《Greatest Thief System—An Intergalactic Rhapsody》 Chapter 1: The Greatest Thief What makes a great thief? A thief who escapes, who doesn''t get caught, who no one has seen? Are all these enough to make a thief good? I say no. A thief who gets caught is a criminal, not even a thief. One who no one has seen might be a good thief, but not a great one. A thievery that no one knows has taken place¡ªin my eyes¡ªthat is the greatest thief. And I. "Throw this bastard in the damned cellar! I can''t believe there are still Earthlings who can waltz in here." "Aye, Corporal!" The two green humanoids grabbed my arms, one of them holding a raygun straight to my temple, and started dragging me away. If a great thief never let anyone know they were robbed from, I was quite the shitty thief since I had been caught. "Can''t you guys take the gun away? It''s not like I would try to run from here¡ªOw! No need to hit me¡ªOW!" "Shut up, human!" Enormous steel doors swung open as the Sermentali dragged me through their military base. Coming all the way to Switzerland only to end up seeing metal walls all around me was quite the shame. The two soldiers yanked me into the elevator, and with a flash of their eye in the retina scanner, the elevator rappelled down. Every meter lower we went, the farther away my plan of escaping into a spacecraft looked. Clang. The elevator stopped. A rustle echoed as the chains binding my feet and my hand scraped over the cold steel floor. Screams and cries echoed around me. A few of the other prisoners in the place banged the invisible walls of their cells as they groaned and huffed. Their pained groans and their ragged appearances were all a part of making every prisoner feel worse. A chill ran down my spine when I realized that many of these prisoners might have spent a large part of their lives in here. "In here," one of the Sermentali said. The other scanned his retina again, and the invisible wall of the cell opened up. "N-now," I said. "Why don''t we take this easy, guys? If you slowly reach into the pockets of my jacket, you''ll find some crisp, fresh cash. When we are out of this place, I''ll be happy to hand over my bank details, which are filled with stuff I have stolen over time. Definitely not disappointing¡ªOW!" A knee to my stomach took the wind out of me. The Sermentali only laughed as they grabbed my feet and hands and tossed me into the cell like a child would throw a toy it grew bored of. Without another word, they tapped their interface again, and the invisible force field trapped the musky air of the cell, barely any respite for it.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. The Sermentali, one of the three powers fighting over our solar system and also one of the three overlords of the Milky Way Galaxy. I was now trapped in their military base. *** How long had it been? I don''t really know. Ever since I was born, aliens had been on Earth. The same was the case for my parents, who I never really met, and for their parents, who I can say almost with certainty, had never met them. Everyone knew though that the name ''Earth'' came from before aliens¡ªand the word ''alien'' too, since I just called them people¡ªwere around. How they came around, how we met them, I have no idea. What I did know was that humanity and all other species were not limited to a single planet. Sermentali, the green species that had taken over a good part of the European continent and established multiple military bases here, were in constant struggle with two other empires for control of the Orion Arm¡ªa way to encroach on the next major arm. Of course, that meant the Sermentali were immensely powerful. Since Earth had become a major base for the Sermentali thanks to its climate, they had made their headquarters here quite important. Lying still on my back, after having been thrown into the cell, I tapped my feet and rested my head on my arms. All the other cells here must be filled with space bandits, pirates, bounty hunters, rogues, or even deserters and prisoners of war. "A new person in this cramped space. An Earthling at that, just my luck." My ears perked up slightly as I heard the voice. Without getting up, I let my eyes trail to the source of the sound. There, a woman that looked not particularly different from Earthlings sat with her knees close to her chest. Her skin was like mine, two ears, a nose, limbs. There was barely anything that separated her from a human except for her inhumane beauty, her sparkling silver hair, and the silvery stars instead of pupils in her almond-like eyes. "Did this human not even notice me here?" I hadn''t. "What a fool. No wonder he got caught." I''ll take that; getting caught was foolish. "Hundreds try to steal the Sermentali''s ''Star Eroder'' but fail. No way an Earthling can ever steal