Chapter 52: The Spiral of Death, Section 3

A tiny, pure-white square box, about thirty centimeters in size.
Under normal circumstances, such a box would be utterly ordinary—none of those present would even bother to take a second look at it. But now, everything was different. Almost everyone stared at it with eager eyes, as if it were a treasure.
Because they all knew that anything able to survive such a terrible disaster must be a very important part of the Smo Empire. It deserved attention at all costs. Perhaps it could even reveal the secrets behind the fall of the Smo Empire.
Yet, to their surprise, this was how Blackhair reacted to the box.
Naturally, as if he had known this would happen all along. Under the astonished gazes of everyone, he simply touched it casually and found a tiny, invisible button beneath the pure-white box. Then, the box opened…
A figure only thirty centimeters tall suddenly appeared in a soft light, standing in mid-air.
It was Duke Ziyuan!
With just one glance, Monkey recognized this terrifying old man. That sickly old face was all too familiar. It had been this very face that had uncovered their disguise without a hint of suspicion. But today, there was less sickness and more composure on that familiar face.
“Vice Lord Blackhair, you’ve finally arrived,” said the virtual figure boldly, his gaze sharp.
Frowning slightly, Blackhair remained silent. He knew this was just a recording, not real-time information. So despite his doubts, he could only listen quietly.
The figure on the other side seemed to have anticipated this and didn’t wait for Blackhair to speak.
“Strange, right? Why I called you vice lord? I imagine you’re frowning again. But it doesn’t matter—it’s not important. This title was granted by the Smo Empire. So if you don’t like it, just act like you didn’t hear it. By the time you receive this message, the Smo Empire should already be gone from this universe.”
At these words, a hint of pain appeared on Duke Ziyuan’s resolute face.
“Blackhair, we… we failed…”
“Emperor Moore… he’s not human. He’s a demon!! We were wrong about him all along. He knew about this rebellion long ago. But unlike what we thought, he doesn’t care at all. We underestimated him. This war is nothing but a game to him.”

“A game?” Hearing these words from Duke Ziyuan, murmurs arose throughout the cabin, with shock evident on everyone’s faces. It was hard to imagine why such a thing would exist. Oh, it was utterly absurd. What kind of person could be so insane as to treat a terrifying war spanning hundreds of star systems as just a game?! What then were those who lost their lives in the war in his eyes? Toys?

The chatter grew louder until it filled the entire cabin. Amidst all the noise, Duke Ziyuan’s voice remained calm.

“Absurd, isn’t it? You must be wondering why such a person exists. But Blackhair, I regret to tell you—this is the truth. And I, someone who tried to challenge the rules of the game, became a victim.”

At these words, pain appeared on Duke Ziyuan’s face, and even his upright posture trembled. The vivid images made it clear to everyone present what he was feeling—a sense of frustration mixed with unwillingness to admit defeat…

The end of a hero… Blackhair watched silently as Duke Ziyuan’s face twisted in pain. Yet he remained calm, his bright eyes showing no emotion, as if it had always been that way. But his hands, hidden behind his back, clenched into fists without him realizing it.

Pitiful? Perhaps. But wasn’t this the same feeling he had experienced when he first entered the gene training chamber? With all hope lost, life and death seemed unimportant. Though sitting quietly, Blackhair seemed to be by Duke Ziyuan’s side in that desperate situation, feeling his pain, his despair, his sorrow, his regret…

Invisibly, a sense of deathly silence emanated from Blackhair. It was so faint, almost imperceptible, yet unmistakable—felt by everyone. As the silence spread, the entire cabin fell quiet. There were no more murmurs. All the crew instinctively fell silent, staring at their king with fear.

In this silence, perhaps only Duke Ziyuan’s image remained unaffected. He first lowered his head slightly, remained silent for a moment, then suddenly raised it again, a glint in his eyes.

“But I refuse to admit defeat!!”

