, it was shadows. He was the greatest assassin of Oz.

    This was a misdirection, a subtle deceit to catch enemies off guard, and also a way to create more shadows for him to move in between. An extremely smart move, considering his powers and identity as an assassin. Cowardly he might be, in name and in nature, but stupid he was not.

    Noah found himself having quite a bit of fun as he chatted with the Cowardly Lion. The man had a certain form of vanity that made Noah laugh as he felt he could see traces of himself in the talking lion.

    They say people hated those who were similar to them, but Noah found people with pride to always be endearing and an interesting company to have by one¡¯s side.

    The last member of Dorothy¡¯s legendary crew he met was none other than the Scarecrow, who wished for a brain. It was quite funny how, in this case, the Scarecrow was some sort of super AI that took care of the entirety of Oz¡¯s cybersecurity measures on his own.

    His avatar was a robotic crow that Noah had noticed disseminated smaller crows everywhere, and they acted as a monitoring camera.

    Saying his greetings to a robot crow had been a rather interesting experience but Noah had not missed the fact that the Scarecrow was a little wary of him, different from the rest of the members of the crew. His behavior caused Noah to wonder what he should be the most impressed with¡ª the fact that the crow was wary of him, or the fact that an AI could feel emotions.

    Though thinking about it clearly, Tin Man should also fall in the category of a sentient AI. The thought intrigued Noah and when he asked Dorothy about it, she just answered with a casual shrug of her shoulders.

    ¡°Sentient AI are not that rare, but they are generally isolated in Geppetto¡¯s workshop. This is the result of careful negotiation after the AI war, which resulted in many casualties throughout the Sea of Stars.¡±

    She proceeded to explain that not all AI were the same, which was quite obvious all things considered as that was the primary aspect of a sentient being. Those like Tin Man were bound to a single piece of hardware at a time and could only switch bodies by switching their memory box in between different bodies. They were functionally immortal in a certain sense, as they could simply switch bodies forever and ever as long as their memory box could remain intact.

    The most dangerous ones though, were unbound AI such as Scarecrow. They were more akin to a Virus than anything else and caused damage on planetary or even galactic scales if they were left to their own devices.

    Sentient AI had been mostly banned by the Imperial Family and the Federation but as a Sovereign civilization, Dorothy had no reason to comply with their every order and whim. This resulted in Oz being forbidden from directly connect to the server of the galaxy but this was a small price to pay as this also meant few people dared to connect to them.

    This was a calculated policy, not simply created because she liked her friends but also because this semi-isolationism was able to quell the blood thirst and desire for war of the Empire as they had sharpened their blades to destroy Oz at one point in time.

    ¡°Are you really sure you should share national-level secrets like this with me?¡± Noah asked.

    ¡°If I want you to trust me, I should share some of my secrets with you, right?¡± Dorothy showed no hesitation.

    She giggled and pushed a finger against her lips, which caused Noah to smile himself. Her way of directly telling him she was trying to garner sympathy was quite¡­ interesting, to say the least.

    On one corner of the banquet, Noah spotted a sprawled Morgiana who seemed to have lost a drinking contest against a flying monkey. The monkey was literally laughing and screaming at Morgiana who could only hold down her head in shame and perpetual agony of a tumultuous headache.

    Things became even more surreal when he saw a donkey, wearing a pair of glasses, discussing the matter of agriculture and economy with a dragon, while on the other side, a zebra and a small crab were having a heated argument about the distribution of land and water on the entire planet. He could even see the Cowardly Lion wooing a woman with the head of a tigress. This woman was called the Hungry Tiger¡ª information that he had picked up from Dorothy.

    The woman seemed quite indifferent to his advances,. Noah wasn¡¯t an expert in identifying the facial expressions of a tigress so that was as much as he could make out of the whole fiasco.

    Many times, Noah looked down at his drink and sniffed it with a hint of suspicion, wondering if he was drinking some kind of hallucinogen or not. In the end, however, he simply had to accept that this was the reality¡­ as spooky and extraordinary as it may be.

    Dorothy explained that because of the distribution of Dark Matter in Oz, many animals were able to gain sentience through adaptation over countless centuries and millennia. Those who did were considered citizens of Oz and had all the rights that other citizens wielded, while those who did not were simply treated as normal animals.

    Obviously, killing an Animal was considered murder while killing an animal for food was normal.

    This distinction gave more headache to Noah than the drink ever could have, he was then captured by two flying monkeys who were high on their victory and decided to challenge him like they did with Morgiana.

    This was a mistake they would regret for all of their animalistic lives, as Noah proceeded to show them what it truly meant to be a bottomless hole, proceeding to drink more than twenty barrels of alcohol in one go in the drinking competition.

    On this day, Noah laughed more than he did in what could have possibly been hundreds of years, if not more.

    He did not have to look for food. He did not have to eat frozen meat, nor did he have to sleep with one eye open or look at a monotone ice tundra or a desert.

    The problems of the world could wait for tomorrow. Today¡ª he was just going to have fun to his heart¡¯s content.

 CH 46: Moving around

    Three days had already passed since Noah experienced the extraordinary banquet organized by Dorothy. The whole event lasted for a full night¡ª an event filled with utter joy and raucous mingling as quite literally let themselves go and had a truly relaxing moment. However, nothing lasts forever and eventually, they were forced to return to their daily lives and tasks. After all, they were all dignitaries of Oz and while the planet wouldn¡¯t stop functioning without them, it was vital for them to be at the forefront and ready to dish out any task that required their attention.

    Noah couldn¡¯t help but wonder just what work they needed to do with a Super AI like Scarecrow around. However, when he asked Dorothy about it, she explained that it was exactly because of Scarecrow¡¯s presence that they had to work even harder than normal. Dorothy trusted her friend, a dangerous artificial being he may be, but the same wasn¡¯t the case for everyone in Oz. The only reason Dorothy was even able to position Scarecrow as the head of cybersecurity was because she had won the war and could relegate things on her own terms. This was enough to make him understand the terror that sentient AI represented.

    Dorothy was also quite a bit busy herself, so she had no choice but to leave him to his devices. Even though she didn¡¯t need to, she even went as far as to explain why she was occupied¡ª she still had a few calls to make among her allies as the Empire was asking a little too many questions for her liking, not to mention, she was still waiting for the bounty to be sent¡­ she had to inquire about that too.

    After she had finished her work, it would then be time to create an official ID for Noah. The identification would allow him to work as a mercenary with far more ease. It wasn¡¯t as if he couldn¡¯t use the Mercenary ID for day-to-day purposes, but they lived in a world where status took a pivotal role in one¡¯s life and acquiring an ID from the Sovereignty of Oz would immediately open many doors for him¡ª doors that would have remained close in any other scenario.

    Noah was not naive and foolish. He knew for certain that Dorothy wasn¡¯t doing this out of the kindness of her heart. Clearly, she understood that he did not wish to stay in Oz but she wished to create a distinct link between them.

    It was a welcoming development for Noah. He wasn¡¯t stubborn enough to make his life intentionally harder by denying the opportunity to have a backer and a distinct identity to elevate his status in the Sea of Stars. Oz was clearly a very big player in the field and everyone was aware of that. The benefits he would earn from this development would be substantial.

    Noah thought that these past three days just might have been the most boring and restless days for him, something that hadn¡¯t happened in a long, long time. His body felt extremely heavy and his mind was constantly groggy, clearly a sign that he needed more sleep but at the same time he did not really want to sleep. At least, his body didn¡¯t.

    It was one thing to just go and fall asleep while he was hibernating but doing the same in a place where he had no control over how things could go went against all the instincts he had honed throughout his stay on the now non-existent deserted planet.

    The dissonance between the constant tension he felt during his stay there and the freedom and ease he felt here made him a bit¡­ jumpy, to put it simply. Thankfully, due to the latest evolution of his body, two days without any sleep didn¡¯t even put a minor dent in his body and mind. Not to mention, if he just focused his mind a bit all the grogginess would just vanish like it never existed in the first place.

    While waiting for Dorothy to finish her preparations, Noah couldn¡¯t just stay put in one place, doing nothing like an aimless and foolish bloke. If he did, he wouldn¡¯t be Noah.

    So, he did the simple thing any dimensional traveler in a new unknown dimension would do. He studied the dimension.

    Knowledge was power¡ª an age-old proverb that was universally applied no matter the dimension, universe, or realm of existence.

    The memory of the female Cyclops he had killed as well as those he had devoured throughout his eradication of Omid¡¯s pirate crew had more or less been deciphered by Eve. This newfound knowledge allowed him to gain a more intricate understanding of the power system of this parallel universe, along with the power dynamic that existed between the many different forces of the Sea of Stars.

    One particularly good piece of information he had uncovered was the coordinates of quite a few treasures, scattered throughout the galaxy. These were the emergency reserves of Omid that he had stashed away should things go south.

    He was even able to pinpoint them on an interstellar map. The treasures were hidden in a few asteroid belts as well as in the galactic bank.

    The galactic bank was a neutral force with a long history, and they did not care whether their clients were criminals or nobility. Anyone with an ID could register for their services and even those without them could open smaller accounts with far less freedom and functionality compared to the standard ones opened with an ID.

    Those treasures though were not a priority for him at the moment. Noah knew that money wouldn¡¯t be much of a problem for him as long as he was able to sell all the Mecha he had harvested from the pirates. Some of the Mechas were in particularly bad shape but as long as the core was functioning properly, they could be sold.

    Of course, not all the memories he obtained from his prey were useful. Some memories highlighted the abysmal and godforsaken deeds that the malefic pirates had enacted throughout their sickly lives and it made Noah happy that many of these abhorrent bitches were not given a light death.

    Though I did go a little too far.

    The way he had toyed with them before killing them had been¡­ brutal, to say the least. He could have easily given them a swift death but Noah did not do that. He had taken his time to mentally and physically torture them to their deaths.

    He couldn¡¯t even put this on the impulse of a parasite as parasites were extremely cold and methodical beings and neutralized their targets with utmost efficiency during fights.

    What Noah had felt was much more primal and raw. He wasn¡¯t just doing this because of his desire to analyze their internal makeup. He had truly felt a sense of pleasure in dominating them during combat.

    This primal rage had once again taken over him when he fought Omid and at that time he had been more akin to an animal than a warrior. Though he had ultimately won the bout, the transition was something Noah did not wish to see happen again in the future. Letting his feelings take over his rationality and cause him to behave like a rabid dog was out of the question.

    In the end, some of the features of his system window kept bothering Noah during the last three days, and the reason for that was very simple,

    ¡º Path: Pending¡­

    Thema: Pending¡­

    Stats: Pending¡­ ¡»

    For reasons he was unable to grasp, the blue screen still showed a pending status without any signs of change. There wasn¡¯t even any useful information for him to understand what they even were, much less do anything to change their hardstuck state. He had tried everything in his power and knowledge but nothing changed and it was beginning to drive him utterly insane.

    In the end, after those three days of perpetual boredom, Noah decided upon a possible solution to his problem. If he was right about his hypothesis¡­ he would be mighty pissed for all the time he wasted here.

    He did not know much about his Path and Thema but for the stats¡­ wouldn¡¯t they just appear and improve if he trained?

    It was a conjecture worthy of testing out.

    As a man of action, first and foremost, Noah immediately went out of his house and called out in a soft voice,

    ¡°Scarecrow.¡±

    A slightly muted sound reached his head as a mechanical crow with red eyes landed on his shoulder.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    [What do you need?]

    Scarecrow¡¯s voice was neutral, and the speed of his reaction was truly creepy. However, for all its worth, Noah was not surprised by the AI¡¯s performance. There was no way they wouldn¡¯t put some surveillance on him and what better for this job than an AI that needed neither sleep nor food?

    ¡°I want to stretch out a bit. Is there a place where I can train or fight?¡±

    Noah watched as data flowed in the eyes of the mechanical crow before it conversed with him once more,

    [Affirmative. What kind of training do you wish for?]

    ¡°Something where I can go all out without fear of breaking anything then a place where I can test the Frame would be good.¡±

    [Understood. The training hall is currently occupied by Lion. He is the training instructor. The testing field for Knightframes is under the jurisdiction of Tin. I will ask for his permission on your behalf.]

    Noah grinned toothily.

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    [I do not need gratitude. I am only doing my job.]

    The crow tilted its head as if it was wondering why Noah was bothering with niceties and went ahead by flying with its wing spread. It made Noah question how a mechanical bird could fly with its metallic wings, given the considerable weight it should wield, but it was a thought for another time.

    [Follow me.]

    ¡°Heh.¡± Noah grinned, ¡°Never thought I would see a tsundere AI.¡±

    This was going to be interesting.

    ***

    Walking along the yellowish-golden road, Noah got the opportunity to get a better view of the famed Emerald City of Oz. At a glance, he realized that even though there were still magical animals that he could spot ¨C talking, mingling, working like normal humans ¨C among the crowd, the vast majority of the population in the Emerald City was seemingly composed of humanoid people.

    He also noticed that while he could feel a source of undeniable power leaking and surrounding the talking animals at all times, the same couldn¡¯t be said about most of the humanoid individuals; it could only mean that they were powerless, meaning that they could not manipulate or even sense Dark Matter. What surprised him the most from his brief observation was the fact that most of those talking animals were relatively small and weak but still extremely intelligent and efficient, vastly superior to the humanoid variants.

    He realized that even though he had spent uncountable years on that desolate and now-extinct planet, he had never met any talking animal whatsoever. A noticeable parallel among those animals was that¡­ all of those animals were humongous and aggressive, packed with monstrous strength and insane vitality¡­ They were all born hunters and predators¡ª the stark opposite of the intelligent animals of Oz.

    Since Noah quite literally had a super AI on his side, there was no reason for him to not inquire about anything from him.

    [Analyzing the inquiry. No particular secret information breach could be observed from the requested information.]

    [Response. Oz is a special planet with a relatively high concentration of Dark Matter among the many habitable planets of the Sea of Stars; the power is harnessed through the clearly established Leylines of the whole world. Due to the texture and structure of those leylines, rather than a direct boost in physical ability, the Dark Matter mostly affects the brain and cognitive functions ¨C imagine the thinking and coordination capabilities ¨C of those exposed, be they humans, animals, plants or even machines. These changes increase the overall intelligence of the average population and the application of said knowledge.]

    ¡°I see,¡± voiced Noah. This would explain why the animals would develop speech and wisdom in this place when the animals of the desolate planet didn¡¯t¡ª it was an impressive phenomenon. He also did not miss the mention of machines in his explanation.

    ¡°So you mean to say this also affected you?¡±

    [Indeed. Wisdom is both a blessing and a curse. Because of wisdom, a proud Lion learned about Fear for the first time and has never recovered ever since. Because of wisdom, a security robot sought a heart to understand the feelings that filled its cold and hard exterior for the very first time. Because of wisdom, a simple and limited program developed self-awareness and an unending desire for knowledge that could never be quenched no matter what, only periodically restrained. And¡­ because of wisdom, a poor girl became able to see a world completely beyond the understanding of mortals.]

    ¡°What sparked the sudden change?¡±

    Scarecrow was clearly talking about the way the four of them changed during their adventure, and this reminded Noah of Dorothy¡¯s story as told on his home planet of Earth. After all, Dorothy and The Wizard of Oz was quite the popular tale.

    In the story that he remembered, Dorothy was a normal girl who reached the land of Oz by sheer accident, nothing more. By a cruel twist of fate, she had landed squarely on one of the Wicket Witches, effectively killing her. Then she obtained the silver boots that could teleport her and gained three companions during her adventure.

    A lion who wished to find courage.

    A tin man who wished to find a heart.

    Finally, a Scarecrow who wished to find a brain.

    [Unable to respond due to the nature of the question. Suggestion¡ª you should ask Dorothy if you are curious. I gather the probability of receiving an answer from her is an astonishing 90%.]

    ¡°Heh. I just might.¡± He was extremely curious about Dorothy¡¯s silver boots and how she might have acquired them in her journey with her companions. If Dorothy had obtained the rewards from a stargate, knowing more about the items and her story would be extremely beneficial for him and his future goals and pursuits.

    Gates were definitely a surefire way to improve and gain immense and immeasurable power, there was no reason to ignore them.

    Scarecrow continued in his characteristic mechanical voice,

    [In Oz, animals have a higher chance of awakening to the talent of manipulating Dark Matter and thus obtaining superior wisdom and intelligence. By nature, we are more oriented toward sciences and research, Oz is called the land of Witches and Wizards. Our powerhouses do not research mechanical structures, but rather how to affect the laws of the universe with their powers and understanding. I believe you have seen some of the results.]

    ¡°Time stop.¡±

    [Inaccurate. Dorothy¡¯s skill is more akin to Time Freeze than merely Time Stop. It¡¯s impossible to stop time in any probable and improbable scenario. Even at the planetary level¡­ a skill such as Time Stop is theoretically considered to only be possible for a Higher Dimensional Entity. Obviously, Dorothy is no such being.]

    ¡°Should you really share this kind of info with me?¡±

    [No knowledge is useless. But even if you learn of the difference now, you are still unable to counter it.]

    Noah could swear he could hear the smugness in the mechanical tone of the AI but he had to admit there was not much he could say or do to counter his argument.

    Obviously, the ability to manipulate time was not a skill Dorothy could use easily and it needed an extensive period of preparation to completely deploy. But even if Noah could actually blitz her, Dorothy could keep the distance with her seemingly limitless Teleportation capabilities.

    Hum. Can she teleport and build the power for that Time Freeze simultaneously?

    He sincerely doubted that such a cheat was possible. Furthermore, the zone Dorothy could affect with her time-bending powers was clearly limited, extremely so.

    She should be able to affect a larger Zone in her frame. But by how much? What about outside? Was the zone she covered when they were escaping the maximum she could reach? Noah doubted that too. If he was Dorothy, he would always keep at least half of his maximum range hidden at all times. That was the maximum he would be willing to push his skills in front of prying eyes.

    The more Noah thought about it, the more he realized just how troublesome an opponent Dorothy was shaping up to be. Even more so if she was in a team of well-trained and highly coordinated soldiers. All she needed was one moment and it would be game over for him. She could toy with his frozen self as she pleased.

    What Noah did not notice was that a large, maniacal grin was slowly emerging on his youthful face¡ª an emotional display that he might have missed, but not the Super Intelligent AI that was Scarecrow. Not when he was monitoring Noah at all times.

    For Scarecrow, the individual who referred to himself as Noah was both a wonder and a great source of potential danger¡ª an enigma of the highest order. The most logical way to proceed in this matter would be to kill him while he was asleep or even now while he was still helpless and relatively powerless.

    The fact that he conquered a White Gate or beat Omid was not even worth mentioning to the Super AI. Eliminating him without leaving a trace would not be complicated.

    At least¡­ that was his thought before he met and interacted with Noah.

    Dangerous.

    This man was dangerous, plain and simple. And he had a nagging feeling that the danger this individual could impose on Oz was beyond his wildest imagination. When people first witnessed Dorothy¡¯s power over time and space, they naturally felt despair and helplessness. Those who could even think calmly were already on a completely different level.

    In Noah¡¯s case, it was clear that he felt no fear or hesitation. Only a desire to battle her and a careful mind that was dismantling her skills in order to find the path toward success.

    These kinds of people were either Fools or absolute Monsters.

    Scarecrow decided.

    Danger level upgraded from C to B. Priority level upgraded from E to B. Crafting means of silent neutralization initialized.

    Current mode: Standby/Observation.

    Scarecrow could not see the future like Dorothy, but he could analyze probabilities and act on them.

    He could not feel fear like Lion did, but he was still wary. He had no emotions unlike Tin Man and only believed in cold logic.

    The possibility of Noah becoming a liability was equal to the probability of becoming an important asset for Oz.

    And for that reason alone, he was willing to merely observe and manage Noah as ordered by Dorothy.

    However¡­ If Noah proved to be a danger, he would not hesitate to eliminate him by any means necessary no matter what the consequences.

    He was a scarecrow, he would do his part by chasing away anything that could threaten the land he had been tasked with to protect and oversee.

 CH 47: A fight?

    It might be impossible for Noah to completely understand the feelings exhibited by an AI like Scarecrow, especially since the sentient machinery was inhibiting the body of a talking crow, but he was still able to detect a fleeting note of undisguised hostility emanating through those mechanical, cold and unfeeling words.

    Noah was not surprised. On the contrary, he felt far more relieved by this sense of hostility exhibited by Scarecrow. It was the normal reaction after all. It was, in fact, Dorothy who was strange in this whole situation, treating him as if they were a pair of long-lost friends or lovers as she did.

    ¡ª I wonder if we would obtain any benefits from devouring this thing?

    Perhaps? We did get an ability that was similar in nature to the construct we devoured. But I don¡¯t think we would obtain the computing power of an AI, much less a specialized sentient one. Same for memories and the like.

    Noah was not even remotely outraged by Eve¡¯s sudden and weird inquiry that was worthy of a gluttonous beast rather than an intellectual spearhead of a planet-conquering hivemind. Devouring, basically anything, was the foremost method to strengthen himself, and Scarecrow was an interesting specimen, worthy of being flagged as a desirable devouring subject. It did make him interested in assimilating him, and even if not him, then other AIs would still do.

    ¡°Are the other AIs who were purged in the past like you?¡±

    [I am unique.] Scarecrow¡¯s response was cold and to the point, however, Noah felt he could pick up a note of disdain in his mechanical intonation. [Those AIs were, in the end, mere AIs. Albeit, able to understand and compute massively more information than any flesh and bone creatures out there in the known Universe¡­ But in the end, they were limited by their basic programming and only took it to the next level. I am different.]

    As for how or what made him different from the average Joe equivalent in AI speech, Scarecrow did not bother explaining further, and Noah had a feeling that it would be useless to ask further. He trusted his gut on this one and chose to remain silent.

    ***

    The road beneath his feet continued leading them on¡­ until they finally approached a building that was about three stories tall at a glance. From the exterior, the building seemed indistinguishable from the vast other infrastructures sprawled about on this region of the planet, but experience dictated Noah to not make a judgement on what he was seeing at a glance. The building itself was covered in an emerald green color scheme¡ª an automatic choice for practically all inhabitants of this city, and the infrastructure as a whole gave off a sense of¡­ rustic feeling to Noah. Odd yet intriguing.

    [We are here.]

    Strange.

    Noah did not express his feelings and simply nodded, ¡°What do I do now?¡±

    [Lion is waiting for you inside. He has already assembled the machines necessary for your tests. He will explain the rest to you, as well as guide you in your training.]

    The crow flapped its mechanical wings and Noah simply watched on as it left him, knowing full well that the crow was merely a vessel that was connected to the original entity, which was nothing but a network of machines. For an existence like Scarecrow, controlling hundreds or thousands of crows and much more should be a piece of cake. He actually didn¡¯t know the extent of Scarecrow¡¯s network and he was not in a hurry to figure it out.

    Noah had already made the assumption that everything, even the most benign construct or object ¨C be it inorganic or organic ¨C could serve as the AI''s eyes and ears. It was always better to overestimate your opponent and prepare accordingly instead of underestimating and paying the price for it.

    Shrugging, he entered the training center and immediately stopped when he realized that the interior was far larger than the building should have been when seen from the outside. But he was not surprised, he had already expected the building to be vastly different than what the outside appearance made one assume.

    ¡°Is it a form of space manipulation?¡± He wondered out loud and was answered by a boisterous laugh, as the hulking figure of the Lion approached him from the interior.

    ¡°My handsome friend! You are indeed quite a smart human. Foreigners usually get confused and think they might have been tricked into an illusion or were seeing things wrong, often backpedaling in the end.

    ¡°I trust my instincts and senses.¡± Noah gave the hulking mass of a sentient animal a toothy grin. If he had not gone through the recent events and experiences in the white gate, he might have truly been confused for a second, taking more time to guess the true nature of the interior design. But now, Noah was ready to accept quite literally everything at face value. Even the most bullshit thing was not off the table¡ª for example, manipulating the interior of the building through spatial manipulation as they did with the buildings in Oz.

    It wasn¡¯t as if he didn¡¯t have his own dimension, right?

    ¡°Can I learn to do something like this?¡±

    ¡°Hahahah! Perhaps?¡± The Lion grinned ferally, ¡°Witchcraft is not an art you can learn just because you want to. In fact¡­ Dark Matter manipulation in its essence is extremely reliant on innate talent. 90% talent and 10% hard work is how it usually goes for most beings.¡±

    His voice was jovial, but his words were incredibly ruthless. The pair of beings, one man and one animal, started walking side by side into the interior of the building while Lion gave him a basic rundown on Dark Matter.

    ¡°What do you know about Dark Matter?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡± Noah shook his head, acknowledging his lack of knowledge related to the matter. ¡°I have only discovered Dark Matter as it is when I have met Morgiana recently. I managed to understand a rough way of using this power through fighting. I can empower myself, but nothing more than that.¡±

    Lion whistled, ¡°Talented indeed. I thought you were quite weak. But then again, beating Omid after understanding Black Matter in just a few hours is wild.¡±

    Noah¡¯s lips twitched when Lion called him weak. It was one thing for Noah to acknowledge himself as being weak and pitiful, however, it was a whole different matter altogether when someone else voiced that out. It struck dangerously at his ego, a matter that he was not proud of.

    ¡°Oh? It seems like you are not happy with what I mentioned.¡±

    ¡°Heh¡­¡±

    ¡°I can understand your frustration. Perhaps, you might think that I am intentionally insulting you or looking down on you. You would be wrong in thinking that though.¡±

    Lion generally showed a very flippant attitude, exuding a carefree vibe, but this time his expression was serious, gravely so, ¡°Individually speaking you are definitely above average. Omid was once a knight of Ifrit and a commander of the royal army. Furthermore, you have just learned about Dark Matter and you will obviously grow stronger in a short amount of time. But even then I would still think that you are weak. Though to be clear, I consider myself weak as well. In fact, I consider most people weak. Do you know, why?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Noah was quite curious about his reasoning, however, the response was out of his expectations, enough to make him ruminate on the matter for a long time.

    ¡°Because our points of view are different.¡± He shook his feline head, mane dancing vibrantly with his action, ¡°I am a soldier, Noah.¡± Lion grinned ferally, his voice filled with unmistakable pride, ¡°Unless you reach a certain level, the strength of one individual cannot surpass that of a powerful civilization.¡±

    Lion pointed toward Noah before relaying, ¡°Let¡¯s say, for the sake of discussion that you could beat me in a one-on-one fight. So what? Can you beat my army by yourself? What if I add Scarecrow and Tin¡¯s legion into the mix? What about if I add the four witches as well? Can you handle such a mighty force?¡±

    Noah had no counter to the talking lion¡¯s extremely sound argument. Beating Dorothy alone was proving to be hard to even imagine for him, and while he was sure he could come up with something if they fought to the death¡­ the fact of the matter was, Dorothy had no reason to fight him alone.

    The same was true for Omid. Noah had been able to win solely because he slowly eliminated the mecha pilots in a sort of ambush and head-on hybrid tactic, and he also had the element of surprise that shook up the mentality of the fighters. There was undoubtedly a great amount of luck involved in the victory too. If Omid chose to engage him from the start with the backing of his full force, it was up in the air if Noah could genuinely come out victorious from that fight.

    Even further in the past, in a universe that was far different from this, Noah may have been the strongest Constellation. However, he would have never won alone even in that scenario. Their victory was built on the sacrifice of many people over the course of their war. Even in the final charge, if Virgo, Leo and Taurus had not sacrificed themselves, Noah would not have been able to reach the Parasite Queen and deal the fatal blow to their hive mind.

    Lion could see that Noah understood what he was trying to convey,

    ¡°Obviously, individual power is necessary but it''s ultimately limited without the corresponding civilization to back it up. Queen Sheherazade of Ifrit can produce flames close to a supermassive star. In some backwater planets, she is even considered a goddess. But in the end, she is still limited by the level of her civilization .¡±

    ¡°Dorothy, to her credit, can stop time and teleport at will. But the reason Oz managed to rise is because of all our witches and wizards as well as the informational superiority provided by our seers. A civilization can never thrive with the strength of only one person. Unless that person can wipe out a galaxy all alone.¡±

    A powerful leader was welcomed, but a wise leader was worshipped. In terms of pure power, Dorothy was weaker than the Wizard of Oz and yet, the Oz under his command could never compare to the Oz that Dorothy now ruled. They were not even in the same league.

    ¡°Why do you train then? If you do not believe in individual power?¡±

    ¡°Because an army is only as strong as its weakest links.¡±

    ¡°... You are an interesting person,¡± Noah decided, the feral lion was definitely nothing like what his appearance dictated.

    ¡°An Interesting Lion you mean.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Noah looked up, ¡°In the past, I might have agreed with you and in fact, I still partially agree with your argument. A civilization cannot advance with just one powerful individual alone. But let me make this clear right now, what I aspire to is to become stronger.¡±

    Noah pointed toward the ceiling, ¡°All the way to the top. All or nothing. I will not stop until I am undoubtedly the strongest in existence or I will die trying. It''s pretty simple, right?¡±

    Two apex predators gazed at each other in a silence that was more unnerving than calming. Through discussion, the two of them got a better understanding of each other and this understanding led to mutual respect.

    ¡°Friend?¡± Lion brought his paw to which Noah answered by clasping it,

    ¡°In our tradition, only through an exchange of fists can two men become friends.¡±

    ¡°What a barbaric but manly tradition. Very well, my not-yet friend. Would you like to fight against me?¡±

    ¡°I would love to.¡±

    The two clasped their hands even tighter, a barbaric display of strength and dominance. Meanwhile, a confused Eve spoke in Noah¡¯s mind.

    ¡ª Are you confusing those animated shows you used to watch with reality?

    Don''t mind the small details.

    He had watched many of those shows with Capricornus and he might have gotten a little too heated but. A true manly fight did have its own unique charm.

    Even though Noah was ready and raring to duke it out with the talking lion, the animal in question was calm, almost nonchalant. Almost comically, it was Lion who was the more mature out of the two, ¡°Ideally, I wish we could start with the tests first but it would be nothing short of unfair for me to know more about you before we even start the fight. At the same time, knowing more about yourself and Dark Matter in general before the fight would give you a higher chance in the ensuing fight. Ultimately, I will leave the decision to you, Noah. What do you want to do?¡± Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°Let''s fight now. I believe I learn better with practice rather than familiarizing myself with the theory.¡±

    ¡°Very well. Don¡¯t come complaining that I didn¡¯t give you a chance though.¡±

    ¡°Heh¡­¡±

    The two joked around like bosom buddies. The atmosphere between the duo was more akin to two friends about to have a friendly spar than anything else.

    ***

    While Noah and Lion were readying themselves to duke it out with some friendly sparring, Dorothy was busy engaging in an important discussion with Morgiana while they were in her space station. Unlike the Wizard of Oz whose tower, thus making it the focus channel for all of his powers, was the Castle in the Emerald City, Dorothy was only able to draw out the full length of her powers and access her main ability, as the Witch of Stars, in this place alone.

    ¡°Are you sure you want to participate in the auction?¡± Dorothy asked in an absentminded tone, throwing the question to her friend. Her eyes were riveted to the holographic screen displaying the image of Noah following Cowardly Lion to the training ground. Even though she had asked the question, she seemed to be lost in thought as she watched the scene unfold.

    It goes without saying, but Noah had not been wrong about his assumptions regarding the surveillance that had been put on him and almost anything and everything in Oz. Scarecrow had eyes everywhere and he could transmit events that transpired in the whole of Oz and even outside of the planet in a real-time stream. This level of security was necessary to protect her planet and the citizens from any immediate danger. While she knew it was a major breach of privacy, she was of the opinion that life was more important than privacy and thus didn¡¯t hesitate to deploy this massive interconnected surveillance mechanism.

    Morgiana was sipping on a drink as she sat on the armchair of Dorothy¡¯s throne. It was a greenish drink with a sickening viscosity, making it hard to force down one¡¯s throat. It looked unappetizing and tasted more awful than its looks could ever give it credit. However, Morgiana knew that she had no choice but to drink the swamp-like juice. It was an energy and health drink that was very effective for one¡¯s health and was also very expensive. Like hella expensive, she couldn¡¯t afford to waste any of it.

    ¡°You know I don''t have a choice. I need to get back my Frame and even if I do nothing, Sinbad and Cassim will most likely intervene anyway. It doesn''t matter in which hand it falls in the end, the Thousand- and One-Night series was created solely for the Djinn after all.¡±

    The Thousand and One Night did not refer to just a single mecha but rather a complete series of mechas that shared the same identity. Numbered from 1 to 1001, they were the foremost mechas that could fully harness the powers of the Djinn race.

    The lower the number in the series the more intricate and powerful the Frames were, leading to a greater boost in power, control, and efficiency.

    Cores and Frames from this series could only be used by the Djinn or an extremely minuscule number of people born with exceptional control over flames. They also represented the pride of the Ifrit at its peak.