it, especially this clown. Haah... stuck here¡ª" "Rude much?" I spoke up finally, raising my brows. I was able to take the truth, but not these comments. "W-w-what!?" The woman reeled back at my reply, her star-shaped eyes wide open. "Y-you can speak my language? Wait, weren''t you talking to the Sermentali before too?!" I ignored her questions and pushed myself off the ground. "Look, lady. I might have gotten caught, but don''t consider me a third-rate like all the idiots who can''t read and understand every language in the universe. I don''t chase after bullshit like a Star Eroder." Sure, I got caught. Did that mean I had failed? Of course not. I slowly pulled my tongue out, revealing a small, tiny little metallic ball sitting on it. This was what I was here for, the true treasure that even the Sermentali hadn''t figured out. "That is...?" With a smirk, I rolled the ball down my tongue and swallowed it. "A piece of the Akashic Records," I continued, my smile spreading wider. A blue window that only I could see appeared in front of my eyes. [Initialization Started... Akashic Records Invoked.] "A piece of the... You can''t mean!?" The woman stood up, her eyes even wider than before. [Appraising Host. Determined. Host far exceeds the minimum capability requirements of the Akashic Records.] What made a great thief? Was it not letting anyone know they had been stolen from? [Analyzing the best way to integrate with the host with current capabilities... Analysis Complete.] Honestly, I didn''t give a fuck. No matter how great they were. [Welcome.] I was going to be better. [The Greatest Thief System greets its Master.] Chapter 2: Breakout! The Sermentali Prison (1) [The Greatest Thief System greets its Master.] I wasn''t surprised at all when the blue windows took over my vision. This was precisely what I wanted to happen, what I was here for. The next step was just as natural. For anyone who gained a system, the first thing they had to do was ritually ingrained in them. "Status." With that word, another blue window opened. [Status Window Name: Specter Species: Earthling. Class: Thief(?) :Stats: Str - 9 Int - 24 Agi - 7 End - 7 Dex - 29 :Skills: N/A :Class Abilities: N/A :Modifications: N/A ==] [Updating Status] [Unique Ability Detected] [:Unique Ability: Wisdom of Babel (EX-Grade) -- You have the ability to understand every single language in the universe. A Unique Ability only possible for a descendant of the owners of the Tower of Babel. {Further information is impossible in the current state of control over the Akashic Records}] I raised a brow, impressed. The Akashic Records were said to be a record formed along with the creation of the Universe. An ''entity,'' if it could even be called that, which contained all the knowledge in the universe. A power like a system was one of the ways the Akashic Records, which had broken up into many pieces, now chose hosts in hopes of connecting itself back. A mutually beneficial relationship, if you will. The Akashic Records would try to gather itself back and take over the host, and the host would willingly gather all of the Akashic Records in hopes to have control over all the knowledge in the universe.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Who wouldn''t want to take the chance? Knowledge is power. The person with all the knowledge in the universe would also be the most powerful person in the universe. My goal was no different. "Alright, now then." I pushed myself off the ground, completely ignoring the woman. I wasn''t sure what planet or species she belonged to. "Time to get out of here." A terminal like the one outside wasn''t in the cell, but I could definitely see the machinery on the top and the bottom of the door which maintained the invisible force field. "An invisible wall like this definitely uses some kind of Aether-based spell..." I said, peering at the walls with my hands above my eyes like an old man trying to look into the distance. If it was a spell, it would be ''written'' or ''engraved'' to invoke Aether. And if something was ''written,'' it could be ''read.'' [Ding! The Greatest Thief System issues the first directive.] [A thief must pry open closed doors, unlock paths as if they were never locked. You must learn the skill too.] [Class Ability {Lock Picking (Lv 1)} added!] [Quest: Access the terminal and use the integrated skill {Lock-Picking} to escape the cell.] A smile spread on my lips as my eyes widened slightly. The system was on track as well. I quickly checked through the blue windows and inspected the added Class Ability. [:Class Ability:] [-Lock Picking (Lv 1)] [-- You can pick locks with more efficiency and skill.] Time to put this into practice right away. The skill activated on its own when I decided I wanted to break out of the cell. For some strange, intuitive