196. Grip of the Starbreaker
Knowing it's Remaining Moon makes things easier.
Three years ago, he committed unforgivable crimes at the academy. Nastisha still vividly remembers them and had long since crafted a countermeasure tailored specifically for him.
[Dimensional Anchor]—locks space-time, prohibiting spatial movement.
[Arcane: Trajectory Tracking]—reveals the exact coordinates of Remaining Moon's jumps without his awareness.
"Oh?"
Nastisha sneered coldly:
"Hiding in a storm element demi-plane? Seems even fate is on my side."
As an ascendant on the [Craft] path from [Mage] to [Magister] to [Stormbringer], Nastisha excelled at manipulating the atmosphere, water, and lightning.
These energies were the very foundation of the storm demi-plane.
Nastisha clenched her hand in the void, her eyes turning a silvery gray that pierced through all. Her vision traversed the astral plane and dimensions, locking onto Remaining Moon's storm demi-plane with the guidance of dozens of spells.
"Still waiting in there? Then perish along with the plane!"
[Primal Magic: Elemental Sacrifice]
Havoc had descended; disaster had arrived.
Neither Nastisha nor Remaining Moon could foresee the chain of events leading to this outcome.
If she hadn't overheard Balkomon's muttering, she wouldn't have gone for a walk in the corridor.
If she hadn't accepted Ye Wangnan's suggestion to take photos, she wouldn't have noticed the anomaly on White Candle Star.
If she hadn't insisted Ye Wangnan make those calls, she wouldn't have discovered Trivira's blockade.
If... so many ifs, so many coincidences.
However, the moment Nastisha entered White Candle Star, true disaster had already begun.
In the distant asteroid belt, the Night Butterfly fleet could no longer sit still.
"What the hell? How did this happen?! Why would that woman suddenly decide to storm in?"
Bablushka looked around at his subordinates, all equally bewildered.
"This can't be… Intelligence couldn't have been wrong."
"There were no leaks, and Trivira has been in a state of communication blackout. The virtual base station was operational. No one should have been able to contact the outside world."
"It doesn't matter now. The plan is compromised. That woman, Nastisha, once killed a [Society] councilor in the past. If she's making a move, Zeta-tier Remaining Moon is no match."
Bablushka's face darkened:
"Call Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie teams. Get them to Trivira immediately to recover the forbidden knowledge. Start the operation early!—You, send a signal to Remaining Moon and tell him to stop playing around and escape with the fragments!"
"Sir, Remaining Moon isn't in this dimension. We can't reach him. Along with Trivira's liberation, our virtual base station has been destroyed. White Candle Star has re-established contact with Amaryllis Fortress."
An aide reminded him.
"Are you saying the mission has failed?" Bablushka frowned. "No, we can at least retrieve two sets of forbidden knowledge. Even if we can't combine the fragments, it's still significant. Mother of Night will be pleased."
"No, sir, have you forgotten?"
The aide's tone grew solemn:
"White Candle Star's Kappa-tier, Balkomon, is stationed at Amaryllis Fortress. And now, with Trivira's situation known, along with Nastisha's suppression efforts on the surface, Balkomon could very well—"
Before the aide could finish, Bablushka's expression changed drastically.
At that moment, an unanticipated storm of mental energy erupted throughout the star system, like the explosion of a supernova. A massive wave of psychic force swept through every corner.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The fleet's counter-detection equipment immediately burst into flames, the ship's AI screamed, and some observers were swallowed whole by the psychic wave.
"Damn it, it's Godly Presence Intimidation! What the hell?!"
Bablushka cursed:
"Balkomon—this maniac is using a Depth Abyss spell to find us?! Doesn't he fear the curse backlash?"
Before he could finish, a deep and resonant voice echoed throughout the star system:
"So it's you, Governor Bablushka!"
Bablushka's face turned grim as he stood up. In the next moment, he teleported 20,000 kilometers ahead of the fleet.
