Ch. 346..350: Interstellar_ Return of the Villain Chapter 346-350
Chapter 346: A Legion of Weapons for Her
The once-vast fleet that filled the skies gradually receded into the distance, becoming a thin line of dark silhouettes before disappearing beyond the horizon.
Now assuming the role of the highest-ranking officer, Robin led the regiment commanders to officially hand over command to Cohen.
Cohen, however, was utterly stunned. "She left all of you... under my command? What is that supposed to mean?" His voice faltered, his expression darkening before he suddenly shouted, "Are you telling me Lyra went into outer space alone?!"
As the realization sank in, his face grew increasingly grim.
"Sir," Robin said, offering a crisp salute, "all personnel are accounted for. I will now take my leave." He cast a fleeting glance at the soldiers of the Legion of Everglow.
"Hold it right there!" Cohen barked, halting him. "Where do you think you’re going? Don’t even think about following her recklessness!"
Lyra might have the privilege of being audacious, but her soldiers did not.
Robin and Caleb, however, showed no signs of hesitating. Much to Cohen’s frustration, his current duties left him unable to pursue them.
Back at the base, Zinnia greeted Robin and Caleb with a cheerful wave as they arrived. "Finally! We’ve been waiting for you two."
...
Meanwhile, in outer space, a massive black hole yawned ominously between the former position of Mercy and Elden Prime.
At its core lay the monstrous Phelixes, unmoving, his many eyes closed as if in slumber.
His primal instincts had taken over entirely. The gravitational void relentlessly dragged nearby celestial bodies toward Elden Prime, which itself was being inexorably drawn closer to the black hole.
Lyra didn’t act hastily. Instead, she made her way to the flagship’s command room, where she found familiar faces seated at the table—the Alliance Military Council.
In the face of such an unprecedented threat, even the council’s most seasoned members had abandoned their rear positions to be here.
This was a moment that demanded bold decisions—there would be no second chances.
Their expressions collectively darkened when they saw her enter.
"Rear Admiral Shedd," Frederick, seated at the head of the table, addressed her. "Why aren’t you commanding your legion? What are you doing here?"
Lyra gestured casually toward a nearby guard. "Bring me a chair."
The guard saluted and returned with a chair, which Lyra dragged over to the horseshoe-shaped table. Taking a seat, she fixed her gaze on the council members. "You already have a plan, don’t you? Another voice in the mix won’t change much."
Her tone and posture made it clear she was well aware of their intentions.
Frederick frowned and glanced at the opticomputer. "You left the Legion of Everglow planetside?"
Leaning back comfortably, Lyra responded nonchalantly, "That’s right. If they came here, they’d just be walking into a massacre. No point in adding to the death toll."
At her words, the council exchanged subtle, unreadable glances.
...
Before long, the black hole—stretching thousands of miles across—became visible even to the naked eye.
Frederick activated live satellite footage, revealing an array of cutting-edge weaponry deployed on the frontlines.
These weapons were strikingly similar to those used by the Legion of Everglow, though their designs lacked the ornate engravings and polished craftsmanship, likely due to rushed production.
When the first of these weapons were completed, Frederick had covertly reassigned soldiers from various legions to train with them. Now, these troops stood at the forefront, their confidence evident.
Leandro shot a glance at Lyra, searching for any hint of a reaction. But her expression remained unreadable. It was obvious she had foreseen this development.
What baffled them most was why Lyra, fully aware of the council’s strategy, had chosen to stay.
...
Emerging from the black hole was a relentless swarm of Stellar Devourers, their numbers resembling an unending stream of ants spilling from a hive. Their sheer presence sent a wave of unease through the allied forces.
Frederick had no time to address Lyra’s defiance. His focus was singular as he barked out orders. "Artillery, prepare to fire!"
"Fire!" At his command, 6,000 cannons adjusted their aim.
A wall of light, spanning nearly ten kilometers, surged forward, colliding with the advancing Stellar Devourers.
Westros furrowed his brows deeply, but just as the beams of light streaked toward the Stellar Devourers, his tense expression suddenly eased.
The green energy struck the swarm, prompting a wave of premature cheers from the Alliance forces. Relief rippled through the ranks.
Lyra, however, scanned Admiral Sparks and the other senior officers gripping their comm devices, a mocking smirk playing at her lips.
When the energy dissipated, the Stellar Devourers stood untouched. Their defensive barriers faded as confusion rippled through their ranks. "What just happened?"
It was as though nothing at all had occurred.
"Hah! Are humans celebrating their doom with fireworks?" a voice mocked.
The fleeting joy of the Alliance forces melted into confusion, quickly giving way to dread.
Frederick responded swiftly, ordering attacks using fighter jets, mechas, and sniper rifles—all to no avail.
"But the weapons worked perfectly during testing!" someone cried in frustration.
"Yeah! Their attack power was off the charts! Why are they useless now?" another chimed in.
"Sir, what’s going on?" All eyes turned to Frederick, their expressions pleading for answers.
Frederick’s gaze shifted sharply to Lyra. "Were the schematics and weapons fake?"
"They’re real," Lyra replied coldly, her tone like a cutting blade. "And your production process was flawless."