reason, I felt like I knew which part of the wall I had to get through to find the spell used to create the cell. "This... will be difficult to break." There were hundreds of prisoners here. If it was so easy to escape, wouldn''t they have already? Just getting through the wall would take me weeks, then analyzing the spell would take another couple of months. What a hassle, but I had to start right now if I wanted to get it done. "Hey, Earthling." I turned back, realizing I had been speaking the woman''s language since I had met her. Every language was so comfortable that I rarely reverted to an ''original'' one. "You think you can escape this place? It''s not so easy. The Sermentali''s Aether Spells come all the way from the New Outer," the woman said as she slowly stood up. Even though her words were dismissive, she was clearly hopeful. "It will take time, but I''ll figure it out. Spells are a way to communicate with Energy, after all." A sigh escaped me. "But this wall is far more annoying. This place is limiting everyone''s abilities, isn''t it?" I reached into my pockets and pulled out a laser pointer. This thing was actually a small plasma gun I would have used to cut the wall or make changes to the spell, but... ¡ªClick. Click. No matter how I turned it on or off, nothing happened. Electronics were jammed, though I couldn''t use any magic personally, all kinds of Spells were probably blocked by the Aether too. "All we have is our physical strength to go with." "If I... break the walls for you, can you take me with you?" "Break the walls? It isn''t so easy to break aether-reinforced metal with your hands alone¡ª" The woman completely ignored my words and walked past me, toward the metal block I had been staring at moments ago. She swung her hand back, wrapped her fingers into a fist, and at a speed the eye could barely see, punched the damned wall. As if a bomb had exploded in front of my eyes, a boom resounded through the tiny cell, bouncing back in my ears. My hair flew back from the wind, and goosebumps rose on my skin. The metal block had curved inward. My jaw dropped to the ground. What the actual fuck was this? Could anyone have this kind of raw strength? "Estrella," she said. "That''s my name. An Hesterian." "O-oh..." I gulped. "Spectre. That''s my name." "An Earthling named Specter? Strange name for Earthlings." "No, a thief. A thief named Specter." Estrella wore a soft smile at my words. I could tell there was a sense of smugness in her. "I am sure we can be of use to each other, Specter." And that smugness transferred right back to me as the goosebumps turned from fear to excitement. "Oh, you bet. A lot of use." It was time to escape this place. Chapter 3: Breakout! The Sermentali Prison (2) ¡°Break it from there,¡± ¡°Here?¡± ¡°A little higher up.¡± ¡ªCRASH! The resounding boom every time Estella punched the walls sent shivers down my spine. What the hell was with that kind of raw strength? It was hard to digest. If a punch like that landed on me, then even God wouldn¡¯t send me to hell; it would be suffering enough for the sins of a lifetime and then some. Of course, since she was listening to my every word, there was a sense of power in it. Is this what it would feel like to plow through early-stage gyms with an Elite Four level Pok¨¦mon? Perhaps. ¡°Estella-chu, break off that last panel over there.¡± ¡°What did you just call me?¡± ¡°Nothing, ma¡¯am.¡± Close call. Estella broke off the last of the panels, and now it was my turn to move. I quickly swapped places with her. Alone, just breaking this off would have taken weeks. But with her, that was reduced to a matter of minutes. ¡°So, what do you think?¡± Estella asked as I propped myself on my toes and observed all the panels around the invisible cage, the magic engravings all around it clearly visible. ¡°It is complex. I think I would manage in a day or two.¡± ¡°That long!?¡± ¡°It takes some time to understand the nuances of a language, alright? Especially one that is so entwined with magic. I might know the ¡®words,¡¯ but choosing them and stringing them along is still a conscious action.¡± Estella sighed at my statement. Now then, there was no time to help this alien feel better. I could spend that time getting us out of here one second sooner! I quickly placed a palm over the engravings and narrowed my eyes. ¡ª[Lock Picking (Lv 1) Activated] ¡°Huh?¡± The engravings of the spell in front of me morphed in real-time. This was not intuitive, but rather quite real. An overlay of words appeared on top of the spells, showing me a fragment of how to shape them. If I had to explain this in terms of a sentence, it was like the word choice was handed out, and I simply had to fix the grammar. Of course, the grammar was complex, but¡­ ¡°Can you see this thing?¡± ¡°The spell? Yes.