Rora Starsea could feel it clearly this time —That mysterious force was flowing right behind her eyes.
Her vision, once blurred and dim, began to sharpen. Every color became vivid; every particle of light seemed to slow in her gaze.
Her once-dark pupils had now turned into golden slits, gleaming with an inhuman brilliance. From those eyes radiated a faint, oppressive aura — ancient, commanding, and powerful.
Above her, the fiery fox — still bearing down with its massive claws — suddenly froze. The flames that composed its body flickered, wavering as though caught by an invisible wind.
The once-bright crimson fire dimmed, shifting to a dull orange, its perfect structure briefly scattering into chaos.
Niss noticed the change — but dismissed it instantly. He assumed it was simply the result of his own energy drain. With a snort, he lifted his other arm, commanding the fox's left claw to slash toward Rora's waist.
But Rora had already moved.
She released the alloy in her right hand — letting it clang to the ground — and raised her bare palm to meet the fox's descending right claw directly.At the same moment, her freed left hand shot up, catching the incoming left strike head-on.
For a heartbeat, time seemed to stop.
The soldiers who had been watching the fight widened their eyes, jaws dropping so far they could almost touch the ground.
"H-How… how is that possible?" one of them stammered, voice trembling.
"Yeah… no one can touch Lord Niss's energy with bare hands and live!" another gasped, swallowing hard.
"D-don't forget," a third muttered with horror, "the last person who tried was reduced to ash—and even his ashes were scattered by the explosion!"
At that, the entire squad shivered in unison, the memory vivid enough to make their spines crawl.
Niss himself looked on in shock.
Half-kneeling on the ground, Rora held back both blazing claws with her bare hands — her golden eyes glowing like twin suns through the smoke.
The sight ignited something primal within him. His surprise gave way to feverish greed.
The stronger she was, the greater the secret she held — and the more he wanted it.
The moment Niss realized what was happening, he stopped holding back.Power surged through his body like a volcanic eruption.
Rora was caught off guard.The fiery fox's claws clamped down, seizing her completely —Her body was lifted off the ground, suspended in midair, brought right before Niss's hovering form.
Only then did Niss truly see her.
Her eyes — those golden, slit-pupiled eyes — glowed like molten stars.And at the corner of her left eye, faintly shimmering under the light, were three small, cyan fish scales, glinting like cold gemstones.
The instant their gazes met, Niss froze.
For a moment, it felt as though the fragile woman before him was not human at all,but a being standing at the apex of the food chain —a sovereign existence, one that commanded instinctive submission.
His chest tightened. His breath caught. His knees almost buckled.Just one look from her made his body tremble with the urge to kneel.
And in that same instant — he felt it.
His connection to the fiery fox, his life-bonded spirit, began to break.The energy that once wove between them like living fire flickered —and then, in a heartbeat, vanished completely.
The flame that surrounded him shattered into sparks and died.Deprived of the fox's support, Niss plummeted helplessly from the air,slamming into the dirt below.
He never saw it happen —but before the fox fully dispersed, those two enormous claws gently placed Rora back onto the ground.
Then the flames dissolved into ash,leaving Niss, their master, to tumble helplessly across the filthy concrete.
By the time he stopped rolling, his once-pristine uniform was smeared with sticky, unidentifiable fluids and litter that had been lying there for who knows how long.He was an utter mess — humiliated, reeking, and disheveled beyond recognition.
The ten soldiers stationed nearby stared in stunned silence.No one could have predicted such a reversal.
"Uh… if Lord Niss finds out we saw him like this," one of them whispered,"will… will he kill us?"
The other nine turned to look at him, speechless — their expressions said it all:Are you an idiot?
Did he seriously not know what kind of man Niss was?
Everyone on Beers Star knew that Lord Niss was notorious for his pettiness.Even if they swore blind that they hadn't seen anything,their fates were sealed.At best, their promotions would be over;at worst — they might not even live to regret it.
