Chapter 56: Destiny, Section 6

The vast starry sky remained silent. The stars twinkled like gems across the heavens.
This was a corner of the universe, one that had never been visited by outsiders. Yet if anyone were to observe it here, they would notice that this region of the sky was vastly different from other places.
There was an immense pressure here—standing there felt as though a heavy stone weighed on one’s heart. So although this region appeared no different from other parts of the universe on the surface, it was actually a forbidden zone for all living beings.
This was a sacred land for life!!
No one knew how many years this had persisted. It seemed to have existed since ancient times. The passage of time could not change the eternity of the universe. Thus, even after countless years, this region of the sky remained as pristine as when it first appeared—clear and filled with an overwhelming pressure.
Yet, within this eternal forbidden zone, there was a place of great activity.
It was a galaxy at the center of the starry sky.
The galaxy was wide and long, with countless stars moving and swirling within it, creating a magnificent sight in the universe. Yet over the years, no one had come to admire it. It was like a beauty who loved herself alone, quietly shining day after day.
But today, the galaxy was no longer silent.
At some point, a very bright point appeared within it. Like the other stars in the galaxy, it emitted a dazzling light. With its appearance, the galaxy suddenly became highly active. The stars, which had been moving steadily, seemed to have been given stimulants, accelerating their rotation wildly.
These were huge natural celestial bodies. From a distance, they might have seemed like just part of the galaxy. But in reality, they possessed terrifying mass. The energy generated by their accelerated rotation was immense. Instantly, the galaxy became ablaze with light, filled with dazzling flashes, resembling a belt of shining gems.
Unfortunately, however, those were gems of death.
Countless stars were accelerating their rotation at every moment. The gravitational force they generated was enough to kill any living being, not to mention the collisions caused by changes in gravitational structures. In just an instant, tens of thousands of stars shattered and collapsed in collisions. The galaxy was filled with an atmosphere of death—flying debris and deadly radiation permeating every corner.

And as the culprit behind such chaos, that speck of light that first released energy was now as quiet as a child—silent, slowly rotating. If anyone were to observe it here, they would discover… it was actually a huge planet entirely made of crystal. A planet with a diameter of hundreds of millions of kilometers. Its sheer size was terrifying. And yet, such a planet was completely composed of crystal!? If anyone heard this, they would surely not believe it. In this devastated galaxy, this crystal planet resembled a giant, dazzling diamond—so brilliant and shining that even the explosions of surrounding stars could not dim its light.

Yet inside this massive crystal planet, a completely different scene unfolded.

Blue sky… white clouds… a gentle breeze… soft sunlight…

Green grass swayed in the breeze, and the blue lake resembled a mirror. Lying in such a comfortable environment, Emperor Moore took a deep breath and opened his eyes.

It had been ten days since he left the flying fortress. Though he had full confidence in Grizzly Bear, the lack of any news from him after such a long time still worried him, to the point where he couldn’t even relax. Even in such a beautiful setting, he remained restless.

This environment was created by him himself as his vacation spot. Fewer than three people in the entire Moore Empire knew about it. So Emperor Moore wasn’t worried about being found by Black Hair. Yet the thought that, as the king of an empire, he had been chased to this extent by an ordinary warrior made him angry. His handsome face twisted slightly.

“You’re angry again. It’s rare to see such emotions on you.” Just then, a melodious female voice suddenly rang out above. Emperor Moore, as if he had known it all along, showed no surprise. Hearing her voice, a gentle smile appeared on his handsome face.

“You’re awake, Tia.”

“You barged in in such a hurry. It would be strange if I didn’t wake up. And I’m also curious—what could possibly make our great Emperor rush around like this? Hehe, to be blunt, you looked like a dog at that moment…” The voice was gentle, but her words were sharp and cruel, showing no respect for Emperor Moore at all.

Yet the more this happened, the more normal it seemed to Emperor Moore. He wasn’t angry at all; instead, he gave a wry smile.