¡±Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°No, this, this glowing text on top of it?¡± Estella sighed at my words. She leaned against the walls of the cell as she spoke in an almost resigned tone. ¡°You just absorbed a piece of the Akashic Records. The faster strange things become the norm for you, the better.¡± Those were a lot of words for a no. But with this, it made things much easier. ¡°Now, personally, if I were in your position, I would have¡ª¡± Estella started babbling, and I ignored her completely. Now then, to focus on the spell¡­ I arranged the ¡®words¡¯ I was seeing into different structures, playing with the syntax over and over as the words started to make more sense. The language of magic, the way the world interacted with the energies present everywhere¡ªit was all unfolding in my head. How long had passed? Perhaps three hours, maybe even more. I could see the end in sight. Without wasting any breaths on sighing or wiping my forehead, I quickly matched the spell as I wanted it to. And finally, the function this wall served broke apart. ¡°It¡¯s done,¡± I muttered. For a quick test, I put my hand outside the invisible wall. Dozens of ¡°oohs¡± rang out as the people in the cells across from us and even the ones above and next to us all turned to our cell. My hand was going out. It was properly working. I put my hand back in and looked at the spell once more. ¡°Oh!¡± Estella, from behind, jumped to her feet. I could tell from her voice that she was probably smiling like a child who had just received some candy for free. She quickly kicked off the ground and rushed toward the wall. ¡ªTHWACK! A loud bang resounded. Instead of going out, Estella flattened against the wall and slowly fell backward. The oohs outside resounded once more, though this time in admiration of that epic face slam straight into the wall. ¡°What the fuck¡­?¡± Estella asked, looking at me. ¡°You said it was open.¡± ¡°It was,¡± I answered, not bothering to take my eyes off the spell. ¡°I locked it up again.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Why? Well, it took too long the first time, so to train myself better.¡± And of course, because¡­ [Ding! Lock Picking has grown to Lvl 2] A strange chill ran down my spine. Even I couldn¡¯t remain steadfast in the face of the primal fear that made me scared for my life. Estella, looking like a demon from hell, grabbed me by the collar and lifted me off the ground. ¡°Bitch. Why would you do that? Open it up right now.¡± ¡°I-I wouldn¡¯t lock it the same way, that is stupid, right? I did it differently¡­ I can¡¯t open it, I promise!¡± She pulled her fist back. I gulped. Shaking my head frantically, I tried to reason with her. ¡°Please, please! Hear me out here! If you beat me up, there¡¯s no chance it will open again! And well, who knows, it might be more useful if I can level this thing up!¡± Estella, violent as she was, realized that a single punch of hers could snap me like a twig and let go. She gestured with her chin at the engravings. Hey, disrespect be damned, this woman could punch me to my creator. I quickly nodded and got to work again, letting out a sigh of relief. Then, I placed my hand on the engravings and started tinkering with them again. Estella observed for a few minutes and left to the back of the cell again. It was thirty minutes later that I got another notification. [Ding! Lock Picking has reached Lvl 3] The wall was invisible. I gulped, looking back at Estella once. Right¡­ There was no way she was going to let this slide twice. *** About as much time had passed as the first time I had managed to unlock the door. ¡°It¡¯s open!¡± I said, and Estella stepped ahead. ¡°Finally,¡± she said, taking a step out. Just as expected, both of us were out of the cell. [Lock Picking (Lvl 6)] ¡°Alright!¡± Estella harrumphed with pride, her eyes bright at her freedom. ¡°Let¡¯s leave here quickly! I can¡¯t wait to get in a ship and get lost.¡± She was about to head out when I held her wrist and stopped her. ¡°Wait, we still have something to do.¡± ¡°What?¡± I looked around. All around us were cells¡ªcells that we had just broken out of. And guess what? They originally opened from the outside. ¡°We can¡¯t leave our brothers and sisters here, can we?¡± Chapter 4: Breakout! The Sermentali Prison (3) Clicks resounded one after another as I tapped away on the cells from outside. Just a little bit of tinkering with the spells made the locks open up in no time, and with a level six lock-picking skill, it became even easier. The skill did not level up anymore. I thought maybe it was because there was nothing new to ¡®learn¡¯ from these locks. As soon as the criminals came out, it went a bit like this: ¡°HAHAH! I am free! I am blah blah, the most notorious blah blah of blah blah! I will kill you and everyone!