Chapter 57 - Nova Explosion Part 1

Kaya sat up reluctantly, “freeing” herself from the imprisonment she had been under. As she rose, her lips briefly stole another kiss from Marc. He, in return, sent her an inquiring gaze.

[--Marc--: Did I make a mistake somewhere?]

He knew her. He understood all her habits and actions. After all, he had known her for millennia; in a situation like this, his Kaya would never leave if he had not made some error. And now his Kaya was on her way to fix that…

When he asked, the Serpent Lady, who was just about to leave, paused. Then, as she turned around, she gave him a soft smile.

[--Kaya--: No, it’s alright. Shujin-sama’s actions just made things a little more complicated, but since it’s my beloved Shujin-sama, it’s going to be alright.]

[--Marc--: … Kaya—]

[--Kaya--: Yes, Shujin-sama, I will make my moves with the utmost care.]

[--Marc--: *nod* Take care.]

Marc shook his head slightly. As well as he knew her, she knew him just as well—perhaps even better than he knew himself.

His gaze wandered to where Lily had been standing, only to find that she had quietly disappeared. As he sat on his throne, he reflected on his previous actions while observing Calla’s graceful figure as she groomed Fafnir not far away…

That sight completely eased his mind.

---

Kaya swiftly moved through one of the corridors inside Marc’s vast soul palace. On one of the turns, she encountered a familiar figure leaning against one of the countless pillars.

[--Lily--: This is going to be messy, huh?]

The redhead began, pushing her bewitching figure away from the pillar.

[--Kaya--: As always, Shujin-sama is perfect.]

In response, Kaya concluded the conversation with a wide smile on her face.

[--Lily--: Indeed.]

The two did not need many words to communicate effectively. As geniuses among geniuses in tactics, being capable of guessing what the other party was thinking was considered basic.

They could hold a complete two-sided conversation with nothing more than a glance.

[--Kaya--: If it were us, this would be a dead end.]

[--Lily--: That’s right, but Marc is not a calculative type. He doesn’t mean it... It just happens.]

[--Kaya--: Hehe, that’s why it’s much easier to forgive him.]

[--Lily--: Cheater~]

[--Kaya--: So unfaithful~]

[--Lily--: I shall lend a helping hand.]

[--Kaya--: Oh, why, thank you.]

With that, they parted ways, each disappearing in a different direction.

---

Admiral V. Renves had a huge headache. Not only him, but all the higher-ups had no idea what to do with the situation. To think that the Crimson Empire would use such a desperate move against a single HST boy. But truly, that small boy’s performance explained everything. His potential was simply too shocking. He was dangerous…

The one with the biggest headache was definitely Ranker ‘A’ Claire. Currently, in her office, she was facing another 'A' Class Ranker, the anxious Silver Liger.

[Mistglan: Are you sure about this?]

[Claire: What are you talking about, Mist? Obviously, we can’t hand him over to the Council.]

Apparently, Vorst was capable of syncing with Sergeant Celina to rouse and amplify Mind-type Psychic abilities to terrifying levels, but during that time, their focus was at its limits, and they were not aware of their surroundings.

And that must be true. To control photons to that degree, even Claire, an A-class Elf Ranker, would lack the mental energy for such a terrifying display of power.

The Alliance Armada League marked him for disobeying orders and pushed it to the Council, which in turn “asked” Athena’s Institute to transfer Vorst in for proper discipline training. Obviously, if it were not for Claire being the Headmistress, it would not have been just “asking.”

[Mistglan: Really? He is clearly too—]

[Claire: I know, Mist.]

[Mistglan: … In the future, he will probably surpass you.]

[Claire: I know…]

[Mistglan: If he turns out to be like Magnu—]

[Claire: Stop.]

She abruptly raised her head, and her piercing glare immediately halted the man in front of her.

[Claire: Mist, are you saying we should just treat him as a threat because of his talent?]

When met with silence, she continued.

[Claire: There is no need to change his environment. Although he has displayed enormous power, there is no major problematic behavior coming from him.]

[Mistglan: … Celina—]

[Claire: The more affection he shows, the more it only proves that he is not letting power rush to his head.]

[Mistglan: But—]

[Claire: Mist. What makes us different from Magnus?]

[Mistglan: … Ourselves. Self-control, chivalry, and compassion. We are capable of feeling for other people, and we try to help them while not abusing our strength.]

Claire’s eyes showed an amused expression.

[Claire: Mist, that’s you. It’s trust. You trust me, I trust you, millions of people trust us. Therefore, we should also trust him. Therefore... We should believe.]

[Mistglan: But Magnus—]

[Claire: AND only if they break our trust should we doubt them.]

Confusion and a little unwillingness appeared on the Liger’s face.

[Claire: Mist, just leave him be. If you cannot trust him, then at least trust me.]

[Mistglan: … Alright. Then what about Nova?]

[Claire: …]

Another headache.

---

[Back in time]

Nova witnessed an ultimate spectacle—a grandiose formation composed of hundreds upon hundreds of runes. Like an enormous school of fish, they all moved in perfect unison; every single rune had a place and formed a complete whole.

To others, it might have appeared as a blurry golden serpent. However, Nova could “see” its true form.

She saw semi-transparent golden scales enveloping the creature. And that thing seemed alive! With slow movements, it opened the wings on its back as if flexing.

Then, with a stomp, a clear shockwave resonated through the air as the creature instantly broke the speed of sound to lunge toward its enemy. No, it was more like a prey. Because foes are when two sides are comparable, but this was a one-sided slaughter.

…

The shock from this overwhelming display of power stunned her and, at the same time, brought up insecurity. Nova trembled as she found these feelings inexplicable. She could not figure out why she was feeling like this…

…

Then another shock came immediately after.