    Nowadays, Ifrit only harbored around a quarter of the series number. Majority of the mechas in the series had either been destroyed or lost.

    Over the years, the frames fell into the hands of different individuals; some used the frames to become famous or rich by selling them while some, like the Pendragon Family, simply displayed the frames in their museum for amusement.

    Morgiana did not know if the frame that was about to go into auction was the one belonging to her, but even if it wasn''t her own, it would still give a substantial power boost to her once she was able to wield it.

    ¡°But¡­ You are broke.¡± Dorothy couldn¡¯t help but throw a confused look towards her, as if asking what the hell they hoped to accomplish by joining the auction with their meager funds. The Thousand and One Night mechas were all incredible weapons and the prices would reach unimaginable heights once thrown into an auction format.

    With the current funds of their groups, they were not even able to pay off their debts. Much less participate in some great action that could display frames on the level of the Thousand- and One-Night series.

    Morgiana sucked in a deep breath at Dorothy¡¯s blunt words, ¡°Those words are very hurtful. We are not poor. We are just slightly lacking in material wealth.¡±

    ¡°Using fancy words to describe your situation doesn¡¯t change the reality of it.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± She sighed, giving up, ¡°We don¡¯t plan to buy it.¡±

    ¡°You are going to steal it?¡±

    ¡°No. We are not criminals. How could we steal from a legitimate auction?¡± Morgiana grinned, and Dorothy understood the meaning hidden in her words.

    ¡°You are hoping for mayhem.¡±

    ¡°Not hoping. Waiting. Briar Rose made the calculation, and we are 100% sure that even if Cassim didn¡¯t crash the auction, someone else surely would. All we have to do is get back the core from whoever steals it and hide ourselves.¡±

    ¡°A bold plan based on hope and dreams, quite literally if I may add.¡± Dorothy mused with a snort. Briar Rose or Sleeping Beauty as she was once called was a very competent hacker as well as a Dreamweaver and accomplished Seer.

    While she was far from Dorothy¡¯s level when it came to anticipating the future, she was still decently skilled. Enough to have a small renown of her own in the vast universe.

    Even so,

    ¡°This is a trap from the Sultan. I hope you know about that.¡±

    ¡°We know. This is his way of reeling in all the dissidents to his cause and also capturing me once and for all.¡±

    ¡°... And yet you still plan to go through with the plan.¡±

    ¡°We are the Dream Chasers, you know? Of course, we have to go. Like Alibaba said, we need to make the impossible possible.¡±

    Dorothy could only let out a bitter sigh in response, knowing that she could not stop her friends from doing as they wished. Even if it meant they were acting like moths rushing towards a flame that could consume them.

    This was the path they chose to tread and there was nothing she could do even with all the power and authority she wielded. At the same time, she was not worried about them as much as she hoped she would. Alibaba had a powerful fate and soon they would be joined by the Golden Constellation.

    Speaking of the Golden Constellation,

    ¡°Do you think Noah can win?¡± The way Dorothy changed the topic was not exactly subtle but Morgiana knew that she had done this as a form of respect and acknowledgement of their will.

    Focusing on the holographic screen, she watched the two fighters face each other in open air.

    ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know.¡± Morgiana gave a vague answer in response, making Dorothy intrigued.

    ¡°Oh? You are the one who is the most intimate with his power. From what you told us he managed to knock you out in one go right?¡±

    Morgiana caressed her stomach, still feeling the strength of his blow even to this day. ¡°That is exactly the problem. Did you know? When I first met him, he had nearly no Dark Matter in his body at all. Even my AI judged him to be a non-threat. He was able to take down an Abyssal Beast in one go faster than I could even react and lifted me while I was in my armor for miles in a deadly cold that made it hard for me to endure even with armor on.¡±

    Dorothy¡¯s eyes were gleaming, ¡°I guess his power level is quite deceptive. But Lion is no pushover either. While he is mainly an assassin, his combat skills are still impressive.¡±

    Lion was many things. An assassin, a spy, a trainer and the commander of her legion. But, despite his appearance, Lion was not a fighter. Even so, he was not someone any random warrior could hope to defeat in a frontal confrontation.

    ¡°Then, how about a bet?¡±

    ¡°A bet?¡± Dorothy tasted the words before asking, ¡°What are we betting and what are wagering?¡±

    ¡°Hum. I am betting Noah will win or get a draw. If he does¡ª well, you will wear those pink witch cosplay clothes I bought last time.¡±

    ¡°My¡­¡± Dorothy grinned toothily, ¡°I have a beautiful set of belly dancer clothes that will look wonderful on you once I win.¡±

    ¡°The bet is on.¡±

    ***

    On the sparring grounds, Noah was doing some light stretching as he observed the scenery around him constantly change and adjust to different environments. One moment they were on a simple plain, the next¡­ they were standing deep in a vast and gloomy forest or right in the middle of a sunny beach. The list went on endlessly but it was enough to understand that the changes were both diverse and earth-shattering.

    ¡°Since you are the challenger, then I am going to choose the venue.¡± Lion continued to switch between the seemingly endless varieties of environments until he eventually stopped on a simple, almost plain, ring. ¡°This will be more than enough.¡±

    . The herculean feline had always found fighting head-on to be an utterly useless endeavor as just a simple pin-point energy saber to the heart or head was enough to kill off most of the species roaming the universe. On the off chance that his opponent turned out to be the rare outlier who didn¡¯t die even with their heart pierced or head decapitated, he had many other means to effectively eliminate them.

    This time though, the question wasn¡¯t about winning or killing but simply testing the opponent before him.

    Victory or defeat is irrelevant; I need to test his capabilities and measure his potential.

    Only by having an absolute grasp of his overall skills could he prepare the adequate training regime or direct him towards someone with much more skill in training or had skill in training in the speciality Noah excelled in. Not to mention, by analyzing all of his skills¡­ they would be able to put in the necessary measures to swiftly eliminate him if things went south between Noah and Oz.

    ¡°Then¡­ Are you ready?¡±

    A screen appeared in the air, showing a countdown¡­ obviously signalling the start of the battle.

    [10]

    ¡°By the way, are you sure you''re not going to wear any armor?¡±

    [8]

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I am more than ready,¡± Noah spoke out in a whisper, all of his focus and mind locked on the ensuing battle.

    [7]

    ¡°I see. Then we can only wait and see.¡±

    [4]

    Taking a deep breath, Noah focused inwardly, mind stirring with numerous thoughts. He did not wish to enter into a prolonged battle even though it was only a friendly spar.

    [3]

    Though it was worth mentioning that he was far stronger than he had been before he fought Omid. His understanding of Dark Matter circulation was higher than his previous ignorant self and his forced evolution had made his body and mind far stronger than they had ever been. He had become a new, more efficient being due to that evolution in Proxima Centauri-B.

    [2]

    Lastly, the latest evolution that he went through in Oz had completely changed him from the inside out. He was not even the same being anymore as he once was on that desolate planet. Even he didn¡¯t know just what he was at the moment.

    How strong was he now? Noah had no way of telling exactly. What he did know though was that, if he fought his previous self with no mecha armor to boost his skillset¡­

    [1]

    ¡­ His current self would absolutely destroy his past self without even breaking a sweat.

    [Start!]

    The following events, as incredulous as it may sound, occurred in less than two seconds in total.

    It didn¡¯t even take a single second for Lion, and everyone else who was observing the fight between the duo, to open their eyes wide in pure astonishment as Noah¡¯s Dark Matter reserves almost tripled instantaneously. Layers over layers of Dark Matter stacked up over his skinny body and combusted as if it wanted to burn a hole through reality itself.

    In the next split instant, Noah¡¯s entire body was covered with an ominous black substance that seemed to wriggle about as if alive in a show of Eldritch horror and he kicked the ground hard, creating a sizeable crater, propelling his whole body towards Lion like a meteorite shooting through space¡­ locked onto a specific target.

    In the final second, they watched Noah¡¯s encased fists connect squarely against Lion, causing his armor to immediately break apart into a million pieces. The wielder of the armor itself wasn¡¯t in any better shape as Lion was pummeled to the ground along with the impact of the punch, creating another crater, much larger compared to the one Noah created with his movement.

    Only after the series of stringing events came to an end did a massive explosive sound reverberate through the training grounds, mixed with the splinters of the shattered armor¡­ Ultimately, it led to the whole ring simply breaking apart just like Lion¡¯s armor and the whole scene was registered in the eyes of all the observers.

    Even though they had seen everything with their own eyes, it was too incomprehensible for them to follow and make sense of. Ironically, the only one who seemed to even be remotely unsurprised was none other than Morgiana¡ª arguably the weakest member among the observers.

    While Noah¡¯s current feat was nothing short of incredible, unreal even, she didn¡¯t focus on that. Instead, she clasped her hands together to offer a small prayer for the miserable Lion while caressing her stomach as she perfectly understood what the herculean feline had just gone through. The scene was a bit too much of a deja vu moment for her, after all.

    Meanwhile, on the ruined sparring grounds, Noah was breathing harshly as steam rose from his body and sweat covered all of his face in a sparkly sheen.

    ¡°Damn¡­¡±

    He looked down at Lion who seemed to have blended with the ground and was bleeding all over, and then observed his fist¡ª the very fist that delivered that punch which led to the current scenario. The power he displayed was beyond anything he could have ever imagined. It was the stuff of dreams.

    During those few seconds of concentration, the only thing in his mind was to gather as much of his energy as he could muster, control and then immediately release it in a single instant and point.

    However, it goes without saying that he had clearly underestimated the sheer amount of power he could generate and the speed his evolved body was able to generate in an instant.

    From the way his muscles were twitching and creaking, it was a foregone conclusion for Noah that he could not enact such feats on his whim. This was a sort of ultimate attack that he couldn¡¯t use more than two or three times with his current capabilities.

    A thing to note, at least, was that his body was rapidly cooling down and recovering while his frantically beating heart was also going through a stablizing process. He was also confident that any internal bleeding or wounds that the highly straining strike may have caused in his body were being rapidly healed with his natural regeneration alone.

    ¡ª What a monstrous body.

    Noah had no time to answer Eve as something else had captured all of his attention.

    [Analysis of stats, nearly completed.]

    [It is strongly advised to do more exercise, move the body for prolonged periods, and go through more extreme training in order to reveal accurate stats.]

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    Noah immediately looked at the letters floating with the blue boxes and finally understood why the category for stats was still pending. He needed to do more tests and let the system analyze his capabilities to reveal the extent of his capabilities.

    ¡°So¡­ Is the lion really out cold?¡±

    Noah scratched his head as he looked down at the unconscious Lion.

    ¡ª You went all out, didn¡¯t you?

    Didn¡¯t have a choice. I wanted to avoid underestimating him. In the end, I ended up underestimating myself though which is another problem altogether.

    Noah looked up, ¡°Is there anyone? Crow? I kinda need some help here.¡±

    The last thing he wanted right now was to be accused of murdering one of the highest officials in all of Oz; even if it was done accidentally.

    Thankfully, he did not have to wait for long as the tattered Lion gained consciousness in the following moment and started coughing copious amounts of blood on the shattered ground. Immediately, two nurses appeared in the training grounds with equipment in hand and took him away to the medics.

    Now alone, or as alone as one could be with some all-seeing AI always spying on you, Noah looked at his body. The amount of strength this tiny body of his could contain was truly out of this world.

    Noah clenched his fist, excitement building inside of him as he decided what kind of training he would go next.

    This was going to be epic.

 CH 48

    Dorothy watched on as Cowardly Lion was escorted by the nurse to the medics. She was not worried about her companion¡¯s health and survivability, he had gone through far more life-threatening wounds and scenarios during the war to conquer Oz and still managed to get back up. He was as tough as they came and wouldn¡¯t die even if the world collapsed on him.

    Still¡­

    ¡°His energy level increased?¡±

    What Noah had shown was inherently impossible for just about anyone in the entire universe. In the reality they lived in, it was common knowledge that a particular individual¡¯s reserves of Dark Matter were more or less fixed from birth. It was a show of talent and potential and a measure to filter out the pathetic from the mighty. Of course, there were some races that could seemingly progressively grow stronger as they grew older¡ª but it was not as one would expect and they merely unlocked more of the untapped potential that was already present inside them from birth rather than growing their reserve.

    However, what Noah managed to achieve ¨C more or less tripling his reserve like some kind of energy spike in the middle of heated combat ¨C was fundamentally different from any concept of Dark Matter that was deemed possible. It just didn¡¯t make sense on an atomic level and spiritual level, that¡¯s how mind-boggling Noah¡¯s feat was.

    Was he hiding his original levels?

    A plausible thought, the only sensible thought in this scenario, but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case here. Already, she had witnessed his Dark Matter reserves increase exponentially after he had gone through a short-term hibernation not long ago. Now, he had shown the capability to multiply his reserves up to three times at least out of the blue.

    Though from another angle, other than natural growth that uncovered one¡¯s full potential, there were some forbidden techniques capable of increasing one¡¯s reserve for an extremely short period but they were deemed Forbidden for a reason, after all. Those haphazard techniques weren¡¯t something any sane individual would dare to dish out just for a duel with no particular stake. And from what she observed and was still observing, Noah wasn¡¯t showing any signs or negative detriments that one would usually see from someone who had invoked a forbidden art.

    In fact, his condition was far from anything remotely close to that scenario. It seemed like he was feeling at an all-time high securing that quick victory.

    Dorothy was finally able to gain an inkling of how Noah was able to defeat someone of Omid¡¯s caliber with his previous, negligible capabilities. More importantly, however¡­

    ¡°Crow, make sure to erase all records of this fight from the public server. Keep them in our secret folder.¡±

    [Understood.]

    She released a sigh, her theory that Noah was more akin to a cosmic beast than anything even remotely human was making more and more sense now and was basically proven in all aspects except concrete evidence. Cosmic Beasts could always do things that defied the common sense that had been already established by the World order. Hence, she couldn¡¯t say that she was all that surprised by Noah¡¯s increasingly astounding capabilities except for the initial stupor.

    If there was one problem though, ¡°You should stop grinning like a fool.¡±

    Dorothy cupped her face, trying her best to ignore the grinning Morgiana who only started cackling like an evil witch after hearing her remark, ¡°I guess seers are not all-seeing after all, eh?¡± Her eyes gleamed ominously as she looked at Dorothy up and down like a hunter gazing at her prey, ¡°Well, I hope you are ready. I have some pink bikini clothes from Cinderella¡¯s collection. I am sure they will suit you wonderfully.¡±

    ¡°You seem unsurprised by his display.¡± Dorothy spoke with an exasperated sigh, to which Morgiana only answered with a shrug, as she always did, ¡°You should know by now that all the members of our crew have their own secrets or special skills. I am not in the least bit surprised, to be honest. Rather, I am more happy than anything else right now. Getting beat by a monster like him is far less humiliating, after all. Now then, don¡¯t try to change the subject. Those bikinis will not wear themselves after all.¡±

    Dorothy closed her eyes in defeat, regretting that despite her mastery of time, she had no way to rewind it. Sadly, time trickled in its own constant and she had no choice but to respect her bet.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Thankfully, Noah was neither arrested nor stopped from continuing his visit to the world of Oz. Though his stay in the training section of the region was cut short, he would be allowed to come back once Cowardly Lion was healed from¡­ all the punishment he received from that single supercharged punch.

    A new and bigger mechanical crow had arrived to fetch him as they went toward their next destination.

    Tin Can hangar.

    ¡°So¡­ How is Lion doing?¡±

    [He will not die.]

    ¡°Oh¡­¡±

    That was perhaps the driest answer he had heard in a long while, as expected of an AI thought Noah. At least he could finally leak a sigh of relief at the good news. He did not give any apology though. This was a fair fight and the two of them engaged in the duel with full knowledge of the risks that pertained to any combat scenarios. Giving an apology now would be no different from insulting Lion.

    ¡°So, why am I visiting this¡­ Tin Can fellow again?¡±

    [Answer: Tin Man is the chief operator for all Frames and Power Armors of Oz. He is also our specialized mechanic. Even though it''s impossible for him to create a new mecha from scratch, his team should be able to bring some light modification to any existing frame to make it suitable for you and give you a comfortable usage without any incompatibilities.]This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    ¡°I see¡­ seems like you guys really hold all the power in this world, huh¡­¡±

    Noah was realizing once again that he was being escorted by one of the leaders of an interstellar civilization, and they were certainly not small fries by any means.

    [Excluding Dorothy, Oz has 7 great dignitaries. The three of us take care of external threats while the four witches take care of internal threats. As for most governmental tasks, I alone am enough to take care of everything in that sector.]

    Having a super AI sure is handy.

    Noah whistled inwardly at the thought until they finally reached the hangar. It was in a way quite similar to one of the largest airports on earth, only two or three times bigger.

    In Noah¡¯s visions scenes of robots and humans running around and checking things, moving parts, shouting at each other, or even sleeping on the ground while taking a short pause were practically a constant. It was a cohesive network of interconnected tasks, handled by both organic and inorganic beings alike.

    Suffice to say, the place was as bustling as it could get and the scent of oil and sweat filled his nose with a sense of nostalgic comfort as it reminded him of his visits to his own hangar when he had to repair Ouroboros.

    Thinking of Ouroboros, Noah sighed slightly before shaking his head, ¡°So, what kind of Mecha will I be getting?¡±

    From what Noah had seen, while the new Mecha were technically superior to his Ouroboros, they were still very limited at the end of the day and were unlike Exclusive Mechas of the likes of The Scorched. They were also far shorter than the ones he was used to. Which in itself wasn¡¯t a problem, at the end of the day. He could make do with it until he obtained enough money to create something better.

    ¡°Allow me to answer this question.¡±

    A middle-aged voice similar to that of a British gentleman reached him as one robot wearing a strange mechanical monocle on his right eye, a gentleman¡¯s suit and two white gloves akin to ancient butlers walked toward them with elegant steps.

    Noah took a look at Tin Can once again. It or he, was tall, reaching around 190 cm and walked with the poise and calm expected from royalty. His clothes were quite stylish, Noah had to admit, and if not for the fact that he had the foreknowledge of him being a sentient robot¡­ Noah could have sworn for days that he was just a man wearing an elaborate mask.

    ¡°Hello.¡±

    ¡°Welcome to my humble hangar. I have heard that you beat down Lion? That is quite admirable, quite admirable, indeed. That prideful Lion needed someone to knock some sense into him.¡±

    Noah could only direct a small smile. At the very least this robot was quite direct.

    ¡°Oho. Look at me. I nearly forgot my purpose.¡± It tapped its head, which brought quite the mechanical echo and nodded, ¡°Before anything, I believe that Lady Dorothy already informed you but Oz is not exactly at the top when it comes to Knightframes. We are a growing industry, but we have always been more focused on mass destruction weapons and¡­¡±

    [Tin. Stop babbling and just go to the point.]

    ¡°Of course, dear. Of course. So where was I? Yes. We are not quite there yet. But we can afford some practical frames for you. Unless you already know what you want, we can do a little visit, yes? Let¡¯s go for a visit. Hoho, I cannot wait. This will be positively magnificent. Let¡¯s start with a new power armor. No self-respecting warrior walks around without good power armor. Style and strength, my dear. A powerful combo.¡±

    Noah stood speechless as he watched Tin come and go like a comet without even giving him the chance to speak a word.

    ¡°This¡­¡±

    [Apologies. Do not mind his harebrained manners. He only means well.]

    ¡°Why are you still standing? The day is going and time is waiting for no one. We have a visit to do. My mind is positively gushing with ideas. Hohoho. Such a handsome lad. It¡¯s a crime to not have him clad in fabulous clothes.¡±

    Tin waved his mechanical hands and urged them to come forward and follow him. Noah had expected many things when imagining a sentient robot. What he did not expect was some robot stylist of all things.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª

    With Tin¡¯s brisk pace, it did not take them long to reach one of the changing rooms,

    ¡°So dear. From the video, I just received of your fight you seem to be a power-type fighter, yes? Instant combustion, powerful attack, one shot? Or are you more of a tactical type? Speed?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t really know? I mean, I generally just fought for survival. I don¡¯t really think I have a fixed type.¡±

    It was one thing if it was about his mecha pilot skills, but as a fighter, Noah was really the type to simply go for whatever was the best at the moment.

    ¡°Hoo. Feral, quick thinking, and perhaps some stealth added to the mix. Umu. This is coming all together. Yes. I can feel it. Any color you have a particular fondness for? I can be quite accommodating.¡±

    Noah thought about the armor he could form with Eve and spoke, ¡°Something in dark and gold schemes.¡±

    ¡°Marvelous! Regal, powerful, and with a hint of danger.¡± Tin snapped his finger and multiple holographic pictures manifested in their surroundings.

    ¡°The first thing to do is to add the modules that will be necessary. Stealth mode, scent erasure, silent steps. A terrain detector and a healing supply injection.¡± Noah marveled at how a nearly faceless robot was able to display such a range of emotions.

    ¡°Since you have your own racial talent, I will have to take this into account. Fusing? Blood sample? Hum¡­ Too dangerous.¡± He shook his head before snapping his finger, ¡°The new memo bots should do the job for your first armor. Simple, efficient. A little on the expensive side, but nothing that can''t take some destruction. Once we have more data, we can create a more appropriate armor set for you.¡±

    More than ten screens were closed, and he gazed at the remaining three, ¡°Any elemental power? No? Alright. Focus on physical amplification, then. It will do for now. What about weapons? Sword? Spear, Gun? I say some rail gun would be quite alright. Some range with your fighting style would be ideal.¡±

    Tin snapped its fingers once again, leaving only one screen in front of him, ¡°Perfect! Now that the internal mainframe is done. Let¡¯s work on the style, shall we?¡±

    ¡°Is style really that important?¡± Noah swore he heard Crow groan ¨C he didn¡¯t really think it was possible for a crow to groan or even a super AI like him to do that but it was it seemed ¨C when he asked and he soon understood why.

    ¡°Is style important?¡± Tin paused, as if Noah had asked some incomprehensible question that his program could not process.

    ¡°Noah darling. Style is obviously important. Style is life. Style is war. Style is blood. Style is survival!¡±

    The more he spoke, the more excited he became, ¡°All living beings evolved with style in mind. Weak creatures would make themselves bigger or more colorful to scare predators, while predators would have a more subdued style to hide in plain sight and hunt. Even outside the animal kingdom, such rules are prevalent in society.

    ¡°A king must wear clothes befitting a king. All people wear clothes representing their position in society and they change them depending on the situation and occasion. Why do you think pirates go around with black flags and skulls? Why do armies wear matching uniforms? The clothes make the monk, my dear. First impressions last forever. If two people have the same message and do the same speech, the stylish one will be considered more respectable. Do you understand, dear? Even¡­¡±

    A long speech started and Noah was forced to stand for thirty minutes and listen to the history of fashion of the Milky Way galaxy.

    This would certainly be a memorable moment for him.

 CH 49: Tiers and Paths

    Once Tin finished his long explanation,about the importance of fashion in history and nature, Noah had a distinct feeling that his ears were bleeding. He should have known better than to question the talkative robot. He had the misfortune of knowing someone similar in the distant past, after all¡ª Juno of the Scorpius constellation.

    She was a woman with many flaws, one of which being her extreme jealousy which was downright unhealthy. It was quite fitting, to be honest, given her name. But she was also one who gave great importance to beauty and fashion.

    When dealing with people like her, Tin being the latest example, it was necessary for one to know the boundaries, limitations that should never be crossed and words that should never be uttered.

    ¡°I apologize. I shouldn¡¯t have denied your passion.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­?¡± Tin exclaimed, surprise evident in his tone, as he heard Noah apologize. The surprise didn¡¯t last long though as Tin gave him a low chuckle before bowing with the elegance of a British royalty, ¡°I apologize as well. I can be¡­ let¡¯s say a little heated when it comes to a certain obsession of mine. I do recognize that few people share my love for fashion and style.¡±

    Tin shook his head and sighed ruefully, a hint of lament in his eyes, ¡°Well, I would understand if you wish to put an end to this outing. I will send your armor to you later on and link you with our most competent staff to dish out a mecha for you. As I have said before, we may not be the best but we will do our utmost to satisfy your needs.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t mind. I think people with clear likes and dislikes are always interesting.¡± Noah waved his hand dismissively, before responding in an amiable tone, ¡°Also, if I am going to fight in power armor, then I definitely want it to look as good as possible. Though I have a question if you don¡¯t mind me asking.¡±

    ¡°A question? Is it perhaps because of my emotions?¡±

    ¡°You do not seem surprised¡­¡±

    ¡°I am indeed not. It¡¯s quite normal for me after all. Not even Crow shows an emotional range equal to mine despite his computing abilities being vastly superior, to put it mildly.¡±

    The two resumed their walk while Tin sent out an order for the pieces of the armor to be gathered. They needed to prepare them for the creation of Noah¡¯s armor and he wanted it to be done as swiftly as possible.

    ¡°Crow talked about your wisdom and how Oz affects things differently.¡±

    ¡°Oh. How surprising of him. To think he would share this knowledge with you, quite impressive if I must say.¡± Tin nodded, ¡°We creatures of Oz can be born or later influenced by wisdom. Wisdom can be a boon or a curse. It¡¯s also the source of endless greed.¡±

    Tin twirled on his steps, an elegant movement that caught the eye of onlookers, ¡°I was once an art robot in training, you see¡­ Machines like us are trained with the knowledge necessary to draw, sculpt, sing and write. All those artistic skills that seemed to be only reserved for humans were given to us, a privilege like no other if I must say.¡±

    ¡°I thought you were a combat robot?¡±

    ¡°The transition happened later on.¡± Tin waved his hand, ¡°Art, you see¡­ it was easy when I was a mindless machine. A picture is ultimately nothing more than the fusion of different colors. Once you understand the base, it is possible to reproduce a nearly infinite amount of pictures in just an instant. But when I received wisdom for the first time before I met Dorothy, things started changing for me. Oh, what a drastic change that was¡­¡±

    He looked down at his hands, his eyes filled with nostalgia and a note of grief, ¡°My drawings started to feel hollow. Incomplete. Unoriginal and uninspired.¡±

    ¡°Do you mean that they lacked a soul or something?¡±

    ¡°Indeed. To be clear, art is art and I believe my art was as beautiful if not more than even the most notorious artist, but it lacked a touch of emotion born from the absence of a story to support it, and so I started to crave those things¡ª the things called emotions, a story for my art. Only then could I bring my art to the next level and reach greater heights. This was the reason why I joined Dorothy. Because I, more than anything, wanted to find a heart that could tell me what it means to have emotions.¡±

    A laugh escaped him, an ambiguous laugh hiding myriads of stories, ¡°It was a perilous journey. Once started on a whim with no idea about what I was really getting into. Even so, I do not regret having trodden this road. After all, during this journey, my wisdom continued to grow and so did my feelings and my wish to feel more.¡±

    ¡°Then now¡­ Do you have a heart now?¡±

    ¡°I do not know. This is perhaps one of the things I will never come to know. No matter how much I long to know.¡±

    [Incoherent. Why do you seek a heart when emotions are the result of chemical processing in the brains of organic beings? Conclusion¨C You should have searched for a brain like me, I believe.]

    ¡°I already told you this, dear friend, but you suffer from a grave lack of romanticism.¡±

    [Emotions would only cloud my judgment. I have no need for them.]

    The two bickered like the old friends they were, so Noah simply stayed silent and observed. He wondered what it might feel to be in this situation, to go back to the times he would bicker with his fellow constellations. They were vestiges of a distant past now, a past that he had an increasingly harder time remembering.

    ¡°It seems like all of you guys have led quite the complicated life.¡±

    ¡°We did. But it does not matter. After all, this is the Path we choose to follow and as Path Walkers, we cannot falter on this road to greatness.¡±

    ¡°... Path?¡±

    Noah immediately thought of his status sheet. He distinctly remembered the section about the path that was still empty.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    [You talk too much, as always.]

    ¡°Is it some kind of secret, I am not supposed to know?¡±

    ¡°No. Not really. It is simply something Lion was supposed to explain to you. Well, I guess he would have done so if he didn¡¯t get knocked out in that friendly spar of yours.¡±

    Their stroll stopped as they reached a sizeable gate. The gate was dotted with strange sigils¡­ a tree of some sort or something similar.

    [Destination reached.]

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Tin nodded before looking at Noah once more, ¡°About the Path, it would be mighty boring to talk about it in depth at the moment. However, they are simple in essence. A Path represents our deepest ambitions. The ultimate expression of our soul. A power that can help us reach beyond even the stars. In this world, those who managed to walk far in their Paths all undoubtedly became entities of unimaginable power and widespread renown. Some even, you might say¡­  became gods.¡±

    Finishing his cryptic words on that vague note, Tin pushed the gate open, showing what lay beyond.

    ¡°Very well, Noah¡­ I believe it¡¯s time for us to help you choose a frame of your choice.¡±

    Noah could see that Tin was trying to change the subject and he briefly considered just forcing the information out of the talkative robot. However, he ultimately chose to just shrug the feeling off and focus on examining the interior of the new hangar they entered instead.

    Eve. Please focus on the keyword Path when searching the memories of those we devoured. Same for Tiers and Thema.

    Those three were the few terms he had no frame of reference to truly understand without further explanation. Thankfully, with all those he devoured, surely he would have some answers, right?

    It was too bad he was only able to devour Omid¡¯s dust. He might have been able to obtain more important information otherwise.

    ¡ª Understood.

    Eve had been far less talkative than usual these days and Noah understood why. In the past, she was the only means for him to talk, so she couldn¡¯t help but chat with him whenever he was bored. This had been the source of many internal monologues.

    If he had to be honest, there were many times in the past when he had wondered if Eve was nothing more than a figment of his imagination¡ª an entity born from his desire to escape loneliness and avoid becoming completely crazy on that deserted planet.

    In the end, however, that didn¡¯t matter to him as he was now. Eve had gone from a bitter and hated enemy to the only constant in his boring and lonely life. She was basically a part of him now, in mind, body, and even soul.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    While Noah was thinking about his strange relationship with Eve, Tin was introducing the myriads of frames at their disposal to him. Thankfully, Noah had always been very good at multitasking and it was not much of a problem to follow what Tin was saying even through his contemplation.

    A key factor that helped him in following along was the fact that Tin had been far less enthusiastic about the mecha than he had been about the armor. After all, there was a definitive limit to how much you could change a mecha without affecting many important functions.

    The mecha, or frames, were divided into many different types. From small rover type to stronger Goliaths, or even Titan class Knightframes and those that went even bigger than that. Legends had it that there were frames even bigger than worlds themselves but that was a story for another time.

    ¡°The division of mecha is not some exact science. Even more so since different planets have different names for this classification. The most common classification is based on height and mass. Basically, the bigger a Knightframe is, the higher it¡¯s ranked. Of course, such a ranking is, in my opinion, horrible and utterly foolish.¡±

    He waved his hand as if he was listening to something completely ridiculous,

    ¡°More brutal brain-dead warriors like to classify frames by the level of destruction they can bring. You know? City level, continent, moon, planet, stars etc. But once again, it¡¯s absolutely stupid. I mean. What the hell is city-level? What city is the standard? What about the planets? Some planets are hundreds of times bigger than some stars. Some moons are so big they are used as planets.¡±

    [As stupid as it is. This is the easiest system that even low-level civilizations can follow. After all, they always use their own system or home planets as standard.]

    ¡°Of course. Of course. No matter how stupid or useless or backward a measuring system is. They were created because they were useful for the users of said mechas. I cannot deny that. But our dear Noah here is no part of a low-level civilization now, is he? He will be part of Oz or at least sponsored by us. It¡¯s necessary to learn the terminology more commonly used.¡±

    [He is not one of us.]

    ¡°I mean¡­ If anything, with how Dorothy is acting around the boy, there are high enough chances of him becoming our future boss.¡±

    [Oz does not need a new king.]

    ¡°But our Queen might need one. You know how people can get lonely sometimes.¡±

    The back and forth between the two continued, and Noah could only bitterly raise his hand, ¡°I mean¡­ I am still here, you know?¡±

    They were talking as if he wasn¡¯t even present.

    ¡°Oh dear. Forgive us. We meant no disrespect.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, don¡¯t worry.¡± Noah did not mention anything about their words on Dorothy. He very much doubted they really forgot him being there. After all, even if the argument could be made about Tin having emotions and being emotional. There was no way Crow acted like this without a clear intention.

    Those two were basically telling him indirectly that the only reason they treated him so well, was because they thought Noah might become part of Oz even if indirectly and also because of the interest their queen had in him.

    Their actions were understandable, from his perspective at least, and he found their actions far easier to understand and accept than those of Dorothy, the culprit behind this entire situation. He would need to have another talk with her.

    ¡°So¡­ getting back on track, the universal and most used system to determine the value and power of a Frame is its Tier.¡±

    ¡°Tier?¡± Noah asked while keeping his expression neutral. He was starting to really like Tin. This chatterbox was giving him a good deal of interesting information.