¡± Then Estella would step in. ¡°Sorry. Please spare me. Please. I will do anything.¡± The most notorious blah blah of blah blah always followed up with that. After which, I would play the good cop. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. With her power, we can all go beat the Sermentali. Let¡¯s stage a coup and take over this place.¡± ¡°No way, I want to leave.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t help it. If that is what you want, my friend. Go to the third floor from that lift.¡± That¡¯s what I would say. Very rarely would people understand each other¡¯s languages. ¡°Go to the fifth floor.¡± ¡°Go to the surveillance room.¡± ¡°Go to the armoury, there¡¯s an exit.¡± ¡°Oh, you speak Spanish? Go to the third floor too.¡± How easy was that? It barely took minutes. Only Estella and I were left near the end, minus some of the people who were waiting around for us out of either a lust for opportunity or a foolish sense of loyalty. ¡°Where are we off to now?¡± Estella asked. It was great that she was from a far-off planet; no one could understand her language. ¡°To the hangar, right?¡± ¡°No way,¡± I said. ¡°We¡¯ll leave through the front door.¡± *** ¡°Sir Czar! There is a big problem.¡± Flashes and beeps blared across the interior of the command center as high-level soldiers entered the room to present their report. Sitting at the highest position of the room, overlooking all the operations, was the Earth Czar of the Sermentali. ¡°I am already seeing it.¡± He crossed all four of his green arms, an almost genetic sign of his superiority over normal Sermentali. For the first few hours, they hadn¡¯t noticed anything. But suddenly, all at once, all the prisons that held the worst of the criminals the Sermentali base had captured opened simultaneously¡ªall of them except one, the cell which had added a new guest most recently.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. It was a problematic situation that the Czar hadn¡¯t expected. The automatic doors slid open once more, and a sentry walked in. ¡°Czar! I have confirmed the state of the prison you mentioned. There is no one inside.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± the Czar said. The only prison that seemed unbreached on their systems was also opened. Anyone would be able to make this confirmation, but the situation was simply too dangerous. All this time, the Sermentali had never bothered with chaining or even frisking their captives. The surety in their systems and spells was that high all across their empire. But now¡­ in this situation, there was only one explanation. ¡°Someone has access to our systems.¡± A silence fell over the entire room at the Czar¡¯s comment. He quietly looked down and tapped the armrests with two of his arms, the other two still crossed. Access to the systems meant nothing they were seeing could possibly be safe. One did not become a giant, multi-planetary empire without protocols, even at their smallest branches. In such a situation too, whether it sat well with him or not, there was a protocol to follow. ¡°Shut down automatic defense systems. If they use it, we would all be in trouble. Keep the minimal servers open¡­¡± The Czar finally stood up and turned around. ¡°And bring your guns. We will go out and control this riot ourselves.¡± *** The best word to describe the current situation all over the Sermentali base was chaos. Sounds of gunshots and screams of all kinds of people filled our ears as Estella and I made our way through the base. The people who were following us in the beginning had all diverged, mainly because I told them at every turn that we would hold back enemies while they escaped. Honestly, they were cannon fodder. The useful ones had all gone to fight their own way out of this place. ¡°Turn left from here.¡± ¡°You know this place well, Spectre.¡± ¡°I researched a lot, alright? I am not that bad a thief.¡± ¡°You got caught,¡± Estella said, looking back at me with a gaze of pure pity and disgust. Not okay, that was a low, fucking blow. We passed through the next room. I quickly went to the terminal attached to the wall and used the Lock Picking skill again. The giant steel doors swung open. ¡°There are escapees!¡± ¡°Raise your weapons! And FIRE!¡± The other side of the door was immediately swarming with Sermentali. Estella quickly grabbed me by the arm and threw me to the side, giving me cover behind the walls, and jumped to the opposite side. The sheer force of this girl was shocking enough. I looked across the wall at her, and Estella wore a small smile. It was not one of confidence, nor did it seem like something people who expected or thought they could handle a situation would wear. It was a smile looking forward to pure violence. ¡°Now that we aren¡¯t in the cage anymore¡­¡± she mumbled. Estella stretched her palm out and slowly curled her fingers into a grasp. Small, sparkling stars formed out of thin air and coalesced around her palm. In seconds, a giant, ethereal whip jostling with starry electricity was in her hands. Estella pulled her hand back and swung the whip with all her might. ¡°AGH!