Rora Starsea had just reached the perimeter of the black spacecraft when its heavy hatch hissed open.A line of soldiers, all dressed in dark-green military uniforms, filed out in perfect order.
They split into two lines, boots clicking against the metallic ground. Finally, from within the ship stepped another man—also in dark green—but the insignia gleaming on his shoulder clearly marked him as the commanding officer.
"Commander, all units assembled. Awaiting your orders!"
Niss frowned, his sharp eyes sweeping over the surroundings. His gaze lingered on a particular spot for a brief moment before moving on. Then, with a subtle motion, he activated the energy within his body. A thin, translucent shield shimmered into existence around him, sealing out the stench that clung to the air. Only then did the tension in his brow ease slightly.
"Form units of ten," he ordered coolly. "Search for the defiler—Xuan Hee. Once located, fire a signal flare. Understood?"
"Yes, sir!"
In seconds, the soldiers divided into ten squads. Nine of them dispersed rapidly into different directions, vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye. The remaining team stayed in place, awaiting Niss's next command.
Rora Starsea also waited quietly from her hiding spot.
To her surprise, Niss didn't issue any new orders. Instead, he turned his head toward a specific direction, the corner of his lips curling into a predatory smile.
"No rush," he murmured. "Let's deal with the little insect that's been spying on us first."
The next instant, his figure vanished into thin air.
A chill shot down Rora's spine. The sense of danger struck so suddenly and so sharply that she reacted on instinct—darting away from her hiding place, retreating swiftly into the shadows.
But before she could take a full breath, a black-uniformed figure materialized at the exact spot she had just vacated. It was Niss—the very same man who had disappeared moments ago.
He looked at her, a flicker of surprise crossing his cold eyes."Well, well. I didn't expect a backwater dump like this to harbor someone with such sharp senses," he said with a faint, amused smile. "How about this—you become my servant. I'll take you back to Beers Star. You'll receive the Star Lord's blessing… and awaken powers far beyond ordinary beings."
Servant?
Rora nearly rolled her eyes. Wasn't this supposed to be the age of the stars? How could someone still think like a feudal lord?
Even without her bond to a Star Spirit, she would never bow to such arrogance—not as a Star Lord, not even as an ordinary human.
"Thank you," Rora Starsea said politely.
For a brief moment, surprise flickered across Niss's face—then quickly twisted into a look of disdain. Of course, he thought with satisfaction. A woman from a filthy little trash planet like this would never dare refuse me.
But before that smug thought could fully settle, Rora continued calmly,"…but no, thank you. I'll pass."
The expression on Niss's face froze. For half a second, disbelief clouded his amber eyes. Then anger—hot, incredulous, primal—rose from his chest and drowned all rationality.
She refused me?She dared to refuse me!
Niss drew in a slow breath. His amber pupils darkened, deep and cold, until they seemed almost bestial. The air around him thickened with killing intent. The corners of his lips curled upward into a cruel smile—one that dripped with danger.
"You actually dare to refuse," he said softly. "Good."
With that word, his arms snapped back violently. A surge of raw power exploded outward from his body, sweeping across the ground like a shockwave. The dust and grit in the air were blown into a swirling storm.
Rora instinctively raised an arm to shield her eyes from the flying debris—And in that instant, Niss moved.
With a single step, he launched himself forward like an arrow loosed from a bowstring. His right arm drew back and then came crashing down toward Rora's head with lethal precision.
Sensing the rush of air above her, Rora twisted aside at the last second. The blow that should have shattered her skull instead struck her left shoulder.
Crack—
The sound of bone snapping cut through the air.
Rora's face went pale; cold sweat broke out along her brow. She stumbled back, clutching her shoulder, her breath tight with pain.
Seriously? What's with people in this interstellar age—attacking before even finishing a sentence?
If her body hadn't already begun undergoing transformation under the influence of the Star Spirit's power, that one hit would've cracked her skull open on the spot.
Niss lowered his hand, a glint of intrigue in his predatory gaze.
She had dodged him—barely, but enough to earn his attention.
Interesting.
He was a sixth-tier awakened fighter—top of the mid-high ranks, fifth strongest on the entire Beers Star. Even with his power somewhat suppressed on this lesser planet, the force he'd unleashed was still far beyond what any ordinary human could withstand.
And yet this frail-looking woman had managed to survive it.
Niss's probing gaze swept over Rora Starsea from head to toe.
If not for the fact that his own combat power had been heavily suppressed to near-human levels on this miserable planet—No, that was impossible. Even on Loka, the star ranked first on the Galactic Spirit Index, his power would only ever be suppressed by four levels.
Which meant only one thing:This woman was hiding something extraordinary.
A sharp pulse raced through his chest at the thought.
If he could uncover the secret behind her unnaturally sharp reflexes and superior physique—If he could take it for himself—His strength might break past its current limits.
And then, challenging Ryan, the current Rank Three powerhouse of the Beers System, would no longer be just a dream.
The thought ignited a fever in his veins. His eyes burned with ambition as they locked onto Rora, filled not just with malice—but hunger.
Then, almost theatrically, Niss straightened his posture, masking the greed behind a righteous facade. His tone turned sharp and commanding:
"You dare to conceal the whereabouts of the heretic, Xuanxi!" he barked."If you refuse to tell me where he is, then you'll be branded as his accomplice. You'll share his fate—condemned as a heretic yourself. Surely, you know what becomes of heretics…?"
He finished speaking and folded his arms, pretending to wait patiently for her answer.
In truth, he knew perfectly well that this woman had nothing to do with Xuanxi.This accusation was merely a convenient excuse—a cover to justify taking her by force and claiming whatever secret lay hidden within her.