“I entered the battlefield at the age of fifteen, and countless years have passed since then. My warriors and my realm were all built up bit by bit by me. Every bit of it was soaked with my sweat and blood. Even the Emperor of Moore is not worth fearing before me. Though he did defeat me, he doesn’t know I still have one last trump card—black hair!! For this reason, I left this behind. I knew you would come, and according to our agreement, you would surely find this. As for the rest, I leave it to you.”

With that, Duke Ziyan bowed his head deeply, performing a bow so profound that no one dared even imagine. Then he took out a small sphere from his bosom. With a gentle squeeze, the sphere burst open, and images appeared before everyone’s eyes like a movie.

It was a scene of battle. On one side were the familiar massive ships of Moore, while on the other was a strange, giant sphere. The shiny sphere seemed entirely made of metal, but everyone knew it couldn’t possibly be metal. As the battle unfolded, those spheres began to transform.

Yes, they were transforming. Each sphere had a diameter of hundreds of kilometers, yet in mid-air, they flowed like liquid, quickly melting and reshaping into giant humanoid figures. Their appearance was even seven-tenths similar to traditional mechs. During the transformation, despite the Moore ships firing all their firepower, it was completely ineffective. The energy beams that could easily destroy planets usually had no effect at all on these liquid-like spheres, disappearing without a trace.

Energy absorption!!

Instantly, everyone’s expression changed. How familiar this scene was! They immediately thought of the leech-like ships of the Emperor of Moore. Didn’t they also possess such terrifying capabilities? It seemed the material forming these spheres was also some extremely strange and special stone essence. And in this universe, there was only one person who possessed such material.

That was the Emperor of Moore!!

Seeing this, almost everyone understood what these images depicted. It was the scene of Duke Ziyan’s fleet fighting against the Moore Empire. Everyone already knew the outcome—Duke Ziyan lost, and even the Smo Empire was destroyed by the enemy. Yet he preserved these scenes to let everyone know the truth of that war.

What a formidable warlord. At this moment, everyone felt deep respect for Duke Ziyuan. He could face the sacrifices of his subordinates without showing any emotion, calmly keeping these resources and handing them to those who could use them best. Indeed, Duke Ziyuan lived up to his self-praise—he was truly a strong man who never admitted defeat.

Yet such a powerful figure ultimately placed his hopes on Black Hair. It had to be said that this was a tragic sign of desperation.

As the scenes changed one after another, a massacre soon unfolded in the silent cabin. After taking on human form, those giant spheres gained far greater agility than ordinary warships. Like giants from ancient myths, they could cover thousands of kilometers with a single step. Each giant held a massive spear, and with each thrust, lightning flashed. The normally indestructible Moorish giant ships couldn’t even withstand them for a moment—huge holes appeared on their hulls, followed by waves of scorching fireballs. In just a short time, nearly a thousand Moorish giant ships turned into space debris.

By the end, no one could bear to watch any longer. This was no longer war but pure slaughter. Against such terrifying giant humanoids, the Moorish giant ships had no chance to fight back. The scenes changed rapidly, along with the warriors’ furious shouts, which struck everyone’s hearts like heavy hammers. Unconsciously, people’s breathing grew heavier, and a faint red glow appeared in everyone’s eyes—like the color of blood…

Satisfied with his subordinates’ performance, Black Hair nodded slightly. It was clear that since the last shock, these young wolves had finally shown some courage. Facing powerful enemies, they were no longer hesitant but filled with a desire to fight. Black Hair was familiar with this feeling—it was something only men who loved battle and longed to confront strong foes would possess. It was also the feeling he was accustomed to.

The scenes changed rapidly, and soon the story reached its end. Finally, it stopped on the image of a giant swinging his spear in attack. Staring at the red glow in the giant’s eyes, Black Hair remained silent for a long time. Only when everyone thought he had lost focus did he slowly stand up and bow respectfully to Duke Ziyuan’s virtual image.

“Thank you, Duke. According to our agreement, leave the rest to me. Trust me—I will ensure this game comes to an end.”