Chapter 54: The Shattered Hall, Section 6

In the silent starry sky, an enormous flying castle drifted slowly. A long time had passed since the last battle. Inside the castle, Emperor Moore remained lazily reclined on a huge, comfortable couch, reading a book. Beside him stood the capable officer named Grizzly Bear, motionless and silent, like a statue.

Suddenly, as if sensing something, Emperor Moore put down his book and glanced at the giant image crystal in the center of the hall. Then he sighed.
“It’s already… seven days, right?”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” the capable officer finally spoke. His voice was hoarse from not speaking for so long.
“I can’t believe they still caught up to us.” Emperor Moore frowned and snapped his fingers. With that sound, the image crystal in the hall lit up, displaying the image of the outer starry sky.

The starry sky was peaceful. Apart from the twinkling stars, nothing else was visible. It was like a beautiful painting, too delicate to touch.

Seeing Emperor Moore’s action, the capable officer also placed a hand over his ear. After a while, he removed his hand and shook his head slowly.
“Apologies, Your Majesty. I haven’t received any news. The ambush troops we stationed at the corridor exit have detected nothing unusual.”

Gently lifting his hand to touch his golden, smooth hair, Emperor Moore glanced at the capable officer. “No abnormalities detected is the biggest anomaly of all. Don’t you know Blackhair’s personality? That guy will never miss any opportunity. Once he decides to kill me, he will pursue me even to the ends of the world. Unless I never appear before him again—otherwise, it’s only a matter of time.”
“Blackhair is a formidable opponent.”
“Your Majesty, I’m well aware of that,” the capable officer nodded, responding without expression. Instead, seeing his serious expression, Emperor Moore smiled.
“Yes, look at me—I’ve forgotten. When it comes to knowing Blackhair, you must know him much better than I do. You worked together for a long time. You were his most trusted partner.”
“Not a partner. A subordinate,” the capable officer corrected. “In that world, no one can be called his partner. His mind is filled with only one person. Everyone else can be used by him. Although I’ve been in contact with him for a long time, we can’t call us partners.”

“Oh?” Emperor Moore glanced at the officer with interest. “Do you hate him?”
“No!” the officer denied it outright. “On the contrary, I’m grateful to him.”
“Why?”
“He was the one who brought me into this world, who taught me how to shoot for the first time, who taught me how to fight, and it was he who made me realize for the first time that there is no mercy on the battlefield. He taught me everything about being a warrior,” the officer said slowly, though a fierce look flashed in his eyes. “So, I don’t hate him at all.”
“But now you’re at odds with him,” Emperor Moore reminded him opportunely. “At my side, against your former superior.”
“That’s because he abandoned me.” A glint appeared in the officer’s eyes before he regained his composure.
“It’s not just me; all his former subordinates were abandoned by him. Just when we firmly believed he would come back for us, he went alone into the gene training chamber, facing death by himself!”
“He didn’t want you all to get involved. You told me that. If he had come for you, you would have died then,” Emperor Moore soothed gently.
“I know,” the officer took a deep breath but, to the emperor’s surprise, shook his head. “That’s why I say I don’t hate him, Your Majesty. The person I hate the most is myself.”
“If I hadn’t been so useless, if we had had the power to counter everything back then… If…” The officer’s voice grew softer until he fell silent. But just as the emperor tried to comfort him again, he suddenly raised his head. “There are no ifs, Your Majesty. Since I’m standing here again, everything will end. I’ll end the black-haired man’s life with my own hands. Then I’ll tell him he was wrong. I now have the power to protect everything. His choice was wrong!”
“Is that so?” Hearing this, Emperor Moore narrowed his eyes slightly. After a moment of silence, he suddenly smiled.
“That sounds like a good plan. But I hope you don’t forget who gave you your power.”
“It was you, my respected Majesty,” the officer replied calmly.
“Hmm, good to know.” Emperor Moore nodded in satisfaction. “Remember when I first found you, you were a pitiful sight, covered in wounds, lying in that broken training chamber, seemingly on the verge of death. If I hadn’t saved you and given you the best treatment, you would be dead now.”
“Yes.”

