Let her go? Not a chance. If Lance released her now and hostilities resumed, he might be safe behind his protective barrier, but if she decided to flee, he wouldn't be able to catch her. Even with the incredible speed of his Starry Thunder Wings, he was dealing with a supreme powerhouse. Who knew what kind of life-saving trump cards she held? For all he knew, she might even possess a way to bypass the wings' defense and kill him instantly.
"RUMBLE!!!"
Suddenly, the massive palace Lance was standing in shuddered violently. A deafening roar echoed through the halls as the entire structure began to collapse. Left with no choice, Lance tucked Selina under one arm and thrust his spear toward the void above.
"BOOM!"
With an earth-shattering explosion, the falling debris was instantly pulverized into a cloud of ash by the force of his strike. At this moment, his strength remained at its absolute zenith.
Crrrack!
Beneath his feet, the ground began to cave in rapidly.
Lance's brow furrowed. The threat of The Solaris Emperor and Sovereign Glacia had been neutralized, but the aftermath was going to be a headache. They had been granted an audience with The Solaris Emperor right before his demise. No matter how they spun it, they would be the primary suspects. Trouble was inevitable.
"Look at this mess. You killed The Solaris Emperor, and now I'm the one stuck cleaning up the fallout! Why does a woman have to be so damn violent?"
Lance shot a look at Sovereign Glacia, who was currently imprisoned within the small bell of the Eternal Soul Protocol. She huffed, turning her head away in a fit of pique and refusing to acknowledge him.
Not only had he refused to release her, but he was also pinning the blame on her. The kid was truly pushing his luck.
"Intellect, how do we fix this? I need a way to clear our names and deflect any suspicion," Lance said, frowning at the Wrist Communicator on his arm.
"Beep! Analysis complete. 1,541 possible solutions identified. The optimal strategy has been selected. Commencing implementation?"
The AI was truly on another level; it had formulated a plan in a literal heartbeat.
"Do it. What do I need to do?" Lance asked without hesitation.
"Beep! Initiating solution. Master, please remain stationary."
Wrist Communicator spoke directly.
Lance nodded, though a spark of curiosity remained. He wondered exactly how this digital mind planned to resolve the crisis.
………………
………………
"RUMBLE!!!"
Out in the vacuum of space, onlookers watched in horror as Planet Solaris began to fracture and collapse at an impossible speed.
No one understood what was happening. A planet guarded by The Solaris Emperor should have been invulnerable. After all, the Emperor was a formidable Planetary Class powerhouse, and Planet Solaris was larger than many stars. Unless he unleashed his full power, it should have been nearly impossible to shatter the world. Yet, the planet was disintegrating without any detectable battle fluctuations.
Of course, they didn't know the truth. When Sovereign Glacia had struck at Lance, she had relied purely on physical strength. She knew that against someone like Lance, who possessed an Immortal Grade Soul technique, soul-based or elemental attacks would be useless.
However, she was limited by Selina's physical form. Even with her power reinforcing it, the most she could unleash was the peak of the Planetary Class. If she pushed any harder, the girl's body would have disintegrated instantly.
She hadn't counted on Lance owning a combat suit capable of tanking a peak physical blow from a Planetary Class entity. Her carelessness had led directly to her sealing.
Because of this, Planet Solaris was only fracturing rather than being reduced to cosmic dust alongside the dozens of other planets in the system.
"Hmph!"
A cold snort suddenly erupted from the depths of the void.
"BOOM!"
Following a thunderous explosion, the Solaris Imperial Palace shattered into a million pieces. Two figures shot into the sky. One was wreathed in violet-blue flames, while the other radiated a bone-chilling aura of frost.
The frost-covered figure was not human. It stood three meters tall, its skin a deep, fiery red—a member of an alien race. The martial artists watching from their starships went pale the moment they saw the two silhouettes.
"It's The Solaris Emperor!"
"Look! The one he's fighting... is that a Tartaran?"
"Damn it! That's the Cryo-Wraith Monarch of The Tartarans! He's a Stellar Class (Rank 7) powerhouse!"
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"What? How can it be him? He's supposed to be significantly stronger than The Solaris Emperor!"
"Wait, look at the Emperor's flames. Why are they violet-blue?"
"That's the legendary Core Star-Flame! The rumors were true—The Solaris Emperor slaughtered his disciple's entire clan just to steal that Starfire!"
"Shut your mouth! Who are you to gossip about His Majesty? Even if it's true, so what? He's the one protecting us right now!"
……………………
……………………
A heated debate broke out among the spectators. The pressure radiating from the two figures was so terrifyingly authentic that no one doubted their reality for a second.
"Cryo-Wraith Monarch! We had an agreement. I suggest you stick to it. Now that the target is dead, leave at once!"
The Solaris Emperor's voice was frigid, echoing through the vacuum. The onlookers were stunned. Kill the person and leave? Who was killed? What was going on?
"Hahaha! Vance, you really are a piece of work," the Cryo-Wraith Monarch roared with laughter. "You leak the information, invite me here to put on a show and kill this new SS-Rank genius, and then you have the nerve to tell me his Solar Stellar Flame belongs to you? Do you think I flew all this way just to do your dirty work for free?"
The revelation sent shockwaves through the Solaris Intermediate Sector. Every witness stared in disbelief at the figure millions of kilometers away, the one wreathed in towering flames.
The Solaris Emperor was a traitor? A mole for the aliens? It seemed impossible. A wave of bone-chilling dread and fury washed over the crowd, though many still struggled to believe it.
"Hmph! Don't you dare try to frame me! I, The Solaris Emperor, would never stoop so low!"