The void tore open as Balkomon strode out from the rift, his bald head gleaming, his body surrounded by twisted, ominous energy. His sinister smile carried an air of elegance, but his presence was terrifying.
"Governor, your esteemed visit surprises me. I'm but a humble teacher; pardon me for not giving you a proper welcome."
Balkomon laughed heartily, folding his arms. The cursed distortions surrounding him bent even light, leaving his face shrouded in shadows like a miniature black hole. His voice, transmitted through psychic magic, was imbued with curses that made it profoundly unsettling.
Despite his strength being nearly halved by ascending abyssal curses, this man still exuded overwhelming menace.
"Minister Balkomon, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Bablushka's eyes flashed with unease, but he forced a smile and spread his arms:
"It's an honor that you came to greet me personally."
"Oh, don't be modest. I'm just an ordinary teacher."
Balkomon chuckled, his cursed energy grinding comets and meteors into dust, his outline radiating an orange glow of distortion. Despite his words, his presence was anything but ordinary.
"Don't sell yourself short—one of the famous Kappa-tier ascendants of the Abyssal Layer, a spellcaster praised even by narrative-level civilizations. For you to approach me is my privilege."
Bablushka's tone was polite but tinged with sarcasm.
"Oh? I'm famous? That's news to me."
Balkomon shrugged, then squinted at Bablushka:
"If I'm that famous, why did you come courting death?! Bablushka, you must be tired of living."
In an instant, Balkomon broke all decorum, unleashing a psychic shockwave to launch a blatant sneak attack.
"Bastard!"
Bablushka cursed as his defensive field activated. With a wave of his hand, a massive mechanical army folded into space, emerging at his side:
"A Kappa-tier powerhouse, a battlefield final unit, resorting to a sneak attack!"
"And you, a pathetic idealist dog, think you're worthy of my fair fight?"
Balkomon grinned maliciously. His psychic magic twisted reality, his cursed aura imbuing every spell with dread and malevolence, incapacitating Bablushka's mechanical army.
"Come on, Bablushka, since we share the same 'Ba' surname, let's see who's really the boss!"
"You mad dog! Are you trying to break the Galaxy Eye ceasefire agreement?!" Bablushka struggled to fend off the attack, resorting to verbal rebukes: "Stop now, or you'll end up on the battlefield too!"
"Even better. After all, you broke it first!"
Balkomon sneered malevolently:
"As for the battlefield…"
"Ha—if it weren't for that golden dragon monk holding me back, the one fighting your Galaxy Eye fleet would've been me!"
Rip!
Balkomon tore off his Education Ministry uniform, revealing a muscular physique.
"Let me show you the mysteries of magic!"
Balkomon raised a single finger.
[Wish Spell: Greater Telekinesis]
"Grant me the power to grasp objects from afar."
The wish manifested, and Balkomon's sinister laughter echoed. His voice, dripping with malice, sounded like a devil's whisper to Bablushka:
"Arcane Amplification—A Millionfold Strength!"
"Twin Casting—Repeat the previous spell."
"Triple Casting—Repeat the previous spell."
After six cycles, the exponentially amplified power surged through Balkomon. His body radiated overwhelming magic, shining like a star.
The magic's brilliance outshone even the nearby sun.
Bablushka trembled with unease, his heart gripped by fear.
This aura and power… You're telling me this is a newly ascended Kappa-tier from the Depth Abyss, cursed and weakened?
If Balkomon had participated in the Galaxy Eye battle, the Night Butterfly Federation's losses might've been 30% higher.
Such a figure, no wonder he was stationed on White Candle Star. If not for the meticulous planning behind Remaining Moon's operation, even two Kappa-tiers couldn't have executed the mission.
"Welcome, Governor of the Night Butterfly, to my planet for a friendly visit!"
Balkomon casually extended his hand, plucking a gas giant from its orbit within the star system and hurling it toward Bablushka's mechanical army.
"A trivial gift—please accept it!"