¡± ¡°WAAAH!¡± The Sermentali quite literally flew out of our way. Estella hopped out of her cover and charged ahead. ¡°Spectre, you coming!?¡± Her voice mixed with the loud screams of the people suffering under her fists. I crossed my arms and listened. ¡°Back up! We need back up!¡± ¡°Gah! What is this monster?!¡± ¡°Somebody warn the Czar! Who even caught this bitch?¡± As I stepped out of cover and followed behind Estella, I started shouting too. ¡°Estella! We¡¯re heading for the hangar!¡± Estella looked back urgently, in confusion, and I placed my fingers on my lips to shush her. She looked back because I was speaking in the language of the Sermentali. ¡°Hangar, okay!? We are stealing a ship and getting out of here! HANGAR! Should I spell it?!¡± ¡°Y-yes! Got it!¡± Estella awkwardly responded. I hoped all the Sermentali could hear it, loud and clear. Chapter 5: Breakout! The Sermentali Prison (4) ¡°The armoury has been breached!¡± ¡°Floor 3 is down!¡± The Czar, with his arms folded, heard all the reports coming in. He had gathered all the troops he could mobilize with him. Most Sermentali forces were already busy trying to control the prisoner outbreak. In this situation, they had no choice but to get on the ground. Intercepting the prisoners was of utmost importance, and they couldn¡¯t rely on their compromised systems. For all they knew, the defense systems could activate at any moment and attack them. Heck, they were far easier to breach than the prisons. He had to strike hard and fast, or there would be no hope left for this base. A heavy weight, making even his four arms feel weak, loomed overhead¡ªthe weight of deciding where to deploy his troops and defeat this mob before they overwhelmed the scattered Sermentali. If they were all together, they wouldn¡¯t lose. He was sure their numbers had that sort of strength. ¡°Sir!¡± Lieutenant Dobdobal called out to the Czar. ¡°There¡¯s a report, sir. A force of 30 of our finest was wiped out in moments.¡± The Czar¡¯s ears perked up. The weight of the decision had fallen on his shoulders. Closing his eyes, the Czar took a deep breath. ¡°They said¡­¡± Lieutenant Dobdobal continued. ¡°That they were headed for the Hangar!¡± The first attacks targeted the third floor, the only floor directly connected to the service rooms for their spacecraft. The armory, located next to the Hangar for equipment preparation, was targeted next. Every location attacked had a path leading to the spacecraft hangar. This prisoner riot wasn''t just a random opening of doors and a subsequent outburst. Whoever that last thief they had jailed was, it was clear the human was at the center of it all. This was a synchronized, planned breakout! All of them were clearly in cahoots. ¡°Now that we know,¡± the Czar said, picking up two guns in his upper arms and two knives in his lower arms. ¡°We will charge at them from the Hangar. Everyone, get to the hangar right now!¡± ¡°¡±¡±¡±SIR YES SIR!¡±¡°¡°¡° The choir of acknowledgement was followed by Sermentali soldiers stomping through the base to rush to the hangar. This was his responsibility¡ªas the leader, as the Czar of an intergalactic empire, as the person in charge of this base. He had to make all the decisions based on information and rationality. A giant empire was never formed through instinct.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Right¡­ Let¡¯s move¡­¡± The Czar bit his lips and turned. His instincts were not to be trusted, not in this position. *** Though we had to get through a bunch of soldiers initially, eventually the entire Sermentali base became an empty tour for Estella and me. ¡°What is happening,¡± said Estella, bewildered by the lack of people in our way. ¡°My plan worked,¡± I said. A chuckle escaped me. This was the moment to explain the plan, something smart people like me lived for. ¡°I sent all the prisoners towards a location that directly led to the hangar. Grouping them together, to ensure they understood each other, ensured they would all go to the same place.¡± ¡°Huh. So you made the Sermentali think this was a coordinated prison break?¡± ¡°Yup,¡± said I, now practically skipping through the passageways. ¡°Now while everyone goes to the hangar, we will leave by the front door.¡± ¡°And how will we escape this place?¡± Estella asked. ¡°There are emergency spacecraft outside. There are quite a lot of them throughout the base, actually, but the ones outside give us the best chance of escaping right away.