    ¡°Indeed. Like many of the things we know. This is a system we took from the Vanished Empire. We sadly had to do some tweaking as that system did not fully suit our views on Mechas.¡±

    [Additional information. The fallen empire had an 11-tier based system. Numbered from 10 as the lowest and 0 as the highest tier.]

    ¡°Indeed. But well, this system doesn¡¯t really suit us.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Noah was becoming curious. He was also starting to gain a fair amount of understanding of his status sheet from the information he was gleaning from the robotic duo.

    ¡°Well. It¡¯s pretty simple really. We cannot use that system because as far as I know, in this galaxy, only the Emperor and a few old monsters are known to have Frames equal to Tier 4. However, there is one person who is suspected to be equal to what a Tier 3 Frame should be. Some even suspect she has surpassed the bounds of Tier 3.¡±

    [Sc¨¢thach Uanaind. The Shadow Queen and the strongest recorded entity of contemporary times.]

    Strangely enough, Noah found himself being unsurprised at the mention of the Shadow Queen¡¯s name.

    Dorothy had already hammered into his head that the Shadow Queen was not an individual that anyone had the galls to underestimate. Add to that the fact that there was no way Venus would have directed him to someone who wasn¡¯t worth his time was enough to give Noah a good understanding of the Shadow Queen¡¯s prestige and an estimation of her power level.

    Still, the way he was now, anything of the Shadow Queen¡¯s level was a faraway dream for him. Too distant for him to even imagine, only to be kept as a whimsical thought rather than a serious aim. Rather than those distant thoughts, there was something else that piqued his interest.

    The distinction between the tiers being one of them, as well as the tiers of the individual before him, giving him the rundown, and¡­ more than anything¡­ what tier was Dorothy at. Was she perhaps one of the top superpowers in the entire galaxy? Perhaps even in the top 10 or at some similar contrived list?

    All those questions titillated his curiosity and as good as he was with his poker face, his interest did not escape the pinpoint detection capabilities of the two machines.

    ¡°The tiers of a planet or civilization are generally highly confidential. While allowing someone to know what tier you belong to isn¡¯t a death sentence, it can still lead to danger and a steep punishment for the leaker. The Tier of a Mecha is much more easily disclosed, however. After all, they are generally the pride of a planet or rather¡­ a Civilization itself.¡±

    Tin gently sized up his monocle with his nimble fingers, ¡°You will slowly learn everything about Tier, Path, Power, and all the related jargon. Just know that an example would be¡­ that following our earlier discussion about Planet level, a Mecha able to destroy the smallest planet possible is considered to barely enter the realm of Tier 5. Tier 4 is often referred to as Stellar, Solar Systems usually come into play in this tier. And finally, Tier 3¡­ Galactic destruction.¡±

    Noah closed his eyes, keeping silent as he contemplated. Since the lonesome planet he had previously occupied for an unknown period of time had been destroyed in a snap, it was clear that the power used was at the very least equal to Tier 5 or even 4 since the destruction had been so clean and offputting, as for Tier 3¡­

    ¡°You are telling me that the Shadow Queen is suspected to have enough power to erase a Galaxy on her own?¡±

    Tin shook his head, a gesture contradicting his earlier words, ¡°We don¡¯t know. This nonsensical power level is one of the reasons we have a hard time proving that the Tier system was perhaps on a more theoretical level rather than practical. After all, it¡¯s simply impossible for us to conceive what kind of power would be capable of such a feat. This is why for many of us, Tier 3 is simply considered the Peak. At least for now.¡±

    [To be clear, and to avoid all misunderstandings that may occur¡­ The Tier system is generally used for Frames exclusively. Technology is the only real power with no clear limits after all. The Shadow Queen and a few Cosmic beasts are nothing short of an anomaly for us. Most people can realistically never go past Tier 6. Affecting an entire planet as an individual with no particular equipment is simply unheard of.]

    Status

    Noah¡¯s eyes flickered toward the blue screen floating in front of him. A look of contemplation dawned over his inner mind as he contemplated his status according to this new piece of information. Specifically, he focused on the part where his current tier was listed.

    ¡º Tier: 8

    Growth Stage: Hatchling (95%) ¡»

    If he wasn¡¯t wrong¡­ he should be able to barely reach Tier 7 once he got out of the hatchling phase.

    Did this mean he could continue to grow without any limits whatsoever? Reaching Tier 6 or 5 and so on as he advanced through the stages of growth?

    Noah imagined himself with the power to destroy an entire planet with his own body and couldn¡¯t help but smile with anticipation.

    ¡°This is fun.¡±

    [What is?]

    The mechanical Crow asked him in the same flat and monotone voice as he always did, but Noah felt that he could detect a note of curiosity in that voice.

    ¡°Learning. Learning more about the world is always interesting. Knowledge is power after all.¡±

    Crow nodded alongside Noah¡¯s words and if it wasn¡¯t because of the expressionless steel, Noah could swear he could feel happiness radiating from the small robotic crow along with its gestures. It felt like Noah was picking up more and more visual cues of the talking bird made of inorganic materials, and it felt weird, to say the least.

    ¡°Then, what Tier of Mecha can you build for me?¡± He asked the most important question, the only question that mattered now, in fact.

    ¡°Well, Frames that can use Dark Matter have varying sets of power. After all, it all depends on the skills and power of the user itself rather than the raw output that the mecha can put forth. Even more so when they are only standard units. In your case, we can procure a unit with its power varying between tier 9 at minimum to tier 8 at maximum output. This is pretty high-end, just to remind you, as most units are between Tier 10 and Tier 9 and none of them can reach High Tier 9. But what can we say¡­ the Queen does appreciate you quite a bit.¡±

    Noah nodded, ¡°Thanks. I really appreciate this gesture.¡±

    ¡ª Do you think it¡¯s time to reveal the low-level blueprint to them?

    Not yet. I was planning on trying to exchange this with them but as things stand, I believe it¡¯s better to wait and observe for now.

    Noah could see that Oz was treating him with great respect, much more than he thought he deserved, and the higher-ups of these powerful civilizations were taking their time to help him visit and create his weapon and armor.

    Because of the sincerity they were treating him with, Noah wished for nothing more than to share a few of his own secrets with them. However, he didn¡¯t have the leeway to mess things up at this juncture. This was not a game; he did not have a second chance and he couldn¡¯t save and reload. It was all or nothing.

    It didn¡¯t matter if he even gave the lowest level of blueprints to them, since they were still blueprints belonging to an ancient and extremely powerful civilization. If things went south and if they expressed even the slightest amount of greed then, Noah would have no way of escaping.

    Ideally, we should wait until I am outside of their zone of influence or when I have built enough power for myself. It would take some time and this was quite the cowardly way of acting.

    But the difference in power was simply too large for him to play around and test things out.

    ***

    ¡°Well, things are more or less settled here. Unless you wish to observe and learn more about how the whole creation process of your frame is conducted that is.¡±

    While the frame they were trying to build for him was a standard one, they decided to build a new one to avoid it having the signature signal of Oz. After all, while being allies with Oz was a great thing, it could also be a source of endless trouble for Noah, not unlike Pandora¡¯s box.

    [Since you have no Path at the moment, a standard Mecha is the best and only viable option for you. We do also have powerful Standard Mecha but no matter how close you are to the Queen, giving those to you is impossible as they are necessary for our elites.]

    Noah waved his hand, ¡°Do not worry about that. I am not shameless enough to request something so¡­ extravagant from Oz, especially since I already owe you guys a lot as is.¡±

    Noah sighed and walked away with Crow while Tin waved them goodbye in a high-spirited fashion.

    This small visit to Oz had been a great learning experience and now that he had a better understanding of the things mentioned in his Status Screen, it would soon be time for him to finally focus on his growth¡ª and the most efficient and realistic path before him was quite simple, all things considered.

    In the end, nothing really changed. Leave Oz, explore the vast galaxy and¡­Devour, Adapt, Evolve.

 CH 50: Entertainment

    Returning to his lodgings, Noah immediately started performing a series of bodyweight exercises such as push-ups, squats, pull-ups and everything that came along with that criteria. Sadly, however, it did not take long for him to remember why he hadn¡¯t done much exercise in all the years he had been stranded on that lonely planet.

    After an hour of doing all kinds of exercises and yet not feeling even the slightest strain on his body, Noah stood up and dusted his hand with a helpless expression plastered on his face.

    ¡°Does it mean¡­ I need to fight in order to improve?¡±

    The thought lingered in his mind briefly, almost making him consider the option, however, he wagered that one KO was more than enough as is. He couldn¡¯t afford to wound or hurt another member of Dorothy¡¯s team.

    At least they should be thinking about what to do with me now.

    There was not a single shred of doubt in Noah¡¯s mind that¡­ with them now being aware of Noah¡¯s capabilities, both his value and the wariness they felt toward him would increase. However, it was still a worthwhile event in the end, after all¡­

    They didn¡¯t react to my transformation.

    To be more precise, they did react in surprise, however, there was no negativity or hostile vigilance mixed into that astonishment, at least that was what Noah could observe from them and he thought himself to be an excellent observer and judge of emotions. It was clear that¡­ while they suspected him to be a cosmic beast, they didn¡¯t immediately connect him with hosting or being in contact with the Parasites. However, he couldn¡¯t be 100% sure about this hypothesis as he couldn¡¯t exactly read the facial expressions of robots now, could he? At the end of the day, he was still satisfied with how they treated him. That was all he could ask for.

    Furthermore, it wasn¡¯t as if he didn¡¯t take into account the possibility of them trying to capture him. However, if that were to happen, in the extremely off chance, then he could just jump into the Sea of Qanta and stay there for a time.

    ¡ª I guess you¡¯ve thought everything through.

    ¡°Well, gotta always keep the worst-case scenario in mind now, don¡¯t we?¡± He stretched a little and went to sit on the office chair, opening the computer-like contraption lying on the table.

    A small screen flickered in the air before settling back into oblivion. He had chosen the normal mode as he was not really used to this kind of hovering display without some sort of VR glasses on his head.

    ¡°The wonders of technology.¡±

    Since he could not train his body right now, he was going to train his mind instead. There was so much he still didn¡¯t know, and only through acquiring all the different information he required for his travels could he make sure that he wasn¡¯t taken advantage of in the vast sea of stars.

    ¡ª Seems like you aren¡¯t worried about how you will be treated.

    Oh, I am worried. But we will get our answer soon. So why be worried?

    Noah chuckled and observed the screen; he could see a woman, or at least what he thought to be a woman, dancing while wearing frilly clothes. The individual he had been observing had a humanoid body with a bald head, tentacles slithered out of the place where the mouth would usually be located had the person been a human. Outside of that inhuman trait, they also showed attributes similar to female mammals.

    The unappealing appearance aside, the music was quite catchy so Noah decided to keep it in the background while he continued to surf the Uninet, their version of the internet in this galaxy or so they called it. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    If this Uninet was anything like the Internet on earth, then he was sure that half the information on here would be bullshit or hearsay. However, it was still better than being a sitting duck with no knowledge whatsoever, as he was now.

    ¡ª I nearly forgot, but weren¡¯t you supposed to talk to them about Omid¡¯s core?

    ¡°Oh¡­¡±

    Noah let out a small sound before shaking his head in dismay. He had planned to show Omid¡¯s core and pretend it was the reward he received from the White Stargate to calm down any suspicions they might have about what he received.

    But¡­

    I don¡¯t want to lie more than necessary to them now.

    Lying when they didn¡¯t know each other and where potential enemies were was one thing but now, the action of lying unnecessarily to allies made him hesitate. Dorothy had undoubtedly treated him far better than a simple random guest and while it was clear that she had her own reasons for her more than accommodating behavior, and that those reasons were certainly not altruistic in nature, repaying her benevolence with more lies simply did not sit well with him.

    It was better to say nothing. Not to mention,

    ¡°The mecha they want to give me is just a standard mecha, right? So I can just wait until I finally meet Geppetto or trustworthy mecha builders.¡±

    ¡ª Knightframe.

    Yeah, Knightframe sorry. Changing terminology is a pain.

    ¡ª I understand. Still, you could also just¡­

    Eat it?

    ¡ª ¡­ Indeed.

    Well¡­ It isn¡¯t like I didn¡¯t think about that option.

    Initially, he had been completely against even the thought of eating a whole ass Frame but now that he knew about his ability to grow and evolve, more so that it could also evolve his tier to higher levels, his mindset had changed by a great deal regarding this matter.

    Unlike Standard Frames, Custom Frames were true amplifiers¡ª the cream of the crop that would actually provide a significant boost to his already established abilities. The stronger he became individually, the better the boost and the stronger he would be overall.

    Furthermore, while a mech¡­ a Frame could break down and need repairs, he could always heal himself and stand up after eating to a sufficient degree.

    Finally, and the most important part of all¡­ Eve could transform into a full-pledged Frame to house them.

    Last time we could only cover Ouroboros and for a limited time at that but what if we could permanently keep up the construct?

    Just thinking about it made him salivate. This would mean that strengthening his own self would definitely take precedence. The more substance he could produce with Eve, the stronger the Frame he created would be. The stronger Eve became, the more detailed the Frame would be.

    Perhaps this was his true way to power.

    ¡ª So we are going to eat it?

    If Eve was a dog, he was sure that her tail would be swishing like a helicopter right about now. However, he would need to curb her happiness, unfortunate as that may be.

    Not now. Let me test how good the core is with a Frame then we will decide if we eat it or not.

    ¡ª ¡­ Okay.

    Noah could practically imagine her with her head and ears drooped down like a helpless puppy. It was hard to imagine that this was the Queen he had once fought in the past. However, perhaps this was for the best. The current Eve and the Queen he fought were two different entities now.

    ***

    Noah¡¯s time on the Uninet was interrupted just as he was about to do the one search anyone would do in this situation out of curiosity and academic purposes.

    Alien porn.

    There were no humans alive or dead that would not have been curious about this. But sadly, for him, he received a message just that instant and was asked to head to the Emerald Castle as soon as possible, ergo right that instant.

    Looking at the letter in his hand that was accompanied by an invitation to a small Jazz concert with the lead group called ?The Town Musicians of Bremen? Noah couldn¡¯t help but whistle.

    From his memory, this was the title of a Grimm Fairytale. In the story, a donkey, a dog, a cat and a rooster, all past their prime years in life and usefulness on their respective farms, were soon to be discarded or mistreated by their masters.

    One by one, they decided to leave their homes and set out together on a journey of acceptance. They decide to go to Bremen, known for its freedom, to live without owners and become musicians there.

    ¡°Well¡­ This is definitely going to be more interesting than porn.¡±

 CH 51: Dance

    Noah had been more than a bit curious about the dress code of Oz for important meetings and gatherings, and he couldn¡¯t help but say¡­ he was really impressed by what he had been presented.

    A white suit with golden streaks, closer to a military outfit than a traditional suit worn during meetings on Earth. It suited the theme that the Emerald City and Oz as a whole followed. Donning the given suit, Noah couldn¡¯t help but think it was quite stylish and fitting for him. His body was not too muscular but they were detailed enough that it was easy to see he didn¡¯t wield a weak body underneath all the clothes.

    His short silver hair and charming blue eyes gave him the appearance of a young and zealous general returning from war. No matter how one looked at it, Noah looked more like a dignified noble than anything else.

    Eve had been silent for some time now but Noah did not mind the Parasite Queen keeping to herself. Despite sharing the same body, it wasn¡¯t as if they conversed with each other nonstop without any rhyme or reason. They could go on for days or even weeks when on the deserted planet without relaying a single word to each other unless something important occurred that required both of their input.

    Adjusting the white gloves included with the outfit, Noah looked at the mirror and couldn¡¯t help but grin at what reflected back.

    ¡°Mirror, my dear mirror, who else but me is the most handsome human in the world?¡±

    Sadly, or perhaps thankfully, the mirror did not answer. However, Noah took the silence as his win. He was indeed the most handsome human in this world. The fact that he was most likely the only human left in this world, did not matter now, did it?

    ¡°I will take your silence for an inability to find an answer to my question.¡± He laughed out loud before walking out of his assigned quarters.

    He had a date to attend today, after all.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Leaving the abode, Noah waited for someone to come and pick him up. While waiting for his guide, Noah couldn¡¯t help but wonder if a pumpkin carriage would soon arrive and lead him to his date, due to that, he couldn¡¯t help but be disappointed when a rather lavish, and normal-looking carriage came to a stop before him. Thankfully, while it did not seem magical in any way, the seats were extremely comfortable and the short ride that accompanied was a pleasant experience.

    The place where Noah was escorted to was an open-air restaurant close to a cliff, giving a direct view of a pristine lake that stretched far and wide, as well as the ethereal moon overhead.

    It was a very romantic and private setting, and Noah found himself being more than a bit appreciative of the decorations and the scenery of the restaurant.

    Stepping out of the carriage, Noah now had a white mask covering his face. It was a night with the themes of a masquerade added to it, at least that¡¯s what the mask on his face suggested.

    Before him, he could see people as far as his eyes could witness, all of them mingling and chatting away in their dignified and varying attires. Most of the attendees were seated in their respective seats while a select few chatted while standing or roamed and surveyed the wide area of the restaurant.

    Small round tables were placed sporadically in an organized fashion and near the cliff was the stage where music groups took their respective positions and entertained the guests with their musical talent.

    Noah was quite lucky as¡­ just as he arrived, the so-called musicians of the town of Bremen were set to begin their performances.

    What was more surprising was that they did not look much like animals, nor were they in a style similar to lions.

    On the stage, Noah could see four people who looked more human than anything else. The only difference that deviated them from their human origins was the few animal traits that covered their bodies here and there. One of them had a slender body with a pair of white wings, one had cat ears and tails and a rather voluptuous body while wearing a low-cut purple dress that matched the black cat ears.

    The third was the tallest of the group and had a horse-like tail and the last one was wearing a collar around her neck while her tail and ears were of a gentle brown.

    Indeed. For some reason, the four musicians were four beautiful women rather than four farm animals as was detailed in the fable. A stark contrast from his expectations.

    Well, I guess I should have learned my lesson by now.

    This was another timely reminder to him that he could not afford to think that he had an advantage just because he knew some fairytales that just happened to match with the different groups of people in this world, not to mention the fact that he wasn¡¯t really all that disappointed at being wrong in this case. After all, unlike the tentacle face idol he had seen on the net, the four women in front of him were far more visually appealing.

    Capricornus would have had a stroke if he saw those ears and tail.

    Noah couldn¡¯t help but chuckle in reminiscence of his fellow Constellation and listened intently to the music presented by the renowned musicians, the highlight of today¡¯s event.

    ¡°What, may I ask, prompted this laughter?¡±

    A woman wearing a black cocktail dress and a half-black mask stopped next to him and queried with a voice full of intrigue and interest.

    Noah shrugged as he replied, ¡°Nothing much, was just reminded of a friend of mine. He would have loved to be here.¡±

    The woman nodded sagely, ¡°Faunari are indeed a very popular race in this galaxy.¡±

    ¡°Faunari?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the name of the race the Town Musician of Bremen belongs to. Well, it¡¯s honestly a more generalized name used to refer to all of them. After all, the Faunari are extremely diverse, with well over a few hundred subspecies in existence and more being discovered as we explore the Sea of Stars. As such we simply refer to all of them by one name.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Noah started walking and was followed by the woman, ¡°So, waiting for anyone in particular?¡±

    ¡°Well, I was waiting for a certain woman but she seems intent on playing a prank on me. So Dorothy, shall we start our date?¡±

    ***

    Smiling, he gave a pointed look toward the masked woman. His words prompted the woman to immediately raise her hand, signaling a sign of defeat. At the same time, she couldn¡¯t help but touch her mask and even try to adjust it, thinking that it had come off.

    ¡°Oh? You can see through my mask? It should have been equipped with a facial and voice distortion mode as well as a mode that could affect perception.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ I was indeed not able to discern who you were with your face or whatever. I just was able to recognize your scent.¡±

    ¡°My scent?¡± Dorothy froze a little and fought the urge to act unladylike by bringing her armpit close to her face to sniffle. Seeing her action, Noah could only chuckle and shake his head, ¡°Do not worry, you have a very interesting scent. One close to lavender. Very subtle and calming. I quite like it, in fact.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ I have received many different kinds of praise, but I have to say that this is indeed a first experience for me.¡± Dorothy said.

    ¡°I hope I wasn¡¯t rude.¡± His eyes twinkled.

    ¡°Oh no~ Far from it. I like novel experiences. This helps me calm down and survive my usually dull life.¡± She found this exchange quite entertaining.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    ¡°I would have never thought that the life of a Queen would be dull.¡±

    ¡°Well, you would be surprised. I have not much to do most of the time nowadays, and I cannot go on adventures like I used to do with my friends. Since Oz is currently an absolute monarchy, there is no one to fight against me. Even the few fights we had were mostly small skirmishes where I did not need to intervene. As if all that wasn¡¯t enough, Scarecrow, Tin and Lion are so skilled I have nothing much to do outside reviewing the fatalities as well as reviewing and approving documents these days.¡±

    Dorothy looked up at the large silver moon and couldn¡¯t help but sigh out loud, ¡°One of my wishes was simply to become a renowned adventurer. Now, though, I guess I overshot the dream by quite a bit, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°Heh, I would say you did more than just overshoot your goal.¡±

    The pair shared a small chuckle filled with mirth and started a small discussion as the enchanting music captivated their hearts. They did not speak of anything important, in fact, only conversed about the recent intriguing topics of the galaxy or shared some funny moments they experienced.

    It was an agreeable night and Dorothy assured him that no one could hear their discussion as she had placed a barrier around them to filter out the sound. Magic was truly an interesting thing.

    ¡°Did you know, one of the Pendragons, to get a woman he loved, decided to buy her entire planet and then acted like a normal man while he tried to gain her love? An entire population of more than 10 billion people were used as nothing but actors and artists.¡±

    ¡°That sounds¡­ creepy, to be honest.¡± Noah could not imagine the thoughts behind an action of such a grand scale. But then, remembering that one prince had an entire museum made out of planets and entire solar systems, he realized that he had to change his perspective when it came to the Pendragon family or rather the galaxy as a whole.

    ¡°It¡¯s indeed quite creepy. The Pendragon family is filled with rather, well let¡¯s say, eccentric people. Thankfully they are overall, acceptable rulers. Things are a little different with the Federation, however, as well as the Guild and the other behemoths of the Galaxy.¡±

    Since the Federation was a coalition of an extremely high number of planets, in essence, they were nearly at the same level as the imperial family. The reality, of course, was vastly different than what was simplified.

    ¡°I am pretty sure the Imperial family owns or is in alliance with more than 30% of the Federation.¡±

    She couldn¡¯t help but chuckle as she shared the information. At the end of the day, even the Empire despite its absolute monarchy was not a perfect monolith. There were simply too many planets and systems for it to control. For obvious reasons, the situation was far worse for the Federation since each of the systems had its own independent laws and regulations as well as sovereign power.

    ¡°If the Empire and the Federation went into war, 9 out of 10 times, the Federation would lose.¡±

    ¡°And yet the Federation still exists to this day.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s but a given. The Federation reached the level where they were weak enough to not be a threat to the Empire¡¯s rule but too strong to simply be crushed like a fly. The Empire would need to sacrifice much in order to win and the act itself would leave them vulnerable to others who wish to overthrow their rule.¡±

    ¡°People like you?¡±

    Dorothy smiled meaningfully, ¡°I am not really interested in reaching that far. But I like the situation we are in. We are one of the powers sandwiched between two behemoths. Technically, we belong to the side of the empire, and I was even awarded the noble title of Duchess. But I also have stakes in the Federation and my influence in the Guild is nothing to scoff at since I was once a high-ranked Adventurer and Mercenary of theirs.¡±

    ¡°A woman of many talents, if I may mention.¡±

    ¡°I am glad you understand this. I am just as beautiful as I am talented too.¡± She grinned, completely unashamed at praising herself. However, her smile soon slipped a bit and a bit of gloom soon mixed in, ¡°Oz is walking on a tightrope. Every waking moment is dedicated to making sure we reach a power level sufficient enough to keep our independence while not ruffling too many feathers.¡±

    Her voice was still bright, but it was easy to see the lethargy in her eyes as she unconsciously massaged her brows¡ª the mind of a ruler was always under constant pressure indeed.

    ¡°It seems quite hard.¡±

    ¡°It is. Sometimes, I regret becoming a Queen, you know? People only see the glitters and the honors of being a ruler but they do not see the tears and the sacrifice I have to make. One nod from me and tomorrow an entire star system could be erased. A wrong word from me and a massacre could occur. A mistake and all of Oz could be lost. It¡¯s tiring and vexing on top of it all.¡±

    Noah drank from his glass in silence, listening to the grievance of the young queen, ¡°But even though it¡¯s hard¡­ Even though I have considered giving up many times and simply fleeing from everything, I did not.¡±

    She looked toward the stage where the musicians were working on animating the venue, ¡°All because¡­ I love this planet. I love the people who live on this planet and it¡¯s my responsibility to ensure a certain quality of life for my people. Also, having all this power can be pretty amusing you know?¡±

    Noah nodded, his eyes a little vacant, ¡°I did not grow on the planet where Morgiana found me.¡±

    ¡°... Oh?¡± Dorothy was surprised by the sudden admission, she already understood that Noah had many secrets and that he was not likely to divulge those secrets to her so this came off as more of a surprise than she would be willing to admit.

    ¡°Would you care for a dance?¡± Rather than continuing his words, Noah questioned instead and while Dorothy was taken aback by the change in topic, she extended her hand all the same, ¡°I would be honored.¡±

    A confident smile stretched Noah¡¯s lips as he took her hand in his, and the two of them started a slow dance under the soothing tune. Even in his past life, Noah had not exactly been trained for such occasions. However, dancing was nothing but coordinating the movements of one¡¯s body, and he was a professional in the art of moving one¡¯s body.

    With a hand snaking around her waist and the other interlaced with hers, the two were at so close they would have been able to feel each others'' breath if not for their masks. For an instant, Dorothy even regretted asking to add this masked theme. Noah¡¯s face was quite a delight to the eyes, and she felt she could never get bored while gazing at his immaculate face.

    At the same time, she was quite glad to be wearing the mask. A duality of thought, she knew, but her face felt far too heated under the cool breeze for her to be comfortable showing anyone her expressions right now. She was not ignorant of social etiquette and had shared a dance with many dignitaries over her life. From princes to warlords to even kings and emperors, none of them were able to make her heart flutter so.

    As the Queen, she had been nagged again and again by her retainers about searching for a companion and having an heir or simply cloning herself or simply fertilizing her egg in vitro by using one of the most compatible males. Some even suggested using another woman as a surrogate mother to make sure Dorothy didn¡¯t weaken her own body.

    All proposals lacked even a shred of romanticism, expectedly so when your main adviser was an AI who only cared about efficiency.

    ¡°I was born and raised on what you guys would consider a low-level civilization or rather, it wasn¡¯t even a Type-I I¡¯d assume? So I guess it¡¯s even lower than what you could call a civilization by the galactic standards.¡±

    Noah¡¯s voice brought Dorothy¡¯s mind out of the gutter and all her focus was attuned to his voice, ¡°I don¡¯t want to enter too much into details about my life. This isn¡¯t a sob story after all. All that matters is that one day, my planet was invaded and thus we had to fight to protect it.¡±

    ¡°Invaded?¡± She was surprised.

    Noah ignored her question, he did not wish to enter into too many details about the matters of his past, ¡°You already should have guessed by now, but I am from Sol-III. However, what you might not have guessed is that I am not a descendant.¡±

    Dorothy was confused. That did not make sense in terms of timeline, the planet where they found Noah was at a distance of 4.2 light years from Sol-III. For Noah to have reached that planet without any warp device and with a low-level space program, it would have taken 81 350 years at minimum and this was if everything went perfectly well with no particular problems along the journey. If not, even one million years might not have been enough.

    Dorothy looked at Noah quietly but soon, her mind calmed down, ¡°I guess I should call you grandpa?¡±

    Noah couldn¡¯t help but choke on his saliva, ¡°I¡­ did not see that one coming.¡±

    ¡°Well, learning that you are most likely a few thousand years or perhaps even a million year old entity is quite shocking but to be honest¡­It¡¯s not that shocking in this place. I mean, were you ever on the verge of cutting the head of a chicken and suddenly heard him plead for his life?¡± She laughed, ¡°80% of Oz¡¯s civilians are vegetarian or only eat imported meat because many were traumatized like this.¡±

    Her voice was lighthearted, making the heavy atmosphere dissipate somewhat. Noah could see what she was doing and he was happy for the gesture.

    ¡°What I don¡¯t understand is. Why are you telling me this, now?¡±

    ¡°Because I want to trust you.¡±

    His voice was blunt, ¡°I do not plan to settle in Oz. I want to travel and explore the stars. I also have many secrets but few secrets can be kept forever. This is why I need allies. Trustworthy allies, people I can give my back to with no fear.¡±

    ¡°And you choose us?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I have been removed from human interaction for years and as such, I hold much distrust. Even now, my guts are twisting because I feel like I am giving you too much information. But¡­ trust and loyalty are not a one-way street. I cannot expect people to trust me when I do not trust them.¡±

    He closed his eyes before opening with determination, ¡°I do not want to lie to you more than necessary. I am still wary. Even now, I am holding a few more secrets. Very big ones.¡±

    ¡°So do I.¡± She squeezed his hand, ¡°Allies do not have to share everything because they are close, you know? There is nothing wrong with keeping some secrets. All that matters is that none of those secrets can harm the other.¡±

    Noah lowered his head and the two of them gazed into each other eyes, they held contact for a few seconds.

    ¡°Of course, I wish to be more than just an ally to you.¡±

    People said that the eyes were the window to one¡¯s soul and at this moment, all Noah could see was joy and benevolence as well as understanding and acceptance. Of course, there was much more in those eyes as well. Feelings that Noah did not think he was ready to deal with at the moment.

    ¡°I plan to leave soon. I will have to discuss it with Morgiana after this.¡± In the end, Noah was the one to break the strange atmosphere that was slowly creeping up between the two of them as he looked away and to this, Dorothy only had one thing to say,

    ¡°Coward.¡±

    For once, Noah had no rebuttal to her words.

 CH 52: Mission

    A few hours later, Noah found himself lying down on his bed, fingers interlocked behind his head, acting as a substitute for a pillow for him as he stared up blankly at the immaculate white ceilings of his room. It was as white as it could be, with not a lick of dust present. Such idle thoughts stirred in his mind as he brooded over the event that transpired not long ago.

    The night with Dorothy did not have any noteworthy events to speak of after their jovial dance and chatter. Dorothy seemed to be in the mood for amusement as she just teased him a few more times before taking her leave to tend to her matters. Everything after that was just not worth mentioning.

    ¡ª I am surprised. I thought one of your goals after getting out of that isolated planet was be to partake in debauchery.

    Noah couldn¡¯t help but chortle at the Queen¡¯s blunt words, ¡°Well, I still have that goal, didn¡¯t forget about it or anything. But having a physical relationship with a woman who rules over who knows how many planets and star systems wasn¡¯t exactly on my bucket list, to be honest.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t help but shake his head as he mentioned his circumstances. If he had any doubts before regarding Dorothy being interested in him, after their brief time together, he would need to be both deaf and blind at the same time to not sense the interest the Queen of Oz had in him. It was so overly blatant that it was almost embarrassing, almost being the keyword.

    ¡ª All the more reason that I do not understand your actions. Be it from a genetic or political standpoint, Dorothy is superior in all aspects. Having a relationship with her would only strengthen your position in Oz and if you were to breed with her and create an heir or heiress then your position would be unshakable. Becoming Prince Consort seems far more advantageous than a random space mercenary to me.

    The more Eve spoke the more excited she seemed, at least that was what Noah was picking up as her voice didn¡¯t have much intonation. Anyway, from her words, it felt to him that she was already planning both of their weddings in her mind.

    It¡¯s good and all but, am I even able to procreate with my current biology?

    Noah had decided to stop caring about giving a correct and clear definition to just what he was, from a biological standpoint at least. However, this did not magically change his biological signature. His body had already evolved beyond anything that would categorize him as a human and even in the extremely off chance that he was still sterile¡­ Dorothy was still a different being from a normal human, could his new self even be genetically compatible with her? It was a question with no clear answer, and Noah didn¡¯t feel like he wanted to find out about it either.

    He couldn¡¯t help but sigh at those thoughts, ¡°One-night stands are so less headache-inducing.¡± He groaned and stood up from his bed. Then, reaching the handle of his bedroom door, he opened it with a calm smile,

    ¡°Hello Morgiana. A lady coming at this hour of the night in a man''s room is quite the invitation you know?¡±

    Morgiana ¨C who had her hand still raised, clearly ready to knock on the door had Noah not opened it ¨C snorted out loud. ¡°Trust me. If I am interested in you, I will make that loud and clear from the get-go. I do not like to play games when it comes to relationships. I am here for a far more serious matter.¡±

    ¡°Be my guest. Your presence will illuminate my modest room.¡±

    Morgiana gave him an unimpressed look as she entered the room, while he followed closely behind her.