Rora's expression faltered for a brief moment.Her dark eyes fixed on him, calm yet unreadable, betraying nothing of her thoughts.
Suppressing the pain in her fractured shoulder, she asked evenly,"What exactly is a heretic? And what happens to someone who becomes one?"
The question was genuine.She truly didn't know—and the body's original owner held no memory of anything called a "heretic."
Niss, however, had no intention of explaining. His voice remained cold and perfunctory as he continued,"You don't need to know. Since you refuse to talk, I'll just take you back for interrogation. Then we'll find out where the heretic Xuanxi is hiding."
Watching his smug, self-satisfied expression, Rora instantly understood.
This man didn't actually know whether she was connected to Xuanxi or not.He didn't care about truth.
He simply wanted a reason—An excuse to make her his prey.
And to him, guilt or innocence didn't matter at all.
As soon as Niss finished speaking, he lunged forward again, his fist blazing with a faint crimson glow—like a burning coal wrapped around his knuckles.
The air rippled with heat.Even before his fist reached her, Rora Starsea could already feel the scorching wave pushing toward her.
This time, she reacted swiftly, twisting to the side and narrowly dodging the strike.
But Niss didn't stop.His fists came at her one after another, each blow faster than the last, his lips curved in mockery. He wasn't trying to finish her off—he was toying with her.
Rora drew in a deep breath, forcing the rising anger down from her chest.She rolled her shoulder slightly—then froze.
The intense pain that had been burning through her left side… was almost gone.Only a faint soreness remained.For a brief second, she wondered if the sensation of her bone cracking earlier had been nothing but an illusion.
Her gaze sharpened.So that was how it was.
The corners of her lips lifted, eyes narrowing with icy calm.From the man's expression and words, it was obvious—he wasn't a good person.
And since that was the case… she didn't need to hold back.
In one smooth motion, she summoned a metal rod from her wristband—thick as her arm—and swung it upward to meet his incoming fist.
Bang!Crack!
A dull, heavy sound echoed through the air—followed immediately by the sickening crunch of bone.
This time, it wasn't Rora's bones that broke.It was Niss's.
He staggered back, face twisting in agony, clutching his mangled right hand. Blood streamed between his fingers, and from the gash, the jagged edge of bone gleamed stark white.
His eyes flared with rage and humiliation as he glared at her, spitting each word through gritted teeth:"You. Truly. Deserve. To. Die!"
Then he shut his eyes, clenching both fists tight.
A violent surge of energy burst from his body, shaking the ground beneath his feet.
The crimson glow around him intensified—tiny embers spiraled upward, swirling like a storm of fireflies, dazzling and almost beautiful… if not for the deadly heat rolling from them.
In seconds, those scattered sparks fused together, forming the shape of a towering fox—three meters tall, its body a blazing inferno.
Niss stood in its heart, suspended within the fiery phantom.
And on his previously unmarked forehead, a symbol began to burn into existence—a vivid, flame-red fox sigil, glowing like molten iron.
"Ah—!"
Niss let out a roar that tore through the air. His tightly shut eyes snapped open, and for a fleeting instant, a scarlet light flickered across his amber irises. It vanished almost as soon as it appeared—but if one looked closely, deep within his eyes, the faint outline of the flaming fox could now be seen, reflected like a mark burned into his soul.
He lowered his head, gaze locking onto Rora Starsea standing not far away. A cruel, feral grin spread across his face.
In the next instant, his right arm shot forward in a vicious strike—and simultaneously, the colossal flaming fox surrounding him mirrored his motion.
The fox's massive right claw sliced through the air, now tipped with sharp, glowing talons formed entirely of burning sparks. If that attack landed, it wouldn't just leave a wound—it would tear clean through her body.
Rora's expression hardened. She took a few quick steps backward, eyes never leaving her opponent. The iron rod she'd used earlier clattered to the ground, replaced by a new stack of reinforced alloy sheets drawn swiftly from her wristband.
The flaming fox's claw descended like a guillotine.There was no time to dodge.Gritting her teeth, Rora raised the alloy above her head to block the blow.
Boom!
The impact was deafening.
The fox's claw and Rora's alloy barrier collided, and at the point of contact, a violent shockwave exploded outward. The ground shuddered; dust and gravel were hurled in all directions, creating a swirling storm that engulfed the clearing.
The ten soldiers who had been closing in were instantly blasted back, their faces coated with sand and grit."Pfft—pfft—what the hell!" one of them coughed, spitting dirt from his mouth.
Another squinted through the haze, muttering in disbelief, "Who is that woman? She's actually holding her own against Lord Niss?"
"Maybe she's a warrior from another star," one guessed hesitantly. "Someone who's also at the sixth level, like him?"
"That's impossible," another scoffed. "No real expert would look that scrawny. She's tiny—like she hasn't eaten in weeks!"
The soldiers exchanged doubtful glances.Every awakened warrior blessed by a Star Lord would have their body transformed and strengthened by cosmic energy—muscles hardened, strength magnified. Even the frailest would recover to peak condition.
How could this fragile-looking woman possibly withstand Niss's power?
Meanwhile, Rora herself had no idea what they were saying.
Pinned beneath the burning fox's claw, she trembled under the crushing pressure. Her arms strained, muscles screaming, as she pushed upward with everything she had.
The weight was overwhelming—but then, something within her stirred.
It was faint at first, like a spark gliding through her veins.Then, as it circled within her body, warmth spread—her exhaustion melted away, her limbs filled with strength once more.
Her breath steadied.Her grip firmed.
And as that mysterious current continued to surge through her, the color of her eyes began to shift.
The dull brown deepened, brightened—until, finally, her pupils gleamed with a brilliant gold.