[Beast Nation.]
The town square buzzed with a somber energy; every single soul, representing their respective clans, had gathered. News of their family heads’ deaths had spread, and while most weren’t happy, a tense calm prevailed. They sought answers, not riots, standing patiently, waiting.
"Sorry for keeping you all waiting."
A collective gaze lifted as Sunny descended from the sky, landing gracefully on the stage before them. Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
"Who is this?"
"I heard he’s the Queen’s true mate."
"Really?!"
"Wow! He’s handsome."
Beastmen and women alike whispered amongst themselves as Sunny took his place on the stage.
"Silence," he commanded, his voice calm yet resonating deeply within each person, instantly quieting the square.
"Thank you." Sunny nodded in approval. "Most of you don’t know me, so I will introduce myself. I am known as the God Wolf, but you all can address me as your King!" He paused, letting his words sink in. "I know most of you don’t trust me, and I don’t care if you do or not! I only ask for one thing from you: cooperation. If you cooperate well with me, I promise each one of you will gain 1,000,000 Galaxy crystals every month! If you help the nation with your talents, you will gain more than that!!" he roared, his voice echoing across the square.
A stunned silence fell over the crowd.
"Young man." An old woman, leaning on a walking stick, stepped forward. Her aura clearly marked her as an elite beast woman; her strength was undeniable.
’Celestial rank, stage 7... Impressive.’ Sunny thought, gesturing for her to continue.
"I understand what you are doing, you want to help our people, but first, I think you should explain why you killed more than fifteen family heads. Second, how will you deal with the Wendigo forces heading towards the city? I know you can’t hear it in the castle, but almost all of us heard the screeches last night."
Sunny raised an eyebrow, comprehending her words. "I killed the heads because they are traitors, planning on beheading the Queen, my mate." He added, "As for the Wendigos, you all should be calm; I will wipe them all out."
With a wave of his hand, three humanoid golden robots materialized beside him. "For the time being, these grand class Construction robots will get to work building the city. In just a day, all the walls will be rebuilt and reinforced." He held the old woman’s gaze, who was now scanning the robots with curiosity.
"Where is the Queen?" she asked.
"Busy with an important matter," Sunny replied, shifting his gaze to the crowd. "I brought good news!" He gestured to a group of soldiers nearby. "We have ten thousand soldiers, so I won’t ask for more, yet. But you all are welcome to apply." A smirk played on his lips. "Each soldier will gain 100,000 Galaxy crystals as monthly payment. I only ask for one thing in return! They must protect and fight for the nation!! They should protect their loved ones, and this city!" He turned to the soldiers. "Can you guys do that?" he asked.
"Yes!!"
"We will fight for our king, and protect our home!!"
The soldiers cheered, smiles plastered across their faces. Even those who weren’t currently soldiers began to eye the handsome sum of 100,000 Galaxy crystals, already contemplating applying.
"Tomorrow, all soldiers should be in the training ground. Every one of you," he stated, and the soldiers nodded in agreement.
Sunny turned back to the old woman and nodded. "You must be the elder of the Lion Clan, right?"
She nodded. "You killed Zagreb, one of my sons. I should be after your head, but I am not. You know why?"
Sunny shook his head, genuinely confused.
"Because I know my son, and I know the Queen. Don’t worry, if you need help, the Lion Clan will help." She turned, slowly walking away and disappearing into the bustling crowd.
Sunny exhaled:
’Just hope those two are done.’ He thought.
___
[Underground Passages.]
In one of the secret passages beneath the city, Josephine and Star stood, their gazes fixed on a massive gate.
"So you’re saying Xanor knows about all the secret entrances?" Star asked, turning to Josephine.
"Yes. And he will surely use them, or make sure to block all the exits," Josephine answered.
"Okay then! You heard what he said... Let’s get to work." Star smiled, summoning her sword.
Josephine nodded, pulling a bag from her side. "This would be a lot faster if those guys were here," she muttered.
___
[Unknown Location.]
Deep in the vast expanse of space, a warship cut through the void, speeding towards Planet Zax. It passed countless planets and meteorites, a silent blur against the cosmic backdrop.
"How long will this take?" Blood Eye growled, sprawled in her seat with a bored expression.
"We must hurry! The king will need the mercenaries!" Nioh responded, his eyes fixed on the controls before him.
"With our current speed, we’ll reach before sundown... I hope," Nicolas added, piloting the warship with practiced ease.