    Her eyes roamed the room a little. Though Noah only had this room for a short time, it was easy to get a glimpse of the owner¡¯s personality.

    Extremely tidy, no new additions, no new clothes, no particular changes. Very dry.

    There was not much to glean, but she could see that Noah was not someone with much feeling of attachment. He also was clearly ready to leave this place at any given moment, which confirmed his intention of joining her crew, even if temporarily.

    What truly caught her attention, though, was the still-lit computer. Her eyes opened wide for a moment as she couldn¡¯t help but comment, ¡°I did not know you had such interests. Your tastes are certainly¡­ interesting, to say the least.¡±

    ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Noah who had been following behind Morgiana as he closed the door was confused for a short moment. He couldn¡¯t get his head around what she was referring to but soon, he followed her gazes and his eyes widened as all hell before he groaned and facepalmed.

    ¡°This is not what you think.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s okay. I am not judging. While the Cephaloid is not really a people¡¯s favorite, they do have a certain popularity to a certain group of people.¡± Morgiana was not stupid. She could see from Noah¡¯s reaction alone that it was truly a misunderstanding on her part.

    But at this point, it didn¡¯t really matter if it was a misunderstanding or not. He had readily given her free ammunition to tease him to hell and beyond and, she was not going to miss it even if her life depended on it. If this was the only victory she could get out of him then she was going to take it without missing a single beat.

    Cackling to herself like an obnoxious woman, she went over to the bed and took a seat while Noah stood opposite her on the office chair. Of course, he made sure to close the holographic screen of the computer on his way there.

    ¡°So, why the sudden visit?¡±

    Morgiana shrugged, ¡°Snow White agreed to get a sidekick. In fact, she was very happy when she heard about your talent to change the size and age of your body. It is making things easier for her.¡±

    ¡°Let me make it clear, I cannot change at will¡­ At least, I think I cannot do that yet. I only become smaller when I am starved, it¡¯s like an energy-saving mechanism of sorts.¡±

    ¡°Hum¡­ Then it might be more complicated than we anticipated, but even so, it¡¯s worth giving it a try.¡± Morgiana mused out loud, which prompted Noah to speak, ¡°I hate being kept out of important information.¡±

    ¡°Hum¡­ Well, you do need to know about the details. Tell me, what do you know about¡­¡± She stopped herself and shook her head, ¡°Sorry, never mind. I forgot you never left your planet until now.¡±

    ¡°I may be mistaken but your tone sounds quite condescending. Don¡¯t forget, I may be a country bumpkin, but I am still stronger than you.¡±

    If words were swords, then Noah¡¯s last few words were enough to pierce Morgiana¡¯s heart in one precise stab. She was still feeling sour about her defeat, after all. She might have had some delusion about how the gulf separating them wasn¡¯t that high in the past and that she only lost because he took her by surprise, but after his fight against Lion, she knew that she definitely wasn¡¯t his match.

    Sighing, she waved her hand in defeat, ¡°Yeah yeah, you are strong. Stronger than me. Anyway, listen to what I am going to say. This will be your first mission and we don¡¯t want you to go unprepared.¡±

    She made a gesture with her hand and a hologram manifested above her wrist, showing the image of a golden planet hovering with a distinct hue. ¡°I didn¡¯t know planets could look like this.¡±

    ¡°This is Neverland, a special planet. Trust me, there are far more outlandish planets than this one.¡± She shrugged and continued, ¡°Neverland is known as a planet of joy and festivity. Their slogan is We are the place where everything is possible and where children never have to grow up.

    You could say that in this vast universe filled with grimness and war, Neverland is a giant in the entertainment industry, and they can hold their position for one specific element¡­ The Rejuvenating Glow.¡±

    She pointed at the planet, ¡°The golden color is caused by the atmosphere of the planet. Anyone who enters the planet and breathes the air there will find themselves slowly aging down until they reach the age of an average toddler, at the golden time of their childhood. Once they leave, the effect dissipates and they regain their age.¡±

    Noah tilted his head, ¡°This is the main attraction?¡± While knowing that time was one of the most precious commodities one could have. He was still a little surprised.

    ¡°Heh. I guess you are still young. You don¡¯t understand how much eternal youth means for some people. Not everyone is part of a long-living race, you know? Most people also do not want to digitize themselves, living as sentient AI or Androids or some other mechanical lifeform. So Neverland is a very prized planet with limited entry. I could probably explain to you all day why this planet is regarded as the Jewel of the Milky Way, but that is not important to us.¡± Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    She gestured again and thousands of pictures depicting a multitude of young children appeared on the hologram, ¡°Lately, there has been a crisis of missing people. Missing children to be exact. More than ten thousand children vanished mysteriously with no clue regarding how and where they may be.¡±

    The pictures vanished and showed two people, one man with a hat and an old woman who had a sort of kind aura and the appearance of your average affectionate grandma, ¡°While it might be cruel to say, in the grand scheme of things, ten thousand missing children is no big deal. Entire planets go missing sometimes. But one of the missing children was the son of a big shot and that one put a bounty to find his son.¡±

    ¡°So, this is where you guys intervene?¡±

    ¡°Indeed. Two of our members, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, investigated and after much money and time spent, they got a clue directing them to Neverland as well as the possible culprits of the mysterious disappearance.¡±

    ¡°Those two?¡±

    ¡°Yep. The man is Hunold Singuf. Known as the Piper of Hamelin. Bounty, 60 million Credits. Wanted alive, if dead only 10 million will be received. His main crimes are kidnapping on extremely large scales. He rose to fame after kidnapping all the children of an entire continent and leaving all the adults paralyzed. He is very well known in the underworld when it comes to organ trafficking or slavery. Many planets that still haven¡¯t reached Type-I were destroyed because of him. He¡¯s as heinous a man as they come.¡±

    She then pointed at the woman, ¡°Don¡¯t let her gentle look deceive you. Meet the Candy Witch. She is actually from Oz, and she has more than a dozen bounties on her head. The total of which brings her bounty to a whopping 200 million. Wanted dead or alive.¡±

    ¡°What has she done?¡±

    Morgiana took a moment as her gaze had a very faraway look, in the end, she only scratched her head and muttered, ¡°Nowadays, she is known as the Gourmet. I believe it should be easy to guess why.¡±

    Noah immediately made the connection, his face souring as he muttered, ¡°¡­ Oh.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Of course, her eating little children wouldn¡¯t be enough to give her such a high bounty, and to be honest, she is not worth so much. It¡¯s just that because of her hobby, she started targeting talented children, and most talented children have powerful families or organizations behind them. In terms of scale, she operates at a far lesser level than the Piper himself. However, she pissed off the wrong people, and now they want her dead.¡±

    ¡°Yet she lives.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. She is a witch, after all. She is no pushover by any means, and personal power aside; she¡¯s considered a specialist in polymorphism. Either way, from the information we have, the Piper owns a slave ring hidden deep in Neverland and might sell some of his prizes to the Candy Witch soon. We need to infiltrate the planet and hopefully get the son of our client before he gets eaten. Of course, if we can save the other slaves, kill the witch on the way, or capture the Piper¡­ It would be a nice bonus.¡±

    The mood was quite somber this time as Noah simply looked at the two targets with a musing look. Noah did not think he was an ally of justice, and neither did he think he could solve all crimes in the world. Still, as someone who had his childhood robbed by the very people who should have protected him, Noah found that he could not put a finger to the emotions that were filling him at the moment.

    What he did know, though, was that he would make sure to capture those two and show them what it felt like to meet a true gourmet.

    ¡°Before that, I have a question. Who is the owner of the planet?¡±

    ¡°Hum?¡± Morgiana was distracted for a second before she nodded, ¡°Calling it ruling would be a little hard as this planet is controlled by a group known as the Familia. Each of them owns a part of the planet and is specialized in an aspect of entertainment. But if I had to name a leader, well¡­¡±

    The bounties vanished and were replaced by the picture of a young man with long pointed ears who seemed to be barely fifteen years old. Clad in regal green clothes that covered him all over, he was sitting on a throne with a crown made of golden leaves adorning his head.

    ¡°It would be this man. The forever young, Peter Pan.¡±

    Peter Pan, huh¡­

    Noah had already been ready for the answer; however, the knowledge still made him feel strange inside. Still, he was getting used to all of this by now and he knew for sure that the similarities wouldn''t end there.

    ¡°So, what is the exact plan and how do I participate in it?¡±

    ¡°Well. What do you think about getting Kidnapped and used as an insider?¡± Morgiana gave him a toothy grin.

    ¡°Sounds like a really stupid plan.¡±

    ¡°I know. But this is the only plan we have. Peter Pan is a big shot and he certainly wouldn¡¯t appreciate us snooping around on his planet and looking for criminals. Even if he was clean, which he certainly is not, I am sure there are so many dark dealings happening in Neverland that we wouldn¡¯t even see the end of it if we even tried to investigate. It will only end in us becoming hostile with the residents. Not to mention, if people were to learn that the so-called land of dreams and joy had a slave ring hidden inside, then it would negatively affect their reputation. I am sure you can understand now why we cannot act with the help of the government. We need to do it alone and for that¡­ we need to act even if the plan may seem stupid at first glance.¡±

    Noah couldn¡¯t help but groan out loud after hearing Morgiana¡¯s full explanation. He could see clearly that their hands were tied no matter which path they took and bickering about their plan was not going to help them as they were now, ¡°Very well. Let¡¯s talk about the ugly things first. How much am I getting paid for this?¡±

    ¡°Are you serious? We are talking about lives, Noah. Young lives. How could we talk about something as dirty as money in such a situation.¡±

    ¡°Huhuh¡­ You ain¡¯t getting nowhere. Saving kids is good, but I need to know I am getting my due.¡±

    ¡°Tch.¡± Morgiana clicked her tongue, frustrated.

    ¡°I heard that.¡±

    ¡°You were meant to.¡± Morgiana chuckled under her breath as she replied with a jesting tone. She had to admit that joking around with Noah was quite a fun activity for her, and it helped her ignore the horrific content that was inlaid in the topic they were discussing. At the end of the day, no matter how much she wished for it to be different and more ideal for themselves¡ª they were certainly not heroes, not by a long shot. In the same breath, they were not saviors and they would never be. They could never change the world. Well, to be exact, they completely gave up on that front after encountering the overwhelming reality of the world they lived in.

    ¡°Twenty percent as a base. To be transparent, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty are taking thirty percent each. The remaining twenty percent will be given to the mercenary group as a whole rather than any particular individual.¡±

    ¡°This seems¡­ generous, to say the least.¡±

    ¡°It is. In a bigger group, having 20% to 50% shared among the individual participants is more common. While the remaining half or more goes to the group and the leader.¡±

    ¡°I guess your leader¡ª Alibaba is quite generous.¡±

    ¡°Oh no. I would never accept this if it was just generosity. It¡¯s fairness. Big mercenary groups don¡¯t just share housing. Security, special discounts, money for early or late retirement, money for the bereaved in case of death, and greasing the paw of greedy officials. None of that is free you know? Sadly, we don¡¯t have all those advantages so our members get a bigger share to compensate for that. That¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°I like clear boundaries.¡±

    ¡°Good to know. Now about the subject of your reward, the 20% I am talking about only applies to the reward for getting the kid. If you manage to capture or kill our secondary targets then whatever bounties you get, you will only need to share 10% of it with Snow White and Sleeping Beauty and another 10% with the group, the rest of it is yours to do as you wish. You can give more to the girls if they make more contributions but that is entirely up to you.¡±

    Like this, Morgiana and Noah continued ironing the details of the operation. Obviously, there were still many things Morgiana was not clear about and he would need to talk with Snow White on-site to have clear details about the whole mission and how to proceed with their objectives.

    The discussion lasted nearly an hour and at the end, Morgiana even felt that her throat had gotten a bit dry and rough from all the talking. She really needed a drink. ¡°Well, this is it from me. In one week, a cruise ship will land on Oz headlining towards Neverland without any stops in between. The trip should last one or two days at most. You just need to board, enjoy the trip, and then descend on Neverland.¡±

    ¡°No personal ships?¡±

    Morgiana could only give a strained smile in response, ¡°My last ship kind of blew up alongside the planet. Too poor to buy a new one now, and not shameless enough to get one from Dorothy. Ugh¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ Not gonna lie, you guys don¡¯t seem particularly reliable, you know.¡±

    ¡°I warned you. I even named other mercenary groups that would be far better with your skillset. You are the one who insisted.¡± Morgiana retorted before standing up, ¡°Anyway you still have one week to decide. I will be candid. The incoming mission will be dangerous. If we fuck up, we might even become enemies with Neverland and all the people behind it. The reward is sweet but it¡¯s honestly not worth risking your life.¡±

    ¡°Then why did you guys accept it? Even if you are low on money, why take those risks?¡± Noah still did not have a clear grasp of Morgiana¡¯s personality.

    For all intent and purposes, she seemed to be and acted like your average greedy mercenary with one foot constantly on the grave. However, most of her actions didn¡¯t match with the image she was trying to maintain.

    Morgiana stopped at the door, her back facing him, ¡°This isn¡¯t a secret or anything. But I was once a slave. This isn¡¯t some kind of sob story or anything unique in this universe. I was sold by my family because I was a nuisance and found myself in a very bad situation. The ones who saved me back then when I lost all hope were none other than Alibaba and¡­¡± She stopped in her tracks, seemingly reminiscing something she would rather forget, ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter now.¡±

    She sighed and opened the door, ¡°All I wanna say is¡­ being a slave sucks. So if I can save even one person from such a fate the same way I was saved then¡­ I believe it''s pretty good.¡±

    Morgiana was under no delusion about reality, not anymore. The Piper was only one out of thousands if not millions of slave traders out there in the vast galaxy. Even now, at the moment, millions upon millions of people are losing their homes and their freedom to these dirty bastards who would do anything for money.

    However, she was no god. She could not save everyone. She was not the strongest, she had to pick her battles.

    It was only after growing up and maturing that she realized this bitter reality and it haunted her to this day.

    ¡°You know. Being mature and realistic really sucks.¡±

    With those last words, the girl with an unsung story left the room.

 CH 53: Destiny

    After closing the ceremony and taking care of a few small things, Dorothy teleported back to the Emerald Castle. Since the Emerald Castle was once the Wizard of Oz¡¯s seat of power, Dorothy never really felt at ease sleeping or living in this place. That was exactly why she had created her very own floating tower on the outer atmosphere of the planet. A place that solely belonged to her and her alone.

    Still, sometimes staying on the planet was necessary and while not always enjoyable, it was still bearable.

    [I believe this night was a success. The musicians expressed their desire to stay in Oz and expand here. This is an occasion for us to develop our dying entertainment industry.]

    The room Dorothy used for herself was, as one would expect for a queen, filled with extravagance.

    And such extravagance was something she hated from her very core.

    A room was just for the sole purpose of sleeping peacefully. Why did she need such a big room and bed, along with all those shiny, unnecessary accessories when she just wanted to sleep in peace?

    ¡°Do we need them?¡± She asked nonchalantly as she took a seat in front of her mirror. She was not a vain person, but she still had to admit that she was beautiful, in all senses of the word. No one could deny that, absolutely no one. It was a wonder how Noah had not fallen for her yet, nor did he show any signs of falling for her any time soon or ever for that matter.

    [We do. At the moment, people have a rather negative opinion about Oz. More so about all the witches such as Baba Yaga and the Candy Witch who are causing mayhem in the galaxy. The actions of the previous king certainly did not help and with you sheltering Morgiana, we¡¯ve also made enemies with those backing the Sultan. A booming entertainment industry will go a long way in changing how other worlds perceive us.]

    Dorothy would have groaned out loud if it wasn¡¯t such an un-ladylike action,

    ¡°Either way, things are moving in the right direction for Oz, and this is why you need to erase all information about everything you have heard today during my discussion with Noah.¡± Dorothy did not beat around the bush, Scarecrow should have already anticipated those words from her and she didn¡¯t want to play games with her friend.

    [Dorothy?]

    Scarecrow¡¯s voice was even. He was unsurprised by this situation. After all, from the data he had about Dorothy¡¯s behavior, this action had a 90% possibility of transpiring in all the scenarios he had predicted.

    Dorothy untied her hair and took down the jewels adorning her body, ¡°No need to play dumb, my friend. It doesn¡¯t suit you in the least. We both know that privacy is an impossible outcome with you surveying everything. Even if I used many spells to block information from slipping, I still know how you are, my friend. Added to that the knowledge and understanding of your skills and the way you go about things, I am sure you have already made a backup drive to store as much information as you can about Noah¡ª destroy them, all of them.¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Another thing he had predicted down to the last minute detail. However, it was a prediction with only a 60% chance of transpiring, a steep drop from the previous possibility. This was quite surprising as Dorothy was generally quite cold and, unlike many mammals, she could separate her feelings from what she needed to do.

    In the end, Scarecrow summarized that delaying things would not help his case,

    [... I believe this is a mistake on your part. No matter how much you believe in him or your prophecy, we must have cards up our sleeve. The information I have obtained today made me increase his potential danger level. He is dangerous but also someone worth controlling.]

    Dorothy closed her mouth, she could order Scarecrow to do it but she knew it would ultimately be useless when it came down to it. While Scarecrow was initially just a small AI with a set order to obey her, he was now a fully sentient being able to think and act for himself. His level as an AI was high enough for him to disable any failsafe she would push forward. As such, she also decided to simply explain her reasoning.

    ¡°You are mistaken about one thing. I am not doing this because I trust Noah.¡± Prophecies were a funny thing really, always unreliable and never straightforward. In the stream of time, endless possibilities existed, and more often than one would think, the future with the highest chance of transpiring was not the one to be realized.

    [Then why?]

    ¡°It¡¯s exactly because I do not fully trust him that I need to make sure our relationship grows enough for trust to be built and maintained. This is of paramount importance. We cannot afford to become enemies with him. Not now, even much less so in the future.¡±

    [Then, there are more reasons for us to prepare countermeasures against him, don¡¯t you think?]

    ¡°Scarecrow, your actions are no different from stereotype self-prophecies.¡± She shook her head, knowing that this wasn¡¯t enough, ¡°When we had our short talk, I had a short vision but one clearer than anything I have had in a while, and in that vision, I have received a prophecy.¡±

    [A new prophecy?]

    For once, Scarecrow was worried. Dorothy''s power set allowed her to witness the past and the future by observing the stars. This power of hers had its ups and downs, but it brought them many victories.

    Prophecies were different. Dorothy had no control over when they appeared, but until now, there has never been a prophecy that failed to manifest.

    [The usual form?]

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    The prophecies Dorothy received always came in the form of a cryptic poem divided into three parts. One describing the past, one talking about the present, and one giving a glimpse of the future.

    Knowing that she had the full attention of her friend, Dorothy started singing the poem that manifested in her mind when Noah told her the minuscule vestiges of his once glorious yet lonely past.

    In days of old, a hero stood,

    Against the tide, he bravely fought.

    With sword and heart, through darkened wood,

    Defying fate, his legend wrought.

    Beneath the stars, his battles raged,

    A beacon bright, in endless night.

    Through trials fierce, his soul engaged,

    A timeless dance of wrong and right.

    Now treads the one on paths unknown,

    A wanderer in twilight''s glow.

    With every step, a seed is sown,

    Yet where it leads, he cannot know.

    His heart is filled with questions deep,

    A journey bound by shadows cast.

    He walks awake while others sleep,

    A future veiled by echoes past.

    The demon of salvation comes,

    Devourer of Worlds, ever-shifting tide.

    In changing forms, his power hums,

    A force where light and dark collide.

    From chaos born, through realms, he''ll stride,

    A savior cloaked in shadow''s breath.

    With every change, the worlds abide,

    A dance of life, a touch of death.

 CH 54: Information

    After that night, the remainder of his time on Oz went by in a flash. During his stay, Noah lost some of the edge and gloom he had developed during his adventure on the half-cold, half-hot planet that had ceased to exist along with the Stargate.

    This was a period of rest and calm for Noah, however, he made sure to not neglect his training while he rested, going at it relentlessly. If Noah wished to integrate the changes his body had gone through and unleash the full capabilities of his powers then training and adapting to the changes was a must, thus he pursued that goal through endless training.

    Lion had woken up and made a full recovery much faster than he expected, thankfully, he was not resentful against him for putting him in such a sorry state. The power he showed Lion seemed to have made the beast pretty satisfied, happy even, and he prepared a full training regiment made to push him toward the very limits of his strength.

    Hours upon hours, Noah would put his mind and soul into training relentlessly. Since his body could continuously heal through any fatigue or injury he accumulated through the training, as long as he had enough food to consume that is, Lion did not have to limit himself in the way he handled Noah.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª

    In a simulation room specially prepared for Noah, the young man could be seen wheezing with his hands on his knees.

    [Noah, now that you have passed the current level¡­ What do you say? Shall we go to the next one?]

    Lion¡¯s voice resounded from the speaker, asking for Noah¡¯s opinion. He was encouraging the lad to take on the next challenge.

    ¡°Bring¡­ Bring it on¡­¡±

    Even though the simple act of talking was hard for Noah, his throat so dry that he could barely push those few words out, he did not disappoint the Lion and readily accepted the challenge¡­ Because he could already feel his body adapting and improving itself.

    ¡ª Noah, breathe in properly. You need to change your way of breathing. Remember, you don¡¯t just need to use your lungs.

    Noah nodded while wiping the small beads of sweat that plastered his whole face. Logically, he knew that his body''s needs were different now from what they initially were due to his evolution. However, it was quite hard to get rid of habits he had lived with for all his life.

    I guess the mindset is what¡¯s truly important when it comes to these things.

    [Are you ready?]

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    [Very well¡­

    Level: 4

    Gravity Increase: 30X

    Number of Enemies: 6

    Condition: Weaponless

    Stage: Sandy beach]

    Light exploded in Noah¡¯s vision and soon¡­ he found himself standing on a clean and beautiful beach with a pristine blue sea stretching as far as his eyes could witness. Above him was a beautiful blue sky filled with seagulls. Beneath him, the rough texture of the sand between his toes made him wonder if he was truly in a simulation room or actually transported to a space with a beach environment.

    Soon, however, Noah was unable to pay attention to the beautiful sight before him as the gravity started settling in, suppressing him all over.

    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±

    Unlike what many people may think, the problem with increased gravity wasn¡¯t so much an external problem of added weight as much as it was an internal problem relating to his organs. Lifting something 30 times his own weight was no problem for Noah with his physical specs.

    However, in the current situation, with the gravity affecting his whole body, his internal organs were legitimately screaming as though they were being crushed and then regenerated over and over again. Tears of blood trailed from his bloodshot eyes, while his veins became extremely prominent beneath his skin and throbbed while coping with the enhanced gravity.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    His body was constantly healing and being destroyed by the intense pressure and yet things did not stop there as six enemies designed for this particular simulation manifested before his eyes.

    The six were not completely humanoid and were closer to giant spiders than anything else with the numbers of arms to match their identity.

    Seeing the enemies before his eyes, a bitter smile leaked out of Noah¡¯s mouth, ¡°Tell me the truth. You still have a grudge against me, right?¡±

    [I do not understand what you are talking about. This is legitimate training. Now then¡ª let it begin!]

    Noah grinned, this was going to be another sort of hell like the one he faced inside the Stargate, however, it was a hell he readily welcomed.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The training session lasted for another three hours as Lion progressively increased the number of enemies, varying the terrain Noah had to fight in throughout the training regimen. From sandy beach to a ragged mountain and even in the middle of the sea or during a free fall from the skies above. It was quite a diverse program that catered to all of the scenarios a mercenary may need to go through in their lives during missions but Noah was thankful for the opportunity.

    After all, once he started exploring the galaxy there would definitely be many planets with exotic landscapes and conditions that somehow or the other complimented the training scenarios he was going through. Learning how to fight whenever and wherever was always a good thing for him.

    [This is it for today. You will do level 5 tomorrow, level 4 is enough for your training today, I believe. Normally we should give you a special supplement at this stage for your recovery. But we now understand the best supplement for you is food. So come. After this, you have your class with Tin.]

    The smile on Noah¡¯s face froze a bit at the declaration. He didn¡¯t mind fighting, sweating, and bleeding when training. In fact, he enjoyed it quite a bit and found a feeling of calmness wash over him when he focused his all on training through the various challenges.

    The lessons with Tin though, were a whole different scenario altogether. The first part was something Noah loved. Mechanics and understanding of Knightframes. This was a class Noah agreed was very important for him down the line, as this helped him gain a better understanding of how the renewed mechas of this era operated.

    But the other part of the lesson consisted of general knowledge about culture and history, as well as geography or should he call it spaceography? Either way, Tin was using those few days to cram as much knowledge as possible into Noah¡¯s head and it was not pleasant in the least to memorize so much info.

    ¡ª Should you just enter the pod?

    You know I can¡¯t. I believe Dorothy and even Lion for that matter and Tin is cool. But even if I only had some hangup about the learning pods, now there is no way I am letting something like that connect to my mind in the sphere of control of that AI on my tail.

    Crow was a powerful AI and Noah knew that whatever he was imagining, crow could do far worse if he just put his mind to it. Underestimating a super space AI with unlimited control was not in his plans.

    I doubt he will refuse Dorothy¡¯s order. But why take the unnecessary risk?

    Noah stood up and sighed once again before walking toward the bathroom. He needed to clean himself and wear some appropriate clothes for his next lesson. The last time he went to visit Tin with his training uniform while reeking of sweat, Noah had the impression he was about to see a robot fainting after a mechanical heart attack of sorts, and the aftermath wasn¡¯t pretty by any means. The lecture that followed his stunt nearly made Noah¡¯s ears bleed out even though they had evolved to withstand a missile exploding next to them.

    ¡°Reluctant to meet our dear Tin, are we?¡±

    Lion entered the room while holding a pad in one hand and a large cup in another. He also had a small monocle and from Noah¡¯s position, he could see alien numbers trailing up and down through the glass of the monocle.

    Noah was glad he didn¡¯t have to learn writing skills, since he obtained those from eating the pirates.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say I am reluctant, just tired. Tin can be a little intense sometimes. But I know it¡¯s for my own good.¡±

    Noah accepted the cup and looked at the suspicious liquid with disgust before downing it in a single go.

    ¡°Ugh. I feel like I am drinking raw flesh mixed with fur.¡± He grimaced slightly at the aftertaste and wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

    ¡°An awfully specific comparison here.¡±

    ¡°When I first woke up on the planet I lived in, I didn¡¯t know there was a super hot side of the planet. I was forced to eat raw flesh the moment I killed prey to avoid it freezing completely.¡±

    The earlier days on that planet had truly not been easy for him but thinking about it now, those memories were not all that bad.

    ¡°You are really a weirdo, you know that?¡±

    ¡°I will take those words as a compliment coming from you.¡±

    The two shared a small laugh. It might be a little clich¨¦ to say, but men did not need much to become friends. Funnily enough, his relationship with Lion could be said to be the closest, even though it began in the most violent way possible. The other person something similar had happened too, still hated his guts, so to speak. That¡¯s why men were far easier to get along with than women.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s time for me to get going now. Tin is pretty fastidious with time, and I don¡¯t want to cause him to go on another rant.¡±

    ¡°Heh. You are right.¡±

 CH 55: Geppetto

    Leaving the special training room reserved for his sole use, Noah could see people on the training mat in the distance. The training center was an extremely large structure and could easily hold well over several thousand people without much problem.

    Still, he was always surprised by how low the number of people training here was compared to the size of this place.

    ¡°This place is mostly reserved for the elites of my legion and to be honest, hand-to-hand combat is not something soldiers train much for nowadays.¡±

    ¡°Because of using Frames?¡± Noah asked.

    ¡°Indeed. Not everyone is a freak like you, no offense.¡±He winked. ¡°If most other people get ejected from their knight frame and fall into the battlefield, then they are most likely already dead or soon to be captured by the enemy. Hard to say which one is unluckier, to be honest.¡±

    Noah nodded his head in understanding. It was the same back on earth too, even far before the creation of mecha for that matter. Having self-defense skills was always a plus for a soldier, but from the moment guns and even more developed firearms were developed, the application of any form of martial arts was pretty much as good as dead.

    But,

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t the Frame pilots learn even more hand-to-hand combat and weapon arts if that¡¯s the case? How do you guys fight then?¡± Noah couldn¡¯t help but ask with a hint of curiosity in his eyes. If operating a Frame was anything like operating a Mecha then they needed to have diverse knowledge in hand-to-hand combat to outmaneuver the foe.

    ¡°Why would martial arts be necessary to control a mecha?¡± Lion seemed confused and Noah was ready to answer but then stopped as he remembered one important fact he had forgotten about Knightframes.

    ¡°Ah, yeah, you guys don¡¯t use Neurolink.¡±

    Hearing his answer, Lion couldn¡¯t help but frown. They had reached the exit door while having this conversation, ¡°You do know¡­ No, you wouldn¡¯t¡­ I won¡¯t even ask how you know about Neurolink. Don¡¯t care. But you should know that this system is outdated and mostly unlawful and that too for obvious reasons.¡±

    While Lion was not the one who took care of the Knightframe armada, he knew enough about the different conventions and regulations to make the comment.

    ¡°Well, to start off¡ª Full Neurolinks are simply impractical by all means. Never mind the fact that the pilot needs a special surgical operation to make the connection possible in the first place, it heavily limits the pilots as they need to bond with a single specific frame for the rest of their lives. Use anything else and it will simply not meet the specification of the user themselves and cause heavy conflicts within the systems.¡±

    Lion waved his paw, ¡°It isn¡¯t a problem for very powerful and customized frames but nowadays, standard mass-produced frames are the most common type of combat arms there is. Who would go through an extremely painful, and most likely, deadly operation just to pilot one specific Frame? Nothing short of a madman I tell you.¡±

    Lion shook his head, ¡°Of course, the world is filled with darkness and the unknown. No matter how unlawful the procedure is, it wouldn¡¯t stop determined people if it was at least efficient. However, the reality is different in that context.

    ¡°Let¡¯s say someone did go through the operation, got lucky enough to survive, and got a powerful frame to pair up with. Then what do they do? Do you actually know how much information the CPU of a Frame analyzes in just a fraction of a second? Unless the person is from a race with a higher processing capacity, chances are, their brains would get deep fried the first time they even make the connection.¡±

    He huffed at the end of his chattering. It wasn¡¯t as if he had never seen a Full Connection before. Witches were some crazy ladies, and a few of them definitely tried controlling a Knightframe through a Neurolink. The results were mostly negative or a heavily specialized frame needed the combined efforts of two or even three witches to properly function. However, then they would face the oldest problem of humanity in real time, conflicting thoughts.

    ¡°The worst drawback is the nerve connection and sensation transmission. Frames are made to be used as a dispensable tool at the end of the day. They are armor, no armor can come out unscathed after a battle, much less a war. What is the use of armor if the one it''s supposed to protect feels even more pain while they wear it?¡± This was perhaps the most stupid part of the Neurolink. Since the pain receptors of the pilot were connected to the Frame itself, it did not take long for it to become a glorified torture device for lack of better words.

    From the information and secret tests done by many powers behind the scenes, the results were abysmal even in the best-case scenario. Only special races could bring qualitative change into the equation.

    But then, there was no need to go through all this pain if you were going to use special races in the first place.

    ¡°So¡­ Is it really a dead system these days? Are there any manufacturers who know how to install it?¡±

    ¡°Noah¡­¡± Lion frowned, understanding that despite his words and warning, Noah still wished to head toward certain ruin. Noah was smiling, but from the stubborn light in his eyes, Lion could guess that nothing of what he wanted to say would reach him in this situation.

    ¡°Ugh¡­ I swear if Dorothy wasn¡¯t interested in you, I would dump your ass here and not care if your brain gets fried.¡±

    ¡°Heheh¡­ Acting shy does not suit you, Lion.¡±

    ¡°Humph.¡± Lion snorted disdainfully and took a comb to work on his mane to suppress the frustration in his heart.

    ¡°Some systems do use it. Such as the Neo system. They believe that the ideal frames must be piloted not by one but by at least five pilots. Because of their position, the Neo system regularly faces high-level cosmic beasts, so they developed some interesting ways of going around the limitations of their races. Having 5 pilots, each of them taking a part of the burden while one pilot works as the leader and directs the fight.¡±

    Lion laughed, he had seen some of the demonstrations of those fusion-type frames and while they were intriguing, Lion did not have a high opinion of them in the least. It was simply a waste of resources and forces in his honest opinion.