Then, without letting the tension linger, she scoffed. "The only problem is that these weapons can only be activated by me."
Her words sent a wave of shock through the room. Ignoring their darkening expressions, Lyra stepped into a lightweight mecha suit and onto the lift platform, rising to a position just outside the cockpit.
...
With arms outstretched, her fingers moved with the precision of a concert pianist performing an electrifying symphony.
Blinding energy surged from her body, pouring into the weapons’ energy cores.
The sheer scale of the energy transfer quickly depleted her reserves. Just as the strain reached its zenith, a stunning wave of energy rippled through the cosmos.
From the void of space, a faintly glowing arc of violet light emerged.
A colossal dragon roared into existence. Though sound could not travel in space, its aura alone was deafening, sending tremors through all who witnessed it.
"Defensive positions, now!" panicked soldiers cried out.
"Wait!" Leandro shouted, halting them. "That’s Lyra’s pet!"
Frederick cast him a skeptical glance but reluctantly signaled the troops to stand down.
...
The dragon, once a wyrm that Leandro had encountered long ago, now exuded a commanding, overwhelming presence.
Lyra landed gracefully atop its head, spreading her hands wide before thrusting them forward.
Instantly, countless advanced weapons of elastic metal responded to her command, swarming to her side like loyal knights.
She patted the dragon’s head, and he surged forward, carrying her toward the Stellar Devourers.
The weapons followed in perfect formation, a lethal, synchronized battalion.
At her command, her fingers danced, unleashing an awe-inspiring barrage of energy.
The Stellar Devourers, who had moments earlier been mocking humanity, suddenly wore expressions of alarm, scrambling to raise their defenses.
Yet, in a single exchange, their barriers crumbled, and their forms disintegrated under the blinding light.
Charred husks and black smoke were all that remained, quickly consumed by the black hole’s pull.
Freed from immediate danger, Westros waved decisively. "Advance!"
Around Lyra, tens of thousands of weapons moved as if alive, adjusting, charging, and firing with flawless precision.
Standing atop the massive level-nine dragon, Lyra exuded a serene yet fearsome authority. Her small figure radiated a power so intense it made even the Stellar Devourers hesitate.
Inwardly, she felt a twinge of gratitude toward the Alliance. Without their preparation of these weapons, she couldn’t imagine how much longer she’d have been forced to fight alone.
...
It was only then that Frederick understood. All his meticulous scheming to acquire weapon schematics and blueprints had ultimately served to amplify her strength.
This had been Lyra’s plan all along.
She had even ventured into the far reaches of space to stage a diversion, giving him just enough room to seize what he thought was an advantage.
Yet as he watched the Stellar Devourers fall, one after another, unable to penetrate her impenetrable defenses, Frederick found he wasn’t angry.
The Stellar Devourers’ numbers dwindled rapidly. However, among the experimental creatures were a handful of level-nine Peculiars with extraordinary powers.
They began breaking through the defenses, destroying several weapons in the process.
Frederick’s voice rang out decisively. "Prepare to coordinate with Lyra! Launch a full-scale attack!"
Chapter 347: Moving the Stars
The Stellar Devourers remained humanity’s most immediate and devastating threat, and no matter what followed, they had to be eradicated.
This was humanity’s largest war in recorded history.
Soldiers fought relentlessly, pouring every ounce of their strength into the battle.
Lyra’s old comrades, veterans who had stood by her side in countless skirmishes, fought valiantly to protect the fragile planet that had become their last sanctuary.
As more Stellar Devourers fell, the green energy around Lyra grew denser.
Each time she recharged the weapons under her command, their energy became more concentrated, their attacks more devastating.
When she finally sliced through Westros’ armor with a single strike, his pupils narrowed in shock.
The more Stellar Devourers Lyra destroyed, the more powerful she became.
"Where is Phelixes?" she demanded.
"He’s completely lost consciousness!" Westros’ expression twisted with desperation before a flicker of wild resolve sparked in his eyes.
Without hesitation, he gave a chilling order:
"Release him!"
If they didn’t use their final trump card now, there wouldn’t be another chance.
...
As the battle continued, the black hole began to tremble. Like the calm before a storm, it suddenly expanded, its gaping maw stretching impossibly wide.
Caught off guard, many soldiers were sucked into its depths.
The black hole’s gravitational pull intensified, warping space itself. Stray attacks intended for the Stellar Devourers veered off course and vanished into the void.
"Fall back!" Frederick ordered sharply.
But for many, it was already too late. Even at full power, their ships and mechas couldn’t resist the pull.
With grim determination, Frederick unleashed his full superpower, ascending to the level of a Supreme Peculiar.
Using Elden Prime as his anchor, he generated a gravitational shield strong enough to allow the remaining soldiers to escape the black hole’s grasp.
Even so, the void’s relentless pull persisted. Each passing moment brought Elden Prime closer to its destruction. Humanity’s time was running out.
...
A beam of black energy erupted from the black hole’s center.
A suffocating wave of powerlessness swept over the Alliance forces. It felt like being trapped in a nightmare—minds screaming in panic while bodies refused to move.
Superpowers drained rapidly.
Nearby celestial bodies, including Elden Prime, trembled violently under the black hole’s overwhelming force.
