While Jay was getting to know the dynamics of the new generation of the AHIA, somewhere in the castle, Safira was talking with Tanya about the specialists she had invited.
It had already been eight days, but they still hadn't arrived.
— Anya, what's going on with them? — Safira asked Tanya.
— Calm down, Safy. When I told them about Dry's condition, they got excited about the challenge and set out for Orion as fast as they could. The ship should arrive in about ten days — Tanya said, sounding a bit nervous.
The specialists she had summoned belonged to a race that was nearly extinct due to constant hunts by other races across the universe.
— Why didn't they just teleport straight here? That would've been way faster and more efficient than a ship! Don't tell me they don't have a Level 6 Evolutionary! — Safira said, irritated by the delay.
— They said some of their machines would become uncalibrated by teleportation, and it would take around a hundred years to recalibrate them! They figured waiting a few days was easier than waiting a few centuries, — Tanya replied.
Understanding the reason for the delay, Safira calmed down a bit.
Far from Planet Orion, many galaxies away, a ship was breaking the sound barrier in a single direction. It was protected by an energy shield that kept space debris away from its hull.
Inside were thirty translucent beings. Most of them were green, except for their leader, who glowed yellow.
— Chief, we've got eight more days until we reach Orion, — one of them said to the leader, who was standing and gazing out into space.
The ship's walls were transparent, allowing a full 360-degree view of the void outside.
— Stay alert to the emptiness around us. We don't want surprises. Our clan is counting on us, — the leader said to everyone aboard.
As the ship sped onward, a dog was drifting through space — melancholic and listless. His name was AHIA Oni. He was an AHIA in name only, for he lacked their primary trait: the Domain of Supremacy.
The dog saw the ship and barked.
The ship, which had been moving at incredible speed, suddenly stopped — as if someone had paused a film. The crew panicked at once.
— I'm so bored... Think of something to make me happy, or else! — the dog said to the ship.
Even in the vacuum of space, his voice echoed loud and clear.
— Sir, we're on an urgent mission to a prison planet. By unfortunate coincidence, we'll entertain you next time, — the leader of the ship replied calmly.
Their king had assigned them a mission on a prison planet called Asta Two, also known as Orion — one of many prison worlds scattered throughout the universe, and the newest among them.
The entire planet had been turned into a prison a thousand years ago, when a disciple of the Omega Sect stole one of their sacred cultivation techniques and took refuge there.
After saying this, the leader pressed a button on the control panel. The moment the button was pressed, the force restraining the ship vanished, and it resumed its movement.
Oni watched the ship that had broken free from his Supremacy — equivalent to a peak Level 7 — with surprise, then disappeared from where he was. The next instant, he appeared inside the ship.
— Welcome aboard, sir. My name is Etron. We are the delegation of the Aing, — said the leader, visibly calm though clearly uneasy at the dog's sudden appearance.
Their race had equipped the ship with anti-teleportation shields. The fact that the dog had ignored this restriction made it obvious they were facing a Level 7 Evolutionary.
— You're heading to Orion... with all this fancy equipment? — Oni said, ignoring the Aing leader as he looked around.
The ship looked more like a village than a vessel. People were constantly watching the monitors, afraid to make even the smallest mistake.
— It's the Voracious Emperor... — whispered one of the Aing beside Etron.
Etron glanced at the dog, visibly worried.
— Sir, a family affiliated with the Johns on the prison planet requested our services. I ask that you allow us to pass. We apologize if my actions offended you, — Etron said, lowering his head.
If it had been any ordinary Level 7, he wouldn't have been so cautious.
But the Voracious Emperor
was infamous for destroying first and asking questions later.