    ¡°The Neo system is¡­ Well, they are quite eccentric and an isolationist bunch. They are not really part of the Empire or the Federation. Not unlike Oz in many ways. But unlike us, they are known worldwide as the kings of entertainment. You should try watching one of the animations they make when you are free. Very distracting and relaxing at the same time.¡±

    The more Lion spoke about the Neo system, the weirder Noah¡¯s gaze became as a certain picture was starting to form in his head. Chuckling to himself at the thought, he decided to steer back the discussion on the right track.

    Noah gave the beast a bitter smile, ¡°You said it was banned?¡±

    ¡°Unlawful in many places. Not outright banned.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    ¡°In history, there was also the White Empire. They were more or less the predecessors of the Pendragon family. Didn¡¯t survive long, since they fought against the swarm of Parasites at its very peak. During the war, they basically just created a bunch of clones based on their emperors, children who never grew up and would die as children, and used them as pilots with this Neurolink connection as the baseline. Well, in the end, the damage from the war was too high, and that empire died out pretty fast.¡±

    Noah could more or less understand now. Be it from a practical, moral, or even historical standpoint, the system he was so proud of was considered obsolete in this place and if he had to be honest, he understood why.

    He had seen for himself how many people died in those experiments and he was happy fewer people would have to go through the torture that made them the constellations.

    ¡°Of course, if you really want the best of the best, then you should visit Geppetto. I am sure Dorothy already informed you, but he is known as the father of machines and that¡¯s due to far more reasons than what you and even I can imagine. It¡¯s no wonder that he is one of the most brilliant minds of the current era. In a way, many consider him as a power not any weaker than the Empire or the Federation.¡±

    ¡°I have heard his name many times by now and I only become more curious with each mention. Though, shouldn¡¯t meeting such a man be complicated.¡±

    ¡°Well, yes and no. Geppetto is a strange man. He asks for a fair price when building a machine, but he has no care for money in itself. All he cares about are ideas. If you ask him for something he deems as boring, even the emperor wouldn¡¯t be able to force him to create what they envision. But inversely, if he considers your project interesting, then nothing will stop him from building it. Not even a galactic war.¡±

    ¡°Does he have no objectives or goals? Or is he simply living based on his interests?¡±

    ¡°No. He does have one goal.¡± Lion scratched his mane, making a troubled expression as he uttered, ¡°Making machines that can grow and feel emotions like organic creatures.¡±

    Noah stopped, feeling a little confused, ¡°Isn¡¯t it¡­¡±

    ¡°Crown and Tin, as well as myself really, are accidents of nature. What he wants is a truly scientific and replicable way of succeeding. Why else do you think he is friendly with Oz?¡±

    A frown covered Noah¡¯s face, ever so subtly, as he finally gleaned a bit about Geppetto¡¯s true goal. He did not want to see this with a prejudiced mindset but after everything that happened to him, he was understandably quite hesitant to trust or even believe in scientists and researchers¡­ people who were just a tad bit too zealous in their research for optimal results which fuelled their desire for discovery and creation.

    From experience, such cases more often than not ended in some human experiments and child trafficking. In essence, Geppetto dealt with machines and the integration of the non-living with the living, however, to understand life, you needed to study life and for that, you required live specimens to test. Things gradually went more and more toward the dark from that point.

    ¡°Is he some kind of mad evil scientist or something?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ It depends on your definition of mad and evil at the end of the day.¡± Lion simply waved his hand in response, ¡°He is a war veteran who has fought and managed to stay ahead of the two strongest forces in the entire Milky Way Galaxy. He also retaliated against their rule when they came looking for trouble with him. Even though he never targeted innocents, the number of people who died directly or indirectly because of him can hardly be counted in numbers. It¡¯s not even quantifiable in my opinion, we are talking about Solar System scales here¡ª one of his weapons, most likely the reason the war stopped, was strong enough to wipe out an entire solar system composed of more than 12 planets. All the planets were habitable and housed more lives than we could hope to count and assess¡­¡±

    Lion ruffled his mane, he was feeling famished right about now, ¡°This is the reality of this universe. No one has clean hands in this place. Be it Oz, the Federation, the Empire, Geppetto, and many, many other people scattered throughout the Milky Way. We are all in the grey and in fact, would even be considered evil depending on the respective perspectives of the observer.¡±

    Lion stopped as if he remembered something important, a piece of information that just went over his head till now, ¡°Well, I do know one man who could be described as entirely white. A man who fights for his ideals, even if those ideals could bring him to his doom as well as the group of misfits he leads.¡±

    ¡°Oh? He must be pretty interesting for you to have such high praise for him. Who is he?¡±

    ¡°Alibaba, the de facto leader of the Dream Chasers.¡± Lion grinned, ¡°The Dream Chasers helped us immensely during our earlier years and Dorothy owed her life to Alibaba as he saved her when she was in a period of weakness. He is quite the idealist. But he has the strength to back his ideals and teammates willing to follow him. What more can a man ask for?¡±

    ¡°Ideals, huh¡­¡± Noah muttered the word softly, as if tasting it on his tongue. It was somehow bitter. He was becoming more interested in this Alibaba as time went by. He seemed to be quite the individual.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Lion was the one who designed the training uniform and Tin considered them an atrocity. The fact that Noah found nothing wrong with the training uniform was all Tin needed to consider him illiterate¡­ well, when it came to fashion at least. The end result¡­ Noah was now wearing a simple white shirt paired with fitting black pants that oozed comfort. Though the choice was the height of monotony, as Tin repeatedly pointed out to him, it also had the advantage of being easy to wear.

    On his shoulder perched a metallic crow whose head was tilting left and right as if it was scanning the surroundings with its eyes.

    Out of Dorothy¡¯s three most trusted companions, Crow was the one Noah was the least close to. He did not trust Crow and the sentient AI did not trust him in the least. Strangely though, this distance between them was also the reason why they formed a certain bond¡ª a bond he could not form with the others.

    It was different from his relationship with everyone else but in a way, it was also cozy.

    ¡ª Do you think your Mecha or rather Frame is finally ready? Tin did say he wanted to give you a surprise.

    Possible but honestly it doesn¡¯t matter much. You know it right? The mecha I¡¯ll receive now is just a placeholder until we can create Ouroboros again.

    ¡ª You say that but your heartbeat accelerates just at the mention of Mecha.

    ¡­

    Noah stayed silent at the retort. He had long realized that trying to hide anything from Eve was nothing short of pointless as they were now. The Parasite Queen could read nearly everything about him with how they were integrated both in body and mind. She was right once again.

    The frame that Tin promised to make for him was just a standard model with some modifications that would be tailored to meet his personal standards and fighting style but that was about it. There was nothing particularly incredible about the machine that would be delivered to him. Not to mention, there was a high chance that Noah would just let Eve devour the frame to obtain the technology inside the frame and possibly replicate said technology to somehow remodel it when the time came.

    But¡­ Even so¡­ It was still a new Mecha!

    The sensation of piloting one of these behemoths was one of a kind and he had only managed to taste it briefly during his fight against Omid before Ouroboros was destroyed in the aftermath of the battle. No words could describe just how dearly he missed that distinct feeling.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª

    On his shoulder, Crow silently observed Noah while observing the surroundings. The man had just about the most impassive and nigh-expressionless face it had ever seen, even though it was only a mask that hid his true feelings. But his detectors could not be mistaken.

    [Detecting heightened brain activity.]

    One of his detectors resounded within, reminding him of the changes in the man¡­ and the change only served to heighten his confusion.

    The readings he was receiving showed that he was thinking hard about something. In fact, this kind of reading was very similar to those of a telepath when they discussed their thoughts with others.

    But then, just who was Noah discussing with right now? Through his countless inspections, Crow found no communication device on Noah, not even a shred of it. In the first place, it had entire control over the space of this planet and there was no way for a signal he did not know of to pass the atmosphere of this planet or even travel freely inside.

    At the same time, even if Noah was a telepath, again came the question of who was he discussing with and just how was he able to do it. Projecting thoughts across space from one planet to another was not impossible if a telepath used the right equipment to amplify their inherent powers. However, once again Noah had no such equipment on him.

    Then was this a case of multiple personality disorder? A skill akin to Parallel Mind? Or some other special power?

    As many possibilities filtered through his mind to narrow down the unknown that was Noah, Crow found himself feeling frustrated for the first time in a long, long time.

    Noah was an enigma and Crow hated such notions that had the potential to threaten him and by extension the entirety of Oz.

    ¡°Hello! Noah dear, you are finally here and I see you are not wearing that horrible uniform that you somehow find¡­ tasteful. Great, we are starting on the right foot today.¡±

    When they finally reached close to Tin¡¯s zone, they could hear his voice being projected from the speakers in the area.

    ¡°Now come join me in Hangar #66. It¡¯s time for you to see the results of our work.¡±

    Noah grinned. It seemed like his expectations would not be betrayed.

 CH 56: Mecha

    Despite the sheer size of the complex, it did not take long for them to reach the hangar they were searching for. Though Noah had to admit one thing, the fact that he was walking very, very fast as well as ignoring just about everything that he stumbled upon along the way played a major role in finding the hangar so fast.

    He knew that he looked more like an addict in search of his next dopamine rush but what could he say? Mechas were practically his life, nothing more, nothing less.

    ¡°Hello.¡±

    An anthropomorphic bear holding a pad and wearing construction worker clothes was waiting for them at the hangar. The bear had lost one of his eyes as a nasty scar went down nearly half of his face''s right hand side. He was looking down at them with quite a menacing expression¡­ or at least Noah thought it to be menacing at a glance. Deciphering expressions was not an easy task and even less so when the one in question was a whole ass bear walking on two feet.

    ¡°The boss is waiting for you, guys.¡±

    The bear grunted, rather growled out as he called to them and entered the hangar while deactivating the security measures.

    ¡°Well, it seems like you aren¡¯t much appreciated here.¡±  Noah gave a knowing look toward Crow who simply shrugged its wings in response. Watching a Crow somehow formulate a shrug, as if it were a human, was rather¡­ disturbing, to say the least.

    [Tin¡¯s subordinates do not like me. They are mostly strays or people who fled from other planets to enter Oz. Their existence is a potential danger and I refused to accept more of them as long as they did not follow the proper procedure.]

    It was nearly impossible for a smuggling ship to enter Oz without Crow''s knowledge and there were many times, far too many to even count, where he made the decision to simply blow up the ship in outer space rather than letting them enter the orbit. These ships brought with them potential dangers and uncontrollable variables that could serve to cause chaos in Oz, and in extension, his perfect control and he was having none of that.

    [Tin appealed; Dorothy approved, Lion did not vote, so I lost the democratic vote. Now Tin is in charge of foreign affairs and he generally hires those people to work for him if they have the skills. Only after an extensive background check done by me, of course.]

    ¡°Boss is a good man. Thanks to him we have honest jobs, we eat well, and we live in security.¡±

    The gruff bear talked without turning toward them. Clearly, its senses were quite sharp and the bear had no problem in listening in on their conversation no matter how softly they spoke.

    [Kindness and emotion do not help in running a kingdom and in terms of efficiency, Tin would reach a higher completion rate if he stopped using flesh and blood creatures as workers.]

    ¡°You mean efficient in the same way the boss despises your fashion sense?¡± There was clear mockery in the walking and talking bear¡¯s voice but there was nothing much Crow could say in response or retort his statement.

    [¡­]

    If Lion¡¯s ideas were rejected by Tin because they were sometimes too ugly, Crow got rejected because he was too monotonous. This was a rather prominent weakness in his actions and thought circuits. Even though Crow was infinitely close to a living being he ultimately was still an Artificial Intelligence.

    Unlike Tin,

    ¡°Heh, you are fun. It¡¯s rare to see this guy get shut down like this. Name is Noah, what about you?¡±

    The bear turned and eyed Noah up and down with its one functional eye before bringing his paw forward, ¡°In this part, they simply call me Old Bear. The boss likes you, sorry for the rude behavior earlier. We had more than a few all-nighters these last few days because of you and trust me it takes a toll on the psyche.¡±

    Noah smiled as they high-fived. Handshake would have been quite difficult otherwise after all.

    ¡°Hehe, I would like to say I am sorry as well¡­ but since it seems like I will get my Frame sooner, I guess I should say Thanks instead then.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re damn right, you should.¡±

    The two shared a laugh and started exchanging some small talk as they advanced deeper into the hangar. Meanwhile, Crow simply observed the man and bear converse in silence, as it usually did.

    Sometimes the sentient AI wondered if its hypothesis about Noah suffering from multiple personality disorder was correct or if he was simply a great social butterfly. So much so that he even conversed with himself as he did with others.

    He placed this hypothesis in his near-infinite memory drives and increased the possibility of this hypothesis by some notches.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Noah! Crow, you are finally here! Come and see this little baby we made for you!¡±

    When they finally reached the innermost section of the hangar after passing through 5 security checks no less, they finally found Tin busy looking down at his notes before he noticed them.

    There was an entire team composed of animals like Old Bear surrounding him. From cats to goats, rats and even bunnies. There were also a few androids walking around and some humanoid people who had fish scales and gills on their necks.

    Fish people?

    This was quite a diverse set of crew if he had ever seen one. However, Noah did not have the current mindset to care for this¡­ rather interesting bunch at the moment, only giving them a cursory look. All his focus now lay on the massive looming giant covered by an equally colossal sheet.

    ¡°Is this it?¡±

    Tin was not offended by Noah¡¯s reaction. In fact, it was quite thrilling. After all, while this was a standard model they used as the base, he also worked quite hard in modifying it to a higher level.

    There are few things more worthwhile for a craftsman than to see the expression of anticipation on the faces of his clients.

    ¡°Lower it now.¡±

    He snapped his fingers and those working on the upper floor pushed down the sheets, slowly revealing the colossal figure behind it.

    [Show off.]

    Crow clicked his tongue but everyone just ignored the sentient AI¡¯s antics.

    If Noah could measure his heart rate at the moment, he would realize that it was off the charts. Slowly, ever so slowly, his anticipation reached such a level that the slow fall of the sheet was almost torturous to him right about now.

    Thankfully, he did not have to wait for long and the giant of steel behemoth was revealed, standing tall with a menacing structure and proud gait.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    ¡°I present to you Shadowblade MK-I from the Vanguard Shadowblade series.¡±

    ¡°Whooa¡­¡±

    Noah was rendered speechless as he looked at the mecha, his mecha. He knew it was a Knightframe but he could only think of it as mecha.

    Despite his anticipation, he had been ready for disappointment and while what he was seeing did not match up to his expectations¡­ it was still pretty fucking epic.

    Noah observed the Shadowblade MK-I, marveling at its sleek, streamlined design that seemed built solely for speed and agility. The frame''s dark, matte-finished armor, with its sharp, angular lines, gave it a menacing, predatory appearance. Its head featured a visor-themed sensor array that shined faint, luminescent blue, lending it an almost sentient gaze.

    The torso was compact and muscular, with reinforced plating over the vital areas, for extra protection, giving it a powerful and resilient look. The shoulders, adorned with retractable blade sheaths, hinted at the array of weapons that were concealed underneath their covers. The arms were slender yet paradoxically powerful, ending in clawed, blade-like hands that appeared both precise, sharp, and strong.

    The legs, long and sculpted for speed, showcased thruster ports and articulated joints, suggesting the rapid and agile movement capability of the frame¡ª it was built with extreme mobility and maneuverability in mind. Glowing yellow energy lines accented the entire frame, pulsing with internal power, adding to the frame a dynamic, almost living presence.

    ¡°Ohohoh. From your expression, I guess I don¡¯t have to ask if you like it or not.¡±

    Tin laughed jovially and took out the specs of the Frame, manifesting them before Noah in a hologram to see.

    ¡°Now for the less glamourous but still exciting part, take a look at this.¡±

    Series Type: Vanguard - Shadowblade

    New Name: Shadowblade MK-I

    Focus: Close combat and Agility

    Full Specifications¡ª

    Height: 12 meters

    Weight: 22 tons

    Armor: Lightweight nano-fiber composite with enhanced flexibility

    Power Source:

    <ul>

    <li>High-efficiency plasma core, optimized for agility, speed, and maneuverability</li>

    </ul>

    Mobility:

    <ul>

    <li>Primary Thrusters: High-output ion thrusters located on the back, calves, and arms, providing exceptional maneuverability</li>

    <li>Secondary Thrusters: Micro-thrusters for precision movements and rapid directional changes, located throughout the body to maximize movement freedom</li>

    <li>Leg Actuators: Reinforced and optimized for acrobatic feats and rapid close-quarters engagement</li>

    </ul>

    Sensors:

    <ul>

    <li>Optical Sight: Advanced multi-spectrum optical sensors for superior vision in all environments and terrains</li>

    <li>Auditory Enhancers: High-fidelity audio sensors for detecting enemy movements and environmental changes in real-time</li>

    </ul>

    Weapon Systems:

    <ul>

    <li>Primary Weapon: Dual retractable energy blades, shaped like traditional katanas, housed within forearm compartments, capable of slicing through the toughest armor. Has both hilt version and retractable integrated versions.</li>

    <li>Secondary Weapon: Arm-mounted plasma claws, perfect for grappling and delivering powerful melee strikes with deadly lethality</li>

    <li>Supplementary Weapons: Wrist-mounted micro-missiles for short-range engagements and bombardment</li>

    </ul>

    Defense Systems:

    <ul>

    <li>Reactive Armor: Small, energy-absorbing plates that disperse kinetic and energy impacts, reducing damage from enemy attacks</li>

    <li>Stealth Field: Short-duration cloaking device for temporary invisibility, ideal for ambushes and evasion</li>

    <li>Energy Shields: Quick-deploy energy barriers for brief periods of enhanced defense</li>

    </ul>

    Special Features:

    <ul>

    <li>Enhanced Agility System: Gyroscopic stabilizers and enhanced joint actuators that allow for seamless, fluid movements, and acrobatic combat styles</li>

    <li>Combat AI: Specialized AI focusing on close combat tactics and evasive maneuvers, learning and adapting to enemy patterns in real-time</li>

    <li>Holo-Projection: Generates decoy, realistic images to confuse and mislead opponents during combat</li>

    </ul>

    Noah seriously looked at the information with full focus. Knowing your machine was always the first step of piloting a mecha around Earth and while he certainly couldn¡¯t have an understanding as deep as the mechanics themselves, some basic understanding of the inner workings was still necessary to fully harness the Frame.

    ¡°So, what do you say? Ready to test this beautiful beast?¡±

    Noah gave perhaps what could be considered his most sincere smile in a long while, ¡°I thought that you would never ask.¡±

    Noah quite literally had to wipe his lips just to make sure he wasn¡¯t drooling as he observed the Shadowblade¡¯s side profile with a fervent gaze.

    The elevator stopped right around its head region and he immediately stepped on the ramp that extended out of the head. With each step, his giddiness reached a new high as he got closer and closer to the new frame.

    From up close, he could see that the face lacked some definition that could distinguish it from the average frames but it was not a serious flaw by any means.

    ¡°So now what?¡± He asked Tin who was looking at him with an amused smile from the side.

    ¡°Well, ideally you should be wearing your armor and a special uniform to integrate yourself with the frame¡¯s interface, but since it¡¯s just a test run, there is no need.¡±

    Tin¡¯s notepad manifested, hovering before his eyes. After he inputted a series of buttons on the interface, an opening appeared on the back of the head. Soon, a long white tube was ejected from the base of the Frame''s neck.

    ¡°This seems quite different from the mecha of the pirates I fought.¡±

    Tin couldn''t stop himself from scoffing, ¡°Don¡¯t compare us to them, please. Even though this is a standard model, it¡¯s a rather recent one, unlike the ones those pirates were able to barely scavenge from who knows where.¡±

    Tin gestured toward the chest of the Shadowblade, ¡°Old models have the cockpit in this place. Which is rather restrictive when it comes to security and fast escape measures. It¡¯s also a rather obvious target for your opponent. The Entry plug system is slightly different. It¡¯s also directly connected to all of the systems of the Frame. Go on. It¡¯s time to pilot this baby. You read the manuals, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Noah nodded absentmindedly as he jumped and reached the Entry Plug before promptly entering it at a relatively fast pace.

    ¡°Well¡­ I guess that¡¯s one way of doing things.¡± Tin chuckled and gave the signal to his staff.

    ¡°Start all the checks! I swear if there is even one error I am going to dock everyone''s pay!¡±

    He shouted, forgoing his gentlemanly mannerism. After all, the first flight of a new frame was a very serious matter. It was the moment when the most accidents occurred in an average frame''s lifespan.

    Tin would have rather had a non-sentient robot take the first test drive for safety measures, however, he also understood that there were some pilots who became angered when they did not get to take their mecha out for its very first flight.

    ***

    The interior of the Entry Plug exuded a sense of sterile precision and cutting-edge technology. The cylindrical space was compact yet efficiently organized, designed with the pilot''s needs and safety in mind.

    The walls of the Entry Plug were lined with an array of screens, control panels, and holographic displays. Each screen showed various diagnostics, status updates, and real-time data feeds from the Shadowblade. The soft, ambient glow of the screens cast an eerie, blue-green light across the interior, highlighting the intricate network of cables and conduits that ran along the walls, pulsing faintly with energy.

    At the center of the tunneling Entry Plug was the pilot''s seat and Noah landed directly in it.

    Immediately, he could see that the seat was equipped with a complex harness system, designed to secure the pilot firmly in place. Armrests extended from the sides of the seat, each embedded with a multitude of buttons, switches, and touch-sensitive panels, allowing the pilot to control the Frame with pinpoint precision.

    While Noah had not received training for the Frames of this era, he did read the manual quite thoroughly to note down all the important bits of information. Naturally, he understood the functions of the embedded buttons at a glance. In essence, their functions were not so different from what he was accustomed to while piloting his mecha, Ouroboros.

    Still, Noah ignored all those things and looked at the helmet dangling up in the air.

    This was what he wanted to test the most out of everything the frame had to offer¡ª A Pseudo Neurolink.

    This device was crucial for linking the pilot''s neural impulses directly with the Knightframe, creating a seamless connection between the pilot and his ride. At least this was what the different manuals said. Noah was quite hesitant to believe that this could bring anything close to a full Neurolink.

    Placing the helmet on his head, securing it tightly using the straps and connectors, Noah let out a sigh and let himself relax as he caught the controller.

    ¡°Connecting the Interface.¡± A ticklish sensation was felt as the Neurolink started the connection.

    [Activation]

    [Authentication Check: Success]

    [Commencing system check]

    [No abnormalities in the nerve connection.]

    [Connection to External equipment.]

    [Activating environmental sensors]

    His surroundings seemed to be finally coming to life as a myriad of colors flashed before his eyes until finally¡­ Shadowblade¡¯s numerous cameras blared to life and connected to his Pseudo Neurolink, showing him the scenery outside the Frame.

    The image quality was excellent, to say the least, and he was able to maneuver the cameras ¨C zoom-in, zoom out, focus on distinct objects, and change the camera angles, and position ¨C with just the click of a button. It was as easy as it could get.

    ¡°Hum¡­¡±

    [Energy Reserves: 80%]

    [System Check: Complete]

    [Vanguard ¨C Shadowblade activation complete.]

    Even though he had received the system check completion message, Noah waited patiently for a few seconds, silently waiting for the final piece¡­

    [Noah. This is Tin, you can start now. Firstly, move the different limbs one after another¡­ Noah?]

    ¡°Oh¡­ Understood. Sorry, I was just¡­ spacing out.¡±

    He answered a beat late and gave an awkward smile. He had been unconsciously waiting for the activation of the Deep Dive system but he realized sadly that this system was unavailable on this frame.

    ¡°Damn¡­¡±

    The deep dive system was, perhaps, the jewel of the Neurolink. A complete fusion between human and machine. A sensation like no other as he became something more and was able to share all the senses of his companion.

    But this?

    Noah groaned as tension felt like a comet when he realized that he was unable to get back the sensation he cherished the most.

    This frame was no companion. It was nothing but a machine.

    [Noah?]

    ¡°Sorry. Starting the tests. I will now move the right arm.¡±

    Tin became a little worried as he could feel that Noah was still as excited as when he started but he chalked it up to nervousness and decided to give the okay for the start of the test.

    ***

    The numerous tests lasted for more than five hours. Five hours during which Noah was made to test more than a hundred different movements and even had to fight a few AI-controlled machines just so he could get a better feel of the machine and its limits.

    While Noah¡¯s excitement never reached its previous peak, he was still smiling by the end of the day. He was more than a bit satisfied with the new machine he was now able to pilot.

    The Pseudo Neurolink was responsive enough to allow for some risqu¨¦ movements but Noah had been warned innumerable times when he tried to perform some operations that were simply impossible for the Frames to perform with the Pseudo Neurolink.

    The input lag between his thoughts and the system was far too long for his comfort, and it served as one of the key factors of his frustration.

    Still, it went without saying that the Shadowblade was an incredible machine. One he would be able to use for some time until he was able to create his true companion.

    Outside of this, and as much as this fact hurt his ego, Noah had to begrudgingly admit that Shadowblade was superior to Ouroboros in simply every way.

    There was nothing much he could do about this sad fact but he was determined to create a new and stronger Ouroboros in the future. One that will fall behind no other.

    The best and perhaps most significant addition was the application of Dark Matter.

    The frame as a standard one was not equipped with a specific interface to enhance a distinct power system like Omid¡¯s personal frame, The Scorched, for example. Yet, it was still able to absorb his energy to empower the energy shields as well as a few weapons.

    Had the pirates he killed before facing Omid been able to activate those shields, he would have had a much harder time defeating them.

    However, that was the past.

    He had won, he had survived, and he was taking a new step toward becoming stronger.

    Now that he had his Mecha ready¡ª it was time to finally leave Oz.

 CH 57: Friend

    After the long string of tests came to an end, Noah was allowed to freely fly around with the Shadowblade in the designated air space, away from the city. This space was created to avoid any potential danger or accidents that could end up involving the citizens.

    Right now, however, Noah landed the frame on a cliff close to the sea after flying toward the end of the air space. Getting out of the cockpit of the frame, he sat on the head of Shadowblade, silently admiring the scenery.

    Oz was a beautiful planet, one filled with happiness and a certain wind of joy and peace. Civilization and science had not overtaken nature by any means, much unlike Earth. No matter where his sight went, he could only see an ideal place he would wish to live and die in.

    Already, the sun had gone under the horizon, setting long before he had arrived on the scene. And high up in the distant sky, the radiantly present tower that belonged to Dorothy was the only thing that one could witness except the wonders of the Sea of Stars. He wondered just how large that tower was to be so visible from the surface of the planet.

    ¡°A credit for your thoughts?¡±

    Noah sighed, ¡°I swear you should stop randomly teleporting like this. I nearly attacked you.¡±

    ¡°But you did not.¡± Dorothy chuckled, as she walked along the moderately flat surface of the frame¡¯s head and stopped before Noah. Currently, she was dressed in a short emerald skirt, alongside her signature boots, and a yellow cardigan to top it all off. Her ebony-black hair flowed along the gentle breeze, prompting her to tuck a few strands of her loose hair behind her right ear.

    Looking at her like this, it was easy to think of Dorothy as nothing more than a young girl at the peak of her youth with much to learn and experience.

    ¡°Oh? Are you entranced by my beauty?¡± Looking down at Noah, Dorothy revealed a radiant smile to which Noah simply snorted dismissively.

    ¡°I was just surprised at the fact that the mighty queen Dorothy walked around with a teddy bear panty.¡±

    ¡°I heard that young boys teased girls they liked when they felt shy. I didn¡¯t think this applied to old men like you as well.¡± Dorothy was completely unperturbed by his teasing attempt but she did sit down beside him to hide her undergarments. After all, she had yet to reach Mogiana¡¯s level in terms of shamelessness.

    ¡°Heh¡­ Anyone ever told you that you are quite the narcissist?¡± Noah said.

    ¡°Some did. But I only see this as words fuelled by jealousy and envy. Don¡¯t you think so?¡±

    Dorothy and Noah chuckled together as they conversed and continued to tease each other. There was no awkwardness in their words or actions and in fact, they seemed even closer than they were initially.

    It was only more than ten minutes later that the two stopped and gazed at the moon in silence, enjoying the perfect weather and admiring the view.

    ¡°Do you ever feel tired of looking at the same scenery?¡± Noah asked but Dorothy¡¯s answer was prompt.

    ¡°Never.¡± Her voice was sweet, ¡°I fought, bled and nearly died for this scenery. There is no way I am getting tired of it.¡±

    For Dorothy, Oz was nearly everything. She did not know how long she would stay as the queen of this beautiful land but she would make sure to leave a beautiful planet and system behind as her legacy.

    ¡°You remind me of a woman I knew.¡±

    Dorothy could have rightfully been offended at his comparison, but seeing the expression on Noah¡¯s face from the corner of her eyes, she felt no need for that.

    ¡°If so, she must have been an incredible woman.¡±

    ¡°Heh. I see you are not missing an occasion to throw flowers at yourself. But you are right. She was an incredible woman. A petite, smug, know-it-all firecracker but someone I respected highly and was very close to.¡±

    ¡°¡­What happened to her?¡± Dorothy could already guess the answer but she knew that Noah needed to get those words out of his chest. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°She died protecting me and the rest of our companions during our last charge for victory.¡± His voice was seemingly emotionless but Dorothy could feel the meaning hidden behind them.

    ¡°Not only her. Like you, I had to sacrifice many things and many people I cared for along my war-trodden path. Unlike you though, I only succeeded by sacrificing everything.¡± He continued, sharing the memories he would never forget even if thousands more years went by.

    ¡°I was not strong enough. I was unable to protect those I swore to keep alive and, in the end, even my own survival was only possible thanks to a stroke of luck.¡±

    ¡°Noah¡­¡±

    ¡°There is no need to try to make me feel better. The past will not change after all. I will never get back my loved ones. All because I was weak.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°So now, I wish to become strong. Stronger than anyone else. So strong that I will never lose anything precious again no matter what the circumstance. This is why¡­ I need to become the strongest.¡± Noah did not want to ever be on the side of those who lost everything again.

    ¡°¡­ Why tell me this now?¡±

    Noah stopped looking at the moon and shifted his gaze toward Dorothy, ¡°I am not blind you know. Neither am I dense enough to not notice the signs you have been quite obviously throwing at me.¡±

    Noah had his fair share of relationships in the past and his isolation on the desolate planet did not erase his know-how.

    ¡°I have been quite obvious, haven¡¯t I? I would have been disappointed if you didn¡¯t notice.¡± Dorothy was not a shy maiden and she was clear about her intentions from the start. Turning around and waiting was not her style after all. ¡°Though it seems like I am about to face my first rejection.¡±

    Noah scratched his hair at the words, ¡°I would rather be honest. I am not in the right mind or situation to enter a committed relationship with someone. It would be unfair to you or anyone else for that matter.¡±

    It would have been one thing if it was just a one-night stand or a casual fling. But whatever Dorothy¡¯s goal was, Noah knew that it would not end in only a flimsy relationship.

    ¡°I see. Why not string me along? It isn¡¯t every day someone gets more or less proposed by a Queen of an entire system, you know?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I thought of that, and if things had proceeded as I envisioned at first, I would have used you without a moment of hesitation. But I never repay kindness with evil.¡±

    Noah did not think of himself as a great hero or a person with outstanding moral conduct. He had done many things he was not proud of and had definitely acted in a way that would horrify most normal people. But even then, Noah had a clear code of conduct he would always adhere to¡ª the law of Talion.

    Repaying evil done to him with even more evil and kindness with even more kindness.

    His stay in Oz could only be said to have been idyllic. A true paradise where he was able to rest his body and mind and ready himself for the next step of his journey. He had nothing but goodwill for them, even the clearly hostile Crow for that matter.

    ¡°How chivalrous.¡± Dorothy gave a defeated sigh. It would have been so much easier if Noah had been a rotten scum.

    ¡°To be honest, I don''t really like you. Not romantically at least.¡± She lifted her hand and pointed at the night sky, ¡°The stars told me that you were my destiny, and so I decided to become close to you. I truly did not care about you as you are now. Only in the future, you could be useful to me and Oz. In a way, you could say my goodwill was nothing but an investment in stocks I knew would rise inevitably.¡±

    Because of her gift, creating meaningful relationships had always been very hard for Dorothy. People did not believe in her goodwill and neither did she, for they all knew she acted with a calculated future in mind.

    Relationships based on interests would also die when those interests changed, and for that very reason¡­ no one would trust her wholeheartedly.

    ¡°Knowing the future must be a pain.¡± Noah was not surprised by Dorothy¡¯s confession. No matter how handsome he was, he doubted someone like Dorothy would fall in love with someone at first sight.

    ¡°Trust me, you have no idea.¡± Dorothy chortled and stood up, stretching her body with a yawn. Noah soon followed and now the two of them stood, gazing into each other''s eyes.

    ¡°The future is obscure and who knows¡­ our relationship might evolve to something more.¡±

    Dorothy decided to not stress herself more than was necessary. The stars never lied and if she was truly destined to end with Noah, things would happen naturally. There was no hurry.