This was no ordinary foe—it was a wall humanity couldn’t scale, a chasm they couldn’t bridge.
Even Lyra faltered. Gritting her teeth, she conjured twenty glowing shields, each a hundred meters across, to shield herself.
The figure emerging from the black hole shattered them all with a single effortless motion.
He advanced through the void until he stood before Lyra.
...
Just being near the figure drained Lyra’s remaining superpower. Summoning the last of her strength, she lashed out with her blade, its green aura blazing brilliantly.
The weapon struck the shadowy figure’s body—but passed through it as if it had hit nothing but air.
At this moment, Phelixes had become one with the black hole.
With a flick of his hand, he sent Lyra hurtling backward. She slammed into an asteroid, shattering it into fragments.
Her dragon rushed to catch her, preventing her from drifting further into the void.
Phelixes roared again, and his form trembled violently.
From his core, spatial cracks spread outward, first hundreds, then thousands, then tens of thousands of meters wide.
From afar, the fractures looked like mere slivers. Up close, they were abyssal maws, devouring everything in their path. The faintest disturbance erased entire fleets and tens of thousands of soldiers in an instant.
"That’s... the black hole incarnate?" an old commander murmured, his voice shaking with disbelief. Even the most battle-hardened veterans were gripped by hopelessness.
One clash, and even Lyra had been overwhelmed.
In unison, all of Lyra’s weapons turned toward Phelixes and unleashed a barrage of concentrated firepower.
A radiant green light engulfed him, but within moments, the energy was absorbed, consumed by the black hole’s pull.
The Alliance forces, already in retreat, hastened their withdrawal.
...
On the surface of Elden Prime, evacuation orders had been issued. Civilians flooded spaceports, scrambling to escape the planet’s impending doom.
The loss of their home was a crushing weight on everyone. Grief and fear intertwined as they faced the harsh reality of exile, uncertain of what lay ahead.
Lyra coughed weakly, her breath shallow but unyielding, as she fired her weapons at Phelixes.
With a fierce resolve, she hurled herself into a swarm of Stellar Devourers, her blade gleaming like liquid light as it tore through them.
More strength was what she needed—and to achieve that, more Stellar Devourers had to die.
Her eyes burned with relentless determination. Surrounded on all sides, she swung her blade in a 360-degree arc, carving through the encirclement with a whirlwind of precision and destruction.
With each enemy she felled, the light radiating from her weapons grew brighter, sharper, more potent.
Realizing her intent, Westros’ face twisted in horror. "Stop the slaughter! Focus on the Alliance forces instead!"
The Stellar Devourers scrambled to open interdimensional escape portals, desperate to shift their focus—but before they could act, the pathways were sealed shut by Lyra’s sheer will.
"Not yet!" she roared, her voice like a clarion call through the chaos.
A sudden and brutal strike from behind slammed into her, scattering the light emanating from her body.
Lyra was sent hurtling through the void, blood splattered across her mecha, her expression contorted in pain.
Even so, glowing tendrils erupted from her, reaping more Stellar Devourers in waves of destruction.
She was close—so close. Just a little more strength.
Ignoring the burning pain tearing through her body, Lyra pressed forward, her mind singularly focused on annihilation.
Phelixes’ attacks were a distant concern; survival was the only thing that mattered. Her blade never ceased its deadly dance, harvesting the enemy without pause.
Her superpower surged again, rippling outward with ferocious intensity.
...
Watching her unrelenting assault, Westros clenched his fists, his desperation palpable.
Finally, with a snarl, he lunged at her.
Lyra reacted instantly, her blade piercing him cleanly. Yet Westros did not falter. Clinging to her with unyielding force, his body cracked and fractured under the immense strain, crumbling like brittle clay.
He was dragging her toward the black hole.
Understanding his intent, Lyra channeled every remaining ounce of her strength into her blade, driving it deeper into Westros.
With a silent scream, his form splintered and dissolved, fragments of him merging with the black hole, pulling Lyra closer to its consuming maw.
Faced with no other choice, Lyra drew a deep, shuddering breath. Her Crystal Core, buried in her chest, pulsed violently, radiating an intense green light.
Just as the void seemed poised to claim her, eight radiant beams of energy pierced the darkness, striking the black hole and scattering Westros’ lingering force.
The weapons were unmistakable. Lyra’s eyes flickered with recognition—they were from her mecha designs, ones she had worked on with Koros.
Surprise briefly crossed her face before it hardened into determination. With a fierce cry, she redoubled her efforts, carving through the Stellar Devourers as she slowly retreated toward Elden Prime’s atmosphere.
From a distance, her allies—old comrades who had fought beside her for years—offered steadfast support.
Zinnia and others laid down precise covering fire, neutralizing any threats attempting to ambush her.
Together, they fought step by step, steadily withdrawing until they finally breached Elden Prime’s atmosphere.
Above them, the black hole loomed, fully visible to the planet’s inhabitants.
Its shadow enveloped the world, plunging it into darkness.
Light began to vanish, swallowed by the black hole’s voracious pull. Air rushed away in torrents as the planet’s surface fractured under immense gravitational pressure.
Bodies, buildings, and debris spiraled upward, disappearing into the void’s gaping maw.