Meanwhile, the soot-covered Niss had no time to care about them.
He struggled to his feet, ignoring the filth and pain,his amber eyes blazing as they locked onto Rora Starsea —onto those golden vertical pupils,onto the faint cyan scales half-hidden beneath her hair.
His emotions roiled violently — fear, awe, and disbelief colliding into a trembling voice.
He raised a shaking finger at her."You… you're— the Star Lord! You're the Star Lord of this garbage planet!"
He scanned her up and down, muttering under his breath:"No wonder… no wonder your senses were so sharp. I thought you'd stumbled upon some miracle—"He let out a strained laugh, half in hysteria, half in awe."But it all makes sense now. Of course the Star Lord of this trash world would wield such power…"His jaw tightened."I thought— I actually thought— you were hiding some kind of treasure."
When Niss's gaze fell upon the faint fish scales glimmering at the corner of Rora's eye,a flash of realization crossed his face.
No wonder I couldn't defeat her.
With those golden slit pupils — and now the visible blue-green scales —it was obvious she had ascended to Level Two.Against that kind of power, his defeat was inevitable.
Having pieced it all together, Niss exhaled softly, brushed the dust from his uniform,and straightened his rumpled collar and sleeves.
When he lifted his head again, his expression had completely changed —the arrogance and fury were gone, replaced by polished civility and a stiff, almost military grace.
He clenched his right fist and placed it over his left chest,bowing at the waist in a formal salute.
"Greetings, honorable Star Lord of LX045," he said respectfully."I am Niss of Beers Star.Entering your domain without prior permission was my grave mistake.Please accept these… as my offering of apology."
With that, he flicked his left wrist.
A moment later, a dazzling pile of irregularly shaped, gem-like objects materialized on the ground before Rora.Each shimmered with its own hue — sapphire blue, crimson red, emerald green —their glow pulsing like captured starlight.
Rora arched a brow.
If she wasn't mistaken, those were Level Five Energy Crystals —rare resources that could significantly boost an awakened being's internal power.They also served as high-efficiency energy sources for starships, carriers, and other aerospace machinery.In short — priceless.
And there were at least five hundred of them.Quite the extravagant apology.
Her golden eyes flickered, a faint smirk curving her lips.
"Oh?" she said softly, voice calm yet edged with amusement."Do you really think that a few measly Level Five energy stones can make up for the damage you've done to me?"
She tilted her head slightly, the light catching the faint scales near her temple.
"You underestimate me, Niss."Her tone cooled."And I wonder…"She took a step forward, her presence pressing against him like a silent tide."When the Interstellar Planetary Administration learns what you've done —entering a planet's territory without its Star Lord's permission —what sort of punishment do you think they'll hand down?"
The color drained from Niss's face.
Everyone in the galaxy knew that the Interstellar Planetary Administrationwas the supreme authority overseeing every inhabited world.
To defy their laws was no trivial matter.Unauthorized entry into a governed planet was a serious offense —punishable by ten years of imprisonment at minimum.
And judging by the icy calm in Rora's eyes,he suspected she might make sure he got every single one of those ten years.
Niss had absolutely no desire to face such punishment.The polite smile on his face stiffened visibly, and a faint twitch appeared at the corner of his mouth.He took a deep breath, then, gritting his teeth, reached once more into the storage ring on his wrist.
Another pile — just as large — of Level Five Energy Crystals tumbled to the ground before Rora.
His jaw tightened as he forced the words out."How about… these, my lord?"
Rora's golden eyes glanced down at the newly formed pile.She could tell from the flickering vein at his temple that he had truly reached his limit.
Her tone softened slightly."…Barely acceptable."
She lifted her gaze and smiled faintly."Well then, your apology has been received.Shouldn't you be leaving my planet now?"
Color slowly returned to Niss's face, and he nodded hastily."Of course. I'll depart immediately."