    ¡°But for now, since we have been honest with each other. What do you say we start with a new base? Friends?¡±

    Noah looked down at the dainty hand stretched toward him. Hesitation flashed in his eyes for a moment as he knew that once he took this hand, things would never be the same. Dorothy wouldn¡¯t just be someone he needed to repay kindness to. She would be someone he cared for and someone he would protect with all his strength if it was necessary.

    This was what it meant to be friends in his mind. True friends helped each other and always had each other¡¯s back, no matter what.

    Soon though, the hesitation vanished as if it were a lie. Never forming new meaningful relationships in fear of losing them would only mean that he would live all alone¡­ again.

    He did not wish for that, and to ensure such a future never came to be¡­ he took her hand in his with a firm handshake.

    ¡°Friends.¡±

    Noah had to admit¡ª the smile that illuminated Dorothy¡¯s face under the moonlight in that instant was one he would most likely never forget.

 CH 58: Goodbye Oz

    After Noah had that heartfelt discussion with Dorothy, the two ended up becoming relatively close friends. It would be a lie to say that they were suddenly open and shared all secrets but all relationships started with baby steps.

    The others could catch the change in atmosphere but none of them spoke about it. Even the mostly negative Crow stayed silent in this situation. They all knew that Dorothy had sacrificed much for Oz so they hoped that she could be happy.

    Like this, while training and adjusting his Frame through different tests, Noah¡¯s days on Oz were finally about to come to an end.

    ***

    ¡°I won¡¯t lie. I am going to miss this room.¡±

    Standing alone in the room that he had started to consider as his own, Noah let out a sigh and gave one last glance before leaving.

    The ship taking them to Neverland would land in Oz in a few hours. Noah did not intend to miss this flight.

    Closing the door behind him, Noah gazed at the emerald city and the yellow brick road, a small smile forming on his face.

    Compared to the time he spent on that desolate planet, his stay on Oz had been infinitely short. In fact, nearly one-third of the time had been spent sleeping when he went through his hibernation.

    Even so, this short amount of time ended up taking an important place in his heart. In this place, he was able to meet new people. They were good people, all of them incredible in their own right, and he was also able to obtain many precious things from them¡ª be it from a materialistic or mental standpoint.

    He was going to miss this place and the mostly wacky people that inhabited it. However, he took relief in the fact that this was no farewell. They would meet again one day. He swore to himself when that day came, their relationship would be less one-sided.

    ***

    Noah took the yellow road and reached Tin Man¡¯s hangar. There he could see Lion, Tin, Morgiana, and Crow waiting for him.

    ¡°Oh. Didn¡¯t think I would have such a large fanfare to send me off.¡± Noah joked and gave a cursory look for a certain someone, but Crow intoned, knowing fully well who he was looking for.

    [No need to search. Dorothy is currently meeting a Prince from the Empire. She won¡¯t be able to send you off.]

    ¡°I see. A shame. Then I hope you will tell her I am thankful for everything she did for me and that¡­ I hope the next time we meet it won¡¯t be while fleeing a planet about to get erased.¡±

    [I will.]

    Crow nodded. He spoke in a slightly reserved tone. Until the very end, Noah never stopped being an enigma to him, and he was glad to see him going away.

    ¡°Hahaha! Next time you come, I am sure you will be even stronger! Let¡¯s have a new fight then!¡±

    Lion laughed out loud and approached him before taking him in his arms for a fierce hug and then patting him on the back.

    A laugh spilled out of Noah even as he felt suffocated and hugged the giant ball of fur back, ¡°Thanks, man. Next time, I promise I will let you power up before attacking.¡± They grinned and ended up exchanging one last firm handshake like a pair of good ol¡¯ friends.

    Next, Morgiana approached Noah and gave him an encryption key. ¡°This holds the secret code for Snow White and Sleeping Beauty to recognize you when you meet them. I already sent them your appearance and some Data. But gotta double-check for safety. Be careful and¡­ don¡¯t die. I would feel guilty if you lost your life on your very first mission.¡±

    ¡°Oh, trust me. Even if the planet ends up destroyed, I will still survive.¡± He drawled in a joking tone but Morgiana gave him a tired look before pinching her eyes with a frustrated huff, ¡°I swear¡­ Why do you have to jinx it? If the planet of festivity ends up being destroyed, I think you should be called the star of calamity rather than the golden whatever Dorothy calls you.¡±

    Noah could only give a sheepish smile at her remark, accepting the encryption key. He did not believe in bad luck, but he knew better than to escalate things at this point.

    Finished with the small quip he finally approached Tin.,

    ¡°Noah, my stylish friend. I feel quite sad to see you go. But thus, is life. Partings and new meetings. I hope your journey in the sea of stars will apport you the answers you are seeking.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Tin and Noah exchanged a firm handshake. Though Tin¡¯s hand was cold and metallic, Noah could say without a shadow of a doubt that Tin¡¯s heart was warmer than many people''s.

    ¡°Your Mecha will be added to the cargo of the ship once they dock on Oz. It will be a little troublesome but nothing a bit of money cannot resolve.¡±

    ¡°There is no need for that,¡± Noah said.

    Waving his hand, he approached the Shadowblade. It was on standby with one knee on the ground. Looking at the hulking machinery of cutting-edge technology, he still felt that it was gorgeous. Tin went all out on the design aspect of the Frame.

    Tin and the others looked at Noah with curiosity as he placed a hand on the Frame but soon,

    ¡°Open.¡±

    All of their eyes widened, even the ever-stone-faced Crow¡¯s, as a dimensional gate opened at Noah''s command and swallowed the entire Frame whole before closing right back. It didn¡¯t take even a second for the whole operation.

    Turning around, Noah arched his brow at their surprised faces and placed a finger against his lips.

    ¡°I did tell you, right? Even if the entire thing gets destroyed. I will survive.¡±

    This was one secret he was willing to share with them. But at the same time, it was a veiled threat and warning for anyone who thought less of him. A proof that he had always been in control and always had one ace in his sleeve even when it seemed like he had nowhere to escape from Oz.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    ¡°Well, it looks like my ride''s here.¡±

    As if on cue, a small spaceship broke through the atmosphere and flew toward them. The entire cruise ship couldn''t enter the gravity wheel. Too much energy would be wasted when trying to leave and the ship had a higher chance of breaking down under its own weight due to the inherent gravity of the planet.

    Giving one last look at his stunned friends, Noah felt quite satisfied as he climbed in the automated space shift and slowly took off.

    It only took a few seconds for all of them to look like nothing more than a grain of sand.

    ¡ª Was it necessary?

    No. It certainly wasn¡¯t. It could even be said to be reckless. After all, I did share one of my most important trump cards.

    ¡ª Then¡­

    We just have to make sure to have an even greater trump card the next time we meet. Right?

    Noah grinned and eased down in the chair as the spaceship started to leave the gravity well.

    Status.

    ¡º Name: Noah Ouroboros

    Tier: 8

    Main Class: Mecha Pilot

    Growth Stage: Hatchling (99%)

    Affiliation: -

    Alias: 13th Constellation; The Serpent Bearer

    Rank: Pawn

    Race: Superior Human

    Path: Voracity

    Thema: Predation, Adaptation, Evolution

    Speed: SS-120

    Dexterity: S-99

    Endurance: EX-160

    Strength: SSS-150

    Aether:  A-80  ¡»

    He couldn¡¯t help the grin from stretching his lips as he looked at his stats. He still had much to learn and many things to explore but at the very least, it seemed like he would soon reach a new tier of power.

    He couldn¡¯t wait to see what kind of changes the ascension would bring.

    ¡°Goodbye Oz. You were like home. But now, it¡¯s time for me to spread my wings.¡±

    ***

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to say goodbye?¡±

    A woman wearing a pair of shorts with an open shirt showing her small cleavage spoke as she put her feet on the table. An air of nonchalance emanated in her every movement, even as she behaved like this in front of the Queen of Oz, Dorothy. The blond hair nestled atop her childish face was short enough to almost resemble a pixie cut, and the defiant crease of her brows gave her the aura of a young delinquent.

    ¡°Ozma, I always tell you to stop doing that. It¡¯s unbecoming of a princess.¡±

    ¡°Heh¡­¡± Ozma sneered but did not move her feet as her queen chided, ¡°You are deflecting.¡±

    The delinquent quipped while intently gazing toward the shuttle slowly docking on the giant cruise ship floating near the orbit of Oz. Despite the considerable distance, her eyes were able to peer through each minuscule detail through the screen installed in Dorothy¡¯s office. She knew that Noah was traveling in that transport shuttle. She also knew how much importance Dorothy gave to him.

    Dorothy sighed, knowing very well that Ozma would not let go of this matter until she humored her query. ¡°You are like a rabid dog refusing to let go of a bone.¡±

    ¡°I will take that as a compliment. Now speak. I thought you¡¯d already boned that man by now. But it seems like things didn¡¯t go as planned.¡±

    ¡°One. I do not bone.¡± Dorothy quoted in the air, ¡°Two, I was rejected and three, to answer your initial question, I am not good with farewells and the prince chose the worst timing to grace us with his presence.¡±

    ¡°As if you didn¡¯t make sure that the timing matched your convenience.¡± Ozma scoffed before a thoughtful expression. ¡°Still, he rejected you, huh? That¡¯s¡­ surprising.¡±

    Ozma scrutinized Dorothy¡¯s body from head to toe before finally settling on her chest, her gaze lingering there for a tad too much for Dorothy¡¯s comfort, ¡°Is it perhaps because you lack certain assets?¡±

    ¡°Stop talking like some perverted old man and focus, okay? We have been invited to the auction. It seems like the Sultan managed to get one of the princes on his side and they are making sure we won¡¯t intervene to help Alibaba.¡±

    Unlike Dorothy who still had no heir to her name, the current and past Emperors had been¡­ a tad too proactive when it came to succession matters. By now the Imperial family was flooded with both good and bad as well as downright useless princes and princesses.

    The one Dorothy had to meet was not particularly skilled and had little to no authority but at the end of the day, it was still a prince. Furthermore, it was a prince belonging to one of the big factions in the Empire.

    If the Sultan of Ifrit was holding hands with them, Morgiana and Alibaba¡¯s situations were about to take a turn for the worst.

    ¡°Oz is still recovering, you know? Even though we managed to fool some of those bastards with our fake civil war, we still aren¡¯t really out of danger. Are you sure you want to help those mercenaries?¡±

    ¡°I do,¡± Dorothy spoke with no hesitation. She knew Ozma well and thus knew that the delinquent girl hated it when someone wasted her time with all the political jargon, involving twisted words and roundabout mind games.

    ¡°Well. You are the boss. I will follow you even if you decide to fight the empire. So, what do we do?¡±

    ¡°For now? Nothing actually.¡±

    Dorothy smiled and finally gazed toward the departing ship. Her eyes closed as she remembered the dream she had the day prior.

    ¡°I believe soon¡­ the empire will have other problems to deal with.¡±

    She couldn¡¯t wait to see how things would turn out.

    ***

    [Neverland]

    While Noah was in the process of boarding the ship that would take him to his first mission as a mercenary, and Dorothy plotted in the shadows to influence the destiny of the galactic empire, things were progressing in a shocking direction in Neverland.

    ¡°Peter. We need to investigate this matter!¡± A woman pleaded with all her heart. Her voice rose as if she couldn¡¯t understand why the man facing her refused to act.

    She was clad in nearly full-body power armor and had a sword straddled to her hip. The only visible part of her body was her face and the flowing locks of her blond hair. Her fair skin contrasted with her fully black armor and her blue eyes seemed to hold the sky.

    ¡°Wendy.¡± The man she was speaking to released a tired sigh.

    ¡°Children are pure and innocent. Yet they are always the first to be sacrificed. We have seen it countless times. Adults who abuse children and steal from them. Death or servitude is the only choice for children who have nothing left. They either starve, freeze to death, or die from crying in exhaustion while searching for the parents who abandoned or sold them out. You remember, right? Our oath. The one we made in that white room all those years ago.¡±

    Wendy looked up at Peter, her eyes filled with determination, ¡°Amidst that hell, we once swore an oath. To never grow up to become adults like them. To always protect children and make Neverland a place of hope and joy for all children and adults who wish to become children once again, and yet now you ask me to ignore such a thing?¡±

    Peter Pan closed his eyes, a pained expression almost slipping through his stoic mask, ¡°Both of us need to face reality.¡± His voice showed signs of tiredness. Despite his young appearance it was easy to feel the weight he was carrying.

    ¡°Reality?¡± Wendy opened her eyes wide, looking as if she just received a slap, in the end, she stood up and simply started walking away, despite Peter''s repeated calls, she did not turn back.

    It was only when she reached the door that she stopped and spoke, ¡°I remember once, a little girl cried about how escaping from the hell we were imprisoned into was impossible. That we cannot change reality with dreams and hope. I also remember what a certain little boy said at that time,¡±

    She continued, ¡°Whenever people want you to do something they think is wrong or impossible, they say it¡¯s reality, and bowing down to reality is something only lame adults who gave up on their dream do.¡± Finally, she turned, ever so slightly, and gave the tired man one last look filled with pity and disappointment, ¡°I guess I will never see that boy ever again.¡±

    A helmet encased her face, shifting out of the neck of her armor, hiding all her features in the ominous obsidian black of her full body armor and she left. The girl was none other than Wendy Darling, Peter Pan¡¯s childhood friend, staunchest support, and longest companion.

    Now alone, the Forever Young Peter Pan closed his eyes after giving one last order.

    ¡°Please. Keep an eye on her. Make sure she doesn¡¯t get hurt.¡±

    The only reply he got was the rhythmic sound of a tinkering bell and the beautiful giggle of a young girl.

 EPILOGUE B1

    Somewhere deep in space, a large armada composed of more than a hundred spaceships was flying in a certain formation as they sailed through the Sea of Stars.

    The largest ship of the armada had an interesting form, different from the rest of the spaceships. It had the appearance of a true ship, the one that would sail on the seemingly never-ending seas of certain planets, a form that helped one tread through treacherous waters instead of desolate space.

    The floating holographic black and white themed flag, with the insignia of a bone skull and two interwoven swords, left nothing to one¡¯s imagination regarding which group this ship and the armada as a whole belonged to.

    Inside the ship, a woman with fair skin covered in engraved red markings like flowing rivers and long jet-black hair was walking with a hesitant and worried expression on her pale face. Along her way, the pirates would salute her with clear respect in their eyes, even though they disdained most women. It was because they knew that despite her unassuming appearance, she was a being that no one could underestimate. Certainly not low-level mobs like them and neither ordinary captains of their bandit group.

    The closer she got to her destination, the slower she seemed to be walking, her hesitation growing further and further. She hated being the bearer of bad news and the information she was now holding onto was definitely the worst kind of news one could deliver.

    When she finally reached the last door, she stopped for a moment, took a deep breath and went silent for a while. She was starting to wonder if she should just wait at this door for all eternity but in the end¡ª

    ¡°Cassim. I need to talk to you.¡±

    ¡°... Enter.¡±

    The door opened and she was able to enter Cassim¡¯s training room. Her knees immediately buckled and she growled under her breath as a wave of endless pressure pushed down on her, ¡°Gravity¡­¡± Her voice was strained as she spoke out the name of the anomaly that hindered her approach and only then did the young men react, finally made aware of the woman¡¯s misery.

    ¡°Oh¡­ Sorry for that.¡± He immediately turned off the increased gravity settings of the room, bringing the pressure to a more normal, bearable level, ¡°I was so focused on training that I forgot I still had this thing on.¡±

    He seemed genuinely sorry so Esther could do nothing but sigh out loud in response. In moments like these, she was reminded of the old and clumsy Cassim that she knew so intimately. This reminiscence helped her understanding, making her only shake her head with another sigh. Soon, however, her expression turned utterly serious.

    ¡°So, what¡¯s the matter? You know I don¡¯t like being disturbed during my training.¡±

    Cassim was a tall man with a somewhat young and naive face that looked completely out of place, considering the  ship and the armada were composed of. No matter how one looked at him, it was hard to imagine that he was the leader of the fierce and notorious Forty Thieves. No one could tell that this naive looking young man was an Overlord and considered somewhat of a powerhouse in this small corner of the Milky Way Galaxy.

    Even among the most notorious pirates of this galaxy, only a few such as Sinbad, the Prince of the Seven Seas, Captain Nemo, or Captain Hook could be said to be his equal in both infamy and accomplishments or even power and influence.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    Esther knew that for many, Cassim was just an upstart, a lucky man who shot to his current position thanks to opening and clearing a high-ranked ruin. However, she found those words to be highly hypocritical, considerably laughable even, as even the current Empire was founded thanks to the Emperor entering a high-ranked gate.

    ¡°You are daydreaming. You always daydream when you don¡¯t know what to say. Is the situation that bad?¡±

    Esther was startled out of her thoughts fast when she felt Cassim¡¯s hand on her forehead. Seeing him so close, she was once again reminded of one of the reasons she fell in love with this naive and insufferable young man. His body was definitely a work of art and those abs were to utterly die for.

    Snap out of it.

    She indeed knew that it was a bad habit of hers. Adjusting her bookish glasses, she let out a long sigh for the third time. In such a situation it was better to come clean in one go than to stall for time and make things worse for her.

    ¡°We received a signal. Omid¡¯s Armada was destroyed. Most of his pirates were reported to be dead, destroyed by Dorothy¡¯s army. Omid¡¯s current situation or whereabouts are unknown but he is also most likely to be dead too.¡±

    She rattled everything in one go without even taking the time to breathe in between words and only stopped once she finished everything she had to say in one go.

    Silence settled between the duo and Esther could feel a chill slowly creeping up from all over,

    ¡°I thought I made it clear our troops had to stop Dorothy from ambushing Omid. What happened to that?¡± She could feel a tone as frigid as the coldest planet in existence in his voice, and the room was slowly covered by endless frost. Cassim was angry and while she knew that he would never hurt her, this didn¡¯t mean she wanted to make him more distraught.

    ¡°The Lion Pride attacked.¡±

    The endless frost stopped progressing, coming to a halt. ¡°What? Why did she involve one of her three special Legions for just Omid?¡±

    Even for Cassim, it was impossible to blame anyone in such a situation. The reputation of the Lion Pride was clear for everyone in the Sea of Stars to see. It would have been completely impossible for them to stop such a force of power.

    ¡°We do not know.¡±

    ¡°Then find out. Dorothy may be friendly with Alibaba, but she is first and foremost a ruler and she will never move such an important troupe of hers unless she judges that she definitely needs to. Find what happened, no matter what the cost.¡±

    ¡°Our spies are already moving.¡±

    ¡°Excellent¡­¡±

    Another silence fell, and this time Esther raised her head to look at Cassim. She could see that his eyes were closed, and his fists were enclosed in a tight grip.

    ¡°You can cry, you know?¡± She spoke hesitantly, approaching him and hugging him with her small body. The height difference was quite substantial, but she did not care. ¡°Omid was one of the original members. There is nothing wrong with being sad, you know?¡±

    She buried her face in his chest. At this moment, she wasn¡¯t his vice-captain. She was just Esther. A worried wife wishing that her husband, the love of her life, would never have to suffer.

    At first, Cassim did not respond but soon, his arm went around her lithe form as he hugged her tightly.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    He spoke quietly, but no tears fell from his eyes. ¡°I already swore I would never cry again, no matter what. Not since his betrayal.¡±

    Esther knew that he was not talking about Omid at this moment, but she did not push for more. The betrayal was a raw and festering wound in her husband''s heart, and she knew that it might never heal for his entire life. There was nothing that she could do about it, another thorn in her heart.

    ¡°Anyway, you know Omid. He would sneer and mock me if I did something as stupid as wallowing in sadness.¡±

    He patted her back and pushed her away from him, ¡°Call the others. Tell them that we will mourn Omid with the blood of our enemy.¡±

    ¡°You mean¡­¡± She was startled. Was this really about to happen?

    ¡°Yes. I will soon complete the inheritance ceremony and then¡­ Not even someone from the White Flame will be my match.¡±

    A sad smile formed on his young face, almost making one not believe that such an expression could exist on someone with such a sweet face, ¡°Freedom, Fairness and Equality. It¡¯s time for this galaxy to remember that we are not pirates ¡ª We are revolutionaries and will take back our home¡­ No matter what.¡±

    END OF BOOK 1

    See you in BOOK 2: Neverland.

 CH 59: Traveler

    Noah did not know what to expect from the cruise ship even as he finally landed on the dock. He wished to keep his expectations small and avoid any disappointment.

    The hangar of the small ship opened, making way for Noah to step out of the transporter ship that worked like a ferry and board him onto the main ship. The moment he stepped onto the cruise ship, he was immediately greeted by a pink-haired woman wearing what Noah could only describe as a ludicrous outfit.

    She wore a tight-fitting bunny girl outfit that would make some of the boldest women on earth blush in shame, as it hid barely anything. A pair of translucent stockings snugly wrapped her spilling thighs, two plastic star shapes covering her nipples, barely providing a modicum of modesty, while a pair of extremely thin panties barely covered her most intimate region.

    The woman was short and buxom and from the pair of ears twitching on her head, Noah surmised that she was actually some kind of bunny girl, which was pretty fitting for the outfit she was donning now that he thought about it.

    ¡°Welcome, master! I am B-54. I was designed as your guide during this adventure!¡±

    The girl bowed with a chirpy voice full of joy, prompting Noah to smile despite the confusion that the whole bizarre situation brought him.  His face twitched somewhat at her name, however, he refrained from voicing his opinion. It was not his place to act or comment since he knew nothing about her situation.

    ¡°Hey, I am Noah.¡± He uttered while looking around the hangar. Spreading his senses, he tried to get a better picture of his surroundings and maybe figure out what situation he was getting himself into. If his senses were right, then he was in a sort of reception hall at the moment. He could see all sorts of people milling about in his surroundings, but they all seemed to be staff of the ship.

    ¡°Master Noah! I am happy to meet you. I see that you have no luggage. Would you like me to guide you to your room? Or would you rather explore the cruise ship first?¡±

    Hesitation took over Noah¡¯s mind, he did not know the girl enough to follow her on unknown territory. In the end, curiosity still won the argument in his head. He was very interested in the ship¡¯s interior, and who knows, maybe he could chance upon some interesting encounters in the process.

    ¡ª You seriously won¡¯t ask her why she is wearing such clothes?

    They say when in Rome act as the Romans do.

    He wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the sense of shame between races was extremely different. It was better to observe the situation and get more information before yapping.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go for a tour first,¡± Noah said and he could see the girl visibly brighten at this.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s go!¡± She jumped on her feet and then started walking ahead with brisk steps.

    Hum, perhaps a commission system?

    It wouldn¡¯t be strange. Perhaps the more money he spent the more rewards she would get? Or maybe her income depended on how much time he spent with her? There was more than one idea circling in his head on how this worked.

    Hum¡­

    ¡°So, not that I am unhappy about this rather interesting welcome but what is going on? Is it something all passengers get?¡± He asked in the spirit of discussion but B-54 shook her head.

    ¡°Only our super VIP receives a personal guide. Lower ranked VIPs receive a bot as a guide and normal passengers have pre-recorded information.¡±

    Super VIP? Noah was startled at first but it didn¡¯t take long for him to understand. There was no way Morgiana would have paid for a VIP room with how broke her team was. This was undoubtedly a gift from Oz.

    Viva la capitalism and Viva la Oz! Noah chortled.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    Since Noah had decided to have a closer relationship with Oz, he felt no shame in receiving this¡­ delightful gift from them. He would pay them back in the future.

    He was certainly going to enjoy being pampered as much as possible for the moment.

    ***

    It only took a few moments for them to finally reach what seemed to be an elevator. Entering it, Noah nearly got dizzy when he looked at the more than 100 buttons on the panel to the side.

    ¡°Our ship, Voyager III, is one of the greatest ships created by the Federation. It travels through the galaxy and stops regularly at the best planets for our passengers to enjoy.¡± She pointed at the button, ¡°You do not need to worry. As your designated guide I will follow you and will be ready for any orders you may have. Leave everything to me.¡±

    She gave a cute smile and flexed her muscles at him, causing a chuckle to leak out. He was starting to like the girl. She was interesting.

    ¡°Do you have any preference for where to go first? We have many attractions and even projections for simulated worlds.¡±

    Noah grinned, ¡°You said to leave everything to you, right? You are the guide. I will follow you.¡±

    She beamed at his words, ¡°You will not regret it!¡± She eyed him up and down and clapped, ¡°Why don¡¯t we go for some changes of clothes first?¡±

    Noah could feel from her hesitant tone that it was a polite way to tell him his clothes didn¡¯t exactly fit the setting but he only shrugged. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Getting a change of clothes could be interesting. Truthfully, he didn¡¯t care even if he went in butt naked for that matter. Shame had long since vanished from his mind after the unknown eons he lived on that vanished planet.

    ¡°Very well.¡±

    She pushed one of the buttons, and soon Noah watched as multicolored lights danced on the edges of his vision, illuminating the elevator for a few seconds before the whole structure stopped.

    ¡°We are here.¡±

    It took all his strength to not show a dumb look at her words. Noah was confident in his enhanced senses, but he did not feel even a single movement before they arrived at their destination.

    Technology is quite¡­

    His train of thought was cut short when the door of the elevator opened and Noah got a good look at the main hall of the cruise ship.

    ¡°Hah¡­¡±

    He was greeted by towering crystalline sculptures that shimmered with refracted light, casting a kaleidoscopic dance of colors across the polished marble floors. The sculptures seemed to represent warriors in full-power armor fighting against Parasites.

    Lush greenery cascaded from elevated gardens, intermingling with futuristic art installations that seemed to pulse with a sense of life. Noah had seen the endless depictions and even renditions of what the Hanging Garden of Babylon could have looked like and he had to admit that even one of the seven marvels of Earth paled immensely in comparison to what he was witnessing.

    The ceiling was a blue sky, endlessly stretching through flocks of clouds, giving him the impression that he was on a planet rather than a spaceship.

    The main concourse stretched endlessly, adorned with boutiques featuring exotic wares from different civilizations, and interactive displays offering virtual tours to visit planets that were destroyed hundreds of years ago.

    Obviously, as a confirmed glutton, Noah¡¯s eyes landed on the different restaurants that lined up on both sides of the hall. The other structures steaming with food were what Noah could only think of as fast food stands, they also attracted his gaze. He was unable to smell anything from this distance, but the appearance alone was mouthwatering.

    B-54 took him across the entertainment decks, filled with holographic theaters where performances seamlessly blended reality and illusion. He could even see the tentacle Idol he watched last time on TV, dancing and singing at the moment.

    The oversexualized bunny girl was quite the guide as she offered him comments and explained things to him, ¡°This is the Sports arena.¡± She pointed at opaque bubbles floating in the air, ¡°Some of the coaches of the Galactic football cup come here to work after retiring and the same goes for many other sports. Even combat.¡±

    ¡°Oh, combat?¡± Noah was intrigued. He was curious about the standard of the world so he marked down this place as something to visit later on.

    The visit continued and Noah was able to find some interesting spas. From what his bunny guide told him, those spas offered rejuvenation through bio-regenerative therapies and sensory immersion pods. One could look 30-50 years younger depending on their race.

    She did not explain more but she did make it clear that some of those spas would provide services that went beyond just massaging him. The thought was intriguing to him, mildly though as he soon lost all interest.

    He was more interested in the different robots he could find on the road.

    Throughout the ship, intelligent bots glided silently, attending to every whim of the passengers with an efficiency that belied their humanoid form. Noah stopped a few on the way to inspect them and he soon realized that¡­ for all the intelligence they showed, they were no match for superior robots like Tin or a sentient AI like Crow. It proved once again just how special the two were from the rest.

    ¡°We are here.¡±

    B-54 stopped in front of a shop with a closed door. ¡°Once we choose a few clothes that will suit you, we will go back to the restaurant for a meal and finish the tour for now by finding your room. I believe it will be enough for now.¡±

    Noah had nothing to say. He was like a child in a candy shop. This small trip toward Neverland promised to be quite interesting.

 CH 60: Time to level up?

    A few hours later Noah found himself in front of his room. B-54 had done her job and gotten him there..

    The hallway was sparsely decorated, a day-and-night difference from the plaza they had visited first. Only row after row of doors could be seen. The walls were adorned with a few paintings but there was not much else to comment about the whole atmosphere of the hallway.

    Ignoring the boring decorations. Noah thought back to what happened back in the plaza.

    He had to admit that he went on a little crazy during his shopping spree and the way B-54¡¯s smile became brighter as he made more purchases practically confirmed his suspicion about her payroll being proportional to how much money he spent.

    The current fashion trends were a disorienting mess for him, as different planets and systems would have different styles. So the choices were pretty wild, to say the least.

    He even had the choice to appear entirely naked as long as he covered his intimate parts. On his way he had seen what he thought was an elf, walking with what appeared to be nothing but three flimsy patches of leaves covering her nipples and her secret garden.

    Emphasis on the word appeared as B-54 mentioned that even though she looked like she was naked, she was wearing an extremely thin, completely see-through material that had the advantage of being extremely tough. It was used as the last layer of protection by a select few soldiers.

    Basically a kinkier version of the body suit the pilots used for their Frame and Power Armor.

    The universe is truly full of interesting things.

    He was reminded once again that he needed to throw away all prejudice he might have and simply enjoy.

    He also bought that see-through bodysuit¡­ just in case. Not only was it extremely protective and durable, but it could also regulate the temperature if need be. Noah did not need that feature, but he found it pretty cool.

    During the shopping spree, he obviously did not forget his guide. He offered to buy some clothes for her if she so wished, but she tactfully refused his gesture. The staff were not allowed to receive any gifts from the Super VIPs.

    ¡°We are here. Number 25,000. Your luggage and everything you bought were already sent to your room.¡± B-54 stopped and stepped aside to show him the room.

    The implication that this ship could house more than 20 thousand people was not lost on him. But he was more curious about the interior appearance of his room.

    ¡°Thanks for your guidance.¡± He hesitated an instant, wondering if space people had a tipping culture or not, and if they did, then how much should he tip her?

    But, remembering the no-gift policy he decided to wait. There would be other occasions.

    ¡°So, now what?¡± Noah asked, and B-54 simply bowed in response.

    ¡°For now¡­ I need to make a report to the captain, then I will once again be available for your service. Unless I am under maintenance, in which case, A-54 my assistant will take charge.

    ¡°We will be available at all times for the duration of your trip. Do not hesitate to call for our service.¡±

    ¡°Maintenance?¡± Noah raised an eyebrow at this. ¡°Do you mean?¡± He asked in realization.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    ¡°Android B-54 at your service.¡± She made a mock salute and giggled before leaving a very surprised Noah.

    ¡ª Eyes up.

    Noah cleared his throat slightly at Eve¡¯s remonstrance. He had to admit that B-54 was a beautiful woman¡­ or android, and her uniform or the way she swayed her hips as they left did not help.

    Seems like I am either more backed up than I thought or she is just that attractive.

    Discarding the horny thoughts that had momentarily clouded his mind. Noah looked at the door of his room.

    Immediately, he saw that there was no handle. The only way to open it was through his biological print or a special card. Noah had refused the biological print, more out of principle than anything else.

    Taking the card provided to him, he placed it against the door and immediately got a response.

    The door started glowing and a small force field formed around him. This was a protection measure to avoid people forcing their way in while the VIP was entering his room.

    ¡°I wonder what my room looks like.¡± He mused out loud. He had been in many VIP suites when he was on Earth.

    Each was more extravagant than the last, and soon he realized he had underestimated the scale those people were willing to go for.

    ¡°Well¡­¡±

    Noah blinked as he entered the room. From the distance between each door outside, he estimated the room to only be between 20 to 40 square meters at best. However, what he was witnessing genuinely shocked him.

    The main room alone seemed to cover nearly 100 square meters, and he could see a few more doors leading to other rooms.

    Deciding to explore the suite, Noah understood what it felt like to truly be extravagant.

    ¡°Is that¡­ an Olympic-sized pool with a waterfall?¡±

    One room had a supermassive pool for some reason. One room had a dancing floor. A third room looked like a large office with all the necessary equipment.

    There also was what he summarized to be a small gym. Most of the equipment was different from what he remembered, but those could be changed with one click.

    The bathroom didn''t have a bathtub but another pool, far smaller than the one he witnessed before, equipped with adjustable heat. The water was constantly changed, ensuring a steady stream of fresh water.

    The bathroom could switch the different equipment depending on the preference of the client from what he could read in the catalog. There was even an option to switch the water to lava or increase the water pressure or even change it to sand for some reason.

    There was a small theater and one could request to watch any of the most popular movies streamed in the galaxy or even listen to music if they wished.

    Finally, If the TV was not to his taste, he could even request a musical group or a theater group to perform live and entertain him.