“So…” Emperor Moore sighed. “You are someone who has died once. Everything from the past has nothing to do with you anymore. I also don’t want you to live in the shadow of the past forever. If possible, Grizzly Bear, I hope you can stand up and face everything bravely—including your former boss. If you can’t do that, I’d rather put you on ice than let darkness cover your heart. Do you… understand?”
“I understand. Thank you, Your Majesty.” The officer nodded firmly, a hint of gratitude in his eyes.
He knew that Emperor Moore was a ruler who cared deeply for his subordinates. Though he was rumored to be ruthless outside, he always offered encouragement and support to his own people. It was a great fortune to work under such an emperor.
As the officer pondered, the hall gradually fell silent. It wasn’t until the emperor coughed that the officer snapped back to reality, slightly startled.
“Your Majesty?”
“Hehe.” Emperor Moore chuckled lightly. He reached for a glass of red wine and took a small sip. “It’s nothing. Although I feel Blackhair might chase after us, he still has a dangerous journey ahead before he can reach here. We don’t need to worry about that yet. What I want to ask is—have you made arrangements regarding Death Star?”
“Death Star?” A cold glint appeared in the capable officer’s eyes as he straightened up instantly.
“It’s all prepared. If nothing goes wrong, they’ll start acting now.”
“Oh?” Emperor Moore narrowed his eyes. “Do you trust those Nommi?”
“I don’t, Your Majesty. But as alien pirates, they’ll be happy to find such a hunting ground. We just need to provide them with some information so they can serve as cannon fodder. It’s a fair deal.”
“But, Grizzly Bear, don’t forget—Death Star has been Blackhair’s stronghold for a long time. Those Nommi, though they’re alien pirates, don’t seem very combat-effective. It’s not that I look down on them, but they’re not even as good as one of my ordinary fleets.”
“That’s true, Your Majesty.” The officer nodded, though his face still showed no sign of disappointment.

“But I’ve thought this through as well. I’ve sent Skasahah, the deputy commander of the Tenth Fleet, there along with a full fleet. The Nommi’s actions are just a probe; they’re the ones who will actually take action. It’s a fleet of five hundred giant ships. I believe even the Dark-Haired Death Star can’t withstand such force. After eliminating the Death Star, there will still be enough strength to destroy that human settlement.”
“Hmm…” After hearing the officer’s explanation, Emperor Moore nodded slowly. “In that case, I needn’t worry about anything. As long as news from there reaches us, the Dark-Haired one will surely be in disarray. Then we can reap the final fruits. I really want to see that guy’s desperate expression—it must be fascinating…”
“Your Majesty…” The capable officer stepped forward.
“Hmm? What is it?”
“It concerns the fate of the Dark-Haired one…” The officer paused for a moment before suddenly looking up, meeting Emperor Moore’s gaze directly.
“I hope to be the one to end him myself.”
“Haha…” Emperor Moore burst into laughter.
“As expected, you still can’t let it go. But that’s fine. As the source of your psychological shadow, it’s best if you end it yourself. Since you’ve made up your mind, I can only support you.”
“If the Dark-Haired one can truly break through from that area, Grizzly Bear, I’ll fulfill your request.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty!” The officer saluted respectfully before returning to his place, standing motionless.
Emperor Moore, on the other hand, leaned lazily against the soft couch, stretched his body, and let out a satisfied groan. He gazed at the vast starry sky on the crystal in the center of the hall, looking utterly content.
“I’m looking forward to your arrival, Dark-Haired one. But before that, let me destroy the thing you rely on in your heart… I really want to see your expression when you hear of the Death Star’s fall.”
Meanwhile, on the other side of the universe…
Alarms blared suddenly above the Death Star. Countless figures rushed out of the base, heading toward the ships not far away. Giant ships rose from the ground, instantly filling the entire sky. The aliens screamed in terror, fleeing to what they thought were safe places. Chaos reigned in the cities of the Death Star.
Amidst this chaos, an officer with a cold expression calmly entered Suley’s office.
“Miss Suley, it’s about to begin…”
Behind the large desk, a beautiful girl raised her head. Looking at the stern officer, she suddenly smiled.
“Please begin…”