The Emperor’s rebuttal was delivered with righteous indignation. Many of his loyal followers immediately rallied to his side. It made sense—why would their protector do such a thing? What could he possibly gain?
"A dog who slaughtered his own disciple for a flame dares to speak of honor? Fine. Your people might believe you, but do you think The High Guardians or The Paragon Council will buy your bullshit? Look around you. How many human Grandmasters here actually trust you anymore? What are you going to do? Kill them all to keep them quiet?"
The Cryo-Wraith Monarch let out a cold, mocking sneer in response to The Solaris Emperor’s desperate defense.
His words hit the onlookers like a physical blow. The faces of the martial artists watching from a distance changed drastically. Though it was still only a suspicion, the possibility that The Solaris Emperor might actually massacre everyone to tie up loose ends sent a wave of terror through the fleet.
"Quick! Power up the engines! We need to leave the Solaris Intermediate Sector right now! Get as far away as possible!"
Finally, a [Grandmaster] rank powerhouse succumbed to his fear. He barked the order to his ship’s AI, his voice heavy with dread. His entire family was on this vessel; he couldn't afford to gamble with their lives.
"Beep! Your vessel has been overridden by the Solaris Intermediate Sector High Authority. Propulsion systems are locked!!"
The notification caused the [Grandmaster] to go pale. The High Authority? That was the Emperor’s direct administrative override.
"It’s over..."
Despair took hold. It wasn't just him—across the sector, thousands of ships found their controls seized the moment they tried to flee. Every communication device was jammed, and every engine was dead in the water. They were trapped. Without their ships, even [Great Grandmaster] rank experts would take an eternity to fly out of the system—more than enough time for The Solaris Emperor to hunt them all down.
Panic spread through the star system like wildfire.
"I have to hand it to you, Vance. You truly are ruthless," the Cryo-Wraith Monarch said, his voice dripping with amusement. "I’ll give you a choice. Hand over your Core Star-Flame and that SS-Rank genius. If you do, I can pretend this never happened. I’ll even tell the world I was the one who wiped out this sector. What do you say?"
The Solaris Emperor’s expression darkened to a murderous gloom.
"If I kill you and then erase everyone here, the outcome is the same. It all remains mine!"
The Emperor seemed to reach a final, grim resolution as he let out a harsh, chilling laugh.
"What!?" The Cryo-Wraith Monarch’s expression shifted.
"Initiate Tier 6 Advanced Star-Shatter Protocol! Charge the cannons!" The Solaris Emperor bellowed.
"RUMBLE!!!"
Suddenly, one of the moons orbiting Planet Solaris began to vibrate violently. To the shock of the spectators, the entire satellite shifted, its surface peeling back to reveal the barrel of a bottomless energy cannon.
Hummmmm!
In an instant, the energy of the surrounding vacuum began to surge toward the lunar cannon like a torrential flood. A massive sphere of blue light condensed at the maw of the weapon, the sheer density of the power causing the very fabric of space to warp and twist.
"Are you joking? You think that thing can actually hit me?"
The Cryo-Wraith Monarch looked wary, but he didn't panic. He knew a weapon of that scale was sluggish. As long as he stayed mobile and didn't let himself be locked down, it couldn't touch him.
"Hahaha! You think I'm just here for show? Today, you die!"
The Solaris Emperor threw his head back and laughed maniacally.
"BOOM!"
Power erupted from his body like a tidal wave, causing the heavens and the earth to tremble in his wake.
"You’re insane!"
Fear finally flickered in the Cryo-Wraith Monarch’s eyes. He turned instantly, transforming into a streak of light as he attempted to flee into the distance.
"You want to run? Too late!"
The Solaris Emperor roared, transforming into a blur of violet-blue light. He intercepted the Monarch with blinding speed. While he might have been slightly weaker in a direct confrontation, pinning the alien down was well within his capabilities—especially with the boost from his Core Star-Flame.
"Get out of my way!"
The Cryo-Wraith Monarch snarled, thrusting a palm forward.
"BOOM!"
A terrifying, spectral handprint—tens of thousands of kilometers in diameter—slammed down toward The Solaris Emperor. Against such a colossal attack, even Ancient Earth would have looked like a mere pebble.
"Hmph!"
The Solaris Emperor snorted. A longsword materialized in his hand—the Flame Emperor Sword, his signature weapon.
CLANG!
He swung the blade with world-shaking force.
"RUMBLE!!!"
The two attacks collided, and the resulting explosion sent shockwaves tearing through the void in every direction.
"Beep! Tier 6 Targeting Protocol engaged! Target locked: Cryo-Wraith Monarch!"
The moon-cannon emitted a bone-chilling mechanical drone. The massive barrel hummed as it zeroed in on the Monarch’s position.
"FIRE!"
The star system shuddered as the cannon unleashed a blinding beam of pure energy. The light tore through the void in a fraction of a second.
"Damn you, Vance! If I'm going down, you’re coming with me!"
Sensing the impending doom, the Cryo-Wraith Monarch let out a desperate, guttural roar. He erupted with ghostly blue frost, which instantly enveloped The Solaris Emperor.
Caught off guard, the Emperor was flash-frozen into a block of ice. Before he could shatter it, the Monarch lunged forward, grabbing him and using the Emperor’s body as a living shield.
"BOOM!"
A moment later, the Emperor burst through the ice, but it was too late. The Monarch held him in a death grip, refusing to let go.
"Bastard! Release me!" the Emperor screamed.
"RUMBLE!!!"
The terrifying Star-Shatter laser swallowed them both. The sky itself seemed to rupture as everything within the beam’s path was vaporized into absolute nothingness.
The onlookers were left in a state of catatonic shock. Mutual destruction?
The Solaris Emperor and the Cryo-Wraith Monarch... both dead?
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