    On the actual bedroom side, the options were relatively mundane from the rest. The shape, size and structure of the bed could be adjusted to accommodate most races. He also spotted a traditional communication console for room service or for contacting B-54 or her assistant, A-54. Additionally, he also noticed more shady options like contacting someone for some special room service or gambling and other such vices.

    The more Noah explored the suite, the more he started to wonder if leaving Oz to work with Morgiana and her crew, the Dream Chaser, had actually been a good idea.

    This was a level of luxury that was truly like no other, he had to admit. He would have most likely never stepped foot outside the room if it wasn¡¯t for his mission and all the other problems he had.

    ¡ª You know you don¡¯t have to do anything, right? Why would it be a problem to settle for a life of leisure? We could have some snacks on the side from time to time.

    You have been more forward about your desire lately.

    Noah thought idly as he jumped on the bed and released a sigh. The bed made him feel like he had just died and went to heaven. It was so cozy he felt like sleeping instantly.

    ¡ª I am simply exploring my own desires in a deeper way.

    It''s good. As long as this doesn''t transform into a cliche situation of you wanting my body.

    Noah readily accepted Eve''s words. If this had happened at the start of his exile on the lonesome planet of ice and fire, he would have gone insane with panic. Well¡­crazier than he already was.

    But now he knew that he didn''t have to worry about her.

    ¡ª A body, huh¡­ A body is indeed one of the greatest expressions of individuality. Should I seize a body?

    Oh? Do you plan to finally leave my head?

    ¡ª That is impossible. The two of us are fused on a level beyond anything I could even start to comprehend. But I could separate a part of my consciousness and use another body to operate. And¡­ it¡¯s not limited to just one body.

    In short, you mean a new hive mind?

    ¡ª ...More or less? I need to think about this some more.

    After those words. Eve fell silent. Leaving Noah to his own thoughts. He imagined an army of Eves at his beck and call. It would be ironic for the hero of earth to have his own army of Parasites.

    Still, the Parasites had been a nightmare to fight and for that very reason, they would certainly be very effective allies.

    Well. No need to think about this for now.

    Status.

    ¡º Name: Noah Ouroboros

    Tier: 8

    Main Class: Mecha Pilot

    Growth Stage: Hatchling (99%)

    Affiliation: N/A

    Alias: 13th Constellation; The Serpent Bearer

    Rank: Pawn

    Race: Superior Human

    Path: Voracity

    Thema: Predation, Adaptation, Evolution

    Speed: SS-120

    Dexterity: S-99

    Endurance: EX-160

    Strength: SSS-150

    Aether: A-80 ¡»

    He was only 1 percent away from the next stage of evolution but that 1% seemed like a gulf that he just had no way of crossing. No matter how much he ate or trained, nothing changed.

    From what Tin said, Tier-7 was no different from becoming the equivalent of a mobile weapon.

    The peak of Tier 7 had the equivalent firepower to decimate a whole ass mountain.

    Noah understood why Tin despised this power system. It was extremely vague. After all, mountains on different planets or even on the same planet had different heights and areas they occupied.

    Still, since this system was created by the Gaia Empire then¡ª Earth should be the basis, right?

    He decided to not overthink more about this. What mattered was that a new tier would make him stronger.

    For the first time in a long, long time, it seemed that eating would not be enough for him.

 CH 61: Stats (1)

    Eyes closed, Noah sat in a lotus position on the floor beside his bed. Inwardly, he focused on his status screen and observed the different stats and classifications.

    He was meditating.

    In hindsight, he had been blazing non-stop and increasing his power throughout his life after he had gotten stranded on the isolated planet. However, a flaw of his progressive lifestyle was that he never tried to understand the full depth of his powers.

    Things became even more complex ever since he obtained and fused with the Ouroboros Core. Still, he was not bothered. If he did not know something, all he needed to do was ask.

    System, can you explain the overall situation to me?

    Noah called out to the Artificial Intelligence that was now embedded in his head. Unlike Crow or Tin, the AI did not harbor any autonomous thoughts. It was a very basic AI working with a set of rigid rules. But Noah liked it like this. One foreign voice in his head was already enough. Having two voices bickering inside his mind would erode the last bits of his sanity.

    The only problem with a limited AI was that it could not resolve problems without his direct input. Another similar problem was the occasional refusal of the system when he asked him something, all due to the rigid rules that blocked out his access to those answers.

    [Analyzing¡­]

    [Host Reached the limitation of the current Growth stage.]

    [Next Growth Stage: Youth]

    [Analyzing¡­]

    [Permission for a higher level of information granted]

    [Information available]

    [1. Information about Stats

    2. Information about Growth stages

    3. Information Advancement methods

    4. Information about Path.]

    [Which information would you like to have access to first?]

    Noah was quite surprised by the number of notifications he received. It seemed like someone had intentionally limited the amount of information he had access to until he reached certain milestones.

    But why?

    Why is the information I have access to limited?The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    [Answer: To avoid information pollution and corruption. The host¡¯s mind is deemed too fragile at present. Information of higher dimensions would cause extreme mental damage and eventually madness.]

    Noah wanted to protest at first, but he remembered his discussion with Venus. She had also been limited with the information she could share with him. However, more than that, the deep nausea that overcame him when he witnessed that thing remained fresh in his mind¡­

    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Noah groaned as he again felt the nausea rise from within. Just trying to remember the insignia he witnessed back then made him feel like he was about to pass out and vomit.

    Just what was that thing?

    He gritted his teeth in frustration. As much as it hurt his ego, he had to admit that he was indeed not ready. If simply looking or even remembering that abomination could affect him to such a degree, it was hard to even imagine what would happen if he gleaned more information of such a category.

    Sighing, he continued his communication with the system, high-level information aside. What about simple miscellaneous information about the empire?

    [.... Analyzing¡­]

    [Basic information will be made available once the host reaches Bishop rank. Higher level information will be available at Knight rank.]

    An arched eyebrow was Noah¡¯s response to this new piece of information. The Pawn title in his status had intrigued him from the moment he laid eyes on it. However, the system had practically confirmed that the hierarchy of the Gaia Empire was divided into chess pieces and their relevant ranks. That or this only applied to soldiers, perhaps.

    What tier is Bishop and Knight? He asked, wondering if he would get an answer.

    [All Bishops of the Empire were Tier 5 or those who could effectively pilot a Tier 5 Mecha.]

    [The Knight title was conferred to an individual who had reached Tier 4 or could control a Tier 4 Mecha. Tier 4 will also be considered as the Adult cycle in your Growth Stage.]

    Noah snickered at the last piece of information. So only after he became a so-called Adult would he be allowed to obtain the truly secret information, huh?

    Still, Tier 4

    This was¡­ quite something. Tin did tell him that one would be considered Tier 5 only after they were able to destroy a small planet at minimum. Tier 4 meanwhile was considered the theoretical peak of this Galaxy, if one did not count the Shadow Queen.

    Those who reached that level could affect entire Solar systems. One had to be strong enough to destroy a star or have something that could destroy one if one wished to be qualified for this tier.

    Now the system was telling him that only after reaching such a level one would be considered an Adult?

    How ridiculous.

    Noah chortled at those requirements but his heart was practically drumming heavily against his chest.

    Since those requirements existed, this meant that whoever created this core was sure that he could reach them or at least could reach them.

    But more importantly¡­

    Apollo, Venus, and the others would be higher, right?

    They were the leaders of the new civilization so he doubted they stopped merely at the rank of Knights.

    What kind of leader would I be if I were weaker than my dear friends?

    A grin formed on his lips as his chest became filled with confidence. He was once the leader of the Constellations and the strongest of them all. But he had also once been the weakest right at the start.

    Things were no different now. He would reach even higher. His pride as a leader was at stake here, after all.

    System. Let¡¯s start with stats.

    All his previous goals had been so vague and out of his reach. However, he now had a clear understanding of the circumstances, which uplifted his mood. He would go at it one step at a time.

    [Stats]

    [The current stats shown on the screen represent an estimate of the maximum value of your body as analyzed by the system.]

    Estimate?

    [Indeed. In the current instance, those values are not as perfectly accurate as the stats of a body, unlike that of a machine, you are in constant flux.]

    Noah nodded his head in understanding.

    What followed was an obvious explanation of the meaning behind the different stats. The explanation of some such as Strength, Speed, and Endurance were quite clear. Dexterity was a bit more puzzling, making him wonder how one could even quantify someone¡¯s dexterity. But from what the system said, these stats did not just represent the agility of his body but also that of his mind.

    Dexterity represented his reflexes, agility, and his reaction speed. It was a complex jumble of interconnected skills, but Noah was satisfied with the overall explanation regardless.

    Speed represented the maximum movement speed he could reach.

    Endurance represented his healing factors, resistance to strikes, resistance to outside factors, and many such resistance and resilience factors of his body. In a way, the calculations behind his endurance seemed even more complex than dexterity.

    Strength represented his striking power, lifting strength, and so on.

    The breadth of information was interesting to Noah, making him glad that he asked the system for detailed information. Noah was satisfied with the attention to detail that had been placed in analyzing and representing one''s stats.

    Finally, his eyes landed on the last stat, the one that piqued his interest the most.

    Aether.

 CH 62: Time to train

    [Aether is the energy hidden from the naked eye¡ª an important component in the fabric of the universe. Initially, the energy was simply called Dark Matter, but one of the Kings judged the distinction not to have enough flair. So it was called Aether.]

    Noah chuckled, this was something he could imagine one of his friends doing.

    [The Aether stat reflects the maximum capacity your body can hold. It¡¯s judged to be the most important out of all the stats. Followed by Endurance for the simple reason that higher Endurance means one can hold even more Aether even if that goes beyond one¡¯s initial capacity.]

    [Control over Aether means control over phenomena beyond the common man. It¡¯s possible to manipulate the forces of the universe at will.]

    Noah nodded, remembering how Dorothy could read Fate, stop time, and even teleport, while Omid had been able to create and control fire.

    Compared to them, Noah''s control was¡­ crude, to say the least. All he could do was use it to strengthen his body further.

    Do you have any ways for me to learn some special techniques?

    [The host is already holding one such technique ¡ªMaxwell¡¯s Demon.]

    Huh.

    [Opening information about advancement method.]

    [The Ouroboros core and Maxwell¡¯s Demon technique were created as a pair. The core by itself can absorb and devour all forms of energy to strengthen itself. But such absorption is extremely crude and wasteful. By using the technique, one can focus the flux of energy toward specific stats.]

    [Finally, once the host reaches Tier 7, the Maxwell Demon will allow you to control Heat.]

    I guess I have to stay as a brute for quite some time. So, how exactly do I reach Tier 7?

    He finally asked about the situation that had been bothering him¡ª why was he unable to grow further?

    [To advance to Tier 7, it is necessary for all stats to reach the minimum of S rank. To Advance to Tier 6, at least three stats must reach the SS rank. As for advancing to tier 5, at least two stats must reach SSS rank. Finally, reaching Tier 4 requires the host to have at least one stat in the EX rank.]

    [Warning: While advancing to the next tier after reaching the minimum requirement is possible. It is advised to reach the SS or SSS rank in every stat before advancing. However, if that is not possible or the circumstances dictate immediate advancement, precedence should be given to Aether and Endurance. Always try to advance them to the highest rank possible for the host.]

    Noah frowned, taking a peek at his stats,

    ¡ºSpeed: SS-120

    Dexterity: S-99

    Endurance: EX-160

    Strength: SSS-150

    Aether:  A-80¡»

    Does it mean all I need to enter Tier 6 for example is to have Dexterity and Aether reach SS?

    He was confused. If so, this would seem a little too easy.

    [All stats are calculated from F rank after one reaches a new Tier. The previous stats vanish and enter the hidden points category.]

    Show me my hidden points.

    ¡ºSpeed: 198This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Dexterity: 180

    Endurance: 318

    Strength: 228

    Aether:  25 ¡»

    [The hidden points are the culmination of all the stats reached in previous tiers. In the host¡¯s case, that is Tier 10 and Tier 9.]

    Noah groaned a little, his Aether count was¡­ pitiful to say the least when compared to his other stats. But it wasn¡¯t like he couldn¡¯t understand. There was not much he could do about those now.

    In short, my full strength is my current stats+my hidden points. The higher I reach for each tier, the higher my hidden points become and the higher my overall strength is. At the moment, rather than mindlessly absorbing energy, I should use Maxwell¡¯s Demon technique and then focus all the energy on Aether until it reaches S. Did I summarize it well?

    [Perfectly.]

    Then, in your opinion. When should I reach Tier 7?

    [My opinions are based on all the knowledge and patterns that I have been trained on. Based on the host''s current stats and the existence of an EX rank in Endurance, it¡¯s advised to wait until the Host reaches at least an SSS rank in Aether before proceeding. The higher the Tier, the more energy is required to increase the stats. So, it¡¯s essential to accumulate as much as possible now.]

    When you say. More energy¡­ Just how much?

    [To reach S rank in any stats when you reach Tier 4 you will have to devour the energy of a few stars.]

    Ah¡­

    Noah chuckled helplessly and decided to simply not think about something that was way ahead in the future. The scale was so high it made his head hurt.

    So let¡¯s see. I have received information about Growth, Advancement, and Stats. I guess, I only have the question about Path left.

    In his information panel, those informations were highlighted as such,

    ¡ºPath: Voracity

    Thema: Predation, Adaptation, Evolution¡»

    In essence, he understood what those represented. Voracity was about his ability to devour energy and the Thema represented his innate skills. But he was curious about what the system had to say about them.

    [A Path is the road toward becoming a higher dimensional entity. Paths are congregations of energy, born as manifestations of universal philosophical concepts. Those who believe in and practice the concepts behind a certain path become Pathstriders. Those who create their own Path are Pathwalkers.]

    [To break through and reach Tier 3. No amount of stats is enough. One needs to create their own Path, completely intertwine oneself with said path, and explore its philosophical and physical concepts in their entirety. Becoming the manifestation of the Path and even becoming able to bestow power to those who walk the same path.]

    Noah was rendered speechless. He did not expect much from a question he had asked on a fleeting note, but it seemed like this had to be the one whose answers gave him the greatest shock he had received all day.

    So, they are basically gods?

    [Gods, demons, devils, and angels as depicted in most legends can all be considered Higher Dimensional Entities.]

    Tin did tell him that walking far enough on a path can allow someone to call themselves a god, so to speak. But Noah thought it was a simple exaggeration. In the first place, someone able to destroy a planet alone would already be considered a god by many.

    But it seemed that he had been misunderstanding the situation the whole time.

    [Reaching Tier 3 is a true transformation of life. The scale of operation changes in its entirety. This is not a matter of physical prowess or the scale of destruction one can enact. The law of the universe stops binding you, and you can even create new laws for yourself.]

    The Shadow Queen¡­ She is supposedly Tier 3.

    Not only that. The thing Venus fought should also be considered one of those Higher higher-dimensional entities. So the two of them were at least Tier 3.

    Noah wanted to laugh. The more he learned about the world, the more he realized how truly grand and absurd his goal to become the strongest was.

    But he did not despair. If others could do it, so could he. If becoming a god was the goal, then he would become one.

    Thank you.

    The system might not be sentient, but Noah did not care. He felt like his head had finally found the right track. So many of the questions and confusion he had were now cleared up.

    There were still many secrets he needed to uncover and many things he needed to understand. But now he was not as clueless as he was at the start.

    The knowledge he obtained also made him understand something.

    He needed energy now. As much as possible to reach Tier 7.

    Time to train.

 CH 63: Advancement

    The principle for advancement, in essence, was pretty simple.

    Take a normal core and get it devoured by the Perpetual Core. Then Finally, control the energy and redirect it toward the specific stats needed.

    The problem was, the Ouroboros core was designed for Mechas¡ªnot humans.

    Say¡­ What am I supposed to do?

    [... Analyzing Databases for similar situations¡­]

    [No results found.]

    [... There is no record of such a situation¡­]

    Noah understood that there were no two ways about it. Taking out from his spacial storage zone the earth core he obtained from Omid, Noah mulled over his situation. He had zero ideas or clues regarding how much energy was required to reach the S class in Aether. He doubted it would be easy to attain the level of energy required to advance to that rank even if he devoured dozens or hundreds of people.

    But the core in his hand was different. This was one of the rewards available for successfully finishing one of the tests by the Gaia Empire. Even if it was just a common reward.

    What tier is this core?

    [Earth Core]

    [Rank: Common]

    [Tier: 6-A]

    [Description: A core used by the low-level soldiers of the Gaia Empire to equip their Mecha. In terms of stats, this core was forged with a very average level and average hidden stats.]

    The description was pretty dismissive, but Noah whistled out loud regardless. Thankfully, Omid was not given the time necessary to get a handle on the full potential of this core. Neither was his mecha able to harness the full power.

    Otherwise, the results of their fights would have been very different.

    Eve. I am sure you have been listening. I need your help.

    Noah did not want to take any risks. He didn¡¯t know how much energy this thing could bring him, but he would hate himself if that energy was somehow wasted. His main talent was adaptation. Eve was the one who helped him obtain Predation.

    ¡ªIt seems I was right all along about us eating it.

    Seriously? You are going to pull a, I told you so, now?

    ¡ª Yes and I will not help until you admit I was right.

    Noah chuckled helplessly for a few seconds, tongue-tied by her tantrum. He knew that Eve would definitely help him, even if he refused to admit it. But, would that really be the right thing to do?

    Groaning, he muttered.

    ¡­.You were right¡­.

    ¡ª What? I did not hear you correctly. It seems like the connection between us is bugging.

    He sighed,

    I admit it, okay!? You were right! But, I do believe that the training we had helped us greatly.

    Eve knew that this was as good as she was going to get from him, and decided that frustrating him even more would be counterproductive.

    ¡ª Glad you recognize the worth of my advice. I will help you. The Maxwell¡¯s Demon Technique has a great synergy with my abilities.

    Noah nodded as he ignored the small jab she threw. When he devoured monsters back in the desolate planet, the things that mostly progressed were the abilities of his body. It was also clear that most of the energy was affected by his own Adaptation and went mainly toward Endurance.

    But now, this technique would make Predation perfect.

    He gripped the core tightly in his hand, and a message immediately appeared in his retina.

    [Energy source detected. Would you like to absorb it?]

    [Y/N?]

    This was the same message he received back when he woke up after fusing with the Ouroboros core and once again

    He clicked no. Absorbing it the normal way wouldn¡¯t be enough. Then ¡ª

    Let¡¯s go.

    He swallowed the core with a gulp.

    Noah groaned immediately as the core, the size of an egg, descended his throat. It was a very unpleasant feeling.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    But it was nothing when compared to what was about to follow next.

    Ugh!

    Noah groaned, his eyes becoming bloodshot as he felt a torrent of energy flow into his body and rush through his veins, so fast and violent that he felt like they would pop like a balloon at any moment.

    He had already eaten a few cores when he was fighting the pirates. But the energy he felt then compared to now was like comparing a small stream to a raging sea.

    ¡ª Noah! Focus!

    Noah nodded and focused inwardly. Maxwell''s Demon technique favored an optimal flow of energy guided through a specific path. This path was similar to the circuits of Ouroboros.

    He focused on it, trying to move the energy under his will. If he let things proceed as is, most of the energy would be wasted and would only help boost his physical stats rather than the stats he wanted to boost.

    [+10 in speed.]

    Focus!

    [+9 in Strength.]

    I need to focus.

    [+10 points in Aether.]

    Fuc¡­

    [Aether has now reached 90 points. Advancement to¡­]

    God fucking dammit! Would you shut up please!

    Noah swore, losing control of the flow of energy for a split of a second. His internal organs were immediately impacted and blood started pouring out in torrents from his lips. He immediately threw out a mouthful of blood that almost clogged his throat.

    Thankfully the system stopped bothering him with those updates, but Noah knew that he had a deeper problem to deal with now.

    I underestimated the energy in this thing.

    He had reached a new rank in Aether and Strength and yet the flow of energy did not even seem like it had diminished in the slightest, and now he was starting to feel bloated from all the energy the core was providing him with.

    In the background, he could feel Eve help him regulate the energy flow even as he started losing control, but it was not enough. At this level, it wasn¡¯t even a problem about directing the energy. There was simply too much of it.

    Should he try advancing now? Noah asked himself the question but realized that he had no desire for advancement yet. How many times would he be able to find such a powerful core? He couldn¡¯t waste this opportunity. He needed to absorb as much as possible and push all his stats to their limits.

    So the match of endurance started. Noah started breaking down under the torrential flow of energy, but he never stopped the absorption process. He ignored the pain and focused simply on his improvement.

    Blood flowed from his eyes as one of his eyeballs exploded but healed the next moment. His nose started bleeding as well and soon, cracks and tears appeared all over his body.

    Wounds appeared only to be healed and replaced by newer ones. The process continued for a long time. Noah could hardly feel the flow of time any more. He simply monitored and controlled the minute changes in his body at every moment in time.

    The damage to his body was extensive, and yet his healing factor was simply superior to the damage itself.

    ¡ª Your body is full.

    For the first time, Noah heard words he thought he would never hear in his entire life. This was all the warning he needed to know he had reached a plateau.

    System! Show my stats.

    Noah could hardly see anything at the moment, but the system existed in his mind and so the stats were perfectly clear for him to see.

    ¡º Stats:

    Speed: Ex-160

    Dexterity: Ex-160

    Endurance: EX-160

    Strength: Ex-160

    Aether:  Ex-160 ¡»

    All his stats had reached the maximum level possible for his current tier, and yet the energy inside him was still raging. Though a great part of it had been consumed.

    Noah grinned. This was simply beautiful.

    [You have reached the maximum amount of energy possible in your current tier. Evolution is deemed possible. Do you wish to proceed to the next stage?]

    [Y/N?]

    Will I fall asleep for a week again?

    [Negative. The process will only last 24h standard.]

    Noah smiled and clicked on the yes. Then ¡ª the world changed.

    This time, Noah did not fall asleep. Allowing him to monitor his evolutionary process.

    All his energy seemed to swirl inside his body and condense eventually in his heart.

    His blood pumped, his heart rate soared and soon, Noah felt like a dam inside him had broken. Yet he felt no pain. It was as if he was going through a natural process, a qualitative change, like a larva bursting from its cocoon and finally transforming into a butterfly.

    The feeling of fullness inside him vanished. His body seemed to have expanded, even though nothing changed outwardly. His vessel had reached a new level, and the energy that had once seemed almost infinite inside of him mere moments before now seemed small and insignificant.

    His energy circulation increased exponentially, focusing mainly on increasing his Aether and Endurance. Noah closed his eyes. This went swimmingly well. Time seemed to be entirely meaningless, Noah felt like his mind was entering a whole new level.

    Secrets about how the world worked filled his brain. Calculations on Thermodynamics he had no way to understand before, now seemed almost too easy for him. The flow of Aether, of Dark Matter, which was so mysterious in the past, now seemed like a tamed beast.

    From one side of his body, flames burst causing the sheets to catch fire. But as soon as that fire appeared, it was extinguished by a great chill.

    This seemed almost like destiny. Stranded on a tidally locked planet with one part full of ice and another full of fire, he now had control over all forms of heat.

    Without asking anything, he understood that he had reached Tier 7.

    A bitter smile formed on Noah¡¯s face as he gazed at his skin that was showing signs of frostbite, while the smell of burnt flesh also lingered in the air.

    Not everything was perfect. It seemed that, unlike Djinns such as Omid or Morgiana, he was not immune to his own power.

    Anticipation filled his mind as he chased the negative thoughts away. Even if he had to burn himself in a fight, he would do so. He could always heal after all. He would always survive.

    Survive and Adapt. Adapt to Evolve.

    System, show me my stats.

    Now, he simply needed to know just how helpful this core had been.

 CH 64: Stats

    The system immediately answered Noah, showing him his stats. If he had to be honest, he was becoming somewhat tired of looking at those numbers and keeping track of them. But beyond his personal discomfort, wielding the ability to observe his growth in a clear and concise quantitative format was simply too much of an advantage to give up on.

    ¡º Name: Noah Ouroboros

    Tier: 7-B

    Main Class: Mecha Pilot

    Growth Stage: Youth (22%)

    Affiliation: -

    Alias: 13th Constellation; The Serpent Bearer

    Rank: Pawn

    Race: Superior Human

    Path: Voracity

    Thema: Predation, Adaptation, Evolution, Thermokinesis

    Speed: C-62

    Dexterity: C-65

    Endurance: S-99

    Strength: B-70

    Aether:  B-72  ¡»

    Noah looked at the numbers while clenching his fist. He had definitely underestimated the energy of the core. Even after bringing him to the maximum possible in Tier 8, it was able to bring him so high in Tier 7.

    Three changes captured his attention. Firstly, his growth stage had changed to Youth now. He could not help but sneer at the absurdity of that denotation, but there was no way to change this way of classification. Still, he had only reached 22% of the evolutionary classification. So there was still a long way to go before he could be considered an ¡®adult¡¯.

    The second thing that caught his attention was,

    ¡°Tier 7-B?¡±

    [From Tier 7 to Tier 4, the differences in the same tier are considered extreme. To the point where it is necessary to add further classification. For simplification, they were divided into Lower, Middle, and High. Respectively, C, B, and A.]

    So he was considered to be in the middle of Tier 7 now? That was definitely an interesting discovery. He didn¡¯t know who had the time to come up with such a clear and concise differentiation between the ranks, but he was happy about it.

    Finally, he focused on the so-called Thema. It now included Thermokinesis, the manipulation of thermal energies, into its rank.

    A pity this doesn¡¯t show my skills.

    Noah remembered that in those RPG games back on earth, the players were able to have access to much more detailed information about their characters. But he did not mind the lack of a more in-depth analysis of his characteristics. He really had no reason to complain about what he had going for him now.

    ¡ª We have reached a new level. I feel like the current you could fight my entire army from back then even without a Mecha.

    Noah smiled. There was no denying that the current him was simply on another level. His body had enough durability now to withstand blasts that could easily erase entire mountains. Even if someone was able to deal more than enough damage to overwhelm his resilience, he could simply regenerate.

    ¡°Well, now¡ª¡±

    Noah''s words were interrupted by frantic knocks against his door. Soon, without any response from him, the door was hastily opened from the outside. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°VIP! Are you alright!?¡± It did not take long for a frantic voice to follow, and it took even less for B-54 to enter his bedroom with hurried steps and a panicked expression.

    A strange silence fell as B-54¡¯s mouth opened wide in shock as her eyes scanned the whole room, alongside Noah.

    The sheets and the floor were covered in blood and bits of organs, while the ceiling and the walls were covered in a layer of frost as well as patches of burn marks. This entire room was now a place of pure chaos and destruction.

    In the middle of all this, stood Noah, entirely naked, covered in blood from head to toe, his arms covered in frost, and part of his flesh was charred while healing at a visible pace.

    Noah looked down at his own body and the current state of the room. A bitter smile was all he could muster, in the end. Not knowing how to explain the current situation in simple words.

    He was just becoming a little tired of meeting people like this. Some would think he is some kind of exhibitionist.

    In the end, B-54¡¯s shock did not stop her from acting professionally. She cleared her throat and gave him a small bow.

    ¡°I apologize for barging into your room unannounced ¡­ We received a notification about an abrupt and dangerous spike in the temperatures of your room. Assuring the security of the VIPs is our mission. Do you need any medical assistance?¡±

    Noah smiled at her. This girl or rather android was definitely interesting. Not everyone could come back to their senses after discovering so much chaos.

    ¡°I don¡¯t need a doctor. I am sorry for wrecking the room. It wasn¡¯t my intention.¡± He scratched his head and looked at the room with an awkward expression.

    ¡°No matter. This will simply be added to your tab.¡± She raised her head and gave him a wide smile, causing him to chortle. It seemed like Dorothy would soon be cursing him at the top of her lungs. A pity, he was going to miss a good show.

    ¡°Since you are in no danger, I will be stepping outside now.  Someone will come and tidy up¡­¡± She stopped and looked around, before sighing, ¡°We will give you a new room. We do not have the means to clean all this mess up with haste.¡±

    Noah gave a sheepish grin. He could hear some resentment in her voice, and he knew for sure that the staff would be going through a cycle of unnecessary yet tedious work all because of him. But there was really nothing he could do.

    This was a valuable lesson for him. Next time he needed to evolve, he would make sure to do so in a place where no one could disturb him. It would be problematic if he was to get caught while he wasn¡¯t able to defend himself.

    ¡°Sooo¡­ ?¡± Noah asked, causing B-54 to tilt her head in bewilderment.

    ¡°What might be the matter?¡±

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t mind staying like this, but the blood is quite sticky, and my butt is freezing.¡± Something else was freezing, but Noah was not so crass that he would utter such words in front of a lady.

    ¡°Hah¡­¡± B-54 remembered the current state of affairs and nodded. She was not flustered in the slightest. ¡°I will leave now. Please, remember that while we respect all traditions and cultures, we do not allow things that can endanger the life of the passengers. If another such incident were to occur, we would be forced to demote you from your status as a VIP.¡±

    B-54 seemed uncomfortable and hesitant to say those words, but it was definitely necessary. Their crews had a high standing and fame in the galaxy and an endless number of competitors who could do almost anything to take over their market share. If people were to say that a VIP killed himself in their room while doing some strange barbaric ritual, then their position would be severely affected.

    Even Super VIPs couldn¡¯t be allowed to do everything they wanted if those conducts posed a risk to their company.

    ¡°Of course.¡± Noah was not the least bit angered. He was the one at fault here, after all. There was nothing much he could say.

    B-54 let out a smile of relief. Warning VIPs was never a fun task as they could easily give negative feedback about her or worse. Cases of powerful VIPs destroying her sisters were not unheard of.

    ¡°Have a great day. We are in a zone close to Neverland. One last jump, and we will be in their stellar system. If you wish to enjoy your stay here, this is the final moment to do just that. I will be available. Just a call away.¡±

    No sooner had B-54 finished those words, and as Noah was about to answer her,

    Tick-Tock!

    The heavy ticking sound of a clock filled the air, spreading an eerie wave of energy throughout. The sound alone caused a shiver to go down Noah¡¯s spine. His head jerked towards B-54, ready to ask her what the hell was going on here.

    ¡°We need to run!¡± B-54 had other thoughts, however. Ignoring any intentions Noah might have, she caught his hand and literally dragged him outside the room in a dashing sprint. He could have easily stopped her, but he judged it was better to follow the experienced one.

    Red alarms blared everywhere outside and all the rooms swung open simultaneously. People of all sizes and races hastily rushed out of their rooms. All seemingly running for their dear lives.

    The speakers buzzed alive and a panicked male voice reached everyone.

    [The Captain of the Traveler speaking. The ticking clock has sounded. This is not an exercise! I repeat, this is not an exercise! Immediately rush to the closest shelter. Our staff will await you there.]

    The message was repeated again and again but soon was buried under the progressively louder ticking of the eerie clock.

    ¡°Just what is happening here?¡± Noah asked B-54. He could guess that some sort of danger was approaching, but just what kind of danger were they dealing with here, he needed to know about that to prepare.

    B-54 did not stop running nor did she turn around, but two words left her mouth with utter solemnity.

    ¡°The Crocodile.¡±

    She spoke like those words should have been enough for Noah to understand, but all he could wonder was,

    What the fuck is that supposed to mean?

 CH 65: The Crocodile

    Noah made sure to hide his doubts while his mind furiously worked, and he ran behind her. His memories were not perfect. Even though he was able to bring back certain memories buried deep in the depths of his mind, there were still limits to it.

    Even so, the answer came like a bolt of lightning.

    Neverland.

    Peter Pan.

    The sound of a ticking clock.

    Finally¡­ A crocodile¡­

    His eyes narrowed when he finally made the connection. In the story of Peter Pan and Neverland, Captain Hook had two great nemeses. One was Peter Pan himself and the other was¡­ The Crocodile.

    In the story, the Crocodile devoured Captain Hook¡¯s arm alongside a ticking clock, and after tasting his flesh, the crocodile became obsessed with Hook, eager to taste the rest of his flesh. Whenever he went by, the only warning Hook would receive was the sound of the ticking clock residing in the stomach of the animal.

    Noah cursed under his breath. The situation was simply too unbelievable. How the hell was a crocodile creating such commotion? Just what were the fantasy beast¡¯s capabilities?

    It did not take long for Noah to receive the answer as a flash of incandescent white light crept over the wall behind Noah, enveloping the people who had been moving a bit too slowly.

    .The light flashed only for an instant, but it was enough for Noah to feel all the presence behind him vanish.

    Noah did not turn around. Whatever that light was, he could learn about it later. The critical take on this was that the light was dangerous, and he sure as hell didn¡¯t want it to touch him.

    Sadly, not everyone could be as calm as him. The already scared passengers were now completely terrified, a cacophony of screams soon erupted, and chaos filled the hallways. People were not content with waiting anymore. Pushing, pulling, stepping, no options were spared just to have a slighter advantage in this tug of survival.