Westros’s disembodied laughter rang out, harsh and triumphant. "We’ve transcended your feeble rules! This is the end!"
Amid the destruction, the vibrant, sprawling world of Elden Prime was reduced to a fragment—a mere morsel for the abyss.
Lyra, her sword lowered, stood motionless for a moment.
Then came a ripple of power, emanating from her very core.
She stepped out of her damaged mecha, green light pouring from her body in waves. The brilliance expanded rapidly, outshining even the black hole’s consuming darkness.
The light swelled until she resembled a celestial body, a radiant dawn-star that held the encroaching void at bay.
The energy coursing through her reached a crescendo.
Lyra’s superpower, now unrestrained, granted her dominion over not just weapons but the very fabric of the cosmos itself.
Her eyes snapped open, blazing with a sharp, otherworldly brilliance.
Though her form was mortal, fragile, she now possessed the power to shift planets and command the stars themselves.
She raised a single finger, her gaze locked on the Stellar Devourers, who recoiled in terror.
A spiraling green beam erupted from her fingertip, ascending skyward.
The energy coiled and expanded as it enveloped the black hole. Its monstrous form compressed, shrinking visibly under the pressure of her will.
Chapter 348: The End of Everything
The fleeing people froze when the sky turned a vivid green. Their eyes locked on a striking figure—a woman dressed simply in a white shirt, black pants, and ankle boots.
Shock and confusion melted into joy, then tears of relief.
Above the battlefield on Elden Prime, a green veil illuminated the heavens, pierced by radiant beams that rose from the horizon like the dawn.
Below, Lyra extended her hand, appearing to grip something invisible. The enormous black hole stretching across the sky began to rapidly contract.
Phelixes, sensing the change, lunged forward, but the green radiance emanating from Lyra repelled him, keeping him at bay.
"Phelixes," Lyra called, her tone calm and commanding.
For a fleeting moment, his savage features softened. A glimmer of green light flickered through his pitch-black eyes.
Without hesitation, he turned and retreated into the black hole.
Westros’ heart raced with dread. He bellowed, "Stop Lyra! Quickly!"
Before anyone could react, their powers began to drain. Thick streams of dark energy flowed from their bodies, drawn toward the black hole where Phelixes waited.
Westros’ eyes widened in horror as he clutched his head, his voice filled with fury. "Damn you, Phelixes! This was your plan all along!"
Realizing their impending doom, his gaze filled with desperation. Black fluid oozed from his red eyes as he snarled hoarsely, "Lyra, you’ve been conspiring with Phelixes from the start, haven’t you?"
Otherwise, how could Phelixes have coordinated so seamlessly?
Lyra’s gaze turned icy. "Conspiring or not, it makes no difference. This is your end."
Westros’ face twisted in rage as he surveyed the panicked Stellar Devourers. He let out a guttural roar: "Run!"
Summoning the last of his strength, he transformed into a net of dark energy and lunged at Lyra.
Unmoved, she brought her hands together in a sharp, decisive motion.
In an instant, he reverted to his human form, impaled on her arm. A surge of green light burst from his body, tearing him apart in a flash.
With every movement, Lyra radiated a glow of unstoppable power, inspiring both awe and submission.
Frederick stood silently, his fists clenched, exchanging quick glances with the others.
Meanwhile, the remaining Stellar Devourers threw everything into their retreat, diving into the black hole. But green chains pulled them back out, flinging them into Phelixes’s domain.
The experimental subjects fared no better. They were consumed by the black hole, dying instantly.
Lifeless bodies fell like rain over the planet—beings taken as children for experiments or, like Lyra, products of genetic manipulation.
These nameless creations, born in laboratories, perished unnoticed and unmourned.
Under countless watchful eyes, the immense black hole condensed into a tiny dot in Lyra’s palm. With a single motion, she closed her fist, and it disappeared.
A chorus of cheers erupted across Elden Prime, ringing with jubilation. The people shouted Lyra’s name, praising her with reverent gratitude.
But amid the triumph, a sinister scheme was quietly unfolding.
Lyra descended gently to the ground, rejoining Frederick and the others outside Central City.
"Rear Admiral Shedd, welcome back," Frederick greeted her with a stony expression.
Nearby, Zinnia piloted her mech, staying close to Aurelius. From her vantage point, she saw something that made her blood run cold—Aurelius’ mech cannon was aimed directly at Lyra.
"Watch out!" Zinnia screamed, her voice trembling with urgency.
She acted without hesitation. Before anyone could stop the shot, she threw her mecha into its path.
The blast struck, tearing through her machine.
The jubilant celebration came to an abrupt, harrowing stop.
Mandy’s eyes widened in terror as she cried out, "Zinnia—!"
Lyra began to turn, but a surge of superpower particles closed in too quickly. In an instant, she propelled herself upward, narrowly evading the oncoming strike.
Below her, molten magma churned, radiating an intense red glow, while above, a storm of snowflakes swept in, signaling the onset of a freezing global blizzard.
"Sorry, little girl," Vern muttered, his expression conflicted. But his attack was unflinching, devoid of hesitation or mercy.
In seconds, their clash unleashed waves of terror across Elden Prime. The planet itself seemed to recoil, with vegetation shriveling to dust in an instant.