¡± Estella whistled at my words. ¡°You can know all of this and execute fairly smart plans, but you still get caught.¡± I pursed my lips at those words. Seriously, talk about low blows. Instead of responding, I took off faster. ¡°Hey, there¡¯s no need to run!¡± Estella said. She ran behind me too. *** Lasers and bullets blended into a hail of weaponry flying around. ¡°Use force shields!¡± Lieutenant Dobdobal screamed the order, and all the Sermentali tapped on their gauntlets. Small shields formed out of mana in front of them and rose high. ¡°Attack attack attack!¡± ¡°Get to the damned spaceship!¡± ¡°If I can¡¯t have it, then you can¡¯t either!¡± On the other hand, the freed prisoners all went on a rampage against the Sermentali, many of them shooting their guns at everything in sight. Cyborgs and anthromorphs ran amok. Eagle-kin with guns shot at the Sermentali. Even a fairy from Andromeda had found her way all the way here in the prisons of the Sermentali. ¡°Mwahaha! I have to go back! Go back and spread the wisdom of Marx to my home!¡± ¡°Hey, that fairy! Shoot her first, shoot her first!¡± It was a difficult battle. Lieutenant Dobdobal had no choice but to fight defensively. But he could win, albeit at the cost of immense losses. This fight would have been a lot easier if only the Czar was nearby. ¡°Where did you go¡­ Sir Czar¡­¡± *** ¡°Almost there¡­¡± I muttered while tapping away on the last of the three-layered doors out of the Sermentali base. Just past this door was the emergency escape carrier prepared by the Sermentali¡ªprotocol for them. ¡°No rush, Spectre.¡± Perhaps used to the quiet of our escape so far, Estella was getting a little too relaxed. Not a problem, she was of a lot of use to me so far. Her strength was immense. I kept tapping on the door and slowly spoke up. ¡°Estella, why did you leave your planet?¡± Estella seemed a little amused by my question, as if she wasn¡¯t expecting it but also wasn¡¯t averse to it. ¡±I had my reasons.¡± She was of great use to me, and as much as I had seen, she could help even more. ¡°Would you like¡­¡± I tapped the last of the code in and stood upright, turning to face her. A loud hiss resounded as the doors opened up. ¡°To stick with me for a while? I think we can both help each other with our goals¡ª¡± Doors? A sense of foreboding crept up my spine. Estella was a beat faster. Instead of looking at the goal, we both turned to the gate we had just passed. Standing there, hidden behind the shadows, was a single, four-armed Sermentali. ¡°The¡­ Earth Czar¡­¡± Chapter 6: Breakout! The Sermentali Prison (END) It happened too fast. ¡°Spectre!¡± The first thing I heard was Estella calling out my name. I was pulled from my collar, and by the time I blinked, my vision was rolling around. ¡ªBANG! Second was a bright flash. I was still hurtling through the air when a boom resounded from the place Estella and I had been standing mere moments ago. ¡°Guh!¡± My back crashed against the edge of the spaceship we had been chasing all this time. The ship was tiny enough to shake a little from the impact, and I was flung with enough force to spit out some blood. I fell to the ground, pain spreading through my body, and a ringing struck my head. My senses had been knocked out of me; the metallic taste in my mouth constantly reminded me of its presence. The third thing I saw was the spaceship again. This was because there was simply no time to hesitate. Immediately, I got to my feet, bearing through the pain to rush into the spaceship. I quickly tapped on the kiosk. As I read the instructions and spat out some blood, the sounds of battle behind me kept ringing. ¡°SPECTRE! Do it quick!!¡± Estella screamed from behind. A crash resounded, followed by a cloud of smoke pushing me slightly forward. Debris flew around. Bang, Bang, Bang, echoed through the entire place. I wanted to look back, but that would be a waste of time. Interpreting the kiosk¡¯s language as quickly as possible was the best thing I could do. While also asking some questions. ¡°Isn¡¯t there just one!? Can¡¯t you handle this?¡± ¡°I could have handled it if it was anyone else!¡± Estella screamed. ¡°This guy¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªYou dare be distracted, foolish star warrior!¡± A chill ran down my spine. I don¡¯t know what it was¡ªa unique feeling, perhaps a sense that only thieves could develop¡ªbut a strong feeling of almost being caught grasped my ankle and made me bite my lips. Instinctively, I ducked down. A laser shot passed right overhead. Then another. Both missed the kiosk and the tiny spaceship, crashing into the walls of the emergency escape room. No looking back! We had to get the fuck outta here before I got caught again. The sense I had felt just now was definitely an ¡®instinct,¡¯ best described as a thief¡¯s gut. Perhaps another power-up from the system. ¡°Spectre! Some speed here!