"If only the warship worked like the starship, which can be controlled by our cosmic brain, then we wouldn’t have to do anything! It would take us straight home," Blood Eye grumbled, utterly bored. "Why don’t we summon some mercenaries and check out their strength?" she suggested, adding, "At least we’ll have something to do."
Nioh turned to Nicolas, who slowly nodded.
"On then." Nioh snapped his fingers, and a circular object appeared before the group.
"Wow! I’ve only seen a mercenary transform in ads... I’ll be witnessing it in person today!" Blood Eye jumped to her feet, staring intently as Nioh tapped the single button on the object and threw it to the center of the ship.
WHOOSH!
The three watched as the circular object, initially the size of a small disk, began to expand, multiplying rapidly. In less than ten seconds, a five-foot humanoid figure in a green outfit, resembling a ninja, stood before them. It held an old, blunt sword in its hand.
"What class is this?!!" Nicolas and Blood Eye exclaimed in unison.
"Common class," Nioh answered, wondering why the two were yelling.
They stared, utterly mesmerized, at the mercenary standing before them. It was their very first time seeing such a creation up close, and the novelty of it held them captive.
"How do we start it?" Nicolas finally asked, breaking the spell.
"The Queen said something about adding blood," Blood Eye recalled, turning to Nioh, a flicker of an idea in her eyes.
"Hell no! I am not putting my blood on that thing. You’re the one who wanted it... Just know you’ll explain it to the king when we get back." Nioh smirked, leaning back in his seat, clearly amused by Blood Eye’s predicament.
"You!!!" Blood Eye was stunned. She genuinely hadn’t considered the potential consequences of her impulsive suggestion. Completely at a loss, she turned to Nicolas, hoping for an ally.
"Why are you looking at me? I know nothing, and I am not a part of this," Nicolas quickly interjected, raising his hands in mock surrender.
"....?!!"
"........!!"
Nioh and Blood Eye were equally stunned by his swift disavowal.
"Really?! Aren’t you the one who supported me?!" Blood Eye yelled, pointing an accusatory finger at his nose.
"Me...? When? Instead of worrying about what I said, you should think of how to explain to the emperor," Nicolas retorted, casually settling back into his seat, a smug expression on his face.
"You guys are!" Blood Eye was now truly lost for words, her gaze fixated on the inert mercenary. "Wait! None of us have marked it, so it can still be useful to the King," she declared, a sudden realization dawning on her.
"That’s good," Nioh nodded, his expression one of feigned surprise as he looked at her.
"You two are childish!!" Blood Eye huffed, exasperated. She marched towards the mercenary and tapped a small button on the back of its neck.
WHOOSH!
To the shock and disbelief of both men, the mercenary instantly reverted back into its circular disk form, which Blood Eye promptly picked up.
"I told you... I’ve only seen them in ads, so I know a lot," she stated, tossing the disk in her palm. "If someone had marked it, only that person can switch it off... If not..."
"Invisible soldiers?" Nicolas guessed, a hint of curiosity in his voice.
"No... These guys run with celestial energy. If they stay active for a long time, their celestial energy will dissipate, and their class will reduce," she explained, tossing the mercenary disk back to Nioh, who caught it effortlessly. "If that guy stayed like that for some hours, it would become scrap! Completely useless."
"Oh!" That was all the two could manage to mutter, a newfound understanding dawning on them.
BOOOM!!
A concussive force rattled their ship as a gun bullet collided with its hull, instantly setting off a cacophony of alarms.
BEEEEP!!
"This!" Nioh, Blood Eye, and Nicolas instinctively rushed back to their respective seats.
"What hit us?! Any damage?!" Nioh yelled, his voice cutting through the blaring sirens.
"No damage, maybe it was a warning," Nicolas reported, his fingers flying across the controls.
"Okay. But who hit us?!" Blood Eye demanded, her eyes scanning the tactical display.
Nicolas tapped a few more keys, and a massive screen materialized before them, displaying an image of a spaceship twice the size of their own.
"The Three-Eyed Nation," Nioh muttered, his gaze fixed on the distinct three eyes emblazoned on the flag stationed on the opposing spaceship.
"Keep on going," Nioh commanded.
Nicolas nodded, but before he could comply, an electromagnetic wave swept over their warship, instantly shutting down every system. The sudden silence was deafening.
"This?!!!" The trio stared, stunned by the abrupt power loss.
"We come in peace!! Just want to ask some questions!!" Jade’s voice boomed from her spaceship, resonating clearly through their now-silent vessel.
Nicolas and Blood Eye turned to Nioh, awaiting his response.