"What is it you’re trying to accomplish?" Cohen demanded, his face flushed with fury.
Frederick’s reply was chillingly blunt. "She cannot be allowed to live."
With those words, Frederick, now a Supreme Peculiar, and the veteran commanders surged onto the battlefield.
Cohen moved to join them, but Valeria caught his arm. "Your duty is to guard this place. That’s all."
He turned to her, disbelief etched across his face. "You knew about this plan, didn’t you?"
Raphel, his arms crossed and expression grim, shook his head. "None of us knew."
The four Admirals who had sided with Lyra stood in stunned silence, grappling with the betrayal that now unfolded.
Meanwhile, brightly colored mechas charged into the fray, their pilots throwing everything they had into delaying Frederick and the Alliance leaders, even for a moment.
Above the chaos, Helion rose on an electric hoverboard. Wearing electronic goggles and wielding a compact rocket launcher, he quickly made his presence known.
BOOM!
The blast knocked an Alliance commander out of the sky.
Vikie fired again, aiming at Admiral Sparks, and shouted, "Helion? Where the hell have you been?"
"Unlike you, I’ve got no superpower left," Helion replied, stowing the rocket launcher into his Space Button. "If I fall, that’s it for me. I needed a minute to regroup before taking off!" He drew a sniper rifle, aimed calmly, and squeezed the trigger.
Even without his powers, Helion’s sharpshooting skills from his NMA days remained unmatched.
The sky dissolved into utter chaos as the fighters clashed. On the ground, bystanders stood frozen in shock.
"What’s happening?" people murmured anxiously. "We just survived one catastrophe, and now they’re fighting Lyra to the death?"
Nearby, Mandy and the others worked frantically to extract Zinnia from her shattered mecha.
"Get the medical device!" Mandy shouted, her voice cracking with desperation.
Cohen hurried to fetch it, but Zinnia’s injuries were too grave. The device could only slow her decline.
Mandy’s voice broke as she screamed toward the heavens, "Lyra—!"
High above, Lyra’s attention flickered, despite being locked in combat with two Overarchings.
She heard the cry.
With superpower energy closing in on both sides, she formed a green spherical shield around herself and dove downward.
As she re-entered the atmosphere, she extended a finger. A precise beam of light shot downward, landing directly on Zinnia.
This time, she arrived just in time.
But Lyra herself paid a heavy price. Chains of molten lava and frozen ice wrapped around her, each imbued with immense cosmic energy.
Though they appeared no thicker than an arm, their combined force was overwhelming.
Unable to break free, Lyra could only maintain her shield as her assailants dragged her downward.
When she finally hit the ground, her impact resembled a falling star, shaking the earth with cataclysmic force.
It felt as though the very heavens might collapse.
From a distance, Frederick and the others paled at the sight. Even as they tried to assist, the residual shockwaves left them dizzy and disoriented.
Moments ago, Lyra had been humanity’s savior. Now, she was a captive.
Suspended within her glowing sphere, she gazed at Frederick and his allies. Her voice, calm yet laced with deep sorrow, broke the silence.
"Why can’t you just let me go?" Her words cut deeply, a painful reminder of her tragic existence.
Born with half Stellar Devourer genes, Lyra had been exploited by her family, manipulated by the Alliance, and hunted by nobility and Stellar Devourers alike.
Despite her unrivaled strength, she had always been used as a tool.
She sacrificed everything to save humanity, yet even now, they refused to show her mercy.
Chapter 349: To The New World
Frederick’s gaze darkened, tinged with sorrow. "Then tell me, Lyra—did you ever think of sparing us?"
His question, sudden and cryptic, silenced the crowd. Those who had gathered from Central City to witness the confrontation erupted into curses, directing their rage at Frederick and the military.
Overhead, the Legion of the Long Night fleet arrived, cutting through the tension with its ominous presence.
Amid the growing uproar, Lyra lowered her gaze. A faint, bitter smile curved her lips as she murmured, "This human society... it’s truly rotten to the core."
Her long black braid stirred unnaturally in the still air. The silver-white clasp at its end clicked open, releasing the strands to float freely.
The ground trembled beneath their feet, and the air quivered as if imbued with life.
A primal fear took hold of every soul, deep and inescapable.
Across the planet, animals wailed in terror, their cries piercing the air. Lyra’s unbound black hair swirled into a vortex, glowing with an intense green light that merged with the spherical barrier around her.
Strange patterns began to emerge on the sphere’s surface, glowing brighter and more intricate with each passing moment.
Even the most oblivious could feel the impending catastrophe.
Lyra’s power surged outward, enveloping the entire planet and stretching into space.
From above, Elden Prime sparkled with points of green light, the energy radiating outward to nearby celestial bodies.
As the power spread, a figure in silver armor emerged from the fleet.
"Well, isn’t this a sight to behold," said the leader of the Legion of the Long Night, her voice tinged with amusement.
Frederick’s jaw clenched as he glared at the armored figure. "Why are you only arriving now? Stop her! Do something!"
"Stop her?" The leader’s tone shifted, turning from coldly mechanical to languidly seductive. "Why would I do that?"
