Free Web NovelFar above the planet, beyond the atmosphere, beyond the reach of anyone standing on its surface, a vessel drifted silently through the void of space.
It was unremarkable from the outside. No markings, no lights, nothing that would draw attention.
Inside, a single person sat before a wide display of blue light, watching the planet below with an expression that revealed nothing.
He had watched everything.
The battle. The deaths. The revival. The arrival of the three figures and the planet stopping entirely.
His fingers moved, tapping against the armrest of his chair in a slow steady rhythm.
After a long silence, he reached forward and opened a transmission.
The blue light shifted, forming the shape of a figure on the other side.
The figure was obscured, deliberately.
Only a silhouette.
But even through the transmission, the weight of that presence made the man in the vessel sit slightly straighter without realising it.
"Report," the silhouette said, flat and cold.
"The planet resisted," the man said, his voice even.
There was silence on the other end.
The kind of silence that had weight to it.
"What about the three reinforcements sent?" The silhouette broke the silence.
The man waited for a moment before he spoke again.
"There was a problem," he said.
"What happened?" The silhouette asked almost instantly, not even waiting for the response to land fully.
"There was some interference. First, it was one Paragon rank cultivator."
He stopped for a while, waiting for any reaction from the silhouette.
Nothing.
He continued anyway.
"Although he was strong enough to hold all three back, he could not kill them alone."
"Get straight to the point. I don't have all the time in the world," the silhouette cut him off.
The man nodded.
"All three were killed by a mysterious man at the Stellar Realm."
The silhouette paused for a moment.
"Is he a wandering cultivator?"
"No. In fact, he seems to be escorting a lady. Possibly her personal bodyguard."
"And they entered the planet with the earlier Paragon rank cultivator?" The silhouette asked in confirmation.
The man nodded.
The silhouette sighed. 'This planet is too troublesome. I wonder why the higher ups want it so badly,' he thought.
"Is that all?"
"No," the man replied. "I would also recommend you halt your search on this planet. The lady I mentioned earlier appears to be from the Solarion Clan."
The silhouette looked at the man. freeweɓnovel.cøm
"And so?"
"I fear the man who killed them is Levi, the bodyguard of the Last Ray."
That was all the man said.
But the silhouette understood the implications behind those words immediately.
"Levi, the Scarlet Swordsman?" The silhouette said slowly, his voice dropping low.
The man nodded.
The silhouette pondered for a while before whispering something to the man.
The man's eyes widened.
He opened his mouth to speak, but swallowed his words before they could form.
He bowed and the transmission ended in a flicker.
The man remained there for a while, staring at the endless darkness of the void.
His spaceship pulsed slightly and he shot off into the dark.
On the planet, everyone was busy restoring the structures.
Silas, Amelia, and Billie, however, were driving toward the ship dock.
Levi and Celeste were already waiting for them there.
The car was being driven by Asher.
None of them spoke, each one lost in their own thoughts about the future.
Thirty minutes passed before the ship dock came into view.
But they could not even see the dock itself.
The place was crowded with people.
Literally everyone on the planet was there.
"Why are they here?" Silas asked, peering through the window at the sea of people.
Then he saw Max on the highest platform.
He seemed to be giving a speech.
"With this new development, our planet, for the first time in a millennium, will begin to explore outer space."
As he said those words, Celeste snapped her fingers.
Behind him, a hundred spaceships appeared in the sky above.
They were held there by an invisible force emanating from Levi.
They ranged from fighter ships to exploration vessels to the mothership, which was large beyond comprehension.
Everyone looked at the sky in reverence.
To them, the spaceships signified a new era in their lives.
Celeste returned them to her spatial ring.
"The next ten years will be used to select pilots and train them in operating the ships before we venture out."
Right on cue, Silas, Amelia, and Billie walked in.
Asher followed behind Silas, his steps mirroring Silas's own.
Max turned toward them and smiled.
With a thought, they appeared in front of him.
Well, just the trio.
The gap between him and Asher was too great for Max's spatial manipulation to bridge.
Asher did not mind.
With a single tap, he launched into the sky, landing behind Silas flawlessly.
"These are citizens of our planet who will be leaving today for the Imperial Academy on the main planet."
As he said those words, he stepped back, letting everyone look at them.
'What the hell?' Silas thought, looking down at the elevated platform beneath him.
There was nothing he could do.
He squeezed his palm as he tried to contain his anxiety.
Amelia was no different.
Billie noticed their anxiousness and took over.
She waved at the crowd below.
Within ten minutes, it was done.
The crowd had dispersed, leaving only a few important people behind.
Silas, Amelia, and Billie were walking toward Levi's spaceship.
Some people were already waiting there.
Alfred looked at Silas as he neared.
There was silence between them before Silas extended his hand.
Alfred took it.
They looked into each other's eyes, then let go.
Mira smiled.
"This is a first," Silas said, shaking her hand.
"It might be the last too."
Silas said nothing. He only shook his head before walking toward Miller.
Miller remained motionless, saying nothing for the first few seconds before he spoke.
"So, no spar with me till the very end?" He asked.
"This guy," Silas said with a smile. "The next time I come back, we can have a real spar."
"Don't say that. Who knows how far you will have gotten by then."
"You will have also gone far by then," Silas replied.
Miller did not hold back. He smiled and pulled Silas in for a hug.
"Don't slack off then, since I will not rest until we meet again."
Silas nodded in agreement. "Until then."
Billie looked at Alfred, neither of them saying anything.
The silence between them stretched long enough that the surrounding seemed to hold its breath.
"You are finally chasing your dream," Alfred said, his voice calm and gentle.
Billie nodded.
Again, silence.
Until Billie stepped forward.
She stretched both arms wide and pulled Alfred in.
"Don't overwork yourself while I am gone," she whispered softly in his ear.
Alfred pushed her back slightly, looking into her eyes before he spoke.
"Why are you acting like the older one?" He asked with furrowed brows.
Billie stared back into his eyes.
Then a soft chuckle.
"Whatever."
Both of them smiled for a moment before another silence settled.
"So, bye," Alfred said.
Billie waved her hand in response.
Amelia entered the spaceship directly, only nodding at the people there before she went in.
"Welcome aboard Lars III," a floating blob of blue light said as everyone entered.
Their mouths fell open as they took in the interior of the ship.
On the outside, the ship was barely bigger than a normal airplane.
But the inside, with just one glance and without even checking the other rooms, was as large as a stadium.
"Don't be so shocked. It was built using spatial materials," someone said from behind.
The voice was familiar. Something all of them had heard many times before.
"Governor Max," Silas said, turning back with surprise.
"What is it?" Max asked, spreading his arms wide.
"Are you coming with us?" Billie asked.
"You heard the announcement," Max said. "I have things to plan for the future."
As he said those words, he turned back.
"And I have some things to handle."
Celeste walked in at the same time, stepping into Max's embrace with calm.
Everyone blinked.
Before they could say anything, the blob spoke again, louder this time.
"Please find a seat. The ship will depart in three minutes."
They looked around.
There was no chair in sight. Only the vast interior and the thousands of doors lining the walls.
"Just enter one of those doors," Levi said, walking toward them with a calm gait. "Choose carefully as that will be your room for the duration of the journey. They are all the same though."
They nodded.
Silas chose a room.
It was simple. A bed and a single chair.
Silas sat in the chair quickly.
Asher stood outside, hands resting behind his back.
The chair, as if alive, covered Silas in a glass tube.
Levi stood in the same spot, Max and Celeste opposite him.
The spaceship lifted into the sky and disappeared in a flicker of light.