“Isn’t it that old lover of yours? Tia. I can’t believe that after all these years, he hasn’t weakened at all—instead, he’s become even more powerful. Cruel to his enemies, and even crueler to himself. His methods are so brutal that they shock me. There’s no choice but to hide for now.”
“Oh? Even you can’t handle him?” The melodious voice let out a strange exclamation, followed by a cold sneer.
“What a joke. Great Moorish Emperor. I remember you weren’t like this before. Weren’t you full of confidence? Thinking that that dark-haired man couldn’t stop you, even planning to play a game. Why are you so down now, Your Majesty? I wasn’t stopping you at all.”
“Heh. Stop mocking me.” The Moorish Emperor smiled bitterly and shrugged. “I admit I underestimated him before. But this time, though I’m in a tough spot, I won’t suffer too much. I’ve prepared a big gift for him. Now I’m just waiting for the result. I think the name ‘dark-haired man’ will soon disappear from our dictionaries.”
“Really? Then I owe you thanks, Your Majesty.” The melodious voice sneered disdainfully. “But do you really have the ability? With just those few toy ships of yours?”
“Toy ships?” The Moorish Emperor’s smile suddenly vanished. Slowly, he leaned back on the grass, gazing at the blue sky and white clouds, and let out a long sigh.
“As expected, even you think that? After I built such a vast empire?”
“A vast empire… it’s just a joke after all.” Seeing the Moorish Emperor’s dejected appearance, the melodious voice seemed less eager to press him further, and its tone softened considerably.
“Your Majesty, there are some things we should stop. This world isn’t meant for you or me. Why don’t we go back?”
“Go back?” The Moorish Emperor became excited at these words.
“Do you think I don’t want to go back? But the problem is, how can I go back? The Stone of Light and Dark isn’t in our hands anymore—gone!! Tell me, how can I go back?”
“Gone?” The melodious voice was stunned, then shocked.
“When did that happen? How come I didn’t know?”

“How dare I let you know,” Emperor Moore said with a bitter smile, filled with deep sorrow. “You’ve always wanted to go home. If you knew that the Stone of Light and Darkness has disappeared, I fear you might lose your mind. That’s why I’ve kept it hidden from you all this time, hoping to find it secretly. Even though the empire’s territory is already vast, I haven’t stopped expanding, just hoping that one day I can regain control of the Stone of Light and Darkness!”
“You’re lying!!” A delicate feminine voice snapped, interrupting Emperor Moore.
“Don’t base your ambitions on pretentious excuses! If the Stone of Light and Darkness is gone, we can just stay here forever—no need to bring suffering to other races in the universe! This is just an excuse! An excuse!!”
Despite her anger, the feminine voice remained enchanting. Emperor Moore quietly closed his eyes, as if savoring the moment. After a long while, when the voice fell silent again, he slowly spoke.
“If that’s what you think, so be it. At least it saves me the trouble of explaining. But now, there’s one more thing I need to tell you. This is also why I must kill Blackhair.”
“What is it?”
“The Stone of Light and Darkness is in Blackhair’s hands!”
“What? That’s impossible! How could he possibly know the power of the Stone of Light and Darkness?”
“I didn’t say he knows its power,” Emperor Moore said, frowning slightly—his movements eerily similar to Blackhair’s. “I only said it’s in his hands. But after all this time, maybe he already knows some secrets. After all, he’s a smart man, unlike those pedantic Rockmen.”
“…” The delicate voice remained silent, clearly shocked by this news.
Seeing her reaction, Emperor Moore didn’t say much, giving her time to process it. He quietly stood up, bent down to brush off the grass from his legs, looking utterly at ease. Then he turned and walked toward the distant hills.
“I don’t want to say too much. All I can tell you is that our fate of returning home is now tightly tied to Blackhair. So no matter what, I must kill him this time. Think it over slowly. I’m going back to wait for news. I left the Grizzly Bear on the battlefield. With the Eternal Star Region as well, I’m sure Blackhair has no chance of surviving.”

“What!? You even resorted to the Eternal Stability Star Region!?” The graceful female voice exclaimed again, clearly unprepared for the Emperor of Moore to go to such extreme measures. Hearing her outcry, the Emperor of Moore didn’t turn around; he merely shrugged helplessly.
“It’s not that I wanted to use it—he just kept pressing me. Who could blame him for not letting go once he spots an enemy’s weakness? I had to make him understand that some weaknesses, even when right in front of him, cannot be exploited. Well, if it’s tuition, let him pay it with his life.”
At these words, the Emperor of Moore suddenly burst into laughter.
“Actually, I’m quite generous too…”