The silver armor detached from her body, its pieces floating upward and coalescing into a metallic sphere. Beneath the armor stood Liliana, her form both graceful and imposing, radiating danger.
"Oh, BOSS," she purred with a sly smile, "you wouldn’t believe how exhausting these last few days have been for me."
A stunned silence fell. ’Leader? Who was she calling BOSS?’
The silver sphere floated to Lyra, reshaping itself into a sleek, lightweight mecha that enveloped her.
In that moment, the universe’s most formidable warlord was reborn.
Elden Prime itself seemed to acknowledge Lyra’s ascension. Verdant energy poured from her, rejuvenating the land. Forests regrew in an instant, rivers ran clean, and the air became rich with vitality.
Liliana placed a hand over her heart and declared, "All hail our leader’s triumphant return!"
Behind her, Morrison, Snakehead, Caesara, Isadora, Shane, Ian, Broken Blade, and others emerged, bowing their heads. In unison, they echoed, "All hail our leader’s triumphant return!"
The revelation stunned everyone.
Lyra had always been the true leader of the Legion of the Long Night.
From the early days on Voidstar No. 2, she had used her position within the military to unite disparate space pirate factions under her command.
Over time, she built the most powerful force opposing both the Alliance and the Empire.
Mandy, cradling the injured Zinnia, gazed at Lyra with awe. "Claude, Thierry, Grains... their sacrifices led to this moment. Their blood nourished the seeds of hope."
Her voice trembled with emotion as she continued. "Lyra, we’ve lost so much. But now, you—you will be our eternal star, the light guiding us to hope."
The green chains binding the sphere disintegrated. The Overarchings from the Empire and the Alliance staggered back, their power shattered by Lyra’s release.
Blood spilled from their mouths as they gazed at her in disbelief.
"So it’s true..." Vern whispered, trembling with excitement. "There really is... a level beyond ours!"
For once, his stoic demeanor gave way to exhilaration. "That’s the secret! You’ve hidden your energy in your hair all along!"
His voice cracked into manic laughter. "This is it—the next realm lies in aligning with the fundamental rules of the universe!"
Vern struggled to his feet, his joy palpable despite his pain. But before he could revel further, a flash of green streaked before his eyes.
In the next instant, his head hit the ground.
His body remained upright for a breath longer before collapsing lifelessly to the earth.
The Alliance’s Overarching stared at Lyra, who stood before him like an unstoppable force.
With a resigned sigh, he murmured, "Thank you, Miss Shedd, for enlightening me. Yet, even with the power of the cosmic rules, you might still be—"
Before he could finish, his fate mirrored Vern’s. His head fell silently, his body collapsing in a heap.
Lyra descended like a deity, her movements calm and deliberate as she landed in front of Frederick and his group. Her piercing gaze met their grim, uneasy expressions.
Behind her stretched the vast ranks of the Legion of the Long Night, their numbers seemingly infinite.
Frederick struggled to maintain composure, but the twitch of his eye betrayed his inner turmoil.
"To think humanity’s greatest enemy would turn out to be you," he said, his voice trembling.
Lyra stood tall in her radiant armor, her unbound hair weaving itself into intricate braids as green energy pulsed around her.
Her voice, resonating with power, carried a haunting echo. "You were right. At first, I had no intention of sparing humanity or the Stellar Devourers."
Her sharp gaze softened momentarily as it flicked toward Tammy. "But now, I’ve changed my mind."
Frederick closed his eyes, exhaling heavily. When he spoke again, his voice carried the weight of resignation.
"That’s why I said you couldn’t be allowed to live. But..." He paused, his expression hardening with grim resolve. "Change always comes at the cost of blood. I can no longer stop it."
As a seasoned Admiral of the Alliance, Frederick had seen this moment coming. He had watched Lyra rise, quietly but effectively consolidating power and resources within the military.
Her methodical, calculated moves had led here, to the dawn of a new era. He had clung to the hope of a bloodless transition, but that hope now lay shattered.
He had hesitated, tried to protect everyone, and achieved nothing.
Lyra’s blade cut through the air in a swift arc. One by one, the high-ranking officials—the rigid oligarchs who had held humanity in a chokehold—fell silently, their lifeless bodies crumpling around Frederick.
In moments, he stood utterly alone.
Lyra stepped forward, her gleaming sword still in hand.
"Admiral Sparks," she said coldly, "why not take all your outdated ideals with you and leave?"
"Wait!" a panicked voice cried out, shattering the tense silence.
Cohen, pale and trembling, stepped forward, his desperate eyes fixed on Lyra. "I’ll ensure my father spends the rest of his life in confinement. Please... spare him."
Frederick stood motionless, his lips trembling faintly. He kept his eyes shut, not uttering a single word of protest.
Lyra’s hand hesitated briefly, then moved decisively.
Admiral Frederick Cohen, the man who had built the military into the backbone of the Alliance, fell in a pool of his own blood. His death marked the beginning of a new era for humanity.
Cohen knelt beside his father’s body, his trembling hands clutching it. His vacant eyes and slackened face betrayed his despair.
Not a single word had passed between father and son in the end.
Iskandor stepped forward from the crowd, his calm demeanor unshaken.
Lyra raised her hand, projecting a three-dimensional star map into the air. "These are the nearby star systems," she said. "I’m claiming the one in the center."