Without another word, he turned and sprinted toward his sleek black starship,apparently forgetting about the scouts he had earlier dispatched to search for the "heretic" Hsuán Xi.
As for the ten soldiers standing off in the distance,he didn't so much as glance their way —just jumped aboard, sealed the hatch,and in moments the ship roared to life and shot into the sky,vanishing as a black dot against the clouds.
The abandoned soldiers stood staring upward for a long while,until the ship had completely disappeared from sight.Only then did they exchange bewildered looks.
None of them had expected to be left behind like discarded cargo.
"So… what do we do now?" one muttered blankly.
"What do you think?" another snapped,ripping the cap from his head and throwing it angrily to the ground."Find another ship and get the hell off this rock!"
He huffed a few times, then stooped to pick the cap back up,brushed off the dirt, and — somewhat sheepishly — put it back on.
"But…" someone said suddenly, voice trembling,"there are no ships on this planet."
"That's impossible!"The cap-thrower barked a reflexive denial —but before anyone could respond,they all froze.
Because that last voice…didn't belong to any of them.
They turned as one —and there she was.
The woman who had just fought the mighty Lord Niss to a standstill —standing a few meters away, calm and radiant, as if she had been there all along.
Not one of them had sensed her approach.
Every soldier instinctively took a step back,their faces pale and wary.
Rora, however, only smiled —warmly, even kindly.
"Greetings," she said lightly,"visitors from another world."
"G–Greetings, my lady!" the soldiers stammered in unison,their voices trembling.
"You're from Beers Star as well, aren't you?" she asked.
"Yes… yes, my lady," one of them answered quickly.
Rora tilted her head slightly, eyes narrowing with interest."Then tell me—that Niss who just left…what kind of strength does he hold on Beers Star?"
Her tone was calm, conversational —but each of the soldiers knew perfectly well what she was doing.
She was probing for information.
And though they understood it instantly,none of them dared to resist.
After all, they were no longer on their home world.And the woman standing before them —the Star Lord of this planet —was someone they could neither lie to nor defy.
After hearing that, Rora Starsea's eyes flickered."The strength of Lord Niss ranks fifth on Beers Star," one of the soldiers said cautiously. "His awakening level is five, and his companion creature is a fox. He's also a distant relative of Beers Star's planetary lord and visits him often. You could say he holds great power and influence there."
"I see," Rora replied, her tone calm but carrying an edge. "By the way, can you contact the other nine squads?"
"Yes, we can."
"Good." She smiled faintly, though her expression soon turned cold and sharp. "Then please send them a message for me. Tell them—" she paused deliberately, her golden slit pupils sweeping over their faces one by one, "—that you've been abandoned by Niss and are now prisoners of Planet LX-045."
The moment she finished, the ten soldiers froze. Their fists clenched involuntarily, eyes widening in disbelief. A chill crawled down their spines—they couldn't comprehend how this woman, who just a moment ago had seemed almost gentle, could suddenly radiate such icy, commanding power.
But when they met her gaze—those golden, reptilian eyes that seemed to pierce through their very souls—all thoughts of resistance evaporated.They could only obey.
Before long, the other nine squads arrived. When they heard what had happened, they were stunned. None of them could imagine the once-majestic Lord Niss in such a disgraceful state—but when they saw that his ship had indeed vanished, they had no choice but to believe it.
Among them, the soldier with the highest rank stepped forward. He looked Rora up and down, disbelief flickering in his eyes. He couldn't fathom how this slender woman could have defeated the powerful Niss—but for now, he decided to accept it as fact.
"So you're saying," he said slowly, his tone strained, "that we've become prisoners on this trash planet?"
Though he tried hard to keep his voice neutral, Rora could clearly sense the disdain in his words.
She lifted a slender finger and waved it lightly, her lips curling into a calm yet firm smile."You're mistaken," she said evenly. "This planet is not a trash planet—its name is Blue Star."