Booooom
"ELEANOOOOOOOOR!!!"
"Hah?!" Elenor's body inside the grand hall shuddered violently the instant she heard that thunderous roar, a scream saturated with hostility so dense it felt almost tangible. The sheer killing intent behind it sent a chill through her very bones.
Then-whoosh- she slamd her foot into the ground, the floor cracking beneath her as she propelled herself outward with explosive force... she would never, under any circumstance, fail to recognize the owner of that voice, no matter how many centuries passed!
"What's happening outside?" The planetary emperor shot a sharp glance toward his uncle, his expression tightening, before bursting forward after Elenor. The elderly Nexus State did not hesitate either, pushing his limits as he followed close behind.
Within a single second, all three of them had exited the hall, their figures freezing as they beheld a sight that was both horrifying and utterly surreal...
The palace's space portal had been reduced to nothing more than a collapsed heap of twisted rubble. The surrounding region had sunk deep into the ground, as if the land itself had been crushed downward by overwhelming force. It was obvious that the area had been obliterated by an imnsely powerful attack. Yet their gazes did not linger on the destroyed portal. Instead, all attention was drawn to what floated above it.
There, suspended amid swirling dust and debris, was a shadow... a vast,
oppressive shadow that pressed down on everyone present, suffocating their breaths and weighing heavily on their souls.
Whoosh
"Show yourself!" Elenor shouted, swinging her arm with force. The violent wave she released swept through the area, instantly dispersing all the dust and smoke. "It really is you!!"
A woman stood revealed.
She wore black-and-gold armor, exquisitely crafted and clearly tailored for her alone, each plate hugging her form with both elegance and nace. From behind her extended nine exceptionally thick and beautiful tails, fanning out in nine different directions, each one radiating terrifying vitality.
Above every single tail hovered a star-blindingly bright, crushing in presence- each shining with a unique color and possessing its own distinct and unfathomable properties!
Yet neither that breathtaking armor nor those oppressive, radiant stars were what seized the eye the most... it was her gaze.
The woman's eyes resembled a volcano on the brink of eruption, churning with fury. The sheer magnitude of rage and hatred contained within them was beyond any asure, so intense it seed capable of burning the world itself.
There was only woman with such description in the 100th sector... The Emperors' Slayer.
"Renara..." Elenor stared at the newcor with naked fury and confusion. "What are you doing here? Have you grown tired of living? Do you want to die?! And also..." Her gaze swept Renara from head to toe. "How did your blood density reach this level?!"
"Hmph. Renara-the forr Empress of our Nine Paths branch, and the current ruler of a wing subordinate to the Cradle Empire," the planetary emperor of the Twilight Spectrum said as he folded his arms, his tone dismissive. "What brings a side character like you to a place like this?"
The planetary emperor lifted his chin, yet inwardly his mind was racing as he examined Renara with extre caution. Her aura... it was unstable, surging, as if it were standing right on the edge of a breakthrough. Was she about to step into the peak of the Nexus State?
How was that even possible?!
Just two centuries ago, Renara had only been a mid-level Nexus State!!
What kind of monstrous growth rate was this?!
"Elenor..." Renara ignored the planetary emperor completely, her attention fixed solely on her sister as she t her gaze head-on. "You sealed your fate as a weightless, honorless traitor the mont you chose to side with an external power instead of seeking better paths to strengthen your own people... and you sealed your fate as a dead woman the mont you leaked information about His Majesty."
She then calmly extended her hand forward, her voice cold and rciless. "Today, I have co to collect all the taxes."
"Renara!" The girl with the orange tails hurriedly raised her hands, gesturing for her sister to calm down. "Hold your horses and co talk to . Everything has a price, and every step has a purpose. I'm doing all of this for our future-for the future of the empire... the empire that you lost, and that I still bla you for to this very day!"
She then pointed behind her toward what remained of the hall. "Co with . Perhaps we can find neutral ground, sowhere that could work for everyone, even now."
"..." The royal uncle was no longer thinking about Renara's strength or the terrifying density of her bloodline. His eyes darted across every direction, sharp and alert... sothing was deeply wrong.
Where had Renara appeared from so suddenly?
If she had entered through the planet's atmosphere, the alarm systems and defense arrays would have reacted imdiately. As for space portals, none had been activated either, and no breach had been logged anywhere in the system... so where did she co from, and how had she done it?
"Neutral ground?" Renara repeated softly, a smile slowly spreading across her lips. Then-whoosh-one of her tails, the one bearing a perfectly round orange star, lashed forward with overwhelming force and released its attack without hesitation.
"This is bad!" All three moved at once, scattering in different directions, not even sparing a fraction of a second to think about defending head-on.
Boooooooom
A massive fiery explosion erupted outward, completely engulfing the grand throne hall. The structure vanished in an instant, reduced to blazing rubble and
collapsing debris.
"Nooooo!!" The planetary emperor of the Centennial Twilight Spectrum scread at the top of his lungs. There was no humiliation greater for an empire than having its very throne-its symbol of sovereignty-obliterated
before its eyes!
"Renara, I hope you're prepared to pay the price for this!!" the planetary emperor of the Twilight Spectrum roared in fury as a spear ford in his grasp,
its shaft and tip woven entirely from radiant pearls.
"Wait!" the elderly Nexus State suddenly shouted, scanning the surroundings rapidly. "Sothing is very wrong. We need to leave imdiately."
"What do you an?!" The planetary emperor glanced around in confusion and saw nothing out of place. Then he expanded his soul sense to its absolute limit, sweeping the entire region. His expression instantly changed. "Oh no..." There were no fewer than fifteen Nexus States surrounding them, each one precisely dismantling the control panels of every space portal on the planet. Their movents were so exact, so flawlessly tid, that even the guards stationed nearby wouldn't realize what had happened until it was far too late. Those fifteen Nexus States were closing in from all directions at this very mont. Breaking through even a single one of them without a fight was nearly impossible.
And the worst news of all? He had sensed several more figures above-beyond the planet's atmosphere-slowly descending toward the surface with terrifying
calm.
"How?! What happened to the sensing arrays? What happened to the defense arrays?!" The planetary emperor staggered back two steps, shock written clearly across his face.
"This is not the ti to start investigations. We'll sort that out later!" the royal
uncle snapped. He completely ignored Renara-and she returned the favor. Choosing a direction at random, he shot upward like a missile, vanishing into the sky without looking back even once.
"Damn it!!" The planetary emperor of the Twilight Spectrum hesitated for a brief mont. He cast a long, heavy look around-at his dominion, at the planet that was being invaded at this very mont-then whoosh, he surged upward
after him as well.
"Wait!!" Elenor cried out, stunned by their sudden retreat. She pushed off the ground and rushed upward too, refusing to be left behind.
But-
Zzzzn
A blue, four-headed star ca screaming through the air like a teor, nearly splitting her body in two. Only a desperate, last-mont evasion saved her
from being cut in half.
"Renara!!" Elenor scread as she landed back on the ground. Her chest heaved
as she violently scanned her surroundings, releasing her soul sense in all directions like a raging storm. She watched the approaching Nexus States closing in on her from every side, like reapers coming to harvest souls.
"Are you really going to let your most hated enemies escape and turn all of this on instead? How far has your hatred for gone?!"
"Don't worry," Renara replied calmly, lifting her head slightly as if looking down
on everything before her. "You and them are no different. Today..."
Her eyes hardened. "No one will survive."
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