The map displayed the regions Lyra had explored during her three-year absence.
Iskandor glanced at the map and pointed to a spindle-shaped galaxy. "That one belongs to the Empire."
The unspoken understanding of who controlled the other galaxy passed silently between them.
Without another word, Iskandor turned and departed with the stunned Empire delegates.
The remaining Alliance members exchanged uneasy glances, their faces pale with uncertainty.
Lyra walked over to Mandy, who held the weakened Zinnia.
"Lyra," Zinnia whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks, "I want to entrust my brother and Tammy to you. I can’t hold on anymore. The world is finally at peace... but I still can’t find him."
Her voice broke as she buried her face in her hands, sobbing. Around her, the joyous celebration of others only deepened her sense of loss.
"Zinnia," Lyra said gently, crouching down to offer her hand. "I’m building a haven. A place without war, without power struggles, without betrayal. Will you come with me?"
Zinnia hesitated, staring into Lyra’s serene eyes. A place like that—could it truly exist?
After a moment, she reached out and took Lyra’s hand.
One by one, the members of the Legion of the Long Night boarded their ships, severing ties with the Alliance for good. Robin and the others followed Lyra without hesitation.
As Elsie prepared to leave, a voice called out.
"Elsie, are you really going?" Vikie, Caleb, and the families of many others stood by, their faces filled with reluctance and sorrow.
Elsie turned back with a gentle smile. "I trust Lyra. It’ll be an adventure. Once we settle in, I’ll bring you over for a visit."
A few members of the Legion of Everglow joined the departing fleet as well.
The ships ascended slowly, shrinking to specks before vanishing into the void like a flock of migrating birds.
Lyra was the last to leave.
Cohen, sensing her departure, rose unsteadily to his feet. His face showed no hatred or grief, only resolute determination. "You’re leaving, aren’t you?"
Lyra nodded. "Vice Admiral Whyte, the Alliance is yours now."
As she turned and stepped aboard her ship, the people of the Alliance and the Empire watched her go.
Lyra Shedd, humanity’s savior and its greatest enigma, disappeared into the stars.
Silence fell over Elden Prime. A Chapter of history had closed, and a new one was about to begin.
THE END.
Chapter 350: The Alliance’s Future
As the Legion of the Long Night fleet vanished into the distance, Cohen wiped his face, took a deep breath, and turned to face the four Admirals of the military.
"Since she handed you the star map," Leandro said with a smile, "it’s only natural that you’re now our leader."
Raphel snorted and turned his head away. "Well, I’m out. Don’t expect me to clean up this mess."
Fighting was one thing, but leading a massive group to rebuild the Alliance? Not a chance.
Among the Supremes, only Lynn and another middle-aged man had survived. They, like Raphel and the other Admirals, shared the same indifferent attitude.
As for the other senior military officials, they were now corpses, no longer capable of offering objections.
Valeria took a deep breath, looked around at everyone, and declared firmly, "From today onward, we nominate Cohen Whyte as the new Fleet Admiral, entrusting him to lead us to a new home and rebuild the Alliance."
The government faction, represented by Leona, quickly voiced their agreement. "I support this."
The nobles, however, had lost all authority. With the key members of the royal family dead, they had no say in the matter.
Lyra had purged the Alliance’s corruption and pinpointed a safe haven. All that remained was for them to help this giant rise again—stronger, healthier, and ready for renewal.
...
Cohen soon regained his composure and got to work. His first order was to have everyone collect and properly handle the corpses.
During this grim task, Kogar’s attention was drawn to Aurelius’ lifeless face, still frozen in bitter defiance.
"I checked his opticomputer," Kogar said. "Turns out, he was conspiring with the Admirals. Since the formation of the Legion of Everglow, he had been spying on Lyra. The blueprints and samples of the new weapons? He provided them. In exchange, after this crisis, he planned to establish a new royal family."
Aurelius’ obsession seemed almost pathological. Despite enduring abuse at the hands of the royal family, he had tried to become what he despised most.
Little did he know, in the new world the Alliance sought to build, there would be no room for privileged nobility.
Cohen glanced at Aurelius’s body. "Bury him with my father and the others in the mausoleum."
...
That day, the surviving humans embarked on their journey—not in fear of endless flight, but with hope for a new home.
With over five billion Alliance citizens remaining, evacuation had to be done in phases.
The first groups to leave consisted of technical personnel and construction workers.
Once everyone was aboard, Cohen sat in the cockpit of the flagship, and a collective sense of relief settled over them.
In the command room, Caspian followed Leona, using her as an excuse to escape the crowded common areas.
"I’ve been wondering," Caspian began. "Lyra was right under the military’s nose all this time. How did she manage to pull off something this big?"
His question earned him a series of piercing stares from Cohen and the others.
Leona, clearly fed up, smacked him on the head. "Have you forgotten what her ships looked like? None of them seemed familiar to you?"
When Liliana posed as the Alliance’s leader, she hadn’t used her flagship. But when Lyra arrived to meet them, she made sure to show off.
Leona recognized the flagship immediately—it was from a company she knew well.
Caspian finally connected the dots. "Oh, back then, she ordered ships from me... It was for the Legion of the Long Night!"