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I got you covered!¡± I quickly tapped on the screen and slammed the enter key. Small flaps on the walls opened up, guns peering out of them. In front of me, on the screen, visuals of the two fighting appeared alongside a crosshair.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°Yes officer, it¡¯s the green guy with four arms right there.¡± The crosshairs zoomed in on the Czar. At once, dozens¡ªno, hundreds¡ªof bullets pointed exactly at the Czar shot out. Smoke covered the screen, the crosshairs moving around rapidly to reacquire the target. Four green arms tore through the cloud of smoke and snapped out, rapidly moving across the screen. The Czar had survived with just minor scratches, and his fierce eyes were unmoving as he charged ahead. He was heading for me. The feeling of something approaching me once again took over my nerves, but there was still no time to turn back. If I could be scared, I could use that time to open the damned spaceship. The feeling got stronger as another round fired, the bullets scratching my cheeks as the Czar¡¯s voice resounded in my ears. I quickly sorted through the kiosk to finally access the terminal of the emergency spaceship. I could access it. The Czar¡¯s hand was looming over my back; I could feel it. At the same time, I smashed the enter button on the screen. Three sounds merged into one, simultaneously. The first was Estella¡¯s grunt-like scream. ¡°COME BACK HERE!¡± It mixed with a gasp from Czar. My eyes finally trailed back, and I could see him dragged away just mere centimeters from my eyes, a long, starry whip wrapped around his leg. ¡°GUGH!¡± And the last sound was of the ceiling opening up. The blue Earth sky peeked at us as the top of the escape room flung open. A sigh left me. If Estella had been a single moment late, I would have died. I felt a push from the direction of the spaceship as its thrusters activated and it started floating up, the hatch opening on its own. ¡°There we go!¡± I yelped and ran straight into the spaceship. ¡°Estella, come here quick!¡± ¡°It would be nice! If you at least! Look once!!¡± Her voice was gritty as hell; perhaps she was tying the Czar down? Every few seconds, the guns kept reloading and shot at the Czar, so she must have bought herself a good chance. Ignoring her protests, I ran into the spaceship. Despite being completely covered with metal from the outside, all the walls inside the ship were covered with a screen that let one peer right through the metal. The piloting system was also one that I had used before, perhaps an updated version? I quickly took my seat at the controls and started tapping away at the spaceship. ¡°Woah!¡± The thrusters all turned to the side with a single touch, and the spaceship shot toward Estella. ¡°Oi! Oi Oi oi! Don¡¯t come this way, idiot!!¡± Estella¡¯s screams rang in through the speakers, and I could clearly see the Czar¡¯s widening eyes. I tapped a button and spoke into the mic. ¡°Estella, throw him aside and run into the ship! We¡¯re leaving right now!¡± The two of them, with the spaceship sliding toward them, took a second to process my words. Their eyes widened and narrowed almost simultaneously. But two things were working in my favor. One was speaking in Estella¡¯s language, and the other was the fact that we had built trust. Estella moved just a split second faster; she punched the Czar across his jaw before grasping her whip and tossing him away. I kicked the handles around, and the spaceship drifted to the side, the hatch open and ready for my partner in crime. Estella jumped into the spaceship. ¡°Go go go! That beast, we can only slow him down so much!¡± And she was right. It barely took a few seconds for the Czar to stand up again. ¡°Stop right there, prisoners! Don¡¯t think the Sermentali will let you escape!!¡± His voice echoed through the entire room, probably booming out through the ceiling. The Czar flexed his calves and ran¡ªfull speed at us. ¡°What are you doing!? Go!!¡± ¡°Just a second!¡± ¡°What the fuck, move!!¡± The Czar had almost reached the hatch. His hands stretched out again. Finally, the speakers inside the spaceship started blasting jazz out loud. ¡°Huh?¡± Estella¡¯s confused hum mixed with the buzz of the thrusters as I pulled the handle back. At once, the spaceship tilted upward and shot to the sky. The Czar¡¯s hand barely missed the handle, and the hatch started closing. I wiped my forehead with one hand and smirked. ¡°Sorry, connecting Spoti*y took a second.¡± The handles went to the back once more, and I smashed the boosters. The spaceship cut out of the metal prism of the Sermentali base, ascended into the blue skies of Earth, and in no time, the blue was replaced with the black of space. We had escaped.