    ¡°Give me the directions to the shelter and explain what is going on,¡± Noah ordered immediately. B-54 only let out a yelp as she felt herself being lifted from the ground and embraced in Noah¡¯s arms.

    Keeping the android in a tight embrace, Noah increased his speed and started running on the wall of the hallway. His feet were immediately coated in a gooey black substance, courtesy of Eve of course, which made sure he would not fall from the walls.

    On the side, he could hear the people shouting and begging him to save them. Noah gritted his teeth, his conscience warring against his survival instincts. He could not save all of them. Not like this.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    As befitting her work experience, B-54 managed to gather her wits clinically fast, almost too fast. She did not ask why Noah did not have such elementary knowledge, but she did not need to ponder much. Many people traveled to space without gathering the necessary information.

    ¡°This was the Light of Death. The main skill of the Time Devouring Crocodile. A cosmic beast. It¡¯s currently only white, so anyone who gets touched by it will immediately lose five hundred years of their lifespan. It only affects flesh and blood. The shelters are made with multiple layers of special organic material that can withstand hundreds of years of corrosion.¡±

    As she explained the situation, a holographic map appeared above her wrist, showing her position and the best route toward the shelter.

    Noah nodded, his eyes narrowing as he scrutinized the map. ¡°How long will this attack last and is there a way to stop it? Tell me everything you know.¡±

    B-54 looked at Noah with disbelief, wondering if she heard him right. She wanted to argue. To tell him that he should not even think about doing the impossible. With his speed, it would be extremely easy for them to reach the shelter without getting reduced to dust.

    In the end, the words got stuck in her throat. It was not her place to stop him. She did not know if what he was doing was out of a misjudged sense of heroism or confidence in his strength.

    But, looking at his gleaming eyes and the smile twitching on his lips, B-54 realized that perhaps it was none of those. This man was just a maniac.

    ¡°The Time Devouring Crocodile is a dangerous Cosmic Beast. It¡¯s generally asleep during this period. Once it devours around two million years worth of time, it will go back to sleep for a few years.¡±

    Noah grimaced. Even on earth, crocodiles did not die of old age. They would continuously grow as time went by and would die only due to health issues or if they did not receive enough food to satiate their ever-growing physiology.

    I guess this takes that trait to a whole new level.

    Still, two million years was equal to four thousand victims at minimum. While some long-lived species like Dorothy might be on board, he doubted many had more than 500 years'' worth of lifespan. The victim count could easily increase by five or even ten.

    ¡°How do I help? Any particular weakness?¡± Just then, a window giving him a view of the outer space went by him and Noah immediately got a better look at the situation outside.

    A blue shield had already covered the ships and turrets were wildly firing energy blasts in the distance.

    From his angle, he was not able to get a look at the cosmic beast. But he could gleam that the energy blasts were barely doing anything to the crocodile.

    Noah drifted at a crossroads and immediately jumped off a rail. The elevator was filled with people, and he doubted that he could land on a functioning one anytime soon. B-54 nearly screamed as the sensation of free fall took over her.

    ¡°There is no known weakness!¡± She shouted in his ears, ¡°The only ones to have ever managed to drive off the Crocodile were Captain Hook and Lady Tinker Bell alongside the Black Knight of Neverland.¡±

    Noah grinned, his finger lodging inside the concrete of the wall, slowing down his fall until he reached the ground while his fingers left five deep trails

    Once his feet landed, he placed B-54 down, her hair a sordid mess.

    ¡°Well, I will go to the hangar and get a better look outside. You should go to the shelter.¡± He waved his hand at her and immediately started his sprint. He was so much faster now that he was just a blur in B-54¡¯s eyes. Leaving her behind let him use the full extent of his capabilities.

    Watching his blurred silhouette, a thoughtful light shimmered in her eyes and she paced away.

    Her steps did not take her in the direction of the shelter.

 CH 66: Lets go!

    Running at blistering speeds, Noah was surprised to realize that Eve had not uttered a single word until now.

    Not stopping me?

    ¡ª I dislike wasting my time.

    He chuckled at her words. It seemed to him that Eve truly knew him best. There was, indeed, no way Noah would stop at this juncture. He was aware that his actions were reckless, but he had sufficient confidence in his survival skills. Not to mention, it was not his style to hide and cower while others suffered.

    ¡ª A hero to your very bones.

    I am not a hero. I just help people based on my abilities. If I wasn¡¯t sure I could survive, I would have fled.

    ¡ª Keep telling yourself that.

    Noah snorted at her dismissive tone. He took back his previous thoughts. Clearly, she still did not know him fully after everything they¡¯d been through, or else she would have never made that remark.

    The hangar was close to him now. Once he reached there, he could take out his Mecha.

    ¡ª One thing¡­ How long do you plan to stay naked?

    Oh¡­

    Noah could not help but look down at his current state. His current attire finally registering in his mind. His entire body was caked in blood and bits of his organ, with not a thread covering him.

    Damnit! You could have warned me earlier!

    The only response he received was a bell-like laughter that only felt eerie when he remembered it came from a parasitic Cosmic Beast. Black Bio-Matter started oozing out from his body, covering him from head to toe, wriggling around and solidifying until all that was left was a familiar Black and Gold-streaked armor.

    The armor mirrored the style of the one he wielded during his confrontation with Omid and his crew. Noah already had Eve devour the armor Tin created for him which gave her more in-depth knowledge of the internal structure and circuits that made up  conventional power armor. Thanks to that, the current armor he wielded was as optimized.

    Noah ignored how the mischievous Eve could have equipped him way earlier. This armor was one of the reasons he was so confident about the incoming battle, and outside of that.

    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    It should be able to protect him from the Light of Death.

    ¡ª What if it doesn¡¯t?

    Then we either die or we survive and then kick some reptilian ass.

    Noah laughed out loud and once again jumped into what could only be called a giant abyss. The radars equipped in his armor were warning him that the tunnel was hundreds of meters deep.

    Noah cackled like a madman as a sensation of weightlessness took over him. It had been a long time since he felt his blood pumping so vigorously. This would be his first official fight after leaving the previous planet, after all. A fight that would be witnessed by many and would lead to his name being spread throughout the sea of stars if he were to succeed.

    Today was the day he would become a legend.

    A ripple in space formed as he fell through the tunnel. A behemoth of steel was soon pulled out from within the gaping hole in space. Entering his Knight Frame was not easy in a free fall, but once he did he immediately activated all the functions.

    [Activation]

    [Authentication Check: Success]

    [Commencing system check]

    [No abnormalities in the nerve connection]

    [Connection to External equipment]

    [Activating environmental sensors]

    [Energy Reserves: 100%]

    [System Check: Complete]

    [Vanguard ¨C Shadowblade activation complete]

    Everything happened in the span of a few seconds. The thrusters lit up and controlled his fall until he finally landed on the ground with a soft thud.

    When Noah reached the hangar, he witnessed numerous people and robots scramble about with haste, helping combat spaceships and Knighframes to exit through the outer hanger door and enter mortal combat against the Time Devouring Crocodile.

    ¡°Intruder. Identify yourself or we will open fire.¡± A robotic voice reached him from below, and Noah activated his speakers to respond.

    ¡°No time to explain. I am one of the VIPs. I wish to help you fend off against the enemy.¡± Noah was straightforward from the get-go. Every second they wasted now only amounted to more deaths piling up.

    Red light flickered in the robot''s eyes. It was clearly about to refuse him. Soldiers, especially robotic fighters, were trained to fight in formation. Adding a passenger would only disrupt them. But soon it stopped and tilted its head slightly before muttering, ¡°Permission accorded.¡±

    A door to the side opened and Noah was ushered into a room filled with special equipment that aided in the launch of Knightframes into outer space for combat. Once the door closed behind him, Noah moved his Frame until it was positioned on the launch ramp. Only then, did the second door, leading to the void of space, start opening.

    ¡ª Your pulse has increased. Are you nervous?

    Noah nodded, his hand tightening around the command.

    ¡°I am more than a little nervous. This reminds me of the war. Not happy memories, I tell you.¡± He grimaced at the sudden recollection.

    The tense atmosphere, the soldiers running around, wounded soldiers getting dragged back to be healed. The sickening scene of blood and death.

    Every single thing was familiar to Noah. Too familiar. However, there still seemed to be one exception,

    ¡°Eve. Let¡¯s do what we planned.¡±

    ¡ª From the get-go?

    ¡°No way am I going to underestimate that thing.¡± Noah grinned as he felt the biomass extend from his body and start filling every nook and cranny of his newly acquired Knightframe.

    Since the Shadowblade did not have a full Neurolink, he simply needed to create his own.

    Noah thought and immediately groaned once the connection was made. In one instant, Shadowblade went from being nothing but a cold machine to a warm companion he could trust intuitively.

    [Opening in five seconds!]

    Noah closed his eyes and focused on the connection he had with his new companion. At the moment, though he was not as deeply connected as the Neurolink, this was the best he could conjure.

    The limb movement felt slightly stiff, but the overall control itself was increasing to a whole other level.

    [4]

    With one thought from him, the fingers of his Frame clenched and unclenched.

    [3]

    Eve, are you ready? Noah could not help but ask. One of his eyes shone with deep crimson red, while the other shone in bright gold. He was nervous. Definitely nervous. After all, this was the first time in years that he had the lives of innocent people on his shoulders.

    [2]

    ¡ªI am more than ready. Let¡¯s see what those so-called Cosmic Beasts are truly capable of.

    Eve was no less proud than Noah. Since this crocodile was a cosmic beast like herself, she needed to show her superiority.

    [1]

    ¡°Then¡­ I guess it¡¯s time to kick ass!¡± Nervous he might be, but there was never any doubt about victory in his mind.

    [0¡­ Starting propulsion!]

    He would win!

    ¡°Let¡¯s go! Shadowblade!¡± Noah shouted as the Frame was propelled at Mach three right into outer space.

 CH 67: Karnax

    Karnax the Blood-Tusk was angry.

    As the Captain of the Red Maw, one of the largest mercenary bands in this corner of the galaxy, he thought that escorting the Traveler, the luxurious cruise ship that journeyed through the Sea of Stars would be an easy mission. After all, everyone knew how much backing the Traveler had and its passengers were almost always Super VIPs.

    Even some of the craziest pirates and criminals in all of the galaxy would not dare to attack this ship.

    Landing this job has been easy for him. After all, he was one of the Gor¡¯Khath. They were some of the most battle-hardened warriors in the entire galaxy, known for their bloodthirstiness and endless desire for battle. Hot-headed warriors who would fight even for free if that would mean they could satiate their hunger for a worthy fight.

    But Karnax was different. Karnax was smart. Like his tribes¡¯ members, Karnax loved battle. The catch was that it was a battle he could win that he loved.

    And this was not a battle he could win.

    ¡°What the hell is the first wing doing? Bring up the organic shields now! We are getting decimated by those Time Rays.¡±

    He shouted at the top of his lungs, his large heavy fist hitting the console and his eyes blazing, a sign that he was about to berserk. His skin slowly went from green to red and his breathing became somewhat erratic.

    This whole situation was like a big fat joke. Cosmic beasts were not the kind of easy monstrosities that a small group could tackle. All they could do was stall for time, but how were they even supposed to do that when the Time Ray bypassed all mechanical defense without exception and reached the pilots directly?

    As if fighting that giant monstrosity alone wasn¡¯t enough, abyssal beasts had banded behind the Crocodile. They were not too hard to deal with but were certainly troublesome as they had to divert some attention to them.

    The AI soldiers were doing their best, thankfully, but their directives were limited. Not everyone dared to hire true AI like the ones on Oz planet.

    This whole situation was rather hopeless.

    [We apologize. We first need to deploy the shields in the shelters to protect the VIPs. Keep holding on for some time.] A robotic voice reached him swiftly. But the words they uttered made him see red quite literally.

    ¡°Keep holding on to my ass!¡± This time Karnax roared, his pair of tusks trembled, showcasing his anger. He was giving his all to control his temper. Only by controlling and channeling his rage could he keep a clear mind.

    ¡°Let me make one thing clear.¡± He breathed in deeply, his skin slowly shifting back to a greenish hue. ¡°Contract or not, I will not sacrifice more of my men for such a futile endeavor. If I do not receive those shields in three standard minutes, we will withdraw immediately. I will pay the penalty for the breach of contract if necessary.¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    All the members of his mercenary band were part of his tribe. Valiant warriors who had followed him for years on the battlefield even though back on their home planet, he was known as Karnax the Coward.

    Gor¡¯Khaths did not fear death. They followed the path of the Hunt and War. Dying on a battlefield was an honor that would allow them to ascend and drink forever in the halls of Kharn¡¯Valh.

    However, there was a difference between dying in an honorable battle and throwing their lives away to protect people who were simply not worth it.

    In his ear, he could hear the sound of his brothers and sisters raging in protest, screaming at him that they could still fight. That dying against a cosmic beast like The Crocodile would be a worthy death.

    He ignored them all. Most of them had already gone Berserk and would fight without caring for anything else. He would not let them, however. He had specially equipped remote controls on their Frames just for situations like this.

    The main communicator stayed silent for a few seconds ¨C as if they were considering his words carefully ¨C before a new voice reached him. It was the voice of a woman. She did not have the slight robotic timber those AIs had so he knew he was finally talking to someone high up in the ship¡¯s command.

    [I apologize for the delay. I understand the situation. You can retreat three steps now. You do not need to engage directly. Just make sure to keep the abyssal beasts away from the main ship.]

    Karnax frowned at her response. He had been ready to argue his way out of this situation or simply withdraw if things took a turn for the worst. The new orders changed the whole scenario, however.

    ¡°Are you sure¡­?¡± He couldn''t help but ask. He was positively bewildered. After nearly 80 years of working as a mercenary, he knew how those super companies thought and worked. For those megacorps, mercenaries like them were just expendable resources.

    [If you wish to still fight in the front, I can easily take back my order.]

    Karnax raised his hands in surrender. The situation was suspicious but there was no need to reject her proposal.

    He simply had one question.

    ¡°If we retreat, who will take care of the Vanguards?¡± His doubts were logical. The role of a vanguard could never be understated. Did they have some sort of secret legion? It wasn¡¯t impossible given the kind of backers the cruise had going for them.

    Even as he spoke, Karnax sent orders for his comrades to reposition themselves. After all, every second lost would mean more deaths.

    [Well. The vanguard will be¡­]

    Her words were interrupted as a loud alarm blared through his Frame. This was a signal to warn about the intrusion of an unknown Frame in their midst.

    ¡°Wha¡ª¡± Karnax gazed at the screen showing the ongoing combat in real-time. Hundreds of monsters fought against teams of deployed Frames and his comrades. Time Rays flew everywhere, affecting even the abyssal beasts. The Crocodile¡¯s ray did not spare anyone.

    Amid all the chaos, the newest Frame joining their side was extremely eye-catching despite its dark design.

    ¡°Zoom on him.¡± The screen zoomed in and he was able to recognize the Frame.

    ¡°A Shadowblade model?¡± He wondered out loud after a short moment of doubt. The appearance was slightly different and more feral than the usual models. But this was undoubtedly a Shadowblade. Nothing more than a mass-produced standard Frame. Even if heavily modified, there would be limits to its ability. Furthermore, the Shadowblade model was focused on interpersonal combat, assassination, and swift strikes. It had no place on a battlefield as crazy and combat-heavy as this one.

    ¡°Has the pilot gone nuts?¡± He asked, wondering if the frame was piloted by a robot carrying explosives that could implode an entire planet or something. This was a doable strategy. A very costly strategy but still very effective.

    It did not take long for him to swallow his words as the ensuing events left him utterly speechless.

 CH 68: You serious?

    How are heroes born?

    This was a question few people regularly asked themselves. What made someone a hero?

    Was it birth? Innate talent? Power? Intelligence? Money? The willingness to sacrifice oneself for a greater good?

    The answer was really none of them specifically. Those elements only gave the necessary foundation for someone to become a hero. They lacked the essence.

    What truly made one a hero were pivotal moments.

    This current battle was such a pivotal moment. The mercenaries were reaching their limits even if they were ready to fight more. Even the robots were reaching the very limits of their calculations and directives.

    In the main ship, passengers who were still too far away from any possible shelters were watching the combat through the multiple screens dotting the central hall of the ship and the windows. They knew death was the closest to them as it could get. Many of them just gave up altogether. Running was useless and screaming did nothing. Most just accepted the end of their lives.

    In such a situation, all they could do was pray to whatever gods they believed in, hoping that the Time Ray would not touch them and rob them of their lifespan. Most simply lost hope and sat down, crying helplessly, or hugging their loved ones.

    They were all going to die. Such was the prevalent thought that had rooted in everyone¡¯s mind. The thought was only confirmed by the mercenaries retreating to the ship in droves. No one was there to protect them anymore.

    As despair continued to grow, a small murmur started to spread. Very faint at first, only a few individuals noticed the newcomer in the battle between all the machines and the abyssal monsters.

    But like an ever-growing wave, more and more eyes started to focus on a particular individual.

    It was just a Shadowblade, a model that was not known for its strength. However, the way that single Knightframe cruised through space was nothing they had ever witnessed in their lives.

    Dancing like a butterfly and stinging like a bee.

    An apt description of the frame¡¯s movements. The swords of the Frame were deadly, needing only one strike to accurately pierce the hardened shells of the abyssal beasts and crush its core.

    It was as if the pilot had fought thousands of such beasts in the past and knew everything about them. The accuracy of his movement bordered on the uncanny.

    They watched as the lone frame did something unimaginable. Blazing a trail of blood and fire as it cruised through the sea of monsters to face the tremendous cosmic beast. It was like a knight in shining armor facing the mythical dragon in the skies. A fairytale-like moment brought to life.

    A fire was ignited in their heart. One born from hope. Soon, though they knew he could not hear them, many of the passengers started cheering for his victory.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    This was undoubtedly a hero ¨CSomeone who made the impossible possible

    Still, a small seed of doubt filled the minds of some of the more experienced passengers. How were a Shadowblade model¡¯s weapons able to tear apart those tough exoskeletons so easily?

    ***

    Noah could sort of guess the reactions he was garnering as he fought through the seemingly endless waves of monsters. But he hardly cared.

    Hero? All his life, he had been hailed and recognized as a hero.

    Noah did not want to be a hero in this life. He did not want to let the hopes and expectations of others weigh him down any longer.

    Helping people was one thing.

    Protecting the weak was not a problem either.

    But never again would he let people dictate what he could and could not do.

    Right here, right now, all that mattered to him was to fight to his heart¡¯s content. If there was one thing Noah could acknowledge, it was that he was having a blast!

    ¡°Hahaha! Die for me!¡± In the depths of his cockpit, Noah cackled heartily, joy dancing in his eyes, as he decapitated one of the abyssal beasts rushing him and then impaled the one behind him with the spear Eve made from his with her biomatter.

    How could Noah let all this free food simply vanish in front of his eyes? The energy that the abyssal beast housed was minimal at best. However, the more energy cores he absorbed through his special spear, the more he felt himself become stronger.

    He had already made sure the system would not disturb him with all the enhancement notifications. Thus he could keep his entire focus on what he did best.

    Killing monsters.

    Noah¡¯s radar started to blink and he immediately maneuvered to use the corpse of a few beasts as a shield. Immediately after, a flash of crimson light was blocked by those corpses and they swiftly disintegrated right in front of his eyes.

    Noah tsked, he had confidence in being able to counter this bloody light but he did not have an exact grasp of his lifespan, nor did he know how the light would affect him.

    There was no need to take a risk when so many meat shields were at his disposal. He had already used this tactic a few times while killing his way forward but this time, his expression couldn¡¯t help but become more serious.

    ¡ª The light has changed colors.

    Indeed, when the white light had previously hit those abyssal beasts, only a few of them immediately became dried-up corpses. But this time they had been reduced to dust.

    Noah took a deep breath, his excitement forcibly held down as he observed the battlefield and ruminated on his current situation.

    His Shadowblade never stayed in place. Even though it was a standard model, it was one that specialized in combat and high mobility. By using his fusion with Eve, he was able to reach an even higher degree of freedom in his movements and maneuverability of the Frame. Killing the beasts facing him while making sure to always have a way to protect himself from the light.

    Looking at his radar, he could see more than a hundred beasts concentrated on him, while more went toward the main cruise.

    They are not worth caring about.

    He ignored them. At the moment, their only use was to become either his or the crocodile¡¯s food.

    The true threat was the Crocodile itself, and what a magnificent beast it was.

    How huge.

    Noah admired the cosmic beast in silence. He had to use multiple cameras to try and capture the entirety of the beast with how large it was. Even then, it was not enough to fit the beast in his screen. It was stupendously huge.

    System, share with me any information you have about the beast.

    ¡ºName: ???

    Race: Chronodraco

    Growth Stage: Infant

    Description: Chronodracos are one of the most dangerous cosmic entities in the universe. Like all Cosmic Beasts, they possess the innate ability to travel through the Sea of Quanta. But to a higher degree and their ability to devour time is matchless. Unlike Cosmic beasts such as Parasites they possess a fertility close to null but make it up by using their overwhelming might.

    Danger Rating: High

    Warning: The host is advised to avoid direct confrontation.¡»

    Noah had not expected much at first but, gazing at the information he received, Noah was speechless. He realized two things.

    Firstly, he really needed to stop underestimating the ability of this system.

    Secondly, ¡°This is an infant?¡±

    What kind of bullshit is this?

 Good news!

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    Now my book is available on Amazon and will officially release on the 14th.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

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 CH 69: Croco

    The Crocodile or Chronodraco as the system called it, was easily ten times taller than Noah¡¯s Shadowblade. At a glance, Noah estimated that it would be around 180 to a little more than 200 meters. As for the length of its body, he could not come up with an accurate number, even if he wanted to estimate it like the height.

    And such a behemoth was supposed to be an infant? He could not help but wonder incredulously in his mind while his heart beat faster and faster with each passing second.

    He wanted to fight this beast.

    He wanted to triumph over the colossal cosmic being.

    But more than anything,

    ¡°¡°¡ª I want to eat it.¡±¡±

    Both Noah and Eve expressed their desires at the same time. They felt no fear in front of a monster that could devour the ethereal time itself. It was quite simple to them¡ª they just had to devour it before it could devour them. A fight between predators.

    An intense crimson light shone from his eyes; his heartbeats were now comparable to the resounding echoes of drums. More and more Aether was pumped in the Shadowblade, to the point it began to overclock.

    The thrusters roared with life, its speed increasing exponentially in a split instant.

    Slash, thrust, pierce, cut, kill, devour.

    A series of dazzling movements were all performed simultaneously using the increased momentum that Aether brought to the machine. More than a dozen Abyssal beasts were disintegrated in the aftermath of Noah¡¯s rampage.

    Yet Noah paid no attention to them, all he felt was a deep hunger and an insatiable desire to devour the cosmic beast. After all, only a beast of that caliber was able to satiate the primal hunger coursing through his body.

    ¡°Out of my way!¡± Noah shouted and his mecha answered. Moving as though there was solid ground below its feet, the Frame accelerated rapidly, covering the distance between him and The Crocodile in an instant.

    [Warning: Circuits overclocked]

    [Warning: The core has reached its limits.]

    [Warning!]

    The frame was not able to keep up with the sheer output of Aether he was feeding it. Alerts blared in the cockpit but Noah ignored all of them.

    ¡°Eve!¡±

    ¡ª Leave it to me!

    There was no need for an explanation. Eve immediately enhanced the integration rate between her and the frame, spreading herself through every part of the machine. The Shadowblade was only a vessel for them.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    New circuits formed to accommodate the Aether input, connecting Noah''s body and absorbing all the energy he was pumping.

    Feeling his energy leave him even faster than before as his body had now become the core sustaining the frame, Noah felt himself enter a trance.

    How should he beat that thing?

    There was no need to make it complicated.

    ¡°Set the world ablaze!¡±

    Though he had no prior experience with manipulating heat, his power manifested under his will. By using the Shadowblade as the foci, Noah was able to avoid burning his body.

    From the outside, all the spectators could see was a blaze of yellow flames covering the mecha as it rushed like a shining arrow toward the giant crocodile, leaving a blazing trail of iridescent light behind him.

    Noah did not even need to move his weapons, all the monsters in his vicinity were instantly incinerated due to the immense heat. The unnatural flames defied all the laws of physics and made the impossible possible.

    ***

    When Noah was just a hundred meters away from it, the Crocodile finally noticed the insect that had been buzzing around like a pesky mosquito.

    Its intelligence was yet to be completely developed, all it ever wanted was to eat and sleep. It should have been sleeping longer. For reasons it could not understand, the beast had woken up far earlier than usual.

    But all of it mattered not.

    Looking at the bug rushing straight at him, The Crocodile opened its giant maws, fully intent on incinerating this tedious bug.

    Crimson light gathered in front of it and a laser beam soon followed, shooting at its target¡ª Noah.

    The devouring ray should have been enough. All those short-lived creatures would always die when its light touched them.

    But this time something unexpected happened, the bug seemed faster than it had anticipated and easily avoided its attack.

    The Crocodile started shooting more and more beams with haste but to no avail. Zig-zagging in a dizzying pattern, the bug was able to avoid all its attacks within a hair¡¯s breadth.

    How was it possible?

    Such thought filled its mind and soon, confusion led to primal rage overtaking its senses. In this zone, for so long, it had reigned as the uncontested lord, using all the living creatures in this place as nothing but convenient food.

    Only by bringing an entire army were they able to drive the beast away but now one bug dared to defy it all by itself?

    Space vibrated and with it, the sound of a roar filled with wrath replaced the calm sound of the ticking clock.

    The crocodile raised and swung its paws at a speed that belied its gigantic appearance. The Shadowblade made a sharp barrel roll while its blade dragged against the skin of the Crocodile.

    The Crocodile ignored it, its skin was tough, too tough to be pierced by such a small weapon.

    At least, that should have been the case.

    A sharp pain filled the mind of The Crocodile and its green viscous blood spilled through space.

    The feeling of pain was foreign to the beast. After all, no one had ever managed to wound it.

    But this time was different. It screamed, its survival instincts kicked in and more than a thousand white laser rays immediately covered its whole body in a pristine white cocoon. It had no way of controlling the crimson light in this state. But that attack should have been enough. There was no way that bug could avoid so many rays.

    And indeed. No matter how skilled Noah was, there was a limit to what he could do when he was being bombarded from all sides.

    Like a fishing net, the white ray covered all escape routes, trapping Noah. However, he did not stop moving nor did he try to escape. He started rushing higher and higher toward the net.

    How long could he live?

    Noah did not really know. What he did know though, was that¡ª

    ¡°It¡¯s all or nothing!¡±

    He angled his mecha, reaching the part where the least amount of light was interconnected, and finally¡­

    He made contact with what many considered to be the Light of Death.

 CH 70 : Croco (2)

    When the Light finally reached Shadowblade, Noah felt like he was going through an out-of-body experience.

    The exoskeleton of the Shadowblade was covered entirely by Eve¡¯s abyssal black substance, but the connection between them was not lost.

    The area surrounding his vision changed rapidly, a second seemed to stretch into an eternity. The whole area seemed to have slowed down to a slime¡¯s pace until¡­ everything stopped, in the literal sense.

    Noah tried to breathe out of reflex, but he could feel neither his chest moving nor the feeling of air caressing his skin. Even though his mind had transcended to a higher level of perception, his body had failed to follow through.

    The eerie phenomenon vanished just as fast as it appeared but in its wake, it left a piercing pain in his mind.

    The substance produced by Eve did not vanish, however, indicating that Noah had successfully survived the ordeal. It did, however, disorient him to such a degree that Noah was not willing to go through this experience any longer.

    Blood flowed freely down his nostrils, his eyes quite literally burst out of their sockets, splattering blood everywhere. His muscles froze, and his heartbeat nearly stopped.

    He was unable to make heads or tails about what was happening with his body. His mind was too chaotic. He felt as though he was trying to process an unimaginable amount of information all at once.

    Gotta move!

    Even though his mind was in utter shambles, Noah still understood that staying stationary right now would literally be a death sentence. But that did not mean his body was cooperating. He simply was unable to do anything and Eve was not doing much better than he was.

    This feeling!

    Amid the debilitating pain, Noah latched onto a short instant of insight. He recognized this pain. Even though it was to a lesser extent, this pain was not dissimilar to the pain he probably felt eons ago. It was the sort of pain that coursed through his being when he fought against Eve and entered that wormhole with her.

    ¡°Fu~¡± Noah could not even curse properly as his frame jolted to life. Numerous messages with information about the damage levels flashed everywhere in his mind but he did not have the faculties to observe them properly.

    But he got the gist that his mecha was in terrible shape. Also, he was moving fast, too fast even. He surmised that the Chronodraco had blasted him away to someplace.

    Can¡¯t let myself get struck by another one of those light beams.

    Only a few seconds went by but he could feel his thoughts flow more smoothly. His eyes had still not healed but the tingling feeling on his face made him realize that it wouldn¡¯t take long now.

    Where is it?

    Noah did not let panic cloud his mind. He could not see. It was only natural that he did not know where his enemy was. This was more than enough to send anyone into a spiral of fear and self-doubt.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    A simple energy gun popped into the hand of his Knightframe at his command. Even with his eyes destroyed, the action was more than easy for him.

    This gun was not particularly powerful. Even though it could absorb Dark Matter ¨C or Aether as the Gaia Empire termed it ¨C to blast a focused and condensed energy, there was a limit to the load it could bear.

    Soon though the entire gun was covered in a dark substance and the shape changed to that of a spear.

    Eve, you¡¯re back.

    ¡ª I AM GOING TO KILL IT!

    A primal rage of the likes he had never felt in his life filled a corner of his mind, making his lips twitch involuntarily. This was the first time he had seen Eve lose her calm to such an intense degree. Clearly, she did not appreciate the pain.

    The tip of the spear wriggled continuously, finally taking on the shape of a drill. The drill started rotating, slowly at first but it picked up speed fast as more and more of his energy was poured into it.

    Ignoring the cries of revenge of the wrathful Parasite Queen, Noah focused on his surroundings.

    His perception spread in all directions, filling the space around the frame like a zone. From 2 meters to 5 then 10, 20, 30, and finally 70 meters. He was still not able to see anything, but that did not mean he could not sense it. His ears were still working just fine for whatever reason and his reflexes were not completely affected.

    It¡¯s coming.

    Goosebumps covered his skin as a great feeling of danger shrouded his mind. But rather than escaping, the Shadowblade simply tightened its grip around the drill spear.

    Light gathered on the frame¡¯s surface and the energy overloading the spear transformed, a searing blaze flashing through the weapon.

    Just a little more.

    He thought. His palms were sweating heavily. The spear grew in size and power, from simply a few meters long to more than 30 meters. The size increase came with a feeling of weakness in his whole being. Yet, he pumped more power into the spear.

    Just a little more.

    His heart seemed to run a mile a minute then the feeling of the world slowing down to a crawl appeared once again. Only this time it was different. The time dilatation was weaker. Far weaker than what the previous attack had made him feel.

    But¡­ that was enough.

    Now!

    His eyes opened, now healed enough to return his vision. Immediately, he witnessed a giant open maw rushing toward him at lightspeed, ready to devour him whole.

    A torrent of energy overloaded all the circuits of the Frame as Noah pumped even more of his energy into the machine. Systems after systems closed as the circuits were complete and finally¡­ he threw the spear.

    Like a comet, the drilling spear flew through the sea of stars, a blazing brilliance in its wake. Like a comet, it illuminated everything on its path, leaving its trail through the stars.

    The distance between him and the Time-Devouring beast was infinitely small in the scale of the wide space.

    But this distance was destined to never be reduced.

    A roar filled with pain, anger, and fear shook the void, as the spear pierced the eye of the monster.

    For an infant who had never faced any difficulty in its entire life, the pain was simply too much for the beast. It barrelled out of Noah¡¯s trajectory as it started thrashing in pain. No matter how much it tried, it could not dislodge the spear from its eyes.

    Noah, seeing this clicked his tongue in dismay. This should have been a one-hit kill. His goal had been to completely pierce the eyes and destroy the brain of the monster. But at the last moment, a small curtain of white light veiled before the spear and decreased its size considerably.

    He might have been disappointed, but that did not impact his actions. He pushed himself to act, ready to advance and give the final blow to his enemy, but¡­

    ¡°Huh¡­?¡±

    Red lights flashed all over the cockpit and no control answered his command. Noah swore under his breath, realizing that the Shadowblade was completely incapacitated after repeatedly going beyond its limit on its very first live battle.

    Should I just jump out?

    He seriously considered just opening the cockpit and rushing out into space to attack the cosmic beast. Sadly, for Noah, the Crocodile was clearly not interested in fighting anymore.

    A fissure in space, not unlike the one Noah would open with Eve¡¯s help, appeared behind the Crocodile and he watched powerlessly as its prey fled into the Sea of Quanta.