He coughed awkwardly. "I, uh... I didn’t know!"
Lyra had ordered many ships from his factory. If the old Alliance administration hadn’t collapsed, he would’ve been branded a Class-A fugitive for sure.
Kogar shook his head. "She probably had her ways. Besides, it seems Miss Shedd had dealings with Admiral Iskandor."
"Iskandor?" Leona asked.
"Yeah. He had a brilliant mechanic under him—Koros. If anyone could build teleportation arrays allowing her to move between factions, it’d be him."
Cohen paused, recalling the figure he had seen within the Legion of the Long Night. "As for Admiral Iskandor, it’s likely Ian, the man from the Empire, acted as the intermediary."
It was clear now that everyone had underestimated Lyra’s ambitions. Many assumed her relentless climb through the military ranks was driven by a desire to become an admiral.
In reality, all she wanted was power—the leverage to use the Alliance’s resources to establish the Legion of the Long Night.
As the group reflected on this revelation, they realized that, in one way or another, they had all unknowingly played a role in her grand plan.
An uneasy silence filled the room until Raphel broke it, ruffling his hair in frustration. "The real problem is we’re down half the Alliance’s military leadership. The Supremes are practically gone, and we’ve got no weapons, no extra Peculiars. If the Empire decides to attack again, what are we supposed to do?"
The other commanders mirrored his worried expression, but Cohen remained calm.
"As long as she’s in the center of all this, the Empire won’t dare make a move," he said confidently.
Whether it was her dominion over space pirates, her potential alliances with the Empire, or the near-destruction of humanity, Cohen still trusted her in this moment.
...
Meanwhile, aboard the Legion of the Long Night fleet, Helion and the others followed Mandy, barely concealing their shock.
Mandy seemed familiar to everything here, too familiar.
Vikie suddenly grabbed her by the neck. "Wait a second, Mandy—you knew all along, didn’t you? You’ve been hiding it from us!"
Mandy smiled faintly. "It was a matter of utmost importance. Even within the Legion, very few knew Lyra THE leader."
"So, when had she planned all those?" Vikie pressed, half-joking but clearly curious.
After a moment of thought, Mandy glanced at Liliana. "If we’re talking about the beginning, Liliana probably knows better than I do."
The red-haired woman, with her otherworldly and wicked look, smirked knowingly. "It started when SHE was abducted and taken to Voidstar No.2. That’s when Blackheart first set his sights on her. To divert his attention, she developed the ’core’ for elastic metal and secretly joined forces with me."
"Back then," Liliana continued, her tone laced with nostalgia, "SHE was the prime target for all three factions on Voidstar No.2—a prize everyone wanted. She pretended to ally with us, but her real goal was to gather everyone together to take revenge on the Shedd family."
"Too bad Blackheart didn’t cooperate. Once she gained traction in the Alliance and encountered the Shedd family earlier than expected, she handled them herself."
"As for the Legion of the Long Night," Liliana added with a self-satisfied flip of her hair, "that came after I dealt with Blackheart. I personally managed the operation, but the space pirates? That was all her. She brought them in singlehandedly."
Shane couldn’t help but chime in at this point. He had experienced her methods firsthand. After capturing him and throwing him into the Legion, ’the leader’ sent him to Wyrmtrace, where she trained him as Lyra.
Shane was so grateful for her, until he found out that ’the leader’ and Lyra were the same person.
He still remembered the overwhelming mix of gratitude and unease—first at her saving him, then at discovering she had been the Legion’s leader all along.
Freon patted Shane on the shoulder in sympathy. "I know how you feel. I was captivated by her beauty once too, but looking back, I’m just thankful to be alive."
Liliana finished with a wry smile, "Although her plans were long in the making, everything she did flowed with the circumstances."
It was just like Lyra had told Frederick. Her initial goal had been to unite the factions on Voidstar No.2 with the space pirates, using the Stellar Devourer’s eruption to destroy the Alliance. But after Thierry’s death, her perspective shifted.
The place she despised might still be someone else’s dream. So instead of wiping it out, she chose to eliminate the corrupt leaders in the military and government.
...
"But after dealing with the military, how did she find the time to manage the Legion of the Long Night?" someone asked, voicing the group’s collective curiosity.
This was the real mystery.
As Helion and the others explored the Legion of the Long Night, their path led them to the ship’s technical department.
From within came an unmistakably arrogant robotic voice:
"Work! Work! Your KPI for this month is still incomplete! All you do is demand more funding, but we’re about to build a brand-new world! There are countless expenses ahead, so you’d better step it up. Once we attract more talent, SHE might just sell you off!"
The voice belonged to Assisbot No. 1, whose emotional programming had significantly improved over the years.
With a dramatic sway of its waist, a tilt of its round chin, and its long arms akimbo, the robot radiated the image of a nagging landlord demanding rent.
Its over-the-top antics drove Koros, Sean, and the other engineers to their limits, making them wish they could simply shut it down.
When the bot noticed Helion and the others entering, it waddled over to greet them with mechanical enthusiasm.
"Finally! You’re here!"
Helion smirked. "You’re awfully enthusiastic."
"Welcome, workers!" the robot declared grandly.